A B20 Story

[DavidLaver]

Andy,

Great progress. 

Your fear of winter...do you not have a heater?  For drafts some old curtains over the doors?  I don't remember the workshop as impossibly large, but if there was a section where most of the work happened curtain that bit off?

The other thought is if the Aurelia is off the rotisserie to have it home.  Leave the cold and damp to Jim: he knows no difference and wouldn't understand kindness if you clubbed him half to death with it.

At least you're in the south, in town, and by the sea to keep things relatively civilised.

David

[simonandjuliet]

Andy

Move down here for the winter - Tim Heath has a lovely warm garage .....

Hope Mrs T is recovering well after the "ricambi non originali"

[the.cern]

Well, Lynn's new knee seems to have decided that it likes its new home and she is now slowly bringing it into use.

I have managed a little more on the loom and have taken a few photographs to help illustrate the situation.

The photo. of the wiring diagram shows progress, the red lines, (in some cases they are not red, just very dark), are cables that have been replicated in the new loom. The old loom is now liberally sprinkled with green tags showing the cables have been laid in the new loom and it is possible to see how wiring for the front part of the loom, the fusebox and instruments/dashboard switches of the new loom is progressing. There is a notable lack of progress with the rear part of the loom. The cables through the right hand sill feed this and I have bought a 13 way multicore cable to use through the sill. This will be the last part of the loom to be completed, I may even do this in situ rather than make up the loom on the board, I will have to decide soon .... The 13 way multicore gives me enough spare capacity to provide high level rear brake, tail and indicator lights in the rear screen. David Laver has led the way with this!!!!

So, I hope the photographs give a feel for progress thus far .....

                                         Andy

[Parisien]

A true Italian entanglement.....or is it the British version.....spaghetti junction!?

Fair play to you Andy for being as persistent and methodical on this part of the project, its the sort of thing you need to keep at or you'll loose the whole thread of it.


P

[the.cern]

I meant to add that in the last photograph, which shows the mock fuse board and its backing board, things look significantly worse than it will do once I can install the loom in the car with the actual fuseboard. All the wires to the mock fuseboard have a long tail and of course are not terminated neatly as they will be in the final installation.

Every wire in the new loom is tagged at each end. The tag has written on it to what the wire is to be attached and what it has come from. I am hoping this will avoid at least some of the confusion that I anticipate when I remove the completed loom from the board and try to fit it in the car!!!!!!

                                Andy

[DavidLaver]

Looks a terrific job.  For once I'm thinking my usual "what could possibly go wrong" and have no answer.

David

[the.cern]

David, your 'what can wrong?' ......... I have a list!!!!

By the way, do you have a wiring diagram for the lights in the rear screen? I would love a copy if it is available.

                              Andy

[DavidLaver]

'fraid not...

[the.cern]

It has been wet here in Essex and mild too, great growing weather.

This is what happens when you neglect a B20 in those conditions ..... or could it be that it is time to assemble the AMR charity grotto in the Lynn Tait Gallery?

I will have to get it all cleared before Jim arrives on Saturday or there will be trouble ....

[the.cern]

... and what have I learnt today ?

This .... unless you are a masochist, an idiot, drunk or are incapable of resisting a challenge, do not dismantle the indicator/dip switch of an Aurelia!!!!! It must be admitted that taking it to bits is not difficult, a punch and hammer to drift out the the pivot pin, ease out the whole assembly and then it just, well, springs apart!!!!!

Fortunately, I had a suspicion that somewhere some part of it would be sprung and was careful. Only one contact bullet escaped, I just managed to hold onto the other four, and the I was able to keep my eye on the escapee. It took less than 10mins to take it to bits and nearly an hour to re-assemble it!!!!! I count myself lucky that during the re-assembly on at least four occasions when one and once when two of the contact bullets sprung out I did not lose them. It was definitely a close run thing!!!!

So, what to do? The switch is now re-assembled and I am confident is working, The wiring had previously been renewed, but by cutting the wires about an inch from the switch and connecting new wires. I will simply repeat that with new wires and hope the original inch long pieces and the connections into the switch are sound. These original wires appear to be soldered into the switch and would have been a beast to renew.

If that does not work and the switch does need a full re-build I will only attempt it in a clinically clean and sealed area empty of everything except me, the switch and the minimum of tools and materials, so that I can be certain of finding the springs and bullet connectors when, inevitably, they make a bid (or bids) for freedom!!!

                                      Andy

[DavidLaver]

So - something to do in a padded cell.

[the.cern]

I suspect it might easily drive you mad !!!!!

I have to re-wire that part of the loom (the indicator/dip switch) and then the only part left to do, apart from odds and ends, will be that to the rear which passes through the right hand sill. I have a draw wire through there, pulled through when I removed the old loom, so hopefully the new 13 core cable will get through without too much of a struggle. What I need to determine is the full physical extent that the 13 core will have to cover. I believe at the rear it will be the left hand rear light cluster or possibly the left hand interior light. However, I am not so sure at the front. Most of the cables will terminate in the vicinity of the fuse box, but not all.

Currently I have two queries .....

1)   the wiring diagram shows one  brake light switch connection terminating at the main connector block with the other runs to terminal 1 on the indicator/brake light relay. The loom from the car has one wire terminating at the connector block whilst the other runs into the part of the main loom through the right hand sill to the rear lights. I need to get the brake lights separated from the indicators so that they can operate in accordance with UK requirements. Does anyone have a wiring diagram showing the modifications necessary to facilitate this? I am assuming that new relays will be required, probably for the brake lights, whilst the indicators will continue to function via the original relay.

2)   where is the sender for the oil pressure warning light located

Please can anyone help with either of these issues?

Jim is here tomorrow so we will be pushing on over several fronts.

More up-dates as and when things get interesting.

                                                                Andy

[simonandjuliet]

What about the Christmas tree lights, you'll need a relay for those as well ...

[the.cern]

Things have progressed despite Santa putting in an appearance and taking up a day and a half of time I should have spent with Jim.

Anyway, Jim has been pushing on, I presented him with the radiator and petrol tank, both of which have had all attachments removed, cleaned, paint stripped and primed. I must find a radiator repair place to have the rad pressure tested and flow checked. Also, I will ask them to pressure test the petrol tank. The core of the rad is extremely dirty, I will blow it through with the compressor then soak it with solvent and pressure wash it.

I have decided that it is not a good idea to take the B20 to Wrexham at this time of the year. Why tempt providence when I will not be ready to get on with putting the mechanicals etc back into the shell until the spring/summer. So the respray will not be carried out until say, April.

I have been preparing the garage to receive the B20, the Gussie will go to the workshop when the B20 goes to the garage in order that I can carry out a thorough investigation of the state of the sills adjacent to the front axle fixing points. There apparently is a real risk of severe corrosion which may not be apparent from an external inspection. It will be out with the angle grinder to have a thorough inspection. That will mean engine out together with the radiator and probably the steering box.

Whilst all that is going on I can also give some time to preparing the ancillaries for the B20 and, more importantly, start on the engine rebuild. I have decided to do this myself, but of course any machining work will have to be done professionally. The engine is seized, but I am hoping that only one cylinder is badly affected, possible as there is evidence of a problem in the area of the rocker gear for just one pot. Anyway, i will strip it down and get a full assessment of the problems. When I last drove it in the 70s, it would produce a bit of blue smoke on starting after standing overnight, I am hoping this will prove to be no more than valve guides and seals. Time will tell!!

Photographs, the first three should be of the radiator, the 4th the radiator shutters in primer and the last the petrol tank stripped.

                                           Andy

[Parisien]

A few hours hard graft there Andy, step by step, its coming along nicely


P