Headlamps and battery

I am just back from a weeks hard work in Edinburgh, so feeling a little tired today, but I must make progress.

Fitted an 072 type battery today, in the battery compartment, I couldn't secure the battery clamp though as the modified Stag battery box required a shorter fastening rod on the inner wing side, and as I was re cutting the thread for the wing nut, the blessed thing sheared off, just above the hook. The next one will have the thread left alone, and after shortening, will have the end hook reformed with the aid of a lot of heat from my acetylene torch. Good job that I hadn't secured the vacuum pipe, as I had to move this out of the way to slide the battery into place

Next, headlamps, I had purchase a set of Cibies from Chris Witor, these look like the originals, but use modern lamps and give a superb beam pattern that is bright and more in keeping with modern cars.

To save the contacts in the column mounted headlamp switch failing, and to ensure maximum voltage at the lamps, I made up a stainless steel bracket to hold 2 relays

then added various cables

using this basic wiring diagram, which I hope is of use to others.

This was fitted on the nearside radiator support bracket behind the headlamps, well out of the way of water and road debris. The end result is this, low beam

and high beam

That was it apart from a visit from David Wilson (Spitfire 1500 on the CT forum) who came along for a chat and to collect the overdrive gearbox that I had collected from Edinburgh for him.

Ted Taylor has also kindly donated the missing heater vent pipes that I need too.

Hours worked now 818 (5 today)

Money spent now £17615 (£310 on Cibies, battery and bulbs)

Heads and other bits and pieces

First job was to collect the NOS heads today and get them to Roy Burrell for attention, they came with new cams, followers and valves so some money saved on new buckets !

Sorry about the picture quality from my iphone.

The other jobs, cleaned and fitted the rear aluminium boot lip fitting, its not pristine, but I didn't want to polish it and loose the anodised finish. The broom is needed to prop the tailgate open!

Then on to the brake servo fittings, I replaced the vacuum pipes to the reservoir and generally finished off around the ABS valve. I haven't clipped the pipe in place yet, as I suspect fitment will need adjustment when the radiator and air intake are fitted. As I couldn't get the pipework re-plated , I cleaned it off, rust proofed it and then used some cadmium look alike paint for an authentic finish

Back to the wiring, I fixed the handbrake indicator fault, the wire was broken at the connector on the handbrake - nice and easy that one.

I then fitted the internal divider to the front nearside indicator and side lamp, hence rendering that MOT suitable.

The wiring to the rear tailgate was completed, and I now have a functioning number plate lamp and a rear screen heater. It was a right pig to get the wires down the rear D post.

The rest of the day was spent threading the interior light wires down the A and B posts to the door switches, so now the interior lamp comes on when the doors open. The disconnected wire powers the fuel pump - I don't want it "sucking on air".

Next job will be the head lamp relays, I am fitting some cibie's because of the night driving on the RBRR, its a shame not to fit the original Lucas units, but they are dimmer than a Toc H lamp!

Hours worked today 6, so the total is now 813, money spent on heads £1875 so a grand total of £17305

Electrickery and other bits

As I attend to the major remaining jobs, I am also trying to catch up on the little bits and pieces that also need completion, so I don't have a pile of small jobs left at the end to complete.

So first item attended to today were the hoses from the brake reservoirs to the master cylinder

Still needs a clip or cable tie to tidy up the lower hose, but its another item done.

Then onto the electrics.

First job was to connect a car battery to the main battery cables, but I did this with a 20amp fuse in line, its enough to power most electrical items, but will prevent a smoking loom in case of a major fault.

Started with the side lamps, first fault was an old bulb that had the solder connection on the rear compressed so much with time and age it was a poor contact. Then found that the nearside sidelamp / indicator was missing the lense divider internally (another item to source) so the sidelamp also illuminates the indicator and vice versa.

One of the NOS rearlamp holders had a mispressed bulb holder, so the offset pin stop and tail bulb won't fit, simply cured for now by filing one of the pins off the bulb.

On and on the job went, most faults caused by miss connecting green / brown to green purple circuits ! - hard to tell the 2 colours from each other, but by the close of the day most items were tested and working, but I still have to complete the side repeater indicators and the internal roof lights, with the starter connections yet to be tested, and a fault on the handbrake warning circuit. I also need to fit headlamp relays, and bolt the horns on.

Interestingly the car has the Stag type combined oil pressure warning lamp / brake PWDA fail indicator (all of which work).

Instruments were tested by grounding the wires at the sender position, and watching the needles move.

It was nice to see the instrument needles move after all this time, and wiper motors work etc etc, a good feeling of satisfaction as the car slowly comes to life after all these years

Believe it or not that was a whole day gone, 8 hours work so the total is now up to 807 hours

I am sure my estate is female !

Normally anything that you have spent time,and money upon and lavished with affection would be grateful, but not my FF estate, it can only be female! This week it decided to bite me upon the backside (again), and ultimately in the wallet.

The heads that I had had rebuilt with weld, and new guides, and even had pressure tested have been found to have so much corrosion in the exhaust ports (from being left full of water) that the valve inserts are in danger of falling out some day. Maybe not when the engine is first run, may be not in the first 5000 miles, but at some point, a seat will fall out causing valve, head and piston failure. So these are scrap.

What to do, buy another warped old set off ebay, go round the dealers and see if they have anything decent, buy a pair of SOCTFL re-made new heads at some £3600 and a long wait, no, I knew of a NOS set in the hands of a certain dealer, so I have struck a deal and purchased them - even I cannot bring myself to say how much they have cost, let me say however they are less money than the new SOCTFL ones, but more than a secondhand engine.

I suppose that I should be very grateful for Roy Burrell, his work and inspection of the heads saved a calamity and even more expense at some later date.

I really really hope that's the end of the nasty surprises.

On a brighter note I collected the footwell trim panels from Aldridge Trimming today

and delivered them an old complete and dis-coloured headlining from which they are going to make me a new one, so that's another job partially off the pending list.

I have resolved the brake pipe issues across the front bulkhead today, by finding some 3 pipe clips that fit and have similar dimensions to Triumphs 2 pipe fixing clips, a good reliable MOT approved fix

Finally a trip to Mick Dolphin sourced some other bits and pieces that I needed, including a right hand side grap strap - I already had the left handed ones.

The grubby white blocks - which will clean, (its the old mould release wax and years of dirt!) are the sunvisor retainers.

Finally I got the support rail fixed to the new driver's side shelf

So slowly and steadily the project moves forward