Contact made!
1971 Morris Marina Super Coupe 1.3
Engine 1275cc/4-cyl/ohv Power 60bhp@5500rpm Top speed 84mph 0-60mph 14sec
Work since last report
Started: Bought many bits I promised I would give you the lowdown on the health of the engine and so, here it is. Josh Ward and Chris Weedon from the Marina Club supplied a spare Marina with a running engine and healthy battery, with which we could attempt to start my early 1.3 barn find. First I removed the fanbelt. The seized water pump would hinder things and there was no water present in any case.
After changing the oil and filter and establishing that the engine would turn over and that the starter was working we removed the king lead and turned the engine over to check for oil pressure. I had cleaned al the earths beforehand and so, as the oil light went out on the fourth turn, we knew we were good to go.
Points were cleaned and gapped, all electrics were checked and then, using an Autosparks plug indicator, we discovered that a decent spark was present. The carb had been removed, cleaned and remounted so filling the float chamber with fresh fuel would give us a fighting chance. One thing for it, We connected a battery, hooked up some stout jump leads to Josh’s car (for extra oomph) and off we went.
It took some persuading, but after a timing check and at the third fill of the float chamber, splutters became purrs and the Super sprang to life for the first time in years. It sounded sweet, too.