My '74 "B" may not be cursed after all ! (A short story)

I have spent the last three months rebuilding my 18V engine, and refitting the freshened transmission, with new Borg and Beck clutch, etc......
I had promised myself that today would be the day for the first restart, and went over in my mind all of the things that I hoped I got right....
Advised that it would be best to pre-oil by running the starter with the plugs out, and the coil detached, along with the fuel pump, I proceeded to crank using two batteries in parallel.....
With my throat completely dry, and with a big gulp, I watch the oil pressure needle...NOT MOVE...not even twitch....!!
O.K., try, try again.....no fuel pressure....By now, I am conviced that the Lord of Darkness has jumped from the electrical system to the oil pump...DID I USE THE WRONG PUMP GASKET???? Did I orient the gasket incorrectly???.... OH , $%^t !
Alright, I'll, hook up all the electricals to the engine, and run the fuel pump, and start the engine...If the pressure doesn't come up, I'll shut the engine down within 10 seconds.....BUT THE ENGINE DOESN'T START!!!! OMG! Three months down the toilet...My wife will kill me, with all the money I threw at the stupid thing. CURSE YOU L.O.D.!
Check the plugs....THEY'RE DRY AS A BONE!!! NO FUEL!!! AARRG!
So now, completely dumfounded and frustrated, I start cursing the Lord of Darkness...Throwing wrenches, and such...and , basically going completely NUTS!
Calming myself, (REALLY!), I begin dismounting the SU's for the 500th time, and, taking them ever so gently, to the workbench...Secretly cursing the toilet maker for ever coming up with such a rediculous idea.....Opening the bowels of the things, and just knowing they both would be completely dry....OMG!!! Gas everywhere...but NONE going into the engine.
So now, with baited breath, and ever-so-gently re-mounting the pair, while struggling for the 500th time , with the lower mounting nuts...Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, I realize that , while I did try everything to get the car to start, I had overlooked something so obvious, as to even embarrass myself!
YES, in attempting to re-start the car for the first time, I FORGOT TO STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL!!!....VROOOM! Goes the little 4-banger! HOLY BRITISH LEYLAND , BATMAN, YOU'VE DONE IT!!
So, now, ALL I have to worry about, is whether the transmission , and it's associated hydraulic clutch, will cooperate...Tune in tomorrow for the next amazing episode! The SHADOW KNOWS!!!
HA HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha, etc.

Great story, Ed! :)

It would have been worth the drive to Hiawassee to watch! But of course, it's always worth driving to Hiawassee....:)

Can't wait for tomorrow night's exciting episode - same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

AHhhhhhhh, the little things.............

The devil is in the details! Glad to hear that it came out in your favor. That was a great story.

OIL pressure dadgummit what about the oil pressure.:thumbsup:

I'm sorry I left out the oil pressure finale'.....As soon as the engine cranked, the oil pressure came right up to 50+ lbs.....Big sigh of relief....
Now, if I can just get the air out of that stupid clutch slave...........More to follow.
Edward

your garage sounds alot like my garage. we must be related. after all, your mom and my mom were both moms under the same sun.

Mr. Barry. Take a oil pump can, you know the one that has a pump on it and a nozzle?

Clean it out and flush clean brake fluid through it.
Now get a hose that will fit unto the end and unto the clutch slave bleeder screw.
Got that?

Hook 'um up, open the bleeder and pump at least 10 times,
Close the bleeder and try it......

If it doesn't work, then pump more.
Make sure to place a shop towel on top of the clutch master cylinder to catch fluid......
Get back to me and lemme know if it woiks.......

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Just to update the story.....
Our adventure continues, as , in the a.m. , I carefully approach the cursed conveyance, just knowing that , even in cold weather, the little rascal will start right up.....Checked the condition of the two batteries, still connected in parallel, sit in the seat, get comfy, and turn the key to start.....
And, what do you think happened? NOTHING...that's right children, the starter relay clicks, the fuel-pump rattles, but there is no beautiful sound of starter gears engaging, and turning....In fact, other then my own breath, THERE IS NO SOUND AT ALL!.....
GRINDING OF TEETH is heard for several hundred yards....LOUD CURSING is haunting the neighborhood....
So , now, with the car on the lift, and over my head, I take the connections off the starter, and attach a battery directly to it....STILL NOTHING....
Hesitating for only minutes, I climb the ladder, and remove the top starter bolt, then, from the ground, remove the lower bolt, and manhandle the offending appendage to the bench....
Then , using the 12V charger, I proceed to test the various connections on the starter.....Solenoid seems to work, and, testing separately, starter spins free....WHAT THE F%^& ! So , for the next half hour, and with much more GRINDING OF TEETH (teeth getting really short by now), I hoist the M-FING gismo back into place, and get it re-installed, get the connections re-connected, check the starter relay, get back into the car, and VROOOOM! Don't ask...cause I haven't the slightest idea what happened....
As to the tranny, it turned out, that the newest way of "bleeding" the clutch m/c, DID NOT WORK, and my friend showed up just in time to help pump the clutch pedal, and bleed it the old fashioned way.....
Shifting under power works great....Doesn't even slow the engine down, as it used to....In fact, it worked so well, I almost ran the car off the lift!
Tomorrow, I'll test the start and run one more time, and then proceed to painting the underside of the hood.
Thanks for viewing my ongoing saga.
Edward