Project Korean Cortina - MOT day

[Lacquer Peel]

One for the y tho thread.

[mat_the_cat]

Even resting the carb on top of the manifold it looks good!

 

 

I made a start on connecting things up - unfortunately the choke cable was way too long, and as the knob assembly all seems to be moulded onto the cable there was no easy way to pull the inner cable out and cut the outer to length,

 

 

So some VERY careful action with a hacksaw later, I cut the outer to length but left the inner intact.

 

 

The fuel inlet was fairly easy - with a dip in hot water the 8mm hose was able to be pushed onto the 3/8" stub. With the inlet being on the offside side of the carb I was able to shorten the fuel pipework under the bonnet and run it more directly to the carb. I've tee'd off via a 1mm restrictor, in a loop to the 6mm return line to the tank. The fuel filter may suffer with the proximity to the exhaust manifold, so I've made up a heat shield I will probably fit if needed.

 

 

I managed to rotate the distributor body 180°, and used a cardboard template to mark the centre of the chopper lobes so I knew the ignition timing would be unaffected. I may need to dial in a different advance with the new carb, but I'd rather start from the same point.

 

 

Next I wanted to determine the clearance I will need for the air filter. I had a mate come round for the weekend, so he set to making up a plate out of plywood we could use as a datum point...

 

 

...for putting on lumps of plasticine, so we could measure at what point the bonnet came down to.

 

 

There's about 95mm clearance at the lowest point, so enough for the usual 14 x 3" air filter housing that's usually fitted. I'm not too keen on the common chrome style though, as it's a bit too blingy for my liking. But apart from the choke and throttle cables (plus a straight connector on the advance pipe), the carb is mostly there. I've fitted a heat insulator gasket to help prevent fuel vaporisation too.

 

 

No nothing to stop me having a quick trial start! This is completely 'out the box', no adjustment whatsoever.

 

 

Happy with that!

[LightBulbFun]

Ohhh that sounds lovely

 

im looking forward to "seeing it" on the road

[Sir Snipes]

Is there a possibility the throttle cable may rust without the outer sheath?

[tooSavvy]

Is there a possibility the throttle cable may rust without the outer sheath?

.... I think he has 'modded' the piano wire Choke cable.

 

It will be ultimately chopped off at the choke lever, so look like any other

[danthecapriman]

Superb work, that big carb looks right at home in there too! Agree about the air filter too, they can look a bit ‘tacky’ with too much chrome and shiny shit. Maybe give it a rub down and key then a coat or two of satin black?

[mat_the_cat]

I think if I was going to paint it, I'd probably do it in grey as a nod to the original filter housing:

 

 

Yes, the choke cable will be trimmed and clamped, so only a short length exposed. The throttle cable I need to make up a bracket for, as the carb is designed to use the vehicle's own cable bracket. You can buy them for common vehicle fitments, but nowhere I've found lists the Stellar...

[Rod/b]

 

This reminds of Terrahawks

 

[mat_the_cat]

The choke flap lever appeared to be designed for a a rigid push/pull wire to be threaded through it, so seeing as I had a Bowden cable I needed a different method of attachment. So I drilled it out to a shade over 4mm, and picked out a stainless M4 cap head screw.

 

I marked on the diameter with a punch...

 

 

...and drilled out enough for the cable to slide through.

 

 

This was the end result:

 

 

However, I'm not entirely happy with this, as the cable will be repeatedly flexing at the same point, through quite a tight angle so runs the risk of fraying. I have a plan to modify the attachment, just waiting for parts at the moment.

[mat_the_cat]

Yesterday I decided to try the old dishwasher tablet in the cooling system trick, as the 18 month-old coolant didn't look as clean as it should.

 

 

Filled up with water and ran it up to temperature, and once it had warmed up I adjusted the idle mixture, which was a touch on the lean side to start with. Whilst I was doing so it seemed a shame not to video it, and blip the throttle a bit It's beautifully responsive compared to the Strombergs!

 

 

Things are a bit cleaner now, but I have a coolant leak from one of the hoses at the back of the water pump. Tightening the jubilee clip makes no difference, so a bit of a puzzle as the hose appeared OK when I fitted it.

 

That job can wait for another day, as today I thought I'd tackle the throttle cable bracket. You can buy a 'universal' one for around £30, but they don't look like they'd be suited to either my cable, or the universal ones I've seen for sale. Plus I wanted provision for the cruise control cable, so I started to make my own out of a strip of stainless steel. This is a little more difficult to work with than mild steel, and didn't go too well when my tap snapped

 

 

Far too hard to drill out, so I heated it up to soften it.

 

 

I only had an M6 bottoming tap left, but fortunately I'd started enough of the threads to use that to finish the holes, which I then slotted to allow a cable to be fitted.

 

 

Like so, with a hole now drilled for the throttle return spring. Lower hole is for the cruise control cable.

 

 

It's a long way from Project Binky standards, but I'm quite proud of it A few notches were needed to clear parts of the carb body, but it fits pretty well.

 

 

I'm less proud of my bodged throttle cable though! This is strictly just a temporary solution, which I will then use to either match up a universal cable, or use as a pattern for a custom cable.

 

[mat_the_cat]

Things are a bit cleaner now, but I have a coolant leak from one of the hoses at the back of the water pump. Tightening the jubilee clip makes no difference, so a bit of a puzzle as the hose appeared OK when I fitted it.

 

Bugger. It's not the hose!

 

 

Off with the water pump to reveal the pitting of the casting has gone all the way through!

 

 

Three choices I can think of:

1) Seal the affected area with some 2-part epoxy. We have some at work (3M 2216) which will cope with the temperature but I'd have to calculate whether the difference in thermal expansion would be a problem.

2) Hire a TIG welder and learn how to weld aluminium.

3) Replace the front cover.

 

I suspect the answer will depend on whether I have a spare, and what condition it's in...

[mat_the_cat]

my bodged throttle cable

 

Ignoring the fact my engine does not hold water, I switched my attention to sorting the aforementioned throttle cable. The original Hyundai cable which I'd previously adapted to suit the Stromberg carbs was looking decidedly ropey, as well as prevently anything more than half throttle when bodged to the new carb.

 

 

To give flexibility when attaching to the throttle linkage I used a stud and miniature ball joint, attached to a length of universal throttle cable by drilling an M4 screw and threading the cable through, the load being taken by the pre-soldered nipple.

 

 

I then removed all the fittings from the car end of the old throttle cable, and threaded them onto the new cable. This was then cut to length to where the nipple attaches to the accelerator pedal, a new nipple placed on the end and the wire splayed out.

 

 

It was then a simple job to flux the nipple and wire, and solder together. TBH I've never made up a cable before but was amazed how easy it was! It would be more difficult if I couldn't remove the fittings from the old cable, but all went well for me

 

 

This is now properly attached to the carb, together with the additional cable from the cruise control servo unit.

 

 

I can still only get maybe 90% throttle travel, but I reckon I can modify the pedal slightly so it hits the floor later. Failing that I'll have to re-drill the throttle linkage in a position closer to the pivot.

[Matty]

Bravo that man. Good skills

[blackboilersuit]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HTS-2000-Aluminium-Brazing-Rod-Repair-in-various-optional-sizes-230mm-9-Length/182488368209?hash=item2a7d278451:m:mNVXb0f6g42T6XJULq5CQaw:rk:16:pf:0

 

I've found this stuff is brilliant for filling holes in aluminium casings. I pre-heat in the oven at 150 deg before doing the job as a big lump of cold ally will just draw all the heat from the blowtorch and the work area won't get hot enough. Plenty of youtube videos on the stuff. The "tinning" with the stainless wire brush is the essential part of the process I've found.

[mat_the_cat]

Thanks, that's good to know. I'm certain I do have a spare though, as I remember stripping a seized engine around 10 years ago. Just that there's little point in doing all the work to remove and refit if it's in similar condition. I'm also not sure whether it's possible to remove the cover with the engine in place though, as the front crossmember is quite close to the crank pulley.

 

Hopefully will have a play today.

[Rocket88]

Fit an electric pump?

[mat_the_cat]

I did own one Davies Craig pump, but sold it several years ago, so would have to pay out for a new one now! And it looks as though I have a solution anyway:

 

 

Close up there is some erosion, but a good few mm before any danger of penetration:

 

 

I've managed to crack off the crank pulley, and it appears as though I have enough clearance to pull it off before it hits the crossmember, although I will need to drop the sump guard. Seeing as though I'll be removing the oil pump and consequently having to re-prime it, it makes sense to replace the hoses to the remote filter at the same time. They are getting a little on the hard side although no imminent signs of failing.

 

Lastly is this a sign that maybe my carbs have been in the house for too long?

 

[spartacus]

Nice one, I reckon that carb will give you a noticeable difference, in performance and economy, I know a carb is a dated thing now but they've made and fitted millions of them over the pond and got it down to a fine art.

You may find you don't need the choke, a couple of pumps on the accelerator was enough on mine.

[Tickman]

Love that the Christmas decorations include the carb

[The Moog]

Could probably sell that automotive decoration in Hoxton for many pounds.

[mat_the_cat]

Good news first of all! The crank pulley has *just* enough clearance to be removed, almost as if I considered that possibility when deciding the position of the engine!

 

 

So off with the old cover, and on with the new...this is where the bad news starts. I slid the oil pump gear in, only to find it is far too tall for the recess

 

 

The original cover is pre '76, so came with the shorter gears and the female slot to be driven from the distributor. I bought a pump upgrade in 2014, with taller gears and still the same drive arrangement. I'd been led to believe that these gears were the same height as those on the post '76 engine, which has a male tang driven by the dizzy. I have the correct gear for my replacement, later cover, but the shaft on it is not able to be driven by my dizzy - see the differences:

 

 

So I can see 3 choices:

1) fit the later gears and replace the distributor shaft with a matching later type

2) turn a few mm off my existing, upgraded pump gears until they are the right height

3) buy new standard later gears, and press onto my existing shaft

 

Neither of which is going to happen this side of Christmas!

[spartacus]

That's bad luck, pretty frustrating I would think too. Which is your preferred option, I'd be going with 1 or 3.

[mat_the_cat]

The distributor is a fairly recent rebuilt unit, so I'd be hesitant about swapping the whole thing for an unknown unit. And at the moment I don't know if I can just swap the shaft without any other knock-on effects. Hence I was leaning more towards option 3, however I've just had a go and struggling to get the gear off the shaft without a press, even with the aid of heat.

 

So it looks like modding the one I have is the best option! I can buy the idler gear I suppose, so that will save on machining. Still a ballache though.

[mat_the_cat]

I think I have good news regarding the distributor/oil pump drive, which I'll come to later:-) But seeing as I'm at the mercy of Christmas deliveries, I'll just stick to the work I can carry out. I'd been after a non bling, OE looking air filter housing, as most aftermarket fitments seem to be polished chrome and not my cup of tea.

 

I eventually found one in satin black, which suits me perfectly so once that arrived I could sort out the filter and breather system. Crankcase ventilation is especially important on a 'dirty' engine like the Rover V8 to reduce oil contamination, so I didn't really want to mount one of these on them:

 

 

The new carb has a port downstream of the throttle butterflies, so I had already routed that to a T piece and connected to the existing rocker cover flame traps to suck out any fumes.

 

 

There is another breather hole in the valley at the back of the block - I've read suggestions to simply blank this off when using an aftermarket carb or filter, but then this means that no fresh air can be drawn into the crankcase. Don't want to leave it open as dirty air being sucked into the engine is less than ideal. So I've routed this breather to the underside of the new air filter housing, like so.

 

 

 

OK, so this will be at a lower pressure than atmospheric, due to the restriction of the filter. But apart from WOT, it will always be at a higher pressure than the other breather pipes so I should get good airflow.

 

This is the finished job - I was really pleased that Hyundai were thoughtful enough to relive the bulkhead/scuttle panel to allow clearance for the filter - it really is as if someone had this engine swap in mind!

 

 

I've checked, and the bonnet does still shut but I don't know how much clearance there is. I could always swap to a 14 x 2" filter rather than the 3" one I have, which may look more in proportion to the rest of the engine anyway.

 

Regarding the oil pump, it seems as though even though the drive to it is part of the distributor shaft on pre '76 engines, on later ones it's actually part of the removable drive gear. So I've ordered one of those to see whether it can be physically fitted to my shaft. If so I can then use standard post '76 oil pump gears, with their stronger male tang to accept drive from the distributor. Watch this space!

[Sir Snipes]

An old trick to check bonnet clearance was to attach measured pieces of blutac and see when they stick.

[mat_the_cat]

See the 3rd post on this page!

 

It's just that the flange on the filter housing means it's slightly taller than the 3" of the filter alone, so eating into the 25mm clearance I'd measured.

[mat_the_cat]

My distributor drive gear arrived, so I could set to trying to assemble everything. Here you can see the problem, but should hopefully be just a simple case of swapping the two gears over and everything should line up.

 

 

Off with the old gear, and the first (minor) problem is evident - the original oil pump drive tang needs to go.

 

 

No going back now!

 

 

Then I slid the new gear onto the shaft, and tapped in the roll pin to secure it. Bad news - the distributor was now locked solid The new gear is slightly taller, so binds on the thrust washer between it and the distributor body. It may be that these washers are available in different thicknesses to set the running clearance, but I simply sanded down the drive gear, and re-assembled (many times!) until it felt smooth in rotation.

 

Ready to fit!

 

 

I'd bought some new OEM oil pump gears, as the ones which were in my replacement front cover were pitted. These I assembled and packed the pump with Vaseline to aid the initial priming.

 

 

But before I could do that, I wanted to replace the hoses to the remote filter unit. I thought for reliability and a neater look I would make up some AN hoses - with these the hose is slid into a union and then tightened onto a stub, effectively giving a permanent secure connection.

 

 

 

For the same OD of hose as previously used, the 90 degree fittings have a larger ID, which will help with oil flow. I've also managed to route the hoses in a less convoluted way, which again will reduce pumping losses.

 

 

Interestingly (to me at least!) the hoses I've used are still stainless braided, but covered with a black outer braid which is less 'Fast and Furious' to look at but a PITA to cut neatly!

 

 

Finally, ready to prime so I made up a tool from a length of copper tube, flattened at one end and crimped onto a bolt at the other to spin the pump before the engine is rotated.

 

 

Oil pressure came up straight away, so I could now start it and check for leaks.

 

 

Happily, all seems oil and water-tight, so I can progress onto other jobs such as fixing the speedo drive, and fitting this Christmas present

 

[dollywobbler]

Cor! That really does sound an absolute treat. So many people on my video of your car question why such a non-powerful engine was fitted. The power really wasn't the point!

[mat_the_cat]

Latest shiny bit to go on was the fuel pump. The new carb apparently needs a higher pressure, although seemed to cope OK at idle. I fitted the new one and turned the key only to be met with a horrendous buzzing! I almost stopped and put the old one back on, but it quietened down no end once it had primed.

 

 

You can hear it in the cabin before cranking, but not over the sweet sound of the engine

[mat_the_cat]

The speedo drive is still under investigation! I jacked a rear wheel up last week and let the engine idle in gear while I checked the drive unit for the flashing LED denoting a signal. Nothing. So it looks as though there is no signal being generated until some time into the journey. To further prove this I connected my rather elderly 'scope up to the sensor, and went for a drive.

 

20180828_2109061.jpg

 

Amazingly, the internal (Ni-cad!) battery still holds a charge so I was able to check out the signal on the move. With the speedo working, I get the pattern below:

 

20180828_2102451.jpg

 

I've not yet been able to monitor with the speedo inoperative, but would expect a flat line like in the first photo, although it's possible that under certain situations, electrical noise could swamp the signal, hence the reason for carrying out the checks.

 

I had a bit of trouble tracking down a suitable speed sensor - I'd bought a universal one but that was not compatible with the cruise control system. Bearing in mind this was 20 years old I wasn't confident of finding spare parts, but I eventually discovered it was an Australian manufacturer of the kit, and they even listed spare parts. Bad news is no reply to my emails on shipping to the UK, but MorrisItalSLX has come to my rescue and is going to post one on to me

 

As I'm coming up to the magic 200k miles I don't want to miss any, so important to get my odometer working properly!