Memorial Day weekend usually signals the start of summer in this part of the country, and warm weather can be expected. If you drive a post sixties little British car, then you shouldn’t have much trouble with overheating as long as: 1) your cooling system is full of 2-to-1 mixture of water and antifreeze 2)…
When remembering the outstanding scientists and inventors of yore, several great names immeadiately come to mind: Edison, Bell, Tesla. But then, there is Lucas…the Prince of Darkness. This man is singularly famous for turning electrical science into a black art. When it comes to Lucas electrics, it’s really all about preventing the smoke from escaping…
Last time we talked about the amazingly simple wiring scheme used on British cars. Armed with this valuable knowledge, we can now put it to practical use. “Oh yeah, like what?” you might ask. How about bleeding the smoke from the system? What? Alright then, it’s settled! The device used for allowing excess smoke to…
While we are on the subject of Lucas electrics, let’s take a look at some of the components. A vital, but often neglected item is the distributor. This hard working gadget often performs faultlessly for decades, but may very well be in need of servicing. The distributor is a fairly simple mechanical device that has…
Dragons live forever, but not so little boys, or should that be: distributors live forever but not so generators? Your pre-1968 LBC almost certainly has a Lucas generator, and it has probably been through the ringer…two or three times! This is another fairly simple device that can be nursed along almost indefinitely, so get hold…
Let’s talk about some other electrical topics this time. Well, actually I’ll talk and you can listen! I pretty much beat the generator subject to death last time, so I will move on to the voltage regulator control box. The repair manual would lead you to believe that these units are adjustable, but that is…
If your British car was built before 1968, it probably is wired for positive earth. That is not some kind of sixties hippie movement, but rather the practice of connecting the plus terminal of the car’s battery to the chassis as common ground. It was once thought by the English that there was a scientific…
I spent a couple of hours today installing a Moto-Lita steering wheel on an Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8. This car was equipped with the original adjustable wheel, which was optional on some models. It is nearly the same as what came on many Triumph TR3s. In some ways it is easier to install the new wheel on…
You’ve poured your life, soul and wallet into restoring your classic car for the past few years, and things have gone pretty well. You’ve done most of the work yourself, hiring only a few professionals along the way when you haven’t had the time, skills or equipment. The day finally comes when you go for…
LED lights use Light Emitting Diodes to produce light. Most of us already know… 1 LED bulbs can be significantly brighter than conventional bulbs. 2 LED bulbs consume a tiny fraction of the electricity a conventional bulb consumes. That’s a big help when you are sitting in traffic with several demands on your electrical system…
