Brake broke

So a little garaging tonight, I decided it was time to take a look at Molly's nearside back brake. This is the side that needs a new brake pipe, so off with the wheel, and off with the brake drum (to re adjust the shoes) but no the drum didn't want to come. The rear wheel cylinder was completly seized up so after a lot of swearing and grubbing around on the floor I was left with a rear brake cylinder in the vice. It was virtually new. So time for some more cylinders.

Moral: use your morris minor, don't leave it in a damp garage.

One man credit crunch buster

I have been doing my bit to combat the credit crunch. I have helping out small bussinesses, individuals and doing my bit for the environment. How? I hear you say!

Well I've been purchasing stuff (getting the cash flowing therefore fixing the credit crunch), preparing for holidays in the UK (sorting out that there global warming), recycling in the shape of classic cars (most of the carbon comes from the manufacture you know) and finally having a crack at reducing our carbon footprint when we do go on holiday.

First the recycling. Molly is getting frigteningly close to the road (lets not mention the broken van in the way). The horn and interior light work now. As do the indicators and all the lights. The new tyres are going on and the things to do now (that I know of) are the screen rubber filler strip and the rear brake pipe.

The purchasing has mostly been van related (with a few bargin CDs for re-living my childhood). First there is the trailer. She's an eBay beaut. And retro to the max, featuring wooden sides, steel leaf springs (?!!) and a rather natty hitch (may be an imperial size though?!). The plan for this is to allow us to pull the awning and luggage when we are off in the van, making the whole experience more pleasurable and tidy.

Then there is the fuel efficiency, the the standard stromberg carb on the commer is very thirsty and the existing inlet manifold is very restrictive, so CommerRacer kindly knocked me up this little darling. Designed for an SU carb and ported a little to help things breath a bit easier.

modified inlet manifold

Of course there had to be carb to go with it.

HIF44 - Fast Mini or efficent Commer?

Meanwhile, my father-in-law has knocked up a pair of bunk brackets so I can fit the new (old) bunks - thanks Richard!

And hopefully I'll be off to see Ruairdh and have a nosey around his van this weekend. The plan is to learn how the overdrive system goes together - I might get to drool over an Austin7 or 2 as well.

Finally, the machining work should be done on the gearbox conversion part soon so I can get on with the dreaded gearbox (and I'll be able to sleep at night again!)

Busy busy busy - I'll beat that credit crunch yet!

Dark Dark nights

The first week of January is supposed to be the most depressing time if year. Christmas and new year are gone, the weather is cold and the days are still short and nights long. So in order to combat this, I've been getting up early - getting to work early, leaving at a reasonable hour, spending time with the kids and getting a few hours in the garage once they were in bed. All this has made me happy, but left me tired. Another thing that makes me happy is getting stuff for the cars (girls - think retail therapy). Molly has a new fittings and fixtures and an flasher relay, and Jessica has a big box of stuff for the gearbox rebuild/ overdrive fitting.

I haven't got round to fitting any of it yet, but it should keep me busy for a few weeks, by which time the weather may have improved (yeah right) and the days will be a little longer.

I've also found an engineering company willing to shorten the propshaft for the overdrive conversion, and I think I'm going to get them to take a look at the gearbox mainshaft too and see if they can unfatten the end where it apears to have been hit with a hammer?!

The big day is coming..

..the big gearbox day that is. So I've been shuffling around the garage making preparations. The place has been tidied, parts have been cleaned and laid out. The order for the consumables has gone in with Speedies, and I'm all ready to go...all clean and ready to go...

baulk rings (syncromesh) are consumables aparently...
practice makes perfect - sticking 27 needle bearings into the laygear. Not fun.

the end of the new mainshaft. Is it a bit squashed?

Bitter

Today was cold - very cold. The Bathgate permafrost is back again and I love it! I've booked 3 days off for Christmas which has given me a full week and a half off, but I really haven't been using it to full advantage. We (all four of us) have been staying in our pyjamas till mid-day (or later, Daria is still in hers at 10:30 pm - she's feeling ill...). So in order to combat this slovenly behaviour, I took little Rory for a walk down into town in the frost. I really enjoy spending time with him like that. He doesn't say much and trots along nicely holding my hand. We went and looked at the stripped bare carcass of Woolies, while munching on Cheese and Onion pasties from Greggs. After a little while he started lagging behind, and whinging a bit so up he came on my shoulders. By the time we got back (unbeknownst to me) he was fast asleep. Thats quality time for you.

Tonight I got out to the garage again and tonights mission was to move Molly to the other side of the garage so I could fit the other 2 wheels and door seals. It took around 5 goes backwards and forwards to do it as there is very little space between the garage and Jessica and I didn't want to drive her as its a little late and Molly is a little noisy. Plus the garage would have been filled with nasty over-rich exhaust fumes (should add that to the to-do list).

Finally I started doing a dry run of the gearbox rebuild, just so I know how to do it when it comes to the real rebuild (not that I'm scared or anything...).

Not working but playing

Not being at work is ok... I quite like my job but is does take a lot of my time. Today has been A Good Day. The done list includes:

• strip down the "new" gearbox
• have a general tidy up
• fit the off side rear seatbelt properly
• fit the rear wing properly
• get Molly's engine running
• free off the rear brakes
• fit a new wheel

The temperature today has been mostly frosty (it was -1 when I came in tonight), but I did manage to get a few hours in the garage this morning. It was bittersweet though, fun playing with cars, but Rory had his little nose squished up against the patio windows wanting to play.

Stripping the new 'box was a bit weird - perfectly good box in bits on the bench is not a good feeling. I have a big shopping list for speedy spares when they open (not until the 5th of January?!) and keep wondering how much to replace. All the bearings and seals or just the stuff I really want to? And I'm quite scared of the massive quantities of the needle bearings that I have in little tubs on the bench now. Ah well no going back.

Molly's rear wing is now on with the piping - still needs painting though, but it'll do until after the MOT. Getting her engine running was a bit of a whim thing, she'll not get past Jessica (what with wheels being in the air and the gearbox being in lots of tiny bits on the bench) buts its an emotional thing.

As the back wheels wheels were in the air, the brakes got freed off and, well there's no point putting the old wheel back on is there?

Christmas schmishmas

Well whats that all about. Lots of food, bad films and general overindulgence. Not good I hear you say. Well there is one redeeming feature of Christmas (especially this Christmas). Its the other 3. Daria, Megan and Rory. My family, beautiful wife and kids. Now I have finally chilled out a little bit and got myself used to not being at work, the kids and Daria can have a little quality time with me. Thanks to Granny, Rory has a great new train set, a Thomas the Tank engine one, with batteries and automatic features. If fits perfectly on the dining room table, and has been a great source of fun for the three of us for a good few hours over the last couple of days. Its amazing how much fun can be had with a train set. Toast delivery for example. And I keep wanting to nip to ToysRUs to get some more bits for it!

station master and chief engineer

From my own point of view, it was a rather good car related Christmas. I got a jolly good morris minor book from Dad and Sue (one I don't already have which is impressive in itself!), and the skull gearknob I asked for from my Brother much to his bemusement! Mum came up with the goods too and I now have a slightly better stocked took kit.

Skoda, Morris or Commer....?

Now of course any time off must have some garage time associated with it, and Molly has been a little neglected recently so she has had some special attention lavished upon her. This years project has been seats and seatbelts.

Of course there's a Commer gearbox to worry about so I took a few minutes to learn about how the gears should be swapped onto the overdrive mainshaft. Its pretty straight forward really, I need to just be brave now and do it.

I'm starting to like this Christian festival, good stuff happens. Shame about all the religous iconography, and it being in the middle of winter.