Messages

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

Andy & Robin,
The G'hound diff. nose is ENV. It was also used by contemporary Volvos. I suppose Amazon and /or 122. Not a straight swop as their ratio was lower than the G'hound. In addition the threaded mount used on the A.C. might not be part of the Volvo application. The 2 Litre Saloon has an earlier ENV diff. which will not fit.
Barrie

Manuel,
You will know if you have the uprights reversed side to side because your Aceca will also be going from side to side - of the road that is.
To be more helpful if you hold the upright vertical with the king pin towards you then the king pin lower end should be angled forwards in the direction of forward travel. If you have a correct pair then this configuration will only be correct if you have the upright on the correct side.
Be aware that it has been known for cars to have gained a mixture of uprights over the years - a pair of one side or the other. There is also the existence of two variants of the upright - one with 3° caster angle and one with 5° caster angle. Sometimes there is a 3 or a 5 stamped on the upright, but not always. However with a suitable piece of pipe or rod, with a similar diameter to the king pin, fitted in the upright, the different angles are immediately apparent.
It is some years now since I fitted the uprights to CSX 2033 the wrong side round and my family will never let me forget it, moreover I shall never forget the driving experience. The reactions certainly got sharpened up.......
Barrie

Yes Thomas I know what you mean. One aspect of life which cannot be escaped. However there will be many, many memories which are happy and you will find yourself driving with a little smile
Barrie

I managed to hit on a wonderful day's weather for my drive. We travelled this scenic road many a time, it seems a long while since. Here is a picture:



This is CRS 9520 at Tap o' Noth, on the Cabrach, A941, which runs through the hills all the way from Rhynie in Aberdeenshire to Elgin in Moray. Such a magical experience, on near deserted roads, that I decided that this would only be Part I of my 2023 Drive for June. Part II was even better, more of which in next month's ACtion.
I hope other's drives have been as moving and rewarding - do share
Barrie