Gearbox out!

This week has been a busy one! I started the week by fitting one of those 'Stant' lever radiator caps. This is straightforward enough but, if you're thinking of fitting one, you need to get a few things right. Firstly, the pressure rating has to be right (13lbs) and, secondly, it has to fit under the bonnet! I checked this very carefully before dropping the bonnet down for the first time!

The next job was a big one! The gearbox needed to come out so I could replace the engine's rear oil seal. I won't bore you to death with the details of how I got the gearbox out but it did involve a hell of a lot of brute force, wood and jacks. Believe it or not, I did it all on my own too!

The oil leak had made one hell of a mess. The inside of the bellhousing, bottom of the gearbox and the underside of the car were absolutely caked in oil and dirt!

The standard cast iron bellhousing weighs nearly as much as a chest freezer! I bought an alloy replacement from Moss last year and started preparing it to fit. It's not the best casting I've ever seen but I think it'll do. I've painted it inside and out and I've gone for grey POR15 this time to show up any oil leaks! It's a very similar colour to my workshop floor!

The seats are looking good. I've bought another seat foam set from Owen at Park Lane Classics. I haven't had time to do any more work on them though. I'm waiting till the gearbox is out of the way and my workshop is less dirty before I start work on them again!

More clutch problems!

So having rebuilt the clutch slave cylinder I thought my clutch worries were over but, of course, there was lots more to fix! The change into third was still dodgy and it seemed to be far too easy to grate the gears. I figured the slop in the gearleaver might be causing the dodgy change so I ordered the 'Gearbox rebushing kit' from Canley Classics. Unfortunatly when it arrived I discovered it was for the earlier 3 rail gearbox! It was promptly auctioned off on Ebay where I made a significant profit on it! Later on in the week I realised the problem was with the pivot pin that fits on one side of the release arm assembly. Apparently this is a common problem and it is highlighted in the Canley Classics catalogue. With that drifted into place and the E ring attached it was sorted and the car was finally decent to drive!