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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:51 pm 
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After 11 years on the other side of the US, Mad Mart’s old Project PFJ Sprint has returned into my hands in South Carolina. For the past six years, PFJ has been parked unused under a cover. I have rejoined this Forum with the new username of USSprinter and hope to start posting details of what it is taking to resurrect PFJ (it is non-trivial). My old postings on this Forum may be found under my old username of SCMike. So we shall see where this goes…

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 1:19 am 
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Hi Mike, great to hear from you & I hope you and Alex are well? Six years!!! why has it been unused for so long? I hope PFJ isn't too poorly?

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 4:44 pm 
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Great to hear from you Mart as well (it's been 12 years!). Son Alex has had PFJ in California for most of this time. As for the last six "sleeping" years, as Alex says, life intruded. We decided in November that it was best to send PFJ back to me in South Carolina, so we spent four frantic weeks in Calif (with a lot of family time "intervening") getting PFJ healthy enough to at least being confidently driven on/off/on/off the enclosed car carrier (juggling multiple pick-ups on the transcontinental run). We met the deadline for the car carrier pick-up, so PFJ is now back in SC, where I will attempt to bring her back to full life. Not surprisingly a 47+ year old car ignored for six years has lots of tricks up her sleeve, mostly trivial things, but lots of them! I will have a very focused Winter of 2021-2022! At least the Sprint remains in the family.

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Last edited by USSprinter on Thu Apr 21, 2022 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 10:00 pm 
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I feel a bit sheepish posting to the "Restoration Projects" thread since all the restoration work on PFJ was completed ages ago by Mart and Mary. But I couldn't find a thread named "Refurbs by the Barely Competent", which would be more appropriate for me, so here I am. I thought I would start by posting a photo of PFJ taken today to show that, yes, PFJ does really still exist, now safely parked at home in South Carolina. For those raising an eyebrow at the wheels, those are TR7 wheels, once owned by noted US Triumph racer Hardy Prentice (who knew that steel wheels had a provenance). The TR7 wheels are a temporary expedient until the original alloys (that have tarnished amazingly fiercely) can be professionally refinished. Actually, those TR7 wheels on a Sprint look really...cute.

Taah-Daah:

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:12 pm 
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Ooh! nice garage. There doesn't look to be much wrong with PFJ? The wheels are a pain to keep shiny, you have to keep on top of them. I had thought of using a clear lacquer on them but that used to go yellowy after a while. Maybe the lacquer is better these days?

We're always interested in restos, no matter how big or small. :D

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:15 pm 
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Location: Filey, North Yorkshire
Looking good!

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:39 pm 
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PFJ looks to be in pretty good shape from here!

I love the TR7 steelies personally. I’d been looking at them as a possible winter wheel for my car. Now I know they look so good, and fit well, I will be buying some.

Thanks for posting and keep the updates coming. :thumbsup:


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 3:08 pm 
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Bish - since you sounded interested in the TR7 steelies, I thought I would post a couple of closer-up photos to show them more clearly. I can't claim any credit for these wheels: the idea and implementation were all my son's. He bought the steelies from a guy that had gotten them from Hardy Prentice (a rather famous old school US Triumph sportscar racer), painted the wheels silver, and bolted them on using chrome plated, tall-hat nuts that nicely finish the wheels. The more that I look at 'em, the more I like 'em. The original alloys will have to wait a bit.

More pressingly, later this week I expect a laaarge package from Santa Rimmer, within which will be a new 12-vane water pump and cover, plus a whole bunch of other stuff. The water pump was the one did-not-go-well part of the recent re-awakening of PFJ. The engine ran like a charm, but whenever it was revved to more than 2500 rpm, the WP relief slot started spewing forth bodily fluids. I dread having to do this task since it requires the removal of the entire intake manifold/carbs unit to get to the WP. PFJ is running so well now (left idle for 7-10 days at a stretch, she always starts on the first twist of the key). Too many opportunities for me to muck things up.

A Happy New Year to one and all!

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 4:26 pm 
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Thanks for the photos Mike, good work Sir.

Yep, I like the look of those. Kind of like the BMW 2002 steel wheels. I think they suit the car perfectly. If I can find a set for sensible money, I will have them.

My diamond cut alloys are whats stopping me using the car at the moment. It’s a typically dank, grey, and wet December here - which would ruin my alloys in no time. Steelies are required!


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 6:59 pm 
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What are the Sprint water pump coolant leakage paths?


One of PFJ's ruder surprises after having been ignored for six+ years was a significant green coolant flow out of the water pump relief slot in the block whenever the the engine was revved beyond 2500 rpm. I am about to install a new 12-vane water pump (plus associated pump cover), and comparing the old and new pumps, I am puzzled as to the coolant leakage path. (Fortunately the old pump extracted itself as I turned the large LH bolt at the top of the pump.)

The brass cage is what confuses me. There are o-rings at the top and bottom of the cage. Do these o-rings provide the leakage path when the o-ring rubber no longer seals properly? Comparing the old and new cages, I could see no markedly different condition in the o-rings. I had expected the old pump to show degraded o-rings.

The one significant difference I could find in the two pumps is that if I held the impeller and rotated the brass cage of the new pump, the cage rotated easily upon the pump shaft. On the other hand, for the old pump, I had to apply significant twisting force to get its cage to rotate. The cage on the old pump has noticeable circumferential scoring marks on its exterior. Is that a clue? I assume that the cage is supposed to remain fixed with the block as the impeller rotates? Perhaps with the old pump, when PFJ exceeded 2500 rpm, the cage itself started to rotate with the impeller, opening up a leakage path?

I would appreciate any suggestions or comments on the above. This is my first rodeo with a Sprint water pump, and all I know is what I read in the Sprint Repair Operation Manual (and in the TDC Forum postings). I would like to understand things before I button everything back up again.

Oh, one other question. Rimmer suggests that the bush in the block in which the pump spindle rides should also be replaced. This would require me to purchase a blind bush extraction tool to do this in the official manner. There is also a cute Forum suggestion (thanks to the late Jonners) of just filling the bush with grease, driving a dowel into the bush, and letting the hydraulic pressure drive up the bush. Have folks had success with this technique? Or should I just forget about replacing that bush since it has been only 4000 miles (but 13 years) since the old water pump was rebuilt.

Thanks in advance!

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 7:38 pm 
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The late great Jon Tilson wrote a "how to" on the slant-4 water pump. You can find the thread HERE

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 8:14 pm 
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Yes, I am aware of Jon Tilson’s very helpful thread on the water pump. That’s where I saw his suggestion on driving out the old spindle bush with a dowel and grease. (Does that really work?)

I guess my fundamental question is so dumb that Jon did not address it: is the brass cage supposed to always remain fixed with the block as the pump shaft rotates within the cage? So if the guts within the cage partially seize up so that the cage itself starts to rotate with the shaft, does that open up a coolant leak path, due to whatever seized up within the cage?

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:52 am 
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I think the idea is that the cage doesn't move! Certainly 98/100 (roughly) need to be forcefully persuaded out of the block.

On the other hand, there is no factory mechanism, like a pinch bolt, to keep it in place or stop it rotating if sufficient rotational force is applied. Only the friction in the rings keeps it in place. Nor is there a "right" or "wrong" place to fit the cage, just grease the seals and push it home wherever.

But under normal circumstances, none of the bits that turn should come into contact with the cage to impart a turning moment on it. If some part HAS, there is something wrong and i'd be suspecting the pump spindle bearing, the bottom bush or (perish the thought) the jackshaft bearings.

A final thought, it's been my experience (and that of many others) that a Sprint pump left standing for a number of years, will invariably weep a bit when finally re-awakened. This will often cure itself with a bit of gentle use. Normally i'd leave well alone and give it a chance to sort itself out. But since you've already pulled it and found another fault it's a bit of a moot point!

Steve

PS, The dowl and grease trick works! I've used it often on clutch spigot bearings. The only reason I don't do the water pump bush this way is because I have an old thread tap (think it's BSW but the legend has long been illegible) that is just the right size to screw into the bush easily and I then pull the tap and bush out with a slide hammer.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 11:29 am 
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Hi Mike,

I am always interested to hear about our cars who have made it overseas, so will be interested to follow the progress of PFJ.

Since those 6 years of standing were in California, does that mean that the bodywork hasn't suffered as much as it probably would have done in a wetter climate?

Pete

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:28 pm 
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Carledo - Thank you for your most helpful reply. Back in California, my son and I had concluded we had a significant water pump problem when PFJ sent a veritable waterfall out the relief slot whenever revved beyond 2500 rpm. So when I got the car back to South Carolina, I jumped into ordering a new 12-vane pump. When I pulled the old pump out and found that I could barely rotate the cage about the shaft by hand, well, maybe I had a fundamental problem — duhhh.

lazaruspete - Thanks for your interest. Yes, the San Francisco Bay Area has a benign climate, especially with the drought over the past couple of years. So PFJ had a “mostly peaceful sleep” over the previous six+ years. The only significant corrosion to pop up was a 2-inchish long strip of the inner lip of the right rear fender (as we say here) on which the filler (ahem) and the paint popped off the metal to reveal the old tin worm still at work. And several pimples have popped up on the front apron around the license plate area. Plus some spots of the vinyl covering on the C-pillars have gone loosie-goosie. One mechanical issue that popped up was an inoperable clutch hydraulic system. My son and I quickly took care of that by totally replacing that system (new clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder, and stainless steel hydraulic flex line), so that PFJ was at least driveable onto the car transporter for her trip back to South Carolina. Now, as for that #@$&ing water pump……

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