Project Rusty Triumphs in Scotland - Dolomite in "most reliable" shocker - 08/02/24

[captain_70s]

I've done a handful of Triumph SC engine head gaskets now. Reckon I could change one out in an hour or so.

Still reckon it's more likely a cracked block, but a gasket is £15, so worth a shot.

[Split_Pin]

Sorry to hear about your Grandad man

[captain_70s]

48 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Sorry to hear about your Grandad man

Cheers fella.

To be honest I've not been on talking terms with any of my grandparents for years.

Because I'm a cunt I'm actually more bummed out by the engine potentially being dead with under 2hrs run time behind it. He made it the best part of 80 years, decent innings for somebody who primarily lived on cigarettes and Guinness... 😂

[Split_Pin]

That is certainly one way of looking at it!

[barrett]

New HG and a bottle of K-Seal, fingers' crossed job's a good'un. We're all rooting for you.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, captain_70s said:

He made it the best part of 80 years, decent innings for somebody who primarily lived on cigarettes and Guinness... 😂

My kinda guy, condolences. Good work on the car though.

[captain_70s]

Alongside the Dolly being it's usual fucking disaster I've been commencing works on making the functional cars on fleet less awful now the weather is more allowing.

Firstly the 740's water pump pulley was dancing up and down and about to launch itself through the bonnet and into space and so has not been in use for anything other than storage for a few weeks. @juular most kindly donated a pump that only had a few thousand miles on it FOC and @jaypee dropped it off to me while I was enjoying the COVIDs.

Fan off:

Timing cover off to reveal a healthy enough timing belt:

The hardware was all in great shape:

Old pump off:

New and old:

Cleaned the mating area:

New pump on and running:

While I was there I also used an entire can of engine degreaser to try and make working on the thing less unbearable. A long term leak from the oil filler cap had coated everything in oil, you can now actually see the red block is red!

A jaunty angle was adopted to make sure the expansion bottle was at the top of the system for bleeding purposes.

With everything buttoned up and run up to temp with no leaks I threw the fan and shroud back on:

I also set about trying to make the thing slightly more water tight. Whenever it rains a good inch of water appears in whichever front footwell is lowest.

Firstly:

For the first time in my ownership the sunroof was slid open. I had to do this by manually winding it with a screwdriver as it was so stiff the motor wasn't up to the job.

Blasted out all the mechanism I could get to with cleaning gunk and then oiled everything. It's marginally better, in that it's no longer completely stuck...

I'm also missing the spoiler thing that's supposed to be attached to these arms...

I also jammed some MIG wire down the drains, but they were clear.

These stupid rubber grommets where old radio aerials/spinning beacons were fitted got a dose of Sikaflex.

I also deleted the A pillar fresh air vents in a similar manner:

If it'd just stop letting water in I could refit the interior and it'd actually be quite a nice car...

 

The Acclaim continues to be the most frequently used vehicle on fleet, and the only one that was functional/presentable enough for use on Drive It Day. Me and the girlfriend went up to Callander along Duke's Pass for a wee run out. Saw a Spridget, Jag S type, a convoy of Rover P6s with a Mercedes W115 in their midst, three pre-A MGs, a TR7 (only guy who waved),  a Mk1 Capri, a bay window VW and a T25 while on our travels.

I never took any good photos of it...

It could do with a polishing and bit of tidying up this summer (and a rad...).

[lanciamatt]

Sorry to hear about your grandad. Good work on the Volvo too. Water leaks are a nightmare arnt they to sort . My prisma let's it in into the boot and I can't find where it's getting in . 

[GingerNuttz]

Quick run over with the buff.

Gasket will be on tomorrow so fingers crossed it should be ready to go this weekend.

[GingerNuttz]

It's finally leaving tomorrow night !!!

Prob blow up on the way home since it's a fucking jinx, fought us every step of the way has this old motor.

Just a wash in the morning and finish cleaning the windows then it can be rebuilt bit by bit at @captain_70s leisure 

[Split_Pin]

"Don't fucking blow it up"

"It's fine!".

Glad to see this thing living again. 

[captain_70s]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:13 PM, GingerNuttz said:

Gasket will be on tomorrow so fingers crossed it should be ready to go this weekend.

 

7 hours ago, GingerNuttz said:

Just a wash in the morning and finish cleaning the windows then it can be rebuilt bit by bit at @captain_70s leisure 

The keen eyed amongst you may note that the second of these posts dates from after the weekend...

The weekend was a pain in the hole, with the car increasingly uninterested in continuing it's survival and repeatedly obnoxiously trying to set itself on fire.

So, crucially, the oil and coolant are currently staying in their correct locations with the new head gasket fitted. This is good.

However the car would not run off it's reinstalled fuel tank, having been gravity fed since the engine was installed. Largely as no fuel was getting to the engine bay. So a brand new mechanical fuel pump was fitted. Still nothing. So an electric one was fitted, nothing.

Blew out the line with the air gun. Now we had fuel (brownish) but loads of air. Too much for it to run. Then we had no fuel again. Blew out the lines again. Now we had fuel all over the floor.

I had it in my head the line under the car was one single piece, but apparently it was two or three. I forget which. The pressure of the air gun blew out the rubber hose joining the sections together.

So the whole line was ripped out and replaced with a single piece copper one.

Now we had fuel, and water. Turns out sitting the car outside with the petrol cap off was silly. Obviously remembered this after having put 10L of fresh fuel in it...

Syphoned it all out with the electric pump powered by a battery and left it for the water to settle to the bottom for re-syphoning. Then rinsed the tank out with acid.

With the whole system reinstalled we had fuel. All the fuel. Way too much fuel.

As soon as the float bowl was full it'd spill petrol out of the inlet hose on the carb. At 2,000rpm it was blasting it all over the place uncontrollably. Extra uncontrollably as I'd accidentally wired the ignition switch into the permeant live side of the fuse box so it'd not shut off on the key. Pulling the battery also did nothing as it was now running off the alternator. Choked it to death with my hand over the air intake...

Much umming and aaahing was done. The pumps are supposed to be 3 psi and are limited by being so weak they can't overcome the seated needle in the float bowl. However the new pumps are utter shite and could have been assembled with any spec of spring so who knows. A functioning situation was developed by using the electric pump again, which seems to be suitably pathetic. The on/off switch definitely isn't two wires twisted together under the dash either.

The window wiper spindle I broke was also replaced. This was shit as I had to take the dash out, again.

The arm was fubar though so the car now has a single wiper on the driver's side. #racespec

All of the electrical systems were also rigged up and checked. It all works with the exception of one headlight, which briefly worked on dipped and is now dead and the indicators which illuminate but don't flash.

The tyres were even blacked a hubcap fitted and the windscreen washed, so it's essentially ready for Pebble Beach.

[SiC]

Indicators might flash once the engine is running and more volts (thus current too) going through the flasher. 

I put the dash back in my Dolomite but not the wiper mechanism. So I'm guessing I'm going to have to pull that again to get that on? 😒

[captain_70s]

1 minute ago, SiC said:

I put the dash back in my Dolomite but not the wiper mechanism. So I'm guessing I'm going to have to pull that again to get that on? 😒

I Googled it and everybody said it was a nightmare to do without removing the dash. I decided I wasn't removing the dash, a sentiment that lasted about 2 mins before I removed the dash.

[GingerNuttz]

6 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

 

The keen eyed amongst you may note that the second of these posts dates from after the weekend...

The weekend was a pain in the hole, with the car increasingly uninterested in continuing it's survival and repeatedly obnoxiously trying to set itself on fire.

So, crucially, the oil and coolant are currently staying in their correct locations with the new head gasket fitted. This is good.

However the car would not run off it's reinstalled fuel tank, having been gravity fed since the engine was installed. Largely as no fuel was getting to the engine bay. So a brand new mechanical fuel pump was fitted. Still nothing. So an electric one was fitted, nothing.

Blew out the line with the air gun. Now we had fuel (brownish) but loads of air. Too much for it to run. Then we had no fuel again. Blew out the lines again. Now we had fuel all over the floor.

I had it in my head the line under the car was one single piece, but apparently it was two or three. I forget which. The pressure of the air gun blew out the rubber hose joining the sections together.

So the whole line was ripped out and replaced with a single piece copper one.

Now we had fuel, and water. Turns out sitting the car outside with the petrol cap off was silly. Obviously remembered this after having put 10L of fresh fuel in it...

Syphoned it all out with the electric pump powered by a battery and left it for the water to settle to the bottom for re-syphoning. Then rinsed the tank out with acid.

With the whole system reinstalled we had fuel. All the fuel. Way too much fuel.

As soon as the float bowl was full it'd spill petrol out of the inlet hose on the carb. At 2,000rpm it was blasting it all over the place uncontrollably. Extra uncontrollably as I'd accidentally wired the ignition switch into the permeant live side of the fuse box so it'd not shut off on the key. Pulling the battery also did nothing as it was now running off the alternator. Choked it to death with my hand over the air intake...

Much umming and aaahing was done. The pumps are supposed to be 3 psi and are limited by being so weak they can't overcome the seated needle in the float bowl. However the new pumps are utter shite and could have been assembled with any spec of spring so who knows. A functioning situation was developed by using the electric pump again, which seems to be suitably pathetic. The on/off switch definitely isn't two wires twisted together under the dash either.

The window wiper spindle I broke was also replaced. This was shit as I had to take the dash out, again.

The arm was fubar though so the car now has a single wiper on the driver's side. #racespec

All of the electrical systems were also rigged up and checked. It all works with the exception of one headlight, which briefly worked on dipped and is now dead and the indicators which illuminate but don't flash.

The tyres were even blacked a hubcap fitted and the windscreen washed, so it's essentially ready for Pebble Beach.

Ready for Ayr beach you mean 😂

 

[SiC]

4 minutes ago, GingerNuttz said:

Ready for Ayr beach you mean 😂

Into the sea, from Ayr beach?

[GingerNuttz]

7 minutes ago, SiC said:

Into the sea, from Ayr beach?

I wouldn't take it anywhere near the sea 😂

[SiC]

I was more thinking along the lines of

and letting it float away.

At least you didn't have the fun* of a slant engine on this. It's often said that most pre-80s British classics are powered by boring OHV engines. Tbh I'm bloody glad they are, given what happened when the engineers started trying to be clever with their engines. 

[vulgalour]

The electrics have probably just confused because there's actual metal for an earth to attach to now.

[GingerNuttz]

9 hours ago, SiC said:

I was more thinking along the lines of

and letting it float away.

At least you didn't have the fun* of a slant engine on this. It's often said that most pre-80s British classics are powered by boring OHV engines. Tbh I'm bloody glad they are, given what happened when the engineers started trying to be clever with their engines. 

I don't have fun with any engine, I'm not a mechanic, I hate turning wrenches 😂

I'd rather lick a tramps feet than build an engine or set valves 🤣

[GingerNuttz]

[Jim Bell]

ITS ONLY OUT ON THE EFFING ROAD.

A wonderful sight to behold. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

20 hours ago, GingerNuttz said:

20 hours ago, SiC said:

Into the sea, from Ayr beach?

I wouldn't take it anywhere near the sea 😂

I wouldn't take it anywhere near Ayr if I were yous. 😆

 

[GingerNuttz]

Still needs flattened and polished in a couple of weeks when the paints fully hard but it's done. 

[Back_For_More]

I'm hoping it made it back and is safely tucked up next to Ovlov..... it's looking great.

Top work guys. What a transformation

[GingerNuttz]

1 minute ago, Back_For_More said:

I'm hoping it made it back and is safely tucked up next to Ovlov..... it's looking great.

Top work guys. What a transformation

It never missed a beat while doing 70mph on the m74 😂

It's not perfect by any means but at least it's a car again.

[Split_Pin]

Excellent to see it set free again, well worth saving these nowadays in my opinion.

[GingerNuttz]

9 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Excellent to see it set free again, well worth saving these nowadays in my opinion.

Last one I'll ever save.

Nightmare from start to finish, ruined me physically and mentally that bloody car 😂

[captain_70s]

Headed straight over from work today to be greeted by this:

First time I'd ever seen the repainted car in daylight!

Hopped in and drove it home with Davie and his Dad following in a support vehicle in case it shat itself on the way. It pulls great, bit lumpy at low rpm but the dizzy is a proper lash up with a self tapper holding the advance mech in place as it's fixing bolt is sheared. I have a 15,000 mile 45D dizzy enroute via @Jikovron. Once over 50mph in top gear it just flies along with no hassle. There is some clutch/prop judder when setting off to be looked at too.

Tracks dead straight, pulls up straight, drives smoothly. Kind of nuts given the state of the dizzy and the carb which was just thrown on as bought with no fiddling.

Needless to say there is a fair bit left to do. Not a single panel has been properly lined up, they're thrown on with enough* bolts to get it home and that's it. The interior is fucking filthy and full of bits of car. The sole working headlight has joined it's twin in not working. Indicators only flash on the passenger side. Just a whole load of stuff left to do really. I compiled a brief list of obvious things...

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, GingerNuttz said:

Last one I'll ever save.

Nightmare from start to finish, ruined me physically and mentally that bloody car 😂

I absolutely didn't* send the owner of an MGF and a Saab 900 your way, hopefully they'll be a skoosh compared to this!

Anyway, it's great to see it back home, I remember it sitting rusty and broken on that street,  wondering if that was the end.