1960 Austin 850 Project

Started by tsumini, May 22, 2014, 06:45:40 PM

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tsumini

I had read that the sender works by changing resistance from full to empty so it should be a variable resistor. The guts of the sending unit is a core wound with resistance wire. The float pivots inside the housing and a wiper blade travels between each end of the core depending on fullness or emptyness. Shown are 100 ohms  at left side of core and about 0.5 Ohms at the right side. since I don't have a wheatsone bridge I'm not sure resistance is accurate or not. It really doesn't matter if the gage reads right. So hookup to the gage shows what should be E is about 1/4 on the gage and Full is above the F mark about 1/4. Basically I need to bend the needle back about 1/4 and it should be close.

Finally put the cover back on and bend the tabs and check resistance and appears to be ready for install.

tsumini

#51
Trying a video from photobucket showing sending unit operation with gage.
http://vid305.photobucket.com/albums/nn221/heersia/My%20Mini%20Stuff/DSCN0342_zpsnzyflhr1.mp4

tsumini

Visors cleaned up pretty well.

Mudhen


jeff10049

Quote from: tsumini on February 13, 2015, 10:09:06 PM
I had read that the sender works by changing resistance from full to empty so it should be a variable resistor. The guts of the sending unit is a core wound with resistance wire. The float pivots inside the housing and a wiper blade travels between each end of the core depending on fullness or emptyness. Shown are 100 ohms  at left side of core and about 0.5 Ohms at the right side. since I don't have a wheatsone bridge I'm not sure resistance is accurate or not. It really doesn't matter if the gage reads right. So hookup to the gage shows what should be E is about 1/4 on the gage and Full is above the F mark about 1/4. Basically I need to bend the needle back about 1/4 and it should be close.

Finally put the cover back on and bend the tabs and check resistance and appears to be ready for install.

Before you bend the needle hold the gauge upright like it's mounted in the car and see where it reads.
That made a difference on mine I still had to bend the needle a little to get it perfect.
Nice work.


Jeff

tsumini


MiniDave

Bend the needle, or bend the arm with the float on it?

My gauge is equally wonky, and in the same direction. When I fill the tank it takes 75 miles for it to drop to full, and only 75 more to get to 1/4, at which point I can put in more than 6 gallons - in a 7 gallon tank.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

Bend the needle back by 1/4 since gage is shifted up. Float arm may have to be bent if when tank is full it doesn't correspond to my F mark on paper.
Tank is such an odd shape that level is not linear yet is being read by a linear resistor and linear gage.  I don't expect much accuracy from the gage other than it hopefully registers near empty and near full; anything in between is just between E and F. It is very simple and should be reliable  but is not a precision instrument by any stretch.

MiniDave

Yeah, the vid makes things much more clear.....but I don't think you want to bend the needle, rather remove it and re-install a little bit counter clockwise of where it is on the spindle.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

Hmmm haven't had one apart and haven't looked closely.

tsumini

#60
It’s been a long time since I updated this. Between son’s race car and house maintenance Mini took a back seat.
But I finished a few things and worked on several others. I tend to work on different things depending on what I feel like that day so have several projects going at once.
I did finish the gearshift although I need to finish off the knob with paint. 
The steering rack was fairly easy. Not sure why I disassembled it. It was pristine. Just need to buy new gaiters although they are actually in pretty good shape with a few cracks.
I thought the heater would be straight forward but gave me fits. I decide to leak check to make sure I ddin’t put it back with a leak and sure enough there were 3 or 4 pinholes where the cooling straws go into the end caps.  I tried to solder from the outside but made them worse as expected. So I desoldered the end caps and soldered the straws on the end that had some solder broken away. I re-soldered the end caps and  found I still had leaks only a few more. Long story short I tried JB weld soldered and leak checked about six times. (After the second time I just RTV’d the end caps and leak checked . About to give up when I realized I was seating the end caps to solder by putting the unit in a vise. This I realized was breaking the solder joints  the straws while I was reassembling it. I resoldered one more time and reassembled without putting stress on the straws and luckily that worked and it passed leak check.

1st pic of rust from pinhole leak
2nd of core Data plate. Wondering if C129 is date for 12 59?


tsumini

1st pic is core showing straws. JB weld was removed and soldered.
2nd pic is heater motor date stamped 12 59
3rd pic completed heater to the done pile.

jeff10049

I did that to my 11 of 59 radiator I de soldered the top tank to inspect the rad was perfect when re soldering I melted around two tubes 50.gif Had to take the tank off again and re solder the tubes then put the tank back on more carefully lots of flux is your friend when doing this.  My radiator works perfect no leaks.


tsumini

Well here it is spring 2017 and I see the last update was May 2015.  Hmmm, I think I need to re-boot this thing. I did do a few things but didn't seem to be motivated summer of 2015. Car is at my cabin in southern Colorado so I try to work on the shell body work. Painting has been a struggle with not very good painting environment. I have primered the body and painted (Tartan Red) the bottom, floor and engine bay. (summer 2016). I usually loaded my trailer with all the removed parts that needed refurb and brought them back to Tyler TX where I spend the winter. My Tyler  place keeps me pretty busy so haven't done too much refurbing. So I've been hauling parts back and forth without much progress.
I intended to make a bunch of progress summer of 2016 but two weeks after arriving at the cabin I ended up in a King Air Med Evac with pulmonary embolism. I understand that I was really lucky to have survived that. 10 days hospital and rest of summer recovering and slowly prepping the shell for paint. 8200 ft above sea level doesn't help either.

Anyway I'm re-booting and trying to get the front and rear subframes assembled in Texas and hauling them back to Colorado this summer.

I do have to apologize to jeff10049 for not following up with the speedometer face repaint.  I'll write up a separate post on this problem. It's rather embarrassing but needs fixing yet.

Hopefully I'll make more progress and not get too distracted with other things.

jeff10049

No apology needed here, Sorry to hear about the pulmonary embolism that sucks. What were the symptoms/treatment? How do you prevent another?

Cool that you're back on the mini looking forward to the progress, and if you need any assistance on the speedometer let me know glad to help.

Jeff

tsumini

Yes I actually did a few things. Most recent is re-stenciling MOWOG on front subframe.
I found a free font that works in Word called Stencil Gothic which looked close enough.
A exacto knife was used to cut the stencil. The "M" is cut a little different to conform to the original.


tsumini

Quote from: jeff10049 on February 27, 2017, 10:08:20 PM
No apology needed here, Sorry to hear about the pulmonary embolism that sucks. What were the symptoms/treatment? How do you prevent another?

Cool that you're back on the mini looking forward to the progress, and if you need any assistance on the speedometer let me know glad to help.

Jeff
Jeff, Thanks for your comments.
Didn't have the normal symptoms, just shortness of breath but thought that was just adjustment to altitude. Couldn't walk 10 feet without being out of breath. Pushed it too far and was airlifted. Pilot maintained 4000 ft Pressure altitude (normal 8000?) over 14,000 Sangre de Christo Mountain Range. Treatment was clot buster, heparin in ICU. Coumadin/warfarin blood thinner since. Was supposed to get off warfarin in January but a blood test pushed that out. May be stuck on thinners for life.
Pretty severe DVT but never had any pain and didn't recognize symptoms. Clots  in both legs and both lungs. At my previous annual physical doctor said I had "thick blood" and now think that was a precursor to DVT. 
Suggest everyone learn about it and prevention, may be a life saver.

Anyway on the speedo I had the speedo and loom in the back of a trailer and a Texas rain storm leaked in and filled the plastic container I had it in and didn't discover til the face was damaged. http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/Smileys/smile/embarrassed.gif
The problem is that the original Austin speedo apparently was replaced by a Morris speedo with silver face and different needle. I tried to get a needle from a company that overhauls them but wouldn't sell me a new one. I was going to re-paint cream colored as Austin but the Model number would still be wrong. I wasn't able to find an Austin speedo for a reasonable price so still looking. I do have an original Morris speedo from a Aug 1960 build that would work so may use that. Still up in the air.

tsumini

So I am making some progreess although slowly. I finished painting the inside and the bottom and right rear panel as test.
Also painted a test panel to compare new paint to old paint. see 3rd photo of test panel in back seat. (fourth photo). Little hard to see but the only photo with new paint against original Tartan red paint. I got 1.5 gals of the Milano Red 93 Honda 466283 as Dan suggested would be very similar to Tartan Red.
I then ran across a photo posted on the forum which showed a car as Painted with Tartan red. My paint seemed not nearly as dark. I got a screeen shot of the Tartan Red and put it side by side with my photo of the right hand side of my car (fifth photo). Compared to other car it would seem that my paint may not be dark enough.
It's too late to change the color ( don't really want to repaint the interior) so will continue with it.

MiniDave

Glad to hear you're better and still with us!

Where is your place in Colorado?

I wanted to retire there, as I lived in Colorado Springs for years and have been back almost every summer, including three Minis in the Mountains events at Winter Park. The last time we went we were in Pagosa Springs and I had such bad altitude sickness we cut our trip short and drove straight back to KC. I haven't been back since and I miss it.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

My cabin is between South Fork and Creede just east of Pagosa and Wolf Creek pass. The Rio Grande River is just on the other side of the power lines in the top photo. It's at 8300 feet elevation probably too high for my condition but I kinda like it here. I grew up in this area but left in the 70's and came back in 2009 for summers. It's not fit to live year year around. I have to take it easy for a couple of days to avoid altitude sickness when I come up.  My DIL is a pharmacist and she recommends Diamox for altitude. I've talked  to several people who say it works if you take it a couple of days prior to travel. I would suggest not to let a little altitude sickness stop you. It sure beats 100 degree 90% humidity.
On the mini side I'm planning on installing brake and fuel lines after my salmon fishing trip to Ketchikan AK mid August.

MiniDave

#70
Nice part of Colorado......I love it there and I've driven all around that part of the state. After my episode at Pagosa, when I got home and went to see my Doc he said he could give me something for the altitude sickness, and that I had to start taking it a week in advance but that I wouldn't have any problems if I did.....unfortunately, he retired before I could find out what it was - so now at least I know what to ask for!

We won't be coming to Colorado this summer - too bad too as there's a Mini meet at Steamboat this year and I haven't been there - but with two new puppies we're not ready to take a long trip. We may do a long weekend at the end of October with them for our anniversary - a trial to see how they travel, they'll be six months old then. The place we usually go to is on Beaver Lake in Arkansas, only about 4 hours away from our home in KC.

I wanted to retire to southwestern Colorado, but the wife won't tolerate the dry air - which I revel in! - and I got scared off after our last trip.

My uncle lived in Tyler, too hot for me there......but I guess it's all in what you get used to.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

gr8kornholio

This is my next area of Colorado to explore.  This past June the family and I came in south of Durango and explored all the way up to Grand Junction.  Ouray was gorgeous.  Then came across 50 all the way to the springs ( went to college here in the late 90's)

Looking to explore norther NM and this part of CO in the future.  Definite retirement plans.  My wife's issue is the cold.  I'll get her a good heater   ;D
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

tsumini

Northern NM is very nice Chama,Farmington, Raton etc. Finding I can tolerate less and less cold but it's a dry cold. -20F was routine when growing up but no more. I prefer a place where you don't have to bury the water pipes 3 ft underground. I too like dry air but doesn't play well with noses, skin etc.
gr8korn, I hope you didn't miss the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on your trip down Hiway 50. One of my favorite  scenic drives. Also Colorado National Monument by Grand Junction is great drive.

gr8kornholio

Missed National Monument, just looked it up too, that'd been fun.  We took hwy 62 over Grand Mesa and did see a lot of the Black Canyon from our drive on Hwy 92 from Crawford to the Gunnison dam.  Those roads made Hwy 550 between Durango and Ouray look like a cake walk.  Of course eveyone in the car would've been sick if I'd had a mini.  Wife wasn't thrilled in the Highlander, of course the direction we went on the roads always seemed to have her on the cliff side.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

tsumini

Well, I escaped Colorado before cold set in. I loaded up the mini and took it back to Tyler with parts. I wanted to get it painted but couldn't seem to get it right. Tried to paint the top and just couldn't get the gun to cooperate. (Don't think I was meant to paint.) re-did top twice still not right will have to re-sand and do again. Didn't get that much done this summer as the altitude really bogs me down.

So, Dan I was wondering if you could take on a paint job. I did the bottom and interior so just needs exterior painted. It is ready for final prep. Hopefully i'll get more motivated this winter.
Dan I'll send you a message. Check out the photos above of current condition of the car.