

Latest - Aborted MOT
by glang
![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
FHC resto nr. 123; An inventory of RKC 4348 |
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Started on refurbishing the wiring harnesses, which I will be using for the ’76 car, today. The plan was to start with one of the smaller harnesses, the facia harness (RKC 4348). Checking and cleaning the connectors and wires, and wrapping the harness with new wiring loom tape. But first I wanted to document all connector blocks. This because the plan is to pull all connector blocks apart to inspect the crimped connectors and to give them a proper clean. And a photographic inventory should help to get all the wires back in their connector block in the correct position. So one of my cameras was put into action to document every connector from various angles. That’s where it went wrong time wise. I had chosen the facia harness to start with, because it is a compact harness. So easy to work on. But despite its compact dimensions, it comes with a lot of connectors and a lot of wires. Which meant a lot of pictures. And by the time I had finished the photo shoot, and selected the pictures for the archive the afternoon had slipped by. But at least I now have a well-documented harness. The various connectors of which can be broken down in three main groups;
The light switch: The heated rear screen switch: The fog light switch: The hazard light switch: A selection of the various connectors for the instrument panel. To start with the low fuel warning unit and the wires that connect to it: The 6 pin instrument panel connector: The 12 pin instrument panel connector: And finally the connectors to plug this harness into the rest of the wiring of this car: Hopefully I’ll be able to start dismantling the harness during the coming week. That’s the advantage of a small loom, I can work on it behind my desk! |
![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
Coolant leak DHC |
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Or preparing the car for the first drive of the year! As the weather forecast for the weekend was very nice, I decided that one of the jobs for the Saturday was a check-up for the DHC. It turned out all fluid levels were OK, though the dip stick might tell a different story. But it is the dip stick from a Dolomite 1850. In the past I checked the exact level by filling the sump with the exact amount of oil. And with this in the sump, the level was halfway between the tip and the low level mark. In other words the oil level was almost at the maximum mark. The coolant level also was nearly at its maximum level. But when I checked for signs of leaks underneath the engine I found a small puddle of coolant sitting on top of the sub frame. As it was sitting right underneath the water pump, that was where I started the search. But the infamous hole was bone dry. The same applied for the other regular leakage point, the connector pipe between the inlet manifold and the water pump cover. But everything was dry there too. This only left one option. The top of the hose that goes from the water pump cover to the radiator. And sure enough, there was coolant on the back of this hose back. And on closer inspection I found this originated from the top of the hose. It turned out the jubilee clip pictured above had become a little lose. Quite easy to rectify! The final jobs were topping up the oil in the carburettor dampers and checking the tyre pressures. They were all at about 1,8 bar. So they needed a little extra air, as I run the tyres on this car at 2,0 bar on all four corners. And this afternoon I was able to enjoy a glorious winters day with the hood down. Sadly all photogenic places were cramped with people, so only the one picture as prove. It was nice to be out again in this car, and before I knew it, I was back in the shed with 165 kilometres added to the cars odometer. It was an afternoon well spent indeed! posted Sun 21st Feb 2021 |
![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
FHC resto nr. 122; Wiring harness entries |
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Last week I made the decision to use the complete late main harness from the parts donor. But that meant the current firewall feed-through opening for the harness needed widening from ø43mm to ø62mm This is to accommodate the larger rubber grommet of the later harness. Should have been easy with a hole saw or a step drill. Sadly I couldn’t use these as the centre for the enlarged hole was offset from the original hole. When I explained this to a friend, he advised me not to mess about and handed me this de-burring drill bit set. Being Saturday, I loaded the tools in the Defender this afternoon, and went to the shed where I braved the cold. Fortunately, the sun was shining brightly and directly through the gate. So despite the outside temperatures being just below zero, the temperatures inside were comfortable enough to work. With all the tools inside the shed I started with moving the sound proofing out of the way and marking the outline of the new hole with a pencil. Sadly the much clearer felt tipped pen decided it didn’t like the cold! Next job was trying out which de-burring bit worked best, after which the fun could begin! Biggest problem I encountered was the fact that I had to use a normal (battery powered) drill. So the rotation speed was on the low side. Resulting in a de-burring bit which was fighting me all the way. But it lost nevertheless. And well within the hour I had a nice large hole to feed the wiring harness through. It isn’t a perfect circle, but that fact will be completely hidden by the overlap of the rubber grommet! I also added an extra hole underneath (as per the later cars) to feed some extra wires into the engine bay. With a good quality step drill that was a job that only took a few minutes. After which the soundproofing could be put back in place (hairdryer came in handy!). But not before an extra hole was added and the iron filings had been removed. |
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Halifax UK - Triumph car dealers 105 |
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This short post is about the garages that sold and serviced Standard Triumph vehicles in Halifax, Yorkshire UK. Central Garage (Halifax) LtdIn October 1958 a business called Central Garages (Halifax) Ltd were operating from 89 King Cross Road and were the area distributors for Standard Triumph. Do you know if this business was taken over by H J Car Sales? H J Car SalesLater on H J Cars Sales traded out of the same building as Central Garage (Halifax) Ltd. At the time this photo was taken the firm were also dealing with Singer cars. Boyes Garages (Halifax) LtdBoyes ran several branches I have written about Boyes of Huddefield in a previous post. Hoffmans of HalifaxHoffmans were a chain of garages that sold Rolls Royce motor cars. I have written about Hoffmans of Sheffield in the past. In 1936 a public company was formed to acquire the Provincial Tramways Co[1]. Subsquently that business acquired Hoffmans of Halifax and Hoffmans of Sheffield in 1958. Triumph car dealers in HalifaxTriumph April 1938 March 1974: April 1979: Distributor Plea for informationIf you have any information or recollections about Standard Triumph car dealers in Halifax such as photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin Further information and sourcesLink to the other articles in this series.Link to facebook page: Triumph Car Dealers. Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors . I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html Picture credits: Central Garage photo from httpwww.halifaxpeople.comHistoric-KingCross.html; H J Sales photo posted to facebook. A blog post from vitessesteve
posted Wed 10th Feb 2021
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![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
FHC resto nr. 121; Choosing wiring harnesses part 2 |
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Another of the plans that fell victim to the everlasting restoration of this early TR7. In the spring of last year I selected the main harness that was going to be used for this car. But then the parts car, I received from a friend late last year, intervened. And the wiring from that car looked to be even better than the one I had chosen before. So over the weekend I spent some time in the shed to check and compare the various wiring harnesses I had put aside for the ’76 car. And after an hour or so I was left with these harnesses that got my approval. Pictured above is the main harness (PKC 1946), engine harness (RKC 5511), facia harness (RKC 4348), plus battery lead, battery earth and rear screen earth. And finally two door harnesses (TKC 3831). Though only one will be (partially) used as this car will get the early roof mounted interior light. But the passenger door will get a map reading light. So that is a part of the harness that will be used after some extra attention. The gear box harness (UKC 9200) and the body harness (RKC 3630) are not shown above, as these have been prepared already. I even had a go at cleaning the various connectors somewhere last year, but forgot to make a mention here. For cleaning I used a solution of salt, dissolved in hot water and cleaning vinegar. After leaving the connectors in this solution for 15 to 20 minutes they were rinsed of with clean water. And finally dried in the bathroom, being the warmest and best vented room in the house! Remains one final task before I commit myself to changing this car’s wiring to the later layout. And that is to make the decision if I am going to do a job I should have done before painting the shell: Enlarging the hole in the firewall, through which the main harness passes into the engine bay. On this early car the diameter of the hole is approximately ø43mm: But on the later cars from which I want to use the wiring harnesses, this hole measures approximately ø62mm: I had hoped to get away with “just” using the earlier grommets for the passages through the bulkhead and into the front wing. But removing one from an old loom intact has proved to be impossible without butchering a complete loom. And with no guarantee that the grommets would survive fitting it to a different harness. So I have decided to enlarge this hole. Remains to find out how best to tackle this job. For that I will pick the brains of a few friends as soon as possible! Another looming challenge are the different locations for the engine harness to exit the cabin. On the ’76 car this harness passes through a hole in the transmission tunnel. Where on the later cars the engine harness passes through the bulkhead alongside the heater. As these holes are pretty close together I hope I can use the original one. Maybe I have to adapt the engine loom a little for this. But that shouldn’t be too much of a challenge! And to end this weekend I took my Defender out to play for a few hours in the snow, ice and mud! posted Sun 7th Feb 2021 |
![]() posts: 2378 Website Administrator Website Moderator Isle of Wight group joined on Mon 16th Oct 2006 |
Oakwell Garage of Ilkeston - Triumph car dealer 104 |
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Several garages sold and serviced Triumph cars in Ilkeston. Two of the garage buildings were known as Oakwell Garage and later New Oakwell Garage. of Ilkeston. Oakwell Garage 1964This street scene is said to be from 1964 and shows the corner of Oakwell Garage looking down Park Road away from White Lion square. At this stage the business was operated by the Ilkeston Co-operative Society. These building were demolished to make way for an inner relief road. New Oakwell GarageWhat are these two chaps shaking hands on at New Oakwell Garage?
MOT garageI have read that Bristol Street Motor traded from New Oakwell Garage, Derby Road, Ilkeston but strangely the postcode used by them was DE7 5FH rather than DE7 5GS. Was this same site or did the business transfer the building name? Sunwin Motors another MOT provider also traded from the DE7 5FH premises. A Co-op garageNew Oakwell Garage was an Austin Morris and Rover Triumph dealer during the BL cars era. It was owned and operated by the Ilkeston Co-op. Ilkeston Co-op owned several car dealerships over the years. Ilkeston Co-op sold its car retail business to United Co-operatives in 2004. Triumph car dealers in IlkestonOctober 1955, October 1958, 1959: Plea for informationIf you have any information or recollections about Standard Triumph car dealers in Ilkeston such as photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin Further information and sourcesLink to the other articles in this series.Link to facebook page: Triumph Car Dealers. Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors . I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html Picture credits: Oakwell Garage 1964 from Picture the Past; New Oakwell Garage rear window sticker posted to flickr by John; New Oakwell - Ilkeston rear window sticker posted to flickr by Jonathon. A blog post from vitessesteve
posted Wed 3rd Feb 2021
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![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
Sunday Walks in January |
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With the current Covid-19 measures still firmly in place, the DHC hasn’t been used this month. And that despite the fact that she’s now officially tax exempt, and as such can now be used all year round. This was mainly caused by lots of rain and even some snow. Instead the walking boots have seen some more action in the past month, exploring the local countryside. I even managed to avoid the crowds that were flocking together on the more popular walking routes! A few pictures taken during my Sunday walks over the past month. |
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Mid November- Windscreen Rubber Replacement |
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Ever since I've had my Pi, water has leaked in around the windscreen whenever it rained. Road trips have been tainted by the constant dripping of water onto my trousers and socks and having to stuff towels onto the parcel shelves in a bid to stop the water reaching the floor pans and rotting them out. This is also the reason I have never had a carpet in the car. After taking the car to work one day and watching the floor get wetter and wetter as I drove, I decided I'd finally had enough and resolved to do something about it. So one Saturday afternoon, I cut into the windscreen rubber with a stanley knife and removed the windscreen. My worries about finding rot and holes underneath the rubber were unfounded as the aperture all looked good. I then cleaned up all the aperture and the windscreen I'd taken out and fitted the new rubber seal ready for it to go back in. The following Saturday my mate Gavin came round and between us we managed to fit the windscreen at the first attempt. The next hour or so was spent sealing all round the windscreen with Butyl gutter sealant to plug up all the gaps. It's a very messy job, but the excess sealant cleans off easily with white spirit. With the screen re-fitted and all the excess sealant cleaned off, a week later, the car was then tested under monsoon like conditions by taking a hosepipe to it and spraying the windscreen from all directions with gallons and gallons of water. To my immense pleasure, I found that I had no leaks at all. Job done. With this task completed, the car was then taken to a specialist who re-fitted the chrome trim for me. This is a nightmare of a job and I didn't have the know how, or the correct tools to do it. So now the windscreen complete with new rubber is fitted, the chrome trim is back on and it's another job I can cross off my list. Happy. posted Mon 25th Jan 2021 |
![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
FHC resto nr. 120; Rear wing blanking plate and radiator |
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After finishing the car’s striping, fitting the two rear wing blanking plates (ZKC1454) prepared 2 years ago, should have been easy. Well the driver’s side was! The opposite side decided to put up a fight. However hard I tried, the push-on spire nut (ZKC2539) refused to seat properly against the inside of the wing. And after the second attempt I decided to have a closer look at the blanking plate. Should have done that when I selected a pair of blanking plates for refurbishing and use on the car. The only selection criteria at the time were the outside looks. I should have paid a little more attention to the (hidden from view) moulded plastic mounting pins at the back! Clearly visible is the ridge near the base of the mounting pin. This is almost certainly caused by the blanking plate being removed a few times in the past. And this ridge turned out to be the cause for my problem. It prevented the spire nut from seating correctly, leaving it almost 1 millimetre free of the sheet metal. Luckily I had a few spares left. And the one discarded first, due to heavy overspray, proved to be the best spare. As long as I could get the paint of, without damaging the visible plastic! I shouldn’t have worried, old school thinner, a fine scouring pad and 30 minutes work did the trick. And as can be seen in the previous picture I had to fabricate a new gasket. The one I made originally didn’t survive my attempts to fit the recalcitrant spire nut. And with all parts ready I went for the third attempt. Third time lucky I should say. Though it took a few minutes to press the spire nuts fully home. Finally result! And after returning home from the shed I decided to spent the remaining part of the afternoon with a first inspection of the radiator I removed from the parts car. To prevent it from drying out I had stored it in the cellar, filled with water. And after emptying it, I transferred it to the bathroom for an external and first internal cleaning session. First the inside was filled with a mild solution of cleaning vinegar and boiling water. And while this solution was doing its work, I attacked the outside of the radiator’s core with a hot water hose and various soft brushes. Quite amazing to see how much dirt had accumulated in there! And with the outside properly hosed and brushed down, it was time to drain the cleaning solution and flush the core. After which the radiator could be inspected more closely, starting with the outside. Looking pretty good overall, though it will need a bit of satin black paint and some rust converter in certain areas. And I found this tag, which might explain its condition. Presuming the tag shows the manufacturing date, this radiator is clearly not factory fitted, but an aftermarket replacement. Remained the inside. Rather difficult to capture with a camera. There are still clear signs of a rusty deposition, especially at the bottom of the radiator (first picture) where a rusty coloured sludge sat when I removed the radiator from the car. But all visible pipes from the radiators core look free and clean. Main bottom hose connection Main top hose connection |
![]() posts: 5735 Netherlands joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006 |
FHC resto nr. 119; Parts donor's yields |
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With the car passed on to its next, and hopefully final, chapter, it was time for me to go over the proceeds. Overall well pleased with the parts this car yielded. And I think it is safe to say that some might even manage to change my plans for the ’76 car. To start with this almost brand new looking radiator: Radiator Yes this is the later radiator model, so shouldn’t be fitted to an early car. But I like standardisation and reliability, and am not bothered too much about originality. I also firmly believe that a car is for driving, not for show grounds. So the ’76 car will get the later cooling system with the header tank instead of the overflow bottle. And mainly because My original plan was to have another alloy radiator fabricated locally, to the same specifications as the alloy radiator that was fabricated locally for my DHC But with such a good spare that seems like a waste of money to me! But before I commit myself I will have to flush and pressure test this one first! Just to be sure. Wiring Also some of the wiring harnesses, especially the main wiring harness, will probably find their way into the ’76 car. Though it doesn’t look like much in the picture above, a first quick check while removing them from the car showed some very unmolested wiring harnesses: Clutch assembly An unexpected yield are the clutch cover and plate. As they looked almost new, I retrieved them from the engine. And with them removed from the car, the first impression proved to be correct, they indeed are almost brand new. So after a thorough clean, they too will find their way into the ’76 car.The same can probably be said about the front screen. While removing it, the front surface felt very smooth, so probably only very few (tiny) stone chips. There is also no delamination at the edges worth mentioning. Only a shallow chip in the left hand top corner. Probably there since the screen was fitted to the car at the factory, as it was completely hidden behind the stainless screen surround trim. Again a good clean and a closer inspection will determine whether it will be used or not (I have a few spares as back up though!). And finally the transmission. The car had only covered 87.173 kilometres, and the overall condition looked like she was pretty well cared for in het past life. So the plan is to use both gearbox and back axle for the ’76 car. I would have loved to put a 3.90:1 ratio back axle under this car. But I only have one spare axle with that ratio. And that will be used to build the new back axle for ‘t Kreng (the one in front in the picture below). So the ’76 car will also get a 3.45:1 ratio back axle. Just as the DHC. As it stands now that will be the third one from the front., bearing serial number CL 11955. Will see how a bog standard Sprint engine will cope with this ratio. I take comfort in the fact that the Dolomite Sprint also came with this gear ratio. And I want to keep the gearbox and back axle together for no obvious reason. So this gearbox, bearing serial number CL-130837C will find its way into the ’76 car too. |
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