23 May 2014

Right well time is certainly ticking along and now there is only 9 days left before departure, it sure has been a long and expensive lead up to this trip, but hopefully that will mean that there is not much left that could give any problems so all will be good along the way.

Mind that said all of the brakes have been replaced and now we seem to have developed a "rubbing" of the brakes on the left front drum. Just as you start off you can hear them, though I probably would never have heard it if I hadn't been pushing the car out of the garage before starting it. Not pushing it out of the garage because there is any problem mind, it is just that given the nature of unleaded fuel to burn with a filthy black residue starting it in the garage results in anything behind the car being covered in wet black grime, spraying from the exhaust until it warms up and evaporates the moisture in there. Anyway the brakes, ignorance is bliss, as well i know from driving down from Queensland with cracks in the chassis rails (as per previous posts), but as I have heard this now I need to whip the wheel and drum off and see what is happening. The guys that rep[laced the chassis rails and king pins mentioned that the brakes would need to "bed in" but it seems odd that they are doing this when they were perfectly fine after I installed them before driving down to Melbourne in the first place. Maybe something has just moved about since they refitted them at the workshop. Time will tell I guess.

Other than that I think the only other thing left to really do is drop the oil and the sump and to replace the sump gaskets to try and stem the steady flow of oil dripping from the back of the engine. It was fine to start with though it has been getting steadily worse over the last few weeks. I guess the cork sealing gasket at the back has degraded and to be honest I have no idea when it was last changed and when I got the engine I only changed the head gasket and installed the unit, so it's probably about time for an inspection and change. The good part is that the engine still pulls like a train and doesn't burn any oil at all.

So a couple of things to do on the last full weekend before the trip commences, guess I also need to start sorting through a few spare hoses and such and start stacking them carefully into the boot so I can ensure there is enough room to put the tent and all the associated stuff into the boot too.

Not long now....

12 May 2014

Howdy there all

Well it turns out that both the battery and the alternator were less then satisfactory, guess sitting about for 12 odd years isn't necessarily a good thing for car parts, so a new battery is in and just awaiting a new alternator, which should hopefully arrive this week, and more hopefully it will fit and plug straight in and work with no problems, hopefully...

Oh and here is a week vid from the go pro from the drive from Gympie to Melbourne just from bits of footage captured at intervals during the drive. Not very exciting, but gee it was running well.

Not long now till the off, only 20 days and I'm away, guess I will need to start thinking about what I need to be taking along, though plenty of time for that I am sure...

May 2014

Well here we are only 29 days left until departure. Not panic stations time yet, but still doing some things here and there to the car, mostly just small jobs that should make the car somewhat more comfortable for the trip. We've drained the radiator again and and turned the heater tap 180 degrees so that the heater pipe no longer rubs against the engine steady brace, which is due to having to relocate all the pipes to accommodate the new heater tap and the new radiator (new rad doesn't have a lower outlet or tap or anything which is a bit tiresome), the good part is that the coolant is no longer a delightful shade of mud, despite only being in there for about a month, and seems to be maintaining a much more respectable bright green colour. We've also made some new plywood trays for the lower parcel tray, they are in two pieces as the Mini heater that I installed some time ago would preclude the single piece board item it is supposed to have. The two half panels fit well and securely and no doubt will come in quite handy.

The only real concern I still have is if the alternator is working correctly, it seems to be able to keep the battery charged as long as the headlights are not turned on, turning the headlights on seems to then start draining the battery. It is weird the alternator can charge the battery while the lights are off but can't produce enough charge to do so when the headlights are on, anyway I think just to make sure that I don't end up on the roadside somewhere in the middle of nowhere it would be best if the Count drops by a auto electrician for a wee visit, just to make sure there is enough power to keep everything ticking along.

Oh and of all things the air cleaner element on the pancake air filter I fitted many years ago is really quite tired and dirty so we've been to all the usual suspects and trawled the internet looking for a replacement element and, you guessed it, no one has anything that will come close to the size of the element. Given that it has been so difficult to source a filter element I decided that it was time to replace the whole thing and have bought a RAMFLO air cleaner for a Mini, noting I have a 1.5" Mini SU and inlet manifold fitted to the car,and while I am definitely going to get a lot of induction noise though probably not much more than I already do with the pancake one currently fitted, the RAMFLO has the advantage of having a foam element that I am easily able to clean and if the going gets dusty I can always oil it as well for extra filtering power. Well that and the fact that they have been making them exactly the same for a very long time now, so there should be no problem getting parts for it if necessary.

29 and counting....

16 April 2014

Well, well, who would have thought the day would finally arrive.

Introducing;

Yep that is right, finally the Count has got it's nice new plates and is all road legal again, after only about 12 years if not longer. Very exciting stuff really and to be honest it has seemed at times that it was really just not going to happen. The Count has tested my resolve I can tell you and has taken almost every opportunity to not get to this point.

Actually the inspection for the roadworthy was yesterday afternoon and it was right up to the wire really. I had planned to take the car to work and then leave from there to head over to the other side of town for the test, but the Count had other plans. Went to start the car first thing in the morning and sure enough the battery was too weak to start it from cold. So took the bike to work instead rather than kick the car. Came home at lunch time ready to throw the battery on the charger for a couple of hours before the test, turned the key and wham instant start, swine. Then though fantastic problem solved it will be fine from here though best i check the lights are all good and working. Indicators, check, parkers, check, headlights, forget it they're out and have taken the parkers along for the ride. Switch the lights back to park alone and the parks are back. Break out the multi meter and sure enough the damn headlight switch has decided on this day of any that it would like to retire and had somehow managed to burn the main beam connection out.

So quick trip south east across town to the parts place and another second hand light switch and what do you know, everything is right again, we have lights and all is good. Well not quite all, pulling up at the parts place, may I add at this point this is the place where the car has just been holidaying whilst it had a new half chassis rails, king pins, tie rod ends and universal joints make over, one has to ask does that sound like the exhaust is "blowing" a bit? Hmmm...

Tester checks the car out and luckily for me doesn't hear the exhaust leak at the manifold and the paperwork is done and all approved, so obviously it is not too loud or I am hearing things, so I head home with the much desired piece of paper. On the way home I get to the bottom of the Westgate Bridge and am wondering why I can't see my headlights at all, then I try and accelerate and the engine starts to miss and cough, backing off settles it though. I notice that the dash lights are really starting to dim as well now and as I have to make it over this bridge (thankfully it isn't rush hour because a car dying on that bridge at rush hour has traffic backing up for miles) I decide to turn the headlights off. The dash light are instantly brighter so I am hoping the parkers are glowing and going to keep me out of too much trouble. The car breezes over the bridge and once over I try the lights again and they respond with the usual not very brightness I have come to expect from them. This lasts for about 50 meters and then they are off again, so the hope is that the battery is cactus and that is the problem but no doubt the Count is just trying it on again and I shall have to have the alternator rebuilt or the mechanics have wired something incorrectly when they have reinstalled the engine after the chassis rails replacement.

Oh well some more on the list, the minor exhaust leak being the easiest to fix which will take about half and hour at the most tomorrow, but the electrics and charging is all just magic to me so hopefully I can find the way through it without too much difficulty.

It's getting closer, it is only 45 days until I am supposed to leave on this trip! How did that happen....

April 2014

Well exciting times are upon us, the Count is back at home finally!

It's taken a lot longer then anticipated but all is good and looking fine again, well better than fine I guess as it now has new half chassis rails, king pins, trunnions and tie rod ends. Oh and they tried to remove one of the universal joints from the tail shaft and basically the end of the cap came away and the sides of it seemed to have self welded to the housing, so to save too much grief they just installed a second hand tail shaft which hopefully has fixed the problem. I am sad though that the universal joints in the "new"tail shaft are not able to be greased, I was told that most universal joints are not greaseable now, though that is not entirely correct as it is actually very easy to get universal joints for Morris Minors that are able to be greased. Oh well project for another time I think.

I now have a few more things to install, the rear shock links need to be changed and I want to get some panels made up to form a parcel tray and then install the stereo and relocate the CB from the passengers side to the drivers side if the aerial lead is long enough and install the remote speaker for the CB so hopefully I can actually hear it over the noise of the car.I think the I will run a power lead to the boot area as well so that I can install a power outlet for plugging the mini compressor and maybe a rear view drive recording camera as well.

The biggest thing I guess is that I am hoping to get the car back to the inspector this Tuesday arvo and given everything that he pulled it up on last time have been changed it should be given it's roadworthy and then it is try and get it through VicRoads and then officially get it re-registered so then it is pretty much almost ready to go for a wee bit of a drive. It's quite a money spinner for the government though, you have to take your car to a VicRoads office to be inspected, where the have a quick look and see if the chassis and engine numbers are what you have said they are and that is it., but to have it inspected you have to make a booking, which costs $16.40, and if you can't attend you lose the money and have to make another booking at another $16.40. Then just to have someone look at the chassis and engine numbers you have to pay another $26.20, so basically they are getting an extra $42.60 for every new registration in Victoria for in reality nothing. You just have to love indirect taxation don't you. I know, I know, it isn't a tax, it's a fee. There is a difference you know, isn't there?

Anyway getting there! Slowly but definitely getting there...

Old chassis rails, looking a bit second hand

March 2014 Pt2

It sure has been a while but the Count is well on the way to having it's new half chassis rails fitted now and is looking good. It is amazing what the old ones look like from the inside, well probably not quite so amazing as scary. The cracks in the rail above the hole for the eyebolt and the wafer thin rust sections are something to see, so too is the row of self tappers that are in one of the rails, who knows what that was about and all I can say really is the ignorance is bliss. To be honest I guess I really was quite lucky nothing happened on the run from Queensland to Melbourne, though it did make the trip without a hint of any problem, so as I say about ignorance. Hopefully at this stage I should have the car back by early next week and then I can get it registered and get everything ready to go for the trip. I am not counting on it as I have to coordinate times with the vehicle inspector, get permits and then get a VicRoads inspection as well, but hey a fella can only hope!

 

MARCH 2014

The Count has been for its road worthy inspection and as expected it failed, though happily the things it failed on are in no way as terrible as all the things that I had imagined would need looking at. It is amazing how you can talk yourself into thinking things are going to be a nightmare when they are nothing of the kind in reality. I called a couple of places to check if I could get a roadworthy done on the car and when they realised the car was a 1955 Morris Minor they lost all enthusiasm, so to get work done on it I wanted someone that would know what they are doing. Well I have found someone that should know what they are doing. I have now taken the car to a mechanic to have the few items repaired/replaced and they have now contacted me and come up with a list of items that they think need addressing. Well this is going to take some time as the most major item is they have determined that the chassis rails need to have a half rail replacement on both sides, something that has been on the cards for quite some years now, but on seeing what they are concerned about I have decided that it may as well go ahead. That and the king pins have a little play at the bottom trunnion, so they need replacing as well and the tie rod ends. Oh well given the amount of kilometres that I intend covering in the near future I guess it is better that it is done now rather than failing somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It is rather disappointing given I had hoped that the chassis rails would be ok and I would be saving the cost of that replacement towards the actual trip, but you have to go with safety and reliability don’t you. On a lighter note I did manage to sort the dash lights, or lack of, problem that I had. It seems that as I have actually bypassed the parking light wiring in the loom with a complete (well now I have done the tail lights too) new set of wires, the dash lights had been missed from the connection. Wiring them into the new parking light wiring has solved the problem and they are working just fine now too. So too is the number plate light, new wiring to that as well has sorted the smoke inducing problem and it’s working just fine as well. I have removed the auxiliary gauges that I had re-installed prior to driving it from Queensland and the car looks a lot better for it, actually that is the reason I had removed them last time really(they looked awful), well that and the fact I am none too sure of their actual reliability. 

The interior dome light still isn’t working and I am still not sure what is happening there, so at some stage I will trace the wiring for it and see what is going on as I am sure it is something very simple. Mind if I have to keep removing the glove box on the drivers side it is going to completely self destruct, given its age and its condition it is actually quite surprising it is still holding any shape at all. I am currently hoping to have the car actually registered and officially (not on a permit) back on the road and registered with all new shiny number plates fore and aft by the end of March. 

I realise given the ambiguity of the mechanical schedule with the works on it and the difficulty of getting it back over to the roadworthy inspector and further the fact I have to get an appointment with the State roads authority to get them to “officially” agree that the engine and body numbers are the ones on the car and not something the inspector, mechanic and myself have made up (actually I am sure it is just something else they have thought up that they can effect a fee for) that this may be a wasted hope, but you never actually know and some people do say that miracles actually happen, don’t they?