More messing about!
1. Fashioned an instrument top cowl from brass sheet, similar to those seen fitted to GPO vans.
2. Filled in passenger footwell to make better flooring for passenger.
From This
To this
MORRIS TYPE JB VAN FROM 1959 (AUSTIN 101 Version)
Winter Work 2
20 December 2019
More messing about!
1. Fashioned an instrument top cowl from brass sheet, similar to those seen fitted to GPO vans.
2. Filled in passenger footwell to make better flooring for passenger.
More messing about!
1. Fashioned an instrument top cowl from brass sheet, similar to those seen fitted to GPO vans.
2. Filled in passenger footwell to make better flooring for passenger.
Winter Work 1
12 December 2012
Here are a few additions/changes I have made since displaying my van at the November NEC Classic Car Show.
In no particular order
1. Rear door handle.
Was fortunate to pick up a second hand rear door handle at the NEC. It did have a longer shaft than I needed but after a little bit of tweaking it fits fine. Chrome work is in very good order. Now fitted.
2. Gear Lever Bush
Had a lot of slop in gear lever movement making gear changing very vague so decided to investigate.
Bought a nylon bush from Moss, part number 22H15, fits MGA/MGB also.
Removed gear lever by removing large circlip, cover and spring, slackened off 2 side pegs by unscrewing them a few turns and lifted gear lever out.
Had no trouble removing the existing bush, as there wasn't one! No wonder changing gear was a bit vague!
Fitted bush to ball on gear lever, it just snaps on, and re-inserted lever and bush into selector with a small amount of grease applied.
Reassembled spring, cover and circlip, best need 2 persons for this, one to hold done the cover against the spring and the second to locate the circlip.
Much less slop in gear lever movement now!
3. Sliding Door Stops
Other vans at the NEC had positive door stop brackets where my catches just clashed with the door arch.
So I made some stop brackets from 25 x 2mm mild steel strip. There were a bit tricky to get in the correct position but do now stop on the catches.
Here are a few additions/changes I have made since displaying my van at the November NEC Classic Car Show.
In no particular order
1. Rear door handle.
Was fortunate to pick up a second hand rear door handle at the NEC. It did have a longer shaft than I needed but after a little bit of tweaking it fits fine. Chrome work is in very good order. Now fitted.
2. Gear Lever Bush
Had a lot of slop in gear lever movement making gear changing very vague so decided to investigate.
Bought a nylon bush from Moss, part number 22H15, fits MGA/MGB also.
Removed gear lever by removing large circlip, cover and spring, slackened off 2 side pegs by unscrewing them a few turns and lifted gear lever out.
Had no trouble removing the existing bush, as there wasn't one! No wonder changing gear was a bit vague!
Fitted bush to ball on gear lever, it just snaps on, and re-inserted lever and bush into selector with a small amount of grease applied.
Reassembled spring, cover and circlip, best need 2 persons for this, one to hold done the cover against the spring and the second to locate the circlip.
Much less slop in gear lever movement now!
3. Sliding Door Stops
Other vans at the NEC had positive door stop brackets where my catches just clashed with the door arch.
So I made some stop brackets from 25 x 2mm mild steel strip. There were a bit tricky to get in the correct position but do now stop on the catches.
4. New Headlamps
Replaced both headlamps with new from SVC. These are closer to the originals than those I had fitted previously.
5. Fitted interior light
GPO type, kindly supplied by GaryS. Fitted over back doors with a small switch on a bracket next to it and wired to a second battery. Already had a spare 12v battery so used this as the power supply rather than drain the main battery. Disguised this battery as a fake parcel.
Battery is securely fixed to the van side stay and can be recharged by lifting the fake parcel off. Uses 36w large bulb and illuminates the inside nicely.
6. New Ignition/light switch
This is not something I intended to do but after wrongly connecting the headlamps and creating smoke and smell of melting plastic I had to rewire some of the side light harness.
While doing this I decided to replace the old switch and add inline fuses to both the sidelight and headlight circuits.
Replaced both headlamps with new from SVC. These are closer to the originals than those I had fitted previously.
5. Fitted interior light
GPO type, kindly supplied by GaryS. Fitted over back doors with a small switch on a bracket next to it and wired to a second battery. Already had a spare 12v battery so used this as the power supply rather than drain the main battery. Disguised this battery as a fake parcel.
Battery is securely fixed to the van side stay and can be recharged by lifting the fake parcel off. Uses 36w large bulb and illuminates the inside nicely.
6. New Ignition/light switch
This is not something I intended to do but after wrongly connecting the headlamps and creating smoke and smell of melting plastic I had to rewire some of the side light harness.
While doing this I decided to replace the old switch and add inline fuses to both the sidelight and headlight circuits.
Sliding Door Wheels
Nov 2019 -Update of my sliding door changes (previously mentioned in June 2015)
Having fitted both sliding doors with some near identical sized acetal (plastic) wheels some time ago here is more information on them. They have been fitted for 4 years now and seem to be holding up well. (First fitted in June 2015).
Certainly others have commented on the smooth running of my van doors.
The wheels are supplied by Versatile Marine,(www.versatilemarine.co.uk) based in Penryn, Cornwall. They are now selling on eBay also as supplier 'versatilemarine 2010'.
They supply a number of different sizes. The ones I used are very close to the metal ones fitted originally.
The size I used was: - Diameter = 36mm, Width = 12mm, Hole Size = 10mm
This compares with the original worn metal wheels, I have of : - Diameter = approx. 36mm, Width = approx. 13mm, Hole Size = approx. 10 mm (suspect hole was 3/8 inch (9.525mm) originally but has worn)
The one dimension not quoted is the inner diameter, where the wheel would sit on the bottom runner.
For the metal wheel this is 1.0 inch diameter, (25.4mm) and for the plastic wheel this is 31mm diameter, (1.220 inch).
So in effect there is a radial height of half the wheel inner diameter difference. That is .110 inch (2.80mm). The door wheel holder spring easily accommodates this additional compression and the wheel stays on the runner okay despite it being a shallower profile..
To fit the plastic wheels I opened up the carrier fork holes to 10mm and fitted a piece of 10mm stainless tube as an axle. Flaring the tube at each end to hold it in place.
Additionally I added extra 5/16 ball bearings to the top door rails, filling each spare space.
For those with the means the plastic wheels could be machined to reduce the internal diameter down to 1.00 inch. (25.4mm) and making the profile closer to the original.
Calling these Acetal wheels 'plastic' is probably doing them an injustice. They are for a marine use and are intended for sheaves pulley wheels for blocks, masts, yachts, boats, dinghies etc. So they are intended for a pretty tough environment.
Quote "Acetal provides high strength and stiffness coupled with enhanced dimensional stability and ease of machining. As a semi-crystalline material, acetal is also characterised by a low coefficient of friction and good wear properties, especially in wet environments."
Sounds an idea material for driving in the UK!
See the photos below: -
Having fitted both sliding doors with some near identical sized acetal (plastic) wheels some time ago here is more information on them. They have been fitted for 4 years now and seem to be holding up well. (First fitted in June 2015).
Certainly others have commented on the smooth running of my van doors.
The wheels are supplied by Versatile Marine,(www.versatilemarine.co.uk) based in Penryn, Cornwall. They are now selling on eBay also as supplier 'versatilemarine 2010'.
They supply a number of different sizes. The ones I used are very close to the metal ones fitted originally.
The size I used was: - Diameter = 36mm, Width = 12mm, Hole Size = 10mm
This compares with the original worn metal wheels, I have of : - Diameter = approx. 36mm, Width = approx. 13mm, Hole Size = approx. 10 mm (suspect hole was 3/8 inch (9.525mm) originally but has worn)
The one dimension not quoted is the inner diameter, where the wheel would sit on the bottom runner.
For the metal wheel this is 1.0 inch diameter, (25.4mm) and for the plastic wheel this is 31mm diameter, (1.220 inch).
So in effect there is a radial height of half the wheel inner diameter difference. That is .110 inch (2.80mm). The door wheel holder spring easily accommodates this additional compression and the wheel stays on the runner okay despite it being a shallower profile..
To fit the plastic wheels I opened up the carrier fork holes to 10mm and fitted a piece of 10mm stainless tube as an axle. Flaring the tube at each end to hold it in place.
Additionally I added extra 5/16 ball bearings to the top door rails, filling each spare space.
For those with the means the plastic wheels could be machined to reduce the internal diameter down to 1.00 inch. (25.4mm) and making the profile closer to the original.
Calling these Acetal wheels 'plastic' is probably doing them an injustice. They are for a marine use and are intended for sheaves pulley wheels for blocks, masts, yachts, boats, dinghies etc. So they are intended for a pretty tough environment.
Quote "Acetal provides high strength and stiffness coupled with enhanced dimensional stability and ease of machining. As a semi-crystalline material, acetal is also characterised by a low coefficient of friction and good wear properties, especially in wet environments."
Sounds an idea material for driving in the UK!
See the photos below: -
Acetal wheels fitted to holder
Obviously metal on the left, Acetal on the right
MORRIS JE Type
13 Nov 2019
Want One!
Visit :- https://www.morris-commercial.com/new-je-van/ and configure your own.
Want One!
Visit :- https://www.morris-commercial.com/new-je-van/ and configure your own.
Solex Type 30 AHG -Volume Control Screw
11 October 2019
While setting up the carb I struggled to get decent access to the volume control screw. This has to be adjusted with a flat bladed screwdriver from beneath the carb. Heat shield has a hole for access but still difficult and hot!
Here is my solution...may not be the best but it works for me.
Took out the screw and turned it into a 'wing screw' by adding a brass wing.
Actually used two pieces of .033 inch brass strip pop rivetted together and separated slightly to be a good fit in the screw slot. Then soldered them in place. You could use a single piece of metal but the brass was what I had to hand.
Makes adjustment much easier as I can now turn the screw by hand and access is easier.
While setting up the carb I struggled to get decent access to the volume control screw. This has to be adjusted with a flat bladed screwdriver from beneath the carb. Heat shield has a hole for access but still difficult and hot!
Here is my solution...may not be the best but it works for me.
Took out the screw and turned it into a 'wing screw' by adding a brass wing.
Actually used two pieces of .033 inch brass strip pop rivetted together and separated slightly to be a good fit in the screw slot. Then soldered them in place. You could use a single piece of metal but the brass was what I had to hand.
Makes adjustment much easier as I can now turn the screw by hand and access is easier.
Rear Brake Shoe Adjustment.
May 2022
Rear wheel cylinder on offside brake now seized! Just lack of use, I guess.
Removed and replaced with new but had to make up length of new wheel cylinder with a 3.5mm spacer and new snail cam similar to the nearside setup.
When fitting the new unmodified wheel cylinder I could not get the brake shoes to lock on the brake drum even on full adjustment of the old snail cam!
Old wheel cylinder had an effective length of 58mm but new wheel cylinder was just 54.5mm.
Only difference this time was I glued in a metal spacer below the origin 'U' shape piece.
With the modified part and a new snail cam from MEV ( gave about 2mm more lift) all was good.
See photos.
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Recently while balancing all the brakes to bite at the same time I couldn't get the nearside rear brake to bite hard on the drum, even when fully adjusted via the snail cam adjuster.
After checking for any brake drum reskimming or brake show wear I was still puzzled. Brake drums are still the original 9.00 inches diameter and the brake shoes are new. The snail cam adjuster was original, looking in good order.
Decided to check the offside rear brake setup, and all appeared the same but the adjustment here was good!
Overnight I recalled changing the nearside brake cylinder after one leaked. I had bought a new pair and still had one unused.
After checking the effective length of the nearside and offside brake cylinders I found the new one was 5 mm shorter than the other! Thus the adjuster needed to cope with an extra 5 mm of adjustment to get a hard bite.
Went back to the original supplier (MEV) and a second source and both confirmed the length at close to 55mm. The offside cylinder measured close to 60 mm!
MEV did suggest a new snail cam adjuster that they say is larger than the original to compensate for brake wear. Ordered this.
However in the meantime I removed the pressed metal bearing shoe stop (fig 1.) and made a new one from a piece of 8 mm square steel door handle spindle. Made the base 2.5 mm thicker at 4 mm (was 1.5 mm) and the sides 1.5 mm thick per the original. Made two centre punch marks each side of the new shoe stop, to hold it in place, and tapped it gently in place to hold.
Reassembled everything and it did make and improvement but the adjustment was still near the max.
Next day the new snail cam adjuster arrived and was clearly larger in size.
Fitted this and all was good. Now needs about 6 clicks to get a solid bite.
Didn't go back and take out my modified shoe stop....the new adjuster may work with the original shoe but there are only so many times I can remove and refit brake shoes...especially those beehive springs!! Anyone got a good alternative for those little perishers!
If you have a similar problem try the snail cam adjuster from MEV Spares first it may well do the trick.
Fig. 1 Shoe stop before removal...easily remove ...needs little force.
With shoe stop removed
Square bar from domestic door handle
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| Modified Shoe Stop .. hacksawed and filed to shape. |
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| Existing Snail cam adjuster |
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