With KGA performing faultlessly and the Rover gathering dust, it was time to tempt fate and get rid of the backup vehicle.
As it had started pouring oil from the engine, overheating on small journeys and refusing to start without being coaxed, the Rover went onto eBay with no reserve and £1 to start:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=007&sspagename=STRK%3AMESO%3AIT&viewitem=&item=170110829222&rd=1&rd=1
Despite the frighteningly honest listing, it went on 10th May and was picked up on the 12th. I was happy with the price and the buyer (a Rover mechanic) was happy with the car. Great success.
Since then it's just been me and KGA. And my bicycle. And I'll be bringing my Vespa out of retirement, just in case.
Wednesday 23 May 2007
TODO Improvements - Overdrive
An overdrive gearbox was an option on Amazons and came as standard on the souped-up 123GT. KGA doesn't have one, but it would make motorway driving a smoother experience.
For the uninitiated, overdrive was the sixties' answer to fifth gear. But a bit cleverer, so it could usually be engaged in third or fourth gear, to ratchet things up to an equivalent of 3½ or 4½ and take some strain off the engine.
Hopefully it won't be too hard to find a box with an overdrive unit. The plan is to get hold of one, get it reconditioned, then fit it and replace the clutch while I'm at it.
Not in the near future though.
For the uninitiated, overdrive was the sixties' answer to fifth gear. But a bit cleverer, so it could usually be engaged in third or fourth gear, to ratchet things up to an equivalent of 3½ or 4½ and take some strain off the engine.
Hopefully it won't be too hard to find a box with an overdrive unit. The plan is to get hold of one, get it reconditioned, then fit it and replace the clutch while I'm at it.
Not in the near future though.
TODO Maintenance - Cooling System
KGA has the "standard" modification common to most classic cars - the temperature sender gauge which starts up the electric fan has been replaced with a switch.
So the driver decides when the engine's too hot, and often forgets to turn the fan off after parking. Leading to another battery charge.
Even with the electric fan, global warming is taking its toll and hotter days see KGA cruising around England with the fan switched on, the heater on full and all windows wound down to try and moderate the sweating of the inhabitants.
Hopefully the situation can be improved with a run on BARS flush, removal of the radiator and reverse-flushing it, and some new cooling hoses.
Then I may be able to put back the thermostat which a previous owner removed many summers ago.
So the driver decides when the engine's too hot, and often forgets to turn the fan off after parking. Leading to another battery charge.
Even with the electric fan, global warming is taking its toll and hotter days see KGA cruising around England with the fan switched on, the heater on full and all windows wound down to try and moderate the sweating of the inhabitants.
Hopefully the situation can be improved with a run on BARS flush, removal of the radiator and reverse-flushing it, and some new cooling hoses.
Then I may be able to put back the thermostat which a previous owner removed many summers ago.
Tuesday 22 May 2007
TODO Improvements - Charging System
The dynamo in the Amazon is rubbish, and was from new. It produces no charge at idle, and precious little at higher revs. I find myself having to lump the aged battery out and charge it once a fortnight to make sure KGA starts.
There are plenty of ideas around for upgrading to a modern alternator, as on the Volvo Owners' forum here:
http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=36163
But it narrows down to:
1) the SWEM alternator upgrade kit - which is highly regarded but on this side of the water, the recommended AC Delco alt is hard to come by;
2) the Scandcar alternator replacment - on the same continent and has everything you need. According to the website only the 35A version is suitable for a '66 Amazon, but I've mailed them and they confirm the 65A model will be fine.
I'll be going for the latter, when time and budget permits.
There are plenty of ideas around for upgrading to a modern alternator, as on the Volvo Owners' forum here:
http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=36163
But it narrows down to:
1) the SWEM alternator upgrade kit - which is highly regarded but on this side of the water, the recommended AC Delco alt is hard to come by;
2) the Scandcar alternator replacment - on the same continent and has everything you need. According to the website only the 35A version is suitable for a '66 Amazon, but I've mailed them and they confirm the 65A model will be fine.
I'll be going for the latter, when time and budget permits.
TODO Fixes - The Leak
There's a leak. Not sure quite where, but it could be the seal around the windscreen. Not a big issue, but it'll need sorting before big things like new carpets get attention.
TODO Fixes - Creaks, Bangs and Rattles
KGA is a nice car to drive, but a touch noisy. There are four origins of the creaks, bangs and rattles which we need to fix:
- exhaust - a stainless exhaust from P. D. Gough was fitted some years ago, and very good it is too. Seems a slightly different fit though, so the exhaust bangs against the rear bumper over potholes, sleeping policemen etc.;
- horn ring - annoyingly rattly and the horn itself is difficult to engage. Bits of old mousemat used as padding is apparently the answer;
- gearbox mounting - or somewhere similar, there's a creak on acceleration suggesting a loose nut or two;
- seats - both passenger and driver seat need tightening.
Judicious use of spanners, hammers and WD40 should sortall this. Although it's been easy enough to live with so far...
Oh, Mr. Harry - 1 February 2007
Not quite a month since the clutch had been fixed, we had a minor issue with KGA on Thursday 1st February
It was a complicated day. We had tickets to the recording of Harry Hill's TV Burp, courtesy of TV Recordings, which necessitated much planning and several cars. In brief, we left KGA at work, watched the excellent recording and then headed home via work to pick up KGA.
The engine started reluctantly. Then stalled. Then started reluctantly. Etc. Blaming a flat battery, we did some jump-starting with the trusty Rover. No dice there, so eventually we called the AA.
They arrived quickly and diagnosed a dodgy fuel filter. A previous owner had fitted an inline filter which was heavily clogged, and the AA man recommended a new filter and new fuel lines to boot. He cleared the carb and to get me home, and with a job for the weekend.
Seemingly inline filters come in "large" or "small". KGA went for large, although it was a tight fit and the extra lengths on each side of the filter had to be trimmed. To complicate things further, the Amazon takes different sizes of fuel line coming into the pump and going out, so after fixing it looked like this:
With that done the engine sounded smoother and we were off again.
It was a complicated day. We had tickets to the recording of Harry Hill's TV Burp, courtesy of TV Recordings, which necessitated much planning and several cars. In brief, we left KGA at work, watched the excellent recording and then headed home via work to pick up KGA.
The engine started reluctantly. Then stalled. Then started reluctantly. Etc. Blaming a flat battery, we did some jump-starting with the trusty Rover. No dice there, so eventually we called the AA.
They arrived quickly and diagnosed a dodgy fuel filter. A previous owner had fitted an inline filter which was heavily clogged, and the AA man recommended a new filter and new fuel lines to boot. He cleared the carb and to get me home, and with a job for the weekend.
Seemingly inline filters come in "large" or "small". KGA went for large, although it was a tight fit and the extra lengths on each side of the filter had to be trimmed. To complicate things further, the Amazon takes different sizes of fuel line coming into the pump and going out, so after fixing it looked like this:
With that done the engine sounded smoother and we were off again.
What, no Gears? - 8 January 2007
KGA had been my daily drive for a few months before we had our first problem. Driving home from work one night it became difficult to engage gears. Trying to drive to work the next day and there were no gears to be had.
Temporarily the Rover was brought out of retirement until the issue could be fixed, while KGA languished in the local car park, awaiting attention.
Inspection found the clutch master cylinder filled with a murky dark-brown liquid which was presumably once clutch fluid. I drained it and replenished with fresh, but depressing the clutch pedal didn't effect any movement in the slave cylinder.
A replacement master cylinder (original spec, new Girling part) came courtesy of the fast and efficient PowerTrack limited (who also supply brake parts). The Haynes manual was accurate if brief on the removal of the "brake pedal to pushrod clevis pin", which is found here:
The new cylinder came devoid of thrust rod, so this was removed from the old one and the new cylinder fitted:
Filled with fluid and with some hearty bleeding, the new cylinder worked perfectly. KGA was back on the road in time for work on Monday.
Temporarily the Rover was brought out of retirement until the issue could be fixed, while KGA languished in the local car park, awaiting attention.
Inspection found the clutch master cylinder filled with a murky dark-brown liquid which was presumably once clutch fluid. I drained it and replenished with fresh, but depressing the clutch pedal didn't effect any movement in the slave cylinder.
A replacement master cylinder (original spec, new Girling part) came courtesy of the fast and efficient PowerTrack limited (who also supply brake parts). The Haynes manual was accurate if brief on the removal of the "brake pedal to pushrod clevis pin", which is found here:
The new cylinder came devoid of thrust rod, so this was removed from the old one and the new cylinder fitted:
Filled with fluid and with some hearty bleeding, the new cylinder worked perfectly. KGA was back on the road in time for work on Monday.
Bringing it all Back Home - 20 October 2006
The wait was much longer, and the cheque much larger than expected, but I returned to Beacon Hill on Friday 20th October to pick up KGA and a shiny new MoT certificate.
Getting 12 months' road tax for free at least meant I could be on the road without further expense.
On the plus side, there was very little wrong with KGA - a rusty brakepipe, one new tyre, valve on the screen washer. On the minus side, the "didn't look too large" holes turned out to go deep and wide, and there was much labour involved in fabricating and welding in parts.
But KGA was now my main vehicle, the Rover could be retired and I was looking forward to returning to the world of clasic motoring.
Getting 12 months' road tax for free at least meant I could be on the road without further expense.
On the plus side, there was very little wrong with KGA - a rusty brakepipe, one new tyre, valve on the screen washer. On the minus side, the "didn't look too large" holes turned out to go deep and wide, and there was much labour involved in fabricating and welding in parts.
But KGA was now my main vehicle, the Rover could be retired and I was looking forward to returning to the world of clasic motoring.
Monday 21 May 2007
The Chicken is in the Pot - 29 June 2006
With the road tax due to expire at the end of June, I arranged to pick up KGA on Thursday 29th. Being no welder and wanting the structural work done properly, I'd booked it in to Beacon Hill Garage - classic car restorers near Hindhead in Surrey.
It took some complicated logistics involving bicycles, trains and multiple cars to get KGA from Thatcham to the garage.
I hadn't driven a classic for years and the noisy, bumpy ride came as a disappointing surprise. As did the performance, with KGA struggling at 70mph to keep up with traffic on the M4 . But when I released the handbrake (which had thoughtlessly been positioned to the right of the driver's seat rather than the left) after 20 miles, the ride improved considerably along with my mood.
I left KGA with Beacon Hill, hoping to return soon and hand over a large cheque in return for a pristine Amazon.
It took some complicated logistics involving bicycles, trains and multiple cars to get KGA from Thatcham to the garage.
I hadn't driven a classic for years and the noisy, bumpy ride came as a disappointing surprise. As did the performance, with KGA struggling at 70mph to keep up with traffic on the M4 . But when I released the handbrake (which had thoughtlessly been positioned to the right of the driver's seat rather than the left) after 20 miles, the ride improved considerably along with my mood.
I left KGA with Beacon Hill, hoping to return soon and hand over a large cheque in return for a pristine Amazon.
Searching through eBay - 24 June 2006
I expect I'd seen the advert a few days before the 24th, but the first record I have is the response to the question I asked on that day.
The advert's here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4653863157&indexURL=5&photoDisplayType=2
- and the response from Ian pointed out very truthfully that some welding would be needed to put the Volvo through its MoT test.
I was in the market for a classic to replace the soulless '90s Rover which replaced the soulless '02 Peugeot. The list had been narrowed to a Volvo Amazon (preferably a 123GT) or a BMW 2000CS, and with the BMW being harder to come by than a peerage, an Amazon was looking likely.
On the Sunday we headed up to Thatcham to kick the tyres. Kilo Golf Alpha looked well looked after and sturdy, and the holes where there should have been metal didn't look too large. My bid duly went in and I won the car for a fair price on the 25th, after some tense final seconds.
The advert's here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4653863157&indexURL=5&photoDisplayType=2
- and the response from Ian pointed out very truthfully that some welding would be needed to put the Volvo through its MoT test.
I was in the market for a classic to replace the soulless '90s Rover which replaced the soulless '02 Peugeot. The list had been narrowed to a Volvo Amazon (preferably a 123GT) or a BMW 2000CS, and with the BMW being harder to come by than a peerage, an Amazon was looking likely.
On the Sunday we headed up to Thatcham to kick the tyres. Kilo Golf Alpha looked well looked after and sturdy, and the holes where there should have been metal didn't look too large. My bid duly went in and I won the car for a fair price on the 25th, after some tense final seconds.
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