FHC resto nr. 25; Slowly taking shape

A quick update on the paint preparations ...

As you can see the basic work on the outside is ready, though not yet completely finished. As final and more detailed preparations will be done prior to painting. Like this swage line, that needs a slight rectification. But far less then this picture would suggest ...

But so far fairly well on schedule, despite the fact that the epoxy primer used wasn't meant for this kind of work. For no obvious reason the company that applied the primer, used an industrial primer. And it is very hard stuff, as a result of which the bill for sanding pads is rising! Also when they sprayed the inside they clearly forgot to blow out the blasting grit, as it is all over the inside of the car.  Will take a fair amount of work to get that out, especially those places that remain in sight like the under bonnet area ...

Time to say goodbye?

Did another compression check today to see if there was an improvement on cylinder number #1 after the approximately 550 kilometres I drove the car last weekend. With all spark plugs removed one thing that became clear immediately was the fact that, compared to last Saturday, they were all closer in colour. But with #1 still being notably richer, all four are (far) to lean.

The compression test itself didn't reveal anything new, with #1 still approximately 20% lower compared to the other three. As I did have an assistant this time we noticed that #1 needs a few extra piston strokes to built up the pressure compared to the other three. This might point to a small leak somewhere. On the other hand it shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The engine actually performed pretty well since it was installed well over 17 years and 110.000 kilometres ago. And most of those kilometres have been pretty hard, with the best bit probably being a blast up the Stelvio in the summer of 2002 in a little over 15 minutes (yes no traffic at all), with the engine constantly between 5000 and 7000 rpm in first, second and third gear.

So time to stop tinkering and pension of the engine, or go for a complete overhaul. I had hoped I could use this engine with some minor work for the FHC I am currently restoring, but that isn't to be. But I did have some foresight here, as I already have been in touch with an engine builder for a new and more powerful Sprint engine for 't Kreng (aim is ±220 BHP with a rev limit around 8500 rpm) and this work was scheduled for next year anyway.

But I will probably first start with removing the head, maybe it is something simple like a sticky or burned valve. And did I mention the carburettors need a full service? As you can see in the picture above #1 is clearly richer compared to the others. And this carburettor barrel used to feed cylinder #3, coincidence? At least I don't need to worry I'll bore myself to death this winter ... 

26th LTV Nachtrit

Yesterday (Saturday the first of November) saw the already 26th edition of our annual Nachtrit. A navigational Night time rally. And this year was the first time that we used the Abbey of Rolduc as the base for the event. So we thought it a good idea to change the route too. Over the years the emphasis of the route has always been on the Belgian Ardennes. This year we headed into Germany, towards the Eifel area. And those who did take part have found out that this was a rather good choice. A few pictures from the start ...

It was also the first time I used 't Kreng since the problems that occurred during the Border Raiders early in August. Have to admit that she behaved rather well with the temperature sitting constantly around the 1/3 mark of the scale. But it still is not as it should be. The spark plug of cylinder #1 has a nice brown colour. But the other three are clearly to lean. To be continued ...

FHC resto nr. 24; An engine part

Managed to lay my hands on a rather vital, but also very rare part for the new engine for the FHC. As mentioned before the plan is to put a fairly standard tune Sprint engine in this car. But to get a good  coolant flow through the cylinder head you need a water transfer cover at the back of the head. On the Dolomite Sprint there was no transfer cover, just a blanking plate. But for the TR7 Sprint, that sadly never went in production, Leyland did design a proper water transfer cover. But as the TR7 Sprint was axed not to many of these special parts were manufactured. In the mid 90's, when restoring 't Kreng I managed to get one of these through Rimmer Brothers. But nowadays this part is made of unobtanium. So I decided that somewhere next year I would remove this coverfrom 't Kreng, measure it and model it in AutoCad and see if it would be possible to machine it from a lump of billet alloy. But no need for that anymore, as I managed to obtain this ...

As you can see an original TR7 Sprint water transfer cover. To say that I am rather pleased is an understatement.