Bitumen Boy
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Everything posted by Bitumen Boy
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What's wrong with the original calliper? They're not impossible to recon at home with basic tools and it's probably going to be the cheapest fix going.
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I don't know if you're aware of this, but Keihin carbs were fitted to Acclaims. Spares for those units at least are unobtainium in the UK, so I'd suggest you take a critical look at what parts are available for the carbs you're thinking of buying - they could be no more than expensive paperweights.
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Vitesse/Herald remote brake servo install position
Bitumen Boy replied to Nick Jones's topic in Running Gear
I would have thought that a kit sold as such should include a suitable valve. -
The vacuum gauge and servo shouldn't affect the running on their own, however they do give more potential for air leaks to weaken the mixture. The fact that it likes a bit of choke - correcting a weakened mixture - tends to confirm this. I would remove and securely plug both vacuum take-offs at the manifold, then see what happens. If the running improves you can try reinstating one at a time to isolate the problem, might be the servo, gauge or the vacuum hose to either unit at fault. If no different I would still be inclined to leave them isolated until you've found the fault, the simpler things are for fault finding the better.
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A word of caution on tandem brakes. I've had trouble with them on more modern cars where the master cylinder is a 2 in 1 jobbie - as I believe they all are - where the master cylinder fails and you still have no brakes. In other words, the system is not infallible. IMO it would only be worthwhile if you were going to go to the trouble of making up a system with two separate master cylinders operated by the same pedal. This has been done though I'm afraid I have no more detail than a memory of a picture of twin master cylinders and a clever linkage.
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Thanks for the replies, gents - looks like I'll be ringing round for prices for an 063. Longer leads already fitted a few years ago to fit 038's with the terminals to the rear as the standard setup looked a bit too close to the clamping bar for comfort, even have some longer j bolts that wouldn't fit before as an 038 is too small for them
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After a good few years my battery is getting tired and it's time to think of replacement. What modern battery should I go for? Been using 038's quite happily for as long as I've had the car but that's not a common size any more and the last time it was changed (~5 years ago) I couldn't get a very good price locally and had to wait for one to be ordered in. I know people have got better deals on larger more common batteries but can't remember what, somehow I've got 063 in my head as one that fits but can't find anything about it now to confirm that. Any thoughts / experiences welcome as usual... 🙂
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Which I've been doing for years without problems. Keep an eye on the fluid level - hardly onerous on these cars - while checking oil etc, and simply remove some from the reservoir when changing linings. I use some clean tissue paper to soak it up before dumping it in a suitable handy container, place plenty of rags in the vicinity to protect paintwork from any drips and there's no problem.
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Are you sure the charging system is in good order? I used to use my Herald - still on a dynamo - regularly all year round and never had battery problems in winter apart from the usual finite life of lead/acid batteries after a few years. The one time it did struggle (in summer, by chance) it was down to a stuck brush in the dynamo, easily sorted.
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I wouldn't use the plastic type, had one fail on my Herald many years ago now. Stopped in time and managed to bodge it back together, but had to hike a mile in typical Welsh monsoon weather to buy more oil before I could carry on home. Mini spares places do braided versions that seem much better, I fitted one as a replacement and haven't had any trouble with it.
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But how would I carry doors, timber, pipes etc on top of a convertible? A good few years ago now I made a roofrack for the Herald out of mostly scrap materials that's still going strong. I think the stuff I paid for - mostly nuts, bolts and paint - came to about £20 in total.
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IMO it looks just fine as it is, and gives plenty of room for hats. My modern has dirty marks on the headlining where my hat has rubbed, but no issues in the Herald... 🙂
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The way you've done it before sounds rather complex, if I may say so. Removing the motor assembly complete isn't too bad at all, in my experience at least - you simply wangle the motor out while pulling the cable out of the tube, after removing the wiper arms first of course. As for the inner cable, it's made the same along its whole length - these were "universal" parts fitted to many different vehicles - so if you can see noticeably worn areas that correspond with the wheelbox positions, you'll have to make a judgement as to whether it's acceptable or not. Much the same systems are still available for fitting to kitcars so I guess the cables should still be available if you need one.
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Removing the cable from the tube isn't a bad job IIRC - once the wiper motor mountings are loose it just comes away complete, likely to be a bit dirty but that's about all. In any case if the wheelbox is knackered the cable could do with a careful inspection as well, that may want replacing too.
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I can only echo the other comments in favour of scrolls. They need a little care in setting up but nothing you can't tackle with ordinary tools and a little patience, and they don't wear out. Yes they can pass a wee bit of oil but in practice it's not enough to cause any problems and certainly a lot less than leaks from the other "usual suspect" places. IMO a scroll is probably the best bet.
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I can only echo the other comments in favour of scrolls. They need a little care in setting up but nothing you can't tackle with ordinary tools and a little patience, and they don't wear out. Yes they can pass a wee bit of oil but in practice it's not enough to cause any problems and certainly a lot less than leaks from the other "usual suspect" places. IMO a scroll is probably the best bet.
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Likewise - Castrol LM as it was at the time, but that's been discontinued/renamed since then... TBH I don't think it's terribly critical so long as it's there, but I'd definitely use grease - don't know what Haynes are thinking of recommending oil, but then if I started listing every error I've found in Haynes manuals over the years we'd be here all night. Haynes manuals are better than no manual at all, but don't treat their advice as gospel, always a good idea to check with the forum if in doubt.
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I've had problems with a filter branded Classic Gold - in this instance, poor oil pressure once hot. Filter changed for NOS and no further problems. Classic Gold best avoided if possible IMO.
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I had to do one about 5 years ago. Once removed from the car I took it and the new parts to a local engineering firm who dismantled and reassembled it - I think they charged me 15 or 20 quid. Easy job if you have the right tackle, may be worth considering farming it out. A long time before that I had one on exchange from one of the usual suspects - Canleys IIRC - but on the second occasion they couldn't do exchange (early type, less common shaft) and I couldn't wait for the post as I was using the car for work. Again, though, something to think about.
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And some not so modern stuff as well. Years ago I had an '89 Fiesta bought as a stopgap - bloody horrible thing and soon moved on. The flasher relay failed and do you think I could find it? Ended up taking it to an auto sparks to get it sorted, he didn't charge much - couldn't really as it took about 2 mins as I watched - but damned annoying for something so simple.
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I would also say to replace all the wiring, but have you thought about doing it from scratch, i.e. buying cable and components rather than buying the whole loom? It'll take longer and likely cost a bit more but you won't be struggling with wires that aren't quite long enough and any mods or upgrades will be easily incorporated. Car electrical systems don't get much simpler than those fitted to Heralds so whatever you choose shouldn't give you too many headaches. As for brush or roller painting, the trick to achieving a really smart finish seems to be to apply several coats of paint that will then stand a lot of wet and dry work to smooth it out and make it shine, but that's a lot of work to do well. If you're interested I think there are some videos in Youtube that should give you an idea of what's involved.
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My 1200 had one when it first came to live at my expense - probably a PO's scrapyard bargain. It was knackered and I was lucky to get hold of a solid type replacement. Things get swapped around on old cars, just because something wouldn't be fitted by the factory doesn't mean you won't see it now.
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Thanks - managed to have a shufti no bother despite not being on fb myself.
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Any more details on this? Brass seems to me a much better idea than "monkey metal" - as a neighbour of mine with an engineering background calls it 😀