Stress test for ‘t Kreng’s cooling system

Today saw the final test for the cooling system of ‘t Kreng. And to be honest I wasn't looking forward to it! The weather forecast predicted temperatures off up to 32ºC in the area. Not very appealing from a driver’s comfort perspective. It indeed was rather hot in the car, though I needn’t have worried about the car itself or the cooling system. She behaved as if nothing had happened. With the water temperature gauge’s needle sitting rock steady at its normal position. But while waiting in a traffic cue at some roadworks I decided to capture the temperature gauge’s normal position. Guess what I noticed. And another pointer that I should use this car more often! (Since fitting the new water pump I have been using the car on a weekly basis. Covering on average 100 kilometres per week)

For the rest the driving even was fairly enjoyable despite the heat. And I decided to make a stop to take some pictures at an often used location for my cars;

‘t Kreng’s water pump

p.s. the damage to the spark plug caps was caused many years ago by a stone marten.
He/she was handled properly without any animals being harmed in the process!

The last time I reported on this subject there still was a small leak from the slot underneath the water pump. But it looked like it was starting to seal better after each drive. There was no noticeable drop in the coolant level every time I returned home. Though there would always be a tiny trace of coolant from the slot underneath the water pump. At least the driving always was nice!

On the driveway to the former fiefdom “Jongenhof” near Lerop - St. Odiliënberg.

A for the Euregio typical large carré farmhouse and former seat for a feudal lord.

Today I took the car for a 2½ hour drive, but not before I wiped of all traces of coolant from the slot. During this drive the temperature gauge remained rock steady at its normal position, with the needle just touching the ½ mark. The coolant light only lit up briefly when starting the car. And when I returned home late in the afternoon, there again was the mandatory check for any leaks. The slot and the area underneath were completely free of coolant traces. Success at last I hope. Time will tell!

DHC repairs #12: Start of the body repairs

Last weekend I visited the workshop where the DHC’s body is undergoing some much needed repairs. First job was inspecting the pile of body parts left over from the donor body shell. The result of drilling and grinding every evening for two weeks. A small selection of the most important parts for the body’s repairs;

The left hand rear wing.

The panel covering the front of the right hand rear chassis leg.

The strengthening on the inside of the right hand B-post

The inside of the left hand outer sill and the B-post panel.

Strengthening panel inside the front of the right hand rear chassis leg

The rear chassis legs.

And with the various parts inspected it was time to put the angle grinder into the body. But not before a simple brace was fitted to prevent distortion of the body. To check this, the doors were also fitted to the body. And some control measurements were taken.

After which it was time to put the angle grinder to the right hand sill. As you can see there is a fair amount of tin worm in that sill;

The old sill and its second hand replacement.

DHC repairs #11: Picking apart the repair panel donor

A few weeks ago I dropped of the repair panel donor body at a friend’s work shop. And earlier this week I received a few pictures of the progress of picking apart this body. A lot of spot welds had to be drilled out to get to this stage. And this (again I dare say) highlighted a lack of quality awareness on part of the British Leyland work force. Some of the spot welds were at an almost 45° angle with the sheet metal they were supposed to hold together. Not good when you have to drill them out!

A few pictures of another TR7 that is now officially scrapped. Lets say it’s "For The Greater Good"!

Next now on the to-do-list is removing all panels that need repairs or replacing from the cars original body. To be continued!

My last instrument?

Seven and a half months ago I used testing ‘t Kreng’s water pump as an excuse to visit renowned trumpet builder Van Laar Trumpets in Margraten. The brief for the visit being to pick a date to select a new trumpet. And as the title suggests, I assume this will be the last new trumpet in my 55 year long career playing all sorts of trumpets, cornets and flügelhorns. So I decided on something a little different.

Of course being a trumpet the most important selection criterion was how it sounds and plays. But the trumpet’s looks was also important. And glad the instrument I had initially chosen for its looks (an Oiram light III) also came out best with two other models being equally good! The long wait for its completion could begin. Till yesterday that is, when I picked it up. And yes it sounds as good as it looks!

Testing ‘t Kreng’s water pump

Over the past two weeks I have been using ‘t Kreng a few times for some local trips. So far the car has covered well over 200 kilometres since the new water pump was installed. There still is a slight water leak from the pump. But that has been gradually decreased over time. Though when I returned home from a longer drive last Saturday there again was a small trickle from the slot underneath the pump when I switched off the engine. The coolant level hadn’t dropped visibly though.

Another positive point is that the coolant light hasn’t come on during the various tours. That might partly be due to the fact that I polished the coolant level probe in the header tank before filling the system with coolant. And the temperature guage is fairly stable too. This might point to a better sealing water pump, causing less pressure changes in the coolant system. Fingers crossed!

Time for a tank full of RON 102 octane fuel

DHC repairs #10: Repair panel donor

With ‘t Kreng’s water pump issues hopefully resolved (knock on wood), it was time for another chapter in the DHC’s body shell repairs. Today the rust free but badly accident damaged shell from a Solihull built Californian spec car (TPZDJ8AA4•••••), was dropped off at the workshop. This body will be picked apart to provide the necessary repair sections for my DHC that are still missing.

The most important bits this body will donate will be the sills on both sides, the right hand inner front wing and the rear bulkhead. This body used to be part of a complete and running low mileage (71.823 km) Californian PI car. I purchased this car in 2004 as a parts donor to help restore my 1980 DHC. But as it often happens the plans changed as the time passed! As a result the body with all the other parts were put in storage for well over two decades.

A TR7 filled weekend

Last week I managed to fit the new water pump. And this weekend I found some time to fill ‘t Kreng’s coolant system. And after leaving it overnight I found no leaks. Looks like a result!

So the final job for the Sunday morning was refitting the carburettors and the strut brace. After which it was time for a short 50+ kilometres test drive. And the car certainly did her name proud. After only a few kilometres the Low Coolant warning light came on! As the temperature gauge wasn’t even at its normal working position I decided to ignore the light for the time being. And sure enough the light switched off again a few seconds later. And the temperature gauge rose to it’s normal working position and remained there for the rest of the drive.

As it already was late in the afternoon the roads were fairly quiet despite the glorious weather. Time to enjoy the fine spring weather and the car’s still razor sharp handling.

And when I returned home early in the evening the much dreaded check for any leaks. There was a slight hissing sound coming from the hose connecting the header tank with the radiator. As that hadn’t been touched during the work carried out over the past few weeks, and there was no visible leak, that was ignored. But there was a tiny trace of coolant from the weep hole underneath the water pump. See how that develops over the coming weeks!

Another job on a rather TR7 filled weekend was preparing my last spare body for transport over to the work shop next weekend. This body is rust free but has extensive and badly repaired accident damage to the left hand front of the car. So this body will supply the necessary parts that will be needed to repair the various rusty areas of my DHC.

Fitting ‘t Kreng’s water pump

Two weeks ago I removed the water pump with the idea of reconditioning it again. But on closer inspection I found the new (after market) seal hadn't seated properly. This matched my hunch pretty well. So after exchanging some ideas with various people who should have knowledge on the subject, I decided to bite the bullet and go for a brand new water pump. And as these have become fairly expensive, I decided to also renew the water pump’s spindle bush. And with the correct tool, removing this bush should have been easy.

Sadly though that didn’t work. The available rim at the bottom of the bush was to thin the get enough grip on the bush, as a result the puller slipped through the bush constantly. And because of that the bush got damaged. As there was no way back it was time for a rethink and some appropriate brute force. Using an old reshaped screw driver as a cold chisel between the engine block and bush. It looked fairly crude and messy but it did the job without any damage to the block or the jack shaft. The bush did suffer though!

The remains of the original bush (#145022)

Halfway through the cleaning of the orifice for the spindle bush

After the bush was successfully removed and everything cleaned thoroughly it was time to fit the new bush. And with the aid of a small tool made from a damaged water pump axle and some lubrication, the bush could be gently tapped into position. At least that went quickly and without drama!

This also applied for the next job, fitting the water pump. Again all contact surfaces in the block and on the gears were lubricated. After which the pump slipped in without drama. I only had to help a little with a ring spanner on the impeller bolt (turned counter clockwise) to get the pump seated correctly.

Final jobs before the time ran out on Easter Sunday were measuring the required gasket thickness for the water pump cover, fit the cover and fit the inlet manifold. When I fitted the inlet manifold last year it felt like the threads of one of the mounting holes in the head was damaged. That's why I had mentally prepared myself for this job, and had a thread repair kit on hand. But I needn’t have worried. This time all (stainless) bolts went in without any problems!

Remain the final jobs for later in the coming week;

• Connect all hoses;

• Fill the system with coolant;

• Check for leaks;

• Refit the carburettors.