Convertible hood

[David S]

Hi Max, was trying to build the car back to its original HP output of 340 at the crank. When we went to re- tune the car I was advised thar as our cars have the low cost cranks with the 50oz weight on end that the engines will rev to 5100 after which the cranks get of sync and break ( confirmed with Peter Knight). Therefore if I want to take the car above the 5100 and retune we will need to replace the crank with the old version that uses 25oz weight, I would assume that just replacing the Crank is only part of the work and hopefully some one on the forum will be able to advise what work needs to be done.
Of course could go Real steel and buy one of there 302 engines or alternatively I could get a 351 engine from another source - but I think these engines are taller and heavier but lower cost than the other 2 options.
So if someone could enlighten me on the crank replacement would be appreciated

David

[Flyinghorse]

David ,
I have sent you an email on engine mods, however on the Mk IV / CRS  Section people did do some air filter & spark plug mods to overcome some low output issues.
There's no easy ,low cost solution due to what was installed and the UK mot regulations on emmissions.

I'm not sure what engines were installed in the Brooklands Aces or gearbox configuration but am surprised you have the 50oz external weight.
Graham

[AcemanToo]

Gentlemen,
my interest in these issues stemmed from the hydraulic pump 30Amp fuse blowing continously on my Ace, caused by a seized pump motor;
plus the problems people have with the ECU unit. I looked around for a new pump and found that Audi and Peugeot used similar
pumps for their 1990's models from Power Packer. Replacements are not cheap., so I stripped and cleaned the motor and that fixed the problem.

A few observations:
-  When looking for parts for the Ace I usually find they have been sourced from other vehicle manufactures or their suppliers. I.e Peugoet/Citroen, BMW, Porsche, Ford Europe and North America etc.
- Looking at similar cabriolet solutions on other vehicles I found that Audi, Alfa and Peugeot models from the 1990's
had the same open and closing sequences and used ECU and hydraulic pump components from "PowerPacker".
- I found that the same roof operation sequences are used for the Peugeot 306 cab, Audi 80 cab and Alfa Romeo 916 Spider, and that they  are illustrated in videos
on Youtube, e.g.  search for "Peugeot 306 cabriolet roof problems", see one example  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0shorR_3JAw
- I searched for a more detailed description of the system used and I found a high level description of the Peugeot 306 with schematics from an
Australian site Peugeotlogic.com, look under the Workshop page, then Body Work. There you will find a guide provided by the Peugeot Cabriolet Owners Club.

I'm not suggesting you can transplant another roof onto your Ace, but this at least describes the roof operation principles in more detail than any
other information I have found sofar.
God Jul /Paho
P.S. The Alfa hydraulic pump appears to have a 12 pipe manifold similar to the Ace.

Going back through older posts regarding hood operation (or lack of it!) i came across this one from Paho. My hood mechanism is completely dead, no operating lights on the dash etc - the motor is fine, the ECU checks out as fine and all the hood pivots are free. Seeing the bit about a 30 amp fuse blowing, I've been through the fuse lists in the car's handbook and can't find one listed in either the central fuse box or the Auxiliary one! Is this a separate fuse and where do I need to look to find it please? Any help most welcome as I feel such an idiot standing behind the driver's seat trying to pull the hood up manually......!

[paho]

Its a 30 amp line fuse near the battery, if I remember correctly. Thought I had a photo but can't find one at the moment. Will post one when I go up to the garage next. My fuse blew because the pump was immersed in water, I never found the leak, so I drilled a drainage hole instead.
BR /Paho

Here is a pic of the line fuses connected to the battery, the white fuse holder with red cable is for the pump, the black is for the aerial:

[AcemanToo]

Many thanks! I had exactly the same problem - motor immersed in water and pretty rusty inside. Stripped it down and cleaned it up, bit of grease, connected it to a 12v battery and it spun up with so much torque it disappeared across the workbench and pulled the leads off the battery......
Bought a spare brand new one for £50 many years ago from the spares department at Brooklands, the last one off the shelf!
I've searched in the boot compartments before now and have turned up with an online 3 amp spade fuse which seems to be for the radio / aerial but no other fuses. I'll have another search just in case I've missed it.....

[Nev]

With regards to the ECU, I have been working with someone to build a brand new and improved replacement.... Personal message me for more info..