MICK’S WORKSHOP
SORTING THE 170 PURSUIT
Knockers and Collectors
Dave Morley’s recent menion of the Commer Knocker raised my brow. I drove one for a short while.
Back when trucks were not as big or as powerful as they are today, they ran these interstate. However I just drove one around town.
It had a unique twostroke engine running two crankshafts, the pistons came together in a reverse boxer set up forming their own combustion chambers.
Unlike the lovely bellowing howl of a Detroit ‘Jimmy’ diesel, the poor ol’ knocker had a raspy note which sounded more like a sort of fractured fart.
With no syncros, if you missed a gear on your double de-clutch that engine would scream when you hit the go-pedal and let everyone around know what an idiot you were. Very embarrassing situation. I’m talking from bitter experience here!
Incidentally what’s wrong with Hillman Hunters? My mate had a GT Hunter which seemed to be classier than the Cortina and was just as fast. Also my brother in law had an Arrow which, despite being rather basic, was still quite comfortable. I think their relatively higher prices might have stif led sales a bit.
Aussie Sadler
G’DAY AUSSIE, I remember the ‘knockers’ very well. They seemed to be everywhere, but these days the only place you’ll see them is the odd truck show. I wonder what happened to them – that’s a lot of scrap metal!
As for Hillmans, there’s still a passionate tribe out there and I‘ve worked on a few. They were a pretty simple thing to deal with, even the performance variants with the twin Strombergs. The Hunter’s name was really ‘made’ with Andrew Cowan’s incredible 1968 win in the London-Sydney Marathon. His co-drivers were Colin Malkin and Brian Coyle.
And who can forget the Australia-only Hillman Hunter Hustler? They were a wild-looking thing out of the Chrysler/Rootes Tonsley Park outfit and you’d be very happy to have one in the shed these days.
We have a couple of good Hillman Hunter stories online – search in ‘News & Reviews’ at tradeuniquecars.com.au.
Light Me Up
I read about Ed Guido’s BMW and how it was showing a brake light fault when all three lamps were working. I had a similar situation in a Fairlane.
So here’s my tip: if the vehicle has three stop light globes, remove two of them, turn on the ignition and put your foot on the brake pedal until the warning light failure lights up.
Turn off the ignition replace the globes and test.
This can reset the resistance in the cluster for the light globe failure.
The same thing can happen when you have faulty trailer plug wiring as well. Hope this helps.
Ian Jeffs
GOOD ONE, Ian. Globes are one of those things that often cause more trouble than their worth. A few more tips: always use quality globes, where there’s a choice – the cost difference is microscopic; If you replace one, replace the set, as you can be sure the others are on the way out; Make sure they’re all the same wattage and the correct type of bayonet.
You’d be amazed at
how often someone will force the wrong globe into place (usally buggering up the socket at the same time), because they can’t be stuffed going to the nearest auto store. I can maybe understand it if you’re in the proverbial Timbuktu, but most of us live in or near a big population centre.
Daimler Shift
G’day Mick. I’ve got a 1967 Daimler 250 V8, with the Borg Warner three-speed auto, which has been a litt le clunk y wit h its gear changes. I was adv ised to change the transmission f luid from the modern gear to Castrol Transma x Ty pe F, which is specif ica lly for those old Pommie BW boxes from t he si xties and boy has it made a dif ference.
I’m told t hat it will get even better when I do a few more oil changes, and a ll the residue from the modern stuf f is clea ned out. So I look for ward to t hat.
I a lready use nonsy nt hetic engine oil in t he sweet litt le Edward Turnerdesigned 2500cc V8. But I was wondering if there are any ot her areas, like t he dif f, where I should be using the old lubrica nts?
The only modern modification I’ve made to t he old darling is I’ve insta lled electronic power steering, made by a Dutch mob ca lled EZ Steer (Oz distributor Cummins Classic Cars, NSW), which has made a huge difference to t he driveabilit y of t he car. Though I have had a few purists tell me I’ve r uined her. But it’s my forever car and neit her of us are getting any younger. So bugger ‘em! Love your work Gary G Smith
A DAIMLER V8, eh? As a motorcyclist and a bit of a Triumph fan, I have a soft spot for any Edward Turner design and that particular engine is a gem. Yes, you should be using non-synthetic oils designed for that period car – no question.
One of the pioneers of making sure these old machines were properly looked after was Jack Dymond, of Penrite. That company has a pretty good online lubricant selection guide, which is worth checking.
As for your clunky transmission, make sure the bands are adjusted correctly. The Borg Warners are basically a good thing.
I’m with you when it comes to the power steering. The fact is a power tiller can make or break your enjoyment of a car – you might notice we did a conversion on the Ed’s Kingswood last issue. While so-called ‘experts’ or ‘purists’ will express dismay, making it more driveable has to be a good thing, unless you’ve decided to give up and turn it into a museum piece. Let’s face facts: it ’s your toy and you can do what you like with it!
Pursuit Power
Hi Mick. I’ve got an XM Ford hardtop with a 170 Pursuit engine in prett y much original trim. It’s never going to win a race, but t hat’s not t he point. It’s easy enough to go out buy a faster car.
Any way, the engine has near enough to 200,000 miles on it and it’s getting t i red. It st i l l sta r ts, but it’s smokey, using a bit of oil and I’m g uessing a fair few of t he horses have escaped.
It should be okay for a rebuild, despite t he age and mileage, shouldn’t it?
John Clark
I SUSPECT if you opened up that engine, you’d find very little wear other than in the cylinder head. Believe it or not, even the pistons might not be showing too much wear – that’s just how they were built. As tough as old boots.
It will depend on how far you want to go, but even the full birthday won’t be too punishing. You could probably get away with a top-end rebuild, with most of the effort and expense going to the head for fresh valve seats and guides.
Personally I’d go the whole way with six new slugs and bearings.
If you love the car, do it all. That is, linish the crank journals, fit fresh bearings, plus hone the bores and fit new pistons and rings. You could do much of it at home and just send the head out to a specialist. If you’re sending out the whole job, look for someone who understands old engines. In any case it won’t cost a million dollars and it will outlive all of us. It’ll do another 200,000 and the parts are readily available.
“IT WILL OUTLIVE ALL OF US”