Meet Ted
- Thread starter Panky
- Start date
Is that a bottle of whisky on the shelf below? 
'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
'I intend to live forever - so far, so good'
Need to keep warm Chris
Done a few jobs over the last few weeks The engine mods and bigger bore exhaust has turned Ted into a bit of a hooligan, everything is nice and calm until he hits 3000rpm then he lets out an almighty growl and shoots off like a scalded cat (or slightly warm Moggy) The crackle from the exhaust is very infectious but he sits at 3000 rpm at just over 50 mph so long runs can be a bit of an ear bashing:I So I applied some sound deadening.
It's a self adhesive bitumous mat type stuff and when it's warm it sticks like poo to a duvet.
On top of the petrol tank too
The doors got some
And under the bonnet, I think the finish on the matting looks in keeping with the car.
The idea with this stuff is to add weight to the panels to stop resonance and it does work. He's not whisper quiet but it's a big improvement and the doors close with a nice thud now[^]I ran out before I could do the floor but I've got some other stuff ready for that. Need to get some more for the vans.
This was the stuff, a bargain compared to other stuff out there, and they are actually 500mm X 500mm mats , not 500 X 400 as it says in the listing
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111550371102?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
This week I have mostly been doing the brakes With his new found sprightliness he needed more stopping power. You can get disc conversions but at over £500 for the kit (which doesn't include a servo)I decided to go for a cheaper 'period' upgrade.
The old drums and stuff was fine.
Nowt wrong in here.
Wolseley 1500 front drums, 9" diameter as opposed to the 8" Morris ones
All on
They are a direct replacement, no mods needed at all - and they make a huge difference, really pleased[^]
I did have a few problems as the bolts holding the back plates on where knackered, the threads had virtually rusted away and a couple of the nuts just kept spinning so had to be cut off[V] I got new flexy's but the union on one of them fell apart so I had to cut the pipe, No problem I thought just nip up to the local motor factors and get a new pipe made, surprisingly they didn't have any Whitworth male fittings:I But they were great and phone up a guy they knew who said he had some, turns out I knew him to and I came away from his unit with a brake pipe off a 1954 MG Magnette axle for free - same fittings Anyway all sorted now.
Done a few jobs over the last few weeks
The engine mods and bigger bore exhaust has turned Ted into a bit of a hooligan, everything is nice and calm until he hits 3000rpm then he lets out an almighty growl and shoots off like a scalded cat (or slightly warm Moggy) The crackle from the exhaust is very infectious but he sits at 3000 rpm at just over 50 mph so long runs can be a bit of an ear bashing:I So I applied some sound deadening.It's a self adhesive bitumous mat type stuff and when it's warm it sticks like poo to a duvet.
On top of the petrol tank too
The doors got some
And under the bonnet, I think the finish on the matting looks in keeping with the car.
The idea with this stuff is to add weight to the panels to stop resonance and it does work. He's not whisper quiet but it's a big improvement and the doors close with a nice thud now[^]I ran out before I could do the floor but I've got some other stuff ready for that. Need to get some more for the vans.
This was the stuff, a bargain compared to other stuff out there, and they are actually 500mm X 500mm mats , not 500 X 400 as it says in the listing
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111550371102?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
This week I have mostly been doing the brakes
With his new found sprightliness he needed more stopping power. You can get disc conversions but at over £500 for the kit (which doesn't include a servo)I decided to go for a cheaper 'period' upgrade.The old drums and stuff was fine.
Nowt wrong in here.
Wolseley 1500 front drums, 9" diameter as opposed to the 8" Morris ones
All on
They are a direct replacement, no mods needed at all - and they make a huge difference, really pleased[^]
I did have a few problems as the bolts holding the back plates on where knackered, the threads had virtually rusted away and a couple of the nuts just kept spinning so had to be cut off[V] I got new flexy's but the union on one of them fell apart so I had to cut the pipe, No problem I thought just nip up to the local motor factors and get a new pipe made, surprisingly they didn't have any Whitworth male fittings:I But they were great and phone up a guy they knew who said he had some, turns out I knew him to and I came away from his unit with a brake pipe off a 1954 MG Magnette axle for free - same fittings
Anyway all sorted now.
Could have done you a set of the 2ls Riley brakes, even better
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
They do work well. There is a set here if you change your mind
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
Spent the last couple of days swapping the gearbox and fitting a 3.7 diff I changed the gearbox not long after I got Ted because I mistakenly thought it was the source of a nasty whine, turned out it was the diff So I changed that for another 4.2 unit, unfortunately the replacement box was prone to jumping out of second and whined a bit. Since I did the engine improvements I realised I was revving poor Ted more than I should so I bought a 3.7 diff and picked it up a few weeks ago, but because of a dodgy knee and a little thing called Commerfest I've only just got round to fitting it.
A diff
The hydraulic ramps and Bonnies old carpet came in handy for the gearbox swap.
The diff is just about perfect and considering I got it really cheap (for a Riley 3.7 )it runs silently and the longer legs are lovely As a bonus The original gearbox I put back in feels so much better, no whining in neutral and no second gear mishaps. All in all a very satisfying couple of days - time for a beer
I changed the gearbox not long after I got Ted because I mistakenly thought it was the source of a nasty whine, turned out it was the diff So I changed that for another 4.2 unit, unfortunately the replacement box was prone to jumping out of second and whined a bit. Since I did the engine improvements I realised I was revving poor Ted more than I should so I bought a 3.7 diff and picked it up a few weeks ago, but because of a dodgy knee and a little thing called Commerfest I've only just got round to fitting it.A diff
The hydraulic ramps and Bonnies old carpet came in handy for the gearbox swap.
The diff is just about perfect and considering I got it really cheap (for a Riley 3.7 )it runs silently and the longer legs are lovely
As a bonus The original gearbox I put back in feels so much better, no whining in neutral and no second gear mishaps. All in all a very satisfying couple of days - time for a beer 
If you had let me know I would of come and give you a hand☺(to drink the beer) all I have done the last couple of days is sit in a field behind Jim soaking up the sun and looking at hillman Imps
I've had this in the shed for years, it was given to me for the Mini but I never got round to fitting it. So a new set of feet and brackets (Mazda MX5 boot rack) and half a tube of Solvol Autosol later
I think I'll keep a look out for some better looking brackets but I rather like the overall look
I think I'll keep a look out for some better looking brackets but I rather like the overall look
Ever since I put the 1275 head on Ted there's been a whiff of burning oil and the occasional puff of smoke on start up. Everything was fine before the swap so the finger was pointed firmly at the head guides, after all the head came of the Mini which had done just shy of 100,000 miles So a set of guides and DuPont seals where ordered from Mini Spares and Martin turned me up a drift. Once the head was off I could see that the old guides did have a little play but nothing excessive but since I'd got the new ones I carried on. I put the bag of new guides in the freezer while the old ones were drifted out, I took every other one out so a straight edge could be used across the top of the guides to get things evenly in place. Good firm thumps with a 2lb hammer on the drift shifted most of the guides easily but there were a couple of stubborn ones that took a bit more persuasion and the mild steel drift was starting to look a little 'used'. The chilled new ones went in nicely without any drama but by the end of it the drift had just about had it, I can see why the proper ones are made from hardened steel.
Then a couple of hours twiddling a sucker stick had the seats looking good.
All in place and looking shiny
Leak test revealed no gushing leaks
Once the head was back on and everything was back together the engine was a little hesitant in starting, strange since Ted has always been an instant starter but when it eventually fired up all seemed fine. A couple of days running about and the hesitance in starting continued, but he always got there after a few attempts - until the morning I was to take my son to the airport A misty, damp morning it was and after clearing the windows the key was turned, several times, and nothing - more churning and finally the battery started to drain OH NO, it was nearly time to tell my son to phone a taxi but one last chance was to bump start down my sloping drive and at last the engine burst into life We got the airport, my son caught his flight and I got home but there was some thing not quite right - little miss fire every now and then even though the car was sitting happily at 70 on the M way. Any way when I got home I did a few checks took the dizzy cap off and inspected the points, they looked fine no crud on the surface and the gap looked OK, check the cap - no carbon contact in the middle Surely it wouldn't run without it so fitted a spare cap, confident I'd found the cause I went for a start and......nothing, churn churn churn churn but not a sign of firing. OK take the dizzy cap off and check for a spark.....nothing, so fit new condenser and bingo - big fat spark, cap back on and start on first turn of the key He's been running fine since and no more oil fume smells or puffs of smoke so I'm well pleased but is it really possible for the car to run without the carbon contact? I wouldn't have thought so. Anyway my son got Canada to see his girlfriend and I learned a lesson and ordered an Accuspark electronic Dizzy, should be here by Tuesday so a nice little job to do
So a set of guides and DuPont seals where ordered from Mini Spares and Martin turned me up a drift. Once the head was off I could see that the old guides did have a little play but nothing excessive but since I'd got the new ones I carried on. I put the bag of new guides in the freezer while the old ones were drifted out, I took every other one out so a straight edge could be used across the top of the guides to get things evenly in place. Good firm thumps with a 2lb hammer on the drift shifted most of the guides easily but there were a couple of stubborn ones that took a bit more persuasion and the mild steel drift was starting to look a little 'used'. The chilled new ones went in nicely without any drama but by the end of it the drift had just about had it, I can see why the proper ones are made from hardened steel.Then a couple of hours twiddling a sucker stick had the seats looking good.
All in place and looking shiny
Leak test revealed no gushing leaks
Once the head was back on and everything was back together the engine was a little hesitant in starting, strange since Ted has always been an instant starter
but when it eventually fired up all seemed fine. A couple of days running about and the hesitance in starting continued, but he always got there after a few attempts - until the morning I was to take my son to the airport A misty, damp morning it was and after clearing the windows the key was turned, several times, and nothing - more churning and finally the battery started to drain OH NO, it was nearly time to tell my son to phone a taxi but one last chance was to bump start down my sloping drive and at last the engine burst into life We got the airport, my son caught his flight and I got home but there was some thing not quite right - little miss fire every now and then even though the car was sitting happily at 70 on the M way. Any way when I got home I did a few checks took the dizzy cap off and inspected the points, they looked fine no crud on the surface and the gap looked OK, check the cap - no carbon contact in the middle Surely it wouldn't run without it so fitted a spare cap, confident I'd found the cause I went for a start and......nothing, churn churn churn churn but not a sign of firing. OK take the dizzy cap off and check for a spark.....nothing, so fit new condenser and bingo - big fat spark, cap back on and start on first turn of the key He's been running fine since and no more oil fume smells or puffs of smoke so I'm well pleased but is it really possible for the car to run without the carbon contact? I wouldn't have thought so. Anyway my son got Canada to see his girlfriend and I learned a lesson and ordered an Accuspark electronic Dizzy, should be here by Tuesday so a nice little job to do
Well this is what you get for your £59.95
It's an updated 45D but you can get the 25 for about a fiver less but as the 45 is a later dizzy the design should be, in theory, a bit better I thought.
Accuspark module pre-fitted to a brand new body.
It should be a straight swap and others (including Baz) have said they went straight on and didn't even need adjusting..........but
With me nothing is that simple, although the new dizzy pushed in the hole easily the positioning of the vac advance unit is different to the old one meaning it was hitting things as I tried to set the timing. No problem I thought just turn it 180 degrees, still no good as now it hits the starter motor. I ended up having to taking the oil pressure gauge 'T' piece out and turning the dizzy 90 degrees back and was able to set the timing up. Fortunately I was able to get the 'T' piece and oil pressure switch back in but it's a tight squeeze, luckily I wont need to advance the timing any more but if I did the oil connections would need re-thinking or trim back the vac connection and fit an elbow to the plastic pipe. Maybe if I had gone for the 25 I would have had a bit less hassle.
Not a huge difference with the new dizzy but the engine does seem a little smoother, the old one must have been set up right but hopefully this is a fit and forget so no more points and condensers to worry about - I'll still be carrying the old one in the boot just in case though
I'm thinking that there's more room on the Commer engine so fitting one of these should be even easier.
It's an updated 45D but you can get the 25 for about a fiver less but as the 45 is a later dizzy the design should be, in theory, a bit better I thought.
Accuspark module pre-fitted to a brand new body.
It should be a straight swap and others (including Baz) have said they went straight on and didn't even need adjusting..........but
With me nothing is that simple, although the new dizzy pushed in the hole easily the positioning of the vac advance unit is different to the old one meaning it was hitting things as I tried to set the timing. No problem I thought just turn it 180 degrees, still no good as now it hits the starter motor
. I ended up having to taking the oil pressure gauge 'T' piece out and turning the dizzy 90 degrees back and was able to set the timing up. Fortunately I was able to get the 'T' piece and oil pressure switch back in but it's a tight squeeze, luckily I wont need to advance the timing any more but if I did the oil connections would need re-thinking or trim back the vac connection and fit an elbow to the plastic pipe. Maybe if I had gone for the 25 I would have had a bit less hassle.
Not a huge difference with the new dizzy but the engine does seem a little smoother, the old one must have been set up right
but hopefully this is a fit and forget so no more points and condensers to worry about - I'll still be carrying the old one in the boot just in case thoughI'm thinking that there's more room on the Commer engine so fitting one of these should be even easier.
Ted's looking great I could just throw my 70's tent up on the roof rack & off we go!