Rockape
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Posts posted by Rockape
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thanks all ..... pretty sure I haven't swapped the plugs around (not to say previous owner didn't do that!)
I will drop the oil (again !!) and have a closer look at the threads, and also check for cracks in the case. If I can't find anything untoward, I will get some Hylomar on and see if that does the trick.
Need to check the speedo seal I guess.....
Those decent CJ Autos ramps are becoming more and more attractive !
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Right - so now the car is on the road -I turn my attention to reducing the oil drips.
I have a drip of gearbox oil from the drain plug - having just put in new oil , I can see that’s what it is and I can see a small bead of oil on the plug itself. Have tried to simply tighten it (i put some PTFE tape on the plug , but that is really a thread lubricant not a seal)
so - next step - drain the oil out, and try the plug without the tape? Or is there a thread sealant product that would be good for this application?
I also have what might be a small weep at the speedometer connection - but want to eliminate the oil drip from the plug before going on to the next one !
thanks!
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37 minutes ago, Badwolf said:
Sorry, they are not breeze blocks, my mistake, they are actually concrete. The type of padstone that builders use under RSJs. Left over from my extension some years ago.
Good idea - i have some large timbers from a project 12”x6” x 48” seriously solid bits of wood….they would do the same job
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On 02/06/2022 at 17:01, Josef said:
20W50 for the engine. GL4 spec for the gearbox. I’ve been buying the Penrite stuff from the club shop recently for the engine, Castrol Syntrans in the gearbox since it came recommended from an overdrive specialist.
16 minutes ago, AndyTV8 said:I use a pair of CJ Autos hydraulic ramps - when in the fully lowered position front-end clearance with my TR4 is not an issue (although they did come with a pair of lead-on ramps as well, I have never used them)
I don’t have much room in my garage so I park the car on them every time to save on storage-space and means the front is always ready to lift 😀
……. Andy
I think this going to be my preferred option….parking the car on the ramps is a good idea too
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10 hours ago, Unkel Kunkel said:
At risk of sounding boringly Health snd Safety I would urge you very strongly to to swing that balance in your decision making very firmly in the direction of “safety’.
In 1976 due entirely to my impatience, carelessness and momental stupidity, I had a car slip off a jack onto me.
I was incredibly lucky to get away with it.It was a hard and painful lesson.
I completely agree - I never get under a car with just a jack - makes me nervous just looking at it …..
i was told that breeze blocks don’t help much either as they can easily shatter
the CJ Auto jacks look to be the best bet at the moment
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I used a large syringe to get the oil in….the one I have to ballast my model railway track. Need a new one now !
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More good ideas.
its a balance between safety, ease of use and access gained.
I used the jack and stands for the oil change - it’s “ok” but a bit of a faff.
Ramps - super easy and quick - but problems with clearance
i might bite the bullet and get some hydraulic jack/ramps….
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Thanks for the suggestions
i have trolley jack and axle stands (and wheel chocks) - changed the gearbox oil yesterday - and now I have clean gear oil on the drip tray. Grrrrr….
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So - I need to crawl around under the car looking for leaks etc. and reckon a decent set of ramps should be in the tool kit.
The front of the car is pretty low and am concerned that I could easily buy something that won’t fit.
I guess I could buy something and return if no good? - bit thought I would see if anyone has any suggestions/recommendations first.
cheers
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Is there a classic car GL4 oil. ? Or are they all much of a muchness…..?
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Time to put new oil in the engine and gearbox of the Spitfire (Mk3, 1300…..4 speed box..no overdrive or syncromesh on 1st)
what oil should I be using?
thanks
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12 hours ago, Josef said:
The fun bit is when all your shim washers for the runners fall out into the bottom of the door shell…
Is the chrome trim the same as the one for the windscreen? That’s something that doesn’t fit well on mine and I’d like to find something better. So would be interested in what you discover.
Will keep you posted…..
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Well….the glass is in. Eventually went to Nationwide Windscreens. The technician that came out has been fitting auto glass for 30 years and gets assigned all the classic car jobs in his area. With only a modicum of help from me, job done!
of course the “chrome” trim doesn’t fit neatly in the gasket, so am looking at some alternatives to finish off that cosmetic job….
next up ….adjust the drivers door window so it actually touches the seal..
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2 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:
is the glass marked as toughend ??? you wont break it
laminated yes risky
Pete
Can’t see any marks but pretty sure it is not laminated - looking edge on there is no sign of that.
one curious thing though - along one li g edge there are four equally spaced dimples in the glass - presumably part of the manufacturing process? They are hidden by the gasket.
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Thanks ….
will give it a go - !!
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Further to the issue of re-fitting the glass to the hard top , it seems that glass is unobtanium, so if it were to break , this would be a Bad Thing.
Perhaps the risk could be reduced by sticking duct tape to both sides of the glass to give it some extra strength? Avoiding the rubber gasket area obviously - but it seems to me this could add quite a bit of strength….
what do you think?
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Fitting the rear window to a Mk3 Spitfire hardtop
having finally found the correct gasket, and fitting the top, now to fit the glass.
one thread I have seen says to fit the gasket to the glass, then offer-up, with some string to pull the gasket into shaoe inside the car.
i was thinking fit the gasket to the top, then offer the glass up and finish with the locking strip.
has anyone done this and has advice ?
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On 04/05/2022 at 08:30, 1969Mk3Spitfire said:
I believe that’s true but I can’t keep the seal in place once gravity takes hold. I’ve fitted it with the roof inverted, pretty much as soon as I turn it, it falls off. I was thinking about applying a slither of PU to help hold the seal to the hardtop skirt. I’m not planning to apply anything to the U channel which rests upon the body.
I have exactly the same issue. The replacement seal profile isn’t big/grippy enough to hold tight to the hardtop. Which product did you go for in the end and has it done the job.
i am thinking to get the rear deck seal done, then put the hardtop on the car, and then fit the other seals with the top in-situ. Does that make sense?
cheers
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Thanks for all the tips - and the detailed description of the Bendix system.
just off to get me spanners….
any tips on SM removal O need to know?
is it -
disconnect battery.
disconnect lead to SM
Undo the two (?) bolts
withdraw SM from ring gear
1 hour ago, NonMember said:Whirring noise and no action? Then when you try again it usually fires? If so, that's classic "premature disengagement", usually caused by the carbs having been dry, so you've done all that cranking to get almost enough fuel in to fire but it only fires once - enough to kick the starter Bendix out but not enough to keep the engine running. My Toledo used to do it regularly.
35 minutes ago, Unkel Kunkel said:The Bendix is a such a neat design:
The pinion is attached to the starter shaft by a “quick thread”.
When the starter motor is turned on, the shaft begins to quickly rotate.The pinion gear has inertia - there is sufficient mass for it to resist this initial spinning so instead to spinning with the shaft, it winds its way down the thread and meshes with the flywheel:
If the engine starts, the ring gear speed exceeds the pinion so it gets flung out of engagement, down the thread and against the buffer spring.
It so rarely gives trouble.
The pinion can stick meshed to the ring gear.
= Put the car in top gear with the ignition off.
then rock the car backwards and forwards - this doesn’t need a great deal if effort and can be done quite gently and easily by one person.It should free easily or at most a very few rocks should free with a click and more free movement.
Usually, the cause is the Bendix gear is gummed up with dirt and crud and a bit of oil from inside the bell housing.
cleaning and degreasing and leaving it un-lubricated sorts most.
Sometimes the pinion gear is chewed up and ocassionally the ring gear.
A new Bendix gear can fitted (though the buffer spring is a bit fiddly unless you have the special compressor)
Have a look at the brushes- if they are worn and the starter pinion is a bit chewed, maybe time to completely overhaul the starter - or go for new one.
Cheerd
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6 hours ago, NonMember said:
Is that a Bendix or a pre-engaged? The mechanism is different but both can do something like that. My GT6 has, on two or three occasions over the last 30 years, refused to start with just a clunk, and then wouldn't roll in gear (in fact one time it locked the rear wheels when I tried to bump start it). And then the Bendix frees off the ring gear and everything's happy again.
I don't fully understand how it happens but cleaning the Bendix and letting it dry (DO NOT LUBRICATE with oil or grease; they'll just turn into glue with the clutch powder in the housing) should keep it happy for a while.
That is pretty much what happened today. I couldn’t move the engine with it in gear (thought for a minute I had somehow seized the engine) But three of us (with the car in 3rd) managed to free it off.
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Thanks ….need to read and remind myself what a Bendix is…🤔
but here’s what happens when I come to start the car.
after a long lay off, it just cranks.
but then eventually it cranks, and then followed by a whirring noise. This is a clue that it’s about to fire - ( I assume would be due to a little bit of power from an ignition, and the Bendix disengaging - does that make any kind of sense?)
Cleaning - I assume remove starter motor - inspect, clean and re-install - which shouldn’t be too big a job - LOL !
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Have started and stopped the engine many times.
went for a run in the Sun today. Stopped for coffee - started the car - clunk….just the relay closing.
put the car in gear and with a bit of help got it to move and you could here the starter motor dis-engage. Turned the key and everything fine.
so - why did the starter motor stick on? Is there a service one can do to find/eliminate this?
mark
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Well - the obvious answer is it will add the weight of the box when it arrived.
joking aside - I agree….clearly it is adding a few kilograms . But the Spitfire weighs around 750 kg. 10kg of sound deadening will add about 1.5% to the weight of the vehicle. Compare this with the weight of a passenger !
unless you are building a machine for racing, I don’t think it’s an issue TBH.
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Thanks Josef….i will have another look - maybe I didn’t have my head far enough into the footwell yesterday !
i note from your photos you have added the sound deadening stuff….i have done the same!
Chasing oil leaks
in Gearbox & Overdrive
Posted
Thats a good point that had occurred to me . I read here somewhere that the trick is to dry off the offending area and then apply a light dusting of talcum powder - this will show where the leaks/tracks are.
i should probably do this before dropping the oil again…..!