18 June 2022

Bit of a run out to Noojee today with the BMC-Leyland Car Club members. Except for the Highway part of the run it was a great blast through the backroads with a varied bunch of BMC and BL Aus cars. Around the backroads I can keep up with some of the cars, but they all leave me for dead when on the highway, I guess when you only travel at 80ks it makes it difficult for everyone else as no one else really wants to hang around. A great twisting, winding country road once off the highway though and there were a couple of really steep inclines and 2nd gear managed to get a good work out to climb them!

23 Apr 2022

 It's been about 14 years since the Count last had a respray, and even that one was done by myself in the hay shed on the farm. Humidity was high and so was the temperature when it was done as well, so there is no really great surprise that now it is living outside in the driveway and on the street that the paint isn't the greatest. 

A few years ago the paint on the rear end surrounding the boot and below the rear window started to develop cracks and over the years the cracks just grew worse and multiplied. It had come to the stage that something had to be done or the car would start to rust below the paint. So we come to the weekend and what to do, like stripping paint is ever high on the list.

Starting point

Guards off and ready to go

A lot of load paint and primer layers there

Back to bare

Etched and primed

Back in colour

Nearly done, just needs lights

Certainly looks a lot better thank it did with the cracking and flaking paint, though it's never a fun job. 

20 Feb 2022

 Sunday 20 Feb saw the Count attend the British and European car show at Yarra Glen Racecourse. The first car show in quite some time and the Count's first in a number of years. The show was very well supported and plenty of car there to be seen, may it be the first of many to come.

Just a few random photos of cars at the show...

Still cleans up ok with a polish and some distance

3 Jan 2022

Look at that, almost without any notice we have started a new year, 2022. 

Lets hope it's gets a whole lot better that 2021 and 2020.

So late last year (2021) I was able to commission an awesome artist, Gavin Thomson ( @gavin_thomson_cartoonist  and https://m.facebook.com/gavinthomsoncartoonist) to create a fantastic new logo for the Count and it's travels around Australia (not that one can travel too far around Australia at the moment, some states are open to each other, though there are Covid testing requirements and State entry permits and some States are even closed completely still).  The cartoon is inspirational and comes complete with a nod to the legendary intrepid adventurer Mr Phileas Fogg from the Jules Verne novel "Around the World in 80 days", it's absolutely brilliant!

2 Dec 2021

 It sure took a long time and to say that the old Bluebird sewing machine behaved itself would be an overstatement, though finally the Drivers seat upholstery has been done (well at least until the vinyl splits again on the base).

It wasn't exactly as envisioned, though it'll do for the time being, though both the seat base and the passenger side seat faces will both need to be redone at some stage. No hurry just yet though. Just like the paint job on the car, it looks ok from a distance.

27 July 2021

 Well look at that, the last update was March 2018, that was certainly some time again wasn't it. So in reality I would guess that no one even looks at this stuff anymore as it has been so lacking in updates. In defence of it though, things have been a bit on the strange side, not much travelling or anything was done it the Morris in the latter part of 2018 and early 2019 and following some travel overseas in later 2019... well we all know about COVID19, yes COVID19 and here we all are in latter middle 2021 and we are still going no where and doing nothing here. Lockdown number 5 is officially over tonight, though with the usual post lockdown cautions of distancing, masks and limits on persons at work or in cafes and restaurants and while it may be tedious, it does work.

Anyway on the car front, not much has been happening. The Count needs the front seat upholstery repaired as it has split with age and given it sits outside most of the time and the upholstery was done way back when I first got the car it hasn't done too badly, so that will get a shake up with something a bit different. Have bought a 1955 Bluebird sewing machine for a grand total of $50 to try and do this with, so hopefully it will do it and hopefully I won't stuff it all up! Collecting the machine though did require a half day trip to Geelong, so at least that was a bit of a drive for the Count.

Former Federal Woollen Mills, North Geelong

East Beach, Geelong

The mighty Bluebird, '55 like the Count

Have finally managed to do something about the gearbox and now the diff as well. New custom made gearbox was made up for the Count by John and Ben Needham in Melbourne. It now looks mostly original, though is a smooth case box, from a later 1000 car, with the old Series 2 tail so that there was no need to modify the floor of the car, and swap the handbrake lever, to put the remote change in as it still has the original Series 2 shift. The internals have been updated as well and it is basically running as an 1100 box now. The gear ratios are hugely improved and make it so much more usable.

The last two weekends have been taken up by having fitted, then removed and then refitted a reconditioned 4.55 diff as well (so hopefully there will be no leaking of an oil anywhere, though have a spare new pair of rear brake shoes just in case). It has to come back out following the initial fitting as on filling the diff, with the hard to come by correct oil, it commenced flowing back out of the pinion seal just as fast as it was going in. Long story short, whoever had assembled the recon diff at the place I bought it from, and I might add at considerable expense for freight, had fitted a hub oil seal instead of the correct pinion oil seal, which unfortunately was never going to hold oil, so thus the removal, repair and refit. Annoyed? Yes, yes I was indeed. The response from the supplier when the problem was identified?

    "yes it does look as though the seal in there was a half shaft seal. I can only apologise!"

Well yes seem to be that is the least you could do. I guess on the plus side we do now know how to change the pinion seal in a Morris Minor, no it isn't a fun job.

Now where were we with that upholstery...

 

I am sure that it isn't supposed to do that...

... and back out again

Slight size difference between the half shaft seal (fitted) and the correct pinion seal (to be fitted)

Gearbox had to be removed again as well as the speedo drive gear was fitted in the wrong place and needed rectification, did get a whole new batch of mount rubbers while out thought.

14 Mar 2018

Certainly has been a long time between posts. The Count has been ticking along well, just doing short runs here and there, much as a second car. Hasn't been on any long runs or seen any sights really.

The only really new thing is that it has redeveloped the overheating coil thing it started once before, though this time it really went to town.

So here we are, the Melbourne traffic got to The Count and it's decided to give up on the effort of running. I'd guess it's the coil as it has broken down from over heating, which itself underlines other problems, but you get that. The RACV have informed me its location is too dangerous to inspect so they're going to tow it. It's never been towed while registered before, only trailered unregistered, new experience. Can make it all the way around Australia but Melbourne traffic kills it. Oh well who needs dinner anyway...