Is it almost year's end already?

I can't believe my last update was in April.....then again, I haven't had much time to work on the ST90 MKIIa lately either. A friend from across the pond (Bill) asked if I had any updates for the blog and that's when I realized how much time had passed.

So......without further adieu, here we go......

The gas tank was cleaned, sealed and re-installed.
I made a new valve cover gasket, reassembled everything, cleaned out the fuel line and filter.
Removed the carb and removed the varnish build up from the inside.
Re-assembled everything, installed a fresh new battery (+ earth still) I will likely convert this later.

and.......

Cranked her up!

She started on the first try and ran for about 45 seconds or until I noticed the water/antifreeze dripping at an increasing rate on the floor of the garage.

I turned the ignition off to see if I could determine where the leak was coming from.

From what I could tell it appeared to be coming from dead center bottom side of the water pump housing.....between the front and rear sides of the housing.

No big deal...I will just remove the radiator, fan blades, belt wheel, take the from of the housing off and make a new gasket for that. Easy, right?

Not quite......

The front plate was stuck on with loads of good ol' TIME!
After soaking for a few weeks with a penetrating oil.......and at the brilliant recommendation of my uncle (A few taps with a dead blow hammer) the front plate came loose.

I wish I had taken a picture of the impellers before I cleaned them.....they reminded me of an old pirate ship covered in barnacles that had been docked at port for 60 years!

Here they are cleaned...( I know the could have been cleaned a bit more but I was getting anxious after finally hearing her run for the first time!)

 Made a nice new cork gasket and got ready to put her back together once again....
Hmm...what to do about these nuts inside of the water pump housing that hold the rear of the housing to the engine.....

 

 

I think it's best to just clean what I can and leave them be!



Then put her back together.....

After re-installing the radiator and starting to fill it back up.....I heard the sound of water dripping....
This time the car was not cranked.....It was coming from the bleed hole in the bearing locating screw.
The only thing I can think is that when I was cleaning the impellers I must have broken the seal to the bearing assembly.
I did not have a press to remove the impeller from the bearing assembly......so, I have placed an order with http://www.rootesparts.com/ for a water pump repair kit.

As soon as it arrives, I will take it to a local shop with a suitable press and have this professionally done.
I promise the next update will come much quicker than 8 months from now ;)

Until then....Cheers!

Update 2

I guess it's time for a progress update...

Lifted her up and put her on jack stands

I am relatively certain I heard the springs gasp a sigh of relief... 

Removed the valve cover to see what 15 years of sitting looks like....

Hmmmm.....diesel or ATF as a cleaner?

Had to get that radiator out of the way.....now I need a few gallons of white distilled vinegar to clean these lime deposits.

Day 1

OK, so really it's about week 8.......but I am not big on documentation so this blog was an after thought.

Lesson 1 learned: Sometimes it's worth paying a tow truck!
                             With the help of Peter, Carlos and my Dad we eventually got the car loaded on to the trailer, strapped down and ready for transport. I followed my Dad on the slow 12 mile trip to my house, where the two of us (exhausted and cold) would unload the little known cousin of the Sunbeam Alpine and push it in to the vacant spot in my garage.

I spent a good part of the first weekend just looking over the car, cleaning out the interior and looking through a very detailed "Workshop Manual" that came with the car.

Next I spent a little time scraping a 1/4" thick layer of black sludge off of the engine and surrounding areas.
I removed the oil reservoir for the air intake and cleaned a little more gunk.

The next step was to remove the gas tank, check for rust, clean seal and re-install....
Getting it out was no easy task......62 years does a snug bolt make! With the help of my Dad (who just happened to stop by at an opportune time) we finally got the tank out.