Final approach
Michael’s Spitfire is Mot-ready at last… but will it pass?
It’s been a while since my most recent instalment appeared in PC, but things have been coming along nicely. The only part I knew to be missing from my race car project now was a the it hold for
I removed the leaking front brake caliper, cleaned it up and despatched it back to the supplier who had kindly agreed they’d look into why my new caliper was leaking even though it was technically now several years old (although entirely unused).
Grease is the word
Many months ago I’d shown a photograph of my rear drum brakes to a friend who pointed out I’d used the wrong grease on the adjuster. High temperature grease is required here to stop it melting and running onto the brake shoes and without thinking I’d used the more ordinary kind. At the time I made a note of this but didn’t correct it. I now stripped the adjusters off the car, degreased them thoroughly and rebuilt them correctly. Hopefully that’s a future problem averted before it happens.
The front anti-roll bar links on my car are also adjustable, however this isn’t just a matter of undoing a locknut and turning the adjuster. The link has to be partially removed from the car, adjusted and then refitted before you can tell whether the correct tension has been achieved. After several iterations of this process it seemed reasonable, but I’ll have to check it again once the car’s been driven.
In the meantime the saga of the leaky caliper was finally resolved. The thread in the union where the flexible brake pipe fits was found to be damaged. The supplier found an engineer who remade the thread and declared it to be usable. I ordered a replacement flexible hose as well just to be on the safe side and refitted it all. With the air purged from the system there was no sign of a leak. I’ll keep an eye on this for the first few miles once the car is on the road.
The steering rack gaitors were both past their best and starting to crack despite the rack itself being in good condition. Changing the nearside one was quite easy. The offside one was much harder. The inner end of the gaiter falls in a tight space between the suspension tower and the
modified radiator plumbing on my car. It was barely possible to get a finger to it, let alone grip it to force it over the end of the rack. And of course no matter how clean you think you have things, ten seconds after trying to fit the gaiter everything, including your hands, is covered in grease from the rack. Much struggling ensued and the gaitor was eventually shoved into place with the aid of a variety of screwdrivers, hooked tools and other levering implements.
Pump action
Testing the screen wash pump produced a tiny dribble of water and then nothing at all. Testing the electrics showed a healthy voltage at both the switch and the pump connections so the pump itself was removed for inspection. This is a brand new pump and it worked when it was first fitted so I reasoned that there couldn’t be too much wrong with it. Stripping the pump revealed it to be seized solid. Cleaning and reassembling with a spot of white grease quickly had it running properly again and it was refitted. Further testing provided a healthy spurt of water on the windscreen and also proved that my tiny ‘race spec’ tank of water really didn’t last very long! I refilled it ready for the MOT inspector.
Starting the engine and trying to drive the car out of the garage and back in again proved that the pedals were far too close together for comfort and the accelerator pedal was almost entirely inaccessible. In the car’s previous incarnation I’d fitted racy aluminium pedal extensions to give a wide, grippy area on each pedal. Now, with the new roll cage that mounts slightly further forward, even with my narrow race drivers boots on I’d need double-jointed ankles to reach the pedals.
Fortunately, the solution was very simple. Remove the aluminium extensions from the brake and clutch pedals and fit standard rubber pedal grips instead. This made the pedals narrower and therefore widened the gap between them. I’ll still not be able to drive the car with my workshop boots on but with a suitable choice of footwear things look good.
I was then able to book an MOT at long last. Driving a rebuilt car on the road for the first time is a nerve-wracking process. I’d also chosen a damp day with a greasy road surface for the first time out in a car with completely unknown handling characteristics! It’s only about one mile each way though so I set off with a mobile phone app standing in for my incorrect speedometer.
Forty minutes later I was in possession of the necessary piece of paper permitting my car to take to the road. A pass with no advisories at all!
There’s still quite a few things to do before the car sees a race track. In the meantime, I plan to wait until spring before putting the car on the road properly and getting a few miles under its wheels to fully prove everything.
practicalclassics@bauermedia.co.uk
‘The rack gaitor was eventually shoved into place’