28-02-2011, 00:00 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

It must have been 1970 when Paul, a bartender in a local club in Mechelen (Belgium) who was driving an MGB at that moment, woke up my interest in sport and classic cars. He had a collection of old cars, most of them British and dating from 1930 till ± 1960. One day he appeared in a 1952 “flat rad” Morgan he bought around Antwerp. Until then, I never heard of Morgan before. But when I saw that car in burgundy with black wings, I was hooked for life. I was 18 than, very enthusiastic, and with only one “small” problem: money…

But things got better, and in the mid 70's I made my first steps in the classic car world. In an early MGB, and until today I still think that is the right choice for a beginning classic car enthusiast. Later on, more MG’s – Triumph’s - Austin Healey and Jaguars came and went, all with their own ups and downs. But no matter what, British cars have always been my favorites, and they still are. Years and cars went on, but with the past in mind, I always kept one mark above them all: MORGAN. Simply because of its authentic looks and charisma, for me still “the real thing ".

So when Jean, a good friend, in 1983 traced a Morgan series 1 in Brussels, and rescued the car from demolition, for me the Morgan madness really got started. I nagged him the ears of the head to sell me the car. But nothing helped. He was planning to restore the Morgan itself as a present for his wife, so she could drive it on classic car meetings. But I got the promise, that if he would not implement the restoration, I would be the first one having the chance to buy the Morgan.

And yes, people with a word of honor really exist. In 1990 we saw each other briefly at a classic car show. He asked me almost casually if I still wanted the car, and a simple yes among friends was enough to make my dream come true. Finally it happened! Exactly one week later I went to collect the car, or what had become of it. Now the Morgan 4/4 was completely in bits and pieces, and stowed away in boxes. The chassis was hanging on the ceiling, the two half’s of the body on the wall.

                               

Fortunately for me Jean is a talented technician, so not of that "in boxes thing" was a problem for me. The car might have been dismantled, but is was done with logic and sense, I was sure abouth that. And on the other hand, he had some things already done in his own perfectionist way. The engine block was overhauled, the dashboard and gauges were very professionally rebuilt, and a correct set of 6 brand-new tires was also present, among some other small parts. 

Up on arrival with my treasure at home, my neighbor asked me if I was starting a old iron business... I told him to start a carreer as stand up comedian. He is not really that funny, so he helped me to unlood the trailer, and after that everything was neatly inventoried and locked away. It had to wait a little bit, because I still had an MGA 1600 to restore for my wife. And MGB for my son.. And after that a Triumph TR 3 that I owned since 1975... Because I realized that the restoration of the Morgan would not be for the near future, in 1996 I bought me a metallic gray 4/4 from '76. So with the Morgan virus re-injected, things would speed up… I thought. But then came a lot of alterations to the house, followed by the restoration of an Austin Healey 3000. Later on we moved to a larger house because I needed more space… And then out of the bleu a nice Jaguar MK II crossed my path, with of course some “minor” work on it. And before I knew, it was 2010…

But fortunately, in the meanwhile I had the great idea to have me build a new skeleton body for the Morgan. Simply because on the 1996 MGCC Silverstone gathering I met two older gentlemen who were engaged in the manufacture of body's for pre war MG's. Two fantastic craftsman who were willing to build me a brand new body, a Morgan was a challenge for them. They were both along in years, so I realised I could not postpone the job for years. That was the little pressure that I needed to act immediately!

           

We made a shortbreak to England with some friends, just for fun, and to deliver the remains of what was once a wooden frame personally in Newcastle upon Tyne. John and Roberts workshop “Ashframes International”, was located above a local garage. Fully stuffed with machinery, wood, and craftmanship. They used a winch to hoist up and down al what they needed or produced, by a hatch in the floor. Unthinkable for us here in Belgium, but at that time just simple and normal for them.

                             

The agreement was that they would bring my newly made body to the next MGCC Silverstone gathering, and so it happened. In June 1997 the wooden body was brought home by a friend with a little van. It was tucked away in a safe and dry spot, and there it stayed, and still is… Just on another more spacey location because of the change of residence, and with a little more dust on it. 

                                               

So a few months ago, with the ugly number 6 comming in sight in front of my age (altough still 2 to go), I decided I don’t have half a life resting to start and complete the restoration. Not that I am planning to die, o no far from that, but I am a bit worried on the practical part of getting in and surely out the car on a minor flexible age...

So in juli - yes 2010 - we decided to take the chassis of the wall,  and move it to a good spot in my workspace. There is much thinking and planning ahead, but Finally after 20 years the restoration has started!

01-03-2011, 00:00 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

With the chassis now in clear sight, I have to think about some kind of strategy around the rebuild. Starting a work like this without a good plan is plain madness. I risk to end up with a lot of wasted time because of the difficulty of finding parts or craftsman to do some specialized work for you is real. On the other hand, waiting is a part of the restoration process…

First thing to decide is the way I will go with the chassis, concerning the engine. The original block is ready, but for the moment that’s all. The cylinder head has been frost damaged, and had a bad repair in the past. Since it is a head specially made by Morgan, a OH conversion of this type of Standard engines, it is not simply a matter of buying another one. Also the aluminium oil pan, for as far as I know also unique for this MOG engines, is damaged by corrosion. It seems to be that the engine has been standing on moist ground next to the car, in the years before Jean found it. A badly corroded oil pan is the tragic result.

So as a possible solution, I bought about a year ago the engine and gearbox of an MK II Ford Escort. With little changes to the MOG chassis, that must be suitable to build in temporarily in the project. Just to speed things up a little, and to get the car earlier on the road. The correct engine can still be fitted afterwards, once it has been finished. But on the other hand, long-time experience learned me that such solutions mostly are crap. Once the car is running with the donor engine, the chance of being reunited with his correct engine is very little.

So after a bad night sleep I decided to go for the hard way, that is with the original engine and gearbox. I have the correct parts, so I strongly think that’s the best solution, and because there is only one proper way to restore a car: Original, or as close as possible to that. It will probably set me more than a year back, but as I already wrote, I am not planning to die in the next years, so time is on my side. 

My first concern then was the cracked cylinder head, who was going to repair that in Belgium in a proper and reliable way? I have no idea. But in England there must be specialists for such a job on every corner, that can be no problem… And because the biggest auto jumble is on the calendar for 11 and 12 September 2010, we go over there. Only for one day, because before I had no such plans, and finding a place to sleep on such a short notice can be forgotten. So on Tuesday we decided to go. Me – my son – a good friend, and my brother in law. The next Sunday morning at 04:00 am we were on the road. Beaulieu here we come!

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ipus/beaulieu/events-internationalautojumble

Huge, that’s all I can say about the auto jumble at Beaulieu, all other words are too little, to small… You have to have a good plan, and about ten eyes to see a bit of all that is there. In that way you only miss the half, the other half you can keep for next year… But despite such massive supply of parts and services, finding someone to repair a cracked cylinder head like this in a proper way was not so easy as I thought.

After seen about the half of the field, I was getting a bit desperate. Until in the late afternoon a Belgian friend we stumbled on, tipped me about Nick Hood from Surelock casting repairs. We managed to find his trade stand, and I showed Nick some photo’s of the cracked head. After taking a good look at it, a simple smile and “yes I can do that” was the answer. What a relief... http://www.castingrepairs.com/ So we went quickly up to our car to get the damaged part, and left it with Nick to be stitch repaired. By Christmas he sayd it should be ready, and that was all fine by me…

So my major mission of the day was accomplished, from now on I could browse relaxed around the field and dream a bit about the further order of the restoration. My next big concern would be the oil pan, but I hope that is not gonna be the worst part. Once those to two major parts are back in shape, I can reassemble the engine and start thinking about the carburettor and ignition. Also tricky parts, but they are all in my pile off boxes, and looking repairable. It surely will take some time to find the right replacement parts, but it must be possible. And in the meantime I can start working on the chassis.

And after a good pint or two, my straight plan took more and more shape: having a rolling chassis by the end of 2011. Do I grab to high, or is this wishful thinking? Only time will tell…

In the following months, a lot of maintenance on my other cars kept me from start to work on the MOG chassis. But smaller things like disassemble the drive train, the rear axle, and repairing the support for the spare wheels, has succeeded.

And then around half December came a phone call from Nick: the cylinder head is ready, pressure tested and all! As he had promissed, in time for Christmas. The repair was not really cheap, but on the other hand, good work never is. And when it arrived, the quality of the job surprised me. The guarantee Nick gave me on the repair will be long gone before I start the engine for the first time. But I am strongely convinced that the guarantee won’t be needed…

Next step now is completing the cylinder head, by grinding the valves and seats, and putting it all together. That work will be done by my friend Eric. He has the skill, the tools, and the machinery to do so, that will be fine. 

In the meanwhile I try to find out what colour the engine must be painted in to be correct (if you know, mail me!). Than trying to find a sound oil pan (mine is really bad, if you have one, mail me!) and off course to go on with the chassis. Because now I have a deadline to catch ! 

08-03-2011, 00:00 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

When the whole lot, or most of it is ready, I will follow the prophetic words of the Rolling Stones, and PAINT IT BLACK !

23-03-2011, 13:17 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

As I mentioned in “first things first”, the oil pan is badly damaged by corrosion. And since it seems to be almost  impossible to find a replacement, I had to be inventive about repairing the one I got. Repairing seems to be the only “choice”, simply because the price quotes that I got to cast me a new one were too high. High but perfectly understandable, because all that work to make just one example, makes it extremely expensive.

So my first thought was to have it welded by a specialists firm, but my Australian connections advised me not to do that, because of the poor quality of the aluminium. And when I had a good look at it, I could do nothing else than agree with them, that aluminium looks more like gingerbread than metal. They told me to use some modern epoxy stuff to repair and even rebuild metal parts, rather than taking the risk of burning even bigger holes in the pan, trying to have it welded.

So I contacted my colleagues at work from the technical department (I work for the Flemish public transport company De Lijn) and asked them what they could advise. After some thinking they came with Locktite Hysol 3475, a two pack aluminium epoxy, as the ultimate solution. To be absolutely sure that it would be oil and temperature proof, I contacted the Locktite helpdesk, and they agreed with my colleagues advise.        http://www.loctite.be/cps/rde/xchg/henkel_bef/hs.xsl/3888_BEF_HTML.htm

They were very helpful and even phoned me a few days later to give me some extra tips and tricks, so I started to work. First I had the oil pan slightly sandblasted to give the product a better grip, and then I used it further completely by the book. It was very easy to use, and gave directly a good feeling about the end result. A satisfying result  that I became after 3 thin layers of product, slightly sanding the stuff between every layer. Take it slow but perfect, rather than trying to do the job fast and in one movement. Once the outside was finished, I added as an extra a thin layer by brush on the inside of the pan. Just to insure that it would be leak proof.

Afterwards I made it all straight with some abrasive paper on a wooden block, and sprayed aluminium paint on it. The result looks very good and perfectly usable, if it not leaks... So as the ultimate leak test I filled it half with white spirit, left it in for a week, and it has lost nothing. So I think the result is OK!

07-05-2011, 00:00 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

19-05-2011, 00:00 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

It is October 2011 now, and it has been a long time since my last progress rapport. The “summer” has ended now, but despite the bad weather in the last few months, I did not found much spare time to work on the Morgan. In the garden everything keeps on growing, and I had to cut and weed like a real professional gardener. And despite being a real petrol head, I far from hate that kind of work. It is something else, and gives me a bit of a green image, not bad at all 

That in combination with maintaining my other cars – summertime always means a lot of driving, good or bad conditions - as hold me back from making much progress on the series I project.

But still I did managed to have the front sub frame, and the empty banjo and rear springs back on their spot. I also replaced the ugly rear shock absorbers with the correct type of friction dampers. They were rather easy to find in the UK, although again not cheap. Since the old ones were non original, I did not had anything to match my pretty new ones with the chassis. So I had  to search for appropriate bolts, and make bushes to fix them properly. Thereby using the photographs I made earlier at Georges Proudfood’s workshop as a guide.

Next big problem to solve where the roller bearings for the rear axle. When I discovered they were covered with surface rust, I simply thought to buy new ones with the same number. But it turned out not to be that easy, because the original bearings are tapered on the inside, as is the axle. That makes that they are simply pushed on the axle, and stop on a certain pre calculated point. But soon I had to find out, that kind of bearings do not exists anymore…

Plan B started… I had to find a bearing with the same or about the same outside diameter, so the bearing housing could accept the cup without too much machining and/or lost of wall thickness. On the other hand, with an inside diameter not much bigger than the axle, but big enough to have space to accept a custom made conversion bush. I had to be a bush that catches the tapered axle inside, and accept the straight bore new bearing on the outside. Finding that bearing was the most easy part, I dived in the roller bearing catalogue, and bought an new set of bearings following the ISO standards. Outside almost a perfect fit, and inside with a diameter of 35mm.

After much thinking about how to handle, because the new bearings have to end on exact the same spot as the old ones, I measured the distance from the back of the original bearing in place, including the housing, to the top of the axle. I argued that if the housing came back on exact the same spot, the end position of the axles would be exact the same as original. So the bushes had to have another inside (tapered) diameter than the original bearings, because there has to be a stop collar of 3.5mm on the bush, to keep the bearings from moving forward in the direction of the differential. Since I had already 2 mm profit, being the difference in thickness between the old and new bearing, I only had to move a little bit forward on the axle to catch the extra 1.5 mm finally required. Easier said than done, in fact for me not an easy exercise.

But help came in the person of Kurt, son of a good friend, and a very modest but clever technical engineer. Above that he is a real classic car lover, what makes the perfect combination. We discussed my solution, and we reached a consensus, we measured and measured again.

Then, he took a piece of paper and his portable Japanese brain. After a minute – OK maybe two - he came with the angle that had to be used for the inside of the bush, just as simple as that. For me Chinese and Russian together, for him a fairly simple calculation…

So once again that proves my parents were right when they told me ages ago not to quit school to early, and go for some extra years and an higher degree. But that motorcycle was so exiting, and the girls were so pretty… Or was it the other way around? By now it is so long ago that I can’t remember   

Finally Kurt presented me to make the bushes on the lathe. I had no objections at all, because despite all the right calculations, make a tapered inside in a bush is easier said than done. So when they were ready, the great moment to try them out the axles has arrived. The new bearings where pressed on the bushes, for extra safety sealed on them with Loctite, and tapped on the axles.

I placed the differential back in the banjo, and pushed the axles in. Then I bolted the brake back plates and bearing housings on, thereby re-using the old shims to adjust the correct lateral play as a test. It came out that I just had not enough play, the axles turned, but a little bit too heavy. So I made two extra shims, simply in sealing paper of 0.40mm. A perfect fit with the “correct” amount of free play was the result. I have to say “correct” because my very summarily workshop manual stated “allow a little play”. So how much is a little? I presume almost 1 mm will do.

So I took what I have as being correct, and moved on. Loosen everything back, the axles out, new oil seals in, and the whole circus back together. It looks and feels very good, so I am proud of the result. Now I can start on the rest of the rear axle, brakes and braking system. Easier said than done because of the cable braking system, but I look forward to move on.

08-10-2011, 00:00 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

It is December 2011 now, and my own imposed “deadline” to have a finished rolling chassis by New Year is nearby. In fact it is so close that I already decided for my own that it will be impossible to achieve my goal. A complete rolling chassis for me means that the whole running gear is on the chassis – including the engine -  and that it can be moved on his wheels. At this moment I hope that I can archive the greatest part of all that, but the steering box seems to be a big problem, and I still have to start working on the engine. So there will be no firework for me with new year L.

Since my last report I remade the prop shaft with new universal joints. It was a fairly simple job, because after some measuring - with some great help from my friends of Anglo Parts  - I discovered that the ones for an MGB are a straightforward fit (www.angloparts.com).

In the meantime my son was taking care of the wheels. They where sandblasted, and then he sprayed several coats of filler in all the rusts damaged places, followed by sanding them down. And again, and again, until all the bad markers are gone… He is very patient J.

I also did a close inspection of the inside of the gearbox, and it looks in almost perfect condition. So I just replaced the oil seals and one bearing, and I am pretty sure that will be enough. I also rebuild the rear brake adjusters and the pull system, and mounted the relined brake shoes. All necessary things before I could mount the rear brake cable and handbrake system.

But to find out how the cable system fits in the chassis, I was looking at the pictures I made at Georges workshop earlier this year. So I discovered that I  still had to make the floor boards and put them on their spot. The result was that I had to unbolt a lot of what was already in place, because with the gearbox an prop shaft in situ, putting the floorboards in is impossible. Even the rear springs had to be loosened on their front side.

So I bought a good quality 13mm. multiplex plate and made the floor boards, thereby using patterns I first made from cardboard. Then they received several coats of black paint, and we put them in place. In fact a fairly straightforward job, but still good for a whole day off work, not counting the time I will need to replace what I had to remove. 

I always try to look far enough ahead to avoid being out of parts to keep the progress going, but in my young enthusiasm J forgot that I also have to look in what order the parts have to join the chassis. Seems all very logical, but when you have a project like this that arrived in cardboard boxes, it’s always a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.   

From that angle I looked a bit closer to what had to come, and repairing the clutch sleeve was one of the major things on the progress list. That part is located in a tube, bolted one side on the bell housing, other side on the gearbox. Inside there is a shaft connecting the outgoing movement of the engine to the gearbox, after the clutch. Simply said: engine > clutch > bell housing > between tube with prop shaft > gearbox > outside propeller shaft > differential/rear axle. As you can see, a nice piece of mechanic.

So to move on with mounting the drive line, until the point where the engine has to be bolted on, I have to make sure the whole clutch operating mechanism is ready. The between tube is bolted on the gearbox, and the handbrake mechanism is bolted on the between tube. And since it is a one cable system, I can never complete the rear breaking system without tube and gearbox in place.

The old clutch sleeve has a completely worn out carbon lining, and I was not able to find a new one. But no problem, by my previous spy work I knew that it could converted to a more modern system, by using a roller clutch bearing. A bit searching learned me that the bearing of an MGB is perfect for the job. So I only have to make a new sleeve, accepting that part J.

My brother in law provided me with a 85mm. solid aluminium bar, and out of that we made a nice new sleeve on the lathe, with even the grease lines in it. It is made a bit longer than the old one, but that will be corrected after a try out. Because I am not 100% sure where to drill the hole for the pull eye of the clutch mechanism, that have to wait also until I measured everything by bolting it all together, measure it correctly, and then bring it to the right size. One or two extra hours work, but I cannot afford to take a guess, making that sleeve was a too big job. And beside of that, I don’t have an extra aluminium bar J.    

09-12-2011, 10:11 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

Since my last report I tried to work a bit more on the Morgan, because I “promised” myself a rolling chassis by the end of the year. And although in first things did not seem to work out as I hoped, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall together.

A big thing to do was the front suspension, the famous sliding pillar system. Although that looks a bit difficult or strange , it is not a real problem. I already had new bushes and new kingpins, so cleaning and painting the old units was almost the biggest job. Then I pressed the old bushes out and pressed the new ones in. Then made them a perfect fit with the reamer, and it was done. Putting things back together with the sub frame was fairly simple, with a piece of threaded rod to clamp the whole thing together as my partner in crime.

But the front brakes where another story. Normally that hat  to be a simple and straightforward job, since I had everything on the shelf.  But here, Murphy came look around the corner J.

I started with bolting the brake mechanisms on the back plates. But when I put the brake cables on their spot, first all looks fine, until I made some steering moves. Than they popped out the brake mechanism, like a devil out of a box. Impossible to leave that - you don’t take risks with brakes - so I have to find a solution to convince them to stay where they have to be.

So I made a tube/bush with inside two different diameters, one matching over the brake mechanism, the other accepting the cable. So now everything is on the spot as original, but with a strong support from the outside. I made it with a small fixing bolt that clamps the tube on the brake mechanism, and another that blocks the brake cable once he is on his spot. So I can take it apart whenever I wanted or needed. And it seems to work perfect, the cable stays nicely where he has to be, doing what he have to do without jumping around like Michael Jackson in his better days.

Problem solved… I thought! Because then I discovered, when matching the new cables with the old originals, that they are on the LH side 25mm. too long, and on the RH side 25mm. too short. So I think – but am not a specialist - that it is because mine is a LHD car, and the cables come from the UK and are for a RHD car.

So I carefully shortened the shell of the left brake cable, without touching the inner steel cable itself,  until I had the same length as the old one. And on the RH side I made the cable longer by using a long (30mm) nut, connecting the new wired cable end with a stud I made from the old cable. Everything secured with Loctite to avoid loosening.   

So now with the compensator in place, all fits well. And after I made a brand-new connecting rod between the brake pedal and the compensator, the braking system could be tested.

Then that I discovered that the rear brake cable, coming from the pedal an passing through the handbrake, is touching the gearbox. In fact he has done that in his previous living years so hard, that there is already a groove in the aluminium housing of the box. To risky to leave that, I don’t want to brake one day, with a leaking gearbox housing as result. I find it rather strange, but things are what they are, and maybe all that was not so important in those days J.  

So I made a spacer, that brings the whole handbrake mechanism about 12 mm. more out of the centre. And now the cable moves freely, just missing the gearbox. So my fear that on a good day braking would have cause a flood of gearbox oil in the car, has gone.

In the meantime I also had made a definitive choice about the future colour of the car. A burgundy chosen out of 6 colour tests I did. Too dark… too light… That it! And that mains that I finally could paint the wheels, and put the new tyres on. They look great, the rust damage is all gone, and the colour is even better than I hoped!

So now my next big job is finding a good steering box - mine is incomplete – also I have to put my engine together, and find a solution for the radiator and radiator shell. That has to be re-chrome plated,  but the radiator is fixed on it with tin.

The guys from chroming company looked at me as if I came from mars when a asked them if they could do that job, and in the radiator company they thought that I was joking…

So a new and big challenge for 2012… Let’s go for it!

16-01-2012, 13:25 Geschreven door Jeff OdH  

With the chassis nearly completed, except some minor J things like an incomplete steering box and no front shock absorbers, I can start thinking about putting the engine together.  I don’t expect it to be an easy task, because of the lack of documentation, but mostly because I did not took it apart myself…

I thought it would be a good idea to start with some parts that come aside, but are necessary in the whole picture. The starter and the dynamo needed some good attention, as did the petrol pump. They all looked if as they have been lying in a barn for more than a quart of a century, and in fact they did…

So I started with the dynamo, took it carefully apart, cleaned everything and checked the state of the different parts. The brushes where perfect, and the anchor was made as new on the lathe. To be sure it can go on for another 25 years, I also made a new bronze end bush. I will be 85 by then, so that must be sufficient J. Then I put the whole thing back together, and tested it simply by giving it power so it had to act as an electric engine. Result: 100%.

Than the starter, same procedure, same state. Just the “starter relay”, in fact a cable operated mechanical part that makes the connection between the main power cable and the starter. That needed a lot of internal cleaning, because dirt and corrosion has took over from clean copper connections. But there is nothing that a good wire brush cant clean, especially if it is mounted on a drill. The test was also 100%, and I was happy J. The petrol pump also just needed a good cleaning in and out, a test, and OK. This must have been the easy part, it was going to well.

Then came the serious work… The drive line of the engine was already done by the previous owner Jean. But to be sure what was undertaken, I phoned him. No worries he assured me, the block had a rebore by a professional . They fitted new pistons, the crank was regrinded, and they added all new bearing shells. So now it was my turn.

Before starting to put things together, I cleaned the whole inside of the block, and gave the oil canals a good flush with pressed air. Than I cleaned the whole pile of parts that came out of the boxes, and laid them all out on display, just to see what I’ve got and what probably comes where. It looks pretty complete…

The two aluminium blocks that have to close the underside of the engine, once the crank is in, had damaged tread where the bolts of the oil pan have to come. I decided to go for the easy solution, Helicoil. So I put an oversize coil in it with inside tread of M8, very similar on the original BSF ¼ tread. Easy and a perfect, with an even stronger tread than the original one in the aluminium. I bought four new M8 bolts with the same length as the BSF ones, and ready!

Then came the camshaft in the block, and I put the gallery with the cam followers in, just to have a better sight on the future valve movement according to the crankshaft and piston movements. The two sprockets came on their correct lined spot, and then while turning the camshaft by hand as a test, I had a “what is this” moment…

The number 1 and 4 pistons where on TDC, and by turning the camshaft further after the “compression stroke” on nr. 1, the outlet valve normally opens. Here the inlet did, so the whole process of filling – compression – work and exhaust has just begun.  I tried and looked, and tried and looked, and came to the conclusion that the piston on the flywheel side is in fact the nr 1 piston, usually that is the nr. 4… And by looking at the turning direction of the starter,  I saw that the engine runs clockwise, looked at it from the front. Now everything was clean as a whistle, but it took me some time to find out.

So the front plate came on, and the camshaft and sprockets came definitely on their spot, provided with and a brand new timing chain and tensioner. On the back the rear aluminium crankshaft housing was put in place, and carefully measured out to be perfect in the centre. Very important, because otherwise the oil thrower cannot work as it should. And, you have a high risk on damaging the aluminium housing with real bad oil leaks as a result.

Than the battle with the springs that come on the underside of the valve pushrods began. It is a strange construction with springs on the underside of the pushrods, where they adapt to the cam followers. I never seen that system before, and honestly I don’t see the purpose of it. But it is British, isn’t it J.

So I tried to put the blocking scales in - they have to keep the springs on tension -  but needed a few more extra small hands, and a lot of extra space to do so. I even made some sort of a tool, but nothing helped. So the gallery with the cam followers came back out to provide the extra space. And then with the help of my son we put the springs in, put the scales on their spot, and pushed the whole thing completely to the upper side of the block.

Then we blocked the pushrods on the top side with some locking pliers, keeping everything  at maximum pressure and out of the way to refit the gallery. Simple and straightforward, but you need to figure it out. Than the drive shaft for the distributor came in place, pointing at the nr. 1 piston, and completely below assuring the drive for the oil pump. Then I noticed that the distributor is not the original one, it fits in the housing, but has a completely different fitting to the drive shaft. Hopefully I can make a conversion dog drive, we’ll see about that later... 

Then the repaired cylinder head went up, using a new custom made head gasket. It was tightened at 40 lbs, and following the tightening sequence I found on the website of the Morgan club of Australia.  

Then I painted the engine , and George told me it has to be in black, so I did. By now I hope that he meant the colour... J J J. Afterwards I added the oil pan, and started to bolt on all the “side” parts on the engine. Surely it looks nice, let’s hope it will turn even better…

So now I just had to figure out how the front dynamo bracket comes on the block, and make one for the rear side of the dynamo (a missing part).

Then the oil filter will be a real challenge, because the original AC ZR1 bypass filter is no longer available. So I have to make a conversion plate to adapt an modern screw on type of filter, and then I have to make and couple all the oil lines. I found a brand-new carburettor, but the two bolts to fit it on the collector are not exact in the same spot as the old one. Again some conversion has to be made, as for the distributor, that is also not the original one. But it fits perfect in the housing, and has the correct mechanical advance. So here I only need a custom made dog drive, and that cannot be so hard to make. 

22-03-2012, 18:02 Geschreven door Jeff OdH