Brown is back together

The replacement flex plate arrived and I was able to put everything back together and reinstall the engine. The only problem was that one of the engine mounts wouldn't go on but I got there in the end and Brown is now up and running again. The main problem I have is that the exhaust is knocking on the rear crossmember. I suspect that the engine mounts need replacing. I've also noticed that the engine seems to vibrate quite a bit. I wonder if a good tune-up is needed. I'd like to fit electronic ignition which should help but the cost is a bit prohibitive now that I'm back out of work.

Plenty of work done on Brown

I managed to get hold of an engine crane. The guy who brought it down also gave me a hand with getting Brown's engine out. The only thing that needed to be done was to unbolt the exhaust manifold and once that was done the engine came out.

The autobox was easy to separate apart from the torque converter bolts which were a pig to undo but we got there in the end.

It soon became obvious what the actual problem was. The flex plate (which takes place of the flywheel) had broken in the middle. This explains the noises I heard and the loss of drive in all gears because the torque converter wasn't being driven by the engine. This means that the original autobox can go back in (once I've cleaned it and changed the fluid).

I've put in an appeal for an replacement flex plate and there will be one on they way to me next week. In a way this is good because I can get everything cleaned and painted at my leisure. They guy who fetched the engine crane down has let me keep it so I can refit the engine once I've got the flex plate fitted. I've already cleaned up the engine bay and beneath all the grime is a half decent subframe.

I'd already got the replacement autobox but it is now surplus to requirements and is now for sale.

Another disaster!

First Brown and now Becky II decides to break down.

I had sourced a replacement autobox for Brown. On my way to collect it Becky II's timing belt decides to let go when I'm dong 70 mph on the M62. Ironically, it was the same stretch between junctions 11 & 12 and even more ironic was that it was the same recovery driver who rescued me as before. Diagnosing the problem took some time as at first I thought it was ignition related. I was swapping various ignition bits from both Becky & Blue to no avail. I even checked for fuel delivery but the penny finally dropped when I was wondering why the engine seemed to turn quite easily when I operated the starter. Once I got to the timing belt it was obvious that it had snapped. Normally, this would mean the end for the engine as on most cars the valves would hit the pistons. I've read about other Acclaim owners whose timing belts has snapped and were fine again after replacing the belt. I had a belt in the garage so I set to work. Aside from the crankshaft pulley bolt it went well. Once I'd finished the car ran like a bag of spanners which turned out to be the No. 2 & 3 HT leads the wrong way round. After that was rectified the car ran perfectly and some road testing followed and I can say that Becky II is none the worse for the timing belt letting go. I will now be able to make the next local TSSC meeting.

Brown's engine/autobox is new ready to come out. The car is now back on all four wheels and I've even painted the radiator with some black Hammerite smooth. The engine bay will look better once I've fitted the replacment autobox.

Getting things fixed.

I put the spare radiator in Becky II and that has cured the overheating problem. I can now get the original rad repaired at my leisure. An oil change is overdue so I'm planning on doing that tomorrow.

Brown's engine is nearly ready to come out. I need to remove the centre exhaust section, remove the autobox crossmember and undo the speedo cable and it will be ready to lift out. I also need an engine crane or a few hefty blokes with a scaffolding pole. Can anybody help me? I've got a replacement box lined up and I'll go pick it up once I've done the oil change on Becky II.

Disaster!

This morning on the way to a show Brown's autobox decided to let go on me leaving the car immobile. Brown is now back in the garage and I've already begun to prepare to remove the engine/autobox. I've already been offered a replacement auto very cheaply so I'll end up taking the offer up. While the engine is out I can sort out the exhaust and the engine mounts. The radiator will have to come out so I can renew the coolant at the same time.

Having aborted my visit to this show (the TDCIR, the Triumph Dolomite Club's annual get-together) I ended up going over to Ripon in Becky II. On the way over the temperature gauge started going towards the red. I topped up the radiator but on the way back it did the same again so the problem needed addressing. Fortunately, I had a spare radiator that was known to be leak free (it was Blue's original radiator which I had repaired) so that was put in. I filled up with plain water and gave it a road test. I managed to get a couple of litres of ready mixed coolant from the local Esso/Tesco Express for £5 so I'll put that in and top up with plain water. It'll do until I get the original radiator reapired and refitted.

Brown's turn for some attention

It's been a while since I posted any photos so I thought I'd get a couple up. I've started making a list of post-MoT jobs for Brown and I got a couple of them done already. The first job was to top up the autobox. I bought a litre and it all went in. I think it might still need a bit more. I also managed to fit a replacement windscreen trip. This only cost me £7 from Rarebits4classics down at this year's TSSC International. Below are the photos before and after and it has made a difference to how the car looks.

I've still got the timing and the carbs to adjust. I could also do with a half decent stereo (the CD player went in Becky II) so I'll have a rummage round and see what I can come up with.

Back on the road

Brown is finally road legal once again after 2 years. The failure points have now been rectified and the certificate was issued on Thursday. It only cost me £160 (excluding the test fee) which was a lot less than the last time. With free road tax it was worth doing. With a week to spare I can now shake this car down. There's the windscreen trim to fit, the tracking to do and the autobox fluid to check. I'll be trying to use Brown as much as I can.

I did some work on Blue this week. I had partially stripped the interior in readiness for removing the fuel line. I decided to refit everything and tried to revive the car. Really, Blue needs a new battery but this will have to wait until I have recovered financially from getting Brown back on the road. The brakes need overhauling, one of the sills needs welding, the transmission fluid needs topping up ate least and then there's the fuel problem. Somebody has suggested blowing through that fuel line with an air line to unblock it. This would save me from trying to replace it.

At last!

I managed to put Brown through the MoT and it failed. The failure points were:

Headlight aim too low.
Play in the front wheel bearings.
A twisted front brake hose.
Handbrake efficiency below standard.
Corrosion around one of the front subframe mounts.

Mostly minor things and not bad considering this car has been off the road for the last 2 years. It is really down the the hard work I've put in during these last 2 years. It will be ready by the weekend which means I've beaten my deadline by a week which gives me some time to shakedown this car before the TDCIR in September.

Handbrake day

Yes, today's spannering has a common theme.

Becky II's handbrake has been getting slowly worse (only scraped through the MoT back in February) so I had the rear wheels, the drums and the brake shoes off. I gave the lot a good clean and freed off the linkage. The result is a better handbrake. I'm not 100% happy but I'll give it change to all settle down. Definitely an improvment.

Brown needed some hadbrake adjustment too. I only had to do the nearside because that side had the cable replaced. I haven't done anything with the offside (if it ain't broke...). This job was much easier than on Becky II. And after testing it with the help of a Citroen AX I declared it much improved.

There's been a slight problem with arranging the MoT for Brown. My usual testing station doesn't open on Saturdays. That means I either have to take some time off work or I'll have to use another testing station.

Tyre-some

Brown has had the front tyres replaced.

Due to cost and the use Brown will be put to (club meetings, shows and back up for Becky II) I decided to get some part worns. All the local tyre fitters were closed so I had to look a bit further afield and I found a place near to the centre of Bradford which had a pair for only £15 each. With the replacement rubber I am now one step closer to getting an MoT certificate. Just the handbrake to adjust, the exhaust manifold-downpipe nuts to nip up, and some basic checks to do (lights, fluids and suchlike) then I can book the MoT. I've been promising the tester that I'd bring Brown down and now I should be able to make good on that promise. To focus my attention I've decided to set myself a definite deadline. The Triumph Dolomite Club are having their annual get-together (the TDCIR) on the 4th September so this is my deadline for getting Brown road legal and this should be achivable.

SORNs all round

I had to SORN Blue last week before the end of June. Since then I've had the reminders for Becky & Brown which are due at the end of this month. They both came in the same envelope so the DVLA seems to be getting their act together. Unless I can get either of them MoTd they'll be getting SORNd at the end of the month.

Front wheel tracking.

After replacing the front tyres on Becky II I got the front wheels alinged. I rang round a few local tyre fitters and the prices ranged from £20-£45. The cheapest price was from the closest one who I'd used before when I replaced Blue's rear tyres on the morning of the MoT back in August 2009. As expected, the tracking was wayyyyy out so it was adjusted without any difficulty and the steering wheel was lined up as well. Well worth the money.

Time for an update.

It's been 2 months since my last post and Brown is getting closer to being MoT-worthy. The rest of the wheel nuts and the headlight surrounds have been painted. The engine oil and filter were changed (not without incident). I've removed the remains of the wing mirrors which put up a bit of a fight but as always, I prevailed. A brand new battery (£46 - ouch!), fresh petrol, new points and condensor saw the car running again. I swapped the voltmeter with a spare one I had which is more accurate. The exhaust manifold-to-downpipe nuts needed nipping up to make the exhaust leak-free. I still need to adjust the handbrake and replace the front tyres before I can put this car in for the dreaded MoT.

Staying on the subject of tyres, Becky II needed her front tyres replacing. Because I'm not driving to work any more (40 miles a day plus the cost of parking puts a dent in my meagre finances) I went for part worns at £25 each (ouch, again!) The old tyres were worn on the inside edges which is indicative of the front wheel tracking being out. The tyre fitters told me the same so I'll be getting the tracking done at the weekend.

Plenty of more work done on the Dolomite

I've repainted the back panel. I've repainted the bootlid. I've replaced the windscreen. I've replaced the exhaust. I've adjusted the nearside front bearings. I've sprayed the nearside wheel nuts. And that's just for starters. I've got a few more jobs to do before I put Brown in for an MoT. I've been promising my MoT man that I'd bring Brown down to test. With no road tax to pay for I can justifiy spending money on getting this car through the MoT.

A small confession...

...I should have posted this a few days ago. I finally did a bit of work on Brown (Dolomite 1850). Somebody on the TDC forum was offering some parts for free. He was in Leeds so it was handy for me because I'm working there at the moment. I arrange to meet up with him and I ended up with a set of rear light units and a windscreen. These parts will be of use to me to get Brown back towards MoT-worthiness. Some time ago when taking the trolley jack out of Brown's boot I dropped it breaking one of the reversing light lensse. When I checked the price of a new one on the Rimmer Bros website I decided to live with it. With these spare rear light units I was juat able to swap the one that had the broken lens. The job went without a single problem. It may be a small thing but I don't want this car to fail the MoT on something small which brings me on to the windscreen. Brown's windscreen has some scratches and if that's an MoT failure I now have a decent one which I can put in if need be. I'm also thinking about improving some of the poor paintwork. My plan is to start on the back panel. A rub down and spray with some satin black should leave it looking like new. This means that I'll have to strip the back end to prep it.

Service part 4

I got the coolant changed without any problems. I undid the bottom hose to drain the system, I then filled up with clean water and ran it up to working temperature. I then drained the system again and filled up with fresh coolant. I removed the overflow bottle and cleaned it and put some fresh coolant in after I'd refitted it. I put in two litres of antifreeze and then I topped up with clean water which should give approxiamtely a 50/50 mixture. I made a start on changing the timing belt but I couldn't undo the crankshaft pulley bolt so I've had to give up. If I had an air wrench it would have been an easy job. Oh, for a compressor!

Service part 3

I've managed to source an air filter from Champion Motor Spares so I stopped by on the way home from work to collect it. At £12.50 I felt it was reasonably priced. Just the coolant and the cambelt to replace and that's the service done. Next I can move on to Brown. The first thing I need is a new battery and some fresh fuel which will got a long way towards getting this car running again.

Service part 2

I went to my local motor factor and the radiator cap was there so I took it leaving me £5 lighter. I decided to swap it there and then and I wasn't really surprised to fin that there was no pressure when I removed the old cap. It was obviously way overdue for replacement. When I got back I removed the cap to top up the radiator and there was some pressure in the cooling system so all seems to be well. I'll be still flushing the system out and refilling with fresh coolant. I've had no problems and I want to keep it that way!

Service part 2

The brake pads have now been fitted. I got the job done inside of 45 minutes from start to finish. The time included getting my tools out of the garage and putting them away. Changing the brake pads on the Acclaim must be one of the easiest pad change jobs and it all went without a single hitch.

Next on the list will be the cambelt change, the air filter and the cooling system. The top hose appears to be fine when the cooling system is under presure so I might not have to replace it. The small amount of coolant lost must have caused a vacuum. In any case, I'll be flushing it and renewing the coolant.

Service Part 1

I have made a start on servicing Becky II

The engine oil, oil filter and spark plugs have all been changed. With the front end up on axle stands for the oil change I removed the front wheels to check the brake pads and they're in need of replacment soon so I've bought a new set. I'm still waiting for a new air filter which I can't get until next Tuesday. When I was changing the spark plugs I noticed the the top radiator hose had collspsed so I'll have to rob the on that's on Becky. I removed the radiator cap and found some sludge so I'll need to flush the cooling system and replace the coolant. This is turning into a major service. I think the cambelt will need replacing as well. I've also bled fresh brake fluid through the front calipers so they're fine.

I'll be fitting the new pads tomorrow.