[Tigers] Possible solution to servo issue

[Marc James Small]

At 12:18 AM 7/27/2012, Jay Laifman wrote:
 >6 years?  That's crazy.  Even though, as someone pointed out, dad preferred
 >stock, there is a point where stock doesn't make sense - and I'm calling
out
 >spending all that money to rebuild a servo with the knowledge that it will
 >only last 6 years.  I'm starting to think that dual master makes a lot of
 >sense!

Hmm.  I have rebuilt a number of these boosters
over the years, and the ones I do seem to last
fifteen years or more.  I did do an article in
the old Sunbeam Car Club newsletter on the
rebuild procedure, around 1976, and Curt Meinel
probably still has it at his fingertips.  My copy
of the article is buried in the garage along with
all of my  collectible camera literature but if I
come across it, I will scan it and make it
available.  (Tiger Tom and Curt and Jim D'Amelio
will be delighted to learn that I acheived my
lifetime career ambition of being a Kept Man in
2006.  Trust me, lads, it is great!  My wife will
be retiring in a few years, and we shall then be
moving, though for reasons which escape me, and
then I shall have access to all of my back
files.  As it is, I have parts lists and factory
tech manuals and a bunch of after-market stuff at
hand -- the manuals are around three feet in
height!  Not all are Sunbeam, a few are Triumph and VW.)

There are no great tricks to rebuilding a Girling
servo unit.  In my experience, the larger units
are easier to rebuild than the smaller
ones.  Absolute cleanliness is required and great
caution.  Clean with parafin (kerosene) and then
sandpaper out the tub.  Spend some time on
that.  Then rebuild.  I had not thought of
neatsfoot oil (oh, those poor little neats,
running around on their stumps!) but that
deserves a DOH! slap, as I have used neatsfoot
oil for years, back in my hiking days, and that
makes great sense.  Girling Red Rubber Grease?  I
am astonished that there is any Sunbeam person
who is unfamiliar with this concoction.  Yes, it
is available through Lucas but it is also
included in most Girling rebuild kits.  Bear in
mind that Girling used real rubber seals and that
this is not the same thing as is the US practice.

You folks are slowly making me feel that it is
time for me to pick up another Alpine, if I could
find one.  Or a '57  VW bus.  <he grins>

I have been far out of the loop for a lot of
years, but I have been following this list for a
decade or more, and you people have taught me a lot.  Thanks!

Marc


msmall at aya.yale.edu
Cha robh b`s fir gun ghr`s fir!