Idle Thoughts
Automotive Archeology 101
We often wonder about the old vehicles we come by, that have been sitting up for years. What was the path that led them to neglect, and becoming the equivalent of an automotive fossil? Piecing together a vehicle's history can be interesting.The last time Maggie was road legal, judging from her license plate was 1977. That was the height of the great Land Rover depression in the United States. Land Rover North America had pulled out and left North American owners holding the bag in 1975.
Knowing that much and looking at Maggie's hydraulics leads me to believe that hydraulics are what took her off the road. The brake master cylinder and reservoir are not original and not Rover at all. I can only speculate that at some point, someone added DOT3 brake fluid to her system. No doubt, all of the original natural rubber seals disentigrated . The owner, trying to keep things going, but with no parts support, started looking around for whatever would fit. He saw this master cylinder, and thought "Eureka!" The fabrication to put it on is pretty good craftsmanship. Brackets had to be welded to the sides of the pedal tower. Everything fits well. She must have been running pretty well at that time for someone to have invested that kind of work into her. The brakes may even have worked, assuming the seals in the slave cylinders were not eaten alive by the DOT3 fluid.
The one thing he neglected to notice was a hydraulic clutch. I think that at that point Maggie was either parked indefinitely, or possibly driven in low range about the woods not using the clutch.
So, after a couple of idle days, the fuel pump rebuild kit finally came in. I replaced the pump diaphragm, and the valves. Beula's fuel pump has screw on tabs to hold the valves in. If you have that type of pump body, save it! They are much easier to install the valves in. All in all though, the hardest part of the fuel pump rebuild is the removal and replacement of the pump itself. For those new to Rovers, the handle beneath the diaphragm is a manual pump, used to prime the lines and carb.
So I installed the rebuilt fuel pump after testing it with the manual lever to make sure it will pump gas.
Then I put a boat tank on the passenger side floorboard area (the floorboard is removed). I hooked up the fuel line to the boat tank, which contained five gallons of gasoline. Be sure and take note that this method of supplying fuel is dangerous, is probably illegal, and could result in severe burns and death. It is meant for ..............ahem, offroad use only. Seriously, I am only doing it until I get a real fuel tank, so I can let the engine idle, and perhaps putt about the yard.
The result is a glass smooth idle. Almost unbelievable. Maggie fires up on the first revolution of the starter, and hums like a sewing machine. Her valves do need adjusting. Now I need to put in a cooling system, so I can allow her to warm up!
They are not a how to guide on vehicle maintenance or restoration. I do not advocate that you drive about using a boat tank as a fuel tank. Doing so is DANGEROUS! You may blow yourself up or suffer serious burns and injury. This is NOT something to do, even offroad. If you suffer from cerebro-rectal inversion, please find other ways to amuse yourself. For more of this legal CYA stuff, click here. |
[ Rover Assessment ] [ Steering Straight ]
[ Minimal Wiring ] [ Worth $500? ] [ Fuel Supply ]
[ Idle Thoughts ] [ Tough Decisions ] [ Spinning Wheels ]
[ Stripping Down ] [ The Bulkhead ] [ The Bulkhead 2 ]
[ Maggie's Motor ] [ Chassis Prep ] [ POR15 & Parabolics ]
[ Synergy ] [ The Breakfast ] [ Waking the Neighbors ]
[ A New Look ] [ Test Drive! ] [ Designing Woman ]
[ Mystery Solved ] [ More Juju ] [ Whoa Maggie! ]
[ Finish Line! ] [ Epilogue ]
[ Due Thank Yous ]
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