Banjo

Been raining here, but sun out today, so will go have a look in the shed, & see what I have in the way of black consoles, & let you know. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jeremy, The thing I like about mechanical systems, of any description; is that they more than often give you a warning, in advance, that something is amiss, or on the way out. Unfortunately, electrical & electronic systems are often not as providing, & just go bang, or bust, or splat ! If you suspect something, whilst driving, I always turn the radio off, close the window, to remove wind noise, & listen carefully to the engine, under different load conditions. Congrats ! Elon Musk is current selling tickets to space. However, not 4K powered, which I know will disappoint you ! https://www.afr.com/leadership/innovation/when-where-and-how-elon-musks-spacex-plans-to-colonize-mars-20181016-h16qay Cheers Banjo

Hi Jeremy, I read your post an hour ago, but have just stopped laughing long enough to respond, after reading the reference to the "4K Powered Mars Rover". Been there done that ! Not Mars, but in outback NSW (dirt roads), with a very sick engine, on the second day of a 10 day excursion. Low oil pressure; Summer; But worse than that, was the tick, tick, tick, tick, of a big end on the way out. Filled it up with the thickest oil I could get hold of, & finished the trip (3000 klms), & got the car back to Sydney. I remember contemplating what you are presently, & asking myself the same questions. What worked for me, was to drive which ever, which way, to put the lowest load on the engine. That meant lower speeds & light on the pedal on flat long straight roads, & revs & lower gears to lighten the load, when there was a hill. Lightly loaded engines don't run as hot. Never used one of those oil additive products, that increase the viscosity. Sounds good. Assembled an engine wet once, with a oil made up of 50% engine oil, & 50% molybdenum disulfide. Rubbed it into the bores, and all bearing surfaces. Worked a treat ! The MDS is very dark in colour, & 10 years later I dissembled the engine, & was washing the bearing shells & bore with a mixture of kero & petrol, & the cleaning fluid was going very dark, very quickly, until I realised the MDS was being flushed out of the grains of the metal. Cheers Banjo

Nice work place ! Wish I had that much room around my Rolla, under cover, to work on it. You've even got a lounge there in the background to sit on, when you need a break ? Cleaning back the underside for painting, can be a happy, or unhappy time, depending on what you find, when you strip away, back to bare metal, after 40+ years. Good luck ! Banjo

Is your KE35 a manual or auto gearbox ? The consoles are a bit different. Heaps of them here in Aussie. Off memory, there are only two basic colours. Black or Beige. They are bulky but quite light, so maybe posting one over to you in Portugal could be a better option, & give you more time to get on with other things. Have you had the engine running as yet ? Cheers Banjo

Rear of front mudguard, splash shield. Nice car ! Great starting point to have a basically rust free shell. Good luck ! where are you located ? Cheers Banjo

I've followed these guys from the start, & "the ride/s" has been quite amazing. Don't know whether you have ever watched this video, but there is another side to these guys. This one involves a Corolla, so check it out ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7-ZTTqMW6M Brings a tear to my eyes, every time I watch it. Cheers Banjo

Not quite motor sport, but some could argue ? You've got to watch this video, from SCA, & our two friends Marty & Moog, from Mighty Car Mods. Watched it, & recognised the setting, as it's a road I use it quite often, as a short cut/scenic drive from Beaudesert to Grafton, via the Lyons/Lions Road just north of Kyogle in NSW. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPm23WpjqY&utm_source=edm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MF_SCA01_2019_WK15_SW Cheers Banjo

Hi Rob, I first laid eyes on this particular little Morrie Minor tow truck, at the All British Car show in Sydney, back in September 2016, which is amazing. Nearly 2000 cars ! As I was looking at it again, in Queanbeyan, a Japanese man came up, & was looking at it. He asked me what it was for. I said for towing a broken down car. He was quite bewildered as to how it lifted a car with a hook. He thought all cars were put on tilt trays, or had clamps that went around the front wheels. I pointed out, that this is how it used to be done. He looked carefully at the capstan, & asked where is the motor. It had none, as it is hand wound, with a crank handle from the outside, which pokes through the hole "indicated" in the pic. below. I mimed how it was done, & he walked away laughing & shaking his head. Cheers Banjo

That's brilliant, but also daunting, when you consider how much time is involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=QBXT1sHP92w However, a simple engine swap, is not as big a job, as our two friends at Binky project undertook, with a "complete" electrics swap. An engine swap project can go very sour, if the electrics are wired in roughly, besides not looking professional. Unreliability is the result, & your NRMA or RACQ roadside man is not going to be a great help, if your car won't go, on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere. Having done several wiring harnesses, where I have made them up from scratch, the secret is to do one bit at a time, & don't rush it. One of the big advantages of making up your own harness is, that you can increase the size of the wiring used, which reduces voltage drops in the system. Cheers Banjo

I can't believe a reputable company like Permatex would allow a video like that to get through. That is terrible ! Looks like they gave the instructions to a video marketing company, who didn't have a clue. The oil pump reassemble is incredible. I've never heard of putting a gasket on an oil pump. I've never ever done so, on any K series oil pump, I've reassembled. Here's a better video, although, I still believe he is a bit heavy handed, with the silicone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXN4FqQH-xM Thanks for your thoughts. I'll go get something generic this afternoon, & let you know how I go. Cheers Banjo

Had my 5K sump off at the weekend, so I could refit the timing chain cover, after fitting a dual timing chain. The sump gasket seal had no leaks at all. When I removed the sump & gasket, I noticed that the previous mechanic, who had replaced the sump & gasket, had used three little parallel narrow beads, of what looked like a "bright orange silicone sealant" on both sided of the one piece gasket. I was impressed how well the seal had worked ! I've never been a great fan of silicone sealants, as I've heard & read so many bad/sad stories of users, over doing the application of the silicone. When the two (2) surfaces are brought together, the sealant "squishes" out on both sides of the gasket. Any excess on the outside, can be easily wiped off, but the excess on the inside, can bead & drop off, over time, into the sump, & block off oil pump pickups, or worst still, get caught in oil ways, & starve the bearings. This is more common with "make a gasket" RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanising) sealants, where the sealant, is the gasket, so users become over generous with the sealant. Now most of the automotive silicone sealants are marked as, Make A Gasket. In my case I'm using a new sump gasket out a Permaseal gasket kit. It looks & feels like a rubber one, but I suspect it is made of a composite material, as it stretches a bit more than a pure rubber one. So what is the best silicone sealant I can use, to replicate three narrow beads of sealant on both sides of the gasket ? Can the "Make A Gasket" sealants also be used as a seal to the gasket, or do they have a different composition, because they are used as the gasket? I've always been an aviation gasket adhesive user, for a long time, & have never suffered an engine oil or water leak, but I will admit, it's a real pain cleaning off the old aviation goo sealant, before putting something back together, so I'm prepared to give my sump gasket the silicon seal treatment, so would like to hear other forum users thoughts & experience. Cheers Banjo

Love you work ! Always attention to detail. Never apologise about the use of zip ties. I never go anywhere without a resealable plastic bag, with a selection of different lengths therein. In the glove-box, in my briefcase, in my tool box. One of the most useful everyday inventions ever made. I recently was given a packet of special wide heavy duty ones for water hoses on automotive engines. I've used them on one engine. One size fits all size hoses ! Just zip it up & cut off the excess. I believe they are using them on the latest model Volvo cars as standard. Cheers Banjo

Thanks ! Is this the one ? They are under $ 100 on ebay, so if I need one permanently, & it is quieeeet, it might be the go,. Cheers Banjo

Drove a Toyota Echo from Brisbane down to Canberra at the end of the week, for my son, & spent the weekend in Canberra. The Victorian Morris Minor Car Club, had a rally, up & back from Melbourne, with the weekend in Canberra. Came across this beautiful collection, on show last Saturday, in a Queanbeyan park. https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhTw-QJW1b_6j0-3qwSBFTBR2OZ9 Enjoy ! Cheers Banjo