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Time for a new dashboard surround for my Herald.


mpbarrett

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I have been wanting to do this for the last 15 Years...
The dashtop has always been bent and the cardboard is all falling apart, as I have a few weeks before I can drive the car again I decided to take the dash surround out of the car.

Not a pretty sight, years of bodging of the wiring and lots of connections etc fuses etc added. Most of them are, I am ashamed to say, are my bodges over the 15 years... :(
Hopefully I can sort if all out, add another fuse box and make it a bit neater.


I also want to change the wiper box as they are very worn (I can move the arms by about 40 degrees and yes I have rotated the wheels round). The problem is that is has 22 teeth cogs in them rather than  the normal 32 teeth cogs. Not sure you can buy the 22 teeth wiper boxes...The car is a 13/60 but made in 1968, the wiper positions and wiper boxes changed in 1969.. As I have a modified 2 speed GT6 wiper motor I can probably play around with the drive wheel in the wiper motor to get the right movement. At the moment its about 170 degrees!

I have a new surround (from a Vitesse)  that is in fairly good condition and not split. I have painted it with PVA glue to stabilize it and is seems quite strong now so will use that to replace the old one. 
 

I think this will keep me busy for a while...

Mike

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22 minutes ago, mpbarrett said:

I also want to change the wiper box as they are very worn (I can move the arms by about 40 degrees and yes I have rotated the wheels round). The problem is that is has 22 teeth cogs in them rather than  the normal 32 teeth cogs. Not sure you can buy the 22 teeth wiper boxes...The car is a 13/60 but made in 1968, the wiper positions and wiper boxes changed in 1969..

You've just jumped the gun by a month as next month's Early Herald register is al about wiper motors and wheelboxes. You need the 130 degree gear in the motor and yes the 22 teeth wheelbox, but those are shared with early Minis - the only two cars of the era that used these - so have a search for the current model number 37H6100 and you'll find them. Pricey, though.

 

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On 04/04/2020 at 16:56, Colin Lindsay said:

Be careful with it, if it's a 2-speed. Hen's teeth, and expensive to repair if you make a hoo-hah.

Colin

its a mk3 2 speed GT6 modified to fit the Herald. I had to replace the parking switches and have added a Arduino to give interrupted wipe.
Have ordered some new 22 teeth gearboxes (very expensive) and had to split the nuts to get the old ones out. The outer housing was rotating in the case so could not undo the nut. Both gears badly worn and lots of wear on the shaft. I am surprised they worked as well as they did!
I don't think there was room to fit 32 teeth gearboxes, the hole for the wipe shaft is very close to the edge of the windscreen, I think the later 32 wheel gearboxes were fitted slightly down from the edge of the windscreen (see page 35 of Mike Costigans book on the Herald/Vitesse).

My GT6 motor has 100degree wheel in it. Once I get the new gearboxes I will fit them and measure what sweep I am getting.. I have another wheel for the wiper motor if needed.

At least it should keep the wiper arms  on the screen rather than go off on to the body, windscreen surround, depending on day of the week, rain wind etc etc... :)

Beginning to think about the wiring.

Most of the nasty added stuff is/was feeds to radio, interior lights, washer motor, and other stuff added and removed over the years. Beginning to think the neatest way is to add a new fuse and relay box under the dash on the drivers side and have separate fused feeds for permeant and switch supplies all. I already have a fuse box and relays set in the engine bay for the lights. I could run one relay from the ignition to provide a switched supply (on when the ign is on) that can feed radio USB outlets, 12V sockets (for sat nav) each with separate fuse. I have also just fitted new MX5 heated seats so they need switched fused supply as well. That would take the load off the ign switch and make it all a bit neater. 
On the dash surround I don't use the ashtray so am thinking of replacing to with an outlet to feed the Sat Nav, it would save having a cable across the dashboard.

I think I need to sit done and work out whats needed, what would be nice to have, and what I already have, and start to draw a circuit diagram.....

The car is not very standard, on the passengers side I have the Megasquirt to control the fuel injection and ignition so no room there for more fuses/relays on that side. :)

Mike

 

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2 hours ago, mpbarrett said:

I could run one relay from the ignition to provide a switched supply (on when the ign is on) that can feed radio USB outlets, 12V sockets (for sat nav) each with separate fuse.

Hi Mike,

This is what I have done on my Mk2 Spitfire, on the advice of the hugely respected John Bonnett, (he of the GT4 Lightweight project) and it has worked out very well. If I were to do it again I would have used bigger fuseboxes as my original ten blade box spawned an additional eight blade box for the unswitched circuits and the ten blade for the ignition circuits is completely full, and I have yet to wire in my heated seats. I would also recommend making careful notes as you proceed as there may be detail differences in the real world to your original plans. I will need to redo mine at some point as much of what I have done is compromised by not having allowed for all the extra circuits in my original plan, and this does bother me as it is not as neat as it could be. Matters were made worse by a late decision to have everything major switched by relays and the desire to have these all grouped together on the bulkhead. But it sounds like you have all your extra electrical stuff either mapped out or already installed. Do you plan to use the standard wiring colours? I had a secondhand wiring loom from which I cut the necessary lengths and I used modern thinwall flex for the new circuits (radiator fan, USB sockets, interior lights, fog & spot lights, hazard warning lights etc.) but I have found that I could have bought wire in the correct Lucas colours for all of these.  Now would be the sensible time to redo this as, working from home, I don't need the Spitfire for my everyday commute but I really loath wiring, almost as much as fitting carpets.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Adrian

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Adrian
Yes planning to do the same with a bit of redundancy, I am hoping  to use Lucas colours if possible.

New Wiper gearbox arrived. Unfortunately  the shaft is much longer than the original herald one but I can turn up a spacer for them.
The passenger side is easy but it will be very close to the steering column support on the drivers side, I think it will just fit.
great to still be able to buy stuff online at the moment..

Mike


 

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Pete

Only a problem (I think) with the 22 teeth gearbox, you seem to be able to get the correct 32 teeth boxes from the usual suspects which I assume have the correct shaft length.
On the pre 1969 Heralds, the shaft is so close to the windscreen that the rubber windscreen seal actually covers the plastic spacer on the outside. I guess the rubber windscreen seal is a slightly difference design from the original OEM design.
I don't think you could fit a 32 tooth gearbox as there would not be room for it.

mike

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2 hours ago, mpbarrett said:

New Wiper gearbox arrived. Unfortunately  the shaft is much longer than the original herald one but I can turn up a spacer for them.

Who did you get that one from? Was it sold as suitable for Heralds? Reason I'm asking is because I've been told that part number 37H6100 is suitable, so if these are they - they're obviously not! The photo I have shows a much shorter neck - haven't tried the wiper arm yet to see how those coarse splines suffice - but these should be a straight fit; as Mike says, there's insufficient room for the larger 32 teeth versions without a bit of work.

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It came from SVC (Pete mentioned them earlier in the thread). I have brought other parts from SVC before. it does not say that it will fit a Herald and I thought it looked a bit long in the picture... but as I hadn't been able to find the correct part I decided to take a chance. Finding 22 teeth ones seem to be the problem.
Its one of those parts that you really need new, any second hand parts are probably too worn already.
Here is the link https://www.s-v-c.co.uk/product/14w-wiper-wheelboxes-22-teeth/ I expect someone will tell me where to get the correct bit from, and probably cheaper... :)

Mike

 

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14 minutes ago, mpbarrett said:


Here is the link https://www.s-v-c.co.uk/product/14w-wiper-wheelboxes-22-teeth/ I expect someone will tell me where to get the correct bit from, and probably cheaper... :)

Mike

 

£35 is quite good; most of the rest are around that, or more expensive. Can you let me know if the spacer idea works? I get queries from members all the time, looking for parts like that, so if it works then that's another source we can use.

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Colin

have turned down some 40mm spacers, think they will fit but will put it all together tomorrow and try it! Will take some pics.

Actually nice to spend some time on the lathe, something very satisfying about turning metal.... :)

 

cheers

mike

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New ali spacers made and fitted, they are 40mm and 38 mm long to allow enough thread through the space for.the nut. The original spacer were made from hard plastic.
They do stick out a bit from the bulkhead a bit I don't this will be a problem, I think it wont interfere with the dashboard surround. Maybe I will do a  trial fitting of the surround..

The motor is a 2 speed GT6 one with a 100 degree crank, the crank gives about 25 mm of stroke.. With the 22 tooth wheel in the gearbox this give about 120 degrees of wiper movement. It all feels amazing with no play in the linkage! I am not sure what the correct wiper movement for a 1968 13/60 herald should be?  I can change the wheel in the motor for a 90 degree one, I will have to calculate what wiper sweep that would give. I need to pull it apart to grease before the final fitting.

Anyway pictures below.

Mike
 

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