Project Front Wheel Drive

[purplebargeken]

I purchased something front wheel drive just after the Galaxy. This was before my self-imposed ban on buying anything else car shaped for the foreseeable future.

 

It is blue. Four door saloon shaped. Has a bonnet that opens up back to front.  It has a wooden dash with a black plastic instrument binnacle. It has rather interesting window winders.

 

Any guesses?

[Rod/b]

Cadillac

[BeEP]

Triumph 1300?

[Cleon-Fonte]

Triumph 1300.

 

Edit: I was beaten to it.

[chaseracer]

Neue Klasse BMW.

[MrDuke]

a black plastic instrument binnacle

Not a Triumph, then.

 

I'm also struggling to think of what would make window winders "interesting". Unless the interesting bit is that there aren't any, and you have to rip the doorcard off every time you need to open/close them?

[MrDuke]

Oh, hang on - is the thread title a clever* pun? Did Rover 75s have forward-opening bonnets?

[Yoss]

Like this you mean?

[Yoss]

Oh, hang on - is the thread title a clever* pun? Did Rover 75s have forward-opening bonnets?

No.

[Cleon-Fonte]

Not a Triumph, then.

 

I'm also struggling to think of what would make window winders "interesting". Unless the interesting bit is that there aren't any, and you have to rip the doorcard off every time you need to open/close them?

 

Looks black and plasticky to me. 

 

[purplebargeken]

LOL. Yes, it's a Triumph 1300 FWD, well done to all the correct guessers, although my clues may not have been the most difficult lol.

[MrDuke]

Well, that's something(s) new I've learned today.

 

Also, top purchasing.

[forddeliveryboy]

Triumph 1300s are great little cars for the money, comfortable and not slow in TC form! Precursor to Project Drive when the cars were rwd'd.

[chaseracer]

Neue Klasse BMW.

Not FWD.

 

Yep.  Oops.

 

Been a long week...

 

[Yoss]

More details the. And pictures.

[purplebargeken]

Ok, this little beastie was bought from a woman in deepest darkest Essex. Well, near Chelmsford. She'd had it for a while and it had been MOT'd in March of this year but due to a gearbox issue it wasn't driveable anymore. It had been sitting since. The engine runs, it goes into gear but despite the speedo fluttering slightly, no motion is achieved. No grinding or other untoward noises made.

 

It was delivered to my lock up in Edmonton and given a more thorough going over. 

[Yoss]

Sounds like the input shaft. They are quite well known for it. They either strip the splines or snap completely.

 

Ive put a 1500 box in mine as they uprated the shaft. I have some somewhere though ideally you need to change the gear that the shafts goes into.

 

I'm off to bed now but can give you more details and pictures tomorrow.

[Asimo]

Ace, these are loverly wee things. If only they had come in two door......

 

Rubber driveshaft doughnut thing broken?

 

If it is the input shaft, that can be changed from inside the car; there is a little hatch just in front of the gear lever. Lets you change the clutch without removing, well, anything much.

[purplebargeken]

The front wings be fucked, unusually they have both gone in the same place at the top. Rimmers do the more common passenger side for a very reasonable 60 quid, a mate is supplying the drivers side.

 

Rightyho. Findings thus far.

 

From the front to the back:

 

engine is spaffing oil from the rocker cover. Easy peasy. One headlight chrome ring is corroded. The front bumper has a fucking huge ding in it.The bumpers on these are not pleasing to me and it will be removed for that bare front end look. The front valance looks happily solid.Sadly, the bonnet is fecked due to large bits missing due to being eaten by rust. I have a replacement lined upvia another mate. Brake servo is fitted which is a first for any 1300 FWD that I have owned previously, there have been a few.

 

The battery is a huge fecker. Looks ancient though. Oddly the original dynamo is still in place. I will consider this. All else is good. Rad is in good nick but could do with a repaint. Rad hoses are fine. Most of the other hoses are age hardened and will be replaced. Stainless stuff will be used where appropriate. 

 

Rust. There is some. 

 

The drivers side suspension turret is corroded on 2 1/2 sides. This should have been an MOT fail in March but wasn't even mentioned as an advisory,nor was the lower steering column bush.It will need a smaller repair in the side of the inner wing too. That bit is no biggie. Nice flat patch will see it right. 

 

Doors are present and correct. Drivers door has a rust bleb in one corner.

 

Boot lid is fine. Reversing light is fitted. Rear bumper is dull and pitted, bye bye rear bumper too. 

 

Roof is good. Rear 1/4 panels look good. Sills have had work but look tidy enough. 

 

Interior. Hmm.The seats are not great. The passenger seat is fucked. Carpet....present but fucked. Coverdale does a nice replacement. Headlining is covered in the usual brown glue stain. No biggie.It will be cleaned and emulsioned. This gives a virtually perfect factory finish.

 

Dash looks ok, door cappings need redoing. CBA.

 

Modern radio fitted.

 

The engine and gearbox will need removing and the replacements fitting. I have started to remove some of the ancillaries. The bits have been tagged and bagged properly. All threads have been cleaned up. Stainless will be used (as mentioned earlier) where safe to do so. 

[purplebargeken]

Yes, the opinion is that the input shaft may well be the culprit. I have never fettled with the gearbox so might be out of my depth. Actually, I WILL be out of my depth.

[wuvvum]

Love these cars.  Here's my old one:

 

[purplebargeken]

That looked pretty tidy. 

 

I've had 4 Valencia Blue ones, One black one and a Dolphin Grey one.

[purplebargeken]

Have never been a fan of the black plastic binnacle or the add on ashtrays.They look totally out of place and a real after thought.

[johngarty]

Pictures or it never happened

[Cavcraft]

14 and 47, please.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Yes, the opinion is that the input shaft may well be the culprit. I have never fettled with the gearbox so might be out of my depth. Actually, I WILL be out of my depth.

 

Do those have the usual Triumph removable gearbox tunnel ? If so, it should be a fairly straightforward job.

[oldcars]

Bet kgf paper mats add £2000 to the price of your motor.

[Yoss]

If you start the engine and then try putting it any gear without the clutch that should confirm it. This is because there is no longer a connection between the engine and box. I once managed to shatter a clutch plate too, which had the same effect, but that might just be my driving style.

[Yoss]

This is the gearbox end of the input shaft.

The first one had snapped completely on the circlip groove because not only is the splined area too short to handle the power they decided to put a groove in it to weaken it further.

 

The second one is the more usual failure where the splines just wear out. As they wear it exacerbates the play between the shaft and the bearing it sits in until one day you bring the clutch up and all the splines strip. If this happens you really need to replace the bearing too.

 

The third one is a 1500 FWD shaft. The splines are considerably longer to spread the load and the circlip groove has been moved to the right end where it should have been in the first place so all the power* of the engine doesn't have to go through the narrowest part.

[purplebargeken]

Are the 1300 and 1500 shafts interchangeable/adaptable?