Nods news , A fixorage happened

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:25 am

Thanks Neil , It works well , I did have the idea of switching the washers with it at the same time .
So pressing it would give you wash and wipe

The switch is very old and is essentially a double pole or twin contact earthing switch with only one contact needed to operate the wipers . So its perfectly possible to use the other contact for the washers . Incidentally If you tried to use a shared switched earthing terminal for both the washers and wipers when you switched the wipers on using the original switch the washers would just keep working the whole time , youd have a clean screen and would have to tow a bowser of water everywhere .

, hence the two separate contact part is very important .
There is a catch though , the washers would continue to operate through the full cycle of the wipe , in other words right up until they park so the screen would still be wet after the wash , then im back to the normal switch to dry the screen.

So its either fancy washers or momentary wipe and not both

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:01 am

Quite frankly, that system as fitted to some moderns was a pain in the jacksie. In my opinion it needs a momentary delay before the wipers sweep or they'll be travelling across a dry screen. Not particularly good for the longevity of either !

Andy G.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 6:12 pm

Buy a gel battery, Dave. They're Ggggggrrrrrrreat

Andy G.

moose · Post by **moose** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 6:46 pm

http://www.jjcraceandrally.com/rally/ba ... 20-battery

http://www.carmaniaonline.co.uk/index.p ... uct_id=217

not much in it on price for a good quality wet and a good gel batt.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:02 pm

Only a fiver, Mike. No contest : Gel all the way

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:04 pm

Well due to it being so close to Christmas and im a tad wallet crushed ive just bought a cheapy one for now , at least il be able to use it again if i wish

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:51 pm

Cheers IM

Vuskys running well with its new battery , I even washed all the crud out of the wheelarches just before it got too dark as they had salted the road this morning .
No issues with the cold whatsoever .
I likes SUs

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:06 pm

Fuse box lids for the Vusky finally labeled up , Ive sprayed the lids with clear lacquer to seal the labels in . bl***y hell its a fiddly job and as you can see friggin impossible to get the letters 100% straight LOL

rhydian_mason · Post by **rhydian_mason** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 2:34 pm

Before long he'll have fitted an old 3" Cathode Ray Tube portable telly with period 1" to a mile maps as a 'period sat nav'...!

Cracking work there Noddy.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Dec 20, 2014 6:12 pm

Heres the Noddys news 24 year end report and being as ive no intension of doing anything to either of them for the rest of year its earlier than normal .
And what a busy year its been too .

Only 12 pages added this year but a shed load of stuff has been altered and done on both cars although the Singer got a lot more attention than the Vusky ( as usual ).
So to summarise .

Towel rail re-chromed ( Singer )
Headlight mods ( Singer )
Fuel pump cover ( Singer )
Zorst dampener brackets ( both )
Dipping mirror ( Singer )
Stainless bolts ( shed loads on both )
Wiring (both )
Gloopy gloop rack oil ( both )
Replace heater hoses ( both )
Oil leak ( Vusky )
Glass channels ( Singer )
Tailgate lock repair ( Vusky )
New air filters ( both )
Carb issues ( Singer )
More electricery ( both )
Even more electricery ( both )
Battery change ( Vusky )
Plus other stuff im sure.
So its been a tad hectic here to say the least.
Highlight was of course wining a first in class for the Singer at this years national so may i just say a HUGE THANKS again to all who voted for it , im made up with wining this and still quite shocked.

BIG THANKS to all who have read my waffle and also the many contributors , without this all my posts would be utterly pointless and id be typing to myself .

Did i mention i did some wiring

colin rooney · Post by **colin rooney** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 10:23 pm

You have been a busy boy in 2014 and you will get even more done next year as your off the fags ,nice work mate and great read over the year

col

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 11:50 am

60 days you stand a good chance then as they say the first few weeks are the hardest to get through.
e.cig? did you remember to wire it for a fuse as I believe they can cause fires?

fgbrown · Post by **fgbrown** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:05 pm

husky looks fab with twin headlights

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Wed Dec 24, 2014 1:37 pm

Cheers fgbrown

,
Well I did say i wasnt doing anymore this year but I came up with another idea , its just an experiment ATM but anyway.
Some of you might remember i blew up a good watch and my wrist by accidentally shorting out the solenoid with my watch.
Since then I dont wear a watch whilst faffing about with cars and ive had rubber boots fitted on the solenoid terminals.
These dont tend to last long as i have to cut them up a bit because of the extra wires connected to said solenoid after the mammoth rewire,
There must be another way

.
So ive used the front off one of those storage boxes you can buy , the bit the card label slides into and the side of a much smaller box cut to fit in this slot , takes a bit of a push to get it in but thats good as it wont fall out. To access terminals just pull it out the slot . its held in place by the solenoid bolts so no extra holes , serrated washers are needed to give the solenoid a good earth through the plastic .
Solenoid is a 2ST so the push button is underneath and therefor works as normal.
It certainly does the job but wether it stays is anyones guess.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Wed Dec 24, 2014 2:27 pm

FANTASTIC ! You've done it again

Can I have a blue one, please ?

Andy G.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:44 pm

Woohoo ! Another Imp-related Christmas present

Thanks, Dave.

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Dec 28, 2014 5:33 pm

Having had the usual " Singer , didnt they make sewing machines " comment for the 1,000th time again today ive knocked up a sticker

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 9:38 pm

As always youve got the problem sewn up.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 9:51 pm

A stitch in time saves nine ! Noddy obviously gets the needle about this.

Andy G.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 7:54 am

Well, they say you reap what you sew. Do you think Noddy might cotton-on to what's happening here ?

Andy G.

Lotus-e-Clan · Post by **Lotus-e-Clan** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:13 pm

It would seam Nods is feeling a little hemmed-in by all this so don't be surprised if you get button-holed next time he sees you ... guess you're all in for a dressing-down one way or another.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Tue Dec 30, 2014 6:09 pm

Have you lot stopped picking on me yet , its sew annoying

.
Anyway ive Been playing again , well more like a repair .
The black tape on the outside of the rear window used to cover up where the brake light sticks to the window got damaged ( by me )

So ive redone it but added a bit of wording.
Not sure you can see it as its almost impossible to photograph .

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jan 01, 2015 1:41 pm

Happy new year everyone

This was done a few months back before anyone thinks ive been in the garage already this year .
The Singer has always had one issue that bugged me right from day one. And that was a viscous clutch with the occasional slight judder.
Over the decades i did try and solve it one way or another but never managed to cure it .
I changed just about everything clutch wise over the years , a fair few new ( late type ) clutch release arms , a new genuine driven plate or two , pressure plates , thrust bearings , quite a few master cylinders , slave cylinders , flexi pipes and spigot bearings , after an engine swap or two various flywheels were tried , nothing solved it so basically i gave up and just lived with it and only really noticed it after id not used it for a while , started using it again where the symptom was felt more noticeable.
Anyway finally I believe ive solved it but im still none the wiser as to what the actual fault really is .
A few months back I had one of these " lets have another think about this ´¥∂∑ø^¥ƒ clutch issue " and see if a new idea of the cause could be found.
The one constant never changed part during the whole time ive had this Singer has been the transaxle , it was in my old Stiletto and wrenched from a Caledonian i killed off around 1984 , its always worked perfectly so its just stayed put. I dont remember what the clutch felt like in the Stiletto as it was a long time ago now

.
I had this strange thought that maybe , just maybe there might be an issue with the clutch slave cylinder mounting being in the wrong place or two thin or just not quite right and this might cause the cylinder to over push somehow .
So as a trial i fitted a 2mm thick washer , one on each bolt obviously between the transaxle clutch slave cylinder mounts and the slave itself thereby the slave cant push the release arm quite as far as before.
I had visions of having no working clutch after doing this or maybe a crunching of gears but nope , all was well

.
Its so much nicer to drive now , biting point is a bit higher and is now the same as the Vuskys and its just BETTER in every way .
Still no idea whats actually wrong as such but as the washers solved it im past caring .

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 1:51 pm

Great work, Noddy!

Keep the updates and Imp wisdom coming. I too am an avid reader.

Happy new year!

IM

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jan 01, 2015 2:18 pm

And before anyone suggests the splines on the input shaft ive checked and treble checked these and the driven plate has always slid on these fine.

Anyone have a clue whats going on with this

cov_climax · Post by **cov_climax** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 9:37 pm

Surely all the spacing achieves is to run the slave in a different part of the bore? The plate and mech is exactly the same and as the system self adjusts the pedal should end up at the same bite point, unless the slave cylinder is hitting maximum stroke at some point?

Perhaps the bore isn't smooth at a particular point/piston sticking in some way? Did you exercise the slave through the full stroke while it was unbolted, oil the pivot, clean the end of the pushrod, all these could help free up the action.

I had an issue on the way back from perth where the slave was sticking and the fork would rattle the mech and push the piston up the bore, the spring could not overcome the sticking and on first press of the pedal it felt like there was no clutch as it was basically used to bring the thrust bearing into contact with cover plate, second press got a clutch but the bite was random and juddering. I had the whole lot to bits, engine out the lot, before finding the lazy slave, cured it by cleaning and lubing the slave with red rubber grease used on brake components.

Brian

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jan 01, 2015 10:32 pm

I dont fully understand this myself , what it seems to have done is reduce the overall movement of the release arm by a small amount , given the length of the release arm the 2mm must be magnified movement wise at the thrust bearing therefor reducing the overall amount of movement on the pressure plate , rather like putting a stop under the pedal theres less overall movement .
Like ive said i dont understand what exactly is going on or why the washers have solved it .

Post by **Lars Hagermark** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 12:02 am

Can it be that excessive movement caused a bit to much friction, in the release bearing or between bearing and pressure plate, making two surfaces "bind" just a little?

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Fri Jan 02, 2015 6:04 am

It could be anything , ive had what Brians suggested in the past only i got a loud bang every now and again that vibrated through the pedal ,
As said the washers solve the problem but they shouldnt .

I R BAFFLED

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Fri Jan 02, 2015 6:31 pm

Well a small bit of it anyway , newness Rolls Royce / Bentley washer jet which is a better shape and has eyeball jets not the sticky out screw type .
Also fitted a cover over the positive battery terminal as it seemed stupid covering up the solenoid ones and leaving this bare although im still running flat battery terminals so this proved a tricky job considering
Plus ive fitted a new red cover on the alternator feed just to be uber safe from blowing myself up

Note to self , get that dust off the bonnet before piccy taking

Post by **Lars Hagermark** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:15 pm

Mucho liking.

Lotus-e-Clan · Post by **Lotus-e-Clan** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:48 pm

Very nice.

Are they still run off a rubber push squidger?

On the subject of washer pumps - would it be a simple mod to convert our classic p$$$$-poor washer systems into a more modern hi-pressure blaster-squirt?

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:08 pm

Lotus-e-Clan wrote:Very nice.
Are they still run off a rubber push squidger?

Of course not LeC , fed from a Rootes special accessory bottle using a 6 jet capable pump and a heater , washer fluid comes out at 80˚ give or take so the screen wash comes out as a reasonably high pressure foam not unlike washing up liquid in hot water .
Its the nearest i can get to a blaster

Lotus-e-Clan · Post by **Lotus-e-Clan** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:10 pm

What's the heater off! I want one!

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:16 pm

Period accessory made by Tex I believe.
it wouldnt take that much effort to make your own , a length of 15mm copper pipe with solder joints either end for hose grip , then wrap 1/4 bore copper pipe around it and solder or preferably braze into position leaving enough either end for the washer pipe connections
off you go

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 2:46 pm

Excellent, Dave. How about this though : It's either a place where they grow new "ones" or it's begging to become your retirement property

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:30 pm

Hopefully they grow new ones there and i can start again .
Back to reality though im not building or buying anymore Imps

, ive more or less achieved what i set out to do all those decades ago so its time to ease off and maybe try something different.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Fri Jan 16, 2015 5:44 pm

Done a few little jobs but TBH im doing other things so Imps have taken a back seat .
Ive changed the solenoid cover which i think looks better and added a few stickers to it , the expansion bottle and the battery also have added stickerage just to finish things off.
Thats it from Noddy towers for now

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:03 pm

Ive got a few to reapply too, makes all the difference.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:07 pm

Got all them except the Bluecol one . finishes a car off i think

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jan 18, 2015 1:11 pm

There seems to be rust coloured water coming from the Singers water pump , rust must be off the impeller and the seal is almost certainly borked.

Not good

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jan 18, 2015 2:38 pm

Not keen on these for some reason

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Jan 18, 2015 3:29 pm

Most of the new cars have them now and you don't hear of them packing up like the old belt driven ones,
Imp pumps are fine if the car is used really regularly its when its standing for periods, like off the road during winter you get the problems it seems.
I was thinking about an electric one, we shall see, I'd like to see an IMP with one to see and whether they are noisy running.

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sun Jan 18, 2015 3:39 pm

Not entirely true, Peter. They are only plastic. VW and BMW ones are often going. But you takes a chance as with anything

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jan 18, 2015 4:15 pm

Pumps out and in bits , pulley end seal has failed but it wasnt seized and the case looks fine , ive a new pump coming tomorrow then il rebuild this one as a spare ,

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sun Jan 18, 2015 5:19 pm

Yep. Which was the way they should have been from the off . In similar fashion to the likes of Mondeos that have plastic impellers on standard type water pumps.

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:13 pm

New pump fitted , Il fire it up tomorrow
I pulled the new pump apart first just to check things were all OK and to add some Hylomar blue on the casting mating joints where the gasket sits . Ive always done this as i had a new one leak on the joint once , All put together with lashings of copper grease on the 4 through bolts , the pulley and everywhere else except the 4 fan blade bolts which i leave dry . heres hoping its going to be fine .

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:01 am

Well the pump seems to be fine , went for a 5 mile drive and im just waiting for it to cool down then i can top it up as required , Car bleeds itself topping up the rad from the expansion bottle as i drive so at least standing outside in the freezing cold isnt necessary .

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:19 pm

Started on the old pump , it seems the surface on the impellor the seal runs on ( pulley end )was corroded / pitted causing the leak , ive turned both seal surfaces on a lathe so they are absolutely perfect .
New bearings are here ready so just waiting on the seals from Malc and i should be able to repair this old pump and give it a new lease of life for less than 20 notes .
Bargainous

stilettohusky · Post by **stilettohusky** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:20 pm

Dave, just experienced a problem with a new batch of seals, having rebuilt near 50 water pumps and had no problems with the seals sealing on to fresh machined surfaces , the latest seals didn't extend far enough to seat on the rotor faces with sufficient pressure or seal properly ,on inspection olthough the seal had the same type number they were 1 mm shorter than the earlier ones, this clearly something to watch out for when rebuilding pumps., I returned the seals and await a replacement batch.