NYE 751L - 1972 1850 auto

[Toledo Man]

I went to Jod's today and I got to meet Al W. That Dolly that he has looked familiar and it turned out to be Roy's ex-TC. I didn't get all the bits on my wish list but I'm happy with what I came away with and it was worth the cost of the petrol. Talking of petrol I filled up at the local Asda and since the previous fill up I've averaged 28mpg. (my best so far) I reckon that can be improved on. When I got home I fitted the horns (they work) and the section of exhaust which has the silencer under the driver's seat. I'll be fitting the rest of the bits tomorrow as I was running out of time and I',m back at work tonight.

[Toledo Man]

The exhaust is now leak free but the manifold is blowing at the cylinder head so it'll have to come off. I fitted the replacment carbs and the car runs great. After the carb swap a squealing noise has appeared when the car is running. It only disappears when I'm accelerating under load. This has marred an otherwise productive day's spannering and has really got me down.

Any ideas?

[JPB]

The exhaust is now leak free but the manifold is blowing at the cylinder head so it'll have to come off. I fitted the replacment carbs and the car runs great. After the carb swap a squealing noise has appeared when the car is running. It only disappears when I'm accelerating under load. This has marred an otherwise productive day's spannering and has really got me down.

Any ideas?

Leaking olive between one of the carbs and the inlet manifold, mine was doing that when started after a period of standing having been run for a few miles, I intend to bin the olives and the rubber gaskets and fit paper gaskets instead, that'll solve it, until then, a little glycerine squirted around the rubber gaskets has stopped the noise and the consequent over lean mixture on the back carb.

[Purplebargeken]

Al W's car ....... Roys 1300TC....... my LWD

She's in good hands

[Toledo Man]

It only happened after I'd done the carb swap. The squeal is high pitched and sounds a bit like a slipping fan belt. Brown is running on SUs. Maybe I might have to carry over my carb mounts. In any case the carbs are going to have to come off again.

[JPB]

Spray something over the rubber on the one that's noisy, even WD40 will silence it for a while.
I'd forgotten that yours has SUs which, ISTR, don't have the steel olives between the carbs and the manifold, but the symptom described is exactly the same as I have occasionally with mine, so it must be a leak through a crack in the rubber. I guess that you can't do away with the rubbers on an SU-equipped car since they provide the required distance and adapt the stud pattern of the manifold to that on the carbs, but I'm told that they can be replaced with solid spacers. Those would shut it up and no mistake.

When mine first made this noise, I thought that I had a failing bearing in the alternator, then it became noisier and sounded like a slipping alternator drive belt. Like I say though, something that contains glycerine will soften the rubber and reform it sufficiently to stop the symptom until you get new or replacement rubbers or alternatives. Silicon grease, as would be used for seating the water pump bypass hose in the stubs, would also keep it quiet for a while.

[bifold]

Spray something over the rubber on the one that's noisy, even WD40 will silence it for a while.
I'd forgotten that yours has SUs which, ISTR, don't have the steel olives between the carbs and the manifold, but the symptom described is exactly the same as I have occasionally with mine, so it must be a leak through a crack in the rubber. I guess that you can't do away with the rubbers on an SU-equipped car since they provide the required distance and adapt the stud pattern of the manifold to that on the carbs, but I'm told that they can be replaced with solid spacers. Those would shut it up and no mistake.

When mine first made this noise, I thought that I had a failing bearing in the alternator, then it became noisier and sounded like a slipping alternator drive belt. Like I say though, something that contains glycerine will soften the rubber and reform it sufficiently to stop the symptom until you get new or replacement rubbers or alternatives. Silicon grease, as would be used for seating the water pump bypass hose in the stubs, would also keep it quiet for a while.

Toledo man has a very good set of carb mounts,bought I might add to fit your car John ,

[Toledo Man]

Well well well, would you Adam & Eve it?

I got home to do the carb mount swap. When I started the car again after I'd parked up the squeal had GONE so I haven't bothered to do the job. I reconnected the choke cable (which has seen better days) so I hope the squeal doesn't come back again.

[JPB]

Yes, this is familiar territory! The squeal will return, probably at random and when it's most embarrassing. On mine it comes on when i start the car after he's been sitting for a while, say when I've been filling the petrol tank, so I had assumed that this was caused by expansion of the aluminium manifold being greater than that experienced by the steel olives. Once the engine's running for a moment and cooled down again, then the manifold shrinks slightly around the olives and, because the rubber gaskets are a wee bit tired, they allow air in during that time when the olive is leaking. But as your car has thick rubber spacers and no flexible metal-to metal joins in there, that rubbishes my theory!

[Toledo Man]

John, the squeal hasn't come back. I hope it stays that way.

I filled up today and averaged 23mpg but I've swapped the carbs since I last filled up. I jet washed the car because I'm going to a show at the White Rose Centre in Leeds tomorrow. I've balanced the carbs and adjusted the tickover and Brown is now running like a dream. I'm really pleased with the way things are going with this car. It just keeps on getting better. Doing this thread and making my list has been a big help. Talking of which, I'll list the remaining jobs left to do:

Replace front shock absorbers.
Replace the front springs (I might not bother if the old ones are servicable)
Rebush the suspension (already done the front tie bars)
Clean and repaint the suspension (I might not bother as it is only cosmetic)
Replace the rear bumper with the earlier type (I've got a 1500fwd bumper which just needs the early type number plate lamp)
Change the engine oil & filter
Replace the balljoints (these might not need doing)
Respray the bonnet, boot lid & roof (a job for the warmer weather)
Replace the wing mirrors or fit door mirrors (I've got Snowdrop's door mirror in the boot which I need to get round to fitting)
Replace the brake hoses
Replace the steering rack bushes (another job that might not need doing)
Fit BL wing badges (I've only got one)
Fit electronic ignition (this'll save me the hassle of doing the points. The Delco dizzys are a PITA to work on)

[JPB]

Those front dampers are still here and yours for the price mentioned in the last PM if you still want them.

[Toledo Man]

John, I still want to take you up on that but I've run out of money again till the next pay day.

Brown made it's first public appearence on the May Day Bank Holiday was at a classic car show at the White Rose Centre in Leeds which had a decent turnout considering the weather. The next scheduled appearance will be at Harewood House (also in Leeds) on the 21st of June.

Next on my shopping list will be the steering rack bushes. Something doesn't feel quite right at the front since I fitted the steering column bulkhead bush so I'm going to gradually work through all the bushes and the rack bushes seem to be a good place to start. I won't have the tracking recheked until the rack bushes have been replaced and settled. Once again I'll order them from Chris Witor. Rimmer's poly rack bushes are a decent fit so I'd recommend them as well despite their yellow colour.

[JPB]

Yes, I used the yellow ones in mine and they certainly made a good car better in the steering department. The colour didn't bother me and, unless I run over someone, the bushes won't be seen in any case.

[Toledo Man]

Chris Witor's are a bit cheaper so he's going to get my business.

[JPB]

Dave, I'm really sorry to have disrupted your thread with avatar-related shenanigans. I shall be slapping myself around the head and upper body with a damp, old issue of Triumph World by way of punishment.

So these bushes then, what's the difference in price between Rimmers and Chris Witor?
More importantly, are the bushes for other locations cheaper from there also?