Another long time since my last entry. I've been working on the interior a bit here and there, as time permits, but the B has still been on a bit of a "back burner". My door panels finally arrived from England, which was a boost to the project. The only thing left to install at this point is the center console, which will require polishing the chrome ring and bolts a bit.

Big task for today was the fitting of the hood! First, I needed to touch-up the frame a bit. Did this kinda backwards - I had my daughter help me install the frame last weekend, so I had to use lots of large cardboard panels to mask the interior while spraying the paint. But it all worked out! The hood was practically brand-new when I dismantled the car in 1998, and it's been in storage ever since. The windows are still nice and clear, and the whole thing cleaned up pretty well with a wet rag. When I installed it last decade, I didn't quite pull it tight enough, and it would always "balloon" at speed. So today I punched a new set of holes for the header rail, slightly aft of the old ones, to give the top more tension.

But now it won't quite close! I really don't know if the top might have shrunk a bit over the years while in storage, or if I just need to give it some time (and sunshine) to stretch back out again. Hope it's the latter, 'cause if it's the former, then I'm in for a complete install again, including drilling out all of the rivets for the header rail seal channel - ugh!

So, I'll put it out in the sun this coming weekend, and see what happens...

Wow - a month since my last entry. Actually, I have been taking some "time off" from the B. Sometimes I get saturated with a project, and I need to take time away from it, lest I get burned out. I've been spending the last few weeks building a semi-hollow fretless bass guitar - playing and building basses is my other serious hobby at this stage in my life.

But this weekend I felt like wrenching again. So I decided to figure out once and for all what was wrong with the motor - it would start up fine, then die after ten seconds or so. I had been fooling with the carbs, actually removing my old Grose Jets for my old needle valves, thinking there was some sticking from old gas. That gave me another chance to check the float level, but it didn't fix my fuel starvation problem. Yesterday I decided to troubleshoot from the tank forward. When I pulled the lines from the fuel pump, I found a good deal of gooey residue built up in the banjo fittings. After removing the pump, cleaning all of the goo out, and reinstalling, I now have good fuel flow to the carbs.

Today's task was to work some more on the interior. I want to install a decent stereo in the car, because I love music while driving. My approach will be a pair of 4" speakers behind the headrests, a pair of surface-mount tweeters on the dash somewhere, and a subwoofer in the spare battery bin behind the driver's seat. No headunit, just a four-channel amp with an iPod cable. A few weekends ago I built the sub box out of MDF, and mounted the 6.5" Kicker sub in it. Today I measured for the 4" speakers (Infinity Reference), and came close to getting one of them completely mounted. It took a lot of time to figure out where and how to run the wiring, which required figuring out where to mount the amp. I decided to mount the amp in the passenger's footwell, where the map pocket would otherwise go (I'll do without the map pocket). Then I finally decided to run the wires under the edges of the carpet. It's not as clean of an install as I would like, but it'll have to do.

Also took my spare heater valve apart and added some fresh rubber to the diaphragm. I used a round "sticky foot" designed for furniture feet. It seems to hold well - hope it lasts! Mounted it with a minimum of lost coolant.

With the fuel delivery problem fixed and the heater valve fixed, there was nothing stopping me from driving it again. I had acquired insurance a couple of weeks ago, so I'm now completely legal. Took a deep breath, turned the key and listened to the fuel pump fill the float bowls again. Then I fired her up, and sure enough, she stayed running, sounding good and strong. I took her out through the neighborhood for fifteen minutes or so. She ran strongly, and I think the brakes are re-bedding themselves fairly well. The Moss Tourist Trophy exhaust is certainly "sporty" sounding!

Brought her back to the house and felt good! Had a bit of daylight left, so I decided to give her a wash. I hadn't washed her at all while I was reassembling her, so there was a serious layer of dust and dirt on her. There was also some overspray on the front wings from when I used rattlecan undercoating on the underside of them. The dust and dirt came off readily enough, but the numerous little flecks of undercoating required some scrubbing with a plastic kitchen scrubber, which actually worked pretty well. Still not done with the driver's side wing, though...

After dinner, I took her on her first real drive around town, heading to the grocery store for beer and ice cream cones (really!). I was pleased to discover that the headlamps seem to be aimed pretty well. I splurged on Cibies, with my old homemade relay harness, and they're wonderful. All of the lamps work properly, and my LED 1157 replacements are nice and bright.

So now I feel that, even though the interior still isn't done, and even though the hood isn't yet mounted, I can begin using her on a daily basis with the tonneau, as long as it doesn't rain. Yay!

A banner day! After almost eleven years, the little B chugged down the road under her own power! It was only around the neighborhood a few times, but it's a milestone nonetheless!

Actually there was very little drama involved. I had a little bit of trouble with the Grose Jets in the carbs sticking, but I had (years ago) saved the original needle valves, so I swapped them out, re-set the float height, and fired her up. Had to re-adjust the mixture and idle speed - actually had to leave the idle rather high to avoid stalling - but she runs reasonably well.

So I hopped in, tested the clutch and gearbox again, and slowly backed out of the driveway. Then I put her in first gear and gave her some gas. She picked right up, with a throaty rasp from the exhaust. Then second gear, and time for the first corner. Brakes are really soft. Maybe just the pads working through the surface rust on the rotors; not sure. Have to remember to brake really early and be very careful. Steering feels good - combination of new tires, poly bushings, and a rack that's actually properly lubricated. Steering wheel needs centering, though, and I probably should check the toe-in. Springs feel stiff, but I can't remember how they felt eleven years ago, and they're not uncomfortable, they just feel like a sportscar should. Accelerate through second and into third again, and crunch - not used to the tranny. I've been driving five-speeds so long that I forgot the four-speed lever is not spring-loaded. Must remember to actually push the gearshift over to the right side for third and fourth. But she sounds good and accelerates well enough for this limited test drive. Stop sign coming up - brake early! She gradually slows, and another left brings the whole thing round again. Test the horn as I pass the neighbors outside, and it sounds, but rather feebly - need to look into replacement horns, perhaps. And what's that blast of hot air on my right foot? A few more times around, and it's back into the driveway to the parking spot.

Feeling good, I hop down onto the concrete and check each wheel for leaking brake fluid, thinking perhaps my brand-new Speed Bleeders might not be fully seated. But everything looks dry, so that's good. Might be the calipers needing to be exercised a bit too.

I think the hot air is the heater. So at least it works! But it looks like I'll need a new valve. Something to put on the "to-do" list for later.

Wow - after all this time!

Been a while since I've posted updates. But the last three weeks have seen some more good progress on the car.

First, the interior - The carpet is finished, except for the map pocket in the passenger's footwell, which may or may not be reinstalled. I may decide to use that location to mount an amplifier instead. The carpet kit from TRF really was pretty simple to install. Everything was cut properly, though I had to do a little trimming on the wheel arch pieces. The toe board pieces are a pain to mount using the original screw holes, since you can't line up the screw with the hole visually with the panel in place! But a little careful measuring, and it looks pretty good.

Seats are in. I had the seats re-done by a local auto upholstery shop, and I chose a faux-leather material with cloth center sections. The original vinyl seats would always burn the crap out of my legs in summertime, so this should be a marked improvement. I tried mounting the seats using the original wooden spacers under the seat rails, but that quickly became a futile endeavor, especially with the brand-new carpet not yet fully compressed. So I pitched them, and bolted the rails directly to the floor. Seats still work just fine.

Tina bought me a nice MOMO wooden steering wheel a few years back as a present, and it's been hanging on the wall in the bedroom ever since. MGOC in the UK carries a boss to fit MOMO wheels, and I mounted the boss and rigged the horn wiring. The instructions that came with the boss were less than clear, but a quick archive search told me what I needed to know - the brass ring has to be transferred from the factory wheel to the MOMO boss, and a wire run from that ring through the center for the horn push. Haven't yet (permanently) installed the wheel, since I still need to install trim panels in the footwell, and I'm waiting on the right screws from TRF...

Cranked the motor over once, and it still ran very rough. So I pulled the valve cover to check/adjust the valves, and I discovered that #6 had been sticking the whole time! I imagine that this was the cause of the "sudden rough running" that I reported a few entries back, on initial startup. I noticed that the valve would return to its proper position after about ten minutes, which told me that the valve stem wasn't bent. So several days' application of PB Blaster, and she gradually freed herself right up. Glad I didn't have to pull the head! Now the motor won't start, but I think the problem this time is that the battery voltage is too low to run the fuel pump. So I'll give it a quick charge later this week and see what happens!

Decided that now was the time to buy tires. I knew I would need to replace my 12-year old Goodyears, but I took this opportunity to treat myself to a set of Superlites from Hap's Acme Speed Shop. I chose the 15" wheels, with charcoal centers. They sure are pretty! The plus-one fitment also means I'll have a wider variety of quality tires available to me in the future, as the smaller sizes are gradually being phased out. Supply and demand, you know.

Update 6/10/2009 - I got the engine started again. I charged the battery, verified spark, did a compression test (155 across the board - yay!), tested the fuel pump again, tried some starter fluid (it ran for one second, then died), and scratched my head a good bit. Finally, today I decided that the problem had to be in the carbies. So I removed the filters, disconnected the lines, pulled the carbs, and disassembled them for cleaning.

Turns out both Grose Jets were stuck shut from varnish. I knew the gas in the tank was old, but there was such a small amount of it that I thought I could dilute it with plenty of fresh gas. I guess that strategy would be fine if I fired it up regularly, but I hadn't run it in several weeks, while I was working on the interior. Sure enough, cleaning the Grose Jets cured my ills. She started right up, and I took some time to run it at 2500 rpm to help seat tappet #6, that probably didn't seat the first time around because of the stuck valve. Then I did some quick and dirty mixture and idle tuning. Now I know I'm in the ballpark.

Also tested the clutch - she moved under her own power for the first time! It was only two inches, but it counts!

Update 6/15/2009 - Spoke with the machine shop about the valve guides. Turns out they installed what they call "bronze guide liners" - not full bronze guides, but a bronze layer inserted into the reamed-out cast iron guide. The bronze layer is only 30-thou, so the thermal expansion issue becomes negligible. And they incorporate a spiral groove for holding oil. So I think the reason it stuck in the first place was because of the lack of oil on first start-up. Now that the guide has been oiled, everything seems to be running fine.

A new chapter - work on the interior has begun!

After receiving my new washer nozzles from Moss (I know I have the originals somewhere; I just know it!) I was able to permanently install the dashboard. The rear-mounted nuts were fun, but it all went together okay.

Next task - carpet install! I purchased a nice carpet kit from The Magic Carpet Factory a couple of months ago, when they were on sale. Finally, it was time to break it open and install it! So I cleaned all of my miscellaneous tools, parts, and debris out of the car, gave it a thorough vacuuming, and set to work.

The kit itself contains 22 pieces of pre-cut carpet, along with a pouch of fasteners and a nice instruction manual. The only additional purchase necessary was a can of 3M Trim Adhesive. I took my time, test-fitting each piece of carpet several times before actually applying the adhesive. The rear wheel arch pieces were flat carpet, which I think they were from the factory, so there is a little bit of wrinkling there, but nothing too major. The gearbox tunnel cover is also flat carpet, with a pair of tucks sewn into the rear half to fit the taper. It works pretty well! Installing the gearbox piece also meant it was time to permanently install my gearshift lever, so I got my new bushing out, installed it, greased up the mechanism, and bolted the lever in place. So far so good!

A milestone weekend! Took Friday off to work on getting the engine running. Never did get any oil pressure by just cranking the motor over on the starter, but I had read some advice that stated this can be difficult. I watched oil squirt out of the disconnected oil cooler hose when the key was turned, so I felt confident that, once started, the oil pressure would come up quickly.

Wrong.

I ran it in three or four short bursts, for a total of about 45 seconds. Never did see any oil pressure.

Damn.

Only thing to do now is drop the oil pan and double-check the oil pump gasket. Sounds simple enough, except for the front three oil pan bolts that are nearly impossible to get to. Finally figured out how to reach them from the front, but it was tedious.

One. Flat. At. A. Time.

Finally, they were off, and the rest of them came off rather quickly. Three nuts holding the oil pump to the crankcase, and it's obvious why I had no oil pressure. I had the wrong gasket. This is apparently a very common occurrence, as there's one gasket that's correct for the 3-main engines, and a different (larger) one for the 5-main engines. Wish I had known about this ten years ago when I assembled the short block!

At any rate, it turns out I had the correct gasket on hand - in the "left over" stack from the rebuild kit - and it was a straightforward task to fit it. Then the oil pan went back on. And those front three bolts became doubly difficult. You know how it's always easier to disassemble something than to reassemble it? Imagine trying to start the threads on three bolts that you can just barely get your fingers on! I finally figured out how to use the box end of one combination wrench as a "finger" to hold the bolt in place, while using the open end of the correct-sized wrench to slowly turn the bolt. This actually worked pretty well, provided I didn't move any of my muscles or try to breathe at the same time.

By this time it was dark. I spent the rest of the evening worrying about the state of my bearings...

Next morning I picked up where I left off. I pulled the plugs back out, grounded the coil lead, unhooked the wire to the fuel pump, and turned the key. After about 30 seconds, I showed 75 pounds of pressure on the oil gauge. That's a good sign! Maybe it means that the bearings will be okay after all?

Wheeled the car back out from under the carport - I read some good advice once that said never to start a new engine in an enclosed space, in case fire breaks out - checked the fuel pump, and fired her off again. She ran a bit rough this time, but she ran, and showed almost 100 pounds of pressure at 2500 rpm. Ran her this way for almost 20 minutes, to bed in the new cam and lifters. She was still spinning along when, all of a sudden, the rpms shot from 2500 up to redline! What the hell? I instinctively ran around and shut her off. I wasn't sure what that was all about, so I pushed her back under the cover and went off to brood about it.

Later that evening I had a workable theory. Since I'm a cheapskate, I had re-used some old spark plugs in the engine. I think that one (or more) of them wasn't firing at first, but then somehow it started working all of a sudden. So I think the engine was running on three cylinders at first, then when the fourth one caught, it was enough to kick the revs way up.

So Sunday I went and purchased four brand-new Champions and installed them along with the correct vacuum hose for the anti-runon valve. I also attached the license plate bracket, which provides a proper ground for the fuel pump (I had used a jumper wire earlier). I tightened the fan belt, then I fired her off once again. She sputtered and ran for a minute or so, then refused to run any more. Oil pressure was still good, though, so I think maybe I have some junk in the carbs? Or perhaps the battery needs a recharge from the weekend's activities. At any rate, I confirmed that my alternator charges!

Next steps are charging the battery and checking for a fat blue spark, then shooting some starting fluid into the carbs and trying again. But, all in all, I consider this a success!

Update: Monday afternoon, after getting home from work, I put the charger on the battery. It seemed to be fully charged, so I pulled the choke out and turned the key again. She fired right up! Still plenty of oil pressure, but she still runs a bit rough. I discovered that she runs more smoothly when I keep the choke pulled out, which implies a lean mixture at the carbs. This would help account for the rough running, and it also makes sense when you consider that I haven't done any carb adjustments since removing them from the car eleven years ago. Back then I was running paper filters in the factory cans, and now she's wearing K&N filters, which (from everything I've read) can result in a lean mixture. So I have a feeling that a little richening of the carbs will smooth her right out.