Removing the Engine - Part 1

I never thought that removing the engine was going to be simple, but I didn't think that it would involve as much as it does. So no, the engine isn't out yet, but I'm on my way...

Firstly, unbolt the clamp between the exhaust manifold and the exhaust downpipe...

remove the carburettor from the inlet manifold...

Remove the heater hose from the engine...

Unbolt and remove the engine steady between the engine and the bulkhead...

Remove the ignition coil, dynamo, and starter motor...

Inside the car, remove the gearbox cover. This is possibly not needed to remove the engine, but it'll make it easier and I'm going to remove the gearbox anyway. I wanted to remove all of the brass screws that hold it in place without drilling them out - this will make it easier when it comes to putting the cover back on.

Remove the bolts that hold the gearbox bell-housing to the engine...

Loosen the bolts on the bottom of the engine-mount towers. To avoid losing them, I wont remove the bolts until the engine actually comes out of the engine bay.

I gave the engine a bit of rocking, but its clear its still pretty stuck to the gearbox. I think the plan next is to undo the clamp holding the gearbox to the gearbox crossmember under the gearbox cover. Then jack up the gearbox a little to take its weight while the engine is hoisted with a block and tackle out of the engine bay.

Best laid plans and all that though...

Pig Ears Gone

In the interest of originality, I wanted rid of the after-market indicators that came with the car. It should have semiphore indicators but at some point in the past someone has disabled them and replaced them with these...

They were attached to the roof on some vans (I think because the van back made it hard to see the semiphores from behind - or something like that) and were also used on the BMW Isetta.

Anyway, I stuck them on Ebay and they went for £17.50 to a nice chap in Australia. Result!

Grill off

This took me longer than it should have. Mainly because I was so particular about saving the original nuts and bolts, that I took each of them off carefully with plenty of WD40, and cleaned each with a wire-brush afterwards. Still, I eventually got it off - even though I had to writhe the grill off the last bolt.

Next job will be to take the engine out - at least that's the idea anyway...

Removing the Radiator

After a long long long break from doing anything, I've finally managed to start back on the car. I've decided to start removing the engine, doing a little bit whenever I get the chance.

The radiator was pretty easy to take out. First, drain the water (there's a tap at the bottom of the radiator - it was seized, but I think it's brilliant anyway), and then remove the bottom hoses...

...and remove the top hose...

...then undo the two retaining bolts on each side...

 

..then slide it out!

With the radiator now empty, there's the chance it might rust from the inside out. So to stop it rotting, I covered the pipe ends with the fingers from a marigold, then re-filled it with water and anti-freeze.

 

I was well-chuffed with myself for coming up with this idea. Unless I discover that the anti-freeze eats through the glove, the radiator rots anyway, and I've cut up a perfectly good pair of Marigolds for no reason.

Latest Update

I've not done much since the last update. Family, work and DIY have been a pretty good excuse to keep me out of the cold, apart from a couple of days where I was playing with some toys that I got for Christmas (trolley jack, imperial spanners, head torch).

I decided to use the trolley jack to lift the car to give me a better look at the underside of the sills/floor to see what needs doing, however this came with its own problems - the chassis legs. I was going to jack under the chassis legs until I realised that the nearside leg was shot...

Nearside chassis legs with obvious corrosion

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Realising that the chassis legs will need replacing, I decided that this going to need a lot of clear space in the garage and plenty of access around the car. This also means removing the engine so that I can get into the engine bay floor and take the weight of those rotten sections. The recent cold snap has forced me to change the water in the cooling system, so have to leave the engine in for the time being, but I took the bonnet off anyway.

I didn't know if there was any coolant/anti-freeze in the engine, nor the last time the water had been changed. The engine is going to come out soon and it seems a bit pointless to change the water now, but it would have been a shame if the engine block had cracked due to neglecting this little job.

Changing the water also gave me an excuse to get the car started, and get it up to temperature - something that turned into a much bigger job than I expected. The battery turned out to be a bit of a dud, and even when connected to the battery charger, I needed the starting handle to get it going. The previous owner said the dynamo needed polarising, which also meant that the car couldn't even keep itself going once started - the car could only tick over using the power from mains electric!

Still it was really nice to hear the engine running, and the little burble from the exhaust. Considering the structural state of the car, it actually runs quite sweet - I really love these little cars! This was probably the last time it'll be running before it's taken out and rebuilt.

Current state of the car

UURRGHH, IT'S ASBESTOS!!

Aye, so I was sat at work and got to thinking about the heat shield beneath the passenger footwell (as you do). Then it suddenly dawned on me, "hmmm - I bet that's asbestos".

So I posted a question on the MMOC forum and yes, it is Asbestos - bugger. Apparently, it's white asbestos, and depending on its age, the clutch might be asbestos too, and the brake linings (at least when it was new) - but I knew this anyway.

The hole through the passenger footwell (the browny triangle)

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The heatshield is mounted above the front baffle of the exhaust.

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The white bit inside the heatshield is the asbestos.

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Some of the members on the MMOC forum suggested that if its doing no harm, then leave it alone - but because you can see it through the hole in the floor and it might end up killing me, and anyone that rides in the car, I thought I better get rid.

I did a bit reading up on the actual dangers of asbestos, and the safest ways of removing it. I found the health and safety executive has a good section on asbestos at http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/. I also spoke to the local council to see how to dispose of it, who recommended the following:

• Dampen the area down
• Wear protective clothing such as overalls (disposable preferably)
• Wear dustmask and gloves
• Avoid using powertools to reduce chance of breaking the material
• Dispose in double-bagged heavy-duty polythene bags, along with the overalls.
• Seal and label the bags
• Contact the council to arrange free disposal when next doing one of their "hazardous waste" pickups.

So following advice, I sprayed it with water to dampen down the fibres. Then taped over the hole in the floor, and taped a thick rubble sack to the underside of the car ready.

Once I was ready to catch the heatshield from underneath, I ground off the screw heads that were holding the heatshield on from the inside of the car. I would have preferred to unscrew them, but they were thick with gunk and wouldn't budge. After grinding the heads off, a swift whack with a mallet on the screws knocked them out and the heatshield fell onto the exhaust into the rubble sack I had taped to the underside of the car. I rolled this around the heatshield, then carefully double-bagged it in another two rubble sacks and taped them up. As recommended by the council, I did the same with the overalls I was wearing, and to be sure, my trainers aswell - they shouldnt have been binned years ago anyway.

Heatshield gone

I know it might seem a little over the top for what was just a little bit, but all of the research I did pretty much suggests to take no chances. I've just got to find something else to use as a heatshield now!

NEC Classic Motorshow

Went down to the Birmingham NEC for the Classic Motorshow this weekend, and had my pants pulled down by the parking charges. The Morris Minor Owners Club had their own stand there and had a few cars on show. This is pretty much the standard I'm aiming for with Arthur.

Took this as a reference point because the layout on mine will be similar (a bit different on later models)

Something like this for my next car would be class, but by the time I could afford it I'd look like one of those sad old buggers having a midlife crisis. Might have to aim lower - an MG, or a Triumph or something.