Part 6 - The Engine Runs!

22/11/10    A very good morning as the motor is running & not too badly either. That is very pleasing. With some modifications I have the electrical system sorted. Another earth wire was fitted to the body, a ballast resistor was installed in series with the coil & a new condenser was fitted to the distributor. It went first time. Checked with vacuum gauge & timing & everything else seems good. No leaks, temp gauge is working, volt gauge is working, & also, I think the petrol gauge. Things are starting to look up!

23/11/10   Engine going well but I need to get another throttle cable as the end of the one I have is not correct. Spent some time today working on the brake lines. The front LHS was not connected & could not be joined due to a corroded thread. I had a spare one which enabled it all to be joined together. Loosened brake bleed screws so fluid can be released. Back RHS line also not connected & needs a holding screw so that it can be connected. Back linings look really good. I also found the hand brake cable hooked up under the car so I will attempt to connect that up next.

                                                                      

24/11/10   Connected rear brake line & that was very slow due to the corroded threads. Tried to loosen LHR brake bleeder screw but after lots of WD40 it still won’t move. I need to be very careful with this one as I don’t want to snap it as has happened before on my cars. Tried several times but still no go. Connected hand brake cable & that is working. Put some brake fluid in the master cylinder to flush through the system but no fluid coming out at any wheel cylinders. After trying at several connecting points there is no fluid coming from the master cylinder so I disconnected the lines from the cylinder but nothing. No options but to remove master cylinder. When it was removed it was very rusty & the piston is seized in a very rusty cylinder bore. I needed to be very careful as the plastic reservoir is very fragile.

1/12/10     Cleaned cables, choke, bonnet, master cylinder parts, interior panels, badges etc. Will need to get an exchange master cylinder as the three I borrowed from AJ were not as good as the one I had. I am trying to work out the oil pressure gauge & tachometer so that I can fit the dash back & get on with the interior. Took the master cylinder to Master Cylinder Exchange at Wynnum.

                                                                                                           

2/12/10     Purchased tube & connectors to fix the oil pressure gauge. After a bit of fiddling, this went together OK & actually works. Tried to sort out choke cable & where to put it. It needs some special type of panel. Started to connect bonnet release cable. Removed old one & fitted new handle. Cannot connect at bonnet end & I may have to remove the grill to get at it. Nothing is ever easy! Still need to connect tachometer & then everything will be working. Master cylinder is ready to be picked up.                   

                                    

4/12/10     Cleaned & then painted interior trims & panels eg. back side trims, centre console & window metal trims.                           

                                                                                                    

6/12/10     I fabricated a panel to include the choke, horn & ignition switch. Refitted brake master cylinder & tried to bleed the brakes but no fluid is coming out of any bleed screws. Brake bleed screws were clogged so they were cleaned out. Cleaned out front brake joining box & fluid now flowing to that point. Fixed up the bonnet cable & now that is working but the bonnet is not quite catching.

                                                                                                           

7/12/10     Bought new brake fluid & partly filled the master cylinder but still no fluid running through to the front discs. Finally managed to loosen rear bleeder screw but no fluid there either. Only conclusion is that brake lines are clogged so I will have to undo them in stages & clean them out. Refitted dash after connecting speedo cable & so the only thing that is still not working is the tacho. The car actually moved under its own power today so that is a bit of an achievement. However, the not so good news is that I think there is a major air leak in the brake booster as the moment you push the brake pedal in with the engine running, the engine nearly stalls.

8/12/10     I moved the car again today. Jacked up rear of car & then ran it through all the gears & it seems OK with no strange noises. All gears, including reverse can be selected. The exhaust pipe is vibrating on the rear panel & needs repositioning. Cleaned roof ready for replacing the hood lining. It is a bit puzzling as to where the hood rods go. I redid the panels for the fuses & ignition switch so that it gives more room for the front tray & is more stable. This took quite a while to figure out how & where to fix it under the dash.

                                                                   

13/12/10   Refitted ignition switch, fitted horn button & choke cable – after numerous times to thread it through. I am really being held up by the vinyl hood lining which I bought over EBay a week ago. I bought the plastic grommets for the hood rods to go into & sorted out where they go but really need the vinyl. Started to disconnect the front brake lines to find out how far the fluid is going. Undid both front lines, blew them out & repainted them. I cannot undo the RHS lines from the guard to the disc & I don’t want to snap any of the lines so I will continue with the WD40.