In message <950427003125_97897515@aol.com> writes:
> Does the aluminum valve cover have a little enameled globe on it? Those are
> cool. I've only seen one in person and heard of a couple others.
No globe. It has no markings at all. Just fins and a centre opening for
filling oil. Its period but probably made by a third party.
>
> Tell us more Teri! Where'd you get the harmonic dampner? Is it the kit from
> British frame and engine, or did you make it yourself? Is it worth it?
Its the British frame & engine harmonic dampener. The kit comes with the
dampener, an alloy water pump pully and a fan belt. Traditionally the crank has
tended to break at the base of the flywheel flange from harmonics a little above
5000 RPMs. Some Racestorations people in the UK got hold of the British Leyland
crank harmonic curves and found a crank with almost identical harmonic
charisterics. The fitted the harmonic dampener on the TR's crank and discovered
that it can be reved will over 6000 RPMs repeatedly without breaking the crank.
The harmonic dampener is off one of the older MGs if I remember correctly.
>
> I assume that means you have an electric fan.
Yes, thermostatically controlled 10 inch.
> are you running an alternator, or just a different
> pulley on the generator? How's it all work?
Stock generator with narrow pully off a different Lucas generator.
>Tell us more Teri!
Engine has nitrided crank, engine is balanced, external oil cooler, 87mm
pistons, 280 degree fast street cam, header, 45 DCOEs built down to 42 specs,
0.06 taken off the head, ports polished, valve pockets opened up, oversize
intake valves, shortened tubular push rods, shrouding removed from around intake
valve in combustion chaimbers, combustion chaimbers polished, oil pump
surfaced, optional cast aluminum oil pan with special deeper oil pickup, special
rocker arm shaft pedistals that support ends of rocker arm shaft, spring spacers
between rocker arms replaced with copper tubes to maintain constant spacing,
intake manifolds polished and matched to head intake, reworked distributer
weights (No vacume advance with DCOEs), special heavy duty fixings
throughout...You know, the normal things a girl does to an engine to get to the
mall a little faster when the sales hit.
The front suspension has been renewed with the comp. coil springs, nylatron
bushings and a big antisway bar, adjustable gas front shocks. The rear shocks
have been rebuilt with heavy duty valves added. You know, the usual stuff a
girl needs to beat the other girls into those hard to find parking spaces at the
mall;*)
The 3 does have a TR4 all syncro overdrive transmission that I installed a year
before I took her off the road for the rebuild.
And I do confess I do not like the looks of the stock TR3 steering wheel. It
has a Motoleta Wood steering wheel (Like the factory rally TRs).
But other than that I'm trying to keep her as stock as possible with factory
original body, interior and soft top colours for that car. I choose a colour
for my new factory hard top from among the colours available for that year TR3A.
I have been working hard to have the correct parts located/routed /finished in
the correct way. I'm even going back to the factory rubber matts instead of the
aftermarket style carpeting. I've renewed the wiper motor with the correct
paint in the correct locations, have the gray speedo & tack cable housings,
correct hose clamps, correct cable routings. Other than a few minor period
performance tweeks I have tried very hard to build a new overrestorred (2 coats
of clear over the colour paint, and yes I fell into the trap of lining up the
heads of bolts) TR3A.
I figure as long as someone dosn't look under the bonnet, they can smugly look
at my TR and say its not perfect because of the motoleta steering wheel and the
oil temperature guage. Of course if they look behind the Lucas fog lamps and
the grill, they will see an oil cooler. Well no one's perfect.
TeriAnn Wakeman .sig closed for remodeling
twakeman@apple.com
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