1971 Series IIa 88" Overhaul

[SWBFreeLoader]

I wouldn't trust those brake flares to save my life..and they might have to. Or someone elses.
I managed to bag a Sykes Pickavant 270 with a lot of tool bits in it from ebay several years ago for £50
There are Chinese copies of similar vice mounted stuff though and they all work quite nicely.
Those hand grip style ones are generally bad even from a good brand.

 

[SeriesG]

I wouldn't trust those brake flares to save my life..and they might have to. Or someone elses.
I managed to bag a Sykes Pickavant 270 with a lot of tool bits in it from ebay several years ago for £50
There are Chinese copies of similar vice mounted stuff though and they all work quite nicely.
Those hand grip style ones are generally bad even from a good brand.

The flare in the picture was my first try on a scrap piece of tubing. The real ones on the actual brake line look quite a bit better.

 

[SeriesG]

Big moves tonight. With the new brake line in place and the crossmember cleaned up and ready I wrapped a sling around the gearbox, lifted it out of the tub with the aid of the hydraulic hoist, lowered it into its berth between the frame rails and bolted it up. Zero issues and smooth sailing. Yessss!! Gearbox in!

That was about two months time and probably $2500 more than I'd hoped for when I opened this can of worms but it wasn't entirely unexpected and now the gearbox is rebuilt and in place and hopefully a non-issue moving forward (pun intended ).

The new pistons from Turners Engineering are supposed to arrive late next week so that'll give me some time to get the parking brake mechanism back in place, install my new clutch slave cylinder, and re-bush my one bad connecting rod. I think I'll pull the fuel tank and make sure it's clean and solid while I'm waiting as well. It looks solid from the outside but looks can be deceiving...

I've left everything loose so that when I install the engine I can line things up nice and tighten it all up proper with no strain on anything. Finally I can see some light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[Neil]

That tank is in remarkably good condition.

 

[SeriesG]

That tank is in remarkably good condition.

It does seem decent from the outside. The two or three gallons of fuel I put into it a few months back have since turned brown and stinky so at the very least it has old petrol goo inside, and that stuff can be evil to deal with. I don't know what fuel is like on the UK side of the ocean but here in North America "they" have taken the stabilizers out of it and now gasoline only lasts about 3 to 6 months before it goes bad. It's really irritating actually because we switch from lawn mowers to snow blowers every six months or so which is plenty of time for it to go sour. I suppose "they" don't want us to be able to store it or hoard it.
As for the tank itself I'm just hoping it hasn't rusted where the mounts have trapped dirt against it.

 

[Big Sandy]

Nice whiteboard addition!

These are decent flaring tools. Not in the sykes pickavant league, but better than what you have.

AB Tools Brake Pipe Flaring Tool Professional In-situ 3/16" SAE Hand Held FL29 https://amzn.eu/d/esDgxib

The one you have, yeah, it will work, but never the same twice. To be honest its better to buy the decent one at the outset, it will always be there when you need it. And we are always replacing brake lines, aren't we?

 

[Big Sandy]

You know, it only just dawned on me that the clutch cylinder is on the opposite side to the rhd models. The bung next to the bleed nipple for it is a neat idea. Mine never had that!

 

[SeriesG]

Nice whiteboard addition!

These are decent flaring tools. Not in the sykes pickavant league, but better than what you have.

AB Tools Brake Pipe Flaring Tool Professional In-situ 3/16" SAE Hand Held FL29 https://amzn.eu/d/esDgxib

The one you have, yeah, it will work, but never the same twice. To be honest its better to buy the decent one at the outset, it will always be there when you need it. And we are always replacing brake lines, aren't we?

Yeah I know... I just really don't want to. I mean yes, I do want to but I don't want to spend yet another hundred bucks on yet another f$&#ing tool. I love tools but with my wide range of interests I've got sooo many that they're taking over! I guess this is one that I really should get though. I don't have much choice in the matter really. The one you recommend looks quite nice... Damn it!

 

[SeriesG]

You know, it only just dawned on me that the clutch cylinder is on the opposite side to the rhd models. The bung next to the bleed nipple for it is a neat idea. Mine never had that!

That hole next to the slave cylinder isn't a common thing? It seems like such an obviously proper idea I hadn't considered that it wouldn't be there. I wonder if someone added it? Interesting...

 

[Big Sandy]

The one you recommend looks quite nice

I have one, it's handy for doing flares actually on the vehicle, which is why I got it.

Only good for cunifer though, deffo not steel.

That hole next to the slave cylinder isn't a common thing? It seems like such an obviously proper idea I hadn't considered that it wouldn't be there. I wonder if someone added it? Interesting...

My 2a never had one. I extended the bleed nipple with an extra length of pipe up into the engine bay, but lower than the master. So much easier to bleed.

 

[SeriesG]

I have one, it's handy for doing flares actually on the vehicle, which is why I got it.

Only good for cunifer though, deffo not steel.

My 2a never had one. I extended the bleed nipple with an extra length of pipe up into the engine bay, but lower than the master. So much easier to bleed.

Ah now i get it. I keep seeing a "clutch bleed pipe" at different suppliers and wondered what it was all about. Without the access hole I suppose it would be a big pain to get at the bleed nipple. Neat!

 

[SWBFreeLoader]

My slave cylinder is in the same place, I also have the grommeted hole for bleeding.

It's utterly useless and you'll still need to take the floor out, but it's there!

 

[Fulltimedad]

Yeah I know... I just really don't want to. I mean yes, I do want to but I don't want to spend yet another hundred bucks on yet another f$&#ing tool. I love tools but with my wide range of interests I've got sooo many that they're taking over! I guess this is one that I really should get though. I don't have much choice in the matter really. The one you recommend looks quite nice... Damn it!

I bought that one following the forum recommendation. Worked well for me and the instructions were good

 

[SeriesG]

I bought that one following the forum recommendation. Worked well for me and the instructions were good

I didn't go for that exact tool as the shipping costs and delivery time from the UK was a bit high but I did go for this one:

Amazon.ca

It looks very similar and has equally high ratings and the shipping was free. I'll have it by Wednesday too.

 

[Fulltimedad]

I didn't go for that exact tool as the shipping costs and delivery time from the UK was a bit high but I did go for this one:

Amazon.ca

It looks very similar and has equally high ratings and the shipping was free. I'll have it by Wednesday too.

Looks very similar .

One tip . You only get one chance to clamp the pipe . If the flare is poor you can’t just cut the flare off. You need to cut the whole piece of pipe that has been clamped . Rookie mistake by me and second / third tries to do a new flare the pipe kept moving .

Oh and remember to put the nut on (the right way round) before you do your best flare ever

 

[SeriesG]

Looks very similar .

One tip . You only get one chance to clamp the pipe . If the flare is poor you can’t just cut the flare off. You need to cut the whole piece of pipe that has been clamped . Rookie mistake by me and second / third tries to do a new flare the pipe kept moving .

Oh and remember to put the nut on (the right way round) before you do your best flare ever

Good tip, thanks!

And yeah... I did indeed leave the nut off and had to cut off my best flare yet. I haven't put on on backwards though - yet.

 

[SeriesG]

My slave cylinder is in the same place, I also have the grommeted hole for bleeding.

It's utterly useless and you'll still need to take the floor out, but it's there!

You can't reach the bleeder from that hole? Bummer. (I'm at work and can't look)

I guess I can still install one of those stand-pipes Big Sandy was talking about.

 

[SWBFreeLoader]

You can reach the nipple and get a small turn, yes, but you won't be able to put a pipe on through it and you won't be able to squeeze the op-rod back up the cylinder to get the last bit of air out quicker.

Once you start to faf around through the hole, you'll decide pretty quick it will all be easier with the floor and tunnel out...
...or you could just make a remote nipple with some brake unions and a joining barrel. Put it inside the cab and bleed/pedal press from the comfort of your seat.

 

[SeriesG]

You can reach the nipple and get a small turn, yes, but you won't be able to put a pipe on through it and you won't be able to squeeze the op-rod back up the cylinder to get the last bit of air out quicker.

Once you start to faf around through the hole, you'll decide pretty quick it will all be easier with the floor and tunnel out...
...or you could just make a remote nipple with some brake unions and a joining barrel. Put it inside the cab and bleed/pedal press from the comfort of your seat.

Good idea!

 

[SeriesG]

Along with a better brake line flaring tool I ordered a cheap valve spring compressor, some Permatex assembly lube, and a bit of actual "Plasti-Gauge" for the crank bearings off of Amazon. The valve spring tool and Plasti-Gauge came overnight which was nice but the flaring tool will be another couple of days which isn’t really an issue. Despite the usual delivery problems we really are living in amazing times where we can order items like this from our phones and get them delivered right to our door within a few days. It's pretty crazy. The valve spring compressor arrived today and is a bit cheezy but it'll work alright and will be much better than me trying to do it with my knees and a spanner on the bench.

I cleaned the excess paint off of the engine block gasket surfaces and ran a tap through the remaining threaded holes to ensure their function. A bit of compressed air blew away the leftover swarf and now the block is ready for reassembly.

The new pistons and valve springs should be here by the end of the week whereupon I'll be ready to put the engine back together. I do still need to repair the one connecting rod wrist pin bore but I'm hoping to sneak it into a milling machine at work some time this week before my parts arrive.

I've got a bit of a collection of vintage valve seat cutters and guides and have found the goodies I think will work to rejuvenate my cylinder head. I'll try to get this done before my new springs get here. It's starting to come together!