Doctor Brinton

Despite the leaky clutch I decided to go and see Guy in Redditch as he had promised to have a butchers at the timing and position of the distributor. It got there ok, nice drive actually as 2nd october was a sunny day.

He got it out, twiddled it around and put it back in. And then twiddled the carb idle screws. Et voila, there's the 2 cylinders back that I had "lost". Took it for a run. Much better, sounds better, runs better, and no more flat spots when I put my foot down.

I then showed him the green stuff brake pads that I had purchased. Off came the wheel ... Princess 4 pots already on. How TF was I supposed to know, looks like a brake caliper to me! That's £100 saved as I don't have to get any!

The drive back along the dual carriageway was fab! I fear a speeding ticket may arrive soon!

Clutch Master Cylinder

Uh oh! Everything was going so well, it passed the MOT with very little work or money. I have been driving it regularly, going on silly 10 mile drives home. And there lay the problem ... the clutch is getting a little spongy. Got to work this morning, and there is black gooey fluid running down the back of the clutch pedal, and there is no fluid left.

My clutch master cylinder has sprung a leak. Luckily, the company for which I labour provide a master cylinder repair kit for a “well known Triumph spares company”, otherwise it's about £40 for a new one.

Typically, I have booked a day at Guy's on Sunday to give the Beast a good tune. I fear this may not happen ... Uh oh!

MOT

It passed! Got an advisory for a rusty NS sill, it's a TR7, what's new. I have a brake issue though. I purchased green stuff standard TR7 pads and they were too small. So what have I got?!

Quick MOT Update

Ed has just seen the Beast being driven back from TravelGas. This means that a) I will get a call in five minutes to go and get it or b) the brakes/bush are still dodgy ...

Why I shouldn't have a classic car #642

All I needed to get was a top steering column bush and some brake pads. I decided to get some "green stuff" kevlar backed pads as they are better than standard and with standard 2 pot calipers, I need better pads.

I also decided to get two more SU piston things to replace the other two that I bent the last time I opened the bonnet. And some brake shim things and brake pin things. And a garage full of the four elements of the hood studs that keep falling off. I also got a poly lower bush. Even though the MOT suggested an upper bush.

By the time the bits arrived due to the fact that I only ordered it all on wednesday afternoon, I got the car to Phil's at 1130, which was too late to start the jobs.

I had a eureka that I had fcuked up with the bush and then spent an age contacting various people, Guy, Lionel and Ed, and various Motor Factors and specialists. To get a £4 piece of plastic next day AM, was going to cost £13 delivery. Oops.

Confession time. I phoned Phil. The carpet had apparently been rubbing against the bush and had pushed out off place. A quick fiddle put it back in the right place. And the brake pads, the kevlar posh ones that cost £10 more than standard? They are the wrong ones.

Thus, I have bought half a dozen press studs things, the wrong brake pads, the right bush even though it's the wrong one and it isn't needed anyway. Not a good day.

Although, I know now that the bush I meant to get is the same as the one in the (proper) Mini!

MOT Time

It's a miracle! No it didn't pass but ...

1) steering column top bearing excessively worn

2) front brake application uneven

And that's it!

It even pased the emissions. Although that could be because only 6 cylinders work?!

Pershore Plum Festival 2011

Set off at 8 and met up with Pete for the latest Beast adventure, this time to the Pershore car and plum and hippy stuff festival. After meeting up with Mike, Sheila and Paul, we got onto the field at about 9. Here is a crap picture of the 5 cars...

The fields soon filled up with loads of makes and models of cars and billions of people gawping at the pretty cars whilst chomping their plums, ice creams and pork roils.

And the Beast? Behaved perfectly.How I ever doubted my little car! MOT due soon mind...

Sunday 31st July

The 12th Malvern Classic Car Show and Classic Ford Day (including Capripower National Day  at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern) is today. I picked up Simon (to navigate/mechanic/push/amuse me) and we then met Pete (TRDC) at the Rose and Crown in Stourport. 

The temp gauge is already at half. But I am not putting the fans on, I want to see what happens. We "zoom" off up the Worcester Road A449 towards the motorway. The Beast has now done the longest journey sine I had it 3+ years ago! After a junction of the M5, we pull in and wait for the rest of the TRDC. It's very hot, so the fans now go on, which is just as well as the Worcester bypass to Malvern road thing is always packed. We sat for ages and ages and I was fully expecting the Beast to explode, but no, it soldiered on.

By the turning to Malvern, the traffic became even denser due to a blonde chick breaking down in a crappy Ford Ka. It was at this point that I tempted fate, turning to my co-driver and suggesting she ought to have bought a reliable Triumph instead. I then managed to stall. And it wouldn't start again. Simon pushed, and I managed to bump it. Off we continued to the showground.

When we got there, we had a look around the piles of rusty crap/stalls and a few of the other cars. I then asked old Mike (TRDC) if he could help me put the bonnet scoop/fresh air thingy back on as I hadn't managed to get the bugger on. "Never mind that. What's happened here?". Oh F*ck. I hadn't filled the dashpots nor put the pistons back in, hence the earlier picture. They looked as good as new after they had been (almost) straightened with a trolley jack handle and a pair of pliers! And Mike and Rich even managed to put the bonnet scoop/fresh air thingy back on.

The  return journey was uneventful. I now have faith in the Beast to take me on any (short) journey. I now even go home from work (when sunny) the long way. The temp gauge still sits nicely on half.

Saturday 30th July

The 12th Malvern Classic Car Show and Classic Ford Day (including Capripower National Day  at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern) is tomorrow, so I gave the Beast a good clean, polish, wax, hoover. I also stupidly opened the bonnet. I really shouldn't be allowed under there.

 I topped up the water and oil and unscrewed the carb damper pistons from the carbs and went to get some oil. Which I didn't get as my memory is going. I returned and closed the bonnet. And put the Beast back in the Beastport.

June

The Beast has been used regularly over the last few weeks, whenever there has been a non-rainy weekday. It even managed the long journey to Stourport (!) to the June TRDC meeting for the first time! It's still overheating according to the temp gauge but has yet to go bang. The only slight problem was on the way back from work on 20th June where the engine simply died. I even managed to fix it myself - a wire had fallen off the coil! So far still so good ...

Still going

It's still going! I have brought it in again today, after a week of idleness due to May's April showers. Typically there are still lots of problems, ie, the centre console lid fell off this morning! I will need to do another "To Do List" soon. I may even try to get out of Kidderminster before the MOT runs out in September!

This post was actually a couple of weeks ago, but I have just edited it and now the date stamp has changed! Anyway, assuming I get back in one peice from picking Moo up from Guides, I shall be taking it in tomorrow too! Still not gone outside the Kidderminster town barriers yet ...

Toyota Celica - Pah!

Why would I want one of them Japanese pretend classics when I have a fully working [well sort of] v8 Beast?! 

It would appear that the distributor was 180 degrees out. And with the assistance of Simon and Ed's timing strobe, the Beast spluttered into life and is now running the best it ever has in the last 3 years. Much also say thanks to a chap named John in Aberdeen with whom I have been conversing via email and a v8 forum.

That distributor is the dogs! We timed it to about 8 dibbles past TDC. Although it is now driveable, it "front fires" from I presume the carbs/filters as opposed to backfiring from the tailpipe. I have taken it to work for the last 2 days and can (sometimes) floor it without any frontfires and now get the great v8 roar. 

I have since spoken to John again, who has set his distributor at 10 dibbles before TDC. He reckons that the frontfiring is because the timing is not quite right, and suggests I try it at 10 dibbles.

The overheating thing has still not gone away though. Could it be the timing? The gauge?

March and April

Pre new Distributor

I have been driving around Offmore every other Sunday for about 5 mins before putting it back again as it was spluttering and backfiring and overheating. I was a little brave the one day though and sat in the car port with the temp guage at 3/4 waiting for it to blow up. It didn't. Looks like 3/4 might be the running temperature?

Post new Distributor
It doesn't start any more!

Toyota Celica

I am about to spend another £100 on this hateful and useless lump of scrap metal which has cost me probably about £2500 so far. And then to highlight my idiocy, a bloke at work spends £760.25 on this:

It's Japanese so will probably not go wrong, certainly not as much. It's not 70's BL and thus will not go rusty. Bits won't fall off the trim. It'll have a stereo in it. I'll be able to drive more than 50 miles a year for probably the same amount of yearly insurance. Oh how very very tempting ...

New Distributor

... will be ordered this week. The Beast started first time today and spluttered around the block and back a couple of times before going back to bed. If a new dis doesn't sort it then it's bye-bye time. And Paul, if you are still reading this crap, sorry for taking the piss with the temp loan of yours, it will be returned very soon!

Oops!

The Beast drove around to the new house without any problems (other than the usual reverse lights and overheating and spluttering). They tend to start and move a little better when the petrol is pumped from the tank to the carbs ...

Happy New Fcuking Year

I am moving house in a matter of days. I had to move the useless sack of crap out of the garage on to the drive so as to fill the garage full of assorted crap ready for the mover man. And surprise surprise, it didn't start. At all. Not a sausage. It was pushed on to the drive and now will have to be towed to the new pad. Great. The new neighbours are going to love me! Useless sack of crap. I hate this fcuking car.