The Vusky. Clutch , Bumped up the buttock

[ImpManiac]

Brilliant, Dave! I'm really happy to hear that your wonderful Vusky is back to having a lovely gearchange. Well done, Malcolm and Graham, for sorting you out so quickly and effectively too. What an amazing club!

IM

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Done another 15 miles in the Vusky .
Whatever caused the cough appears to have coughed its last as its not done it again .
No clutch judder , started and ticked over instantly this morning which given the heavy frost was great .
Running well , no transaxle leaks - but being so clean it made the engine look filthy so ive cleaned that as well.
So far so good
Ive worked out the cost of all this and its just short of £600

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

In memory of all the shite this clutch and transaxle has given me over the last few months Ive made a candle holder from the dead bits removed from the Vuskys transaxle .Just used the diffs planet wheels and first and second syncro hub for base

[The Nun]

I was wondering if the Vusky had died you wouldn't get rid of it, you'd make it into a double bed, a DiVan

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Finally got this out and about Thursday evening .
Clutch is still perfect
Transaxle is perfect
Fired right up after much idleness doing nothing .
So all in all i think i can safely say the saga is finished

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

We have snow - would be rude not to go out in it

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

This should stop the boot card trim from warping
Bit of thin steel and some copper rivets

[ImpManiac]

That's a great idea, Dave.

IM

[617sqn]

How many of you turkeys missed Daves birthday yesterday ?

Good job I was on the ball, and collecting Brownie Points (a bit like Nectar Points, but more useful ).

Andy G

[colimp66]

Good luck Dave, Hope it goes well for you.

Col.

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

MOT passed ,
Although emissions arnt required we checked it anyway , mixture seemed real good .

[ImpManiac]

Great work, Dave! Especially on the emissions. There is no reason why most older vehicles should be polluting. A well set up Imp engine certainly needn't be. And yours clearly is very well fettled.

IM

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

After three months faffing about ive got the book done on this - came out well , 38 pages in all

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Then and now shots .
Unfortunately the car park had changed completely in the time scale , so much so that where we parked orignally isnt even part of the car park anymore
First pic 1992 , second and third 9-6- 2018 - taken at the Valley of rocks Lynton

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Back from a trip to Lynton and Lynmouth to the Lyn valley classic car show .
bl***y hot to say the least , Roads are all rather hilly so a lot of time was spent ragging it in second ( and sometimes first ) up some rather steep hills .
MPG really suffered what with that plus rather loaded up , it only managed 27.27 MPG
Still it ran perfectly and coped very well , brakes also coped well but the front drums were too hot to touch after a long downhill part and a stop to check .
137 miles , half a mug of oil , no coolant loss

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Another weekend --- another show , this time the Vuskys at Bristol classic car show . Not really in a fit state to put on show as its still very unpolished but hey , they wanted it on there

[Kinger]

Great pics Dave, was good to see you last weekend, personally i thought the show in general was awful with a few exceptions.
The Imp club , the Cortina MK2's and the Austin 10 club were the best part of the show, the classic car car park was brilliant as usual.
As for the rest, very poor.
The Auction was abysmal, and the traders we few and far between, i think the Restoration show is far better
Moan over
Mike

[The Nun]

Don't know if it's different now but I remember when I last went to the Bristol Show you could see your breath it was absolutely freezing in there, maybe it used to be earlier in the year?, some of the exhibitors were walking around stamping their feet in an effort to warm them up, I haven't been back since.

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Not used this for a few weeks but did 70 odd miles in it today .
Its running fine I must say - have a sunset pic just for reading this rubbish

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

On the case of that feckin clutch again which over the weekend decided that reverse wasn't available unless i pumped the pedal first , i even bled it whereby it worked but after leaving it stood a few days did it again .
On Dave Lo suggestion i checked the wear on the clutch pedal especially as said pedal sat every so slightly higher that the brake . Operating pedal by hand to feel for play showed up about an inch of free play at the footplate end .
I have another pedal and whilst not new it was certainly far less worn , also noticed the master cylinder link bar hole was also worn so ive changed both .
Can you change the brake pedal in situ - YES
Would I recommend it - Not really as its tricky but does save a shit load of work .
Clutch pedal now sits 5mm lower than the brake one ( which is obviously worn as well .
Pedal feels better and biting point has risen about 20mm .
Also bled it again , this time sans the carpet etc , Im thinking the play maybe prevented the matter cylinder from getting full travel and so causing the issue .
We will see if this solves it --- total job took 2hours 15 minutes

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Clutch pedal now sits slightly lower than the brake

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

I can confirm that this WASNT the cause of the not going into gear properly .This was worth doing though given the wear in it all .
However after trying something else im fairly certain I HAVE found and hopefully solved the issue .
Il let you all know what it was in a few days after ive done some miles

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Symptoms , Reverse sometimes crashed and wouldn't go in , however sometimes it was fine , sometimes pumping the pedal worked and sometimes not , no loss of fluid , no loss of clutch pedal feel , no change in biting point , no leaks.
All other gears were fine ruling out the rear lever linkage flexi .
Both cylinders genuine Girling and both leak free- its got an aero quip flexi fitted .
Clutch pedal , connecting rod and clevis pin changed which made no difference .
THE CAUSE
Right then here goes . Back when i had the clutch judder problems one thing i did change was the clutch slave cylinder . I only had a NOS early one - the one you need the adaptor for .
Basically the inlet hole in said slave was too small and caused a restriction exactly like a collapsing flexi would do.
Swapping back to the later non adaptor slave with the larger inlet hole solved the problem.
i suspect drilling the inlet hole the same diameter as the later type would make it OK
One to remember i think

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Not sure if this helps anyone but still .
If your running an Aeroquip clutch hose you will have noticed they seal on a copper washer on the flat part of the nut just like the factory type - ive had these weep before now .
Back to the Aeroquip hose as this has a tapered end exactly like the bleed nipple , cylinder also has a coned base but the Aeroquip hose doesn't quite reach it - hence the need for a copper washer .
Anyway by taking a few mm off the cylinder body the hose will seal on the taper with no copper washer required , i did this on the Singer years ago and have just done the Vuskys.
Works a treat .

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

National update .
Miles - 415 - MPG = 50.9 on the way up but only 44MPG on the return as i went a more rural route some of the way home .
Oil used - negligible at about 1/2 a mug full .
Coolant used - zero
Problems - passenger wiper rubber fell apart and air in clutch sorted by Tim Sears ( although that was my shite bleeding not the Vuskys fault ) .
Other things .
Graham Cromptons car destroyed a pair of my jeans
Accuspark dizzies are utterly shite ( ask Graham Crompton )
It was however a real pleasure camped next to Graham and his beloved so thanks for your company .
You can build a dynamo from three knackered ones in a field with no proper tools .
My camera is shit as its too easy to turn the fecker on and not realise ( i think i got two pics )
Wasps are REALLY annoying and like cans of Coke and my vape rather too much .
It was warm
Thanks to Andy G and co for the breccies - i still owe you for these
Congrats to all the worthy winners - you all deserve it
All in all a superb weekend

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Well the Triumph stag expansion bottle on here sprang a leak , given the cost of a new one i thought id go cheap skate .

I found this 700ml shaker bottle in Asda for £2.50 .
It has a pop top as well as a screw on lid so in theory if it does overheat ive a feeling the pop shut mouth bit on the top will just - well pop off letting the pressure out , hopefully il never know but i do have a way of testing it which i might one day .
Rad cap is set at 7lb so the bottle is unpressurised under normal circumstances

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

¥¨†ß˙¥¨¨å it
Expansion bottle wasn't the only cause of the leak . As the new bottle is clear it was easier to spot some coolant was escaping somewhere
Pressure tested it this evening - leak found , theres a leak between the bottom tank and the rad .
No pennies left to fit it either .
curse word !!!!

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Found the problem re. the rad - it seems the system wasn't pressurising and by changing the expansion bottle and moving the rad cap back to the rad it solved this but created another issue.
Now the rad is pressurising it found a weak part that basically wasn't soldered properly from the start
So ive re-soldered it as best I can , pressure tested it and it seems to be OK


No solder at all under the bottom hose pipe

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

So far the rad repair has been fine

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Vusky has sat unused since the Haynes breakfast club meet on 2nd of this month . Started instantly and still runs fine although having used the Singer extensively this month I noticed the Vuskys throttle pedal is heavier .
After a bit of spring changing and adjusting it now feels the same as the Singers which is much better

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Im so impressed with Mike Dents points based ignition system ive got on the Singer im going to fit the same on the Vusky ---- starting with the most obvious thing that fails - the condenser , this is no longer in the Dizzy but mounted externally , my Lucas one was dated 48/75

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

So more wiring alterations , ive only done the Vusky at the moment but will do the Singer once ive made up another box of tricks.
Basically ive altered the electric washers so every time these are operated the wipers wipe one full cycle even if the washer switch is released . wipers operate as normal without the washers .
As the washers are instant and the wipers have a 1/2 second delay by default ( something to do with the field coil ) theres no chance of the wipers going up the screen dry .
Best part is the part required only cost £2
Full credit to me for the idea but even more full credit must be given to Gary Henderson for the circuit diagram
Thank you Gary for all your help in this
Theres a video ive posted of this in action on facebook , sadly i can't post it on here

[colimp66]

Clever stuff Dave, makes your Imp more modern in the wiper department. and a lot safee too i would think.

Shame we cant see the video of it in operation.

Cheers
Col

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Radiator repair i did is holding out well so thats saved a load of hassle as well as money - well for the time being at least , doing the boot on this the same as the Singer soon .

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Rubber mat obtained and fitted - still running fine , the rebuilt box done by Malcolm Anderson is freeing up nicely and feels really smooth and precise ,
Pic for the hell of it

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Just finished doing the Vuskys boot board like I did the Singers , its just the back now done in that same highly flexible 1.6mm thick glass reinforced polyester laminate . . The boot floor / fuel tank top is a rubber mat cut from factory rear saloon seat rubber with the foam stips in the tank groves as I did in the Singer . Again I cut too long so the back board pins it in , in fact it reaches the bulk head .
Looks OK and hopefully practical

[bornagain-imp]

Very nice be a shame to get it dirty

Rod

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

This is still running fine although ive richened the mixture up slightly now its getting cold as I do every year on both , Also altered the throttle response so its slightly quicker .
Ready for winter duties now

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Dragged it kicking and screaming out the dry garage into the wind and rain of this morning , throttle response and feel now perfect , clutch and transaxle now perfect , mixtures good for the cold and wet so its ready for any winter duties .
End of boring update

[Lotus-e-Clan]

So do you tend to use the Vusky more in winter than your other beaut?

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Posted at the risk of turning this thread into a blog
Anyway
Vuskys been out today having a " will it cope with winter test " .
Twas 4˚C this morning at 5.40 AM with a wind chill making it feel like -2˚C . To top it all the easterly winds been blowing straight into the engine bay all day at work.
Finally it pissed with rain on the way home .
It coped perfectly - no hesitation when pulling away instantly from stone cold , choke mixtures perfect and it ran fine --- even the heater felt good and warm .
Wipers are good
Its ready

[jetmech]

Very good Dave.
I must confess that my Imp is a bit of a garage queen. This year I only used it for three club events, one local show and a couple of area centre meetings. That has added up to about 2000 miles. It hasn’t moved since returning from wicked welsh.
This has been a pattern for several years now, it often stays untouched between September and April. So far I have not noticed any ill effects from these extended lay ups.

Simon

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Thanks to Graham Dewhurst the Vusky now has a decent factory rear load mat . In pretty good nic im almost scared to use it so will probably only go in for shows as in all my years of Imping ive never seen another useable one
The only real difference to one you cut yourself is the plain border all around the edge

[617sqn]

You could probably reproduce that effect with Mrs Noddys best iron, Dave

Andy G

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Somehow against all the odds this is still here having been built on this date 53 years ago ( twas a Friday which is never a good day for production )
You all know its history so i wont repeat it , its all on this thread anyway if you dont
Anyway.
Happy 53rd birthday to the Vusky - somehow you made it

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

So Vuskys have a design fault
That is the end of the load bay is 1 1/2 inches from the back of the seat when its up . Never a problem except when you fit a rubber mat whereby it just slides forwards as its not long enough .
The Husky way is to screw it to the load bay edge but this means you cant take it out without pissing around , the other alternative is throw it over the rear seat when working on the engine and seeing as this mats an original id rather not do that if possible .
So i wanted this mat removable with no tools and unable to slide forward .
Bodged this metal slotted plate the rubber fits into .
Its low enough so sliding something big in shouldnt get caught on it but its easily overcome if it does . Didnt have enough metal to do the whole length however this will do

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

And what a year its been
some of the arse end of 2017 and Jan of 2018 was spent sorting out the continued clutch saga on this . This resulted in a transaxle rebuild , a clutch pedal change and lots and lots of cursing .
Once id finally sorted this out the Vusky behaved itself again at long last , that is until the rad sprang a leak in August .
Anyway the Trip to national went well . Sorted out the boot eventually and got a new rubber mat for the rear load area.
Other than that nout much happened hence only 5 pages added this year.
Still its all good now - and I do hope not to remove the engine again for many a year
Thanks to all who have contributed this and indeed previous years

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Fired up and used for the first time this year - seemed fine

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

Vuskys got newness carpet , rather than buy a kit that wont fit and cost a fortune i did it myself like i did on the Singer . Total cost was £26
Time wise it took nearly 2 years to find the blue carpet in the thin flexi stuff like i used on the Singer then 12 1/2 hours to do the job in total

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

The rear bit.