New Old scimitar axle, New wheels, Rolling Road

In preparation of possible axle problems (it leaks already and makes a noise) I bought a Scimitar Se5a rear axle ready to modify.

Hopefully this post HERE will provide all the knowledge to make it work.







In the meantime a new set of tyres was need so a new set of
wheels was also purchased. Much nicer looking.

The front end is still a bit high so I have ordered some new springs  made to measure to the correct size for a series 3.





A trip to the rolling road at CCK Historic for the carburettors to be set up was a successful journey.

The standard carb settings were running a bit weak.

The test run then showed 120 bhp and 160 ft lbs torque.

Not bad.



New Springs arrived from coil springs (1989) Ltd
The picture shows that the ones originally supplied were the same length as the proper size springs plus the rubber shock absorber

End result is the front is now 1" lower and therefore matches the back with 25" from ground level to wheel arch

Fan problems

Sunbeam is running quite well.

I thought one fan-belt has started to wear through where it was rubbing on a thermostat screw. The belt was getting thinner and rubber dust was accumulating in the area.
The screw was been adjusted and it should be ok now.

The fan was a bit noisy as it is running full blast all the time instead of using the viscous coupling. The fan has 8 blades - I think a few less blades and a better electric fan as a backup may be required.

update - A fan-belt shredded yesterday and the other is quite thin. It may be that the fan is causing too much drag so that the cooling pulley is slipping and wearing out the belts. Two blades were removed.

The SPA section fan-belt was replaced by a muscle belt SPZ1120.
On the next run there was no more apparent wear. And the fan noise was quieter.
On the way back one fan blade mangled itself into the radiator. To get home this and its opposite blade was also cut off.

Water Temperature was still maintained at normal - so 4 blades is enough with the electric fan as manual backup. The plan will be to install a more suitable automatic electric fan and fit a twin blade fan just to keep the air under the bonnet moving.





Next time the radiator is removed I will tidy up  the cut edges.

On the next run the clutch started make "ticking" noises -so the engine was removed and a new clutch fitted

So while the engine was out the fan blade was trimmed neatly and the chassis rail was dented for the left side exhaust pipe.

After another fan blade failure - at low speed over bumpy ground - it was decided to remove the fan entirely and fit a pair of pusher fans.

The engine must be a little too close to the radiator.

I had fitted an electric backup fan but wasn't convinced it would be totally suitable. So two 9" fans were selected.

The assembly just fits in front of the radiator.
I used a two stage switch to control each fan.
one comes on at 88ºC the other at 97ºC.

it seems to work....

MOT and proper road test

 Lovely sunbeam passed her test on monday and is now fully road-legal again.

Insurance was £150 including Europe recovery and garage spares cover.

A run in the countryside proved that even at running in speeds and revs she runs well enough to keep ahead of the traffic.
The handling is much better with new shocks and springs all round. Still looks a bit high at the front.

An occasional momentary loss of power shows up from time to time. Which may be fuel starvation as it picks up quick afterwards.
A rolling road tune-up is planned shortly.

Test Run to MOT station

The radiator was fitted this weekend and all seems well.
Still a little noisy - but Jose says its normal so I'll relax.

I then heard a rather more serious sounding rattle - but this turned out to be the Fan tapping the end of the crankshaft pulley. The radiator and fan were removed again to adjust the fan offset.

I drove to the MOT station and all seemed well.


The tester refused to test the vehicle because en route she had sprung a small oil leak. It seems to be coming from the crankshaft pulley seal 😒 radiator out again..

crank seal was damaged - must have been rather clumsy attaching the crank pulley




The throttle had a strange feel to it - there must be a tight spot at the beginning as at 1/2 throttle it suddenly goes loose and its easy to jump to 3/4 - which is quite exciting.
It transpired to be the rubber vacuum blanking bung getting in the way. The right spot went away when a shorter bung was fitted.

Log Book and new engine

19 May 17
I've been working away for a while, Back for a long weekend to go to Spa Classic.

The log book has returned from DVLA with a change in cubic capacity. A lot less hassle than I expected.

The engine has been collected from specialised engines and looks good.
Would have preferred to build it myself (without the mistake) but working abroad for a while.
I'll begin the install after the trip to Spa



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23 May 17

After Spa - now fitted the engine...
It runs but whines a lot.

I thought maybe starter motor stuck on.


Apparently its the Aluminium timing gear and will reduce in volume as it wears in!

Hope so

Need to refit the cooling system and fill with water etc.. - When I'm home again.

Dashboard, fuel guage,fuel cut-off switch

Next winter I'll remove the dash properly and sort out the 50 years of bodges (including mine) as the final wiring should be well planned by then.

It was impossible to get to the fuel gauge thumbscrew so the crash pad was removed and the glove box.

 
The glove box was a previous owners design so some of it may have been easier than normal. 
The broken Bakelite glove-box surround was "repaired" with "super steel" as it's a reasonable colour match. 

Fuel gauge works and gives a more accurate result of what I put in the tank after I last ran out of petrol!
The cigar lighter was also repaired and "converted" to negative earth. Odd that it only works with side lights on.

The heater fan came out because it squeals like a banshee... 

The upper bearing was seized. With much force and WD40 it was released and now all is well. getting the plastic fan off was hardest part.


A fuel pump cut-off (impact) switch and manual isolate switch was added.

Rear Springs

 Rear springs have been changed.
Much improved ride height.



Won't be ready for Spa

But the ride height, spring rate and damping will be much safer for the bigger engine.

Engine still a big issue.
Flange main bearing burnt out.
The heat has distorted the main bearing cap and the block bearing seat, A new bearing will not fit!
Either a new block or get this one line bored.

So start again. :-(

Engine strip again and front suspension

 Finally got the crank out - it looks like I fitted the flange bearings the wrong way up - blocking the oil port!! Wally..


Specialised engines in Essex have a crank for exchange and all the bits and pieces required to rebuild.

 Decided to change the Dampers and Springs while I had a spare Sunday.
The M10 rod wasn't really man enough to act as a spring compressor without the aid of another jack to assist.

The old springs had shortened with age and were definitely beyond use as the Sunbeam used to bottom out on corners and one side was lower than the other.

The front looks a bit odd... I hope its better with the engine back in!

Will do the rear springs soon.

The new series 3 springs I had bought were the wrong length at 11.65" .
No one had 11.175" springs in stock so had some made.

The new springs then lowered the front by an inch to match the rear springs

2nd and 3rd road test

2nd and third road tests didn't go so well!

on second run I ran out of petrol - a gallon doesn't go far these days..

Third road test was quite good fun, the engine - even though not set up well - is quite exciting 😃 - but it does show that the suspension is a bit old!

Then the engine stalled and was hard to turn over on the starter.
After cooling down and a short run home it was time to start to worry.




The sump was removed (not an easy task with engine still in the body.) and swarf was found in the sump.

So the engine was then removed and the bearing caps unbolted.

The flange main bearing seemed to have burnt out - all looked ok a year ago.






Not sure if the flange bearing rotated to block the oil way - or the oil way got blocked before.

At the moment the crank is stuck at the flange bearing.

Oh well... its all part of the fun...☺

And just in case I get the engine fixed quickly I bought a full set of suspension springs and dampers.

type 9 gearstick adjustment and steering end stop

If you get the shortening of the housing slightly wrong then gear selection isn't easy!

not easy to see in the photo - but I had to push slightly down on the gear lever to select first and second - which leaves you open to the possibility of reverse at the wrong time.

The selector shaft gearstick connector needed to be rotated a small amount clockwise and be re-secured to fix the issue.


The steering arm on the drivers side would make contact with the oil cooler/filter housing.

After a while it was realised that the series 3 has an adjustable steering end-stop on the lower wish bone.
A tweak with the 9/16" socket and the steering was slightly restricted stopping the steering arm from making contact with the oil cooler.

First V6 road test

The engine started to sound a bit rough. Like some metal on metal grinding noises.

Then a small leak started from behind the fan on the water pump.

Not a good time to start getting stressed.

An endoscope was used to have a look around and inside.
Removed the oil filter to inspect the oil and see if any contaminants were inside.


All seemed ok, but the noises don't sound good or healthy.

 The timing was adjusted and it was decided a run to the office would be a kill or cure solution.

First and second gear is a bit hard to select, so needs adjustment. First gear is a bit redundant (too low a gear). But the drive was a revelation in comparison to the previous auto box. Excellent fun.

After a rest at the office I added some rad-weld and drove home. No more leaks. Not the best fix but it worked.

Hand brake cable was then lubricated and adjusted. It had always been an issue - binding on - the cable wouldn't push back.  I rotated the cable 180 degrees at the handbrake end - it's much better now so the handbrake can be used.

A Speedo cable was purchased for type-9 gearbox to Jaeger clock from Speedy cables  which was also fitted today.
Now need to go for another run to see how far off calibration the speedo is and then do the calibration routine.

Sunbeam home with a new exhaust system

Sunbeam was trailer-ed home after the exhaust was finished as yet again she refused to start.

As soon as she was offloaded I tried the starter and she fired up instantly!

She ran for 20 minutes then stopped - refusing to start again.

The fault was eventually traced to the Capri original plug connectors, one or both was making not good contact. Once bypassed no more issues starting. Will now need to replace and rewire the plugs.

Exhaust pipe update

Manifolds and down tubes done.

It rather a tight squeeze

New hole through chassis











Testing for the silencers

The end result

Exhaust Pipes and manifolds.

Lovely Sunbeam has been dispatched to the exhaust shop for new stainless manifolds and pipes.

It will take about a month.

Once at the shop she failed to start!
The door handle snapped!
And the hand brake sized!

Very embarrassing.

Starter would spin but no spark. Voltmeter showed less than 8V on starting. Eventually decided the Voltage was going so low the Duraspark wouldn't ignite. I hadn't trickle charged the battery since fitting the alternator. :-(

Hopefully it will work when charged.

On the ramp it was found that the steering contacts the Oil filter - so will have to remove or adjust the oil cooler.

The plan is to cut a 3" pipe through the chassis on the right hand side and shrink the battery box by 4".
Maybe I'll be able to find a low profile modern battery shaped like a pancake to fit.

Alternator wiring and Dynamo control box mod

Wiring in the alternator.

The main 12v cable was wired directly to the start solenoid and hence the battery.

The alternator was lamp feed was spliced to the wire that was on the D contact of the control box.

The original starter solenoid had already been adjusted so the 12V input was also directly connected to the pre-engage starter. So all the fat 12V cables are now on the same terminal.

The original solenoid is now used as an extra low current switch only to switch the pre-engage starter solenoid. To save on wiring mods. The manual solenoid button is useful.

The Dynamo regulator box was modified (dismantled) and the plan is to use it as a fuse box with two fuses using the F and D terminals as output links And also a mega fuse for the alternator.

A and A1 were soldered together inside to provide a link.





Alternator didn't work when the engine was started.


A Voltmeter was installed on the dashboard on the right hand
Ammeter position. This showed no voltage change when the engine was running and the warning light stayed on.

I had fitted a new alternator regulator about a year ago.
I removed the regulator and inspected the brushes, they were undamaged. The commutator also looked clean. But there are two finger contacts in the alternator that connect to the regulator by spring contact. I bent these outwards a little more and ensured they contacted the module in the correct place.

The next time the engine was started the warning light went out and the Voltmeter registered a steady 15V.

Success .

After a winter of problem starting I added a new starter cable direct from the battery to the starter motor. So the ignition and starter solenoid are now on a different circuit so not affected by any voltage drop along the main starter cable.

Throttle cable to Weber 38DGMS

 The old linkage was removed and modified as shown.

Thios gives about 45mm cable movement which is about right.

And a single cable uses the existing bolt hole.

Seems to work ok

 The Weber cable mount kit needs a little mod as it hold the cable offset - maybe I fitted it wrong. Will try reverse the control arm

The left hand gearlever from eBay has a more backward angle.
I could have bent the old but this was cheap enough and then I have a spare!

Another thing to do is to "quicken" the lever action as per this site HERE