B178RWK SS1 #54

Post by **scimjim** » Sun Sep 03, 2017 11:45 pm

This car has never had a project thread despite being rescued from oblivion by Richard "dickyboy" after he bought it as a retro galv twin wiper with a poorly fitted MFi engine.

Some of the questions during the recommissioning:

Bonnet release cable

MFi to carb conversion

Front ARB bushes

Fuel pump

Windscreen - the scratches polished out according to this post.

Fuel pipe

Headlamp motor

Ported vacuum system

Track rod ends

Indicator stalk

Brake calipers, more on calipers and bleed nipples

Brake master cylinder

Wipers

Steering rack

Electric windows and e/w wiring

Tinted rear lights

Door pulls

VIN plate

Instruments not working

MOT fail

Boot decals

Clock

Hardtop road noise

Headlight panel fit

Type 9 gearbox drain plug

Boot gas struts - forgot to mention that it has an enormous rear spoiler and fitting a single cupboard door damper has resulted in the boot hinge cracking.

Tyre scrubbing

Clutch and clutch again

headlights

Electric mirrors

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After the bonnet cable snapped on day one, everything else was a bonus

MFi converted to carb
Doors rebuilt (e/w, e/m, glass, quarter lights and trim)
Front ARB bushes
Electric fuel pump
Headlight motor
TREs
2 x calipers
Steering rack
Polo radiator
Drain plug on gearbox
Clutch

It failed its first MOT in 10 years in Jun 13 on a few easily rectified points (earths, headlamp aim, handbrake, fuel leak).

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In March 17 it was bought by Stu "upstart8s" but unfortunately due to bad knees, he had to move it on.

So bank of mum and dad were approached to fund the purchase as a daily driver for DJ & Sam while Sam's car (Grawpy) is undergoing refurb.

On a very wet September afternoon, Stu was kind enough to drive down to Tamworth, where he met DJ who had got a train up from Portsmouth. The deal was done and Stu jumped on a train while DJ headed straight for dads workshop

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The leopard skin seats were swapped for a standard pair, the bottle top alloys came off for a set of 15" alloys with Toyo T1R. The drivers door window had jumped out of its runner because the foward lower bolt had come out of the quarterlight - a job I hate! The steering wheel was swapped for a slightly smaller one and a hood cover was chucked in the boot with its new carpet. I tidied up some underbonnet wiring and recrimped a spade onto the low brake fluid sensor.

Little jobs to do include:

Fix rev counter.
Find watertight soft top.
Fit rollbar.
Fit boot dampers.

Post by **upstart8s** » Mon Sep 04, 2017 5:23 pm

Jim, you and Phil recently offered me suggestions for converting this car to an hydraulic clutch (to overcome my unique problems), is this another job to be added to the list of jobs to be done on #54? I am sure some of the other ageing owners would be interested. If that is the case, will you be using the 'concentric slave cylinder' that you suggested?
I don't know if you remember professor Heinz Wolff (the great egg race) but I'm sure you would earn some of his 'serendipity' points for such a creative solution.
Stu

Post by **scimjim** » Mon Sep 04, 2017 5:46 pm

No plans to convert this Stu - if I had the time I would love to develop it, particularly as the auto option is so limited.

Post by **scimjim** » Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:57 pm

So, I took Grawpy down to Portsmouth for the wedding but instead of liberating some much needed room in my workshop, this somehow ended up back in Gloucester

It failed the MOT for a leaking caliper, leaking engine, leaking gearbox and some lights not working (they were working before and after the test

)

So, I cleaned the underside (small leak from the crank seal that has spread all the way along the sump and gearbox), swapped the caliper and spent a whole day freeing up all of the pistons and bleed nipples (both sides), then bled the brakes (no pics)

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And while I was under there, I noticed that the lower edge of the inner wings had been removed, so I made some out of a dead set

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Then I thought I’d tidy up the mass of wiring for the aftermarket fan (on the non-standard rad).

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I noticed that there was a lot of insulation tape hanging off the loom to the LH headlight, so pulled it out to wrap it properly

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Hmmm - that doesn’t look right

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Best I dig a bit deeper

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Oh well, I may as well replace the whole lot now

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Post by **efi_sprintgte** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 6:52 am

You are a glutton for punishment!!

I wonder why leaky callipers? The first post says it had new ones..

Post by **philhoward** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 7:04 am

New to the car?

Post by **upstart8s** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 7:22 am

Jim,
I had no idea the car was in such a poor state of repair when I sold it to your son. I am downloading some cash and will organise a full refund in the next couple of days. I can only say how lucky all of us were in driving the car in that condition and not having a serious fire. Again, I can't tell you how sorry I am about this.
Stu

Post by **scimjim** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:27 am

Stu, that isn’t necessary - you sold it in good faith and DJ bought it as seen for not a lot of money. This could easily have been 3 or 4 owners ago (judging from the MFi install

)

Post by **scimjim** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:31 am

efi_sprintgte wrote: ↑
Tue Aug 28, 2018 6:52 am
You are a glutton for punishment!!

I wonder why leaky callipers? The first post says it had new ones..

The leaking caliper (LH) had two different sized bolts securing it

Post by **efi_sprintgte** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:37 am

Post by **scimjim** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:56 pm

Loom fixed

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Alan SS1 · Post by **Alan SS1** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 8:16 pm

that is one 'shed load' of work, surprised the elektriks worked at all!!!

I like the use of a bell housing as 'sill stand'

Post by **scimjim** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 8:22 pm

Yes, I have too many cars on axle stands, so redneck option is a bellhousing with a plank of wood across the top

The electrics all worked (that’s why no-one had ever suspected them) but insulation tape isn’t a proper long term substitute for the plastic insulation on a wire, certainly not on half of the loom!

Got it all back together this evening, just the earth rings to re-attach, then test everything and book it in for MOT.

Post by **scimjim** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 8:28 pm

Just realised I missed a picture - solder and heatshrink before loom tape

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Post by **scimjim** » Thu Aug 30, 2018 11:36 pm

Finished off the wiring today, checked all of the lights and motors worked and booked an MOT for tomorrow.

I replaced the home made bonnet stops - it’s an early armature, so would have had fixed stops but I chopped a later spring in half and along with later studs, they work quite well.

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I spent some time getting the bonnet to open without catching on the headlight panel and then adjusted the drivers door catch and window (now the e/w don’t work!).

The boot hinge had snapped from a single kitchen cupboard damper carrying the 2 ton whale tail that was fitted, so I fitted the one that was on Megan originally (I still need to fit dampers).

Then I decided to look at the rollbar fitting. As it’s a galv chassis, it has the captive nuts but as it’s an early car that has never had a rollbar fitted, the body tub is undrilled.

Soon fix that

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And with judicious use of a pallet strap, I soon had it fitted (upside down apparently?)

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