1955 Standard Eight - 660cc Turbo

[LowStandards]

I'm no doubt rushing in here, but i'm excited to be picking up my new car tomorrow (if a friend doesn't let me down)

Here she is from the advert, a 1955 Standard 8




My favorite angle, who decided folks didn't need a boot lid?



Specwise she's as follows

Got a 850 lump in her, burns oil lke its going out of fashion, seller bought a Herald 1200 lump, but this isn't fitted as it has a damaged front plate and no carb. So basically she's engineless!

On the good side, i've just vehicle checked her on the dvla and she's mot'd till Feb 2013, seller said she flew through and the body is in really good nick.

I can either mess about fittting the Herald engine and getting some parts or I can delve straight into fitting the Cappuccino 660cc Turbo lump and box I have sitting in my garage!

Neither sounds straight forward, though i'm leaning towards going straight for the Cappo lump?

More pics soon

[brc76]

Cappo, Cappo, Cappo!

[mortcars]

whats the weight difference betwen the Standard and the Suzuki?

if its do-able then go with the cappo option would make a cool daily then

[Deleted]

Caffine injection!

[LowStandards]

Aug 8, 2012 13:14:11 GMT mortcars said:

whats the weight difference betwen the Standard and the Suzuki?

Suzuki is 725
Standard is 745ish

Bearing in mind the Standard comes with a block of cast iron up front, i reckon there almost the same weight!

The thing that worries me is the wiring loom, i guess if i think its do-able for the gathering i could just chuck the whole loom in and separate it from the chaff when i get home...

[Deleted]

Pretty sure my mate's one has a Spitfire engine and suspension components. Weren't too hard to adapt.

[LowStandards]

Not an epic road trip story, but here, have a few pics taken with a phone from the late 90's

Headed out from mine 40 mins late, in the wrong direction to drop something off for my mates business. Couldn't complain, he was kind enough to lend me his time and truck.

Finally set out the right way, 2 hours late.

Lots of driving dull roads



Some stupid faces




A nice bridge



Onto the truck - winch was broke, so 3 of us had to push her up there!



Home at 12:30, no pics cause i was both knackered and the amount of noise we were making unloading was clearly upsetting the neighbours!

But there we go, she's home and i already love her...

[LowStandards]

Spent the day building the 1200 lump, she's ready to go in now, then its some new copper lines and hopefully done...

[mini-mad-nick]

so u sticking the herald lump in her then? looks good tho, gunna be at the gathering?

[metroman]

What a lovely little car, the windows are brilliant! What will you do gearbox wise when the cappo engine goes in?

James

[LowStandards]

Herald lumps being dropped in so I can start getting her used!

Then I can eye up the cappo lump at my leisure. She wont be at the gathering, I have some rewiring and brake lines to attend to...

I'll be using the cappo box and altering the prop

[chinno204]

I had a Standard 10 on the road in the '90s fitted with a 1300 Spitfire engine, it's a straightforward swap, as are Spitfire/GT6 front & rear brakes, etc. Mind you mine was seriously modified with straight-cut gears, L.S.D & an engine that revved to 9,500rpm! Serious fun )

[LowStandards]

She's alive!!!


Ish... the herald engines in, wired up and she started, ran like a dog mind, fuelings well off, timings a mess.

Turns out i'd picked the wrong mark on the camshaft when i built the engine, the manual says line the punch mark on the sprocket to the cut out on the camshaft, all well and good, but there's 2 cutouts! The camshaft timings about 4 teeth out, so whilst she runs, its as dire as can be expected, so the front of the engines gotta come off again!

Once thats sorted i can set the carb up, do the brake lines and hopefully she'll be drivable!


Also i got all the wiring loom and needed bits removed from the Cappo shell and now thats been sent off to the great car graveyard.

I now have to pick my way through hundreds of wires, switches and fuses to pair it down to whats needed for the engine to run, joys!

[substandard]

NICE!! Good work!

[LowStandards]

She runs a dream now, I was two teeth out on the timing chain.

Engines all back together and she's got her face bolted back on.

Sorted out the wiring that was all hanging out the dash, turned out to be nothing more than 5 metres of blick wire for the washer bottle pump, least that was easy!

Top ends nice and rattly, anyone know the cold valve clearances for a 1200 Herald engine?

[Seth]

Excelllent

[LowStandards]

And now she has her face back!



I was miffed at the huge panel gap between the bonnet and front clip, but then I realised the bonnet was open...

[61stu]

[LowStandards]

Well I drove her a Lil bit for the first time, not far, no insurance etc...

I pull up on the drive, got the crane out and removed the engine straight away, I kinda new it was going to happen as soon as I started putting it in there, but friends were telling me I should get her running and use her for a bit before I stuck the Cappo engine in.

I just see no point, having to sort out the insurance and everything, just to be unhappy knowing the engine she deserves is sitting in the Garage, so I'm going to undertake a little winter project and get the Cappo engine in!

I don't see to many issues, as far as I can tell its mainly mounts and tunnel modifying (literally just relocating the stick hole) Then its the prop, but I'm hoping not to cut it, just have an adaptor turned up to bolt it the Suzuki one to the diff, the engine and box are that small I'll have plenty of room to place them where the prop falls...


Am I right to do this? I just figure I wont get the use out of her this winter as the door seals and paint need addressing before I'll be happy to leave her outside which leaves what 4-5 months to get her sorted into the car I want...

[darrenh]

well its only my opinion, but you did ask, i think dcking around with teh herald engine is just a waste of resources, and will inevitably just make time scales slide. well the engines in and running fine, i'll get it water tight, now its MOT time, so i'll mot it, it passed, now i'll drive it for a bit, then a year passes.

so i refer the right honourable gentleman to the answer given a while ago

Aug 8, 2012 13:01:56 GMT brc76 said:

Cappo, Cappo, Cappo!