Carb Clean Up

As it is always the case that when I can't make it to the workshop I feel like I am wasting time if I didn't do something towards completing this project.

As I had recently removed the carburettors in preparation for removing the engine from the chassis, I thought that I would set myself a good challenge to learn all about the carburettor and give it a good clean up at the same time.

I started by removing the pancake air filters which as you can see are heavily rusted. The foam inside was so gone they turned to dust with the slightest touch. I had a go at removing the rust but there are too many areas where the rust had badly pitted into the metal. I had a look online and you can pick up a brand new pair for about £25 which seems a good price to add a bit of bling to the engine bay.

Once I had removed the air filters I then wanted to remove the return spring support. I have notice that this carb did not have a large heat shield but there was this smaller one which looks like it should do the job.

I then removed the piston suction chambers, which were fairly dirty both inside and out. But as I was cleaning them I did appreciate the engineering that went into manufacturing these items.

Looking into the carburettor body there was certainly a large amount of black tar like deposits that will need to be carefully cleaned.

But for now I finished cleaning one of the suction chambers and was happy with the result. I am not sure how to get it shining like a mirror yet but that can be a job for another day.

More information about tuning up SU carbs can be found here:

http://www.classiccarhub.co.uk/articles/guide_to_setting_up_tuning_su_carburettors.html

Engine Ready for Removal - Update

I continued to prepare for the removal of the engine and gearbox. Tonight I removed the drive shaft, the gear stick and the four gearbox mounting bolts.

In addition I also removed the fuel pump.

Thought I should have a tidy up. Over the past few weeks I have been collecting empty A4 printer paper boxes from my work as they have lids and are quite sturdy. Each group of components has been placed in a box (where possible) and labelled up.

So this evening, with nearly everything off the car I stacked them all up on a pallet waiting for the time to be restored.

The larger brown boxes contain the carpet and trim, wiring loom, heater blower, repair panels and other bits and bobs waiting their turn.

Engine Ready for Removal

I haven't had much spare time this week to spend in the workshop, but did manage to grab a couple of hours today. 

So far with this project the only trouble I have had was with half a dozen rusty bolts which has been a massive boost to my motivation and to get the engine out will be another big psychological win. Just to recap the plan is to remove nearly everything off the chassis and start repairs on those areas that need attention. Not surprisingly the rust still seems to be restricted to the common areas. However some of the areas are looking far worse than my initial investigations.

Engine and gearbox are the last few parts to remove (other than the front and rear suspension, as I need to keep her rolling) and today I am just about ready to start the process of lifting out the engine and gearbox in one.

Wiper Motor Restoration

On Saturday night I cleaned up the wiper motor and mechanism. I noticed that the motor did work when tested, albeit very slowly. On opening the casing the grease was quite old and solid, so would probably slow the mechanism down. I have replaced with new grease and will test again soon. Here are some photos showing the clean up.

Heater Matrix Out!!

So after a lot of time (too much for my liking) I finally removed the heater matrix. The four screws that were putting up a strong fight had just about everything thrown at them, but in the end the two on the right hand side gave in to the heat of my wife's crème brulee blow torch. 

The other two bolts on the left hand side were more resistant to the heat so had to be removed by drilling off the heads and then using a star bit in a pre drill hole to unscrew the remaining bolt.

From then on it was more plain sailing and so I continued on with removing the wiring loom.

Until....Yes at last it was out!!!

Socket Heads V's Screw Heads

Just a quick moan about last nights frustrations of not being able to undo a number of phillips head bolts. 

I have now spent about 3 hours trying to remove the four bolts securing the heating matrix without any signs of movement other than cross-heading the screws. 

I have tried some of the usual techniques, covering in oil and leaving for a couple of days, using a flat head screwdriver, hammering in a driver bit and mole grips but the metal is so weak nothing will bite.

I checked the welded in nuts from the floor heater vents and they are not rusty at all. Then in trying to get a better angle to one of the screws I decided it might be easier if I removed the starter solenoid switch, but then I ran into another phillips head bolt that stopped me in my tracks again!!

I think the only solution is to drill them out with a left hand drill bit which I don't own, yet! I will certainly replace them with nice socket bolt heads.