What is is with this car?

I gets ready to drop the tank and then it dawns on me. I added £10 worth of petrol and the car ran. On the road it wasn't too responsive. I bought a carburettor balancer and a Colourtune. I set the timing dynamically (it was reatarded) then I balanced the carbs. I fitted the Colourtune and my suspicions were confrimed. Project Blue was running too rich. No amount of tweaking with the mixture would make any difference so I set them to their initial settings. Things were better on the road but the car started misfiring and would cut out when I tried to set off in drive so I ended up leaving it for now.

I've got my desktop PC fixed so I can now post pics. This one is from Tuesday when I got the car running. I've been having problems since then. I've tried another set of carbs, I used the ignition module on Becky for an extended test. I'm certain that the ignition is fine because when Project Blue was running it was fine for a while then it would cut out and when I got it running again it would stall within 5 seconds so I suspect a fuel problem (have I been there before?) I know the fuel line is clear from the filter so I'm going to have to face the inevitable and drop the fuel tank. On a slightly more positive note my Autodata manual has arrived and in some ways it is better than the Haynes. Once the BL/Austin-Rover workshop manual arrives I'll have all the technical info I need.

IT RUNS!!!!!!

Yesssssss!!!!!! I've got Project Blue running again. I even took it round the block a few times and it seemt to drive fine. It is running better but I reckon a good run would work wonders. Shame about the lack of tax & MoT. Also the brakes still don't seem quite 100%. At least I know I can bleed them on all 4 wheels. I reckon a tune up would be beneficial as well.

The latest

I feel I'm getting closer to getting Project Blue running again. The car will turn and fire but just won't run. I now have fresh fuel coming to the carbs and the fuel pump works. The rotor arm, distributor cap and spark plug leads are known working items. That just leaves the spark plugs so I bought a set of NGK plugs from Champion Motor Spares (told you I'd be naming names!) for £6.60 and once they're gapped they can go in when I get an opporunity. (weather permitting) There was a rattle coming from one of Becky's rear wheels and upon investigation I found out that the rear hub cover had worked looses. I decided to remove the drum and the brake shoes and when I'd reassembled everything the handbrake had improved! I'll have to do the other side as well then it'll be fine. Money's too tight to mention (as the song goes) so I won't be spending much on my fleet until I can get my finances under control. Still no sign of the motherboard so I'm still having to do this on my laptop. That docking station was the best £10 I ever spent! I can still use my monitor, mouse and keyboard from my desktop.

A bit on Project Blue

On the spur of the moment I decided to do a bit of work on Project Blue. I removed the fuel pump and then I operated the pump by hand and petrol came through. I then reconnected the fuel pipes and primed the carbs and rebolted the fuel pump on. Unfortunately I was unable to start the car because my brother came back & I had to move Becky out of the way as Project Blue still has to be jump started becuase there isn't enough power in the battery to crank the engine. At least I know that the fuel lines are clear so that's one less problem. If you're wondering why I haven't posted any pics for a while it is because my desktop PC is still out of action awaiting a replacement motherboard so I'm having to do everything on my laptop.

Brake-through

I think I've made a breakthrough on the rear brakes with my Acclaims. On closer inspection of the Haynes manual I think I've reassembled a couple of the springs in the wrong place. Once the rain lets up and I get some time I'll be taking a look. Fortunately this is something which won't cost me any money and will give me a working handbrake at last!

Snowdrop is back in use only because I'm going to a Triumph Dolomite Club meeting so I feel I should turn up in a Dolomite!

Curse this car!

Project Blue has me beat. I don't know why this car won't run. I think I'm gonna have to have a break from it for a while. There's no desperate rush to get it back on the road and when I come back to it I'll be in a different frame of mind. I've bid on a couple of factory workshop manuals on eBay so some more info will be of help to me.

I filled up Becky with petrol for the first time this year! I'll see how far she can go on a full tank. I took her for a trip over the Pennines (with my good lady) and round Manchester and she didn't miss a beat. I wish Project Blue was like that.

Project Blue

I managed to replace the brake pads. The old ones weren't all that bad but I managed to bleed the front calipers and the pedal feels firm. I replaced the rear shoes and now I've no handbrake! Why is it that when I replace brake shoes the handbrake stops working? I've tried starting the car and I'm still no further. I even put another £5 worth of petrol in the tank. I removed the fuel pump cover and all was fine. I think I'm gonna have to face the inevitable and drop the tank and clean it out.

Project Blue is braking me

The good news: I fitted the new wheel cylinder, bled it and the pedal feels like it should.

The bad news: When I removed the drum I noticed that one of the linings had come off the brake shoes so they'll have to be replaced. Fortunately, they're quite cheap so I'll replace the pads at the same time and then the brakes should be 100%. This means that Champion Motor Spares (the trusty local motor factor) will be getting some more of my business.

Latest on the fleet

First up Becky suffered a puncture so it was off to my local tyre fitter who repaired it for £6.

I've bought a new fuel filter for Project Blue. It is a generic one but as long as it does the job I ain't too bothered. I also bought a new one-man bleeding valve in readiness for finishing off the brakes. A new wheel cyinder has now been ordered from my trusty local motor factor (I think I really should be naming these places so I'll do it from now on) which will arrive tomorrow. I was hoping to get some work done but I've been rained off this evening.

Snowdrop is now getting a rest since completing the HCR at the weekend. I also want to sort out the clutch before I put her back into service. The biting point shouldn't be on the floor.

Working on Project Blue

I turned my attention towards the fuel system on Project Blue. Like I did on Snowdrop I managed to flush the main fuel line that goes from the filter to the bulkhead. Using an old fuel pump and some clean warm water did the trick. The car is now getting fuel through but when I can get it started it will run for a short while and then cut out. Next up will be the fuel pump.

Some progress made

First I'll let you know how the HCR went.

Snowdrop performed fine despit the low biting point on the clutch. I only visited 3 of the places out of 9. We had to find a pit board and couldn't find any. Because of this messing about it cost us time and after leaving the 3rd place we realized that we wouldn't have time to visit any more so it was back to the Manor in Fillongley for the breakfast. Apart from not visitng as many places as hoped it was enjoyable. The only bit of motorway we did was the M42 from junction 1 to junction 6 on the way back to Fillongley. My favourite bit of road was the A5 from Bangor to Bewts-y-coed.

I've just been working on Project Blue and I manged to get her running again. I rechecked the ignition timing and even watched No. 4 exhaust valve (visible when the oil filler cap is removed) and it was spot on. I removed & regapped the spark plugs. Still nothing. I refitted the old spark plugs and the car ran! Isn't that strange? Now I'm having fuel problems because there's none coming through now.

Retiring

No, I'm not giving up anything. One of Snowdrop's front tyres was in need of replacement so I went to my trusty local independent tyre fitter and got it replaced for only £24. The guy said that it was caused by too many U-turns which I've been doing on a daily basis since I put the car into daily use so no more of them. Snowdrop is more-or-less ready to take part in the HCR this weekend. I've been trying to source a replacement wheel cylinder for Project Blue. The bleed nipple on the left hand one has sheared off and replacement is the only option so I've got my local motor factor on the case. There's a meeting tonight so I might give Becky a run out. She's also a bit easier and quicker to drive than Snowdrop. I wish Project Blue was on the road. That car is better equipped and I'd like to see how Acclaims drive with the auto box.

Even more on Snowdrop

I did a bit more work on Snowdrop last night. The gearbox rear mounting was replaced. I noticed this when I did the clutch plate. Fortunately I had a spare which was on my other gearbox so that was robbed and fitted on Snowdrop. She drives a lot better now so I'm now all set for the HCR. I investigated the clevis pin on the clutch pedal and it is fine. The hole in the pedal is a bit elongated but I don't think that affects the biting point. I'm sure it is the slave cylinder that is the problem so I think it is time to throw some money in the direction of the Triumph Dolomite Club for a recon slave cylinder.

More with Snowdrop

I've now completed the job and the car drives fine but the biting point is almost on the floor. I reckon that's why the clutch plate wore away in the space of 10 months. An ex-Austin-Rover mechanic reckons that there might be wear at the clevis pin which attaches the pedal to the piston in the master cylinder which would cause a low biting point. I'm not gonna leave it until the clutch plate wears again! The rear gearbox mounting has broken so I'll have to rob the one off my other gearbox. I should be able to change it in situ without losing too much gearbox oil. I added some oil when the gearbox was out so there should be more than enough.

Progress with Snowdrop

Things are looking up with this car. The slipping clutch turned out to be a worn clutch plate and a replacement ended up costing me only £12.10 from my trusty local motor factor and I managed to fit it last night. Better still, I managed to get the gearbox back on this evening without having to call on an extra pair of hands. I'll be finishing it off tonight even if it means burning the midnight oil. The worst is behind me so it is plain sailing and it gives me a chance got get some miles put on the car before the HCR takes place.