David,
Here an Australian story, from the LWR archives:
On the way, passing through the country town of Alexandra, we encountered our first mechanical problem, when the engine of Mark McKibbin’s 6th Series Lambda produced unfamiliar noises. To Mark’s credit, he quickly shut down the engine to investigate.
With the domed rocker cover off, the problem was revealed. A simple split pin, securing the central axis of one of the roller-bearing cam followers had failed, allowing the central axis, the eight needle-rollers and the outer race of the bearing to be scattered around the top of the cylinder head. Mark’s prompt reaction had prevented further damage, and with the aid of Peter Renou’s portable magnet, we were able to recover all but one of the needle-rollers. The missing roller was suspected of having fallen through into the sump, but at least it was not mixed up with one of the bearings in the vertical drive.
Following the usual rule, no-one in the group who stopped to help was carrying a spare roller, but a friendly local passer-by offered the use of his workshop. A quick discussion produced a possible solution. A new 4.00 mm twist drill was purchased at the local hardware shop, and two 6.00 mm lengths (1 extra spare, just in case!) were cut to length on the passer-by’s grinder. Re-assembly was straight-forward, and the car was back on the road in about 1.5 hours. The sequel to the story was that someone from Melbourne, who was planning to join the group later in the Tour, was contacted and requested to bring some genuine spare rollers to Jindabyne. This was done, and in the comfort of the Jindabyne hotel garage, the repair sequence was repeated. Needless to say, the twist drill substitute, on removal, looked perfect!
Hope this helps!
Sébastien
