Messages

hello Gary, have you changed your phone number as it is telling me that it is not available. I have been trying to contact you re the brakes. If you know my e mail address please forward your new number. I am in France and will be here for approximately three months. Regards

I think I know who now owns this car, he lives close to Rotherham and the car has been almost restored.

it might be to obvious but there are four nuts holding the pump to the block, two nuts at the entry of water to the block and two nuts lower down on the pump body. As Robin says gentle heat helps plus use a socket bar pulling gently between the pump and the block, this normally does the trick

Thank you for your kind comments re my book, it was a labour of love,
   Regards,
   Leo

Yes I am the guilty one for the book.Hope you have found it useful.
   Regards,
   Leo

I have a detailed three page account of how to install a Triumph engine and g/box into the 2 Litre, from many years ago.
   If you give me your e mail address i can forward them on to you

Sorry for the confusion. the AC 1500cc engine was used for the 1914 race car.

With reference to the engine in this racing car, the late Stuart Wallace wrote on this subject in the December 1994 Action.
   It would appear that this 1500 cc engine was designed by John Weller but he was not happy with the performance of the car. He continued to develop the engine but by 1920 it was abandoned as it ran very roughly and by this time his AC light six engine was taking centre stage

Hi Emmanuel,
   Thanks for the info and your idea, all is ok, when we put the car on a ramp, it was possible to see up through the chassis/engine area, the locks can be seen up on the bulkhead. It was clear to see that the bar from the opening handle to the lock mechanism had come adrift.
   Using a one metre length of 30mm x 30mm timber (any metal bar of similar size would do) slide the timber up between the chassis and engine, close to the oil filter. It is possible to press the timber against the release part of the lock and using a further 25mm bar held against the exhaust manifold and the length of timber, push the timber to one side and presto the lock opens and the bonnet can be lifted. A quick weld on the offending bar that had come adrift and all is well.
   Leo.[:)]

Emmanuel,
   Thanks for the info, my car has the electric fan fitted to the front of the rad, its big it works but does'nt give any assistance to the air in the engine bay. There seems to be many cures to the overheating problems the cars seem to suffer from, long may they continue,
   regards,

hello gus, if you have not solved your power problem, perhaps you would like to e-mail me on leo.archibald@gmail.com
   i think the problem is with your valve timing,
   regards,
   Leo

Hi to all, I have CF 48 and one week ago, we were taking some photo's of the engine and the car, my friend closed the bonnet on the car and now I have a problem which has not happened to me before.
   When I turn the bonnet opening handle under the dash nothing happens and the bonnet remains completely closed. We have tried to push the bonnet down on both sides whilst turning the handle but with no success.
   Has anyone else had this problem and what is the solution?
   All help and idea's would be appreciated.
   Leo Archibald

Hi all,
   Sorry for not being in contact but i have been out of circulation for 3/4 months with health problems, but hopefuly they are now behind me.
   Well on to the 428. I am taking the holly carb to have it cleaned and set up with the correct vacuumm unit, spring setting etc , over the next two weeks. After this i hope that when giving the car full throttle it will behave and go as it should.
   Now on to another interesting item, Engine heat!
   My 428 always ran close to 90 degrees and over and when confronted with a long hill, the temp would rise to 100 degree plus.
   I have read all of the items on the 428 problems of getting to hot, and many of the remedies seem to work, here is one of mine.
   when racing my own old AC in the 70/80's one thing i always made sure of was that the fan belt was correctly tensioned to run the fan.
   Looking at my 428 engine it did not have a mechanical fan, only the electric fan situated in front of the radiator, yes enough to help cool the radiator, but by the time the air passed through the rad and into the engine bay there was no sign of air being moved into the engine bay with any strenght.
   I carried out a simple test with tissue paper being placed and taped around the front of the engine, when the electric fan was pressed into service it made no movement of the pieces of tissue on the front of the engine. However when I had a good old fashioned mechanical fan fitted from one of my old AC engines, run off the top pulley with a special adapter unit being made and fitted to carry the new fan, the results were dramatic. The tissue paper just tore and  disappeared with the volume of air being moved at the front of the engine.
   When i tried pieces of cloth instead of the tissue, they moved and flapped as in a serious gale.
   I have driven the car recently and the temp runs a good 10 degrees less when climbing hills, and the motor runs at about 80/85 degrees on normal roads.
   Am I lucky or does the mechanical fan really help in moving the stale ,very hot air from under the bonnet, i think it really does help, at tick over and at higher revs, as the fan runs at what ever the revs require, eg the higher the revs the more air is generated and moved by the fan.
   regards,
   MusicMan