Well after 54 months of detailed restoration, last week I took my BN1 in to have its safety inspection done. After getting it certified, I went and got my insurance and licence plates all sorted out, and then proceeded to fill her up with gas for the first time, and set off on our first real drive all the way home to my shop. I decided to take the scenic route so I could take my sweet time - nearly an hour- driving home while feeling & listening to the cars eccentricities & performance. It was a brisk top-down drive through beautiful early spring Canadian countryside, and the sounds and smells of the car felt absolutely visceral. Upon a safe and successful arrival to my shop and shutting off the car, I noticed a small puddle of oil drain from the rear of the engine, However upon further observation it seems that I had overfilled the engine originally and once the car had a proper run in to full temperature, the excess oil was spit out the rear scroll seal - as these typically do! - The engine has since maintained its full level. The next day I decided to go through a thorough series of checks and adjustments to keep a close eye on the cars performance as I'm braking in a freshly rebuilt everything. Using my original factory workshop manual, I went through all of the post delivery checks and adjustments one would make to a brand new Healey back in the day. I checked each spark plug one at a time and found them all to be burning evenly, without any signs of oil or coolant. Though the evidence shows the carburetors could be adjusted to be a little richer... I checked the gearbox & overdrive oil, which was slightly low from an old leak I'd previously resolved,.. It's important for the function of the overdrive that this oil level be properly maintained! I checked the carburetor dashpot oil, and adjusted the slow running speed down a bit... I checked the generator lubricator wick which should only be checked every 9-12k miles, but good to know it was properly lubricated with grease.. I checked the distributor points, gap, and rotor, and adjusted the spark advance slightly too in order to get the car running smoothly. After a proper hour long run, I re-torqued all the head studs... I adjusted the clutch and brake pedal travel, The fuel gauge wasn't working properly, so removed and synced my fuel sender unit with the gauge in the dash, and then reinstalled it with new copper washers to make good ground contact with the tank, I checked all of the cars lubrication points, and tightened the steering wheel play by removing one of the 4 shims at the steering box. I checked all of the wheels & hubs for play, adjusted tire pressures, and removed each brake drum to check for straight & even brake pad contact. Now she's fully licensed and running beautifully, and I couldn't be happier with the results!
I can't wait to start putting on the miles on this summer with lots of driving to various car events to look forward to! Until next time - I'll leave you with a series of before & after pics of the car:
1 Comment
3/18/2022 04:49:51 pm
It's a long but vert rewarding journey. Congratulations Geoff well done. Looking forward to judging the car an Enclave in September.
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