Traveller Restoration

[Neil MG]

Long overdue an update, here the door has a colour coat...[frame][/frame]

[Neil MG]

The body shell also has a complete colour coat and with the doors fitted was moved outside for wax injecting...[frame][/frame]
Taking advantage of the glorious weather we are enjoying...[frame][/frame]
And a gratuitous picture of youngest daughter...[frame][/frame]

[Sparticus]

Looking very nice! I've finally finished my nearside so am ready to move to my boxing extension on the drivers side... so not too far behind you ;)

[Neil MG]

I used a combination of Waxoyl clear and Dinitrol ML for the box sections and cavities. I really like the creep that Waxoyl has and the Dinitrol is very thin so coats exceptionally well in confined areas...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Neil MG]

The bodyshell is now in the corner of a shed, ready to have parts put back on as they are finished. It's much cleaner in here than in the workshop so it won't get dusty as it is rebuilt...[frame][/frame]

[skidneale]

H i Neil loks like a usefull simple spit could you tell me if i could fit one similar in a single garage, width and heightwise was it set up with the car with its wheels on and simply removed wheels to turn it?
Mark

[Jared]

An amazing job your doing there, and your proposed mods sound very subtle yet useful. The car should come out as a very useable yet very mint minor.

[Neil MG]

I have received the wood and now the job of getting it to fit...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Morris Mike]

I just recently re-wooded this Traveller for a couple we know.

The fiddliest job was fitting and shaping the gutter, I made up these from some Walnut to dress down the gutter flange after fitment.

Good luck with your project,it is looking good.



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[Neil MG]

Meanwhile still lots of painting to do...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Neil MG]

These are some of the "chassis black" painted parts...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Neil MG]

Also started the engine rebuild. I managed to get a 1275 early Midget engine that had never been apart since leaving the factory. It showed signs of wear on the bearings and bores but nothing serious. I took the block to the machine shop to see if it would be enough to just deglaze the bores and change the rings. The crank was inspected and, with no measurable wear or damage, was good to go with mains, big ends and thrusts. I noticed when I removed one of the pistons that there was a broken ring and that had caused wear to the piston groove. Of greater concern was the fact that this was (one of the early) factory sleeved units and therefore not suitable for rebore. The liner is only 50 thou thick and so anything more than +20 might risk problems. After checking the wear, and provisional honing it was rechecked and consequently decided to fit new liners and (due to the damage on the piston) new pistons too. As the car will be used regularly, good quality (Nural) pistons were selected. I was advised heavily against using cheap "County" pistons! The camshaft and bearings were fine, but new followers were needed. As a matter of common sense the oil pump and timing gears/chain were renewed too.[frame][/frame]

[jagnut66]

I've got a 1275cc ex Midget engine in mine, nice little modification and in keeping with the character of the car.

[Neil MG]

I've got a 1275cc ex Midget engine in mine, nice little modification and in keeping with the character of the car.

Out of interest, what did you do about crankshaft ventilation? The Midget timing cover has a breather canister that fouls the Minor fan.

[Matt]

The most common thing is to cut the breather down to give clearance on the fan and weld it back again.

You can also buy a spacer for the fan

[Neil MG]

Yes I saw a few cut and welded canisters and even a squashed one, but neither way looked like an elegant solution. Is there enough clearance to the radiator to safely use a spacer?

I am interested to hear if anyone has managed to get satisfactory breathing with a non vented cover? maybe I should post that question on the Technical Section.

[TvdWerf]

When I have it right, this one should be also a 1275 midget engine, from one on this guys:
http://morrisminorclub.nl/index.php/bestuur/het-bestuur
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/j1ev.jpg/

[jagnut66]

Hi,
Mine just has the breather on the rocker cover into the air filter, there never was any canister on the front of the timing cover on mine. Never noticed a problem and I drive mine on a regular basis.
(As always touching wood at this point! )
Best wishes,
Mike.

[Neil MG]

Hi,
Mine just has the breather on the rocker cover into the air filter, there never was any canister on the front of the timing cover on mine. Never noticed a problem and I drive mine on a regular basis.
(As always touching wood at this point! )
Best wishes,
Mike.

And you have a 1275 engine without the tappet covers?

[Neil MG]

i opened up the rear axle to check out the diff and found this in the bottom:
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It's the part that normally wears, but not usually that much! The car hasn't been on the road since 1980 and before that it went round the clock a couple of times so i was expecting some wear. I drove the car up and down the lane before I started the restoration and the diff seemed ok...
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This is the other side and what it should look like. This one was also pretty worn and they are both to be replaced. The side thrust bearings were fine with little sign of wear, which is really good as they are no longer available. I removed and checked the bearings and their faces looked ok, but not perfect, so new ones are in order.
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Everything else including all the gear teeth looked perfect, so the first thing to do was to get everything spotlessly clean. I used petrol followed by brake and clutch cleaner and an air line. It is also important to keep the bearing caps and shims so that they can be replaced exactly as removed, to maintain correct backlash. The end of the pinion shaft, nut and flange were also spot punched so that they could be realigned exactly to keep the correct preload on the taper bearings.
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The outer roller bearing races were carefully tapped into place. This was probably the trickiest part of the axle rebuild, as they have to be kept square.
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The larger of the two was particularly tricky. The final position is confirmed after tightening the flange nut...
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The diff was then reassembled. There is a certain sense of feel for the pinion stiffness and crown-wheel to pinion backlash. The pinion has resistance (without the seal) but no binding and the crown-wheel has a distinct backlash when dry that is virtually indistinguishable once a few drops of engine oil is added. Any suspicion of things not being right here means somewhat more complex measurement and adjustment. So I felt fortunate and happy that it is good for another couple of trips round the clock!
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