Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[unimogjohn]

What great animal stories. I hate to say it, but I get more from the five cats and two dogs (one of which is a neighbors) than I get from the kids.

Anyway, it is Wednesday, May 16th. We picked up the bucket last night and stopped for a nice seafood dinner on the way home. Of course you know we live the countryside, but I was surprised when we came upon a herd of cattle, a type I had never seen before. Did I say he had some HORNS!

Unloaded the bucket this morning and was going to put it one, but got a call from Brian and said that he could come over and finish the roof of the barn. So postponed the loader install, but the roof is done.

But this afternoon I had some time so got the bucket on. The repair looks great and saved a few bucks over a new one. I hope that it will be good for another fifteen years or so.

Here are some pics.

Oh, and I did order the radiator fan for the Jag. I have quite a bit of maintenance items for the car now. Probably a days worth. Just too much fun.

[Landman]

Looks like some Texas Longhorns.

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, May 17th. We have not heard from Greg for a bit. But he has been working away every day, just like Santa's little Elves. Here is his report for the first half of the week.

"The Cone chronicles continue.

Day job going well.

The Wright 8-60. For a project that is actually began as a jigsaw puzzle with an empty box and no picture on the lid, the pieces are actually falling in place. Latest effort is locating the position of the cam followers. Formed sheet steel beams that are hinged to the inside of the case and contain a hardened roller on a bushing , everything rivetted in place. The roller rests on the rotating camshaft lobe and causes the follower to kick the push rod to open the exhaust valve.

Now that the mounting holes are drilled, I'm gathering parts that after I made up the tooling, our old friend Weldon pressed out( lots of them) when we were tooling up to make Wright fours. I also got word today that the crankshaft is well underway.

Black Avanti 5054. Beautiful evening so I got in some quality time doing bodywork. The inner fender apron repairs that I made last week had certainly cured, so with grinder in hand, I dressed out the structural patching and gave them a light coat of Bondo . Not something to get too crazy about, all is covered by the battery.

I then migrated to a crack in the left front fender edge. Testimony to too big a tire connecting to the edge when turning into a driveway. Didn't take me long to learn to straighten the wheels out when hitting a bump on an angle.

For my repairs to fiberglass, early on I learned to dislike fiberglass cloth for structure. No matter how much the effort , I could never get the job done without eventually seeing the weave of the cloth in the end. After it was painted a while. I developed a technique of using fiberglass matt, cutting the patches into strips. I then take the patch and separate the plies to make it thinner so that when wet with polyester resin, it will more readily follow contours . Overlapping them, it makes for a strong repair and the random strands simulate the parent panels. I'll allow that to cure overnight before dressing with a sanding disc for cosmetics.

A personal touch to a repair to this area of the fender, since it is prone to being broken by any hard hit to the front end, I always finish the inside of the fender just as I do the outside. I learned a long time ago that most repairmen just gob the goop to the inside to back up the patch which just broadcasts that the car has been hit. Make the repair invisible on the inside and if done right, noone will know. Or replace the whole fender panel.

Well, with the "Joy of Sanding Fiberglass" come the usual itch. Time to hit the shower.

On a more serious matter, my friend Phil Ritter lost his Mother yesterday. I've known Phil since the seventh grade and as a result, just about any of the episodes of my life that when recalled wiill bring a grin and a shake of my head.....Phil is most likely involved.

We both lost our Dads a long time ago, and like me, he's had his Mother a long time. Only best wishes go to the Ritter and Sandy families. But we'll get into some Phil stories later. That'll take a while."

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, May 17th PM.

Decided I better start changing oil in the modern cars as all are due. So first up was the 2002 Chev Trailblazer 4x4 with 168K miles on the odometer. The old change went fine so started checking around since I was under the car. To my surprise I found the driver's side axle very loose in the front differential. No oil leakage, but obviously the carrier bearing is toast. This is more than I want to attempt so it is going to a specialist shop tomorrow so they can take a look at it.

But I did get in some Avanti time today. I am troubled by the shut down of the engine on Friday. It either has to be ignition or fuel. I check the wiring and everything is clean and tight, so moved to fuel. Decided to change the fuel filter. There was a considerable amount of flake debris in the filter. I had rebuilt the fuel pump myself and the tank was rebuilt and coated so the junk had to come from the fuel line itself. Just to be on the safe side I replaced with filter with a metal one from Carquest. We will see if that helps any.

I figure that a piece of debris may have stopped one of the little flapper valves in the fuel pump from closing causing it not to pump. If it does it again I think I can put in a filter before the fuel pump.

Pics of the old filter with debris, and the new filter and its part number for those that might have an interest.

More on the Trailblazer later.

Edited May 18, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[John Byrd]

John, the filter before the pump is a good idea, it was ASTOUNDING what ours trapped from the allegedly clean gas I was careful to keep in it.

[packick]

Wow, that is one dirty fuel filter. The element inside the plastic in-line filter on my '55 Buick was broken when I took it off after only 7 months in service. I think I caught it just in time. This is the second in-line filter that has destroyed itself internally. I got them from NAPA. Maybe they were just a bad batch or maybe the ethonol fuel is the culprit?

Edited May 19, 2012 by packick (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, May 19th. The barn extension is done for now. Next will come digging for the cement pad for the car lift and trench for electrical wire and water lines. That is a couple of weeks away.

But I did get in some car time yesterday and today. Changed oil in the Suburban and then decided to put in the K&N filter system. I bought this used unit on Ebay for about $80, less than a tank a gas. We will see if it helps with mileage and performance. Took me about two hours to accomplish from start to finish. Lots of plastic in the OEM unit. But I am saving everything so I can switch back if it does not good.

So here are pics of the new roof on the barn extension, OEM filter and the K&N assembly, the hole the OEM unit left, and finally the installed unit.

Going to Cars and Coffee in the Jaguar tomorrow so have to get it out and dusted off.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

"new barn" looks to be too small!! Sorry John, could not help myself.:D

Ben

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, May 20th. Heading off to Cars and Coffee this morning with the Jaguar.

Speaking of the Jaguar, I received the fan controller and fan in the mail yesterday. Did a quick test fitting of the fan to make sure it fits. The instructions for the controller do not look that daunting. Going to hide the wiring as best I can. The controller will turn on the fan at 180 degrees. It does have the probe that goes through the radiator fins so I do not have to go into the engine water jacket with the probe. It also has a provision for an override switch too, which I will install.

The fan and installation will not require any new holes, etc, and will be easily de-mounted by the next owner with just a few snips of the plastic fittings.

Anyway, a project for the near future.

Here are some pics. Fan and controller, radiator without and with fan.

[Bill Stoneberg]

You will like the KN filter. I have them on my trucks along with catback exaughst and they are good for 2 - 3 mpg. Plus my wife likes the sound of her truck. Best thing you can do though is get a reprogrammer. Program for towing or around town duty or anywhere in between.

[unimogjohn]

Bill, thanks. Will look into that.

It is still Sunday, but PM.

Had a great time at the Cars and Coffee show. Lots of great cars. I will post a few for your enjoyment.

The Jag ran great all the way up, about thirty miles. When I started her up to come home I noticed that the usual ticking of the fuel pump was not present or just a couple of ticks. But the car started and ran fine.

About half way home, on the freeway, about 60 mph, I felt a slight engine stumble, like the engine had cut out. Then in a second or so, she restarted and ran for a few seconds and stumbled again. Finally, after about a half a mile she stumbled and then just quit. We coasted to the widest part of the freeway we could find and pulled off.

I attempted to restart the car. Turned on the ignition, could here the ticking of the fuel pump, but instead of ticks like a clock, it was like a machine gun. So I am guess that the fuel pump has gone kaput on me.

Called AARP towing and they dispatched a roll back for us. In a hour we were heading home.

Folks did stop to offer assistance and we thought that was nice of them. Even the State Patrol dropped by with his lights flashing.

Oh well, old cars are an adventure and gives you lots of stores to tell.

[unimogjohn]

More cars from the show.

[unimogjohn]

There were also fifteen Vipers in attendance and all in a row, quite impressive. And finally, the best of the show.

[unimogjohn]

Still Sunday, but later in the PM.

Finally, a report from Greg. I was starting to worry about him.

"Another hard charging weekend.

Friday evening Barbara and I tried a nice little restarant in the Plains, Va. Nice meal.

Then, Saturday evening we raced the clock to the Library of Congress audio and visual conservation site at Culpeper, Va. They present screenings of important films at their in house movie theatre, where we sat in on a mint original copy of The French Connection. We were exercising old Seabiscuit and on the way home were accosted by a newer Mustang who wanted to play.

We let him go and watched his performance, which wasn't bad, and I thought to myself that whoever he was he might think twice.

Kindof like if he had hung out in the parking lot of the local kick boxing school to pick on the smallest girl in the class.

Might have gotten his a$$ kicked , and even if he didn't , what could he brag about. Beat up by the smallest girl in the class....outrun a fifty year old Studebaker.

Saturday had supplied some time to sand the engine compartment of old 5054 and squirt the first coat of epoxy primer.

At least now I feel like I've begun the long road to recovery. This coat showed me where I needed to spend more time on cosmetics.

Sunday morning I wanted to devote more time to the underhood and as I started filling and sanding , I heard a familiar sound.

Model T approaching. Frank Gable terrorizing the neighborhood in his '23 with the top down. Well, I couldn't stand that, so out came the Dodge, gathered Barbara and off we went. Beautiful day for a DT Tour. I knew of a nearby road that I'd never explored, so off we went. The road led to the nearby ridge of Pignut Mountain, so there was some low gear climbing for both of us to a neat gravel road that runs along the crest but didn't go anywhere. On the way back we stopped at a beautiful roadside cabin and lake for a photo . We were tresspassing and when caught by the owner, had some explaining to do. Ford 1923 and Dodge 1921. After they took a couple photos of us (turnabout is fair play) we made our way back to Hyde Manor and after saying goodbye to Frank, it was back to sanding and another coat of prime.

I've adjusted my outlook now. Get the engine compartment painted, order the stainless steel brake lines ordered and the forward ones installed before setting the R-3 back in place. Get the transmission and torque converter off for overhaul and then when they are done, take him the car and let him put them in place .

I'm getting this report out early, we are soon off to a Tango class near DC.

There's more to life than sanding and priming."

=

[unimogjohn]

Still PM, almost dark.

Well, got the open car trailer out of the pasture with the tractor and used the winch to load the Jag. Took a look at the fuel pump and checked electrical and fuel connections and she looked fine. I then took a look at the after market fuel filter to make sure there was no leaks in the canister and lines. Found none.

My plan is to disconnect the fuel line at the filter and have Alice turn on the ignition. It should flow fuel. If no fuel flows I will replace the fuel filter and try again. If no fuel, then it has to be that the fuel pump diaphragm has failed as the electrics of the pump are working as verified by the clicking of the points.

A rebuilt pump is around $250, a new one is around $500.

I will do the testing tomorrow, so the Jag is still on the trailer but covered. Suppose to rain tonight.

[r1lark]

"A rebuilt pump is around $250, a new one is around $500." :eek:

Wow, that makes the Avanti parts prices seem low by comparison!

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, May 21st. Has been raining all morning, and humid too. But let up a little about noon so headed out to tackle the Jag fuel issue.

Decided to see if it would start before I did anything. Of course it did. The little Jag gremlins must have repaired it overnight.

But I went ahead and decided to replace the can type fuel filter as it is the easiest thing to tackle. To my surprise the canister was almost plugged, I could hardly blow through it. No wonder I was starved for fuel.

So I replaced it with one that I have as a spare for the Avanti. Then re-fired the engine and she started right up.

There is suppose to be a filter screen in the main gas tank drain. I think I will drain out the fuel and check that little filter also.

Here is a pic of the can, then two pics of the fine debris that came back out of the filter when I blew out the gas. I am sure that the can is loaded too, I may cut it open just to see.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Lets hope that is all that was wrong. Much better than the pump. Been there, done that.

Ben

[Guest Killerbunny]

John, the filter before the pump is a good idea, it was ASTOUNDING what ours trapped from the allegedly clean gas I was careful to keep in it.

One of the best info on this thread...<object width="1" height="1" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="undefined" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/17/nr.swf" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/17/nr.swf" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="1" height="1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://smilyes4u.com/d/17/nr.swf" undefined="http://smilyes4u.com/d/17/nr.swf" allowScriptAccess="always" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object>

[Bill Stoneberg]

Of course It could be Lucas, the Prince of Darkness playing his games.

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, May 22nd. Rained hard last night about 1 and a 1/4 inch. But rain does not deter Greg from his work and hobby. I am going to head into town this morning to get electrical wire for the fan that will go into the Jaguar.

Here is Greg's report.

" No complaints today.

Had a surprise visit . Thetan the tinman. Fought him for the lunch ticket, he won. I'll get him next time.

Day job. The Wright engine 8-60 needs a set of cam followers. Today I started assembling some. There will be some spares, enough for another four cylinder if they all turn out. Got the hinges installed and rivets peened. Tomorrow I should work on getting the rollers and bushings fitted , maybe even begin their installation.

Looking forward to the time I need connecting rods so I've enlisted the aid of Scott. He started the process of making the rubber moulds for copying the 6-60 rods in plastic. Photos show him pouring the moulding rubber into his form box to cover the sample rod.

Otherwise, damp and miserable in the hangar on the hill. As good a night as any to begin the repair of the broken rear bumper blister. Mysterious damage, about half of the blister was broken. I saved the fragments for just such a night. Of course I've misplaced them, so I started without them. Layups of mat and resin, it's coming along. Next I'll take a look to see if my patch is as thick as the parent panel. If not, it's a simple process to keep adding layers."

=

[Guest beaM24]

Have a safe trip! I have bought a car for my son as my birthday gift to him. My problem is, I am looking for an auto transport company who can ship my car cross country. Anyone here who can help me? Thank you

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, but mid PM. Greg is busy, so much so, he has given us a mid day report.

"Camera disc is full, I'll unload it on you.

The Wright 8-60 work continues.

* pic of grinding the cam follower bushings for a slip fit in their rollers.

*Scott cutting the rubber mould open to free the sample 6-60 connecting rod.

*measuring the displacement of the rod to determine how much casting resin to mix.

*Pouring the resin

*Opening the mould .

Back to it."

=

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, May 23rd.

Storms again last night, another inch. The pastures are full of grass, but everyone is complaining that it is too wet to cut for hay. I am sure the sun will come out so everyone can make hay.

I did cut apart the Jag's fuel filter. No big parts of debris, but the paper media was as hard as a rock, almost a ceramic coating. The previous owner owner only drove the car less than 600 miles in ten years. So maybe the filter was filled with old gas, varnish, and debris; and just plain old. Here are a couple of pics. The pump only pushed about 4 lb of pressure at max so no wonder gas would just not flow through the filter anymore.

And Greg sent in a report from last night too. Here is his report and pics.

"More suited for the desert climate, I hate rain.

Got in a few minutes in that tin barn between storms. I dressed the blister repair that I did last night. It looks good, shape is fine and the thickness ok. A bit of sanding, ground and filed the slot for the bumper bolt, and just a touch of Bondo to fill some scratches. I'll wait until I can roll the car out into the sunshine to finish sand it. Working in my own shadow doesn't produce good results.

Also included is a pic of Scott Rawlings plastic rod for the Wright engine, he'll do another tomorrow. I've got plenty of time before I can fit them to the crankshaft since it is still under construction. Meanwhile I've got cam followers underway. I should be able to rivet the rollers in place tomorrow after I make any adjustments to the shape of the beam. Only used on the exhaust valves, time spent on them is cut in half."

Edited May 23, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Still Wednesday PM. Decided to visit the Smithsonian's Air and Space Annex with my son, Chris, and grandson, Evan. Evan was impressed with the magic boxes, aka elevators. I have been several times, but wanted to see the space shuttle Discovery up close and personal. Gave me chills when I saw it. What a shame it will not fly again. One awesome machine. Here are some pics.

Also since this was the first time on the freeway for the Suburban with its new K&N filter system that I installed a few days ago, I decided to do an economy run. So for a sixty mile round trip I averaged 17.1 mpg at a steady 60 mph. So it looks to be about a 3 to 4 mpg increase. My usual average with the stock unit was 13 to 14 mpg. The sound is about the same unless you stomp on the pedal, which is not often. I also ran a few miles, about five, at 55 mph, and got an average of 20 mpg.

[keiser31]

WOW!

[trimacar]

John, do you have a website or more information on the system you installed on your Suburban? thanks dc

[unimogjohn]

David, Here you go. Only mine has a plastic tube versus aluminum. I did buy it used off of Ebay. 77-3023KP - K&N Intake Kits, Performance Intake Kit direct from K&N

David, found mine in the catalog. http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=57-3023-1

Edited May 23, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Still Wednesday, but late PM. The Jag fuel saga continues.

The car is still on the trailer so I can get under it.

Decided to start it. Started fine and ran about 30 seconds

and died, would not refire. Waited about an hour and then

she started up.

Enough of this. I pumped out 15 gallons of fuel and then

ran the engine until it quit, about five minutes.

The gas tank drain has two bolts, one inside the other.

Removed the little bolt and just a little clean gas came

out, no debris. Tried to remove the bigger bolt from the

bottom of the tank, it is a no go. So left it alone and

moved on.

I then disconnected the gas line to the fuel pump. Lots of

debris came out. It is like grains of sand, but when you

rub them between your fingers they dissolve with pressure.

I then blew into the line to the tank, no resistance felt.

I then disconnected the outlet fuel line and let it drain,

the little fuel in it came out clear, no debris.

Then I removed the fuel pump and then the bottom cover,

debris there, but nothing on the brass screen, but the

screen is puckered in the middle and debris might be getting

through there. I will have to check it.

Removed the top cover, no debris, everything looked good.

I then blew through the long tube on the bottom end and the

little valve on the top end did not move, kept blowing and

it finally rattled free.

I will use compressed air tomorrow to remove all the debris

and make sure that the little valve is clear and moves

freely.

Then I will put everything back in and see if anything made

any difference.

If this still does not work, I will move onto the carbs.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Still Wednesday PM. Decided to visit the Smithsonian's Air and Space Annex with my son, Chris, and grandson, Evan. Evan was impressed with the magic boxes, aka elevators. I have been several times, but wanted to see the space shuttle Discovery up close and personal. Gave me chills when I saw it. What a shame it will not fly again. One awesome machine. Here are some pics.

Also since this was the first time on the freeway for the Suburban with its new K&N filter system that I installed a few days ago, I decided to do an economy run. So for a sixty mile round trip I averaged 17.1 mpg at a steady 60 mph. So it looks to be about a 3 to 4 mpg increase. My usual average with the stock unit was 13 to 14 mpg. The sound is about the same unless you stomp on the pedal, which is not often. I also ran a few miles, about five, at 55 mph, and got an average of 20 mpg.

That thing is HUGE!! And it looks so small atop a 747!

Ben

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, May 24th. I am going to clean the Jaguar fuel pump today and blow out all the lines with compressed air today, if it stops raining. Got dumped on last night, 1.5 inches.

And Greg even stayed in the shop to work. Here is his report for you.

"It's been a dark and stormy night so I stayed in and amused myself. The car on the hill can wait.

A recent conversation with my Idaho connection leads me to believe that I'd better get started on a project he sent some time ago.

Making some parts for his Lunkenheimer regulator. So, between storms I got some lathe work done. The photo shows that the aluminum bowl has given up, a result of it's occupation. Collecting condensation from exhaust gas.

I've begun machining a new one, threads are cut for a proper fit to the body casting, then an arbor has been threaded to fit to anchor the new bowl during the fabrication.

Otherwise, today I did get the rollers fitted to the 8-60 cam followers for the Wright engine. Made some about fifteen years ago and the trail had grown cold. The first one reminded me that I have to buck the tail of the rivet hot. Otherwise the shank of the rivet swells in the hard steel bushing and being brittle, the brittle bushing breaks."

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, May 25th, PM. Just got out from under the Jag. Yesterday, I removed the fuel pump, cleaned everything with compressed air and blew out the open gas lines. So everything should be clean from the engine bay fuel filter to the gas tank. I also used a little aviation gasket sealer on the cork gaskets for the fuel pump to make sure that I had a good seal.

So put in five gallons and started her up. The pump quickly primed and then clicked a few times to fill the lines. I hit the starter button and she fired right up. I then got under the car to check for leaks. No leaks found and the pump would click about every four seconds or so rather than the rapid fire clicks I had been getting.

We took her out for a spin of a couple of miles and everything seems OK. I am going to put in another five gallons of fuel tomorrow and take it on a longer run to make sure that everything is OK. I also am going to put in some Seafoam fuel cleaner to see that that dissolves the little black sand like nodules. I was surprised to see some caught by the see through plastic fuel filter even after the clean. I suppose these could have been in the fuel pump chamber as I did not take that section apart.

But it does look like I am back on the road. I will run through a tank and check the plastic fuel filter for any more debris and if the Seafoam has had any effect on the nodules.

[unimogjohn]

Still Friday, but PM. Drove the Avanti over to a "hood" farm get together. And when we returned I found Greg's Friday report. So for your enjoyment, here is Greg's work from today.

"While waiting for the gear drive bearing castings to arrive, I decided to rough out the magneto base plate. Sawn out of a piece of aluminum sheet, the thickness was reduced until the fit of the gears is almost right. Then the length and width was cut and milled. I've left some material to allow final adjustments.

Made a mess of the milling machine, cleanup can wait.

As I close up the shop, I find that UPS has indeed brought me something. The manganese bronze castings look up to Bob Eagan's usual standard.

I've got all weekend to decide how to approach the machining process.

Otherwise, no plans for the Memorial Day weekend other than enjoying the freedom paid for by so many brave souls.

Maybe I can happen onto some hot dogs and hamburgers?"

=

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, May 27th. Nothing from Greg, I think he is taking a break. But I am fooling with old and modern cars. So here is my update.

Got my 02 Chev Trailblazer with the messed up front diff back from the shop yesterday. The diff main carrier bearing let go and it also ate an axle. The shop put in a used diff and new axle. They said it was the hardest job they had every done. They dropped both sides of the suspension, dropped the oil pan, dropped the steering rack, and many other piece parts in order to remove the diff. The diff is actually attached to the oil pan. Anyway, they said they lost their shirt on labor. So got her done for $1600.

Went out yesterday and found a bump stop on the driveway. Looked at the rolling stock and and found that the 03 Suburban was missing one. What a cheap part, just foam glued to a base plate. The foam had just deteriorated over time. So did some research and bought a product that will last the life of the truck and provide some actually suspension enhancement. Here is what I bought. Should not be too difficult to install. Knock on wood.

Timbren Kits, Timbren Suspension Kits, Timbren Load Booster, Timbren Overload Springs, Timbrens - TruckSpring.com

Finally, I started up the Jag. Fired right up. Looked at the plastic fuel filter and I can see fuel pulsing/flowing into it, but it is only about 25% full. I think that it should be at least 3/4 full. So I am going to do a flow test. It is suppose to flow 1 pint in 30 seconds. Will report what I find out.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, May 29th. Going to be another hot one today and it is suppose to match yesterday's 95 degrees.

Had a PM yesterday asking for pics of the Suburban's bump stop failure. So here are a couple of pics.

I hope this morning to do a flow test on the Jag fuel pump. Will report out on that when it gets accomplished.

And we have a report from Greg too.

" Long weekend shot. Don't know where the time goes, but when I find out I'm going to get me some.

It was a good weekend for work and play. 'Ol Bill stopped by in his Stearman long enoughj to clean a few spark plugs.

Then I spent a good part of Saturday sanding on 5054. I've got most of the front end from windshield forward ready for primer. Dirty filthy job, especially lying underneath the front opening , but everything has a cost. It was pretty humid, so I didn't spay any prime coats.

Sunday found us on a road trip in Seabiscuit. Parts pickup at Rob's Auto Emporium. Had a nice visit, a couple pics enclosed of some progress going on there. The Stanley is an old project that's coming together, the other is that '28 Chrysler depot hack that is also making strides.

A very good weekend well spent. Hope yours was too."

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, the weather folks say that we can expect heavy thunder storms this PM. On weather radar it looks like the storms are forming in NW PA and are going to drop down to us.

But I did get out and check the fuel flow volume on the Jag. Suppose to get a pint in 30 seconds. So disconnected the fuel line at the filter and let it pump into a marked glass jar. Alice turned the key and timed the 30 seconds. It pumped almost a pint, so looks like it's volume is fine.

I then decided to check the two little filter screens in the intakes to the carbs. Both were clean, however, one has a messed up spring for the screen and will get a replacement.

Here is a pic of the fuel filter with the engine idling. It is half full.

So I guess that I am OK to get back on the road. Will take a test drive this PM.

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday. Beat the storms home. The Jag started easily and ran great. No issues with running. But then I got home and took a look at the fuel filter. Only about 20% full. I do not know if I should be concerned or not.

Anyway, I saw a Hardi (German made) NOS fuel pump, made under license to SU, on Ebay a few days ago. So I bid and won. It is a direct replacement for the SU fuel pump on the 120 now. So I think I will put the Hardi pump on and see if it performs better. So the $50 spent on the Hardi fuel pump may be ill spent or the best deal ever, only a test and time will tell. A new SU pump is around $440. Here is a pic of the pump.

A number of folks told me just to put on a low pressure Carter electric fuel pump and be done with the SU. They are about $60 to my door. But they do not have the look like the square bodied pumps and do not go tick, tick, tick.

Edited May 29, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63]

John, I have no idea if this correponds with your Jag situation but I installed the same type of visible fuel filter on my Lincoln running horizontally like yours. I have never seen it more than half full and usually is about 1/3 full when idling.

A thought on that NOS German pump, does it use a rubber diaphragm? If so, will you have trouble with ethanol fuel?

[SeventhSon]

I was curious myself - that unit looks really old. Will the rubber pieces possibly be dry rotted?

[SeventhSon]

Unless an electric pump doesn't use a diaphragm setup?