The first of several unscheduled stops!

Apart from a thorough service, mechanical work has been limited to a new pair of front springs as the old ones appear to have been worn ever since I bought the car and made it sit far too low. Someone recently thought that it was sitting too high at the front, but it handles and steers well and looks great – I’m happy.

As the Laycock manufactured parts of Captain Edgar de Normanville’s magnificent invention (Edgar was British by the way – don’t be fooled by the ‘de’ and the ‘ville’ bits)  were laid out on the bench – we decided that inspection and reassembly should be carried out by a specialist who works with these units every day. Our biggest challenge turned out to be refitting it to the car with everything else in situ. So, while taking the not inconsiderable weight of the unit, we needed to ensure that the splines in the unidirectional clutch and planet carrier were in alignment and in a position to receive the mainshaft. We then had to keep the clutch springs (all 12 of them) over their respective bosses and start tightening the first two nuts, drawing the o/d casing towards the gearbox rear extension.

With ¾” to go we had to enter two long bladed screwdrivers, one to compress the oil pump plunger and the second to lever the cam into alignment with the plunger roller while steadily tightening the nuts. Simple really. After our second attempt we experienced that sense of disbelief which comes from achieving something that could well have frustrated us to the edge of sanity. It would soon be road test time.

Overdrive transforms the MKVII and on the way up to the NEC in April, the eurohatches and their occupants seemed rather shocked by the sight of a ton and three quarter of sixty year old Glory storming past them, utterly relaxed at 70 plus cruising speeds. As I’ve said before, these are wonderful cars….

The radiator was reconditioned. It is possible to fit a repro Series III item but for me it just had to be the original with the ‘Serck Radiators Ltd Birmingham’ plate sitting on top. I managed to obtain one of a rapidly dwindling supply of new old stock solex carbs. The original will be rebuilt and stored. The gearbox was found to be in good serviceable order and was subjected to a thorough clean and the clutch was treated to a new kit.

A new fuel tank was purchased. I wanted to have the original repaired but this was simply not a viable proposition, especially in view of the quality and very reasonable cost of the replacement. So, with all the heavy bits removed it was time to inspect the rest of the vehicle…and I shall divulge our findings next time…

Our tour started in earnest with a visit to the REME Museum at Arborfield Camp. Highlights for me were the vehicle collection (predictably) and the gun/small arms collection. Never before have I found myself surrounded by such an amazing range of weaponry in such a small space. The collection included rifles, pistols and revolvers, machine guns and infantry support weapons, some exhibits dating back hundreds of years. There is much to take in at this museum about REME’s role past, present and future and I would strongly advise you to allocate a good few hours when visiting.

We then motored down the A30 and into the Test valley, passing through Hurstbourne Priors, Longparish and Wherwell, enjoying these stunning places with their charming character and well maintained buildings. We stopped for lunch at the Mayfly, a delightful pub/restaurant sitting right on the River Test as it babbles its way south through the Hampshire countryside. We then charged over to Ropley on the Watercress Line. It was late in the day and we were hoping to have a peek inside the restoration shed. As it turned out we had arrived at the perfect time as the locomotives were just being put away for the night. I will never tire of being at close quarters to the great steam locomotives that majestically pounded up and down the iron highways back in the glorious days of Industrial Britain. Everything is big, heavy and beautifully made and even when gently rolling to a halt after a solid day’s work on the Mid Hants, the atmosphere and presence of these magnificent machines is incomparable. On this occasion we were privileged to be in the company of Schools class ‘Cheltenham’ and Lord Nelson Class ‘Lord Nelson’. One of the chaps in the shed finishing off his work was very friendly and happy to answer our questions. Climbing back into the MG BGT I felt a glow of joy knowing that the era of the BGT began when a handful of these steam engines were still clanking around the network still providing sterling service at the head of a local passenger service or goods train. Magnificent!

Enjoying those thoughts we motored South into the New Forest and onto our hotel for the evening, the Master Builders Hotel at Buckler’s Hard. As is traditional on such trips the ‘Commander’ (my travelling companion) and I, inspired by fine British machinery and stunning British countryside, had a decent meal and a glass or two of fine local ale while putting the world to rights which, let’s face it, inevitably involves rectifying the appalling damage wreaked on these Islands by the shockingly bad governance of Britain, predominantly over the last twenty years, though the seeds were sewn many, many decades ago.

The Maritime Museum at Buckler’s Hard gave us a fascinating insight into the history of this 18th century shipbuilding village focusing on its vessels including those built for Nelson’s Navy. I knew next to nothing about how those glorious wooden ships were constructed and launched and was utterly staggered at just how involved and labour intensive a process it was. Well worth a visit.

We then headed west to New Milton and Sammy Miller’s Motorcycle Museum. Once again, you would be advised to allow a good few hours to enjoy this one because with over forty machines on show, all aspects of motorcycle history are covered in great detail. I have loved old bikes for most of my life and still I never fail to be amazed by the variety of designs and engine configurations that can be applied to a two wheeler.  When I visit this museum one thing always amuses me. Never more than a few seconds are allowed to elapse before you are once again reminded that the man behind it is Mr. Sammy Miller. There are simply a bewildering number of pictures featuring the great man – either in action or grinning happily astride a machine or alongside a dignitary. And quite frankly, so there should be, because Sammy has put together a peerless collection of living motorcycles in a superb setting. I shall be visiting again!

 We then motored on towards Bournemouth and on our way to the Sandbanks – Swanage chain ferry, I managed to clap eyes on some of the properties that have apparently made Sandbanks one of the most expensive areas in Britain. Some of these buildings are quite frankly hideous and once again confirm the old adage that you simply cannot buy taste. Having spent so much time at Sammy Millers Museum we decided to press on through Dorset and head for our hotel in East Devon. It was during this afternoon that we encountered the worst weather of this trip with steady rain accompanying us all the way along the A352 and 35. There was quite a bit of concentrating required here as the BGT’s wipers don’t sweep the screen as effectively as they should to be honest but we nevertheless pulled into the family run Hunter’s Moon Hotel in Sidmouth in perfect time to sample the local ale brewed a few miles up the road at the Otter Brewery.

The following morning we took the ‘quick’ way home – up the A30, A303, M3 etc etc and on arriving back home I could only admire the BGT for behaving impeccably over the three days. Although, strangely enough, 24hrs later I noticed the front offside tyre had completely deflated. However more on that another time…

I had just turned off a main A road in semi-suburbia and had toed the old warrior into third when some unfamiliar and frankly unwelcome noises started to emanate from down below.  The main din was a sort of whiney buzz. I began to picture worn splines and broken bits of cog being hurled around the box causing major damage. First gear seemed to be working ok so I limped home very very slowly and of course completely ignoring the workshop manual advice of ‘stop the engine immediately and investigate the problem’. There must be a God out there because it was just after I had actually reached home that I finally lost first gear and consequently any kind of forward propulsion at all. After a brief demo of what happens (or not) when a gear is engaged plus some observation of noises from within, mechanical guru Paul and I rolled the M20 onto the lift.

We inspected the selector mechanism and discovered that it was in fine fettle and performing its cog shifting role admirably. We also had a little look inside the gearbox and found that to be in decent health. Our next step was to remove the primary chaincase cover and have a peek at what delights awaited us there.

Low and behold, it was immediately noticeable that the retaining nut on the end of engine shock absorber was in such a state of looseness that it was apparently trying to drill its way through the chaincase cover. Said nut is now tight and M20 is once more a machine with (sort of) silky smooth gear changes. Time to get back to dug-dug-dug-dug-dugging!

I

This B31 Plunger had a seized engine but after several applications of heat, little by little, we carefully freed the piston, inspired by the sight of the piled arms stamp on its crown. Yes this machine is on its original standard bore, and most of the nuts and bolts are in excellent ‘virginal’ condition. Where possible we have bent back and cleaned up the original Made in England parts and tried to avoid using new bits- tyres, rubbers and wiring are an exception of course. At the moment we are having fun and games with the carburetion and ignition timing but hopefully soon tatty ratty will take to the road.

However, a lot of work has been done since February 2011 – front and rear brakes have been rebuilt with skimmed and repaired drums (one of these had a rather interesting hole in it) relined shoes, new brake pipes and replacement flexis. Front suspension components have been cleaned and repainted, front hubs have been replaced, the anti roll bar brackets have been straightened, the steering box has been overhauled, track rod arms have been replaced and the front stub axles and seals. Shock absorbers front and rear have been replaced and the back axle has been rebuilt with replacement wheel bearings and inner and outer half shaft seals. A universal brake servo has been fitted. Brake and clutch master cylinders have been replaced as has the clutch slave cylinder. Engine mounts have been replaced. The prop shaft has been overhauled with replacement centre bearing and mounts. Fuel pumps have been replaced and rewired and new fuel pipe with an inline filter has been fitted. The carbs have been overhauled. New thermostat and housing has been fitted and the car has been rehosed. The distributor has been overhauled. New HT leads have been fitted. The exhaust manifolds have been replaced and a new full exhaust system has been fitted. Although this isn’t as standard, it makes the car sound absolutely fantastic.

With the car now ready for its first test run, I was beginning to think that an MOT certificate could be a reality. However, on test , there was head gasket failure. Due to the existing head being beyond economic repair a replacement cylinder head has been fitted and the Mark VII is now running well. A big thanks to Marcus and Tom Barclay for just about all of the mechanical work that’s been done. Having recently refurbished another Mark VII, Marcus, if he wasn’t before, is most certainly now an expert on all things Mark VII !!

The car with its fresh MOT certificate will now be driven as often as possible in the coming months to see if any other gremlins surface and then I shall begin thinking about phase two- The Body….

One thing I didn’t think I would end up doing is replacing the E-Type’s engine frames. To be honest, before I was shown a few small rust holes in the existing frames, I knew nothing about them. Briefly, the original frames were made out of Reynolds 531 tubing and were only designed to last for a few years – not a few decades. Given that the existing may not be original and were fitted during the cars restoration in the 1980′s, they are still the best part of three decades old.

So, a call to the highly recommended E-Type Fabs Ltd in Darlington (Tel: 01325481819) and an order was placed for a brand new set of frames, fabricated from the modern and apparently stronger version of Reynolds 531 tubing. Colour matched and superbly painted by Thames Valley Repairs Ltd in Maidenhead (Tel: 01628781717), they were finally bolted onto the bulkhead and slowly but surely E-Type has been reassembled and prepared for the road.

Lets hope that we are treated to more than 16 minutes of dry weather this summer because frankly most classic car owners and event organisers are finding the weather rather frustrating! Come what may – rain, hail or sunshine, the E-Type will definitely be going to the Goodwood Revival this year….

Happiness is mucking about with an old tractor. If you need a dose of relatively inexpensive mechanical therapy, then acquire for yourself an old tractor and a few implements and start lifting, carrying, ploughing, collecting, digging, sawing – to name but a few. In this case, it is something of a time warp ’64 Massey Ferguson 35X with low hours. Going mowing with a set of Ransomes gangs (expertly rebuilt by Jim Upson and his team at Upson Mowers in Maldon, Essex – Tel:01621 892907) makes cutting grass an utter pleasure. Frankly, there is little to compete with parking your lug ‘oles next to that exhaust at about 1500 rpm and reveling in the joyful throaty roar of the 3 cylinder Perkins diesel with the mowers snipping away in the background- Heaven!