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AndrewA 24-03-20 02:07 PM

Advice opinions please
 
Good afternoon. I haven't got a Bristol at the moment and am in an interesting position of wanting to acquire one but not being sure which model I want - 410 or early 411 certainly appeals to me looks wise. Probably as importantly - I have no idea of the feel between a good one and a bad un and how they should actually drive!
All roads seem to lead to Hacketts who have kindly agreed to let me drive some of each and later models to help me make up my mind. I'm after a car that's good driver quality, needs nothing major for a while and will cope with pottering around the New Forest and about 6,000 miles of relatively high speed and spirited motoring on the continent as and when that becomes an option again. I'm reasonably mechanically minded if needs be but don't particularly enjoy it as a hobby. I'm hoping to pick up some opinions from the forum about which car might suit best and what to look out for. Previous cars have been an eclectic bunch and have included a chain driven Edwardian racer, 1962 Ford Thunderbird, Model A Speedster (a keeper), assorted Austins of various ages, Porsches, TVR's, and Alfa's to name but a few. Logic now is keep the speedster for a bit of inexpensive fun and acquire classic gentleman's express for car rallies (by which I mean organised tours most of the time) and continental and UK touring. Budget is £35k-£50k - but am not desperate to spend it all if no need.
As visiting cars is restricted at moment am gathering info mainly at this stage.
Thanks
Andrew

Stefan 24-03-20 06:08 PM

Choice of Bristol
 
Yes - good choice and good price range. Cheaper by far to get a really good one (at the upper end of your ££range) than one needing new coachwork and paint - price these out first from a quality restorer if you consider buying one needing these, you may have a shock. Wing edges, for example, are a particular area which deteriorates over the years. Get an engineers report if you are buying privately.
Engines on the other hand are common to so many US cars, so cheap as chips compared to any comparable performance car. And useful gearbox upgrades are also readily available.
How do they drive? They handle as if on rails and are capable of massive yet discreet performance. A gentleman's express indeed.
Every Bristol is a car to drive fast and far; especially these 2 models.

AndrewA 25-03-20 11:30 AM

Thanks for that Stefan - appreciated.

Geoff Kingston 02-04-20 01:41 PM

Having owned both a 410 and 411/3 the most noticeable difference in the way that they drive is that the 411 has far more power and is more planted on the road due to the wider wheels and tyres, having said that the 410 was a very satisfying car both for fun and general use. Both are quite capable of being an only car.
I found that both were better on Koni rather than Spax shock absorbers but my current 603 has koni on the front spax on the back and that works well.
If you can live with the looks the 603, Britannia and Brigand are also worth considering, very good cars and often available in the price range you are considering. My 603 is only an E with the 5.2 engine but it has a quicker response and more urge on kick down than a 410, though obviously not as much as a 411.
As Stefan said the most important thing is structural condition and the edges of the body work, often above the front wing bays . Inspect the inner rear wheel arches at the back, the shock absorber and seat belt mounts and the bump stop mounting. We repaired this on both my cars and it had already been done on my 603 before I bought it. I would personally not pass up a car needing work in this area as if you know a good welder repairs are no where near as difficult or expensive as some people make out.

AndrewA 02-04-20 03:03 PM

Geoff - thanks for the very helpful advice and feedback. By nature I'd incline towards more power rather than less given the choice and it's useful to know the difference is marked between the two cars. That said the 410 I'm looking at has a slightly breathed on engine and is sporting a 4 speed auto which may go someway to improving things! It's impossible to view anything at the moment but this time doing desk research is proving useful.

Geoff Kingston 02-04-20 09:36 PM

Andrew, What's been done on the car you are considering could make quite a difference and level the playing field a bit, the 318 can be modified to improve out put or rebuilt/converted to produce a lot more power and increase capacity, if memory serves me right this is called a stroker or stoker conversion, something I would consider if the unit in my 603 ever needs extensive work.
The engine in the first three series of 411 is not noticeably any thirstier than the 410 but a few friends who had a series 4 and 5 said they were a lot heavier on fuel driven hard.
I changed the carb on my 411 to an edlebrock performer with a manual choke, for the size of engine I found it good on fuel and with the manual choke much easier to start when cold with the old carter with electric choke.
There are no workshop manuals available for these cars but quite a few good American tech books on both the engines and gearboxes.
Now with the demise of Bristol Cars you will find firms like US Automotive, Ultimate Spares of America or Real Steel can supply most of your needs for engine gearbox power steering pumps etc but I also buy stuff direct from the states as it often works out cheaper even after delivery and duty.
Geoff.

AndrewA 02-04-20 10:45 PM

Thanks Geoff - will investigate but think it's had slightly warmer cams and an Eldebrock but will check. The stroker kit seems the way to go for a serious jump in power and torque.My main concern on the car I'm considering is that apparently both outer sills are corroded and holed & what are described as hockey sticks are missing from the wing bay floors. The chassis edge in front of the battery bay and spare wheel bay is pulling apart. I'm assuming sills are sills so nothing too much to worry about there, not sure what they mean about jolly hockey sticks and I guess the other bit means water has got into the leading edge of the chassis and it's starting to pull apart - again nothing too horrendous unless it's gone too far?
Cheers
Andrew

PEU186F 12-04-20 05:44 AM

One generality to beware of is that when you are new to them the V8 Bristols, even if they are actually in quite a bad state, have so much torque that they cannot help but impress somebody who is used to lesser vehicles. So beware, even though one might seem great at first acquaintance, there may be a long way to go before it is actually up to the mark.

I speak from experience

If you look at the contemporary tests there is actually not a lot of difference in the speed vs time acceleration tests for the 410 and the 411. There isn't a lot of difference in top speed either.

My 410, which runs on the wider 411 wheels, was quite capable of snaking its rear wheels at 60 when passing another vehicle under acceleration on a wet road, even though at that time I wondered about its breathing. I finally got fed up with broken manifolds and caused SLJ to fit their free flow exhaust manifolds. It now fairly romps away - I haven't met a damp road since for various other reasons but one knows ones got there when a member of SLJ's staff comes back with a broad smile on his face and the comment "goes well, doesn't she"

There is, or there should be, a very considerable amount of steel in the sills. I recently had to had my nearside sill cut out and replaced and I was quite reassured by how much metal there is there to protect occupants from a side impact.

I would be rather cautious of a car with lots of bolt ons and a poor structure, it seems to me that money may have been spent in the wrong place. At the very least get a price for the work that might need to be done. After all, once you're hooked, you're hooked and you'll then be on the line for a very long time

AndrewA 12-04-20 09:26 AM

Thank you for the advice which I will keep in mind. As you suggest, it is easy for heart to rule head on first acquaintance!
Are there any downsides to the free flow manifolds in terms of noise or are they as quiet as the standard item?
Regards
Andrew

PEU186F 12-04-20 10:01 AM

Having done three quarters of an alpine tour, including the Stelvio, with a one broken manifold and the other blowing I am hardly qualified to judge the comparison. By the time we left her at SLJ the broken manifold was completely detached so the noise was horrendous. But I can confirm that I am entirely happy with the free flow manifolds, they don't seem noisy to me, honest.

The original 410 front exhaust hangings were far too rigid, engine torque then making the manifolds extremely vulnerable as most of the torque ended up being taken by the manifolds. The much improved 411 system is now adopted.

Another piece of advice: the Stelvio, a 410 and a stiff neck don't mix. There is also only loads of tatty stalls and dirty snow at the top. As for the bloody cyclists!!! They CYCLE up it. I was so discombobulated I could only drink a bottle of cold water at the top. See photo in my earlier posting 411 front disc brakes.

Roger

AndrewA 12-04-20 11:20 AM

Noted re Stelvio!
Thanks for clearing that up about the manifolds and the point about the exhausts mountings/hangings.
Andrew

stovo 12-04-20 08:16 PM

some 410 pics
 
Andrew,
hoping this link will work for you. Some 410 pics for your contemplation in isolation..

My 410 is the former Claude Lewenz left hand drive 'Gantt' car. Restored by the factory and lightly breathed upon. Lovely car to drive. Swift and quiet with a nice growl when extended. One thing I'd change if I did it again would be to go to a 4-speed box but it's ok for most uses in the USA.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/107289...57637155099704

I also had a Brigand for a while. 5.9 liters and turbo made for swift progress but it didn't get enough use to stay in tune. When it had been in the tender care of Bristol Cars it ran superbly but the 360 injected engine is a way better long term proposition.

A 410 / early 411 still carries a lot of the charm of the earlier generation and fewer of the parts-bin interior bits. Best of all worlds imho :-)

Wishing you the best with your search.

AndrewA 13-04-20 07:38 AM

Morning Steve - what a stunning car and the colour suits it very well. Love the "London Meat Company" shot - excellent!
Appreciate the feedback on the driving experience, and the useful comment about the 4 speed.
Thanks
Andrew

Kevin H 17-04-20 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stovo (Post 10192)
Andrew,
Some 410 pics for your contemplation in isolation..

Steve, it appears you have plumbed in a new fuel line directly into the bottom of the reserve section of the tank, and is that an inline electric fuel pump?

Kevin H 17-04-20 09:03 AM

Andrew,
In my humble opinion, if you are going to make any compromises it should not be on the structure of the car and the interior. Both can be far more expensive to restore than any issues with the engine and transmission.

I suspect the 383 and 400 engines in the 411s have better parts availablity than the 318 engine in the 410, but not enough difference to warrant avoiding the 410.

Another thing to pay attention to is the front suspension. There's a bit of information on the potential problem here http://www.bristolcars.info/forums/8...ont+suspension

The distance between the bottom of the front crossmember and the road should be about 5 inches on a 411 (this does vary a little depending on the tyres fitted).

If a car has been standing for a long time or has no record of the brakes being overhauled, then that is also a likely requirement, although that could be said for almost any 50+ yo car.

Also, lift the vinyl cover on heater box and check for rust in the tray beneath the Smiths heater box.

AndrewA 17-04-20 09:30 AM

Thanks Kevin - that's really useful info & timely (!) - much appreciated.
Regards
Andrew

AndrewA 24-04-20 11:30 AM

Well the deal has been done and I've agreed to purchase SPG 603F - a 410 - apparently well known as it's the one that had its fins removed early on in its life! It's at Spencer Lane Jones at the moment having a few bits attended to - or it would be having them attended to if they weren't locked down! Will have to just be patient but very much looking forward to taking delivery....whenever that will be.
Thanks for the advice and pointers - I'm pretty sure I followed most of them!

Andrew

Xseries 25-04-20 04:20 PM

Congratulations! I too am looking forward to rescuing my car from Spencer Lane Jones when this is all over. Dark blue suits these cars (as do other colours!).

AndrewA 28-04-20 08:25 AM

Can't help but agree! The other classic comment from the guy at SLJ was along the lines of whatever you do keep it away from salt...I then explained I lived 400 yards from the sea! So I imagine a good clean underneath, a very good dry off and lots of waxoyl are on the cards.

stovo 03-05-20 04:07 PM

410 fuel pump
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin H (Post 10199)
Steve, it appears you have plumbed in a new fuel line directly into the bottom of the reserve section of the tank, and is that an inline electric fuel pump?

Yes - (and sorry for the slow reply) - the fuel system is now under (mild) pressure with a pressure relief valve under the bonnet and a return line to the tank. Along with liberal insulation on the pipes it seems to have cured the hot starting/fuel vaporization problem that was a headache in the US summers.

AndrewA 29-07-20 08:14 AM

Having sought advice, I thought the least I could do was let you know what happened and how we're getting on. Well, have now had the car for about a month and have put around 1000 miles on her. We're starting to get to know each other and having never driven a Bristol before am mightily impressed with the driving experience which must have been astounding in the '60's - it's still excellent when compared to moderns - but you all know that! Driving has been a mixture of motorway runs - not hanging about , pottering around the New Forest and fast A roads.
Am averaging just over 20 to the gallon which considering I'm making full use of the loud pedal is pretty impressive. The car has a three speed box, with o/drive and then a separate lockup facility, so in practice it's almost like a 5 speed box. Am still getting the bugs out of her - but the issues are relatively minor - electric fan thermostat is duff so she runs cold, left hand windscreen wiper has given up, and there's a small leak from heater matrix.
Re the heater matrix - is this shared with any other cars or does anyone have any recommended reconditioners of these? Thankfully it looks easy to access - unlike the left hand windscreen wiper!
Car could do with a good detailing and there's a few bits that could be smartened up/caught before they become issues but that can wait until Winter. At the moment none of the above are stopping me using her.
Am humming and ha-ing about whether to stick with points (if it ain't broke etc), go with the Winterburn improvement or an electronic dizzy.
Once I've got off the fence on that one, will probably get her on a rolling road - more to fine tune the fuelling than anything else - she's rich at idle and appears to lean off at the top end - but again that's for another day.
Cheers
Andrew

PEU186F 29-07-20 07:28 PM

Rich at idle........... This might be your solution

The foot chamber valves wear significantly over time, the float chambers get overfilled at idle and no amount of screwing in of the two idle jet adjustments at the front of the carb will compensate. I changed these, at Martin Barnes recommendation after I’d mentioned that the car was a bit of a nightmare in heavy traffic as it tended to stall on take up from idle, and was astonished to find that the idle jets then preferred to unscrewed really quite a long way and then behaved as the handbook indicates, ie set throttle idle, then set idle jets to maximise idle rpm and repeat until optimised. It no longer stalls on take up.

The only way to access the windscreen wiper boxes is to remove the relevant front seat and lie on your back with your arms up behind the dash. I’d also recommend removing the relevant seat runners which have lots and lots of sharp bits to dig into you and it’s already uncomfortable enough.

AndrewA 29-07-20 11:02 PM

Thanks for the tip about removing runners! Will have a go. Unfortunately went out to dinner tonight and came back to a boot with a significant amount of fuel in it! Appears to be from SU electric fuel pump which has recently been rebuilt - I've never been a fan of SU fuel pumps only because of previous aggro with them on a variety of cars. Will investigate further in the morning when I can see what I'm doing.

Giles 04-08-20 10:35 PM

1 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewA (Post 10431)
Re the heater matrix - is this shared with any other cars or does anyone have any recommended reconditioners of these? Thankfully it looks easy to access - unlike the left hand windscreen wiper!

I'm not sure which heater box you have on the 410. I believe that all 407-411 boxes have four exits into the cabin.

I have a heater box which I understand came from a 411 which has these in a single row; on the 408 box they are staggered into two rows.

I think it may also be that the 411 has a separate cold air box between the fan and the heater box.

The 408 may share a matrix with a 1970s Sprite (they look similar but I have not bought one and checked). I think the heater box itself is shared with an Austin A60.

I don't know what the 411 matrix or box is shared with.

Either can be easily recored - Aaron Radiators can do it for you.

A photograph of the two matrixes next to each other is attached - the bigger one is 408.

PEU186F 05-08-20 07:25 AM

There is an excellent article in the Bristol Owners Club Bulletin Number 142, dated Autumn 2011 which describes a 411 heater. The heater box in a 411 is the same as in a 410 but is relocated to accommodate a separate cold air box.

I found it extremely useful when I had the 410s heater out to replace seals etc. The heater box itself is apparently identical.

Two points

I found that there was a very simple gravity flap on the 410s heater which opens a direct path into the heater box from the air intake in front of the windscreen when the pressure in the former overcame the pressure supplied by the fan. So at speed the air doesn't all have to pass through the fan. I don't see any reference to this in the article, perhaps the 411 was different. I also discovered that the foam on this flap had long since perished causing it to close at intervals with a surprisingly loud, rather alarming and previously untraceable clang.

I see I marked up the copy that found its way into my workshop manual, at the bottom of page 27 to read "Slacken screw E ..........at the point F and retighten screw E"

One further tip. The demister vents work best when they are adjusted so that the vent exit is as close to the screen as possible. This requires more lying on ones back, the development of spider monkey arms and the deployment of much bad language.

AndrewA 05-08-20 03:08 PM

On the wiper box front, managed to get at it by removing the inside of glove box. Lucas part number which is stamped on it is 72729A - but seems to be unobtainable. There are other parts which fit in all dimensions except the width across the back (I have one in front of me!) which on the original part measures 10 cms and on the aftermarket stuff measures 7.5 cms which in practical terms means I am no longer clamping onto the outer cable - if that makes sense. Is there a way round this that I'm missing or do I have to re-do the cabling?

PEU186F 06-08-20 08:17 PM

What’s the problem with the existing box?
As I understand things the angle of wiper throw is determined by the size of the wiper box wheel
If only the wheel is a problem might it not be possible to fit a the wheel from the new box you have?
Alternatively the outer tubing is relatively standard and easily available and could be made up to a longer length, flared at each end, but you’d need to be able to get to the other box to fit it. You would only need to do that piece of outer cable.

AndrewA 07-08-20 10:39 AM

Morning
The teeth are worn on the wheel and the splines on the bit the wipers go on aren't great.
The actual rack appears ok.
SLJ have turned up two second hand ones that are the same size as the original one which they'll send me so I'll have a look and see if they're better than what I've currently got. Otherwise as you say I'll have to try and make one good one out of my original one and the new one - it doesn't look easy and is probably beyond me. Am trying to avoid dealing with the drivers side to be honest as it's all ok at the mo - but if all else fails I might as well re-do the whole lot with new, commonly available parts and know I'm good for the next 10/20 years.
Thank you for the pointer to the Bulletin re the matrix - as you say, an excellent article and a big help and the tip for the radiator guys.
I'm losing about half an egg cup a day into the engine bay and the occasional drop on my left foot so but am inclined to take it out and send it away and join up the pipes and keep driving - I appreciate that'll mean there's a little less coolant in the system but can't see that'll make a huge amount of difference.
For those that are interested the fan is now fixed and car much happier as it was running very cold (unusual for a Bristol apparently). This was not straightforward and involved re doing much wiring. It will now carry on for a minute or two to cool things down when car parked up - a function that had been disabled previously.
Went with electronic distributor and treated her to new coil, leads and plugs as well and she's much crisper.
Other things on the list are doing something about the seats which appear to have been raised with a block of wood between the floor and the runners, neatly covered in leather. I note from the picture of Stovo's car, the runners attach directly to the floor so will revert to that which will give me a bit more headroom. In the medium term will change the tyres as she currently rolls on a selection of SUV/Motorhome Tyres. Cinturato's or Vredensteins seem to be suitable - have previous experience of the latter which I found to be excellent all round, but will keep an eye out for price drops/offers as it's a worthwhile and important unpgrade but not inexpensive.
Thanks again for all the pointers and suggestions.
Andrew
which are

PEU186F 07-08-20 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewA (Post 10455)
Otherwise as you say I'll have to try and make one good one out of my original one and the new one - it doesn't look easy and is probably beyond me.

My recollection is that the wheel, shaft and splines are in one piece, fitting into a threaded tube which has one half of the clamping piece attached. The wheel and shaft are held in place by nothing more than the other half of the clamping piece. I suspect it might all go together quite easily if the diameter and length of the shaft is identical, but you won’t stand a chance if it isn’t

Re the heater box, it’s worth getting it out if only to renew the seals between it and the scuttle. If you intend to drive it without the box you’ll need to blank off the holes that take air to the screen and feet, or suffer a lot of heat and smells. When I took mine out I found the ducts to the screen vents very perished and in need of replacement.

Re the bits of wood beneath the seat runners, this was how Bristols tailored the seat height for the first lucky owner - if he/she was shorter they were thicker, if taller they were thinner, simple and effective. It would be interesting to know if there were any lady first owners - Tony Crook once told me that he sold quite a number of cars (built to order) to people who had a more than adequate number of £ notes in a single roll in their back pocket. Not an image that either club would wish to associate with today perhaps.

Re tyres, my 410 runs on 411 wheels which carry modern fully rated SUV tyres. I find these a considerable advance on even the best contemporary tyres in terms of grip, wear and, in particular, noise.

AndrewA 08-08-20 05:49 AM

Certainly on the four (!) I've got in front of me it's a machined/pressed fit...on the one that's the worst, it's proving impossible to separate the front plate and the wheel and spindle from each other. The SLJ second hand ones look great so will pop the best one on and see if it does the trick.
Noted re blanking off and as you say am convinced a refurb/ seal renew is a very worthwhile mini project - notwithstanding the leak.
Thank you for explaining the wood - much appreciated!
First owner was an Italian Count apparently - current height suits my wife 5ft 3" perfectly - I'm 5ft 10" and top of bonce is about an inch from headlining. On plus side I certainly have a commanding view of the road from my lofty perch.
Appreciate wisdom re tyres - will do nothing I think until current ones getting tired (!).
Andrew

AndrewA 22-08-20 11:51 AM

Wipers fixed - second hand wiper box from SLJ did the trick. Also treated her to some new wiper arms - which are not too bad and some stainless wiper baldes (it had black ones on it) which look the part but are pretty rubbish when it comes to clearing water away! Now onto the heater box which has been removed. Didn't bother with blanking off in the end and not much difference in smells - so am expecting great things once back in and there is an effective seal between engine and occupants!
All seals completely shot and most long gone which is no surprise and much hammerite used over the years so box is going back to bare metal - all of which is intact thank goodness.
Also tried some alternative motors/fans but none better than what's already in there. Will tidy up bulkhead a bit whilst heater out - actually nothing grim - just a good clean really. Matrix off to Aaron rads - thanks for that Giles.

AndrewA 07-09-20 06:32 AM

Night time driving has shown up a few shortcomings in the wiring/lighting dept so will be renewing connections this week. Also dashboard lights need some attention - they're about half a candle power if you're lucky. Have had LED's in other cars but they can look like Blackpool illuminations if not careful and I don't want to start adding dimmers and so on. Has anyone come across a good halfway house?
Thanks
Andrew

PEU186F 07-09-20 10:54 AM

I used white LEDs from https://www.bettercarlighting.co.uk in the binnacle, for both instrument lighting and the warning lights, and am happy with the result, although I slightly wonder whether coloured LEDs might not have been better for instrument lighting as they are very sharp white. I think from memory that green or red are available. I left the existing feeble incandescent bulbs in the lighting over the switches and heating knobs and was pleased to discover that they provide enough current drain to enable the existing dimmer rheostat to dim them and the instrument lighting - if you follow the same course there’s no need to change the existing dimmer, presuming it still works.

One does wonder about the original purpose of the dimmer rheostat- how many degrees of invisibility did anybody need in the 1960’s?

I also put an LED in the interior light - a vast improvement altogether

Quite a number of owners don’t know that there should also be a neat little bulb in a rather well hidden mounting above and to the right of the ignition switch to illuminate the same. Very useful in the dark. This should come on when the drivers door is open, but magically doesn’t when the passengers door is open or the interior light is operated by the switch on the dashboard. It’s a tiny bulb but quite bright enough and I left it as an incandescent

Where did you get to with petrol in the boot?

AndrewA 07-09-20 11:36 AM

Great article about your tour in the Bulletin recently - particularly enjoyed the wine episode - looking fwd to Part 2.
Petrol in the boot was the round cork gasket in the fuel pump which must have dried out whilst car in storage.
Thanks for the link to the lighting chap - will venture out and have a look for "secret" bulb!
Andrew

AndrewA 21-09-20 09:05 AM

Secret bulb found and working!
Went out on car rally/charity run yesterday - hot day - car ran great, but fair bit of what I'd call heat soak in the footwells. I guess not particularly surprising as there's a big engine and gearbox down there, but is there a cure - or is there a hidden foot vent I haven't discovered yet?
Thanks
Andrew

PEU186F 21-09-20 10:28 AM

Hidden foot vent - not that well hidden one hopes. There should be a lever underneath the centre of the dashboard that operates a vent to the footwell from the cold air input to the heater.A little digging might be required.

You’ll get plenty of heat from the engine bay if your heater is still out and you haven’t blocked off the various feeds from it.

Excessive footwell heat is not normal.

AndrewA 21-09-20 11:01 AM

Excellent - thanks for that - yes I know the control!
But thanks to you I now know what I've not done as it were. Refurb'd heater box now back in car but as doing it single handed, took a guess at how much etc flaps were opening when tightening up cables.
As most driving since then done on cool evenings, have not really noticed heat until yesterday and assumed I'd got it spot on first time!
I'd forgotten I was going back to adjust cables at a later date when another pair of hands were available.
Made classic mistake of ascribing it to a "new" issue - instead of unfinished job.
Doh - as Homer would say
Schoolboy-ish error that should be a simple fix.. with another pair of hands.
Thanks for the idea/nudge in the right direction.
There was a Britannia on the car run as well and had a long chat with a gent who had owned a variety of Bristol cars over the years but had finally settled on a Bentley Turbo R as his run around classic. He was definitely missing his Bristolling days.
Andrew

AndrewA 01-10-20 11:49 AM

Haven't sorted the heater box yet, but had her on rolling road yesterday mainly because I wanted to get carb and timing set up spot on.
These guys plumbed in a lambda sensor rather than just the pipe up the exhaust and identified and fixed a number of issues - leak from gasket where carb meets inlet manifold - replaced with insulator gasket- slightly bunged up vacuum hose (replaced) - followed by much twiddling of distributor, different metering rods and so on until we reached as good as it was going to get.
Car is now running much sweeter/smoother and has more get up and go and appears to be more economical.
For those that are interested in the numbers, she made 165 bhp at 4,300 revs at 94 mph and 255 ft lbs of torque at 2000 rpm all at the wheels.
Next weeks jobs are to get the heater/ventilation adjustment sorted, lower the seat a touch and change the gearbox oil and filter. I can't see any record of it being done and it's something that often gets overlooked on cars of all ages IMHO.
Am eating up my 5000 miles a year allowance on the insurance quite rapidly - approaching 2,500 miles already so will have to give that some thought before too long...

AndrewA 12-12-20 04:33 PM

For those that are interested, thought I'd post a brief update. Heater box now properly in and working as it should. No more heat soak btw! Spent some time tracking down water ingress in torrential rain - main culprit was seals where wipers go through scuttle. Now have new but suitably subdued radio/cd in dash and new speakers in the old places - overhead and one on the parcel shelf. It works well enough and I didn't want to start cutting door cards.
Seat now at a height that suits and I got the paintwork detailed - it came up well for a car that was last painted 20 odd years ago.
I'm now on something of a mission to get the handling as good as possible and I admit it is getting a bit obsessive. Re bushing the front end will happen early next year, and I'll replace the shocks at the same time. The power steering box has a small leak and a bit of play so will attend to that and refurbish or replace the pump and hoses at the same time. The axle has a whine only I can hear - might just be bearings but will get that looked at and do the rear shocks and any bushings that need attending to when the axles out. Nearly forgot, car is back on original size tyres which fill up the arches nicely, lighten the steering and give a bit more feel.
Thanks to those on here for all the useful advice so far.
Andrew

AndrewA 09-03-21 08:19 AM

Well things haven't gone precisely to plan! After the last post I started poking around at the cills - last done 20 years ago. Once uncovered properly they definitely needed attention - not horrendous but in another year or two they would have been. Also took the opportunity to clean up the underside and catch a few other minor issues that would have become problems with time. The leak from the power steering box has turned into a flood so that's now top of the list.
I intend to send the pump and steering box off and get them refurb'd and new lines made up.
The challenge at the mo is removing the steering box which is reluctant to come out.
Having spoken to most power steering specialists, I'm going to go with Kiley Clinton who knew immediately what I was talking about and are normally able to turn things round quickly.
We shall see!


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