I have driven my 1966 TR4A for many years with nothing but the bare minimum in maintenance. Recently, I decided to park it for a couple of months and commence on some repairs I had been putting off. First choice was the horn, which had not worked In several years! With an inexpensive voltmeter, it…
Here’s a time-saving and cheap idea that is sure to help out any British car owner when working in his/her garage. Simply save an egg carton and use it as a separator/part holder to hold small parts and keep them organized. There is no cheaper container with as many compartments! Also I use a soft-bristled…
Are you having trouble installing your new seat diaphragm to an assembled seat? Try this: modify a large (preferably old) screwdriver by cutting a slot in the blade to accept the diaphragm hook. This is then used to force the side hooks into place. On my TR6, it was preferable to turn the front and back…
The Laycock A-type overdrive is a two-speed hydraulically controlled planetary transmission. Direct drive is always controlled by spring pressure. That is, the spring pressure you see when you put the gearbox and overdrive units together, created by eight springs. The overdrive shift is always controlled by hydraulic pressure. Unlike a regular automatic transmission, which works…
Last time I covered a few of the major sources of oil leaks coming from a four-cylinder Austin-Healey engine. This time we’ll continue with some other potential leakers, like the rocker cover, the oil filter assembly, the engine front cover, and the head itself. When fitting the stock steel rocker cover to the engine, be…
I’ve been wanting to replace my original 17-inch steering wheel with a wood-rimmed one for some time. For those of us of ample build, or belonging to the “seismically stable” set, the additional clearance of a smaller wheel can make a lot of difference in driving pleasure. Yes, I know that there is just an…
When my ’68 Jaguar XKE needed a new clock battery, which is a small mercury cell 1.5 volt, I was informed that the EPA had banned the sale and disposal of mercury cells in California! Determined to have a working clock in the Jag, I modified the circuit, grind two pieces of insulated wire, approximately…
Having in my classic car collection several British cars, I note that nearly all of them have one feature lacking. In spite of the accepted Lucas practice of intermittent off/on, there is no switch for hazard blinkers. While a lever is provided for (hopefully!) left or right turn trafficators, it would be nice sometimes to…
FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS The condition of front wheel bearings is of vital importance to your safety, but is often overlooked. Main concerns are cleanliness, lubrication, and adjustment (where adjustment is possible). Bearings which have suffered a lack of any of these will usually need to be replaced. While reference to a good workshop manual specific…
VALVE TRAIN BASICS Valve train condition is of vital importance at all times to the correctly running engine. Unfortunately, many of the factors involved are often neglected in “do it yourself” engine rebuilding and in normal maintenance. The simplest and most common valve train operation performed is valve lash (clearance) adjustment. Yet even this common…
