Oil slick...

Not quite Exxon Valdez but bad enough. I was checking Becky's oil and had to top it up and I didn't fasten the lid on properly and I ended up spilling Castrol GTX on Becky's boot carpet. I've managed to get most of it off. I'm glad it wasn't used oil which would've been a lot worse! On a slightly more positive note, I've got the rocker gasket. (£2.75 from my trusty local motor factor!) I've found another jobt to do on Snowdrop. The boot lamp will need fixing. I can always rob the bits off the Toledo to save me money yet again!

All is well again

I went out to Snowdrop, replaced the split hose, filled the radiator and got her back home. I then decided to fit the rest of the hoses and the stainless steel water pipe that runs from the back of the water pump to the heater. I've just road tested the car and she is now running fine so all the fluids have now been replaced. I didn't have time to paint the rocker cover so that can wait until I do the gasket replacement.

Problem solved!

After last night's breakdown I was pleased when the hose set arrived so I can just replace the split hose with the new one to get going again and fit the rest when I get Snowdrop back to her resting place. (chez Anita) I was so pleased that I ordered some more parts from TD Fitchett. I've decided to replace the pinion bearing in the diff in the hope that it will cure the noise. I've ordered a new oil seal as well. I think the diff is leaking there and I'll have to replace the oil seal anyway. I've also remembered another small job that needs doing. The rocker gasket is leaking so that will have to be replaced and I'm going to paint the rocker cover so I've bought a can of silver high temperature paint in readiness for the job. The road tax is due at the end of the month so I'd better keep that in mind as well!

Disaster!

Snowdrop has had her first breakdown. As I was driving the temperature gauge went into the red and the heaters were blowing cold which meant that I was losing coolant. My fears were confirmed when I saw steam coming out of the engine compartment. One of the heater hoses had split causing coolant to leak. Fortunately I was able to park up somewhere safe and I went to Anita's to get Becky. This is ironic considering that I'd already ordered a compete hose set. I knew that they were overdue to be replaced. Fortunately the split is right next to the clip so I reckon that the hose can be trimmed back, refitted, the radiator refilled it it would be good enough to get back to Anita's until I get the new hoses. Snowdrop is now in Anitia's sister's pub car park and Snowdrop will be safe where she is.

More stuff to do

The list of jobs for Snowdrop seems to be growing.

All the cooling system hoses have to be replaced. They've been ordered from TD Fitchett.
The radiator will be drained, flushed and refilled. Already got enough anti-freeze.
I really need to do something about the diff. I'm not sure which course to take on this one. Options are: Swap the axle, swap the diff (the Toledo will provide donor parts) or replace the pinion bearing and oil seal.

A nut on the exhaust bracket dropped off on the way to a meeting today. It was a good thing I'd replaced the nut because the weather turned soon after. As I'm typing the snow is still falling!

Gonna sort that diff!

Last night's North Yorkshire meeting made me realize just how noisy Snowdrop's differential is. 60-70 mph and the noise is almost unbearable so I'm gonna do an axle swap with the Toledo and then I can repair and overhaul Snowdrop's axle at my leisure (when time and finances allow!) With this in mind I've ordered a replacement set of nuts and bolts for the trailing arms and the tie bars (where they bolt to the body. I'll be leaving the other end well alone for now!) so I can afford to waste seriously rusted 30+ year old nuts and bolts that probably haven't moved since the 70s! I know that the Toledo's diff is a LOT quieter that the one that's on Snowdrop. Another job in mind will be to change the coolant, flush the radiator, flush the matrix and replaces all the hoses and hose clips. An ex-Rover mechanic recommended the Unipart antifreeze. I've been using Castrol in Becky so I might go along with the Unipart stuff. Worth a try.

Finally got it!

At last! My local Motosave have got my air filter. They've done their best even taking off the old one to get a part number but the result is what counts. I'll be going over to Anita's to fit it later on today. Snowdrop has served me well in daily use in the past week. Becky will be going back to weekday duties on Monday but Snowdrop will be used at the weekends and when there's a meeting on.

Servicing

I did a basic service on Snowdrop last night. I changed the spark plugs, (the v-grooved NGKs which cost just under £10 from Halfords for a set of 4) engine oil and oil filter. The oil filter didn't look right and before taking the plunge I went down to the garage and tried it out on a 1300 engine that I keep there. It was the wrong one so I went to a motor factor that was still open (it was about 8pm at the time) and got the right oil filter. The oil I used was a £4.99 own brand 20W/50 from my local Motosave which is perfect for a 1977 Dolomite 1300. The old oil was WAY past its best. I don't know when the last oil change was done as the previous owner had not done any servicing on the car in the 8 months he owned it and prior to that it had been left in a garage for 5 years. I'm surprised that Snowdrop was in such good condition considering her recent history. I'd noticed a Dinitrol sticker in the back window and thought it was fuel related but when I saw another Dinitrol sticker on the inside of the bonnet saying that the car had been rust-proofed it made sense to me. The rust-proofing had obviously done its job preserving Snowdrop. I took the oil filter back to where I got it from and got an air filter ordered. When I went back to pick up the oil filter it was the wrong one so I'll have to go back again when they've got the right one.

A bit more work

The brakes seemed fine or so I thought. WRONG! On the way to the pub where I work the pedal sank. When I'd finished at the pub I went straight over to Anita's and on the way I called in at an Esso petrol station to get some more brake fluid as I'd used most of what I already had. It cost mw just over a fiver for 500ml, a tad expensive but safety is paramount and you can't put a price on that. I bled some more fluid through and I wasn't surprised when more crap came out. Since I've done it my handiwork seems to be holding. I've had a fuse blow on me again so I really need to investigate. I may have to re-wire my CD player as it's connected direct to the battery and was the only electrical mod I've done on Snowdrop. There should be a radio feed that I can use to power the CD player. I can't think what else it could be.

Did a bit of work

The brakes on Snowdrop didn't feel too clever so I decided the chenge the fluid. With my trusty one man brake bleeding tube (it had a non-return velve at the end) I got the job done without much trouble. I don't think the fluid has been changed in YEARS as the stuff that came out was dark, cloudy, full of air and didn't look like brake fluid! At the same time I checked the engine oil which was below the minimum mark on the dipstick so I immediately topped it up with some Castrol GTX which I had to hand. (for Becky's next oil change) I also checked the dashopt level in the carburettor and topped it up. Snowdrop has been blowing fuses so I had to rob the fuses out of the Toledo. (there'll be nothing left of that car when I get round to putting it back on the road!) I also fitted the wheel trims I got at Stoneleigh on to Baby Blue. The next thing planned will be to service Snowdrop. (engine oil, oil filter, air filter and spark plugs)

Stoneleigh bargain

I got a pair of wheel trims for Baby Blue costing me only £10 from the Club Triumph spares stand. They were priced at £8 each but I negotiated a discount. Being an area organiser has its advantages! Somebody suggested that I check the oil level in Sonwdrop's rear axle before I start taking anything apart so I bought a litre of gearbox oil from my trusty local motor factor and tonight I managed to get just under half of it in. I'll be going to my local TSSC meeting tonight so it will be the ideal opportunity to road-test Snowdrop.

And here is what Snowdrop looks like. I've managed to cure an exhaust knock (although it is still there when reversing) I forgot to mention that this car came with a CD player and it has a tape input so I could hook up my MP3 player. The Toledo has become a spares car donating a gearbox, starter motor, temperature sender and clutch slave cylinder. 

I've got a Dolomite

Last week I saw a Dolomite 1300 on eBay. As this one was local to me I thought I'd take a look in case anyone was interested. (I'd no intention of buying the car at the time) The car was exactly as described and the only major thing wrong was a whining which both the seller and me thought was the gearbox. As I had a spare gearbox that I knew would fit and that I had the money to buy the car I made the seller an offer and bought the car privately. The first thing I did was replace a piece of chrome trim that was missing from the rear wing (as donated by the spares 1500) and then I set about swapping the gearbox. After a major struggle I completed the job but the whining was still there. At the moment I suspect the differential. Then another problem cropped up. The clutch wouldn't engage making it almost impossible to select a gear and the biting point was very low. The problem turned out to be the slave cylinder on the clutch so I ended up using the slave cylinder out of the Toledo and it was fine after that. I'm hoping to do a service on the Dolomite. (now known as Snowdrop because she's white)

Fresh rubber

Becky had to have new front tyres so it was off to a local independent tyre fitter. (I've used them before when Becky had a puncture) The cost was only £24 per tyre which included a valve and balancing. Cheaper than the "fast fit" places. The first thing I noticed that the steering was a LOT lighter and hopefully, I shouldn't need anything else just yet. I've been given some more Castrol GTX which should see me through the next oil change.

Back ot Baby Blue

Work on Baby Blue has resumed. First I gave the rebuilt steering column another clean. I then removed the parcel shelf. I disconnected the steering column wiring plugs, loosened the adjusting bracket, removed the bottom pin, loosened the top end of the steering coupling but the column still wouldn't come out so I've decided to leave it for now. The whole car needs a good clean which is a job for my pressure washer when I finally get it up and running!

Let there be light!

As I mentioned earlier one of the courtesy light switches on Becky was playing up and another wasn't working at all. I got hold of a replacement switch, fitted it removed the one that was plating up, cleaned up the connection and success! The interior light comes on when all four doors are opened. Aside from getting a set of jump leads I don't need to do anything with Becky.

Back to Baby Blue

The bushes for her steering rack and the bulkhead bush for the steering column arrived from Rimmer Bros today. I can't see them being fitted just yet but I've now got everything I need to swap my steering rack and steering column and then I'll be able to start Baby Blue with the key! Next on the shopping list will be some sheet steel. A guy who comes in the pub on Sundays who works "on the busses" says he can get me some so I might be able to get Baby Blue's bodywork done without any more expense.

More filler removed

I resumed my attack on the front end of the Toledo. I'd bought an angle grinder but I realized that it was overkill on bodyfiller so it was back to the wirebrush on my drill and a claw hammer. It is amazing what you can cover up with filler. It looks like I'll have to replace both front wings but I can probably patch up the front panel. Once I've stripped down the front end I'll get a better idea of the extent of the rust.

I've finally resumed work on the Toledo. I've made a start on cutting out all the filler and rust (plenty of it!) using the wirebrush attachment on my drill. Maybe I should invest in an angle grinder to speed things up a bit.
Becky's had a new set of wiper blades. I had a bit of trouble fitting one of them but I succeeded in the end and the wipers work a lot better now. 

Did a bit of spending...

I've just ordered a few parts for Baby Blue. Rimmer Bros are offering 20% off this month so I've ordered new poly rack bushes and the steering column bulkhead bush. I've just had a quick look at Baby Blue and it looks like the parcel shelf has to come out when I get round to fitting the rebuilt sterring column. I was given a couple of small pieces of steel sheeting and it looks like I've got enough to plate the inner wings and the sill.