Reading this thread has just reminded me about a job I completed a few
months ago:
Picture the scene: Man drives into my garage in rented car, he's come to
pick up his own car, a Triumph 2.5PI estate (station wagon) that I've just
spent 250+ hours over 18 months restoring. Drives away a happy man, big
smile on face.
Phones two weeks later - "this cars bl**dy awful, come and collect it or
I'll sue!!" Problem: "engines misfiring like mad". I travel the 200 miles
to his house, collect the car (which isn't misfiring, but vibrates really
badly) and tow it back home.
On examination, I discover that the engine is leaning on the bulkhead
(firewall), and the cooling fan is hitting the radiator. Look underneath,
to discover that the automatic gearbox is no longer attached to the
bellhousing. Remove gearbox, bellhousing etc. *Every* bolt which should
have secured the 'box to the bellhousing has gone, just pulled right out of
the casting! Gearbox is knackered, stator support broken, input shaft
bearings shot to ribbons, etc.etc.
Story unfolds, as I'm trying to dismantle the gearbox for overhaul, *every*
bolt on that 'box is nearly too tight to undo - and I've got good muscles
and a long wrench! Most of the threads into the aluminium castings have
nearly stripped, and those into the bellhousing are stripped right out.
Seems that the owner had a recon 'box fitted about six months before he
laid up the car, and the guy who overhauled the 'box *didn't* have a
'mechanics feel'.
Richard Smith (richard@mole.demon.co.uk)
Antique Auto restorer, Agricultural engineer, shepherd, electrician,
electronics design engineer (in order of income!)
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