1975 Viva DeLuxe - What Have I Done?

[yoeddynz]

I didn't drill the holes- it was like that already. Maybe mine was modified to have more camber at some point?

You could do the type 9- with crossflow conversion!

[oli8925]

Alex, not sure how I could move the ball joint out without extending the top arm. As standard the joint's pushed right out into the corner. And I wouldn't want to pollute it with too much Ford A slightly played with 1256 shall suffice until I do a redtop/VXR conversion or something of the like.



There was a rattly engine noise, but I found that to be one of the alternator bolts loose, so that's sorted now and it hasn't made a noise since, including a 100 mile journey to Hertford. The wheel started to squeak again when I was doing laps of the uni car park yesterday but didn't make a peep on the motorway. So fingers are still crossed. Other than still being the slowest car alive, it's actually beginning to sound fairly healthy again now.

New head for the new engine should help things along too cheers Paul

[viva2300]

it sounded nice when you went up the road Oli....

Paul

[oli8925]

Ohhhh dear.

Ok, I have two big problems. One is it going, the other is it stopping.

1. It has always made a horrible noise under load in 4th and 3rd and lost a bit of power, a noise that's like a cross between an old diesel under load and the spark from welding. But recently it has started to lose all power, so I'll change down to 3rd but it'll carry on. The car then starts juddering violently and feels like it's running on 3 cylinders. You can also tell when it's in one of these moods on the flat, it just feels completely gutless (more than usual) and struggles to get beyond 50mph. At other times it's fine, although it still makes the noise under load, it doesn't affect it.

The oil pressure has also started doing funny things. It used to idle at about 23psi when fully warm. It has recently started to idle at close to 40, or at times 30, and it still sometimes goes back to 23. Very odd. Need to do a compression test but not having the time at the moment.

2. The brakes. They're pretty *Bleep* anyway, despite rebuilt callipers with new green stuff pads. But it now fluctuates between feeling dangerously spongey, nicely servo'd and completely unservo'd. I think I've now sourced rebuild kit for the master cylinder, maybe found a new one and I'm still on the look out for a servo rebuild kit.

Are there any upgrade options around for the Lockheed HC that's a direct 'bolt on' replacement if you like?


Will hopefully get things sorted by the weekend, as I'm having a big car fixing marathon. Got a million things to do on the Viva still, with the above being priorities. Will also do a service and replace the split engine mount, at the same time will try to realign the exhaust.

My girlfriends Mini needs a CV UJ replacing along with bearings, and the brakes are doing something horrible. They vibrate really horribly, more so on the N/S. It looks like the outer pistons are seized, so I'm a bit worried the discs warped because of that. But the brakes are sharp as you like, really really superb. I had a bit of a play around a car park stamping on the brakes to see if I could free the seized pistons. It stopped for 10 mins then started again, so the whole lot's being investigated.

Her Corsa C also needs all the brakes doing, my Dad needs to get his Saab 9000 through it's MOT, and I want to get his spare Saab 9000 ready for an MOT incase I start to use it.

Pretty busy

[viva2300]

Oli
What you describe to me sounds like a dropped or sticky valve, that when it does stick is making contact with the top of the piston. this would go a way to explaining why it is running on 3 at times...valve sticking open = no compression on that cylinder....does that sound like what is happening?
Also....i have servo repair kit in stock with the club £25.....why dont you join...i cant sell to non members.

Sort the master cyl and servo out and brakes will be fine with a bleed.

Paul

[oli8925]

Another good suggestion, hope it's not that as don't want to start playing around with taking the head off.

I've now ordered new leads and plugs to do at the weekend and I have a million things to check thanks to peoples ideas on several forums. So with any luck I'll get this problem sorted.

To update for now, some new night time pics and pics of the CB and other goodies I won on ebay a few weeks ago







I have no idea if the CB works or how to go about testing it, but hopefully I'll have it going before long

[oli8925]

Here's a vid of how it looses so much power due to this problem it's got. Not been able to find what it is yet, and it still doesn't do it all the time. This is starting the hill at 70mph and eventually dropping to 30mph in 2nd gear. It used to be able to maintain 70 up there. Unfortunately you can't hear the funny noise.

Sorry for the vid being sideways, can't right it, and skip to 6:30.

[viva les vegas]

I turned my netbook sideways, so it was the right way up for me I did hear something, but couldn't tell if it was the exhaust, like towards the start of the video, or if it was your spark breaking down under load. How's your charging system? My HB used to die like that going uphill, and make a similar noise. The dynamo on mine was gone, so I'd have to charge the battery once or twice a week.

[droopsnoot]

Apparently there's a reasonably commonplace Subaru modern master cylinder that is a fairly easy swap, but you shouldn't need it if everything is working fine. The guy in Brisbane who bought my Sportshatch swapped it over, but that was mainly to be able to get service bits on the other side of the world. Like Paul said, though, when working properly the standard braking should be more than adequate - I think it's the same master cylinder on all HCs whatever engine size.

[hbpeter]

One of my HB's would die off like that, it was the vacum advance not working. Another car a VW Jetta, would do a similar thing, turned out the headgasket was weeping so it was efectively running on 3.5 cylinders. The other thing is fuel starvation.

Peter