Well, Save for the front badge, which is in the process of being painted, and
the convertible top(which has defied all attempts at proper fitting, and so
will result in a trip to a top fitter's) I think this car defacto finished.
I worked till 3 am trying to get a decent fit of the hood, and found, when in
place, it was so tight the doors would not close, due to the front and center
sections pulling together! So, I tightened all the frame bolts, folded the hood
into the well, installed the rear seat, et al, and put the hood well cover on.
Looks great, sunny day driving till I get to the fitters.(I may end up buying a
brand new, unshrunk hood at this point- I am well and truly frustrated)
Had a little issue with ignition Saturday- I was driving back from the wheel
balancing(which eliminated most of my vibration issue) when she started
stalling at low RPM's. Got into the drive and lost it entirely. First thought,
the dizzy. And so it was- I failed to properly lube the point cam, and the
point rider wore away till the points closed! A quick readjust with the happy
little Lucas tool, and a little lithium grease, and she is back in fettle. I
will be picking up spare point sets, just in case...Always good to have them in
the boot kit.
Generally, she is a decent little driver. I have put about 50 miles(total) on
since I got her roadworthy, and, other than for the above mentioned incident,
and a slipping accelerator cable(since repaired) she moves well. Shifting is
smooth, although I have an unexplained external high pitch jingle when in 3rd,
I think it may be in relation to the shift linkage. She has the normal "low
whine" I recall from years back(and similar to my friend's MGTD(1954) which I
drove the other week).
Steering is easy, with practically no play and/or wander. I even drove back
from Burger King this evening, top down(for reasons previously mentioned) in a
slight drizzle, with a soda in my left hand, steering, shifting and switching
the wipers on and off with my right. (Dinner fit nicely in the glove box,
stayed warm for the 4 mile trip, and was quite delicious when eaten shortly
thereafter) I do feel a need to install at least one cup holder- but WHERE?
Brakes, while not rock solid, are firm and react well. Being used to manual
brakes with my 69 Plymouth, I find the transition not disruptive. Braking
action is quite equal, with no noticeable pulling upon application.And yes- I
did use silicone fluid in both the brake system and clutch system.
Lights all work as they should. Headlamps are halogen sealed beams, and
function well. All others are standard, except for the addition of a 4 way
flasher and switch, utilizing existent turnsignal lamps.
The horns create a little issue- they do not always respond to the button. I
feel this is either a ground issue, or perhaps a contact issue with the ring in
the column. They do work, but not in certain positions of the wheel.
Fuel gauge seems to be working OK, although I am not sure of fuel consumption
rate yet- I still need to get the carbs fully tuned. I think I am running them
a little rich, using more gas than necessary.
I just changed the oil(at 21 miles) having "cleared through" the assembly lube,
etc, and put in Valvoline straight 30 wt. Non-Detergent for the break in
period, upon advice of one of the local rebuilders of good reputation. I used
10-w-40 for the initial startup, as that was on hand...
All body panels, and glass are now properly in place, just in time to miss
almost every summer rally, meet etc. What timing.
I will try to get together a new website in the next few weeks, with the
before, during, and after shots, although I will certainly have to cull through
for the best- I have hundreds of pics I have taken , and can't post them all!
Scott
64 Herald 1200-12/50 Convertible
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