Peerless GT
Gary’s Peerless is road legal and proving to be raw fun
My apologies, it’s been a while. The good news is the Peerless is road legal and in use. Last time I wrote, it was being prepared for its first MOT in more than 20 years. Although eligible for MOT exemption, I wanted impartial expertise and eyes to provide a critical analysis of my work. Paul, my MOT tester, agreed to do a pre-check to iron out any glaring failures for me to rectify accordingly.
Pre-test preparations
There were four issues: the brake lights remained on; one front caliper was lazy (or so I thought); the swept arc of the wiper arms was almost 180-degrees – way too much and potentially damaging the bodywork; and finally, the footoperated high/low beam switch had packed in.
I wrongly assumed I had reconnected the brake lights’ wiring incorrectly after some work in the boot area, but having checked it, no fault was found. The brake light switch was now the most likely culprit and by disconnecting both wires to it, I found the lights went out as hoped. Knowing switch replacement would require bleeding the brakes again, I checked the front caliper. That’s when I realised that the poor brakes were due to weeping fluid from the outer bridge pipe union lubricating the pads and disc. A new switch was fitted a few days later, and I also made up a new caliper bridge pipe on the bench. The pads and disc were thoroughly cleaned down with paint thinners and left to dry before reassembly.
Once bled, the brake lights worked and the pads were able to grip the disc correctly again.
The wiper arm sweep was caused by the 125-degree gear wheel, which was already fitted when I bought the motor some years ago at a car show. It was either Spitfire or MGB spec, and after much back-to-school head scratching and diagram studying using protractors and rulers I believed I needed closer to 100 degrees – probably... But I had run out of time before the pre-test, so it went without wiper arms.
Easy switching
The faulty foot-switch surprised me as it had been working a few weeks earlier and had not been used since. To disconnect the three wires at their terminals on the back of it in the engine bay involves reaching down behind the rear carb with a small screwdriver, and it was then that I had a light bulb moment. I would fit the new switch, but also fit an inline multi-connector to the harness close to the battery. I could then simply remove both screws from the footwell and pull the switch plus wiring through in seconds. Also, when the gearbox cover needs removal, the switch can stay in situ. The new switch was tested before fitting, and once completed, the pre-test was booked.
On the day, Paul noted some missing split pins on both rear leaf springs’ front nuts. I also spotted a few missing grease nipples. The headlamps were adjusted and a few bolts of dubious lengths were highlighted on the front wishbone pans where a combination of old Nyloc and plain nuts needed sorting. That was it, and boy was I relieved. I now had the list of small stuff to work through, which I managed in evenings over the following three weeks.
A call to Car Builder Solutions for a new gear solved the wiper arm arc mystery, and they suggest 95 or 90 degrees would do it. They only had stock of 90-degree gear wheels, so I ordered one and to my delight it worked perfectly.
Elation, with wet patches
The MOT test was booked, but the journey to the test centre would be the furthest I had ever driven the car, so I was both nervous and excited. Luckily the weather was good, so I could forget about rain getting into areas where seals hadn’t yet been fitted. Keeping it under 3000rpm, the trip was raw and as each minute of the 25-minute drive ticked away, my confidence grew and grew. The noise and heat certainly made their presence felt, but what a buzz. That buzz got louder as the exhaust downpipe caught on the front edge of the MOT ramp, pulling the pipe off, but Paul patiently re-attached it when it was cool enough and began the test. Nothing else came to light during the test, so there I was, with an MOT certificate some 15 years after trailering the car home. I was elated!
Two days later, I noticed wet patches on the floor. The shakedown process had begun... ■ strettonclassics@gmail.com