jp928

And I would guess those are Imperial pints - 20 ounce, NOT 16 ounce US pints, just in case the OP is in US! Is there no dipstick to measure the level ? I would think thats the best measure. jp 26 Rover 9.

Vapor lock is almost always caused by relatively high pump sucking fuel upwards. As soon as the suck depression vaporizes the fuel there you are - some of the worst are English cars with SU pumps high on the firewall. Solutions - site the pump as low as possible , close to the tank; reduce fuel temp - paint the bottom of the tank silver or white, if exposed to the road to reduce heat uptake. Best solution as above is an electric pump down at the tank. jp 26 Rover 9, High tank, gravity feed. PS Did you know that gravity feed from a wing tank is enough to keep a jet engine running! Look up QF32 , 2010.

Bernie, RE the Humber crankshaft - does it have oil drillings to feed the 2 and 3 big ends? Or is it splash lubed? Just curious. Thanks john

Dont forget the latest Fiat 124 Sport is a Mazda ND model MX5 under the skin - Fiat drive train and body skin, Mazda base and suspension. Seems to go every bit as well as well a the original, and looks very good. jp 26 Rover 9

I have a cover called 'Laid Up' here in Oz for my 26 Rover - basically only covers a total loss caused by the house burning down or otherwise destroyed. A$60/pa covering A$9500, unfinished restoration. Have a kit car (Lotus 7 clone) covered for $23k for $290/pa, only to be used for 90 days/pa. Insurer is selective about what they cover - for ordinary stuff like Mazda3, their quotes are prohibitive. I think you need to look for a speciality firm, or go through a broker. jp 26 Rover 9

Some of the better horn sounds are produced by using two horns with different but complementary tones, a bit like playing chords on a piano. You would not normally notice this until one of them failed. I will see if I can any data on this. jp 26 Rover 9

Looks terrific, well Done. One question - 'sominstrated' ? jp 26 Rover 9

VINs were not standardized until 1981, before that each manufacturer used their own layout. Do a search on the web to see if the maker can/will decode a 63. jp 26 Rover 9

I am fitting LEDs to my Rover, but fortunately its a neg earth, which surprised me somewhat. I think your only option will be to isolate your light fittings completely from the chassis and run 2 wires everywhere. I was told my car was not an earth return system, but with the dynamo having only 1 wire (charge output) it can only be neg earth - and the dynamo charges fine. jp 26 Rover 9

Apart from lowering the EP pressure back to what the carb expects, I would also check for signs of deposits settling out of the gas while it was parked up for months. If you have anything on the needle and seat it would not seal properly, and deposits in the lines wont help either. With a car with a fuel return line that had this problem I have had good results from loading the tank with oil like Berryman's or Marvel Mystery oil, and letting the pump run for an hour or so (while you are close by!). Vapour locks usually occur when you have either hot fuel, and/or a sucking pump above the tank. The action of sucking lowers the pressure above the fuel, which tends to lower its boiling point and start it vaporizing. When I was you we had a car that did this, and found that painting the botoom of the tank that was exposed to road heat help to keep the fuel cooler, and reduced vapour locks. A pump located near the bottom level of the tank should never get any vapour problems. jp 26 Rover 9

Is it that hard to find 6V horns of the period? jp 26 Rover 9

I am finishing a resto on a 26 Rover with 6V electrics now. It came with the starter, dynamo and maggy all overhauled, and with a good sized (105Ah) 6V battery it spins and starts fine, so it will be staying on 6V. All the wiring is new, as none came with the car, so all the contacts are clean and new. I am planning on 24W headlight bulbs, and using LEDs on all the other lights - readily available in BA15S (single contact) and BA15D(dual contact) formats. Dont condemn the 6V system until you have refreshed the starter and dynamo - unless you have somebody on hand who can convert the whole system to 12V reliably. And yes, all my system is infamous Lucas stuff - Prince of Darkness, as 'Gentlemen dont Motor after Dark'! jp 26 Rover 9

A suggestion for carbs that look nice and clean, but dont behave properly, before you get extreme with it - try an ultrasonic bath. I have had some very good results with miniature carbs on model airplane engines. Some of these have fine passages that you cant easily get at to clean them (or even see inside), and pressed in jets. If they sit unused for a long time they can gum up exactly the same as old car parts. Sometimes finding the right solvent can take a bit of trial and error, but so far I am batting 100. I have run items for an hour if very dirty, and change the fluid and repeat until the fluid stays clean. They are not expensive these days, BUT make sure you check the bath size will handle what you propose to clean - some cheap units will barely take a burger. Or maybe a very good workshop might have a commercial size unit you could 'borrow'? jp 26 Rover 9

Either would probably work, as long as you are sure of the diagnosis. If the temperature is fine while moving on the open road, but rises while stationary, it is most likely an airflow problem, unless something has changed recently that would reduce the fan speed or its efficiency, or the water pump's efficiency. A shroud would probably be less obviously out of character. Measure the radiator core are to be covered, and start searching for a shroud that will cover 90% of its area, and see how tightly it will enclose the fan's blades. My reading says electric fans work better sucking through a radiator from behind, than trying to push through from in front. They also need a shroud for efficiency. jp 26 Rover 9

I only quantify driving in Smiles per Mile. The rest is irrelevant, unless you become a Schlumpf. jp 26 Rover 9

Oddness in bolts still goes on. Some Peugeot 205 caliper bolts are pentagonal, not hexagonal, IIRC, on one side only! Wonder if a judge would notice that if you used one ? jp

Bernie, I can say definitively that every nut and bolt I have touched on the Rover requires a BSW spanner, and I have worked on more than 50% so far. Unfortunately my local engineering bits shop has gone trade only recently so I will have to visit your Ringwood place sometime soon. BSW bolts and nuts are readily available at my local Bunnings, but so far have only needed unseen stuff like sidelight retention bolts. They also have some chromed dome nuts in BSW. In Metric they will only carry common pitches for size - M8x1.25 should be ok, but I doubt they will have M8x1. jp

I would have thought Whitworth threads more likely than BSF, but both are readily available at Bunnings. So far everything on the Rover has been Whit , except the <expletive deleted> steering wheel bolt - 27/32 x 18tpi ! jp

Bernie, A bit surprised at your estimate for an engine rebuild being so high. FWIW here are some numbers from my Rover's rebuild history, admittedly 25 years old now, but still....Dont know anything of the builder's reputation, as they are no long visible - Veteran and Vintage Engines of Bayswater, and Javco Engineering of Mulgrave, mostly.. Engine - strip, bore, remettal rods and mains, grind crank, reprofile cam, followers, reco head, new valves and guides, new pistons, timing chains, refurb starter, generator and magneto, waterpump - $3081. Gearbox and clutch - $1650 Tailshaft - $1770 Diff rebuild (new wormwheel) - $2414 The engine runs well (might be first time run since rebuild?), very good oil pressure. These are from receipts dated 1991-93. Have prices gone up that much? john

Bernie, This pic shows the diff joint on my Rover9 moderately well - the shaft going in is just round, but it lookes like it has 2 trunnions inside the split joint, which is bolted to the diff input flange. I suspect that you Humber had something similar. The prop shaft has a taper with keyway at both ends, the front with a 3 finger fabric UJ to the gearbox, the rear with cross pins fitting into the joint below, similar to one of your drive shafts. Let me know if you would like a closer pic. john

Bernie, This pic shows the diff joint on my Rover9 moderately well - the shaft going in is just round, but it lookes like it has 2 trunnions inside the split joint, which is bolted to the diff input flange. I suspect that your Humber had something similar. The prop shaft has a taper with keyway at both ends, the front with a 3 finger fabric UJ to the gearbox, the rear with cross pins fitting into the joint below, similar to one of your drive shafts. Let me know if you would like a closer pic. john

I would think that somebody familiar with that style of volt meter would be able to give some guidance on the resistance required for a meter of that range (0-120V). Your 50mV= 1mA gives a resistance of 50 Ohms from Kirchoff, which is 1000 Ohms per volt, a commonly quoted number. See the formula for extending range here - http://www.electrical4u.com/working-principle-of-voltmeter-and-types-of-voltmeter/ New R = ((External V(125) - internal V (.05)) * internal resistance (50)) / Internal Volts - .05 I get 125k Ohms (actually 124950) for a movement with 50 Ohms internal , and FSD at .05V. If your meter's external has shorted internally that would explain the internal coil being fried? Is it possible to find a replacement movement of the right spec and fit to your face with a new external resistance. Any unit the right size whose internal spec is known would do - just calculate a new external resistance. HTH, hope I didnt stuff it up jp 26 Rover 9

I synpathise Bernie, from a similar position. The 26 Rover was 80% rebuilt when I got it recently, with many receipts for work done. BUT all the mechanical work was done in the early 90s, and ALL of the businesses involved have now disappeared. Car came fully assembled, new woodwork and panels, basically needing wiring, interior and a hood. Receipts said starter, maggy and dynamo all rebuilt. How far do I go checking things if it requires extensive dismantling? So far I have got the engine running for short spells (carb full) and it sounds OK, oil pressure is very good (verified pressure before giving it spark), dynamo produces 10A. A little coolant weep on pump and one core plug.Apart from inspecting obvious stuff, all I can do is cross my fingers and wait for signs that things are not as they should be. john P

The Rover IOE engines Used a failry wide block to enable the exhaust valve head to form one side of the combustion chamber, and with a sloping head joint and a ridged piston crown there was a nearly hemispherical chamber. See about halfway down the page at http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-curious-f-head-engine/ They started in 48 with 1.6 and 2.1L 4 and 6 cyl engines, of 60 and 75hp. Early Land Rovers used the 4 cyl for many years. The early cars used rockers with chromed curved faces running on the cam, but they were not long lived as they might have been if oil got dirty. There were 4 and 7 main bearing versions in 2.6L models. Some of the 6s appeared in LRs as well, but they were a bit too maintenance intensive to be satisfactory. Later versions used roller followers running in lead lined bronze rockers which lasted much better - these are visible in the cross section on the web page above. The last engine (3L) lasted into the 70s in the P5 sedan. When I had Rovers of this era, and knew many other owners, we used to get asked if we had any spare inlet valve rockers - by Bentley owners. The Rover tappet adjusters (the threaded part) were ball ended with a little cap clipped on , to improve valve action and reduce wear. These apparently fitted the Bentley rockers, and were somewhat cheaper than genuine items. FWIW Rolls made a V8 in 1905, 3 cars made, 1 sold, engine unsatisfactory, bought back and scrapped. jp 26 Rover 9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Whitney-Renold-35-RIV-3-8-Pitch-7-Long-Roller-Chain-/250630890900?hash=item3a5ac3e594:g:FvQAAOSw3YNXZVId You need to specify a bit more info apart from pitch - wisth between inner plates. jp 26 Rover 9