Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Do you dig it?

I dig it.

1. It is his, his expression, his identity, not factory, not clone
2. It is where he wants to be and how he wants to seen.
3. It shows he is technically adroit, he can setup his TomTom to avoid speed bumps

I did a Beetle 1303S with a similar style as my first car.

Tell him to take out AA cover ! Mine was well used. T1 engines cook quickly so get an engine hoist

Cool.

NorthernMogman:

Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000 Racing

Now that I dig!!

My father had one and my mother recalls doing the ton across the downs on the back of it. I think I was there too, prenatal that is. That might explain something


I wonder wher it is now. He paid £35 for it and sold it before moving to Australia in 1948.

Alistair...................You have it spot on.

I badgered him to join the AA and he's got his own personal hot line to them now....he's used them so much.

Latest thing being the engine letting go...again.

Currently being rebuilt.

I got round to showing the picture to my 17 year and he was impressed and asked how much he'd done himself. If yours is anything like mine I'd guess dad did most of the work.

TBH while I've set him well on the road to being a total car nut he's very much got his own ideas on exactly what he wants so its all down to him in terms of ideas and contacts etc but yes it takes a certain amount of discipline from me..............oh and money

So the engine has gone pop already, no great surprise. Probably holed a piston or melted the seals on barrels.

1. When rebuilding splash out for some branded drop-forged pistons/rods so they don't melt and hole. This saves having to do the bottom end which is where the time and effort is. Make the bottom end far stronger than the bolt on pots as these change easily. Buy a bulk supply of pots...

2. Dramatically increase the cooling and fit a couple of head temp gauges so you can choose when to turn it on. I cheated and used to guess the temperature based on how "roaring furnace" the heater used to get. If it would melt the skin off your feet it was time to slow and cool. Not ideal. Kenlow fans and louvres in the engine bay cover or cal style fixed open lid (beware of reversing and forgetting it is there...crunch)

3. Once built take it to a good tuner and make certain it is running slightly rich on full throttle. When it is lean it does not cool so well and then cooks. The fuel tended to help and also gave the additional benefit of pops on the overun. Resist the urge to then over fuel and increase the pops or you might just blow the exhaust off.

4. Teach him mechanical sympathy and ensure the rebuilt top end is run in prior to blasting it. Arguments may ensue here but I was taught that after a rebuild it was wise to go for one long gentle drive to do it in a single run. I was told to gradually increase the change up point(+250rpm increase in change up point per 25 miles) but always on a light throttle and never load or "bog down" the engine. So just give it a light throttle and let it climb slowly around up to the next change and so on. This meant no steps in the barrels or on the pistons. Never use fully throttle until 1000 miles had passed. Never use top and leave it loaded until 1000 miles had passed.

5. Forget what they tell you abut mono-lubricants as the oil does all the work. Fit an oil cooler and go for a nice broad range semi-synthetic. Go thin in winter and thick in summer.

I did these and never blew the engine afterwards. (only twice before....whoops) I did plenty of other dumb stuff mind you. No great surprise.

But above all else, even at night, wear dark glasses.

Oh god how embarrassing when I look back.
You just have to do it through.

Anyone else want to share their first fruit ?

Started on Fords. 105E with massive amounts of rot. I blew that up by changing the oil for GTX. It was held together with gum, and the GTX cleaned it all away so no compression, wouldn't start and burned oil like a diesel. I used to keep it across the road on the pub car park so I could bump it down the adjacent hill. Not much fun running alongside on a frosty morning then jumping in.........I was 17 by the way with no father for assistance.
So I bought another 105E for £22. The owner had been done for no insurance tax or MOT. I broke that on the front garden and did an engine swop with not much more than half a dozen spanners and a rope. I hacksawed the old shell into bits and the binmen took it away for ten bob. That Anglia was scrapped at the next MOT, and I had my first Mini. That taught me about corroding rubber cones (yes really), and knuckle joints. Lovely button starter on the floor though. Six months later I was back in a 105E, but this time a nice one. Before long I had my first MG Midget (at 19) and that's where a long association with the A series began. What a fantastic engine. Despite my best efforts in three Midgets, I couldn't blow one up. I remember a trip back up the M1 from Stanmore - revcounter in the orange all the way - 80 plus mph. Blimey it got hot, but didn't break. Midgets taught me how to replace flattened exhausts, and tune twin carbs, and bodge gearboxes and lever arm shockers by using diff oil. Oh and I used to eat leaf springs by doing santa pod type starts everywhere.
My first MG Metro needed engine work, but that was due to a manufacturing defect. It had one piston which had not gone through the full manufacturing process - no cut outs around the gudgeon pin and no oil drain holes in the bottom ring. It drank oil until I took it down for a rebore and found the piston. I got plenty wrong in the early years, but that's how you learn, and I wouldn't change things for the world, although a bit more cash, and a garage would have helped. Quite probably a busibody interfering father would have been in the way, so maybe it was for the best.

Alistair........Wise advice, thanks you.

I will note all.

The engine blew and on strip down it was discovered that it was full of sealer......someone had been over doing the sealing I thing. Has to be said it never leaked oil.

What a great post Alistair and I am sure that Viper (and Junior!) will find it very useful!

Any more car anecdotes?