"Hazel" - a series 1 V8 daily driver

I have now re-removed the gearbox sump & have taken time to carefully flatten the mating edge which was still somewhat uneven around the bolt holes.
I'm now awaiting a cork gasket that I will locate with a little Vaseline & nothing else. I'll report back in due course!
dont forget the honey and pollyfiller............ aka dont forget the fruit gums mum..........
 
I'm now awaiting a cork gasket that I will locate with a little Vaseline & nothing else. I'll report back in due course!
I suggest you use a lick of tacky sealant like Reinzosil and stick the gasket to the sump with that, and once dry, a lick on the mating face to the block and then fasten it down.
 
I have now refitted the sump again, with a cork gasket & a tiny smear of Vaseline to locate it. Everything seemed to go well & I've refilled the gearbox with ATF-G (2nd time).

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I'm not sure why it has 2 extension pieces on the o/s :confused: They're like the ones on the engine sump to attach the autobox coolant pipes.

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The 2 extension pieces are to hold the fuel pipe if the box is fitted to a P5B.

I might swap those for normal bolts then :)

Hazel's rear brakes have been a little under par recently so I've changed the pads as this is the simplest fix, if it works. The calipers were rebuilt a year or so ago when the suspension & diff were refurbished, so hopefully they'll still be OK. However, I already noticed evidence of a tiny oil leak at the bottom of the diff & also a sign of a very small leak from the o/s diff drive shaft seal, but they're very minor & nothing is getting onto the brake disc.

The old pads have some meat left on but are a bit contaminated & shiny:

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This is the before & the after:

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I managed to wind the cups back in with the Rover tool. It would certainly have been easier to remove the discs but a bit of patience paid off. I removed the middle exhaust box to get to the n/s as the joints were blowing anyway, so it was a good opportunity to sort these at the same time. Space is still tight at the n/s as the handbrake mechanism is a little higher up.

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This is hopefully bringing the work on Hazel to a close for now. I'm getting new front tyres then submitting it for an independent check ('MOT') in the next few weeks.

There're still a few rust blemishes (& scabs...) on some panels & I really want to take the outer sills off to treat & 'shutz' the middle sills, which are in good condition but have surface rust which I don't want to get any worse.
 
Pad sliders incorrectly fitted. Look how out of line the pad faces are. The inner pad is almost off the disc. Remove and clean the breather, it may cure the leak.
 
Pad sliders incorrectly fitted. Look how out of line the pad faces are. The inner pad is almost off the disc. Remove and clean the breather, it may cure the leak.
:rolleyes::rolleyes: That is a schoolboy error from someone who should know better!
As you can see, I copied what had been done last time without thinking.....
Hopefully the brakes will be that bit better now ;)
 
The brakes are fine now :)

The usual advice of 'try the easy things first' that I often dish out was not followed in that I thought a long-term slight brake / handbrake softness was going to be awkward to fix.... In the event, a fresh set of pads did it, after several months of putting it off. The car has been laid up a lot of the year though due to panel work, cooling & sumps gasket issues.

Anyway, the auto-box sump now has its new cork gasket in place & it doesn't leak AT ALL :cool: The bolts have been tightened with a ratchet spanner but only to just beyond the point where there's some resistance.

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Here's the proof!

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(I do have permission to use a baking tray as a drip tray :D)

Must be moody shot time, then:

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:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Hazel has been providing reliable service without fuss for the last 6 months, so there have been no reports recently. She's now done 130,000 miles without any significant engine work; just servicing. Everyone remarks how well it sounds, which I think must be down to its regular use.

In the last few weeks, the speedo started to work erratically, but I have managed to easily fix this: Series 1 Tacho - wiring

Also, I decided to fit the optional rev-counter & clock pod that I've had for years; one with a correct V8 tacho. This gave me the opportunity to have a look at the clock which hasn't worked for the 12 years I've owned the car: Series 1 clock

I'm wiring up the rev-counter, then will put everything back together & report back.
 
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I'm going to go for this style of plate, but am having great difficulty in finding someone who does them. Any ideas, please....?
 
what was that like Phil? did you enjoy it? any photos? :p did Hazel drive ok?

It was a good day, although I was told that the number of cars was well down on previous years. An interesting place though.

We didn't go in Hazel, but went in the '64 2000, just 150 miles after its engine rebuild :oops:. It performed faultlessly!
 
I tend to use Framptons. They can be a little more expensive, but the quality is worth it.
 
Posted elsewhere, but relevant to this thread is that Hazel now has a working clock, working speedo & working tacho for the first time in my 12 years of ownership :)

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I've also fixed the speedo / dashboard back in properly for the first time in years; I'd left it free at the right hand end (as the screw was difficult to get in) - I have been intending to get the tacho fitted for a while...:rolleyes:

I really like the look of it now, including the leather steering wheel. Hazel has actually got power steering fitted (although it is a series 1) so the wheel is quite appropriate.
 
It's fair to say that I've had a pretty cr*p time of it recently with my trio of P6s.

OCC's seat recolouring is good, but not great as yet Rejuvenating (very dry) leather seats & I'm having serious issues with BOP Flicking ammeter

When I had a look at Hazel's distributor, the points were unbelievable:

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In fact, it's embarrassing to post that picture ;) How the car ran at all is amazing as they're well due for replacement.

However, I had a service kit so set about fitting a new set & then got the timing spot-on with a strobe along with the dwell angle using my multi-meter. I took it out for a drive then when finally checking the dwell angle I knocked the meter & it fell onto the edge of the fan, which bent & terminally damaged the (new) radiator :mad:

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My trusty meter is finished (I've used it for probably 25 years) & you can see the bent fan blade in the radiator core. Of course coolant went all over the garage floor & I've now got the joys of changing the radiator again & the ATF fluid to deal with when I disconnect those pipes.

To say I was upset is an understatement, however I didn't get hurt & it'll mend. Hopefully things can only get better...!
 
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On a lighter note, I have now received my new front number plate from Framptons:

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It's a bespoke 'plate cut to a P6 size with black plastic separate letters. The font is different to the back, but I can live with that. I will however be rounding the corners off a little more to match the original examples I've got from other P6s.

The total cost was just under £60, although I understand the quote didn't include postage, which they didn't charge me. Quite a lot of money I know, but it will definitely lift the car's appearance.
 
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