The week of "almosts"

This has been a week of “almosts” as will be explained. Time was very limited this week so things could only be done in half hour intervals. I would like to get as many parts installed as I could before I start to concentrate on each individual "system" (brake, clutch, hydraulic, cooling, etc....).

First, the horns and the overflow tank were installed…well, almost. The bolt on the right on the overflow bracket still needs to be tightened since a regular wrench will not fit in the space provided to hold the nut. Once it is tightened, it will be done.

The battery tray was installed. Not a big deal but at least it is something to smile about! 

Next, the dynamo (generator) was on the list. But, I had no lower adjustment bracket for it. Once again, I called on John, who supplied me with one.

For some reason, after bolting the generator and mounting bracket on the motor, the fan belt was not tightening. Come to find out, the belt was too long! Thanks again Moss Motors for sending me yet another wrong part!! So the generator is at least “in place” for now. Looks like I will be playing with the fan belt this week.

John also came over to help figure out the flange and brake rotor situation. We ended up taking both back up to his house. The holes in the flange were drilled out 1/32” larger in order to line the bolts up properly. That worked great! I brought it back home and installed it on the drive shaft…well, almost. Looks like the shaft will have to be pounded out another inch before it is correctly installed. Notice that there is no castle nut on the end. Although it will have to be taken off when I pound out the shaft, the brake caliper was also put on (to get it out of its tattered box).

But to end on a happy note, the radiator blanking caps finally arrived from Leacy Classics in England! They are both beautiful NOS parts! I put this one on and have the other one for a spare.

This coming week will entail “fixing” the problems from this past week. Hopefully I can at least have enough time to install the coil, new correct distributor cap, and wires.  

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Various parts finally get installed on the motor!

"Loosen, disassemble, re-assemble, torque.

Loosen, disassemble, re-assemble, torque."

…My mantra for most of this week as all the sub-frame and motor mount bolts were properly secured with washers, lock washers, and nuts. Not a big deal, just tedious and time consuming.

Now the fun can begin!! I started by installing the NOS clutch slave cylinder and spring.

This application requires two 3/8” x 16 x ¾” (and 3/8” washers and lock washers). When I ordered the hardware from Moss Motors in my last big order, they sent these tiny bolts, which are not even close to the correct size (which are the top ones)!! And yes, I did give them the correct parts number.

Once that was taken care of, the plunger rod and spring were attached. The new hose will be installed later.

The starter was re-installed as we had to remove it to mount the motor.

And for kicks (although it will be coming off again soon), the restored air filter canister was put in place.

And also, the driver’s side brake caliper is on. It just needs the brake pads and hose installed.

Lastly, the radiator and shroud were installed. I assembled everything in the house first to make sure I had all the hardware fasteners and to fit it together.

Getting this installed felt like a big accomplishment! New hoses and clamps need to get ordered, and the blanking cap has STILL not been delivered from England.

Next week two things really need to get done. The passenger side wheel flange and brake rotor still need attention. And, the dynamo (generator) and coil need to be mounted. After that the new wires, plugs and correct distributor cap can be installed. Things are really happening now!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

The motor gets mounted!

Every now and then, a momentous occasion happens in one's life that marks a change in direction or starts a new chapter in their life. A moment such as that happened last night when we finally installed Old Biddy’s motor into her engine bay!

After last week’s mishap, I decided that it would be easier to install the sub-frame into the body without the motor attached. This way we would only have to worry about getting the sub-frame and suspension assembly lined up and it would be much lighter. So we attached the crane, hoisted the car body up and slid the sub-frame underneath.

That operation went rather fast and smooth. After everything was secured, we removed the angle iron lifting bracket as it was no longer needed.

Then the motor was hoisted up and placed into the engine bay.

We had a hard time getting the motor to align. After a couple hours of trying, we started to get tired and grouchy. John went home and I went in the house to watch the Super Bowl. (Good game, not so good outcome, just like our effort.)

John came back Monday evening. With fresh minds and smiles, we gave it another try. The motor was installed in about an hour and a half.

After moving Old Biddy back to her parking space, I could not help but smile to see the suspension parts in the driver’s side (left front) wheel well!

Next, I have to spend a couple uninterrupted hours putting washers on and then torqueing in all of the thirty two sub-frame and motor mount bolts. Then, finally, I can get to work putting the rest of the motor together. Time for an Old Speckled Hen to celebrate!!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Universal joints and sub-frame mounts

The main objective this week was to prepare and organize everything for re-installing the sub-frame and motor. I tried to install the engine into the sub-frame by myself on Tuesday. Not a pleasant site! I decided not to document my mishap as it was really ugly!! No big damage…except for some scraped paint and a bruised ego.

Instead, I concentrated on the universal joints (or couplings) since they are one of the first parts to install after the motor is put in. ADO16 universal joints are a unique part because the original couplings were rubber. Numerous people have gone on record saying that the rubber ones were unreliable and I should invest in the better parts instead. But if I were to buy a new set, it would cost $112! Chris, who rebuilt the motor, figured that if I were to take the plastic “cups” off the ends and clean them, they could be reused on another set of joints. He did some research and found that the joints are the same ones used in Triumph TR6s.

So I punched out the ends...

...cleaned them up and inspected them. Yes, there should be eight. After taking this picture, I found another one and John also has one.

I may be able to reuse the original u-bolts, which will only need new nuts and washers. I will have to make that decision soon.

Then my order was made to Moss Motors for another set of various parts. Ordering TR6 joints saved me $65! The cups just have to be pressed onto the ends.

Amongst the various parts I ordered, I am disappointed that Moss Motors' rubber coil cover does not quite fit an LA12 coil. Maybe some modifying will be in order.

The tedious chore of securing all the sub-frame mounts with new hardware turned out to be a nightmare! There were more hardware fasteners missing (or rusted beyond recognition) than I first thought and it got complicated. After taking three trips to the hardware store, everything should finally be ready to go!! It even involved getting my wife, Andrea, to help with some wrenchin’.

I hope I am all set for John to come tomorrow to help re-install the sub-frame and then the engine. After Tuesday’s bloodbath, we will have to go with Plan B and not the way I originally intended to do it. In vein of the Super Bowl (Go Patriots!!), we are going for the field goal rather than the touchdown.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Updates and the motor comes home!

With my busy week this week, I had no time to write any updates. I have many so bear with the chaos.

First, the radiator was re-cored and finished. The price for it was about the same as a new radiator so on that aspect it is comparing apples and oranges.

I will need to get a new blanking cap for the radiator. As I was starting to clean up the old cap, the rubber literally crumbled and there was too much rust on the metal. I found a place in Britain that had them so I ordered two just to be safe.

And, now for the big news…the motor is home!! We went down to pick it up today before the weather deteriorates this week. Here is the front side…

…and the back side/left side 3/4 shot.

Here is Chris Crees, the craftsman who rebuilt it. A long tedious process, but I know it was done right!

I could not help myself from installing the water pump pulley and fan.

And the air filter manifold.

Also, John managed to help me get the right side drive shaft out through the hub. He also gave me some advice on getting the flange and brake rotor to seat properly.

I have to get going and do some work on Old Biddy because the center of our garage is all filled up with big things!!

This week I will keep assembling to finish up the front sub-frame unit. Work may slow me down a bit but updates should come much quicker now that everything is home under one roof.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

The smooth and bumpy front suspension adventure

The suspension installation was moving along without problems. It was nice to have all the parts completely restored before assembly. All my previous hard work for the past five years is finally paying off!

I attempted to install the drive shafts so the brake dust cover, hub flange and brake rotor could be installed. I had to figure which shaft went on which side as one is shorter than the other. Once I got that sorted out, (the driver (left) side gets the short shaft) everything else was prepared.  

I attached the flange to the brake rotor making sure to “Anti-seize” the mating surfaces. Four years ago when I was disassembling, a rotor rusted solid to the flange on one side and I ended up ruining that flange trying to break them apart.

Then the brake dust cover was loosely installed. It will not be tightened in place until the calipers are installed. Everything else was slid on and tightened into position. Here is the almost finished driver’s side. Only thing missing is the brake caliper which has to be assembled and then everything gets torqued in and greased up.

The other side did not go as smooth. First, the flange would not seat level on the brake rotor.

And second, the drive shaft did not want to fit through the hub and I could not figure out the reason. I decided to stop for the night before something went wrong.

Radiator update: yes, as I thought, I will need to have a new core!! I should have it back by Wednesday or Thursday. I also forgot to order a couple parts along the way. I need both universal joints and corresponding u bolts. Nothing major just one more thing to do…

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Ending the front suspension suspense.

The objective this week was to rebuild the front suspension components back onto the sub-frame. When ADO16s were built in Abingdon, this was the way they were originally assembled.

After months of anticipation, the first parts to be installed were the driver’s (left hand) side upper control arm and hydraulic cup.

Making sure to properly lubricate each piece and “Anti-seizing” the threads will help prevent the problems that plagued these parts before.

The lower support arm and the hub came next. I made sure to tighten but not torque these in place since everything will have to be adjusted and aligned later.

And just for kicks, the bump stops were installed in the wheel wells.

I also took the radiator to the radiator shop to have it cleaned and checked out. My guess (since everything else on this car has needed a total overhaul) is that it will probably need a new core.

The radiator cap needs to be cleaned and repainted, too (but this is minor).

Assembling is fun!! Not bad for only three hours work.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy