SiC Posted April 3 Posted April 3 If you can mount it somewhere suitable - even if it doesn't have to be inside the case, a Lucas 22D condenser would work if you have one kicking around. I'd be suspicious of that quick lock though. Better off soldering it. Sheefag and LightBulbFun 1 1
captain_70s Posted April 3 Author Posted April 3 45 minutes ago, SiC said: I'd be suspicious of that quick lock though. Better off soldering it. The quick lock was on the old condenser and I was confused as to why until a new (correct) condenser arrived. As it shouldn't require splicing. The rubber insulating block which goes through the dizzy body is square, the hole in the dizzy is round! So whoever replaced the condenser last spliced the old (round) insulating block and new condenser together. These condensers also go on a variety of more popular classic German cars using similar Bosch dizzys which presumably have a square hole... As I had the whole thing out and on the bench I trimmed the new condenser's insulating block to be round(ish) so it fits without splicing wires. The new condenser is probably still crap but fingers crossed it'll not be DOA and will serve for testing purposes... I figured a Lucas dizzy of some variety would use a condenser of the correct value. I reckon the easiest long term solution would be a Distributor Doctor 22D condenser with the Bosch insulating block soldered on and a modified bracket... Sheefag 1
sdkrc Posted April 3 Posted April 3 Fuck me this is a good thread. GrumpiusMaximus, captain_70s, Brigsy and 5 others 1 7
Sheefag Posted April 3 Posted April 3 From the 'Invacar thread'. It won't help with the timing issues from a worn distributor, but it's an interesting alternative nontheless. On 01/04/2026 at 09:42, wesacosa said: replying with my usual post when anyone mentions condensers to recommend throwing them away and getting a £30 gammatronix power driver instead On 01/04/2026 at 09:48, wesacosa said: https://ebay.us/m/HQXKdg On 01/04/2026 at 16:48, wesacosa said: fair enough, although the gammatronix isn't full electronic ignition it replaces the condenser and uses the points as a low voltage trigger so they dont burn out as easily. The benefit of this is you can leave the condenser in the car and if something happens to the gammatronix you just swap the wires and put the condenser back in and off you go captain_70s and wesacosa 2
danthecapriman Posted April 3 Posted April 3 I don’t know why people still piss about with these shit condensers anymore. Just rip the lot out and fit a decent quality electronic ignition set and you’ll be sorted - no more damp issues, no more burnt points, no more shit condensers, no more points gapping. All that points/condenser stuff was the weakest point even back in the day and modern poor quality cheapo parts have done nothing to fix that. If you get a good electronic ignition set it’s fit & forget and you’ll get better running to boot. I’ve one in the Mercury must be going on a decade now and I haven’t touched it once since fitting it. I did away with points in the Capri too and it’s never run so well. Yes, they can fail, although I’m yet to have one fail myself, but they’re much more reliable than the points system and you’ll be changing points/condenser much more often when they either screw up or wear out. Keep a known working set of points in the boot just in case with your other spares, which will get you out of the poo in the unlikely event the electronic stuff does screw up. Im all for keeping old stuff going and as it should be but there are times when modern tech can do much better, and this is one of those times. You can’t even see it once it’s fitted.
captain_70s Posted April 3 Author Posted April 3 I've had several electronic ignition systems fail on me. A couple of drop-in points replacement sets that just died (not a major issue as replacements or points just drop in) and a full dizzy setup which shat itself on a more gradual basis (significantly more annoying as the idea was "fit and forget" and it took a long while to realise it was failing). There is a 123 dizzy avaliable to replace the Bosch, but £350 is a significant proportion of the car's value! We'll see if the spare dizzy fixes things, as that will at least rule certain things out... JMotor, danthecapriman, Sheefag and 3 others 6
danthecapriman Posted April 3 Posted April 3 2 hours ago, captain_70s said: I've had several electronic ignition systems fail on me. A couple of drop-in points replacement sets that just died (not a major issue as replacements or points just drop in) and a full dizzy setup which shat itself on a more gradual basis (significantly more annoying as the idea was "fit and forget" and it took a long while to realise it was failing). There is a 123 dizzy avaliable to replace the Bosch, but £350 is a significant proportion of the car's value! We'll see if the spare dizzy fixes things, as that will at least rule certain things out... I think what swayed me in the end was a succession of new faulty condensers for the Mercury. I went through loads, all different brands, but all were either dead from new or lasted hours/days before failing. In the end I just got so pissed off I ripped it all out and spunked a load of money on a Pertronix electronic kit. Fitted in about 5 mins and worked perfectly ever since. Its sad times really when we can’t, as a species, make things like condensers or rubber parts to the same standard as we used to. Istr it was my plan to use the points/condenser to get the Capri running again after restoring it but had the same problem. Even the old set that worked fine before were now faulty. Again, I just took them off, put electronic on and it fired straight up and ran sweet. With me a lot of it is lack of patience!😄 captain_70s, JMotor and Yoss 2 1
captain_70s Posted April 4 Author Posted April 4 21 hours ago, sdkrc said: Fuck me this is a good thread. I'm aiming for "painful to read", but I'll settle for good... I'm having a slight boost in productivity with the coming of spring, despite the fact it keeps briefly snowing... I tend to essentially hibernate over winter and my motivation to do anything at all entirely vanishes. I'm lucky in that my work frequently ends with me being out the house less than 40hrs a week, so the lighter evenings inspire fucking about with cars in the evenings after work in a way that winter entirely doesn't... JMotor, Steviemillar, chadders and 9 others 12
Sheefag Posted April 4 Posted April 4 Non-paywalled link to an article from today's Telegraph. UK’s Rarest Cars: 1974 Volvo 144E, The Only One Left chadders, Scruffy Bodger and High Jetter 3
doug Posted April 5 Posted April 5 Just noticed this one. LightBulbFun, Dyslexic Viking and danthecapriman 3
captain_70s Posted April 5 Author Posted April 5 On 04/04/2026 at 20:18, Sheefag said: Non-paywalled link to an article from today's Telegraph. UK’s Rarest Cars: 1974 Volvo 144E, The Only One Left I read a period roadtest of an 'E', but I think by the mid 70s the Amazon underpinnings were considered pretty old hat and the engine was increasingly fighting against emissions control. The 200 series was a pretty big jump in technology with McPhearson struts, rack and pinion steering and the new OHC engine. 1 hour ago, doug said: Just noticed this one. Saw that earlier today. Same colour as mine and significantly closer! Saloon body and the facelift with chunky bumpers and 200 style dash put me off though. At that point I'd rather have an early 245! doug 1
Alusilber Posted April 5 Posted April 5 My dad had a Waso locking filler cap like that on his Anglia. Kept it when he sold the car in '76. I eventually sold it on eBay about 20 years ago...
High Jetter Posted April 5 Posted April 5 15 minutes ago, Alusilber said: My dad had a Waso locking filler cap like that on his Anglia. Kept it when he sold the car in '76. I eventually sold it on eBay about 20 years ago... I sold them, BITD. Looked a bit weird on an Anglebox
danthecapriman Posted April 6 Posted April 6 My Capri had a Waso locking cap on it. I’ve taken it off for a standard Capri II one now. Pretty sure it’s still in the garage somewhere. SiC 1
chadders Posted April 6 Posted April 6 My MGB still does have, it's still working well after 50 years even though it's exposed to the elements.
captain_70s Posted April 15 Author Posted April 15 A quick clean of the Amazon dizzy kindly donated by @juular. You'll note I've retained the old, slightly pitted, points and the condenser which looks like its been underwater for 40 years. This is for a very good reason. Because I couldnt be arsed ordering the correct replacements... Some reading material also landed. Reading this confirms that the factory twin carb cars got a higher compression ratio head, but also bigger valves and a hotter cam. So twin carbs on this car are probably achieving nothing but drinking more fuel... @juular was working on his custom airbox and breather system and pointed out to me that the breather system on the B20 has some quirks. There is a hose from the top of the oil filler cap to a port on the inlet manifold to pull crankcase gasses back into combustion rather than dump them in the engine bay. The port in the inlet has a very small opening, 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5mm depending on the engine. If the breather hose is mixed up with the brake servo hose, which is also plumbed into the inlet manifold, you get a car that runs badly, chews fuel and suffers brake problems... Bugger. Mine is fine. Suppose that would be too easy... Took the port apart and cleaned it up anyways. The hose was jammed over the hex and the clamp rattling around loose - So could have been a vac leak. The "new" dizzy was fitted, car started and timing set to 10 degrees with the strobe light. A test drive revealed... It's driving alright! Well, it runs much better anyway. Although it certainly feels like a heavy car with 90hp and an autobox! The brakes are still binding which doesn't help, but the car now pulls smoothly through the rev range. Vac advance is still disconnected and it could possibly be able to take a bit more of advance as well. Now just to do all the brakes... The weather has not been cooperating with my working outside. scdan4, greengartside, sdkrc and 37 others 40
danthecapriman Posted April 16 Posted April 16 Well done @captain_70s Whats the plan for the twin carbs if they’re not really doing much without the cam etc? Go back to a single carb or you just leaving them?
hairnet Posted April 16 Posted April 16 11 minutes ago, danthecapriman said: Whats the plan for the twin turbos
captain_70s Posted April 16 Author Posted April 16 14 minutes ago, danthecapriman said: Well done @captain_70s Whats the plan for the twin carbs if they’re not really doing much without the cam etc? Go back to a single carb or you just leaving them? Probably swap back to the single Stromberg as and when I can be arsed. I think I have all the bits required... 3 minutes ago, hairnet said: Whats the plan for the twin turbos Long term it'd be nice to find the correct cylinder head, cam etc. That'd bring us up from 90hp to around 115hp. Although at that point I'd really want a manual overdrive gearbox, but if going to that expense I should probably also try to make it handle less like a cruise ship, and fix the rust, and, etc, etc. Trying to follow the path of least resistance with this one given I have a perfectly good Cresta to pour energy into for no reward, and the Dolly also requires plenty of attention... Shite Ron, danthecapriman, Dyslexic Viking and 1 other 4
captain_70s Posted Sunday at 16:42 Author Posted Sunday at 16:42 Brake time. First. NSF. Oof. I reckon I can see why it was getting quite hot... Flexis looked fine except... Pretty badly chafed where they pass through a bracket on the ARB link rod... OSF Not as completely fucked, but well used. The calipers themselves seems alright, all the fixings and bleed nippes came loose with no effort at all. You will notice, however, the complete absence of any rubber boots or caps and the big split pins rather than normal pad retaining pins. Discs have plenty of meat on them and aren't massively scored. Now I need to decide whether I try and refurb these calipers (£55 a side) or get reconditioned ones (£150 a side). These days I'd be inclined to go for the easy option but I'm about to drop £1400 on a shed and then I uncovered some more expense... This was the first time I really had a good look at the tyres... The two fronts are dated 2005, rears are 2009 and 2014... I suppose I'll add 4x tyres to the shopping list as well... Then I moved to the rear and started scraping mud, you'd think it'd been in rural Alberta for the last 50 years... Hm. That seems incorrect. There is supposed to be a big fan shaped mounting panel which you can kind of see the outline of here... Entirely missing. The shock mount does bolt through the chassis rail behind, and the outboard mounting plate is absent on 240s, so I'm not sure how much work it actually does. You'll note I also started removing the thick but cracking underseal. Mostly good car underneath! You can see here the inner arch is entirely rotted away at the lip and a repair panel layered on top of the original outer wheel arch. Then it rained. Car dumped back on its wheels. And back inside to price up parts and be distressed... High Jetter, dome, Dick Cheeseburger and 16 others 19
Matty Posted Sunday at 16:49 Posted Sunday at 16:49 5 minutes ago, captain_70s said: Brake time. First. NSF. Oof. I reckon I can see why it was getting quite hot... Flexis looked fine except... Pretty badly chafed where they pass through a bracket on the ARB link rod... OSF Not as completely fucked, but well used. The calipers themselves seems alright, all the fixings and bleed nippes came loose with no effort at all. You will notice, however, the complete absence of any rubber boots or caps and the big split pins rather than normal pad retaining pins. Discs have plenty of meat on them and aren't massively scored. Now I need to decide whether I try and refurb these calipers (£55 a side) or get reconditioned ones (£150 a side). These days I'd be inclined to go for the easy option but I'm about to drop £1400 on a shed and then I uncovered some more expense... This was the first time I really had a good look at the tyres... The two fronts are dated 2005, rears are 2009 and 2014... I suppose I'll add 4x tyres to the shopping list as well... Then I moved to the rear and started scraping mud, you'd think it'd been in rural Alberta for the last 50 years... Hm. That seems incorrect. There is supposed to be a big fan shaped mounting panel which you can kind of see the outline of here... Entirely missing. The shock mount does bolt through the chassis rail behind, and the outboard mounting plate is absent on 240s, so I'm not sure how much work it actually does. You'll note I also started removing the thick but cracking underseal. Mostly good car underneath! You can see here the inner arch is entirely rotted away at the lip and a repair panel layered on top of the original outer wheel arch. Then it rained. Car dumped back on its wheels. And back inside to price up parts and be distressed... You like the car. And i approve massively of the manual with od conversion and hot head you have planned. Obviously its painful spending that kind of money, but what a car youll have at the end of it. One of the best threads this. chadders, loserone, captain_70s and 1 other 1 3
SiC Posted Sunday at 16:58 Posted Sunday at 16:58 Do not poke!! Matty, paulplom, captain_70s and 1 other 4
Matty Posted Sunday at 18:13 Posted Sunday at 18:13 1 hour ago, SiC said: Do not poke!! Says you 😄 SiC and timolloyd 2
captain_70s Posted Sunday at 19:06 Author Posted Sunday at 19:06 2 hours ago, SiC said: Do not poke!! 48 minutes ago, Matty said: Says you 😄 He who is without sin, etc, etc. I've gone poking quite intensively and not found anything too hellish. Certainly the chassis rails, outriggers and suspension mounting areas are all good. Front floor pans, outer sills and a patch to an inner wheelarch are needed, but not dire for a 50 year old car. The underseal is incredibly thick, and has done it's job, but where it has cracked and lifted it needs to go before it causes major headaches in a couple of winter's time... Angrydicky, LightBulbFun, Tickman and 8 others 11
Matty Posted Sunday at 19:09 Posted Sunday at 19:09 1 minute ago, captain_70s said: He who is without sin, etc, etc. I've gone poking quite intensively and not found anything too hellish. Certainly the chassis rails, outriggers and suspension mounting areas are all good. Front floor pans, outer sills and a patch to an inner wheelarch are needed, but not dire for a 50 year old car. The underseal is incredibly thick, and has done it's job, but where it has cracked and lifted it needs to go before it causes major headaches in a couple of winter's time... Im a big believer that (idealy) old cars should look like old cars. If its all underbody work and a bit of tidying then hopefully it avoids paint 🤞 captain_70s 1
captain_70s Posted Tuesday at 20:58 Author Posted Tuesday at 20:58 Fucking Volvo brake calipers. Every Volvo I've bought has had seized calipers. 3 of these pistons actually rotate, all 4 move back with a G clamp. One moves forwards with tyre pump pressure. You either got Girling (cheap and reproduced) or ATE (NLA and only avaliable refurb exchange) calipers on these. I have the ATEs, obviously. They're also held together with massive torx fittings no normal person has, because bastard Germans. Went into the garage last night and... Eh? Fucksake. More motivation to keep trying to salvage these calipers and save £200... Hoping to have this thing safely drivable for under £1k expenditure... JMotor, danthecapriman, High Jetter and 2 others 5
danthecapriman Posted Tuesday at 22:21 Posted Tuesday at 22:21 That’s a bugger about the boiler pissing its pants. Ive had similar issues with Volvo callipers in the past. Loads of different makes and systems and they aren’t necessarily the same front and back on some cars either. And yes, they seem to seize up and stick very easily. Can you get replacement dust covers and fittings etc for your type? If the pistons are all moving fingers crossed you can get away with a good clean up and new seals/dust covers. Im sure I had something similar on my old 244 and couldn’t get the parts or they had a very long delivery estimate or something. It was yonks ago though and I can’t remember. I do remember being pissed off though!
captain_70s Posted 17 hours ago Author Posted 17 hours ago 19 hours ago, danthecapriman said: Can you get replacement dust covers and fittings etc for your type? If the pistons are all moving fingers crossed you can get away with a good clean up and new seals/dust covers. Everything easily avaliable, thankfully. Just the fact you can still get new/refurb calipers is pretty impressive! Caliper carriers are extinct for my 740, despite being a much newer car. New boiler getting fitted on Tuesday, it has been on the cards for a while to be fair... danthecapriman and JMotor 2
danthecapriman Posted 16 hours ago Posted 16 hours ago 12 minutes ago, captain_70s said: Everything easily avaliable, thankfully. Just the fact you can still get new/refurb calipers is pretty impressive! Caliper carriers are extinct for my 740, despite being a much newer car. New boiler getting fitted on Tuesday, it has been on the cards for a while to be fair... I think the older models like the 200, 100 and Amazon cars are firmly in that ‘established classic’ territory so there’s a bit of spares backup with them. The 700 and 900 don’t seem to have quite got there yet for some reason and the spares situation is much worse. Last I checked the 700 callipers were available recon on exchange but were not cheap. Although there are three or four different manufacturers of the brake system on the 700’s so if that’s the case for all I don’t know. Fingers crossed your boiler change goes well. I guess it’s a straight swap?
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