Thanks for reminding me Charles…job for this afternoon as I prepare for the LCES Welsh weekend.
I’ve just finished an experiment on refurbishing a steering wheel. ‘Have a go Howard’ decided to save cash and epoxy coat a wheel. Many coats (some sanded off straight away) and eventually I think I’ve got a passable result.
For those that might like to have a go …. each coat was standard epoxy resin thinned with cellulose thinners (cos that is what I had) and the final few coats dyed with black epoxy dye.
27-03-2025, 03:06 PM (This post was last modified: 27-03-2025, 03:10 PM by Reckless Rat.)
My RP will be coming out of hibernation this weekend for an old car gathering at our local market town Saint Ambroix. Today I have been mainly checking it over from front to back and it was amazing how much needed tightening up again. One item generally not seen because it's behind the front number plate is the front shocker. The centre bolt and star spring needed a tweak as did the end links. One of which is bolted directly to the front axle beam to help reduce the self steer when cornering. The front spring is orignal and fairly flat so locking the o/s shocker arms works well enough for my driving style these days.
Levels checked, greased up and ready to go. Engine started first pull
Passepartout (aka Baldrick,) as bomb aimer and navigator will be with me in case my wonky arm causes any probs.
An excellent turnout at the local VSCC meet in Ripon. Three Austin 7's, three MG's, two Alvises, Flying Standard, Triumph Roadster amongst the cars.
The RL went very well and was motoring along at 45mph on the way home when it faltered and then picked up again. Running out of petrol, I thought. At the lights on the bridge over the River Swale I pulled in and put the spare gallon of fuel in. After that it would not start and I was not in the best place to be messing about under the bonnet. After an hour or so changing the distributor about four times I came to the conclusion that it was an ignition problem as I could not get a healthy spark. It fired up briefly on my spare DK2 dizzy but soon petered out. By this time the battery was about flat so I rang my local garage in Thirsk about 3 miles away. They were soon out with a starter pack but to no avail, so towed me back to the garage in Thirsk. After another hour or so changing the distributor and general checking it fired up on the DK2 and I got back to Boltby. I will give the whole ignition system a good going over before it goes out again. In 25 years of regular use this is the first time that the car has ever needed a tow but at least it didn't suffer the indignity of coming home on a recovery transporter.
A local member acquired a nice 1934 tourer for a project to make it an EV after a year in that mode he converted it back to ICE using the original engine and bits to which the DVLA said it must have an MOT so guess where it's come for a pre MOT service.
28-03-2025, 07:06 PM (This post was last modified: 28-03-2025, 07:10 PM by Dave Mann.)
Did I say service? It's more like rebuild FOS brake shoe pivot very loose, shoes removed and one was minus the spring anchor. Rear brake levers pointing up, RNS brake awash in oil, dismantled axle to change diff seals. 8 brake shoes dispatched to Safetec for relining. I much prefer working on front tank cars the rear tank and tailpipe get in the way.
During a lull in activities I had a look at the tires and all 5 would be instant MOT failure with cracks in the sidewalls, my question is what to fit? While a glance at the electrics reveals a rewire is needed with wires tie wrapped to the track rod and the OS brake cable and not a grommet in sight, the perpetrator is a retired electrical engineer.
29-03-2025, 02:38 PM (This post was last modified: 29-03-2025, 02:51 PM by Steve Jones.)
Cloudy and windy day in Funchal so what to do? I know, the Electrical Museum as recommended by Andy Fox. Some tremendous exhibits. First two are diesel generators that should interest our Stockport correspondent as they were made by Mirrlees Bickerton and Day Ltd of Stockport. Third is a Meadows generating set made, despite what it says on the Tappet Chest Cover by Henry Meadows Ltd using their 4EC petrol engine. Sadly, no Austin generating sets. Whilst I said there were some tremendous exhibits, Mrs. Jones wasn't quite as impressed
(29-03-2025, 02:38 PM)Steve Jones Wrote: Cloudy and windy day in Funchal so what to do? I know, the Electrical Museum as recommended by Andy Fox. Some tremendous exhibits. First two are diesel generators that should interest our Stockport correspondent as they were made by Mirrlees Bickerton and Day Ltd of Stockport. Third is a Meadows generating set made, despite what it says on the Tappet Chest Cover by Henry Meadows Ltd using their 4EC petrol engine. Sadly, no Austin generating sets. Whilst I said there were some tremendous exhibits, Mrs. Jones wasn't quite as impressed
Steve
Good use of time but did you ever think she’d be impressed?
"Mrs. Jones wasn't quite as impressed"
I recall taking - many years ago - a group of 12-year school children to the Manchester Museum of Science and Technology. One of the questions on the worksheet they had to complete was, "How does water flow uphill?" One of the girls asked what that meant, so I explained that, as she lived in a house on a hill, if she filled a bucket with water from the tap, took it outside and poured it into the gutter, it would run downhill. "So", I said, "The question is, how does the water get into your house and all the others on hills in Sheffield? You'll find the answer in the museum." Having found the exhibit of the giant steam-powered water pump, she raced back to me, full of excitement, exclaiming, "That's fantastic! I'd no idea they existed. I'd just taken it for granted that, when you turn a tap, water comes out."
Years later I happened to meet her when out shopping and asked what she was doing. She replied that she'd a PhD in engineering and was working for Ricardo, trying to develop a system that would allow engines to run without oil changes. "How's that going?" I asked. "Not very well!" she replied - and then went on to recall the visit to Manchester and how it had inspired her to become interested in engineering.
Looking at the Museum's website, here's something that I'd not known about: a hydraulic power system beneath Manchester's streets: https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org...id=1&pid=4
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