NYE 751L - 1972 1850 auto

[Toledo Man]

This reply is a bit picture heavy so be warned!

Yesterday I made my way up to the North East via a rain soaked A658 and A1(M)

This was followed by a stop at Scotch Corner services
Up to this point Brown hadn't missed a beat but after Scotch Corner the car didn't seem to be running right. Wenever I took my foot off the accelerator it felt like the car was being slowed down more than it would be by normal decceleration so I stopped at Durham Services (the next stop) and investigated. The wire from the condesnser had been trapped between the distributor body and the cap so I tried to move the wire. To my horror it came off the ring terminal (where it connects to the points. I tried to repair it by stripping the end of the wire and attaching it to the terminal with some insualting tape. When this didn't work I had a dig about and found my spare condenser. When I'd replaced the ignition components the one thing I didn't fit was the condenser because it was a pain to do so it was lucky I'd still kept it. It was new and unused so I fitted it and it cured the problem and we were on our way again. Approaching Newcastle I saw this and had to take a photo.

From the A1 I then cut across to the A19 and down the Tyne Tunnel.

At the toll booth I said that it was free for my car. The bloke who was a right misery guts checked my tax disc and let me through. When I got to JPB's and picked up the front shockers we then took some photos. You've already seen his so here are mine. I can't get over how high John's car is compared to mine.



Next stop was over to Hexham to drop off the carb linkage I'd promised for rallyman. Here are the photos of the Toledo that he's gonna be racing.


Next up was supposed to be a visit to pal1972 but rallyman mentioned that he knew somebody that had a Dolly interior in tan so I went up to take a look. It was better than Brown's so I ended up having it. He's got a 1500HL and a 1300fwd that he's breaking. I've offered to help him sell his parts so I'll be posting the details and photos in the for sale section of the forum. The journey back went without a single problem but on the A68 coming out of Corbridge I saw this and had to take a
photo.

Getting back I managed to make it to my local Asda where I filled up with petrol. I'd covered 335 miles since I last filled up and averaged just over 30 mpg which is my best yet.

To be continued...

[Toledo Man]

On to the next part of this little episode...

First up were the front shock absorbers.

I managed to get them fitted without too much trouble. I used the springs that came with the Sprint front suspension which I'd been given. It has improved things no end. Here's the driver's side.


Next were the seats. I took the old ones out and while I was at it I vacuumed the carpets

The back seat

The front seats

The seats are a lot more comfortable and feel like new ones. The interior is a lot nicer place to be. When I got the seats I also took the clock, voltmeter, centre speaker and the grille and these were fitted. The voltmeter is a lot more accurate than the old one and I'm hoping the clock will be better. Time will tell. (pun intended!)

After some running around to let the front end settle I took a photo of the front suspension and the new shockers have made a noticable amount of difference.

[JPB]

Glad to see that the new dampers are ok there, now all you need is some 190Lb springs, like mine, to go on and you too can have a tall car that doesn't mind those dreadful speed humps in the village!

Dry weather would be good, I repaired those wing tips and sundry other minor scabs last December and haven't had a single day yet when I'd be able to get the paint on there.
Must get it done, there's actually a rust free car under that patchy, temporary job that was done to preserve the body through the Winter.

Note to self: Paint camshaft cover too when the spraying equipment comes out........

[Toledo Man]

The exhaust was still blowing at the manifold/downpipe joint. The nuts just needed doing up but they're 9/16" and I only have a small 9/16" socket which isn't deep enough so I've been putting exhaust putty in the gap which isn't a permanent cure so I grabbed the bull by the horns and got it sorted out. I tried a couple of motor factors and a couple of branches of Halfrauds with no luck. I ended up getting a set of deep Imperial sockets from my local Machine Mart for just over a tenner. When I got home I put Brown up on wheel ramps and left the exhaust to cool down while I had a read of the July edition of Practical Classics which I'd just bought. When I'd finished reading the mag I got to work. I tightened up the nuts and it has cured the blowing. A short road test later and all is still well. The clock is still keeping good time so I'm now set for Harewood House tomorrow. Fingers crossed for some decent weather.

[Toledo Man]

Well I got the weather I was hoping for at Harewood House yesterday. I'll let the photos do the talking...

[Toledo Man]

Brown has started running like a bag of spanners again. I've been playing around with the timing, I swapped the HT leads, cleaned the contacts on the dizzy cap. Next will be to check the plugs & the points. I really need to fit the Maplin ignition booster which I bought ages ago. It is now ready to be installed so I should get my finger out. Why does life get in the way of these things?

Edit: I've now found out that No. 3 lead isn't sparking and I've traced the problem to the dizzy cap. I did a lead swap to eliminate the possibility of a duff HT lead. Trouble is I probably won't be able to get a replacement till Monday. Bollox!

[Toledo Man]

It wasn't the dizzy cap. I replaced it and I also replaced the rotor arm. When replacing the rotor arm didn't make any difference I investiaged further. The dizzy came out (getting good at it now. I can do it with my eyes shut) and lo and behold the points gap had closed up so it was out with the feeler gauges to set the points gap. Once it was all back together I fired Brown up and it defintely ran better and on all four cylinders. Time for a shower and after that I'll be stopping by at either my local Morrisons or Esso for some petrol and then some road testing.

[Toledo Man]

I haven't anything new to report. Brown's still running like a dream and I've been enjoying this car. I'm thinking about changing the brake fluid so I can fit the Goodridge hoses at the same time. I just need some decent weather now. I'll have the use of a garage soon so I can hopefully get the respraying done. Unfortunately, I've got my 2 other cars that need working on as well...

[Toledo Man]

I mentioned earlier that Brown's front end didn't feel quite right. I think I have solved the mystery. It started out yesterday on a trip to an Asda. Anita's future son-in-law (he's in the Army) was driving behind me and when we got to the Asda he told me that my right front wheel was wobbilng about so at the soonest opportunity (this afternoon) I investigated. At first I thought that the nuts on the front tie bars (subframe end) needed tightening up. Because I was tightening up nuts and bolts on the suspension I had to use my wheel ramps as I need the weight of the car on the suspension. The tie bar nuts only needed nipping up. I nipped up the top nuts on the front shock absorbers. I then checked the rest of the suspension and I found it. The bottom bolt where the suspension assembly is bolted to the subframe (where the shims are to adjust the camber) was loose so I tightened it up and hopefully I've cured the problem. I won't know until I've done some road testing.

[Toledo Man]

The front end still doesn't feel quite right. I now suspect the rack might need replacing. I get paid on Friday so I'll splash out on a replacement. Last night on my way to work I was behind a Ford Transit at some traffic lights when it rolled back into me. Amazingly, the only damage was to the nearside indicator/sidelight lens and a broken sidelight bulb. At the soonest opportunity I went to my storage unit and found a pair of early type lenses (Brown had the later type) I was able to fit them and Brown now has the right indicator lenses for the year.

A new sidelight bulb was only £1 from a local motor factor.

[JPB]

Those over riders are late ones too, ironically, the much thicker rubber pads on the early type might have saved the lamp!

[Toledo Man]

I have front and rear bumpers off a 1971 1500fwd which I'm sure would be right for Brown. I just need an early type numberplate light...

[pal1972]

I know you're just after the number plate light but here's a full rear bumper from an early 1500 with the number plate lamp also:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0314637164

[VYO 372M]

The Dollies are very nice. The Acclaim looks absolutely stunning, very nice car that and a top of the range example to boot.

Steve

[Toledo Man]

Steve, that Acclaim is probably the best example. It is owned by none other than the Acclaim guru himself who knows these cars inside out and has the biggest stock of used Acclaim spares. That car was rebuilt around a brand new shell. He has made a few improvements including leather seats, lowered suspension and central locking.

Getting back on topic, I now have use of a garage. After clearing out the rubbish and sweeping the floor I couldn't resist trying it out for size with Brown.


I now have somewhere I can work on my cars in peace and in all weathers. After taking those photos I went to the local Bodge-It and bought 10 litres of their own brand white matt emulsion which was just enough for one coat. I might have to buy another 10 litres to do a 2nd coat but I'll sleep on it before I make a decision. The garage certainly looks better for having had the walls painted and will be a more pleasant place to be when I do my spannering.