The 20 year rebuild... MG Midget mkII

Long Time

2011-05-17T10:05:00.003+01:00

Been a Long Time since last post

Will have to do the story soon.

MOT is done and now running ok except for a rattleing clutch problem.

On the road again...

2008-09-20T21:10:00.004+01:00

New banjo bolt fitted, reason it stripped was probably due to an extra washer on the bolt (hidden under some paint).
Brakes need bleeding again now.

While waiting for my bleeding assistant (wife) to become available, I filled the axle with Hypoid 90 (I’d forgotten all about it). Also bolted on the rear exhaust mount (forgotten that too) and started to look at the hand brake issue.

The hand brake was catching on the carpet. Not sure now if the carpet should be fitted first and the handbrake mount bolted through the carpet, or if the carpet is too thick.
I cut away a bit of carpet trim and fitted a washer.
Handbrake is fine now.

My bleeding assistant arrived and was put to work applying pressure to the footbrake while I twiddled the bleed nipples.
“ON…. OFF…” I called.
“ON… OFF…” again and again.
Rather strangely there was no fluid coming out of the nipple!
I peered over my bleeding assistants shoulder, “ON…” and she depressed the clutch!!

It’s OK now.
It being a nice day there now seemed to be nothing left to do - other than a quick test drive.
Rather than risk my neck, I sent her off down the street.
She came back happy as Larry (whoever he was).

Jemima was back on the road after 21 years.
Now I need to address a few minor bugs and get the MOT.
Tappits, washer bottle, underseal wheel arch, seat belt mount shim, adjust drum brakes again, fill with decent petrol.

It rains and it pours, more brake snags.

2008-09-07T16:29:00.003+01:00

I re-fitted the brake calliper only to find that the wheel wouldn’t rotate again due to a pads being a tight fit. This sounded familiar http://campervanman.blogspot.com/2008/06/finally-got-round-tuit.html .

I measured the wire wheel brake disc and found it was 0.3mm fatter than the steel wheel one just removed. So this time I removed the sticky pad behind the pads and gave them a polish on a bed of sandpaper to shave a few microns off the pad surface.

This seemed to do the trick until the caliper bolts were fully tightened. The discs stopped spinning again. This time due to the calliper bolt. Over the years I’ve lost assorted bits but this time I was missing a spring washer – or was I missing something else.

Hanging on the wall were a few bits I’ve painted but forgotten what they were. I had three of these brake things (hose bracket) one was slightly different. One style goes under the bolt the other goes on the bolt extensions. It seems it changed during production. To solve my problem I fitted one odd one under the bolt with a lock tab. Wheel now spins.

Snag was I had to move the banjo brake hose slightly. It didn’t seem to tighten up afterwards. I had stripped the threads of the banjo bolt!
Looking closely I found that the new aeroquip hose banjo was slightly thicker than the original so less thread was available to grip.

So I need a new longer banjo bolt and probably a repair to the brake calliper.

Probably a good job it happened now as it could have come apart on the road.
Maybe I should have converted to dual circuit brakes after all.

The Front Wire Wheels Get Started

2008-09-06T18:52:00.001+01:00

http://www.sussexclassiccar.co.uk/ managed to get a set of front wire wheel hubs. An exchange was done in the return of the bolt-on kit. I’m feeling guilty now as I seem to have done too well out of the deal!

Unfortunately I spent the next few weeks either in Stockholm or fixing the fence which blew over in the wind.

Finally I was free to visit the garage and start the front wheels.
I removed the wheel and brake calliper and then undid the main wheel nut.
After a few wallops with the hide hammer it was obvious the wheel hub wasn’t coming off so I referred to the manual which advised a puller.
Darn – I had just taken it back to work.

A few days later the hub was easily removed with the puller. The inner bearing stayed on the stub axle as advised in the manual. The bearings were new so it could stay there and hopefully when the wire wheel hub goes on it will fit. Not sure what the oil seal will do…

The outer bearing was removed from one hub and fitted to the other. The wire hub then fitted to the new brake disc and all slotted back onto the stub axle and tightened.

The split pin is tricky to fit through the tiny hole and I now need a wire wheel dust cap.

Almost there, Now I just need to refit the brake calliper and the new wire wheel.

Easier said than done…

Wire wheels fitted again

2008-08-10T18:10:00.003+01:00

With the axle bolted back into place it should be a quick job to fit all the ancillaries and see how the wires fit.

It should be but it wasn’t.
I fitted the bearing pack and found it rubbed on the brake springs, they were fitted incorrectly and it took ages to work out how they should be fitted.

The hand brake linkages (shorter ones for wire wheels) took a while to fit as the felt washer’s refused to sit in the right place.

One prop shaft bolt wasn’t with the rest of the nuts and bolts ad took ages to find it - on the other side of the garage!

Other than that the job was fairly easy and the new wire wheels look good on the back.
The rear wheel arch has a lot space between tyre and arch as one would expect and the spinners are less likely to chop off the knees of the local children.
So the job was worth doing.

The snag now is that the front splines are proving difficult for the shop supply so I still have two steel wheels on the front.

Maybe next weekend.

Start of Diff Swap

2008-08-09T21:28:00.006+01:00

The next day I found the second hub had moved slightly on the half shaft and it was then possible, with difficulty, to remove the rest of the hub.

I took the half shafts and new hubs to Blaker welding in Dial Post to have the hubs pressed back on.

The weekend was time to actually swap the axles. Quite an easy job really, mainly because the old axle had already been dismantled 10 years ago and it hadn’t seen the outside world much since.

On the old axle, the brake drums were new, the bearings and seals had been replaced and most bolts were new. All this came off easily without having to undo any brake hoses.

The old axle was slid out sideways and then offered up to the “new” axle. The “new” Diff had some extra backlash so the Diffs were swapped. A new gasket was made from a Not-made-from-wheat-made-from-oats-instead-abix packet as both old ones were demolished.

The “new” axle was then slid into place and bolted onto the springs. The original brake backplates then bolted into place.

Time for a tea break.

Half shaft refuses to come off hub

2008-08-03T23:04:00.002+01:00

More hassle with the “new” axle.

Trying to remove the half shaft from the wire wheel hub proved difficult.

Even with a hydraulic puller borrowed from work it refused to budge. I left the puller on over night and gave it a tweak the next day and then the bond broke with a crack and the first one was separated.

The next one proved impossible. Even with a good half hour with the blowtorch. I’ll have to find an Engineering facility to remove one and fit both into the new splined hubs.

At least I managed finish de-rusting and to paint the axle and fit new bearings and seals to the hubs.

Wire Wheel Axle

2008-07-27T23:01:00.003+01:00

A wire wheel back axle was found at a local MG scrapper in Chichester on the advise of a friend of a friend. The yard has another two in stock.

I collected it last Monday and then went to Stockholm for the week (Nice place).
This weekend I stripped the axle of all the parts ready for a cleanup. I’ll fit new bearings and seals. Not sure at present whether to stick with the diff it came with or use the one currently on Jemima.

The brake adjusters are worn out on this “new” axle so these will be swapped over. Maybe I’ll be able to do it without breaking the brake lines so I don’t have to bleed the brakes again.
The hand brake rods need a clean up too.

The splines will be replaced as they are slightly worn and wouldn’t like to fit them in a new wheel. The problem now is trying to get the half shaft out of the old one.

Wire wheel installation hits a snag.

2008-07-12T21:55:00.003+01:00

The tyres were fitted and the conversion kit collected.

In the excitement I rushed on with the job in the hope that this will mean she can finally drive off down the street with good tyres and the correct number of nuts on each wheel (I've lost quite a few over the years!)

The front wheel conversion kit and wheel was easily installed but the wheel studs do need to be trimmed to ensure the wire wheel fits snug on the splines. The wheel looked a little proud and the spinners had that Boadicea, ankle chopping, look about them.

The rear kit was then fitted to give the overall impression on that side. Again chopping a few millimetres from each stud was required.
I sat back and admired my work and the gleaming wheel, black tyre and sparkly spinner.

I lowered the trolley jack and had another look.
The rear wing was sitting on the tyre!

80110ck5!

I got out the tape measure and pondered. Maybe if I had 145 profiles tyres? With this tyre I would lose 12mm in width (6mm each side) my overhang was 5mm. It would squeeze in but almost any cornering action would result is a scuffed tyre as well.
I think maybe I should have gone for minilites…

A sleepless night was had by all as we pondered the options.

145’s may help but the tyres can’t go back (Wonder if M&S do tyres!) Some web reports from folk say that the 145’s don’t make for a nice handling car either.
Chopping back the wheel arch isn’t an option.
Hydraulic expanding gear also no way.
Minilites don’t look good on MKII’s.
Wire wheels are nice.
Steel wheels aren’t.

Any body got a wire wheel back axle spare?

Minilites, wires and tyres

2008-07-06T00:48:00.003+01:00

One Job on the list complete this week. The washer bottle was fitted! I didn’t fill it with water so maybe it is still only half a job.

The main thing this week was a decision making exercise.
Minilites or wire wheels?
Miniltes are cheaper but wires look so much better.

Years ago, when the wife was about to buy the car in 1974, a friend said “You should buy one with wire wheels, if you don’t you will regret it for years after”.
34 years later and still regretting it, a chap at Moss was helping the wife with the pros and cons. The Minilites came out on top until he said “Of course, you will regret not getting the wires for the rest of your life.” We may not last the next 34 years so we know we can cope with that…

We then had to visit our local shop and touch the two options. We came out with 4 new chrome wire wheels. The conversion kit is to follow later.

Tyres are also a problem. Dunlop SP Sports were the tyre of choice but during the last big MOT failure (We left her in Findhorn in 1985 when we moved jobs) she was fitted with cheap Courier Steels which were like driving on jellies. Now you only seem to be able to get Dunlop SP Sports in the right size in South Africa. Odd.

There doesn’t seem to be many opinions on the web of which tyre to choose. So I had a look around for tyres the right size and this site helped with the new fangled tyre profile stuff to work out the relative tyre diameters. 155 / 80 R 13 seems best choice.

I thought a British name on the tyres was better than a foreign one. Not realising that Avon tyres are now owned by Cooper Tire and Rubber Co, I chose Avon CR322’s .

Getting a local supplier of these tyres was trickier than expected. One shop with an Avon logo on its signs and big Avon stickers in the office didn’t stock or supply Avon tyres!

Littlehampton tyres could order the tyres in so I should be able to fit the new wheels next weekend.

Finally got a round tuit

2008-06-16T21:04:00.002+01:00

On the 3rd April this year Jemima had been of the road for 21 years! It’s over 6 months since my last real effort on the car which may help explain the 21 years.

I bought a hood on the last sunny day of 2007 and its taken this long to be at home on a sunny day suitable for hood fitting. Not that I couldn’t have done other tasks in the mean time. I have popped into the garage and looked at a few things but never quite actually did anything. It was too cold or too wet – that was the usual excuse.

The hood was finally fitted yesterday with new seal and seal channel. The holes in the channel for the pop rivets all lined up with the existing holes which surprised me. I still need to finish the poppers.

I also had a look at the brakes. The front brakes were binding, this was the job that I was looking all the time. I didn’t want to have to rebuild the callipers again.
This time I tried to remove the pads but found it rather difficult as the pistons appeared to be fully retracted. Once removed, I noted that the pads have a 1mm soft pad stuck on the back surface, which may be part of an anti-squeal system. The pads were refitted without the additional metal anti-squeal shim. This seems to have sorted out the binding problem.

Some electrical lighting problems were discovered which turned out to be the old bullets from the lights not making best contact with the new loom. Also the wipers bashed into the top shroud as the parking point wasn’t set correctly. It’s ok now.

Now I need to fit a washer bottle, top seat belt anchor adapter, new tyres (maybe wire wheels), reset the tappets, then the MOT.

That should take about 3 years!

Bouncy

2007-10-27T17:01:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I fitted the windscreen wipers, took about 5 minutes plus 30 to clean then up first. Pleased with myself I retired to the couch.

The hood header rail has now been painted. So a new hood was bought from www.sussexclassiccar.co.uk and as part of the "Is it finished yet?" chat I mentioned the lack of bolts for the upper damper mounts. A pair of High tensile bolts were swiftly produced. I keep forgetting he has a good stock of fixings in the back, saved a special trip to Namerick.

The holes were not actually that bad, two sweeps with a file and it was OK. The dampers are now fitted. It isn't the best conversion kit but it works. The brake hose is a bit close to the damper.

The bracket inside that supports the upper mounting point is not a good fit on this car so has an extra few fat washers to fill the gap.

Measure twice drill once

2007-10-14T20:07:00.000+01:00

Or not in my case.

The front telescopic damper, upper mounting points, don't line up very well with the holes in the inner wheel arch. Shame really, more drilling required.

Also the brackets that bolt onto the lever arms don't quite touch where they should. I have some thick washers now from B&Q that will do the job of filling the gaps but I've lost the bolts that hold this bit together.

Another trip to Namerick is required.

All this week I have been de-rusting the hood header rail ready for the new paint and hood. It isn't quite fully rust free but its close! I've now painted it in the blue rust killer stuff ready for the primer.

Not much really... and winter is coming.. it'll be cold in the garage soon.

Further on down the drive...

2007-09-23T00:09:00.000+01:00

Found that the brake light switch was loose hence the brakes needed bleeding all the time.

This time, pressure seems to be holding, although all the wheels seem to be binding slightly.

So we went for a spin up the drive and back. The first journey out of the garage under her own steam for 20 years.

Now all I need to do is...

fit the hood

Sort out the front dampers.

cure lack of brake lights

binding brakes

dicky left main beam

Windscreen wipers and washer

dodgy door fitting

speedo cable

Wire wheels

still more stuff I've probably forgotten

MOT

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' ........... Not Stoppin'.

2007-09-21T16:10:00.000+01:00

So the clutch push rod was filled with weld and a new 8mm hole drilled into it.

The hole was set nearer to the end than normal to push the clutch actuator lever away as much as possible. I might have overdone it, as it was a bit tight getting it to fit.

Engine started and warmed up, I got in, engaged gear, let out the clutch and away we went.

Wahoo!!

About 3 feet later I applied the brake and not a lot happened.

Next job then, bleed the brakes.

Again...

Clutch dragging on

2007-09-16T17:25:00.000+01:00

I bought a replacement starter motor recently - another bit of the original Jemima gone forever. But now it is fitted she starts every time without problems.
The problem now is the clutch.

I bled the clutch but I can’t press the pedal far enough in to disengage the clutch. It took me some time to remember the adjustments at the top of the pedal into the dual master cylinder. Memory like a 20 year old sieve.
With the upper adjuster rod adjusted fully out, I could now start the engine in gear and drive up the garage but I couldn’t start the engine and engage gear!

With thoughts of having to remove the engine and gearbox I retired to the lounge and had a few beers and watched TV for a week.

This weekend I had another look at the clutch problem and decided it could be the old pushrod. So I’ll take it to work (I leave my welder there these days) and fill the hole full of weld and re-drill.

Next weekend I’ll see what happens.

Garage door

2007-09-16T17:10:00.000+01:00

I haven’t done very much on Jemima recently.

The local scum smashed my daily driver side window to get at the sat-nav I had stupidly left on show. Later in the week they smashed a neighbour’s rear window and then further up the street a windscreen.

Thoughts naturally turn to security in these troubled times and I wanted new keys for my garage doors anyway - and I also wanted the same key for both doors.
The local garage door provider and the local security firm couldn’t supply standard or improved door locks with the same key. A rummage through eBay didn’t help and a few supplier’s responded to questions with “they all have different keys mate”.

Then I found http://www.lockshop-warehouse.co.uk/ and the D613 Enfield Garage Door Bolts Keyed Alike for more than one Garage – excellent news and just the job.

The following weekend they were fitted. I should have bought the triple set then I could have fitted one to the Side door too.

Interior trimmed

2007-08-19T18:59:00.000+01:00

With the doors and inside body waxoyled the trim could be attached and carpets fitted.

Some of the carpet is glued to the bodywork.

I started with Copydex on the RH wheel arch and found it didnt like being repositioning while I was adjusting the carpet, the LH wheel arch was done using Evo-stick Timebond which worked well but I used too much, so I then used a tin of aerosol carpet spray glue, on the "chassis" rails, which was easy to apply but again, didnt like being repositioned.

The rest was held on by the usual press-on fasteners.

The door panels were a bit awkward as the door had been fitting nicely since fitting the cloth weather strip. These panels fit so they close on the weather strip - so the door fit has been pushed out again. All the other panels fitted nicely and stay put using velcro rather than screws.

The seats had been recovered before we moved house - which means that was done about 8 years ago. The drivers seat was bolted in place and we were able to sit in her properly for the first time in 20 years.

If the starter motor had worked we could have tried to drive her!

Maybe tomorrow.

Waxoyled (some)

2007-08-18T20:18:00.000+01:00

After the smell of spilt fuel was aired from the garage it was time to contaminate the atmosphere again with waxoyl.

I decided to use Waxoyl because it has worked so well on this car before. The bits that were treated have survived, the bits that weren’t have turned to dust. This time I was going to use a compressor wax injection kit and really get into the nooks and crannies.

The Spray gun took some time to tune correctly, in fact for ages it refused to blow out anything but air. Eventually, more by luck and a hacksaw to open up the spray nozzle, I had a high pressure wax mist perfect for the cavities.

The left chassis rail was done, the sills, doors, rear wings, rear box section, jacking point and crossmember. The right chassis rail was missed as the hole I had drilled in the front wasn’t in quite the same location as the left and the nozzle wouldn’t bend over the bumper bolt reinforced tube. I'll do it next time when I do the other exposed areas.

Now I can start to trim the doors and fit the carpet.

Oh, and the starter motor has failed again!

Petrol leak

2007-08-17T22:13:00.001+01:00

On my way to work I found the garage floor was covered in petrol. The tank had leaked.
I mopped it up and checked for drips and went off to work.
When I got back another gallon or so was on the floor.

The leak was coming from the outlet pipe area. I drained the tank properly and remade the tank connection. Easier said than done.

I had to make the first part in 6mm pipe then upsize to 8mm. This was because the nut for 6mm pipe was too short and was fully in before the pipe was clamped tight. The nut for 8mm pipe was a lot longer, so the 8mm pipe was bored to accept a bit of 6mm soldered into it. The 6mm olive would then seat inside the tank and make a good connection.

That was the plan and it seems to have worked so far.

Engine running problem solved.

2007-08-10T14:51:00.000+01:00

I discussed my engine problems with the chaps at work. One contacted his brother in law who suggested it was a leak between the carburettors and the inlet port.

I had a look at all the connections and they looked fine and tight. So it could be the vacuum advance or the engine breather. A finger over the vacuum advance port had no effect so the breather was removed and a 3/8” socket extension stuffed in the hole.

Eureka – the engine runs at a constant speed - very fast but the idle speed was adjusted quickly and Jemima was left to idle and warm up for the first time in 20 years.

The garage filled with smoke from the oil that was burning of the outside of the engine, the exhaust was emitting less smoke now. Actually I’m using leadfree with a slight diesel contamination due to a mistake at the pumps several months ago so a bit of smoke is expected.

The BMW thermostat finally switched on at 99˚C but it was connected to the slow side of the fan so it didn’t have a great effect at first. The lower temp switch doesn’t seem to be working. I switched Jemima off and allowed her to cool down.

Next day I came back to start her up again and all I got was a click from the solenoid again. Out with the starter motor and a recrimp of the stud-winding connection got her restarted again. I’ll change the motor next time.

Still smoking, Still roaring.

2007-07-29T00:41:00.000+01:00

The starter motor was a bit annoying, after removing it, it worked on the bench so I refitted it only to get the click again!

Removed it once more and opened it up. The screw post that the battery cable connects to is soldered to the coil winding – or at least it should be. Mine had come adrift. I set to straightening the wire (it’s more like a bar) and cleaning it up ready to resolder. The post would solder nicely but no way would the solder stick to the winding. I cleaned and heated, set fire to most things near by but the coil wire/bar wouldn’t solder.

I was ready to resign and buy an exchange unit but fortunately it was past shop closing time so I cleaned it one last time and crimped the post hard to the wire/bar and when I fitted it I twisted the post to hopefully make best contact.

This seemed to work well at least for the rest of today.

The BMW thermostat was fitted in the block. I bought an M14x1.5 tap on eBay and made a wafer thin helicoil type adapter so it would fit.

I then set the ignition timing again, and reset the carburettors to the manuals spec and tried running the engine again.

Lots of smoke and it still idles for a bit, then roars up to 4000rpm and back to idle. It does tend to spit back through the carbs occasionally too.

Quite baffled.

She's alive! ALIVE!

2007-07-20T14:12:00.000+01:00

Getting close to starting the engine so drained the storage oil and topped up with good old-fashioned Dukhams Q. Started to fill the gearbox too then remembered I hadn’t fitted the propshaft. Without the propshaft fitted all the oil will fall out of the hole at the back.

The propshaft can be fitted when the engine is in but it isn’t easy. The trick is to keep the front wobbly bit (technical term) straight. A spare piece of shed (she likes to call it the summerhouse), a torch and a bent bit of metal does just the job.
Next the new battery was fitted and all was ready to go go.

Plugs out, spin the engine on the starter, all sounded good. Check for oil pressure, after a while it came up to 40 psi.Then needed to set the timing with the strobe.

Fuel pump on, choke and Jemima roared into life.
A little too much life, as she would tick over nicely for a few seconds then race up to 4000rpm, then tick over for a while and repeat or stop, while I was scratching my head wondering which bit to adjust.

After reading the books I went back to restart and all I got was a click.Now looks like the Starter motor has failed.

Samson back from the dead.

2007-07-17T20:47:00.000+01:00

In 1985 I bought a blue Samson unlimited warranty battery.
Like a lot of people at the time, I wanted a good battery and as we planned to keep the car, the "as long as you own the car" warranty sounded ideal.

Despite keeping the battery trickle charged and the occasional drain it had no chance of lasting the intervening 20 years but it had a good go.

I had "heard" on the web that it wasn’t easy anymore to get replacements and Unipart wouldn’t honour the warranty anymore. But nothing ventured - nothing gained. I contacted the local Partco who were not in the least bit helpful and gave every excuse not to replace the battery, "GBY5603 - Sorry not on my list anymore. Will have to sell you a 3 year warranty battery instead" "We don't like the blue ones..."

So I set the Rottweiler on them. She contacted head office and found a nice girl who was perfectly happy to arrange an exchange for us and contacted the local Partco to tell them off and arranged a new one for collection. We went round and collected a very nice period looking, black, Unipart, 3 year warranty Battery. And the lifetime warranty continues as well, bonus.

Good result, Thanks to the wife and Unipart HQ.

Underneath stuff

2007-07-13T23:13:00.000+01:00

This week Jemima is back on axle stands.

The plan was to fit the exhaust, clutch slave cylinder and new rear bumper.

None of which was easy.
Couldn’t find a bolt that would fit the slave cylinder mount. Then realised they are 3/8" UNC, not UNF, so bought some new ones from Namerick. When I got back, the next bolt out of my used nut/bolt box was 3/8" UNC.

Couldn’t find the bumper support bars anywhere, they were only painted last month, so started on the exhaust.
The manifold mount fitted easily enough but none of the others did. Drilled a new hole in the boot floor for the rear mounting. Then found the bumper support bars and realised they would be in the way of the exhaust.

The rear bumper irons and triangular reinforcing bracket use four bolt holes each. Three in the boot floor and one in rear lower panel. None of which really lined up. Boot and rear panels are "new" and came with holes pre drilled but not quite in the right place.

Six more holes were drilled in the boot floor to fit all these bumper supports. Then the bumper itself was not very central so more holes where drilled in the spring bars to sort that out.

I liked the look without the overiders fitted but "she - who must be obeyed" wanted the overiders. Naturally the original ones would look silly so new ones were ordered.

Drilled new holes for some M6 Rivnuts in the rear bulkhead for the centre exhaust mounting and reversed the rear mount to still use the hole drilled previously.

So, three 5 minute jobs, which took about a week.

How much?!

2007-07-08T01:29:00.000+01:00

It's raining a lot but the garage is dry - so far.

I thought I would look at how much We had spent on the Midget so far.

£270 Initial purchase cost in 1974, followed by
£300 for the next MOT.
£450 rebuild in 1980, lots of welding and a respray in the wrong colour.

£500 running cost over the next 10 years including
£800 garage repair work, A posts and wing, that made me "think I can do that!"failed its last MOT seriously in 1987

£6300 rebuild cost so far. inc
bodywork panels, welding = £770 (1989).
Engine = £760 (1996),

So, give or take a few missing receipts Jemima has cost us about £9K.
Not bad really.

2000rpm without the carburettors

2007-07-02T13:37:00.000+01:00

Rather than re-chrome I bought a new bumper.

It's easy to throw money at an MG almost everything is available.

Of course now the lamp surrounds look a bit scruffy!

Having fitted the magnetronic ignition I then fitted the Tacho lead to the coil as this had been waiting for me to find the little plastic clip that the white wire wraps around for the tacho pick-up.

Now the tacho is indicating 2000rpm.

I thought the tacho was a pulse counter. Pulses ÷ 4 = rpm. But the current drawn by the magnetronic module also has an effect.

A quick search of the internet shows that this isnt just my problem so I'll look at the solutions and see what's best.

First thing is to supply the magnetronic module from a seperate source to the coil.

Stainless Steel Grill and old bumper

2007-06-20T14:48:00.000+01:00

Fitted the new grill this weekend.

Bought on eBay and made from stainless steel it looks absolutely wonderful.
The stainless surround was fitted with screws and only needed slight trimming and bending to fit. The grill itself also needed some tweaking and adjustment to the last two slats at each end.
Trying not to scratch the surround with each trial fit was difficult; the slats are very sharp and easily cut through my masking tape protection.

Next I offered up the front bumper. It is in OK condition but looks awful under the grill. A test patch was cleaned with solvol autosol. It's not going to help much. I took it to my local plater (he did my TR5 bumper 6 years ago) who said he has stopped doing "that sort of work". Then looked on the sussexclassiccar website and found its only £80 new!

There won’t be much of Jemima left at this rate!

Other jobs done
Fitted magnetronic coil and ballast.
Fitted Kevlar reinforced hose set (Why isn’t the straight heater hose kevlar reinforced?)

JYC 603, Radiator, and some more little things...

2007-06-15T12:21:00.000+01:00

11 June 2007
The radiator wasn't easy to fit, It never is on the Midget.

I tried to make life easier by rivetting together the splashgaurds and the support brackets so I only had 3 things to line up. Unfortuneatly the front end assembly still made contact and needed a few washers as spacers. The "new" electric fan was fitted with tywraps and I started wiring it in but thought I would test the thermostat. I may now know why the BMW, it came from, was in the scrap yard - it doesnt work!

Also adjusted the tappets as they had all been set to be really loose after the rebuild.Fitted the rear number plate, connected the cable to the starter motor. Went to fit the earth strap from chassis to engine but cant find a bolt the right size for the chassis nut.

Has anybody seen JYC 603?

More goes in the engine bay

2007-06-15T12:20:00.000+01:00

06 June 2007

Not much done this weekend. Jet lag and a general laziness is my excuse.

One of the reasons for fitting the engine (other than it needed to be fitted!) was to add weight to the front end, to help compress the springs, so I can undo the bolts on the front dampers. I also had to stand on the steering rack mountings to make sure.On top of the dampers I then bolted the Spax shocks reinforcing plate. A bolt should then pass throught the wheelarch to mount the top bracket.

This is an early version of the Spax kit and it was originally fitted to CLK???H years ago. It fitted CLunK quite well, It doesnt fit Jemima. The bracket has a large gap between it and the wheel arch which will need to be filled. I have looked at the new style lever arm that replaces the whole unit. A much better system but rather expensive at this stage.
While I decide what to do I removed the exhaust manifold. The gasket had stuck very well to all parts and needs replacing without ever getting hot. The manifold was removed to fit the exhaust insulation wrap.

I used this stuff on my TR5 when it had what I thought was fuel vapourisation problems. It successfully reduced under bonnet temperatures and delayed the problem of "Fuel vapourisation". The TR5 would run nicely if kept running or stopped only to fill up. If stopped for 5 minutes or more it wouldnt start until it had really cooled down - up to 45 minutes. This troubled me for years and embarrased me once on the M25 in the outside lane during the usual traffic jam. I had to use the starter motor to drive us to the hard shoulder. Just before I sold it, I replaced the coil lead, and the problem went away!

Anyway, I want to use the wrap to help reduce under-bonnet temperatures especially as the exhaust manifold is directly under the carbs. I then read in the sales literature "competition use only". What does this mean?

Also fitted the magnetronic electronic ignition.

Footwell repairs

2007-06-15T12:19:00.000+01:00

24 May 2007

Still in Qingdao, waiting for customs to release my stuff.

The footwell area had been repaired many times. Patches on patches, some welded, some braized and some pop rivetted.

The sill hadnt been welded at all behind the wing so I guess the sill was fitted without removing the wing at the time.

This meant that all the water that went behind the wing wheel arch area went into the inside of the sill. The result is more rust and the sand that had built up inside the sill over time.

With the sill removed the triangular foot area was revealed in its many layers. This was easy to repair with 1mm sheet steel and the sill and floor sections then added on.

The end results looks ok (not that you can tell in this picture).

Spring hanger area behind the seat

2007-06-15T12:15:00.000+01:00

19 May 2007

Hello, I'm In Qingdao this week so even less work done on the car. Qingdao is the home of Tsingtao beer, brewed since 1903, and where the sailing part of the Olympic games will be held. (Qingdao and Tsingtao are pronounced Ching-dow.)

More history of Jamima. The spring hanger area was the main reason for the last MOT failure in 1996. As can be seen we were probably lucky to have got that far.

The more I poked the more dust and fresh air was found. I was having difficulty deciding which bits to cut out and how to start the repair as there was little that would remain original.

The sill were fitted first, then the floor, then the triangular section was built up using the spring mount as a means of aiding alignment
Very satisfying once completed.

Time for another Tsingtao beerCheers.

A week away

2007-06-15T12:13:00.000+01:00

first posted 14 May 2007

Hi, I'm in Hong Kong this weekend, and last week in Madrid, so i haven't been able to work on the car for a while.

Here are some old photos from the body restoration all those years ago.The rear wheel arch was rather tricky, I thought.

Rear wings for the MKII aren't available so I was going to replace the lower half. This was roughly cut off and the inner arch damage was more obvious to see.

With an inner arch repair section attached, the rest of the rust was removed and replaced with a patchwork quilt of bits of sheet steel.

The area behind the wheel at the bottom of the wing was so far gone on both sides I had no idea what shape it should be, so both sides received a different approach, neither probably anything like what it should be, but you can't see it when the wing is on.

Engine finally slots into place.

2007-05-05T22:47:00.000+01:00

Got up early and wheeled out the car and removed the bonnet.

Played with the various hoist options and raised up the engine. Then thought it best to remove the gear lever!

With the engine tilted back what I thought would be enough,
the gearbox 'storage-oil' poured out of the back where the prop shaft would be. Naturally the angle of dangle wasn't enough, and the height the come-along would lift , wasn't quite enough either.

To help, the front tyres were deflated and the back-end jacked up. The engine was spun around and finally it was almost there. With another pulley added to the front to increase inclination the engine started to look as if it was going to fit.

With the usual amount of rushing about, pushing the car forward, lowering the engine, adjusting the angle, jacking under the gearbox etc it's now in.
Time to reward myself and sit back in the garden and read the paper. I'll bolt it all down later.

The engine has moved...

2007-04-29T23:16:00.000+01:00

Hurrah!

The engine has moved from the back of the garage where it has been since we arrived here.

In the last house it was rebuilt in the conservatory. The head was modified for unleaded use by a company in Brighton who also gave it a rebore and supplied the pistons. I assembled it all with new oil pump and timing chain and all sorts of other stuff.

The gearbox was stripped and inspected a few months ago, a few things looked a bit loose so new bearings were fitted and they were just as loose, so that must be the way they are... I made a little mistake with the clutch plate as it was used to hold the mainshaft to undo a nut. A replacement was more expensive than I recall from the last one I bought. Ho hum.

I also seemed to have lost a spring, I'm convinced it wasn't fitted but It probably was and is on the floor somewhere. This spring isn't available from the shops but a friend of a friend came to the rescue and gave me one from an old 'box. Thanks Iain.

The Flywheel was covered in rust, as was the important part of the clutch cover plate. These were wire brushed as best as possible. Next time (ha!) I'll grease them before laying them up.

With flywheel and clutch fitted, the gearbox was added and all is ready for fitting.

Thanks to Russell for lending me his Haltrac engine hoist. All assembled and ready. Just need to get the wife out, to lend a hand removing the bonnet.

Other jobs today.
Bled the brakes again, now feels as good as new. Problem being the front offside is binding slightly. I'll ignore it for a while, hope it goes away. Also fitted the steering column seal. Best done as the steering column is fitted not as an after-thought several weeks later.

Bleeding Brakes

2007-04-21T00:19:00.001+01:00

Bought the last tin of silicon fluid from http://www.sussexclassiccar.co.uk/ and filled the master cylinder. I pumped away on the pedal and nothing happened.

Left it over night and tried again this morning. Much the same.
Found my old Gunsons brake bleed kit. The one you can pressurise with a car tyre. The last time I tried it I had brake fluid spraying everywhere, so this time I just connected it to the cylinder and to the tyre.

With 30psi in the tyre, I expected somthing to happen but nothing did. Even pumping the pedal had no effect. I had another look a the bleed nipples.

I bought these fancy bleed nipples ages ago (like most things for this car) . These nipples are complete with a mini non return valve fitted. So you have a nipple, plunger and spring. It seems you need to loosen the nipple a long way before the 30 psi will push past the valve - or I probably had a little blockage that just needed more pressure or time.

Naturally, I had released it too far and when the blockage released, the spring and plunger shot across the floor, followed by lots of expensive fluid.

Brake bleeding seems to be back to normal now. All 4 slaves bled, still lots of bubbles but time to let it settle and read the paper.

The small stuff

2007-04-21T00:18:00.002+01:00

I should be fitting the engine this week but I've been doing the little things.

The radiator was tested to see if it leaked. I had an accident with it in Truro. I was cutting of the wing and while the disc cutter was slowing down, I turned and caught the radiator a glancing blow. Two of the pipes were ruptured. These were resoldered and still seem to be holding out.
A small leak was coming from the top where it had been soldered before so this was sorted and the cooling fins seem to be a bit brittle.

it was rubbed down, de-rusted, and painted in quick set enamel from the trusty payless/focus/do-it-all (whatever they are called this week).

An electric fan was found at Billy Bridges scrap yard. It was from a Range Rover but just fits the front after some plastic was cut away. A thermostat switch (dual-temp) from a BMW is also planned to be fitted.

Other things done, 8mm Copper fuel pipe finished from pump to engine bay.
Removed the heater box to fit new solenoid. Heater box doesnt line up with fan so another bodge needed.

Also started fitting eDead sound deadening to the inside. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. I had a Midget ages ago that had the sheet of black dimpled sound deadening in it, this stuff is similar but with an aluminium top layer. I've decided to fit to most inside panels but to leave the seems free so they can be inspected in the future for rust.

Brakes

2007-04-21T00:18:00.001+01:00

Decided it would be good to fit the brake calipers at the front.
Like a lot of things, these were stripped and painted many years ago.

Wisely I decided to test them before fitting. I applied the air gun to the hole and nothing much happened. I tested the next one and a small movement was observed. I squirted in a bit of WD40 and tested it again. The vapourised WD40 covered most of the desk now - but both pistons are moving.

On the first caliper, this method only moved one piston. I stripped it down and found the culprit. The seal between the halves was too wide and covered both ports. The seal was modified too look a bit like Mickey mouse and all now works fine.

Fitting the calipers was fairly easy - but the Disc dust shields needed a bit of a tweak to allow the calipers to fit.

It looks quite good now with the copper pipes and Aeroquip hoses. I'll get the silicon fluid and start to fill the system later in the week.

Fuel Pump

2007-04-21T00:16:00.000+01:00

I "restored" the fuel pump, probably 18 years ago, with seals and diaphragm and re-restored it last year with new points.
Finally fitted it today.
Then took it off again as it would get in the way of fitting the Spax shocks. The Spax kit was purchased for Jemima but used on a different Midget for a while, hence they don’t look pristine.

With the shocks and the fuel pump on, I bought some hose and copper pipe from the local Strand Motor Spares shop and plumbed in the pump ready for testing. The output was directed into a 5l container.

The tank was drained of a few litres of storage oil and re-filled with petrol/diesel mix I had handy from a recent event at the local garage.
30litres of unleaded was added accidentally to my daily diesel runner, fortunately it was fairly empty and I spotted my mistake while reading the advert on the filler handle. At the end of the advert was the word "unleaded" in SMALL letters. Oops...

Anyway it has come in handy to clean the inside of the tank and test the fuel pump.

Fuel pump didn’t work until the usual light tap with a hammer. Rather disappointing but I guess to be expected after 20 years. It clunked away for ages and starts every time now.

When I thought I had finished with the work for the day I found that the tank was still draining slowly through the pipe. I would have thought the pump would have stopped the flow but it doesnt. Had a big puddle on the floor before I spotted it and raised the level of the end of the pipe.
Drained the tank properly again now.

Twenty years!!

2007-04-07T21:21:00.000+01:00

The 3rd April past without fanfare.
I forgot.
Twenty years Jamima has been off the road. But she is getting closer to the next self-propelled journey.

This week I have been finishing off the wiring. Despite a new loom, it has needed many modifications. An Ammeter was fitted, an interior light, door switch and a cigarette lighter (destined to be a charging socket). The super loud, twin horns, were also fitted and the plunger screen washer wired up with new "hidden" switch which operate the washer and starts the wipers Almost like a new car.

Then, I thought would be a good time to test it all. I plugged a battery charger and connected to earth and solenoid and switched on.

No smoke, no bangs or pops.

The lights worked, indicators were a bit "buzzy", the wipers wouldn't stop but so far so good. A new flasher relay fixed the indicators (and an earth lead on the left rear). Adjusting the wiring of the wiper switch sorted the wiper - after blowing several fuses when I got it wrong. The toad powerkey light flashed and the system armed when the key was near the spot. But the solenoid refused to click.
Another dud.

Completing Dashboard

2007-03-31T20:17:00.000+01:00

Which switch goes where? I wasnt sure. And it took ages to work it out.

From top left it is, Washer plunger, Fuel guage, Ignition key (oil filter warning above), Dual guage (oil pressure, cooling temp) and Lights switch, then bottom left it is , Choke, Wiper switch, dash lights and heater knob.

And of course when fitting the various wires through the bulkhead each one went through the hole that seemed right at the time but later was found to be the hole for the heater cable or Cooling guage capillary tube.

The washer plunger now has switch built in, to look original, but operate an electric pump. The oil filter warning isnt required due to an oil filter mod and is now the immobiliser warning LED.

Now its time to add a battery to test all the electrics...

Where's the fire extinguisher?

Yamaha XT500

2007-03-17T20:18:00.000Z

eBay are doing a "advertise your motor for free" weekend, so I thought I would advertise the motorbike.

I've had this bike for about 17 years and it was last taxed in 1994. When I last rode it the bob weights on the advance retard mechanism fell to pieces. It was still running though.

The dust sheet was removed and after a quick clean it began to look sell-able. Next I needed to start it. It hasn't run for a few years and each time I tried it would cough and splutter when the "easy start spray" was used. Petrol doesn't last forever so I started by draining the tank, It wouldn't drain, as the fuel tap was blocked, so this needed to be fixed. Then I realise the carburettor was empty, so it had to be dismantled. All the fuel, that had been inside, had turned to jelly blocking the main jet and float valve.

It still wouldn't start. So the timing was adjusted. Still wouldn't start except an occasional burst when started with "easy start" and a full throttle. Maybe the idle jets are blocked as well.

Having jumped on the kick starter about a thousand time I was rather tired so gave up.
Half an hour later, my leg was feeling quite sore, and my right foot began to ache. When I walk its like I have large thing in my shoe. I seem to have bruised the sole of my foot!

All this reminds me of the chap who sold me the bike. He was getting on a bit then too and found starting the bike was tricky with a bad back and a dodgy leg.
Sounds familiar...

Dashboard

2007-02-27T19:36:00.000Z

Went to Helsinki 3 times last week, didn't get very much sleep so feel rather jet-lagged. Consequently I haven't done very much.

I did have a look at the dashboard problem. It fits but not with the door seals fitted. So I had to bend back the door surround I bent a while ago to fit the door seals. More touch-up painting required.

Then found that the right angle brackets were "handed" which probably explains why they never fitted 20 years ago. The right hand one now fits but the left hand one is just for show.

I spotted a slight crack in the paint while I had my head contorted in the passengers footwell, so jabbed it with a chisel and revealed more rust! The inside footwell part of the "chassis" rails were covered in a surface layer of rust, last painted over 30 years ago by a mechanic with a new toy (mastic spray gun). It should be OK after a quick rub and a layer of rust killer.

I hope...

Hydraulics, and Instruments

2007-02-11T12:09:00.000Z

Today it was time to fit the brake pipes and hoses. Copper pipes were fitted 22 years ago and, as expected, they are still in perfect condition.

I also fitted Goodridge braided hoses. These were bought, but not fitted, 15 years ago! Fortunately they claim to be guaranteed forever. We'll see if they last that long.

Whilst crawling around under the car to fit the rear pipes and hoses, I found it rather difficult to get back up again, wedged as I was between car and garage wall. Maybe I need to fit some some of those handles that usually adorn old folk's bathrooms.

It being rather chilly outside, I also cleaned up the Speedo and Tacho, ready to fit to the dashboard. The dashboard was painted many years ago using the original looking crackle finish paint. It took 3 goes to get any crackles in the paint. It needed to be done in the right temperature environment. "She" wouldn't let me do it in the house so I took it to work. The results were superb.

Decided it would be nice to see the Dashboard fitted today, so began the task. Then found it wouldn't fit due to the door seals (see earlier post) and the windscreen bolts had bowed the dash top, such that the centre section wouldn't bolt in place. This explains why the windscreen centre bolts had two gasket/spacers fitted in the dash top. Both are now fitted and the dashboard looks fine - except the door seals are hanging off again.

Windscreen, and number plate light.

2007-02-06T19:02:00.000Z

New seals obtained from sussexclassiccar. These seals go under the windscreen, where it bolts to the body. Problem being, these seals are new and don't compress, so I couldn't fit any of the 4 bolts that hold the screen on.

Struggled for ages, then gave up. I cut some rubber matting to the right shape and fitted the screen without problem.

The number plate plate lamp was next. I had fitted the plinth some time ago. As usual this had to be removed to fit the light. Then the new light unit has M5 studs not 3/16". Another trip to the shops for some nuts to fit. With the wires soldered and the earth bolted to the boot lock support, it should work if I ever get to fit a battery.

Windows, easy to get out, hard to get in.

2007-02-04T23:21:00.000Z

I've been avoiding the passenger's window ever since I fitted the drivers window. It took a whole day to fit it. I should have done the passenger window straight away while the process was clear in my mind.

Two hours later it was done! Easy! The quarter light goes in first, Then loosen the channel by the door lock. Wind the winder until the winding mechanism is as far to the rear as possible then remove all 8 bolts. Shuffle the window and winder about until it all joins up and re-bolt.

It's a good idea to fit the right angle bracket at the end of the quarter light channel before putting in the window. Darn tricky otherwise.

Then found that the windscreen doesn't really line up that well with the quarter lights. So it had to come off again. Needed some new seals anyway.

With the wiring loom in yesterday, I offered up the dashboard. Its rather tight and the steering wheel and shaft had to come off as well.

Net result, 2 things on, 2 things off.

Great...

Too Many Wires...

2007-02-03T22:30:00.000Z

It's cold outside, so I thought it would be a good time to deal with the wiring loom.

Somewhere over the last 20 years I seem to have lost the "original" wiring loom. I bought another from eBay but it was too different to what Jemima needed. So, feeling flush, I bought a new loom from sussexclassiccar . Then spent a few days thinking about how to modify it.

I need to re-do the mods for negative earth and the alternator conversion, which I first did years ago. Then I'll fit the Toad Powerkey immobiliser, electric washer, reverser switch & lights, Fog light and multi way fuse box.

So I thought about it some more and then started cutting up the old loom for parts. The original control box was modified to contain 2 fuses by removing the internals and adding a few links underneath. This article gives some of the idea.

The immobiliser has two switching circuits. One circuit cuts the supply to the starter solenoid and the other cuts power to something else ( I'm not saying - just in case) hopefully when I come to try to start the car it will work as designed and detect the "magic" keyring.

As I now have reversing lights on Jemima, I used the rear portion of the old loom and spliced it onto the new loom with some minor changes.

A Brand New Coat

2006-12-26T16:27:00.000Z

The Midget was sent to Riverside. "I'm in no hurry" I said and went to Seattle, then China, Helsinki and Madrid.

About 6 months later the midget was ready.

Now in her original colour again, British racing Green (GN29), Jemima looked superb. Time at last to start putting her back together. All the bits taken off 20 years ago, painted and wrapped and boxed were finally required once more.

The problem is what order do you fit these things? The first things off, and painted, are probably the last things to refit but I was keen to make an impression. So I fitted the heater and fan. Then took the fan off again as the fuse box was underneath, and I couldn't fit the pedal box with it fitted.

Next I fitted the lights, this I decided would be easy and would help make Jemima look like a real car again. And then the windscreen, which came with some shims, which I couldn't remember where they went. After fitting it I read the book "Original Sprite and Midget" and had to take it off again and put them in the right place (between the aluminium post and body, not as posh washers for the bolts).

The boot seal was fitted and the door seals, then I found the doors wouldn't close. This was a big problem. The seal was cut and modified and eventually the body (near the A post) was walloped with a large hammer. The door would close now but the fit wasn't as good.

This isn't going to be an easy jigsaw to assemble...

The Rub

2006-12-12T18:16:00.000Z

So, another week and another trip to Madrid and still no further with the car.

'There was no stopping me' I said earlier. Well maybe there was.

The problem for a few years was getting the right finish. For example - I had replaced the lower half of the wing. But the join wasnt very good and the top bit would occasionally show signs of rust bubbling underneath.

So I would strip the paint back and attack the area with various rust eating chemicals, then my boss would call and suggest I could go to Hong Kong, or Brisbane or somewhere.

So I would have to quickly paint it over and pack my bags and go. Enthusiasm to start again would take some time to return. The front end was proving to be tricky as well. A new bonnet was purchased some time ago and the alignment with the old wings wasnt easy.

Eventually I decided enough was enough. My rubbing down wasnt very good and the panel fit at the front was always going to be awkward so when the trip to Seattle came up I booked the car into the local shop (Riverside Autos) and looked forward to a gleaming new car on my return.

A Double Garage

2006-12-03T11:02:00.000Z

I've just come back from a week in Madrid, another reason for maybe not working on the car. Maybe going again later in the week.

Anyway back to the story,
This time when we moved house we got a double garage. Space for Jemima and for the TR5 I bought a little earlier. Unfortuneatley The TR5 and the daily his-'n'-hers drivers (VW camper, Bedford Rascal) took up quite a bit of time to keep them going so Jemima was neglected quite a bit longer than was intended.
http://wolff.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/tr5/images/DSCN1634.jpg

The TR5 was sold in 2003, the VW and Rascal went a year later.

Now there was no stopping me...

Packed away

2006-11-25T02:38:00.000Z

After 3 years in Cornwall, Jemima was rolling again with lots of new metal but it was time to return from whence we came.

She was packed in a van with all the usual household stuff and rolled into her new garage the next day.

Not a lot happened for a few years, except I would spot some rust and rub it off, and paint it, then some time later it would come back again, so it was rubbed off, again, and painted.

Once the house was finished, and I had rested, redecorated the house, and rested again, I ventured back into the garage for some serious work on Jemima.

The underneath was sealed, the back axle cleaned and painted, wings fitted and a new bonnet was bought (and not fitted).

This activity didn't last long.

And then we moved house again.

Stripped naked...

2006-11-19T00:05:00.000Z

Jemima was stripped naked, and all her rust was exposed. It may have been a bigger job than I originally thought but it doesn't explain the 20 year time scale.

Over a few years her bits and pieces were cleaned and bagged, lost, found, lost again or distributed all over the house.

The rusty bits were then replaced with non-rusty bits. Many new panels were used in this lengthy period of bashing and welding. In those days, a new complete bodyshell wasn't available. Now it is - although not in the MkII form. It may have been an easier starting point, but it wouldn't be Jemima.

Jemima, you see, has been in the family for some time. She was purchased by the wife when she was 17, it was her first car. A super banger even then, but she looked good.

For a while...

Until some work revealed a large lump of wood where the sill should be...

The saga begins

2006-11-15T15:13:00.000Z

Almost 20 years ago, April 3rd 1987, Jemima failed her MOT.

Shortly afterwards, her last trip under her own steam was when we moved to Cornwall. That Christmas I was given a MIG welder and, as the title says, the saga began.

In those dim distant times, computers were rare, blogs didn’t exist, digital cameras a pipe dream and digital watches were the height of sophistication. Which is a shame as it would have been good to have started this at the beginning.

Initially I shall try to add the history of how Jemima got to where she is today but the idea is to log her resurrection, hopefully before April 3rd 2007.