The embarrassing Herald restoration thread - now the fiddly bits

[Colin Lindsay]

Time for another update, and no fires since the last one either. I binned that lamp and removed the entire courtesy light system just in case; I don't think it's really relevant in a convertible. I may be out in the dark but surely I know where everything is by now? it's a permanently live system and I've gone off those... so for peace of mind: no lamp. The ignition switch also decided to play the fool earlier, and started to rotate round in the dashboard, so I had to remove it again (plus the entire ashtray assembly below) and use one of those toothed brackets to fix it in place. This meant also changing the bezel as the original rose bezel would not tighten sufficiently, but one of the thinner two-slot bezels did the job. It still looks good but now stays put. I finally got round to connecting up the final gauge, the tachometer, and amazingly it worked. It has to be set for the four-cylinder engine by moving almost microscopic slides under a panel on the rear - there are three and they'll allow use for 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engines - but once complete it can be fully connected. Hold breath, turn the key, and hooray - not only do we have revs but good oil pressure as well.

                            

This last is surprising as the previous owner of the car mentioned a while ago, casually in passing, that he had thought the engine would require replacement bearings by now. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 

Removing the ashtray and the two cables that hold it in place made me decide to find original nuts for them rather than the current practice of having a chrome bezel in behind too. The bezel is the only thing in my garage that will tighten. I managed to discover that the threads are a BSB pattern, commonly used on cables. Also known as CEI or cycle thread. I've managed to locate a source of 1/2 by 26 tpi thin nuts and am awaiting four. I also found a BSB die for the threads, cost me £3 but fits perfectly so I'm hoping the nuts do too. 

Whilst waiting for the last week on the nuts to arrive I've been working on the interior trim. The upholsterer has finally come up with the rear seat back, after four visits from me (that's a 30-mile round trip each time and every time the promised deadline was nowhere in sight) but he made up for it by charging me the princely sum of £10 for the recovering. 

                               

We had a bit of a debate on that large flap of material along the top edge. None of my earlier Heralds have it, and there's no way that it can be folded round behind as the earlier cars are, either. Eventually we agreed to just leave it loose and see how it covers the hoodwell. The hoodwell is quite noticeable in early cars when the hood is up so I'm hoping it's a bit more luxurious in my 13/60. In the event it made sense to fold it over the top edge only then fix in place with adhesive and hood poppers - I need to attach the hood bag some way - and let the rear edge hide the hood well when the hood is up.

  

Once that was done I could refit the hood bag and bingo - looking very well.

                              

I almost got caught out by fitting the side trims and rail covers; it seems like a simple job and certainly improves the interior, but then I remembered I have not yet fitted the sills. These have two screws down through the bottom of the rear wing and of course I need the access. Driver's side is now fitted; a bit of a faff for a one-man job and difficult to get all the gaps correct, but I've done my best. I haven't yet fixed the side rail brackets, this will require a bit of effort to make sure the sill is straight and so can wait for another day.

Lots of little jobs on-going at present; I've fitted the carpet side rails over the door rubbers and new treadplate trims, which I've had for many years so it's good to see the finally used. I also fitted the door seal cappings on the top of the screen pillars - I had a pair of those a few months back, then ended up with one. I thought possibly it went up the vacuum cleaner when I was hoovering up grinding waste, so was wondering if they're still available. They can be hard to find some times, especially when certain retailers refer to them as a Vitesse 'wheelarch part'...

                                                                     

Still available, but thankfully before I got to the ordering stage I found another three; even better, this morning I found a box with another four... even I can't lose that many on one car. One of those little parts I bought at autojumbles years ago, just in case, and have salted them away only to completely forget where. I only found that last box as I was looking for early dashboard trims, and found them all together.

Next job on the Herald will be fitting the dashboard cables, adjusting the rear brakes, refitting the passenger door and sill, one rear side trim to go in, refitting the sunvisors and rear view mirror and that's that. Oh, and the windscreen. Just remembered that, and not an easy job for a one-man band either. Might have to call in a few favours. My intended first show is the first Saturday in June. I could probably make it easily enough, but then I may need a bit of roadtesting first. I'll wait and see.

Edited May 24, 2023 by Colin Lindsay
spelling

[Josef]

Oh wow I see what you mean about the extra material. The original 13/60 ones definitely aren't like that. Not that it matters of course! The interior's looking great.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, the final countdown has begun. My plan was to have the Herald 13/60 ready for the road at end of April - nope - then May - possibly - then the first local show on 3rd June. The upholsterer having delivered, and the body shop booked up until August, I couldn't really blame anyone else. Get stuck in, Lindsay!

Jobs to finish: fit sills. Then door seals, rear interior trims, rear seat, hood rails and poppers. Then passenger door. Boot lid seal (which won't stay on). Cables under dash, radio, door trims, wooden cappings, then finally windscreen and ancillaries. Job done. Can it be done in seven days, especially as a one-man band?

Amazingly, yes. Sills... very long for one person but my old friend the quilt comes in handy again. Roll it up, place under car, set sills on top. Plump the quilt up until it holds the sills in place maybe 1/2 inch lower than final position, all edges where they should be behind treadplates etc... Fit a small cable tie on the front hole, then adjust the rear while it hangs at the front. There are two screws per side that go through the underside of the rear wings so attach both loosely with a spire clip in behind. Then raise gradually at each end so the sill stays level, no cracking or chipping of paint especially on the sharp corners. Finally support the front, fit one screw, and work along, pressing up to keep it level and tight to the gaps. Seems to have worked. With that done I could fit the door trim, the securing plate along the floor, and the treadplate trim.  

After that, the door. I need a new one altogether, the old one is scuppered. You may have been able to tell from the video I posted that the entire shell flexes as the window winds, but I can't find a solution - nor anyone free to weld at present - so back on it goes with the resultant distortion, creaking and banging if the window is lowered. Just don't lower it then! I had a terrible job putting the glass back in, those clips for the window runners mangled my fingertips and refused to stay on. In the end I used old ones rather than new, which went on so easily I suspected they may fall off again. On goes the door, easy enough for one to do but be warned - if the lock mechanism engages at the b-post, and you haven't the inner release mechanism fitted, it's a faff to get off again. I just use a jack with a long piece of wood under the door edge, get the gaps level and bolt through the hinges and plates. Easy enough.

                                

I'm using a flap-type door seal, bought from Bill at Rarebits many many moons ago (Stoneleigh, probably) so easily fitted and doesn't affect the door gaps as bubble-seals can. There's a little bit of mis-alignment where the bulkhead joins the rear tub, no idea why or how, but you can see the door seal sitting out further at the front than towards the rear. It doesn't affect the door fitting so I'll leave it, but it makes the treadplate cover look angled. Door now on, all mechanisms refitted, just the limiter at the A-post to connect.

Once the sill was on I was able to refit the rear interior trims, the rest of the rear seat, and the decorative rails along the tops, which clean up very well using Autosol. Easier on the passenger side than the driver's side, but they went on easily enough and should stay on. That's actually the rear interior finished. In fact that's most of the car finished, once the door trims and cappings went on, the handles, and the radio which of necessity had to be last as it blocks access to so many other things. The 1/2 by 26tpi BSB nuts that I bought locked the inside of the cables to the dash as required, so they'll hold whilst the heater controls are operated. Now only the front seats let it down, but I'm looking for alternatives so no point wasting money.

                               

After that, up on the ramp for the final time to secure the sills to the chassis by the little metal legs, and to adjust the rear brakes which I tried earlier, forgetting that whilst up in the air the axles would be sitting on the chassis so giving a false reading. Lowered onto axle stands, I set them again.... and found later that the car was in gear. Oops. Shouldn't matter though. I hope. I'll find out once on the road...

Biggest job that I was putting off was the windscreen. I've done it on my own before, on my GT6, but the rubber is new, and harder, so I reckoned I needed help. What really amazes me is how people just disappear when asked to hold something, or push something, or press something down... so: nothing for it. Screen rubber on the glass, pass a wire cable all the way round, and set in place. First attempt failed miserably, but I learned enough to succeed on the second attempt. Easier than I thought. All it needs now is to fit the locking trim, once it has settled in a bit more. 

                               

THAT'S a major step forward. I'll have the trim in by this evening, provided I can find the trim tool which is salted away somewhere which means the wipers can go on, and the washer jets aligned. Sunvisors and rear view mirrors should complete all.

Amazingly, that means I need to fit one heater cable - at the direction flap underneath - fit the two door limiters, and finally the steering wheel. THAT'S IT. Back on the road by tomorrow, with two days road testing before the show on Saturday, which I may or may not attend. At least I have the option, now. It's been a long road, but when I look back at the state of the Herald last December when the work started, and the amount of work that's been carried out in five months, it's a lot to be proud of.

  

Not perfect, but then never intended to be. Some good upgrades - fuse box, electric washers, oil pressure gauge, useful things to make the driving experience better.

The biggest worry - outside, as always, will the engine conk out on the first run or the brakes fail? - is: will the tank sender seal hold? I just don't know, it's as tight as I can make it, shows no signs of moving, but I don't want to find out that the boot fills with petrol, there's a spark from the rear brake lights and bang off we go. We were lucky back in December when the tank sprung a leak that we didn't go up in flames, especially with a boot full of fuel, so I won't tempt fate twice. An investment in another tank - despite the renovation and ethanol-proofing of this one - may yet be a wise investment. We'll see; I might be worrying over nothing. In the meantime, keep the fuel level down below the sender. Not hard, at today's prices...

But still... looking good? Oh... rear wheel trims...

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Colin Lindsay

[Pete Lewis]

its looking good   you should be pleased with the work and timetable to succeed the mission .

brilliant 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said:

its looking good   you should be pleased with the work and timetable to succeed the mission .

brilliant 

Pete

I've had a morning off - Fracture Clinic with FIL at 2.30; so as I cannot find my screen trim tool anywhere, not a trace despite prolonged searches in the garage, I did it by hand. My thumbs will probably never recover. Trim in after a lot of sweating and faffing about, the corners were the worst, little cover back on the joint too. Sunvisors on, rear view mirror on, wheel trims on... finished? 

A quick test and while the screenwashers fly right over the car and wash the boot I had no indicator on the passenger side. turns out the contacts to the column switch had pulled off on two of the terminals. Just finished replacing the switch with a spare so indicators all work, no time to test anything else, off in five minutes. Now have to refit the steering wheel again but this evening, if I get back before dark, will be a short test drive.

[Pete Lewis]

so youre into plaster work as well ??

pete

[Chris A]

29 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

so youre into plaster work as well ??

pete

More likely Colin prefers to get plastered, but not the sort you get in a hospital . . .

[Colin Lindsay]

Sitting in a corridor at the Fracture Clinic, FIL fast asleep, admiring the Nurses and wondering what they all actually do. Grinding noises from one room, either a cast is coming off or they’re digging an escape tunnel. Cafe closed so no coffee. They need a bar here.

[Colin Lindsay]

Got home earlier than expected, the team were on the ball today. Straight to garage. Steering wheel on, washers adjusted, wipers fitted, engine starts up.... running very rich, bit of a misfire at higher revs. No flames, no leaks, nothing fell off.

Go to reverse car out of garage.... crunch. Can't get any gears. No problem with engine off, pedal moves in and out freely, master cylinder full of fluid, but when running, no gears at all... clutch plate stuck to flywheel? I am NOT - NOT NOT NOT to quote Napoleon - taking the gearbox out. Bit of a disappointment, after all the work that was the last thing I expected to go wrong. I'll work on it tomorrow.

[chrishawley]

11 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Go to reverse car out of garage.... crunch. Can't get any gears.

I had exactly that, the morning of the Enfield Pageant. Select reverse, handbrake on, clutch pedal down, turn over for an instant on starter. 'Popped' on the second pulse. Everything just fine thereafter. Hope yours is as easy.

[Pete Lewis]

may be an italian take off will free the plate 

Pete

[PeteH]

3 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

may be an italian take off will free the plate 

Pete

Puts me in mind, of the guy who tried it, and crushed his Mrs against the garage wall. I think he did time for either manslaughter or wounding?.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Tried repeated cranking in both reverse and first, car jumps backwards / forwards on each rotation but still stuck. Going to try to run it with the wheels off the ground, see if that frees anything through heat etc. It cannot simply be the slave cylinder... have thought of bleeding that just in case. It just seems so unfair after all the work!

[Pete Lewis]

a hot engine can ease the freeing off sometimes helps 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, I got there. Car up on ramps, checked the slave cylinder - looks okay but no way to tell if anything's untoward. Lowered back onto axle stands placed under the rear shock lower mounts, ran the car in gear - was able to check the brake adjustment too - the car ran in first, then second, then third but all gearchanges only when engine stopped, in fact at one point I couldn't get it out of gear again. I let it run for ten minutes with the rear wheels removed, periodically touched the brakes but all that did was stall the engine.

Now: at THIS point I realised I wasn't pressing the clutch at the same time... so got in, tried that and after a few attempts happy days it seemed to work. THEN just to be contrary it stuck again... but only for one or two further attempts, after which I realised it was working as it should. Wheels back on, a quick run round the house and we're seemingly all ok.

                                    

It'll get its' first road run tomorrow, but we're already running very rich - I've no idea what has happened the carb since last layup but that's due a stripdown, and I'll need to check / clean the plugs. The bonnet gaps are still poor, passenger side has a large gap at the top - it has had this since I removed the bonnet in 2021 and no amount of fettling will stop it reverting back after a while - and the driver's side is bent inwards so it fouls the door as it opens. I may try with a different bonnet, if one ever becomes available. Other than that - we're back on the road.

[Steve P]

Well done Colin,looking good. I tried to adjust the height on my 13/60 bonnet last Sunday and ran out of threads on the cone,must be a crappy repro one.

Steve

[Chris A]

2 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

 working as it should.

Great news

[PeteH]

14 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

The bonnet gaps are still poor, passenger side has a large gap at the top - it has had this since I removed the bonnet in 2021 and no amount of fettling will stop it reverting back after a while -

Are the distances between pivot point and Bonnet the same both sides?. I ask because after I re-assemble mine, it looked "wrong" and the distance was 1/4"+ difference?. I put a Jack in and opened the gap. looked a lot better after that. They way the bonnet support loops back is to my mind somewhat suspect in terms of strength?.

Pete

[Josef]

14 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

we're back on the road.

Excellent news!

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, PeteH said:

Are the distances between pivot point and Bonnet the same both sides?. I ask because after I re-assemble mine, it looked "wrong" and the distance was 1/4"+ difference?. I put a Jack in and opened the gap. looked a lot better after that. They way the bonnet support loops back is to my mind somewhat suspect in terms of strength?.

Pete

The bonnet saga has gone on for ages, now, ever since I removed it to have the rusty bit below the grille replaced. I take all brackets and connections off, line up the bonnet across the top and door gaps - perfect. Then I connect / fit bolts / tighten up, and after a day or two it has reverted back to the same angle - wide at the top of passenger side, tight at the bottom, and the driver's side wheel arch tight to the bulkhead so no more rearward movement. 

[Colin Lindsay]

Did a very sneaky one this morning; called over to the FIL in the convertible, mainly to roadtest it but also to prevent him asking me to take him places. He wants potatoes - later, maybe - weedkiller - NO! - and a small electric handheld chainsaw - DEFINITELY NO! He'll be dangerous enough with just the potatoes, as I arrived to clouds of smoke where he was burning meat in a saucepan. I opened the windows to let the smoke out and deflected all his errands by claiming that the Herald wasn't going too well and so I couldn't risk taking him anywhere in case it broke down.

It actually wasn't going well, either. I detuned the carb as the plugs were very sooty and it had been starting without choke, so it got a quarter turn of the lower screw (Stromberg) to see how it performs. We kangarooed a bit leaving the drive, which I put down to being cold, but it misfired very slightly under load, just a repeated hesitation in lower gears but which went away in top. All else worked well although the steering wheel requires adjusting to a good 'straight-ahead' position.

Left the father-in-law's in blazing sunshine, we again missed a bit accelerating down the road, but it became progressively worse as we went on, hesitating and missing regularly in second and third, and pulling away only reluctantly. Got home, opened the bonnet - both bonnet latches were now undone during the drive, need adjustment! - and the engine died almost immediately.

I noticed a) the fuel filter was almost empty, despite the tank gauge reading quarter full, b) No 3 sparkplug was loose, and c) the black cable from the electronic ignition had split it's rubber insulation where the two bullet connectors join and was lying against the distributor. I repaired it but was wondering if it had been shorting out?

I've now glued that cover in place to prevent any further movement but it seems to get very soft and insubstantial in the heat of the engine, so I may make up another cable with no joint at all. Fuel pipes are all okay but there's a bit of fluid round the pump where it joins the block, could be oil, will check that later. I also tightened up the sparkplug, no idea why it was loose but will watch that one closely. I replaced them all last year so they're not old, and are NGK BP6HS plugs. 

I'm just concerned that the petrol filter was empty of fuel, maybe 1/4 inch in the bottom of it, given the fuel tank leak I had last year. I get paranoid especially when flammable things are involved.

I started the engine up after the plug and lead break was sorted, and filled the tank half full, and it started easily and seems to run ok. Need another road test, and as I'm off this evening an there's a show eight miles away in aid of cancer, might be worth the trip.

[Chris A]

49 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

the fuel filter was almost empty

The one on my 13/60, just before the pump, never has much petrol in regardless of how much is in the tank

[PeteH]

I am not surprised that the volumes drawn from the tank are relatively small. When one consider`s the Volume below the diaphram. The stroke of the pump will determine how much is drawn from the system so bearing in mind that the pipe run, which also contains at least 2 sections of Hose, with the potential to draw air, and the need to draw the fuel from whatever the tank level over a level 3 to 4" above the top of the tank, add in the fact the tank venting is often via a small hole in the Cap?, which in itself could lead to a reduction of pressure below atmospheric, ensuring the suction side works harder.

Add in the need to keep the output pressure below that which overcomes the float in the carburator, leading to fuel leakage issues. This being often adjusted by reducing the stroke, the conundrum is the balance between both needs. Ie; the aim being to deliver suficient fuel at higher demand, against the need not to overfuel at Idle?. That is a lot of parameter to service inorder to square the circle.

Pete.

[Colin Lindsay]

Back on the Estate again, things were going brilliantly. The load area has been cleaned up and the coverboards have gone in, although there's nothing to attach them to at the rear end.

                                 

Just to the right of the three hinges on the left-hand joint, theres a row of holes for self-tappers, but nothing below to screw them into. Unless I drill into the fuel tank. The row on the right is no problem, the self-tappers go into spire clips in the bodywork, but unless I'm missing something I cannot work out where the other side is attached. Well, it'll not fly away with so many screws in the other side.

Back to the interior and I've decided not to use the burr-walnut dashboard that has been planned this many a year. I just don't think it will suit the car. The problem is that the other dashboard, the original American walnut, isn't in great nick.

                                                                 

                                                               

This leaves me with only one option - reveneer. I have the veneer already, a large roll of Cerejeira veneer, which is what I assumed I had used earlier on the other car but on comparison with the Herald convertible dash it's not even close. That means that the other dash is really in European walnut, the Cerejeira being much lighter and certainly more brittle. It splinters at the slightest breath, and would suggest that this is why I had to restart the other dash again but using a different veneer. This one however has gone on very easily, and seems to be coming out very well so far. 

                                                                 

It will darken down when varnished, but not too much, so should be a nice light contrast to the rest of the interior. Things started to go pearshaped at this point, though... the outer edge just above the glovebox splintered here when being trimmed, you can just see it in the photo halfway down on the left, but as that bit will be under the padded surround I thought we had got away with it. I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for those pesky splinters, and sadly the glovebox lid in matching grain pattern broke off at the lower corner.

             

This stuff is incredibly brittle. That will be really noticeable, but might glue on again if I'm very very careful. I'm using such a sharp scalpel but cutting along the grain is actually worse than across it, and it splinters at the drop of a hat. I'll try sticking it on and see how it looks after a coat of varnish. The varnish might actually make the process easier as it might hold the veneer together more firmly than just the dry veneer. I'll experiment once I find a small paintbrush. The ashtray front is missing, too, but I think that rather use a dark wood version, where the brown edge will be too visible against the lighter veneer, I'll make one from lighter wood and veneer the front of that. Assuming I don't chisel all this stuff off and go for the European walnut again.

The only other job is sandblasting the roadwheels, Dunlop L816 3.5J, and repainting in Triumph Roadwheel White which came from Rarebits4Classics a few years back. That's my last tin of it!

Looks good though. Tyres in stock so fitting tomorrow, I've gone for 155/80R13 Firestones. Another step forward, but all in vain with no dashboard....                                               

             

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Colin Lindsay
Photo editing

[Josef]

Fingers crossed the little bits of veneer go back on OK. I do agree, I don’t think burr walnut suits a Herald. It’s a lovely looking wood, but I’ve never been a fan of sticking it on the dash of absolutely every car!