1967 Morris Minor

[madmog]

So, I've been meaning to add some stuff here for ages. I'll start with bike carbs - a warts and all project that's still not finished at the time of writing. In fact I'm doing image uploads now so that I don't put a spanner through the window in frustration.

The blind-alleys and mistakes will go up here too - unless it's preferred that it's edited out for brevity

Anyhow, some pics from RR07 courtesy of Bstardchild to show who i am:



Ordered some Yamaha YZFR1 (R1) carbs from somewhere for £50 and began to strip them down as per the useful pdf here:
www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/page/totalvauxhall?entry=bike_carbs_tech_feature_in

I still don't know if it is normal but all the screws are in extremely tight. destroyed one screwdriver:

and several of the screws:

Actually, I was grateful for the ones that came out. Several had to be drilled:


and removed with high-tech engineering tools:

(2 ft length if I remember correctly)
Unfortunately one screw burst out sideways


I rebuilt the damage above with epoxy, resin, a thicker lump than the original metal to spread the load and redrilled and tapped.

I ordered up stainless steel dome head allen screws to replace all the butchered screws and dismantled to clean out with carb cleaner.

Float chamber - fairly clean to start with.

Removing pin to access gauze filter beneath

No crud in here, hardly needed cleaning

Keeping each carb's bits in a separate numbered container.

[madmog]

Carbs stripped and thoroughly cleaned - the butchered screw swarf could easily block one of the tiny holes.

Standard 1.3mm Yamaha jets replaced with 1.8mm Weber DGV jets as per the Total Vauxhall PDF. I've got a set of 1.85mm and 1.9mm in case they are too lean. Oh, it's a Fiat 8V 2.0l T/C engine, not the standard Minor one. Most of what I've read says 1.8mm for 2 litre cars and 1.65mm for 1.6 litres as a starting point. I'm fitting a wilder cam at the same time so despite not being a 16V engine 1.8mm jets will hopefully be in the right ballpark.

So, carbs cleaned and reassembled with new bolts, it's time to sort out a manifold.

Chunk of thick aluminium sourced and some tube it's time to template.

Graveyard etching style from original manifold

Snippity snip

Pentitty pen

Jigsawt... oh never mind, Chinese drill torture - drills keep breaking can't cut between the holes. Hmmm plan B

I have a Lancia injection manifold lying around that clears the distributor. My distributor is in the space where a lot of twin weber type manifolds sit. If I can keep the dizzy in place it will make life easier down the line.

I have a Megajolt to handle spark but changing carbs and cam, I want to keep the standard ignition initially to reduce the unknowns when it comes to getting it all running.

I drew the manifold up on a CAD program - just 2D to find the point where the port gaps best matched the carbs.

I know what you're saying, should have gone to Bogg Brothers...

As there was a big plenum to support the manifold has quite a bit of ribbing to strengthen it. Won't be needing these so mark out and remove.


Used an angled grinder for most of the cutting, felt like those lumberjacks that carve out reindeer with chainsaws. The lighter metal is where I cut too much so rebuilt with lumiweld


Some more lumiweld added here to build up a dimple. When I port out the inside I don't want to go through the metal.

These holes were where the injectors went. I have other plans for them but nothing glamourous.

Keeping these threaded holes in case they come in handy later. I can always chop them if they get in the way of something

Dremel and flap wheel to smooth out the chunky castings

Lots of smoothing still to go, don't want to leave sharp edges.


Petrol proof rubber hose 1m off from the local auto factor. Apparently silicon isn't so petrol resistant. Anyway, £15 - plently for mistakes.

[madmog]

Should be easy now, right? As if. Trial fit of carbs on manifold with rubber and jubilee clips


Temporarily blanked off the old injector ports. I tapped these for a fitting already that's what's sticking out.

Bit untidy but already better looking than before.

A lot of things found their way into the engine bay over the years, now's a good time to tidy everything up and make it look a bit more professional.


The old DGV and Manifold

New home on garage floor. I taped up the ports since and added it to my Ebay to list pile. This carb was bought new and only did about 4 or 5000 miles.

Despite tales of bike carbs handling all sorts of non-standard angles, at this angle, petrol pours out of the carb inlets. Some 90 degree tube required. First lot didn't have a sharp enough bend so the carbs fouled. Second lot lower quality exhaust tube made out of two halves. Dremelled the joins and it's still not great but does the job. I might replace with 90 degree rubber tube later.

[madmog]

While waiting for the stainless 90degree bends to arrive I changed the inlet cam over. It's now a GC3A fast road one. I bought it probably 18 months or even 2 years ago but have been waiting to have some time to pull the head. I don't want to pull the engine apart then get too busy to put it back together again for a year.

General work area. Head bolts ordered so they go back the right way. They'll be cleaned first.
I also replaced the exhaust valves with sodium cooled ones in anticipation of pressure-charging one day.

Speaking of which I have a new Eaton M45 from the first great Cooper Supercharger rush of three years' ago. One day On the other hand an M65 might be more suited but they aren't so easy to get new for reasonable money.

Anyhow, a new cam on one side and new valves on the other can only mean one thing.

It's shimming time. Fiat/Lancia engines use shims to set the valve lift. When you change cams, valves or even just regrind existing valves, you measure the gap between the cam and the shim (in the cam bucket) with a feeler gauge. If it's not the right gap you change for a thinner or thicker shim until you have the right gap. Even if the gap is correct if you change the cam you need to change the shim apparently. There is a tool to make shim changes easier but I don't have one so it took a fair while to do this methodically. The cam carrier needs to be correctly torqued down to get the correct measurement. Best on these engines not to fit both carriers until you have finished with shimming and have timed in the cams. It's too easy to turn one camwheel and bend valves against each other.

Shims done the cams need to be dialled in. That's to say set at the correct position relative to the crank.

I used a dial gauge to find peak lift for inlet and ex. cam on cylinder 1

The peak cam lift should occur X degrees before or after crank TDC. Having determined peak lift for inlet and exhaust and marked it (I centre-punched a point on the camwheel centre) I turned or dialled the cams. Once at the correct angle I marked this with 2 centre punch dots.

Next thing to do was check that the new higher lift inlet cam did not push the valves too close to the piston. Plasticine onto No1 piston around the existing valve cutout, crank at TDC, cams at correct angle fit head to block. no need to torque down, fit cambelt turn over by hand pull apart and check plasticine. I needed something like 3mm radial clearance and 2.5m vertical. Don't quote me, this isn't a howto. This clearance allows for valves expanding and rods stretching when engine at working temp. Luckily I had clearance. Unluckily I didn't take many pictures of all this

[madmog]

Back to the bike carbs.

I've never seen bellmouths for bike carbs. I'm sure they must exist. I'm also sure they'll be expensive since car ones aren't cheap.

I'm also sure bellmouths are worth having since everything I've ever read on tuning says so.

Having been on a fibreglass course earlier this year, I thought I'd see if I could make my own bells. Something I could do in the spare bedroom rather than in the cold garage. Hmm but what shape exactly?

This article was interesting but quite involved:
www.profblairandassociates.com/pdfs/RET_Bellmouth_Sept.pdf

To oversimplify and summarise, an elliptical profile is best. I bought one very nice quasi-elipse shaped aluminium bell (anodised blue) and cut it about so it fit onto and had the same internal diameter as the detachable carb inlet spigot.

I then covered it in wax. Apply, polish, repeat this two more times and made a mold of it in resin (the red stuff).

I can only pour so far or I won't be able to remove the original. I did this in 2 stages. Firstly I poured up as far as I could without trapping the bell. When the resin had gone off I poured more liquid resin into the centre. I also pushed in an old grinding ball to hold the mold steady later on


Removing the aluminium bell and the bottom of the plastic drinks bottle I was left with this, my mould. The flowery lines are from the bottom of the bottle and are not on the bell side.


Plasticine in the carb inlet spigot will hold the mold steady for the next bit.

Bonus retro radio

Mold waxed and polished 3 times. You generally make fibreglass things backwards. The surface finish goes on first. The white stuff is gel coat. Looks like paint but needs to go on a bit thicker but not pool anywhere as it has no strength.

Next comes the fibreglass matting
Didn't get any pictures applying this as it's messy and I didn't want to ruin the camera..

Unfortunately the mold, being just resin, broke. If I was making lots of these I'd have added glass and thickened it up.

Looks a bit rough but not too bad for a first attempt to make something in fibreglass. Plus you're looking at the rough outside. I could coat this to smooth it out a bit but it doesn't really need it. It's the inside of the bell where it really matters.

Here.

I re-created the mold three more times and made another three. Fiddlesome and time-consuming but nice to know I can make them myself.

[madmog]

The injector holes, since I have them, will be used to give me a vacuum reading for the Megajolt. You can use the R1's throttle position sensor but if you can smooth it out, a vacuum reading is better to have. Don't know if this is will be true in this case but I'll give it a go. I need to get some kind of vacuum line out of each of the inlet ports and join them together somehow. I thought about nylon but since I have a brake pipe maker and some brak line I figured I'd use that for all the joins as it won't wear out or fatigue.


First one

Coming together. Carbs are now attached to 90degree bends

Engine bay becoming tidier.
Unfortunately the distributer won't fit. It probably would if I forced it but it splines into to the oil pump drive and I don't want to put a lateral stress on that as it would create cause fatigue.

So I have to fit the Megajolt for sparks. I got a toothed trigger wheel welded onto the crank pulley last year and set up the sensor alread so just a case of tidying some more and fitting the Ford EDIS module and coil pack.

[madmog]

Re-routed some of the radiator pipes and sealed off the cooling system. Re-read the total Vauxhall PDF and realised I hadn't set the idling enrichment screws. Surprise surprise the b&!!%$ds were as stuck as all the other screws were when I first got the carbs. The exact right sized screwdriver got two of the screws out but the other two disentegrated. I ran round the DIY places then Machine Mart and got some Easy Outs.


A Is a drill bit cleaning out the brass curse word from the first idler needle.
B Is the Weber DGV 1.8mm jet replacing the smaller Yamaha one
C The pin that hold sthe float in place and
D The internal filter

Easy out. A reverse thread tap that should pull out broken screws. Remains of an idle enrichment screw. Note white stuff in threads. Someone had had these apart before as there was a rubber washer missing off one needle.

Ring A should look the same as B (sorry about photo quality)

Unfortunately the Easy out burst the screws and tubes where they lived Not sure what to do, any suggestions? are the carbs scrap?

I could make out of lumiweld but it'd mean stripping everything apart. I probably wouldn't get it all together again

Or epoxy but there is/was a very fine thread size to contend with?

[heathy12]

Nice little project here, interesting read!

Nice to see some fellow Minor owners on here doing something a little different!

I'm just off to fit a new Radiator into my V8 Minor then get out and enjoy the sun!

Keep us posted on updates fella.

[equipped28]

cool little moggy ya got there

where have you put the rad as I'm putting a small block chevy in mine and I was thinking of putting it were the passenger seat would be then cheese some holes in the floor and maybe make a scoop and rivet it to the floor to get the air up into the rad core

[TerraRoot]

buy another set of carbs, since it's obvious that someone else has been in there acting the gorilla with the screw driver, anything could be wrong. on the other hand you have no money lost if you fix it up with lumiweld, just time and stress.

[madmog]

Thanks Healthy12

Jun 14, 2009 9:43:06 GMT equipped28 said:

cool little moggy ya got there

where have you put the rad as I'm putting a small block chevy in mine and I was thinking of putting it were the passenger seat would be then cheese some holes in the floor and maybe make a scoop and rivet it to the floor to get the air up into the rad core

I think Vonmerkin your comment is addressed to Healthy12? I've only a short inline 4 so the rad is in the usual place. That said I did read about someone (also with a 4) putting the rad in the boot floor were the fuel tank used to be. Would seem more useful to keep the passenger area free as you have more flexibillity - it can take passengers or boot curse word whereas the Minor boot is a bit small for passengers...

[madmog]

Jun 14, 2009 11:50:23 GMT TerraRoot said:

buy another set of carbs, since it's obvious that someone else has been in there acting the gorilla with the screw driver, anything could be wrong. on the other hand you have no money lost if you fix it up with lumiweld, just time and stress.

Thanks. I since spoke to Bogg Bros and they confirm the carbs were never originally assembled with loctite. Someone's definately been there before me.

I've actually made a reasonable repair with Epoxy and will document below when the pics are uploaded. Just need replacement pilot jets.


Have you seen the price of bike carbs recently? Any day now there will be an article on using Webers as a cheap alternative to Bike carbs

[madmog]

Thinking about sleeving the pilot tubes overnight, it dawned on me that ther might be enough of the broken bits to give a reasonable amount of metal thread.


A broken tube


The bits that broke out - 4 pieces for 2 tubes


Pilot or idling screw. Not sure if it's called a jet (since technically it isn't), a screw or a needle.


5.91mm diameter


0.5mm pitch. I'm thinking of taps but then figure I can knock up a tap out of a bit of old pilot screw.


I cut the original screwdriver slot deeper as I don't want it getting stuck again and 4 vertical slots with a hacksaw. Brass is harder than cast aluminium right?

The broken bits and pilot tap are dumped in some gunk to loosen the crud while I get on with some other non-essential to driving car bits.

[madmog]

The electric seat switch has needed doing for a while might as well do that while the gunk does its job.

This is the 3rd set of seats I've fitted in this car not including the originals. I've had the car 22 years so it's not that extreme. These ones are from a Merc W129. The previous seat owner had a lovely V12 version and wore out the r/h bolster (foreground). He couldn't get an identical seat from Mercedes so bought 2 new ones to get a match. £500 each I think he said. Anyhow I got these of Ebay for £120 or £130 the pair. Piece of leather to match from an upholsterer for £7 and a bit of boot polish and you'd hardly know. Took ages to do though. I unpicked the stitching to get the worn through piece out, stuck it over the new leather and made exact pinholes to match stitch for stitch. Then attached the backing and sewed it in. Put the back of the needle through my thumb a few times even with thimble.

While on the subject of the seats, the two reasons I picked these were that they have the seat belts built in and the old Merc SEC seats were unsupportive on the twisties.

For those that don't know the upper seat mounting on a Minor is quite low, designed for static belts, not inertia reel. Downside is that they are really really heavy since the seat takes the strain in an accident.

Oh, when working out the wiring I discovered the explosive pretensioners in the seats. Not funny in a small room. Still I discovered that the ruined belt can be replaced by a normal one from a Mini or whatever.

I digress.

The electric motors would originally have been controlled by seat shaped switches in the door. Doesn't really suit my Minor or budget so what better than Ford Focus electric mirror switches?

I needed 3 movements: back tilt, front bolster tilt and electric headrest ;D The forward/backward mechanism and rear seat height were too massive to fit in the Minor so I do without. Just fit the right seat to suit me and the left to allow a bit of legroom in the back. The electric mitor switch has 4 movements since it controlled two mitrrors. So up/down left/right x 2.

Quite intuitive, pull up for up pull back for tilt back. BUT the switches kept burning out as they weren't meant for seat motor currents.
Some pics:


Switch fitted here.

Slightly modified to fit the gap. Whayay lowering




To solve the current draw I used relays - small current through switch controls large curent through motors. Since the switch uses the direction of the current flow to change the direction of movement. (for example for up/down) relays on their own won't work. I.e. a relay opens or closes regardless of direction of current flow. So I also had to use some diodes. to direct current flow through the correct relay. It didn't start out this complicated in my mind. One simple switch to control the seat. That's what I planned and well that's what I got but it takes 6 relays and 3 diodes per seat. More electric curse word under the seats than in the rest of the car. The relays are fitted where one of the seat motors used to be.


I keep my circuit diagram under the seat since it doesn't fit in my head.

Bit of plastic building dampcourse to protect the electrics.


Seat squabs in and out with 2 screws. Handy when you set the seat back to far and it breaks:)

[equipped28]

hi mate i was asking about you as i could'nt see it in the pics probably me being blind as a bat haha

don't really matter about passengers as mines just gonna be a race car loving your car though

[madmog]

Jun 15, 2009 21:49:53 GMT equipped28 said:

hi mate I was asking about you as I could'nt see it in the pics probably me being blind as a bat haha

don't really matter about passengers as mines just gonna be a race car loving your car though

Many thanks I've thought of putting the rad in the boot to make room for an Intercooler (no supercharger fitted yet, planning ahead) which is why I mentioned. Probably no pics of rad up yet. It was out to get at front of engine.

Just wondering if rad fans would suck up curse word from the road into your cabin - or on a damp day, suck up moist air and fog up the cabin. You could run the flo out of the cabin downwards but I don't know if it would be fighting the high pressure underneath. Have you a Readers Rides thread so i can take a look?

Oh, are you going to the MMOC National Day in a few weeks? It's at the Haynes museum (same as Retro Rides gathering) and it might be possible to have a go on the track in JLH's 350bhp Minor if he finishes it in time.

[madmog]

Having cleaned out the broken bits of pilot hole in gunk I filed and sanded the outer surface of both them and the stubs of tube on the carbs so that the epoxy would stick better. Then cut up a milk bottle and prepared some duct tape for casting





Oh, a word about some of the detail. I made a small amount of epoxy and just touched the broken edges - effectively gluing the bits together. While this was going off I wired the tubes up to hold them solid.



Once the epoxy had stopped being sticky but still breakable I tapped out the threads.

Hardly see the join. Would be nice to be able to leave it at this but strength is more important than aesthetics here. (Wouldn't be seen in the car anyway.) So next step was to cast some more epoxy around the tubes. Not pretty but gives me peace of mind.


Bit of ex-milk bottle to keep hole clear

Not quite as I expected, the epoxy flowed a bit more than I anticipated out of the casting. UIgly but will file back reasonably smooth.

[madmog]

Also managed to find space for a catch tank. yesterday. I'm not mad about the things as the oil mist seems to get into the car and the lack of vacuum seems to mean more oil finds its way out of the sump (via the dipstick switch). But without a plenum I have to have one.
A) remains of distributer. When I'm happy I'll never need it I'll cut more opf it out. I can reinstate it from what's there but it's a bit dangerous spinning around. I might be able to knock up a cover.
B) Catch tank
C) Bit of hose to protect when attached to alternator bracket.


A) hose from crank breather
B) hose to filter
C) The jubilee clips are curse word quality, already found some suitable replacements.
D) Plumbing fittings to be re-engineered more professionally (painted black) later



Eventual site of the little filter to be decided later. If I have a suitable air filter box I will keep the catch tank but vent the fumes into the filter box. Best of both worlds I hope.


Just managed to glue some rubber bits in the door gaps before it got too dark to work. The doors being fibreglass are a bit flexible. The upper window frame pulls out slightly at speed and gives an annoying whistle. So a bit of extra sealing will hopefully make for a nicer ride.


A where there's a lot of whistling
B where I hope to control the mirrors from inside one day so exposed.

[equipped28]

heres the thread

retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=readersrides&thread=51974&page=1#841531

[madmog]

Jun 14, 2009 9:43:06 GMT equipped28 said:

cool little moggy ya got there

where have you put the rad as I'm putting a small block chevy in mine and I was thinking of putting it were the passenger seat would be then cheese some holes in the floor and maybe make a scoop and rivet it to the floor to get the air up into the rad core

Are you going to the Minor National next week? Would be great to see your car. Have you got a Readers Rides thread I can look at?