Messages

Jon,
Your Brasscraft 'screen will doubtless be a big help to someone rebuilding an A.C. and, noting the availability here, is a likely way to contact them.
I'm not looking for a 'screen myself, but your post does raise a couple of interesting questions: What is the objection to the original screens for IVA purposes and what 'screen do you have ? I ask this last because I think there are a number of variations over the production years of Ace and Cobra. Obviously the flat versus curved glass, but also I think there were other variations in width and height. I wonder if anyone has ever managed to note these differences and their applications ?
Barrie

Mitch,
The Green Spark Plug company is my usual first option, but on this occasion they are shewing out of stock, however LS Engineering are in stock:

https://www.lsengineers.co.uk/

What are the plugs for out of interest? In any event hope that works for you
Barrie

Ace owners will be familiar with the anti torque damper fitted to limit the engine and gearbox rocking about in the chassis. Many car designs include something similar and indeed A.C. also used  damping devices on Acecas and Greyhounds. These  devices differed depending on engine and chassis variations.
On most Aces, with the Weller designed SOHC six and Moss gearbox, there are two brackets, one on each main chassis tube and a mounting pad on the under side of the bellhousing. A simple 'bridge' joins these points, using rubber insulating 'bobbins' on the chassis brackets. A simple and effective anti torque brace. So far so good, but later, in the last years of Ace production the A.C. Lightweight gearbox was introduced. This gearbox had a different, lighter, bellhousing and the mounting pad for the 'bridge' was deleted.
Question is how was the torque damping achieved ? Perhaps the halving of gearbox weight changed the dynamic and the 'rocking ' did not occur ? Perhaps stiffer engine mounts were specified ? All this seems unlikely and indeed, in the case of the Greyhound with CLBN A.C. engine and using the Lightweight gearbox, the damper is neatly reduced to two small 'snubbers' one each side of the cylinder head and anchored to each battery box. Of course it would be simple to look at a later production Ace with the lightweight gearbox and see the answer. Sadly such a beast has not  come my way in a couple of years of looking. I wonder if an owner of one of these later Aces (or late Aceca with Lightweight gearbox) could explain what the works fitted ?

Barrie

Dear Chris,
That little 'thumbwheel' which holds down the breather, or the breather blanking plate, on the Bristol valve rocker covers, is, as you say, different from the valve cover 'thumbwheels.' Here is an indistinct picture which shews them both. Being on LM5000 the ones holding down the rocker covers are the competition variety with the extra hex machined on the top. By the bye the competition version does not have a groove for the retaining circlip and my past practice, on my road cars, has always been to follow suit and omit the circlip. They serve no really useful purpose (being there to prevent careless loss during maintenance I suppose) but a dislodged circlip might have the potential to create internal carnage....



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You might find someone in the Bristol owners Club: https://www.boc.net/ who has a spare 'thumbwheel' which you could copy, they would be simple to machine, from memory the thread is 1/4" Whit.
Barrie

Just to complicate this thread I would point out that one of the desirable characteristics of the leaf spring is self damping. Obviously by virtue of the friction between the plates sliding over each other. Less important on the more modern cars with effective dampers and A.C. certainly wrapped their springs in Denso tape in the fifties and sixties, however maybe worth noting in the case of earlier A.C.s ?

Ian,
Beautiful car, let us know how you got on
Barrie

Andy,
I just do not remember how much space there is, but as you are inserting a bolt there must be a nut that has to go in there ? If the bullet is made short enough it should just drop free as it clears the bracket....
Barrie

Andy,
It cannot be too difficult as I had my G'hound diff in an out and do not recollect a problem. Maybe you need some 'bullets' that will centre up the spacers as you tap the bolts through ?
Barrie

David,
Such a pleasure to meet you and hear you reminiscing about those far off Buckland days.
Safe journey home and I hope we meet again, meantime enjoy your A.C. motoring in your lovely Buckland
Barrie

Graham,
I am looking forward to your next ACtion articles on getting to grips with the Ford EEC IV EFI: When it's working as intended it exposes the inadequacy of any carburetted V8 - however some Mk. IVs are now in their fifth decade and, as Ford themselves instructed, 'sensors will deteriorate and should be replaced at intervals' not that they specified what that interval was - one presumes the replacement was 'on condition.'
In any event, as I believe you have found, many faults blamed on the EEC IV turn out to be simple old poor electrical connections as fitted to automobiles since the nineteenth century....
Thus we are long overdue a bit of a primer on the EEC IV and its associated systems. I think there must now be a significant proportion of member's cars using this fuel injection system. Two or three articles from you in ACtion would help to demystify the system and perhaps prevent members being taken advantage of by "experts."
Barrie

Strange - having driven '9520 for a number of years and being familiar with '9513 and '9502 these comments puzzle me. Perhaps it is a 'size of the driver' thing ? Being only 5' 8" maybe I just fit the cockpit better, but having seen taller drivers comfortable in their Mk. IV variants that doesn't seem the likely explanation. Later variants e.g. The Classic Mk. II have the same central shoulder strap arrangement and so far as I know have not been found uncomfortable with regard to neck/shoulder strap clearance.
If you ever have to live with a Mk IV variant, or later model, which has four or five point harness fitted, you will appreciate what a clever solution A.C. designed to fit a three point harness with inertia reel and, as a bonus, there is always amusement to be had watching drivers and passengers searching for a non existent strap over their outboard shoulder.....
I wonder if the driver's seat in '9505 has been moved inboard to give more space between seat and door ? I also wonder if you have received the same complaint from your passengers ?
Turning to your dread of rain: Why erect the hood ? Even in a downpour open cars keep dry so long as one keeps moving. Below 30 m.p.h. you will get rained on a bit, but then a Mk. IV (or any open A.C. for that matter) is not intended to be driven at low speeds. Moreover neither car nor driver will melt in a bit of rain.
I hope the forgoing doesn't sound critical - there is obviously a difficulty. I wonder if a picture would be worth a thousand words - could you post a 'strapped in' cockpit selfie ?
Barrie

Uwe,
I had one of those once - a good paperweight or doorstop. I think it unlikely that they were Cobra specific, possibly you might find they were Falcon Sprint or Comet parts ? As I recollect they had quite small ports which matched 260 heads. If so there are Ford old part stockists in the U.S. For example:

http://www.allclassicmustang.com/MustangpartsmustangpartsNOSmustangpartsrestoration.html
Barrie

Something to be very proud of - well done
Barrie

The Buckland looks as though there is a chance - how did she come by her 'B' suffix registration mark ? Could Thames Ditton have sold a Buckland this late: I think not.....
Barrie

Kevin,
You are right to go for copper exhaust manifold gaskets, since I cut a set for the 260 and 289 small blocks I have had no leaks or needed any replacements.
It is time consuming to cut some blanks and then file them to match the ports, but it is not difficult. I used a jig saw to do the rough shaping.
The material I have used is 12 swg and 14 swg copper sheet. Both worked.
Barrie