Rapier Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 (edited) My solution is that once you have them "right" over a range of revs and throttle openings, Leave them alone, Weather conditions and altitude should not adversely affect the running of the car for every day motoring. Edited February 4, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Just to remind you, This is our current project a 1922-4 "Bull-nose" Morris Cowley. This very much a work in progress. The rebuilt gearbox together with a "spare" can be seen on the ground in front of the car. Dash-board shows matching Smith's 60mph speedo and clock with amp meter and light switches in the centre. Large (black) push switch is for the "Starter" other (matching) gauge is oil-pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrData Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Bernie, I hope your son gets the Morris on the road. He is lucky to have a father who bestows such great gifts. Frank, I have twin SUs on my TD. I have found that once they are in tune, they pretty much stay in tune, just have to watch the oil level in the reservoirs. I have used two methods…the old hose trick which allows you to listen to each carb and balance by sound; kinda weird but works. I have also used the Unisyn device which I still do not fully trust after eight years. Others use a Colortune for setting the mixture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 I may end up being accused of being an "Indian Giver". I have now had a direction from "above" that I should be keeping it and doing it myself. Bj. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrData Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 “Above” meaning Helen? Or, your son’s wife? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 (edited) There is only one person with that kind of authority. Bj Edited February 6, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) So now I am in an even greater muddle, I am still waiting for the "professionals" to finish sorting out the Rapier Gearbox and I am in trouble again, I should not have told our son Steve that he could "have" the Morris. It is still sitting in my garage with the rebuilt gearbox sitting on the ground in-front of it. The new clutch is in a box waiting for me to sort it out. I have decided that once I have the Rapier back, in one piece and drivable, the Morris can go off to V&H for them to put it back together. With it in one piece and running it is worth much more money than having it clutter up my limited garage space as a pile of "bits". I really do need to "tidy up my life". Bj. Edited February 12, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 (edited) Better still, I have suggested to our son Steve that he take the Morris to his place where he and grandson Otto can put it together. Once they have it going, he can teach Otto how to change gears on the "Crash" (non synchromesh) gearbox. Edited February 18, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger914 Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 2 hours ago, Rapier said: Better still, I have suggested to our son Steve that he take the Morris to his place where he and grandson Otto can put it together. Once they have it going, he can teach Otto how to change gears on the "Crash" (non synchromesh) gearbox. What a way to build a multi generational living link, I think this is a great idea and I bet your grandson will too. Was your son ready to act on the offer, or did he need to check with the wife? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 Unfortunately our son's "wife" does not come into this discussion. Bj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 (edited) None of the above have "happened" The Morris is still in our "garage' It is still receiving "tender loving care". The Lagonda Rapier is still away having some expert attention given to the (ENV 75 Preselect) gearbox. Hopefully the next two or three weeks should see one action. Bj. Edited March 11, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger914 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Was expecting to hear that the Rapier came home today. Good thing you still have good weather down under and another couple of weeks shouldn't keep you from getting some good driving in this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 It seems as though nothing ever happens as you would hope. Very slowly I am learning that the old saying "Tomorrow never comes" may be unpleasant but all too often true. Bj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrData Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Sorry to hear the Rapier still under the loving care of the “specialists”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 Thank you Dr Data It must be getting closer, I just have to learn to be patient. Meanwhile attached is another of my favourite Rapier photographs. It is an extremely rare photo of KG with the "top up". Bj. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 As you can see in the above, KG was in full touring mode. We still have the "Luggage Rack" hanging up ready to be "tacked on" should we decide to do one more European Holiday. Bj. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 14, 2023 Author Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) Now going back just a little bit, I am not sure how difficult it is for you to ship one of your cars from the USA to England and then for you to drive it around France for two or three months holiday but this was something that we did with the Lagonda Rapier as our sole means of transport. This was not once but two or three times. We would do it again BUT the people in power in Australia now have a "thing" about asbestos and it would be almost impossible to bring the Rapier home with us. Those people in our Import Customs Department have the power to confiscate the car and to tear it apart in their search for the dreaded substance. This is not just a threat but something that they do on a regular basis. Handing back the by now completely demolished car minus the brakes and clutch and after they had "removed" the cylinder head to obtain access to the head and manifold gaskets. Bernie j. Edited March 18, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 At last I actually drove the Rapier home today and it is sitting comfortably in the carport. I still have to finish off fixing the floor down to the body frame, replacing the carpet and some pieces of trim but it is good to have it home. Next thing will be to take it on one or two VSCC events that are coming up in the near future. Then hopefully Helen can put her "thinking hat on" and start looking at some possible "European Touring"? Bj. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Tate Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Good to hear Bernie! Looking forward to hearing more. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 Thank you Frank With the Rapier back at home there are one or two small chores that I have to do on it. First up I have to put the carpet and some trim back into place. Then go over it and check all the small adjustments. Then finally give the chassis a grease, while it has been standing for three or four months the grease tends to "dry-out" and solidify so it may not be reaching the places where it is needed. I do have to get one bonnet catch back form our son Steve who has been doing a small repair on it. Today/this afternoon is a perfect day to be making a start on getting it back to where I am happy with it. I very much believe the statement that the Gurus made way back in 1934. The Lagonda Rapier is without doubt one of the "Best Light Cars Ever Built". Bernie j. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 Of course I must not get too carried away I do still have that other project that has to be finished. It has taken residence in the garage and still requires it's gearbox to be put back and some more work on the engine before it can be driven (anywhere). Most of you will already seen this 1922 Morris Cowley, Raworth Special (replica). It came with the outside exhaust, I am in two minds as to what it's fate may be. Bernie J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 Let's forget about the Morris for now, some of you may not be aware just how good the Lagonda is. The 2OHC, 1500cc engine is coupled with a 4 speed Pre-selector gearbox, fantastic brakes and roadability. Superb comfort for two, full weather equipment. The only thing it does not have is a radio and who really needs one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrData Posted March 18, 2023 Share Posted March 18, 2023 Huzzah!! The Rapier has returned. Must have felt great to drive it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 Let's forget about the Morris for now, some of you may not be aware just how good the Lagonda is. The 2 OHC, 1500cc engine is coupled with a 4 speed Pre-selector gearbox, fantastic brakes and roadability. Superb comfort for two, full weather equipment. The only thing it does not have is a radio and who really needs one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 (edited) And Genuine Australian Black-bean timber for the dash-board. Black Bean was a favourite timber for Executive Office Furniture. Unfortunately Millable size logs are almost impossible to find and if you found one the cost of cuting it up into suitable size pieces would make using it for a Vintage car dashboard really impossible. Most Black Bean is sliced up into veneer to be stuck onto chip-board, even IF it is going to be used for desks and cupboards for senior managers etc.. Fortunately I no longer work in the Furniture Industry. Fortunately or Un-fortunately I no longer work at all. All that stuff that I do with old cars is only playing. Or so I am told! Bj. Edited March 18, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 19, 2023 Author Share Posted March 19, 2023 (edited) Unfortunately these are not the clearest photographs but they do show a number of things. The clock dial has both the "Smith's" logo as well as the word "Lagonda", andin smaller print "8 days". Not so clear, the additional (black painted) ring beneath the chrome bezel. This is necessary as when the restoration was first completed an un-original (electric) clock was fitted. This required a slightly larger hole in the dash. When an original clock became available it was discovered to be too small for the hole and so the additional (black) ring was cut and fitted. Fortunately this is relatively inconspicuous! Unless pointed out most people do not notice it, a small price to pay in the interests of originality. Also mounted across the top of the dash are three small enamel badges, these commemorate three major events attended in the Rapier. The 1996 FIVA World Rally, The 1994 Lagonda Rapier Diamond Jubilee and 1000 Mile Australian Mille. At the bottom of the dash 1899-1999 Lagonda Centenary. The 1997 Australian Mille was as the name signifies a four day, one thousand mile, tour covering much of the State of Victoria, mainly on little used back roads! It is worth noting that the Rapier was the only "Pre-war" entry. Edited March 19, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrData Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 Bernie, Great shots of the Rapier engine. Question…is that exhaust manifold/extractor a factory item or something you fabricated? If yours, excellent looking work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 (edited) Thank you Dr Data, It is all my own work except that I buy "stock bends" and cut them up to suit. The tube sizes go up in rises of a quarter of an inch. The bends tend to come in standard radius depending on the tube size. You can "cheat" a little with the angle of your cuts. Working with "mild steel" bends I use a hand held oxygen acetylene torch for all my heating, bending and welding. And it helps if you are over 80 years old and have spent a lifetime playing with old cars. Being "impecunious" helps too because you then try not to waste anything! You do not have to be a millionaire if you have spent your lifetime learning to do it yourself. This rather than calling in the "experts' everytime you strike a problem. Like wise if you have had cars such as Lagonda's all your life, you are not buying in at the peak of the market. I am lucky having been borne in 1936, I have grown up along side these things. The only problen is that each year, as with the cars, you get that year older. The other problem is that ultimately you reach your "Use by date". Once you are dead, you have no say in what happens next...... Enjoy it while you can! Bernie j. Edited March 20, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 (edited) Carrying on from the above, you really do not need a palatial garage/work-shop or all the latest "state of the art" tools and equipment. Just a roof over your head, basic hand tools and a little common sense. Oh Yes! I do not own a single thing any of these keys will open. Perhaps once upon a time? And No! I have not owned even one horse during this life time. BUT I have owned the Lagonda Rapier for longer than many of those reading this have been alive. Bj. Edited March 20, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 (edited) Just in case you have forgotten or have never known, "KG" is a very different car from when we first bought it. But then we were younger too.This photograph was taken "some" years ago and shows a younger Helen, closest to the camera and a friend looking at KG at an event in England, possibly Silverstone, whilst on our first visit to the UK. And prior to our purchase of KG. Edited March 21, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 Sometime after this David Seath, together with his family, moved to Australia bringing three Rapiers with him. These included the by then part dismantled KG. It was shortly after this we bought KG. By the time it had arrived in Australia, KG had been reduced to a "Spare-parts" status. It was after this I started the "bare-chassis" restoration. This included the then new Eagle Two-seater body. This was probably in the late 1960s! All this about 55 years ago.......... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) In terms of a "New Project" the Lagonda does not really qualify.(see the previous post) Perhaps an "on-going" may be nearer to the truth. As most "enthusiasts" will tell you, there is always something to do, even if it is no more than sweep the leaves from the carpet. However the Morris (above) does come closer to the mark. bought as an "unfinished project" some people would argue that such projects are never finished. Edited March 25, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 26, 2023 Author Share Posted March 26, 2023 (edited) The time honoured way of checking the "balance" of (twin) SU carbs is to listen to them! With the air filters removed it is relatively easy to listen to the sound at an idle. Many/most enthusiasts use a short length of hose one end held near the inlet (mouth) of the carb., the other end held against their ear. The audible sound varies in direct proportion to the volume of air passing over it and into the carb. Matching the sound gives a guide to the "balance" of the carbs. Perfectionists may resort to an air-flow gauge but setting "something" up can be time consuming and no more acurate. The Volume of Air entering the mouth of the carb has a direct relationship to the air-fuel mixture. In an ideal situation the volume of air-fuel mixture should be the same for each of the two carburettors. To do this somewhere near accurately the air filters must be removed. This should also be done with the engine speed set at an "idle"and with the engine "warmed up to operating temperature". Perhaps this is the origin of the term "Tuneing" the carburettors. Edited March 26, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted March 28, 2023 Author Share Posted March 28, 2023 I have spent most of today, well two or three hours at least, a lot of this spent pondering how best mount the seats so that they will hopefully be reasonably comfortable to sit in. Right now I do not have any "Runners" to mount them on in order to make them adjustable (fore & aft) ie closer to or further away from the dashboard. This will require a little time spent searching the "internet". Bj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted April 5, 2023 Author Share Posted April 5, 2023 (edited) When I was much younger, people always said "talking to yourself was the first sign of madness". Now writing answers to myself feels much the same. Oh well? Bj. Edited April 5, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger914 Posted April 5, 2023 Share Posted April 5, 2023 Everybody eventually talks to themselves about something, doing it where you could easily be seen and herd by others was the sign. That was up until a few years ago when the Bluetooth earbud started connecting people to their cell phones. Before the Bluetooth connection, people walking down the street yelling obscenities into the air were obviously over the edge, today they are just crass and inconsiderate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Tate Posted April 5, 2023 Share Posted April 5, 2023 Shoot Bernie! If I didn't talk to myself, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to most of the time!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted April 6, 2023 Author Share Posted April 6, 2023 Thank you Frank & Digger That makes at least three of us. Perhaps we should share information and forget about the SILENT Majority! We have just returned form visiting our son Steve. I am sorry that I did not have my camera with me. He is doing a superb job of rebuilding the Starter-Generator. He is a Jewelery manufacturer by profession. Everything he does finishes up with a jewel like quality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted April 9, 2023 Author Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) And here we are 10-30 am on Easter Sunday and I have just finished my breakfast and am struggling to make a start. While it is not raining, it is rather cold (outside). I suppose I should be glad that I am not one of those lunatics who insist on going away on a "Camping Holiday". I really must make an effort and start doing my "chores" instead of sitting here..... One problem is; I have cut up all the steel tube to make the seat "bases" for the Morris and quite predictably I have run out of oxygen! For this type of "construction" I use oxygen-actylene welding. I got rid of my (ancient) electric "arc" welding gear some years ago. This means that I have a bundle of short lengths of square tube sitting on my "work bench". For those who are struggling to "keep-up", The "Morris" is my current Vintage Car Project, a 1922 Morris Cowley "Raworth Special" (replica). The two "bucket" seats need to be slightly raised on steel tube bases. This also explains my "bed-time" reading. Bj. Edited April 9, 2023 by Rapier (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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