A40 and other family cars - Freelander grot busting

[Tommyboy12]

I do like those Smith's rev counters. With the cost of the pod it's definitely not worth making your own

[JMotor]

I really like that.

Looks proper and fits with the rest of the car's look your going with.

[Matty]

Evening/morning all.

You join me part way through a 14hr night shift warming this big bearing up ready to fit at 7am.

So this leaves me alone with not much else to do, no one else here and an unfinished engine that's been kicking me in the cods recently.

As some will be aware, the original conrod bolts failed whilst torquing up. Which wouldn't have been an expensive problem if I had standard conrods. But I have AEG521 conrods. Which are magic, highly sought after conrods. Which also don't take standard rod bolts. And no one sells the ones I need.

Enter MED Engineering who kindly relieved me of £150 (still hurts) for these beautiful magical things. Which are made of gold 😆. Sexy though

Assume the position

Hello darkness my old friend

All done. Sexy ARP goodness for 8000 RPM and big power!

Also removing household funds was the crank pulley which also acts as a harmonic balancer. Mine was cracked through the boss and had chunks missing from the flange so i couldnt in good faith reuse it.

Just time to splash a bit of cam lube about

And button the sump up finally

Right. Better do some actual work seeing as I'm getting paid. Hope you all have a restful nights sleep you lucky bastards 😭

[N Dentressangle]

Loving the way that workshop is clearly used for stuff which makes the A series look like it came out of a cracker 🤣

[Matty]

1 hour ago, N Dentressangle said:

Loving the way that workshop is clearly used for stuff which makes the A series look like it came out of a cracker 🤣

The same is also true for the owner who at times struggles to recalibrate to smaller things if he's honest 🤣

[Matty]

And who has managed to wake up an hour into his day's sleep 😮‍💨

[MiniMinorMk3]

8 hours ago, Matty said:

 

Also removing household funds was the crank pulley which also acts as a harmonic balancer. Mine was cracked through the boss and had chunks missing from the flange so i couldnt in good faith reuse it.

I hope the new crank pulley does no cause problems. On one of my Minis I had the synchros replaced in the gearbox. Unfortunately the flywheel had spun up on the crank and had to be cut off. The replacement flywheel caused some horrible vibrations as the assembly had not been balanced as they did in the factory. It was a 1275, which are a bit more vibey than the small bore cars, but it was not a smooth as it was before the gearbox work.

Good work so far, and yes, those ARP bolts are big money, but then you wouldn't want a bolt dropping and making a mess of everything.

[Matty]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I hope the new crank pulley does no cause problems. On one of my Minis I had the synchros replaced in the gearbox. Unfortunately the flywheel had spun up on the crank and had to be cut off. The replacement flywheel caused some horrible vibrations as the assembly had not been balanced as they did in the factory. It was a 1275, which are a bit more vibey than the small bore cars, but it was not a smooth as it was before the gearbox work.

Good work so far, and yes, those ARP bolts are big money, but then you wouldn't want a bolt dropping and making a mess of everything.

I'll be honest and admit that I didn't buy the dearest. They're surprisingly expensive for what they are. This one came from MGOC spares on line operation.

[Matty]

On 11/11/2023 at 20:08, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Also, what have you got between the carb and manifold. Some advise that you should put sandwich plates in to help with the damping vibrations that can cause problems in the float chambers.

Misab Plates Weber and Dellorto Manifold to Carb Mounting (weber-carbs.co.uk)

Sandwich plates, Misab, 40/45/48DCOE x 2 (set of 4) (burtonpower.com)

@MiniMinorMk3. Git. Again. 🤣

[Matty]

Small job today. The way the driver and passenger seats were in was a right lashup. Not me this time honest!

I have the seats that @SiCdonated but they are next winters project as there's a bit of fettling needed and I'm busy enough at the moment. However, I wanted to make some proper subframes which would suit the current seats and any future ones. So I did a bit of drawing and my mate made me these.

I did a trail fit with the passenger seat, a bit of cutting and welding to change a few bits then he made me another set as copies and powder coated them!

So today I put it all in proper.

Carpets out and look at those lovely solid floors!

Drilling and fitting.

Swarf cleaned out and a bit of paint chucked about. Obvs that was just the primer but then i got carried away and forgot to take photos!

Clean my tools and shit up whilst the paint dries.

Even time for a quick brew!

And done.

Whilst i appreciate it doesnt look any differant, there are two major improvements. One being that the seats are now properly secured to the car and properly safe.

More importantly (🤣) i drew the subframes to sit as low in the car as it is possible to go. As a result the seats are now a good 2 inch lower. So where as before you sat "on" the car with your head near touching the headlining, now you sit well "in". The driving position is massively better! Lovely to drive home. Well pleased.

(As a bonus, aside from a couple of 8mm holes, the new subframes involved no alterations to the floor pan. So if anyone wanted to put the car back to original, the frames unbolt and all the original captive nuts and the rear seat cups are still there.)

Cheers all.

[Matty]

Long time no see.

I've put this off for a bit. Some might be aware I was building a 1275 a series for this. Whilst it snow balled a bit, the engine was built a couple of days before Xmas, and went in in mid Feb. I'm a daft superstitious sod and didn't want to post till I'd proved it. Still don't want to really but here goes.

1098 out.

big hole

If I do say so myself I build a pretty lump 🤣

Done

[Matty]

And this is why the big time lag. The fucker wouldn't run on the Weber. It was massive lean and wouldn't idle. In desperation Uncle robbed the HS4 off the old engine and grafted it on for running in purposes. Immediate clockwork idle (as much as the cam will allow) and acceptable performance. I mean it was obviously not right but good enough. A hundred miles was covered whilst I marvelled at how torquey it was (I'm still on A40 gearsets and a 4.22 diff). Then I booked in at a local rolling road.

Which was a bit of a disaster. A lovely man who obviously knows his onions. And really liked the car. But it just wasn't right. WOT it went like fuck but didn't do anything else.

[Matty]

So there's only one answer.

An inch and 3 quarters of Skinners Unions finest. 40 quid!!! I did a mild rebuild, drop test, a bit of polishing, made a throttle abutment plate, fixed jet conversion and hung it on the car.

Absolutely night and day! It idles (albeit at 1100 cos its lopey as fuck due to the cam), but it drives beautiful. Part theottle, low speed its a smooth as butter. Plant the throttle and it takes off like the van off Jeepers Creepers. Its fucking hillarious 😂 

 

[Matty]

So the only cloud on the horizon now is the gearbox. The b type gearbox is lovely to use with a lovely action but a bit fragile. Mines a known good unit but by God its noisy now. Never mind I've a spare midget unit that can go in if disaster strikes!

[Matty]

so this is how it stands. Its now a 1310cc a series with a balanced flywheel, midget balanced crank, cooper s conrods, HS6 carb, BL fast road cam (probably shit) and goes like stink. Midget front hubs and discs, adjustable front dampers, polybushed and spax adjustable rear telis. And I've a 3.7 diff out of a Riley 1.5 to go in yet. Not that I'm obsessed much.

[Matty]

Obviously as a mere plant mechanic I haven't done all this through sheer inspiration. My dad and my uncle have been massively helpful, especially uncle who still does this for a living.

@Tommyboy12 gave me all the advice on needles, damper oil, CO measurements. Made it all sound easy and was bob on right all the time. Hugely grateful.

And all the other austin lickers like @Mr Pastry @SiC and others who I'm sorry if I haven't named. Stars the lot of you. 

If this place supposedly isn't what it was then it must have been absolutely mega at some point 😄

[Tommyboy12]

Glad to see it up and running!

[Matty]

3 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

Glad to see it up and running!

It's lovely. I changed the throttle return spring yesterday. It was really light on the pedal so dead hard to get smooth throttle inputs. New spring was shorter and has put a bit of weight in the pedal 👍

[Mr Pastry]

Yes, good to see it out and about, and doing what you want it to, as a result of your care and patience. 

Modifications are never as easy as that bloke down the pub says, there is always something which is difficult, expensive, or impossible.  And often the small things make a lot of difference, like getting the driving position and the throttle pedal just right.

Will continue to watch with interest!

[Joey spud]

Nicely done sir, all the graft has been well worth it.

And with all this new power you're going to to need one of this stickers.

[Matty]

23 minutes ago, Joey spud said:

Nicely done sir, all the graft has been well worth it.

And with all this new power you're going to to need one of this stickers.

That's well good! All that work though and it still doesn't look as good as yours. And you have a highly decadent 5 speed box. I'm going to try a longer diff but ultimately I can see going down the 5 speed route.

[Matty]

I managed to get a 3.7 diff from a Riley 1.5 being broke for £not cheap. @Mally was spot on, there's not many left and everyone wants em. Luckily it turned up on excellent visual condition both teeth and bearings and minimal lash.

Old diff out.

Good condition all round the new one. All I did was clean and oil it.

In with a new gasket.

New o rings and gaskets for the half shafts.

Im very impressed with the end result. Just been round town and on the bypass. I still have the poke gained from the new engine and itll still pull 30 from 20 odd mph no sweat. Take off which had become quite aggressive with the original a40 gearsets and diff has been tamed. At 50/60 mph ive dropped 100 to 150 rpm which doesnt sound much but the poor thing was screaming its head off at 60 before but that drop has calmed it right down. Diff is as quiet as the grave as well. Very happy man!!

 

[Mally]

If I have my thoughts the right way round, have you got a spare half shaft just in case?

[Asimo]

Riley 1.5 was a 20mph / 1000rpm car. 

[Matty]

4 hours ago, Mally said:

If I have my thoughts the right way round, have you got a spare half shaft just in case?

I destroyed one last year. Absolutely splintered it at the diff end. The club does new ones or crack tested used. I went with 2 new and I've ndted them whenever I've had em out. Still a case of when rather than if mind. The remaining good one of the pair is behind the bench for when it's needed. I believe racing Midgets and a30s 40s tend to convert to ford star drive type half shafts. 

[Matty]

11 minutes ago, Asimo said:

Riley 1.5 was a 20mph / 1000rpm car. 

I'm crap with anything like this but that'd make a Riley 60 at 3. This is now 60 at about 3700 but with my a40 gearbox that's probs the best I'm getting. I've the Midget type b box that came with the engine to rebuild yet, but the diferance with ratios is so small I can't see a huge improvement to come. I will get round to it though.

[Mr Pastry]

1 hour ago, Matty said:

I'm crap with anything like this but that'd make a Riley 60 at 3. This is now 60 at about 3700

That's because the Riley has 14" wheels.

[Matty]

7 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

That's because the Riley has 14" wheels.

Told you I wasn't very good at this 🤣. out of interest have any of you driven a 1.5 or a Wolesley 1500? Wondered what they go like.

[Mr Pastry]

Tbh I have only driven one Riley 1.5 and it felt much like a big Morris Minor, which is what it is.  They go alright but I think you would find it a bit dull compared with your A40 because it is heavier.  The B series is one of the heaviest objects known to man.  Riley 1.5 would perhaps be nicer with a tuned 1275 A series, or a Ford Kent, which was a much more advanced design than anything BMC were doing at the time.  Discuss...

[Matty]

1 hour ago, Mr Pastry said:

Tbh I have only driven one Riley 1.5 and it felt much like a big Morris Minor, which is what it is.  They go alright but I think you would find it a bit dull compared with your A40 because it is heavier.  The B series is one of the heaviest objects known to man.  Riley 1.5 would perhaps be nicer with a tuned 1275 A series, or a Ford Kent, which was a much more advanced design than anything BMC were doing at the time.  Discuss...

Crossflow head, large bores, short stroke. Not wrong. Much as I'm a confirmed BMC fetishist, yes a crossflow Kent is a better lump.