More buttoning up at Chris’s

I forgot to bring a few very necessary parts (the ball joint shims) down to Chris last week so he could finish re-assembling the front suspension. I had the parts on hand so today I went down to bring them to him.

To my surprise and great relief (and excitement), he installed the exhaust system this week! He had to cut the front pipe to fit, and make several adjustments to it to make the connection. He also used the old bracket from the original elbow and welded it in place.

 

He welded the whole exhaust together and attached it with the original mounting kit that I bought a few years ago.

 

Look. Old Biddy has an exhaust pipe!! Exhaust system complete…CHECK!

 

 

And I can now say that with the carburetors re-installed, the fuel line attached, and choke cable connected, the fuel system is complete…CHECK!!

 

Then he showed me the hand brake assembly. One cable was fine and is properly fitted and works great. The one on the driver’s side (he is holding it in the picture) is a bit bent and buggered up. I may need to find and buy a new cable. He will let me know.

 

The front ball joints have to be properly shimmed to totally complete the front end. The left front is done. The right front needs to be finished. After that, the brake lines will all be connected and finally bled. Then once the engine is filled with coolant, Old Biddy will be ready to start and run on her own!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

 

Beginning to button up things at Chris’s

Now that all the proper parts have been received, Old Biddy is getting reassembled…the right way.

The fuel tank, new fuel lines, and refurbished SU AUF 200 fuel pump have been reinstalled. Once the carburetors are reconnected, the fuel system will be completed…CHECK!

 

The motor has been reattached in the car. With that done, the clutch has been bled and works great! Clutch system completed…CHECK!

 

With both front hoses hooked up, the suspension has been filled with fluid and is holding pressure at 150 lbs with Old Biddy still up on jacks. Once the car is back on the ground, more fluid will be needed to top the system off. Hydrolastic suspension system completed…CHECK!

 

The brake and clutch lines to the master cylinders have all been completed…but the brakes are still not bled yet. Brake system completed…uh, not quite. Notice that the hydrolastic hose in front of the cylinders, it is connected!! This hose was the main reason why the car went to Chris's in the first place!!

 

And the steering column has been reattached. Chris also fiddled with the indicator switch to properly connect it up. Now I just need to find a horn button!

 

Once the front suspension parts are tweaked and torqued, the brakes will then get bled. I brought down the old battery cables, the exhaust system, and a couple other odds and ends. It is funny how quickly everything goes together!! The hardest part by far about this phase of the restoration has been finding the proper parts.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Braking system complete!! But not quite bled.

I brought the final brake system parts and Dot 5 silicon brake fluid down to Chris to find that more progress has been made than I expected.

He finished all but one brake line, the one that connects the master cylinder with the three way connector. The company sent him the wrong size tube meant for a right hand drive car, but then rectified the situation by sending the correct line to him for free. That will be the last part he will install before the brake system gets bled. While waiting for the correct brake line, he made up the new fuel line and secured it in place and bent the driver’s (left) side hydrolastic pipe to its proper position and secured it in place, also.

 

He also inspected the rear brake shoes, adjusters, hand brake mechanism, and rear drums as he was installing the new wheel cylinders and rebuilt “brake slave cylinder/ proportioning valve”. It all looks great!

 

Although a bit blurry, the new brake lines and hoses look nice and clean on the car compared to the rusty stuff that was taken off.

 

He gave me the proportioning valve that was on the car which was used for only a few years on Austin Americas. I will clean it up, inspect it, and put it up on the eAuction site as I do not need it. I just saw a NOS one sell for $100. On the other hand, it seems the parts that I am selling cheap ($9.99 starting price just to get rid of), attract no attention.

 

This week I will have to order a few more bits and pieces as usual and then hopefully take another ride down to Chris’s this weekend.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Braking system final bits and pieces

I finally received the last parts to finish off the braking system.

I was going to rebuild the rear wheel cylinders but they were in terrible condition as the picture shows. So I just bought new ones from Moss Motors (in picture above the old one). They are Delphi Lockheed, close enough to the originals, and as I said before, no one will see them anyway.

 

Since I was missing one, I also bought the last flexible rubber rear hose. It is a Brovex not a Lockheed like the other four NOS hoses. Again, I figured I am in a bit of a rush and do not have time right now to find an original. No big deal for now.

 

After these get installed, we can bleed the brake system. I hope Chris lets me do that with him.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Another Old Biddy visitation.

Went back down to Chris’s to deliver the parts that he needs and to check on progress. We also collaborated on what both of us need to do next.

I brought the rebuilt rear brake limiting valve and the passenger’s front side brake shoes that I kept forgetting to install.

 

He received the brake lines from England…

 

…and began to install them in their proper place.

 

I also brought the dash pad that I bought a couple weeks ago to test fit. It looks perfect! Once Old Biddy comes home, it will be the first thing that gets installed.

 

I was sent home with homework. Since I want Dot 5 silicone brake fluid in the system, Chris had me buy new rear wheel cylinders. Long story short…the old ones would have to be rebuilt and there is no guarantee they will not leak. I wanted the original Lockheed 4212-239 ones that were originally in the car, like the one in the picture. But they are extremely expensive so I opted for the cylinders from Moss Motors. No one will see them anyway...as long as they work...

 

I also bought new copper nickel ¼” pipe for fuel line. Once the parts come in I will be making another trip down there.

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

Rear brake pressure compensator regulator slave cylinder

Since Chris is waiting for the brake lines to arrive from England, I also had my work to do in order to complete the braking system. Old Biddy also needs the correct rear brake “slave cylinder”. It has many names; pressure compensator, pressure regulator, diverter, reducer, limiting, proportioning valve, cylinder, etc...making it difficult to verbally identify the part officially known as Lockheed part no. 7313-761 and/or 31G380 in the parts book.

Back in September I posted this picture, which shows the rear cylinder that is on the car now. Just like the front pressure valve, this one is also incorrect. It is located in the upper right part of the picture.

 

I knew I had saved the original one. It just took me a couple days to find it.  I decided to perform some surgery on it to see if it was salvageable.

 

I took it to John’s since he has the proper tools to get the rusted fittings to break loose from the cylinder body. I then sandblasted it to clean it up and brought it home to take it apart and inspect it. It basically just needed a good cleaning and a rebuild kit.

 

I did find a rebuild kit, a genuine Lockheed SSB 803 over at Hewi's Classic Spares in England. DISCLAIMER: This picture was actually his picture of the part which I copied for this posting.  These cylinders are no longer reproduced as the clutch slave cylinders are, so I was lucky to even find this!

 

Once the cylinder is reassembled, it will be taken down to Chris for proper installation. Now I have to be patient. I may have to wait a couple weeks for it to swim over here by itself!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy

My visit to see Old Biddy at Chris's

Had to deliver some parts down to Chris yesterday. It was great to see my old girl again!

When I arrived I saw her all disassembled and up on jacks. It was a bittersweet moment. Chris assured me that 90% of what I assembled was correct. There were just a few things that, unless I was a mechanic on British cars, I would have done wrong anyway. And, that is why Chris has her.

 

The biggest operation he had to do was to repair the hydrolastic suspension system. The two hoses were not aligned correctly, especially the one on the right in the picture (the driver’s side). That was because they (the previous owner) had a right (passenger’s) side hose on that side and they twisted it into place. Chris had to tweak it a bit more to make it fit and clean up the fittings.

 

He dropped the gas tank to inspect the rear units. All looked fine except for installing new rubber boots on the “cans” to seal out moisture. The inside of the gas tank was already cleaned and coated…no rust!!!

 

The fuel pump needs new points. We may just install a transistorized circuit on it so I do not have to worry about it anymore. He will open it up this week and check out the rubber diaphragm inside it. And, he will put a new fuel filter in the tank, too, while it is off the car.

 

This is the brake connector that I mentioned in the last post. It is the wrong one and it was painted over (and clogged with paint). This kind of a unit was installed on later Austin Americas so that it diverts brake fluid. If the front brakes died, the back brakes would still work and vice versa. The correct one will replace it.

 

I forgot to bring a couple parts down there as I have a few original parts that he needs. Since he is working on the brake lines and system, fuel lines and system, and hydrolastic suspension system, the good thing is that I only have to purchase a new copper nickel brake line kit and few other bits and pieces…nothing big for a change!

Thanks for visiting.

Toddy