Messages

Good morning Michael,

Fantastic news. Thank you very much for this. I will try to phone you later today.

Kind regards

Jonas

Then there is CSX 2000 that sold for $ 13.750.000 some years ago.

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo16/monterey/lots/r193-1962-shelby-260-cobra-csx-2000/380120

But as far as Ace's go I imagine it's the most expensive one ever sold. I have heard rumours that
some Ace's have changed hands with dealers for very high amounts, close to the figures that AE 205 brought. But that was including a guaranteed Mille Miglia entry.

Jonas

Michael,

There is the slightest drag at roughly a 100 kph, but I have to say that I'm rather pleased with how the car behaves now. I feel I can trust it a whole lot more now than before.

The type of tyre and condition / age of the tyre and condition of the road you drive on are definitely all very important factors in how the car behaves.  I have driven 31 with:
Antique Michelin X's, Dunlop Racing, Excelsior Racing (Cross ply), Excelsior Radial and modern Michelin X's, all 5.50 x 16.

What I find intriguing is that straight line stability was possibly better with the 20 year old Michelin's than the new X's, grip is something else though!

Jonas

Good morning Michael,

Thanks for your generous offer and message. I have actually managed to get ahold of a cast iron master cylinder so no need for that any longer, however I'm still looking for a set of rear brake shoes.
As far as I know I believe that the brake shoes were the same throughout the production run of the Ace's and Aceca's even if part numbers changed. My Girling book is a bit earlier than yours so I can't see any changes.
Maybe somebody out there knows with certainty?

I've enclosed some images of the brake shoes for reference. So If you don't mind, please start looking!

As luck would have it I will actually be going to Hampshire first weekend in September for the Beaulieu auto jumble, so I could probably come passed you if you aren't too far away. Otherwise my father in law lives in the West Midlands and I frequently use him to store AC-contraband I manage to get my hands on.

The reason that I'm looking for a spare set is that I have for many years tried to keep spares to be able to keep my car on the road. Brake shoes are certainly one of those things that need to be relined every now and then and since I would have to send them away, probably to the UK, I would possibly have a car on stands for some months, something I don't want to experience if it can be avoided.

Thank you very much.

Jonas

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your experiences about the Blockley tyres. As mentioned earlier I have heard of positive experiences about these tyres on other cars so glad that this is also the case when fitted on an Ace. Especially that it makes the steering feel lighter in comparison with old X's, would you say that high speed stability is also improved? I have tried a number of different tyres and at the moment 31 is fitted with Excelsior 5.50 x 16 radial tyres that work okay but they are rather loud over 50-60 mph.

By the way, could I ask you if your car an early or later car with rubber or bronze bushes?

You mentioned that the Blockley's look nice on an Ace, you wouldn't happen to have an image that shows how it looks? Thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Jonas

Good morning Michael,

Well "rock solid" at 100 km/h possibly! I was out yesterday and was getting up to 120 km/h which would equate to 75 mph and that feels okay, maybe not rock solid though!

It would be interesting to hear from members on this forum and their experiences with front end stability at higher speeds? I also believe that the type of wheels and tyres, not to mention their condition (!) are important factors in how an Ace or Aceca behaves at higher speeds.

Something I'm interested to hear about is if there is anybody that has any experience with using Blockley tyres on an Ace? I have spoken to people that have used them on other cars from the same period that are very positive towards them.

Jonas

Dear all and especially Michael,

I'm sorry for my delay in replying but moving my office and other time consuming chores postponed high speed testing of the steering until this last weekend.

The result was very positive and the steering felt better than it ever has since 31 was restored some 6-7 years ago. I'm very sure now that 12-13 minute degrees in total toe-in is what it should be. I should also mention that I have gone through and adjusted all the steering components and I also changed the tie-rod ends to have the best possible preconditions. It did make a big difference.

Thanks to everybody, especially Michael, that's been supportive and helpful in this process.

Best wishes

Jonas

Hello,

Thanks for all the help. I have tried to find the rear brake shoes, GB 41540 and GB 41542 through the Austin Healey "channels" but without any luck. I believe they were only used for the very early cars so that's probably why it's difficult, they were also used on Austin A70 which I suspect were made in greater numbers.

But I'll keep looking and if anybody stumbles across a set of the brake shoes, or the master cylinder for that matter, please let me know.

Kind regards

Jonas

Dear All,

I'm looking for a Brake master cylinder for AEX 31. It is a cast iron Girling with Girling number 3102542W. Please see the attached image. If anybody had got one, or know about one that is or could be for sale any hints or tips will be greatly appreciated.

It doesn't have to be perfect, just as long as it's in a restorable condition, i.e. no cracks.

I'm also looking for one side of rear brake shoes for 31. Girling numbers GB 41540 and GB 41542.

Top dollar paid!

Thanks in advance for any help with finding these parts.

Kind regards

Jonas

Hello,

After this last winter I've had great problems getting AEX 31 to run nicely, or run at all! What you have described sounds very similar to what I experienced. I tried loads of different things until I emptied the tank and put some new fuel in the car. As strange as that might sound that actually seemed to have solve the problems.

So I'm wondering if you have fresh fuel? The fuel in 31 was 5-6 months old. I'm in Sweden and 98 octane here has a 5% ethanol mix.

Maybe be worth a try getting new fuel?

Best Jonas

Hello everybody,

In the context of ignition I have a question. I had the engine in AEX31 rebuilt some years ago with some modifications being made. Mainly higher compression and a fast road cam. Now I'm wondering if anybody on the forum have any experience with a slightly tuned engine in regards to ignition timing.

The company that helped me with the rebuild states that the static advance should be set to 2 degrees BTDC and full advance 36 degrees. If I then look in the data supplied by the AC factory they state 12,5 degrees for a standard UMB engine and 21 degrees for the later engines with a higher compression ratio. The enormous difference makes me wonder what other people's experiences are with this. To complicate matters even further Archibald writes in his 2-litre saloon book that an engine with a higher compression ratio should have an ideal static timing advance of 10 degrees... and full advance should be no more than 42 degrees on a tuned engine.

Obviously the advance curve of the distributor makes a big difference, as far as I can see from measuring a couple of standard Lucas DX6 distributors the full advance they gave was something like 12-14 distributor degrees which would equate to 24-28 degrees advance, on top of the static advance given as either 12,5 or 21.

So wonderful if anybody with experience of running a higher compression Weller engine could tell me and the forum something about their experiences in regards to what settings they use and how well that has worked, or not!

Thanks in advance for any input.

Regards Jonas

Michael,

Even if I live in Malmö (Sweden) I'm actually in Copenhagen at the moment and I'm pleased to tell you that it is closer to 19 degrees, rather lovely!

I have done most of the things I set out to do with 31 over the winter but an electrical problem has made it impossible for me to try out the steering at any higher speeds. I am hopeful this can be cured soon so that I can report on progress regarding the steering.

Best regards

Jonas

Hello Gus,

I have been running AEX 31 with an engine that sounds similar to the specification you have, for 7 years.

Ignition setting also sounds the same.

I have also experimented with a number of needle sizes but have found that the engine runs best with the
standard DW needle and the top of the jet adjusted 1,5 mm down from the bridge.
Which needles do you use?

Please let us know how it goes.

Regards Jonas

Hi again,

I understand. I found this on a Swedish website:

https://www.yourvismawebsite.com/orebro-agenturaffar-bilkladselspecialisten-ak/lang-EN/shop/product/vr21901024-kanallist-med-stalkarna-tygkladd-k

Sorry that it's in Swedish, but if you need any help please let me know.

Kind regards

Jonas

Hi Nick,

I haven't got an Aceca so don't know exactly what this part looks like. But have you had a look at Woolies? https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/p-2055-stainless-steel-bead-window-channel

Jonas