mepbowles Posted February 7, 2023 Author Share Posted February 7, 2023 Wow, it's been a while! The lack of a car seat was a massive problem but the AxKidd Minikid fits okay with the additional bolster. So now it's probably getting used more than my C1! My wife wheeled wheels flash rusted over winter so I decided to get them finished before the spring. I got the backs of two done this lunchtime and will see if I can progress the rest over the next two weeks. I found a use for my old practical classics magazines. Hopefully this year's projects will be - wheels - clean carb to fix a sticky valve - sort blower fan (again) - fit front spoiler - fit rear light and alarm - spray underside of bonnet - spray rear brakes - polish wheel arch chrome and fit mudguards/splashguards - apply lanoguard before winter Plenty to keep me busy. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 is that a pic of one of your finished wheels .wow. i always thought about doing mine chrome rather than silver. it realy goes well against the black. what was the type of chrome paint used please ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Are the front of the rostyles polished and lacquered? Polished steel ? With the chrome ring. Nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted February 7, 2023 Author Share Posted February 7, 2023 The spokes are just polished steel. Doesn't look too different from the Chrome beauty ring though. I just thought it would be better than trying to get a good result from a chrome spray. The rest is just silver and gloss black. I have some wax to wax them but want to get them all finished first. I may clear coat one and wax the rest and see how they fare. They'll mainly go on for summer shows or when I feel like a softer ride. I'm aiming to get them finished to take my pregnant wife to hospital in the next two weeks so it's a smooth ride. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Great job, they work great. I like your trial or error process, there is etch lacquer available, or direct to metal clear coat. I am currently polishing alloys to a mirror finish, next up is a metal headlight reflector, and banded steels, rostyles. 👍 Ps, good luck with Ur hospital trip ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 Jeez, life got in the way again! After a bad rattling in the summer the cars been garaged since September. Hopefully it's not deteriorated as a result, though I aim to replace a fair few components while I'm rebuiltthe engine. I finally feel ready-ish and more importantly have sign off from my wife to sneak away for an hour or two at a time to strip it down bit by bit and hopefully rebuild it again whilst refreshing brake lines, and engine ancillaries and giving the engine bay a respray. In the first session, it took all my time tidying the garage so I could lift the bonnet and have somewhere to put bagged bits. I did manage to pop the rocker gasket off and the timing chain looks in lovely condition which should save £100. I did wonder whether the two big holes were bolt holes or head bolts but I guess I'll find out soon with any luck! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 There is an oil bath, holds oil in the head longer, available. Search oil surge, or oil starvation here. And keep em posts coming. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 the later heads ( and retro fit to earlier ones) have a tube pushed into the drain at the back of the head . just raises the oil level under the followers/ cam and helps a little to combat any wear although strangely it was realy only the early cams that wore bad anyway ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 I do have the little lathe turned riser sitting in a drawer ready to go in so it doesn't happen again. I think it's time to rebuild the engine anyway as it's ~90k and I don't think they were ever designed for such a long life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 90k shouldnt have any major wear and will only be a fraction down on original power, if the engine has been looked after there should be minimal bore wear ,just detectable .(as you should find if you are stripping it anyway)same applies to all journals and bearing shells although you would be fitting new ones anyway on rebuild. any major wear here would show as low oil pressure when hot at idle. if you can get 1 bar or higher then theres not too much to worry about and new shells can only improve on this. these engines especially early versions of the 2 litre can suffer from cam lobe wear and follower wear and once the mileage gets well over 100k can have rattly timing chains most noticeable at idle. a higher oil consumption and fouled up plugs points to hardened inlet valve seals and a pufff of blue after an overun points to exhaust valve seal ( only the later engines had a proper oil seal anyway ,earlier just had an o ring under the valve cap which to be honest worked perfectly well) BUT obviously you never know what you may find . not knowing how its been driven/ serviced etc before you . looked after and regular oil changes i would expect 200k before reaky needing any major surgery, my carltons on around 150k (2.2i) and still spot on ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 It's nice to know how long it can last if well looked after as once it's rebuilt that's my intention. Lunchtimes are the only time I have to work on it so about 3 hours a week. I got stuck in today getting it chocked and up on ramps and proceeded to work through my Haynes. I decided against removing the bonnet as I have nowhere to keep it and I'm going to strip the engine in-situ. I also forgot to remove the battery terminal but it's definitely dead after 6 months of neglect. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. I drained the coolant and found it had sat far too long and was quite brown and a slight sludge under the cap. Not a great sign that the head gasket stayed in one piece but in for a penny in for a pound.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Off with the radiator and set aside for restoration later. I realised because I have an automatic, the spare I have isn't of any use as it doesn't have the extra threads at the bottom for the oil cooler. At least I can make some space in the garage.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The engine turns pretty freely and I can hear a satisfying hiss as the pistons draw and expel air. Sounds promising and fun to play with. I got down to Section 5.9 so will hopefully get 5.10-15 tomorrow lunchtime. I'm going to charge my go pro so I can start recording it all too as I and others might find it interesting some day. Should I drain the fuel if I can? I have enough spare jerry cans to do it, but I doubt gravity will be on my side unless I siphon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 You should start your own YouTube channel, great way to store and look back on videos. Influencer 🤣 and get paid, and just leave your current job 🫣😂. Engine, squeeze suck bang, fun eh 🤣 Might help to remove fuel cap in relying on gravity, but you can remove quite easily, and remove fuel sender. Those syophen tools are great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 the cost of fuel nowadays you might as well drain it. use it up in your everyday car and buy new fuel when you are ready. ( modern fuel doesnt last as long as it used to ) the radiators are hard to get now so i would protect your spare and stash it away for future use, the lower "section " can be swapped from your auto rad in the future when needed ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 Ha! Perhaps, though it seems like too much work editing and uploading. We'll see. Better than doing nothing with with the footage. I follow Ronald finger but his editing is ridiculous and a girl who restored a mustang got a few sponsorships and won some awards but I doubt tying my hair up and getting a sports top on will have the same results for me. I wasn't going to bother with a siphon tool, but for £5 it'll save ingesting any petrol. Thanks! I can already feel that this is going to spiral out of control but none of it is very complicated, just methodical. I'm eyeing up my green waste wheelie bin to dip my suspension in molasses or deox-c. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 Only a short lunch break as opticians and children drama. Still, said bye bye to the alternator for now. It and it's mount are now safely in an IKEA ziplock. Stripping the engine was always going to be the easy bit. I'll be buying 5 litres of Molasses from Mole Country Stores tomorrow to start testing rust removal on some of the trusty parts. I'll need to look up if it's safe for radiators and get cracking Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Molasses, if farm strength, approx £25L £10. 1L to 9L hot water, works better in summer above 25°C, try something small first. Bolts in a coffee jar. It's a natural sugar substitute, and safe to handle, but isn't pleasant on the senses. Otherwise look up bilt hamber products. Radiator, never thought of that, but is it aluminium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 Another day another small amount of progress. I had enough video footage to make a short edit per day I'll get uploaded somewhere. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. I got down to number 5.19 though decided to leave the plugs and rotor cap in place until i need to remove them to try and keep things slightly cleaner. I also got my first sheared bolt on the thermostat housing. Lesson learned to use penetrating oil and go slow on the more important bits. Distributor linkage disconnected and removed Heater hoses removed Fuel Lines removed and clamped Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. I did notice a weird hole in the bell housing. Probably just an indent but looked odd. You see it between the two pipes here.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Also. Haynes references a heat shield for the exhaust along with a support pipe. I couldn't find either though I found this image online. Does anyone have one? What's the deal? Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 1 hour ago, ®evo03 said: Molasses, if farm strength, approx £25L £10. 1L to 9L hot water, works better in summer above 25°C, try something small first. Bolts in a coffee jar. It's a natural sugar substitute, and safe to handle, but isn't pleasant on the senses. Otherwise look up bilt hamber products. Radiator, never thought of that, but is it aluminium. Yes, I picked up 5l worth and will have a go at some bolts. Unfortunately the radiator is copper/brass so won't work well/at all. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessopia74 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 I actually don’t recall ever seeing a heat shield on a manta, even with the later design of manifold that does not mate to the manifold. As ffor snapping bolts, very common on the CIH, worst is the one in the water pump. Sane sort of issue of dissimilar metals in contact with each other over long periods. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Isn't it the steel bolts reacting with alloy. Yes have heat shield on both, early pre 83 carb models, there is a heat vent, take it is to supply heat to carb to stop fuel icing. A Flexi pipe connects to shield and to under air filter housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 21 hours ago, Jessopia74 said: I actually don’t recall ever seeing a heat shield on a manta, even with the later design of manifold that does not mate to the manifold. As ffor snapping bolts, very common on the CIH, worst is the one in the water pump. Sane sort of issue of dissimilar metals in contact with each other over long periods. I've had my finger hovering over a new set of water pump bolts from edelschmiede but if I go nut and bolt replacement it rapidly comes silly money. I might try DIY nickel/zinc plating if I can restore my bolts though. I think the kits are fairly inexpensive or doing it yourself with a car battery charger. The head is full of brown looking sludge so I think I should find a machine shop to do an unleaded conversion and professional restoration. I found one for £250 though I'm sure shopping around might get better quality or service etc. Thanks for the temperature nudge about Molasses, it's probably too cold for it right jow. The water solution is more likely to freeze than do any corrosion removal. I'll try it on some scrap bolts then on the accelerator linkage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
®evo03 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 You can bring it indoors, last time I used it was summertime in a greenhouse 👍 Would like to learn more about the zinc plating, any info on the kit. There has to be bolt specialist company's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-400 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 The weird hole is to check the timing of the engine Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Mark flywheel on arrow is ignition timing and mark on rivet that holds the metal arrow is top 0. You will find it also in your Haynes manual 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 21 Author Share Posted January 21 (edited) 10 hours ago, ®evo03 said: You can bring it indoors, last time I used it was summertime in a greenhouse 👍 Would like to learn more about the zinc plating, any info on the kit. There has to be bolt specialist company's. As an example, £67 for a 5l kit without a power supply. I'm pretty sure you can just use a battery charger. https://www.gaterosplating.co.uk/product-page/zinc-plating-kit A specialist might work out cheaper, especially if you can remove everything at once for a bulk deal but if it's piecemeal, this might be easier or cheaper. Plus it's a fun/useful skill to have. I would bring it indoors but we're trying to declutter so we can DIY our new flooring. If my wife saw jars of mouldy Molasses she might contact a solicitor. Thanks Herman, I assumed it was timing/flywheel related but couldn't imagine it would be open to the elements like that. I thought the torque converter/clutch and flywheel would be spinning in either engine oil or transmission oil but I guess they're both sealed u it's and the clutch needs friction to work anyway. Still an odd choice to have it open without a bolt on cover, no? Edited January 21 by mepbowles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mepbowles Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 Right. So I got the Carb off and the fan off and tried to budge then bolts between the inlet and exhaust manifold but the won't budge. The fron head bolt nearest the exhaust manifold also won't budge. I'm going to buy a spline socket set (I believe it's just an M12 torx I need for the cylinder head and perhaps an M10 or m8 and see if my torque wrench will help get them out along with plenty of penetrating fluid. Any other tips for removing stuck bolts? I do have a blowtorch and a welder I've never used. I've also edited some of my footage for anyone who cares and uses Instagram. It's also on FB but don't use it as much. I'll add more as I go, perhaps cross post to YouTube later on. https://www.instagram.com/p/C2ied5wtaZ6/?igsh=M2xobGtrNXBocWM2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 cant say ive ever had a problem with the manifold bolts. just a 15mm on an extension and they come straight out. obviously you dont know if someone loctited them or did them stupid tight before you ? you need m12 and m8 ( or is it m6 ?) spline not torx. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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