That over 50% of these 70 year old cars are still around is due partly to their charming simplicity. In the absence of advanced electronics, the generator control used an ingenuous electro-mechanical contraption that has proved to be robust. Although I'm involved in electronics , I have a great resp...

Hi Pat, Old copper washers will have work hardened and thus cannot deform to suit the sealing surfaces. The trick is to heat the copper washers up to bright red heat, which should anneal them. After heating they can be plunged into cold water to limit any further oxidization or just left to cool nat...

Hi Pat, I noted that you found the longer push-rod was a better fit; from your photo it seemed that the adjustment screw was wound down excessively, resulting in the push-rod being angled to the horizontal. Why not consider using the push-rod that gives the best horizontal alignment?
Regards, Eric.

Ceramic chip capacitors, unprotected in such a harsh environment and having to cope with peak currents as high as 3 amps may be working outside their comfort zone. Polypropyline capacitors are specified for pulse discharge conditions and are reliable. Potting them inside a copper tube enables not on...

Hi Pat, The push-rod should be adjusted until there's about 1/2" free play at the pedal before the piston starts to be operated. At this point the "ball" on the articulated joint should be slightly forward of a vertical line that passes through the centre of the pedal's bearing shaft. The "ball" wil...

Surprise, they are 7/16 UNF as they are based on Lockheed components.

Past and present ignition capacitors suffer from a poor assembly technique that relies on pressure pads making contact with the actual capacitor element. Industrial quality capacitors have "welded" internal connections, which give a lower contact resistance and are more reliable. Pulse rated capacit...

Hi Norman, you've not missed anything as I've jumped in without an explanation. I think what's happened is due to the excessive side thrust of the push rod. This has forced the push rod to become jammed in the master cylinder as the circlip has blocked the return of the push rod's elbow. You are qui...

Comments about the steep angle of the ball joint are "spot on". This can also be corrected if the bracket supporting the master cylinder is twisted back to its correct position. The bracket tends to twist due to the down-wards thrust of the push-rod and consequently exacerbates the situation due to ...

Hi Tim, From a survey of the original solder-in type capacitors, I've found many that have high series resistances due to poor manufacturing techniques. This can lead to reduced efficiency of the ignition system and possible failure. I wouldn't take anyone's claim that they are ok as gospel.

Hi Ian, There's a possibility that the greenish undercoat is a self-etching primer. Whilst self-etching primers are used for the very first coat of paint, most are quite thin followed by high-build undercoats. However, some self-etch primers are bulked-up and can be used to form a substantial underc...

I believe the original bolts had a short unthreaded shank which allowed the bolt to both seal and lock itself when screwed in due to the interference fit.

Hi Rick, I'm afraid my suggestion is also rather messy as it involves dismantling the leaves, rounding the ends if they have been cropped straight so the ends do not "dig in" to the adjacent leaves. Mix some silicon grease with graphite powder and smear the mix between the leaves. Use gloves for thi...

The cool outlet of the radiator is coupled directly to the pump's input, the pump's output then flows directly to the back of the cylinder head where it is then distributed around the water ways. If one heater connection is taken from the radiator's cool outlet and the other heater connection is mad...

EP spec. oils are required for spiral bevel gears due to the high tooth contact pressure which causes cold welding of the teeth surfaces. A sulphur based compound is added which produces an iron-sulphate coating, and prevents micro-welding of the surfaces. The Tabcs spiral bevel gears were originall...

Multigrade oils were not available when lubricants were being specified for the Tabcs, so the fact that they were not recommended does not mean they are unsuitable. I believe any additives should enhance the oil to a GL4 level to give the EP (extreme pressure) protection needed for the Spiral Bevel ...

The bronze bushings can serve another purpose if made longer, say 1.5 inches long. This would enable them to protrude internally in the back axle tubes forming a circular dam. Any oil running down the tubes due to say parking on a slight slope, would lap against the end of the tube but be unable to ...

I would agree with Steve, the orientation of the flange seems unlikely to be the cause. Checking the front pinion bearing offers little in the way of guaranteeing a clean bill of health. This bearing has been the source of many a ruined differential and it seems prudent to follow Roger Furneaux's ad...

Hi Steve, Wait until the sector arm starts to shear off in the BC box, having a Tompkins adaptor gives some pre-disposition to such an event, and yes "over the edge" could be just a little too prophetic.

Hi Tom, Just a thought to consider, how well would it work if the by-pass hose between thermostat housing and the outlet at the bottom of the radiator was substituted by the heater. You would certainly receive the initial hot water output of the engine and in cold weather not all the hot water is di...