PART 5
I finally decided that I had to ether finish the rebuild or sell it. So
I started hanging parts back on it. I added DOT 5 fluid to the hydraulic
system and pressure bled it. Next day I discovered that I had not
tightened down a connection to the resavoir and the DOT5 had leaked out.
I was REAL glad I did not use DOT 4. The rear wheel cylinders started
leaking a week later. The system had new everything except rear
cylinders. This is when I leaned that you need to use all new rubber
when you go from DOT 4 to DOT 5.
Next came the mile stone of starting the engine for the first time. I
checked all the rocker arm gaps just to be sure, removed the spark
plugs, and squirted a little light oil into each cylinder then poured
half a quart of oil down the push rod tubes to be sure that the lifters
and cam lobes had fresh lubrication. I spun the engine until I got oil
pressure indicated on the gauge.
I added fuel, hand pumped it into the carbs, reinstalled the spark plugs
and fired the engine up. It wouldn't idle properly but it ran and the
oil pressure looked good. There was lots of oil being fed to the rocker
arm assembly. I replaced the cover. As I was checking things over I
noticed that the temperature was getting high and the electric fan had
not come on. I shut the engine down and checked the fan circuitry. The
circuit was OK but the fan motor evidently died sitting out for eight
years.
I replaced the fan with a new one and took the car out for a run. The
carb linkage was set up wrong with the pedal sitting WAY too high. The
new starter motor stopped working during one of my stops to check things
out and the carbs were definitely not running correctly.
Since I had four tube headers on the car replacing the starter motor
means removing intake and exhaust manifolds. Since I was still
feeling>bad about how this project was going and some exciting Land Rover
events
were coming up, I just parked the TR and went out and played in the Land
Rover taking numerous long expeditions. Life was a lot more fun with a
car that worked and was reliable.
Finally a couple of months ago I got back to working on the TR. I was
dismayed to discover that my new wheels, bumper, bumperettes and head
lamp rings were all rusting. I removed the starter motor and checked it
out. It turned fine on the bench. I finally located the problem. I had
a well painted engine block and a well painted starter motor. The fixing
bolts had flat washers that did not dig into the paint. Basically the
paint was insulating the motor's ground return path from the grounded
engine block. I removed the paint from the mating surfaces and the motor
worked fine. When I reassembled the linkage I adjusted it for the proper
pedal height.
I retorqued the head, reset the rocker arm gap and tried it again. I was
still having fuel system problems. I took her out and ran out of gas a
couple of miles away from home. My professionally rebuilt fuel gauge
does not work.
I got a gallon and headed back for home to have the car stop with fuel
starvation going up a steep hill. By this time it was getting dark and I
had just discovered that the car as no tail lights. I called for a flat
bed tow home.
TeriAnn Wakeman Border to Border
Santa Cruz, California Expedition Society
twakeman@cruzers.com "Live the adventure"
http://www.cruzers.com/~twakeman http://www.bordertoborder.com
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