Replacing camshaft in Bristol engine

[TTM]

Dear all,

Has anyone on here successfully replaced the camshaft on their Bristol engine without taking the engine out of the car?

Thanks.

[TTM]

I should be able to answer my own question in not too long if I can eventually source a 1" Whitworth ring spanner.

Where in the world can such a thing be found?

[Flyinghorse]

I got one recently on ebay ( king dick for under £10

[TTM]

I have been checking every day for weeks with no luck.

There are times when I'm considering pushing the car off a cliff just because it's not assembled in metric. Utter pain in the back for me.

[Flyinghorse]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116335558598?_skw=1%22+whitworth+ring&itmmeta=01JCHFSFW2QQM83RH8T3ECNQGS&hash=item1b1623bfc6:g:j9gAAOSwtNpm8I~Z&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmVtTTiFzGSH5wI2tPl51hrrAZsyxwWlJ5yO1uEHdMp%2BsCP%2F2aXMxlwQ5MdDLSxL7CxZvf1na6Z6NQGLqidJIEw6UVbLvBtPaQely6p8xAeMWgnNwQRmqDMrIoRvGrFlGXZlHt6Yljr2Gh%2FQGGEgf%2B2n3ARSJjOaMgN%2F6XtU0I5h1Hxse1Q1GlRjBrNx00H%2F%2BbsUyy2Q27nqQO2XwIfw2zc2JwyCu%2FIkXVW6bU%2FQBPKcxQjpPh6aeUJZ7KN0K9hmV4%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5D-5a_kZA

[Flyinghorse]

This site is quite useful for finding equivalent sizes as I think pushing the car off a cliff would take more effort!
http://www.baconsdozen.co.uk/tools/conversion%20charts.htm

[TTM]

Thanks Graham. Spanner on the way.

[TTM]

The camshaft is out at last after eventually taking the engine out of the car.
The spanner proved useless and I had to purchase an impact gun to loosen the main nut then a friend kindly made a specific puller to remove the damper carrier.

PS : apologies for the previous silly comments that I have removed. Now that things are moving on rather swiftly the initial frustration with the whole job has vanished, or is at least under control. I must say it was very useful to refill my phlegm tank with the company of other ACOC members at LM Classics. I can't wait to turn the key.

[TTM]

Just as a follow up and to answer my own question, removing the camshaft with the engine in the car may be possible but is made particularly tricky because of a single little clip, the one that secures the distributor drive gear into place. The camshaft will not be "released" without removing the distributor drive gear, and getting to the clip in question requires dropping the oil pan, which requires :
- taking out the gearbox, which would require holding the engine so that it does not tilt back down ;
- taking off the timing cover, which requires pulling the damper carrier with a suited extractor, which requires quite a bit of room as the damper carrier sits quite tight onto the crank nose, and it is all made worse by the damper sitting right behind the steering "pendulum" and rods, which may well need to be removed to give enough room for an extractor, a long enough wrench, and so on.

Not worth the hassle, in my opinion.

Edited to add :
It is actually possible to drop the oil pan with the gearbox in place. It is also possible to get to remove the timing cover with the engine in place, and this requires removing the steering parts to make room for an impact gun and extension to loosen the front nut.