Derby Bentley 4 1/4

This Derby Bentley is in the workshop to have the steering box refurbished and has now been stripped out ready for its rewire.


A view of the old cables after the conduits were taken off -
note that the rubber has melted and is appearing through the cotton braiding



Rear of dash showing poor condition of cables to be replaced



Front firewall all steam cleaned and ready
to be further cleaned up using wire wool



Front cockpit area stripped out for re-wire


The chassis has been steam cleaned ready to be rubbed down and have a coat of paint after which the new cables will be run.








Dash on removal from car
(with rear axle from 3 1/2 litre Derby Bentley in the background) 



The dash is also being repaired and tidied up while it is here.



Dash now stripped, sanded and painted in primer

On removing the carpets and trim we discovered that the rear footwells had advanced corrosion and have been asked to carry out the necessary repairs.



ROLLS-ROYCE 20 HP

 Ian is currently in the middle of stripping the gearbox from a Rolls-Royce 20 HP.  The car's owner had noticed a slight stickiness in disengaging with the change lever.  Ian tested the car on arrival and agreed that changing out of first and also out of second when under high load situations is unacceptably ‘jerky’ when compared with the change between third and top and warrants further investigation.  It could well be a mis-alignment due to bearing and bush wear but will only become apparent upon stripping down the gearbox. 



Parts are thoroughly degreased prior to inspection



1969 JAGUAR E-TYPE

Car on arrival at MVE with boxes of parts

visible in background

This car came in to us partly stripped with lots of boxes.  We have been asked to build it back up and re-commission it.

We started it up to assess the engine and found that there were leaks from the core plugs.  The head gasket was also leaking due to the cylinder head studs not having been screwed in properly.  On further investigation the cylinder head was found to be very poor and the bottom end of the engine had 0.007” wear on the bores (although someone had fitted new pistons).

This is now undergoing a re-bore and will have over-sized pistons fitted as well as repairing threads in the cylinder block ready for new studs.  We have sourced a second-hand replacement cylinder head which is due to us in the next couple of days.  It will then be fully inspected and any necessary work carried out prior to rebuilding the engine.

Gearbox

Gearbox ready for stripping
(rust visible on gears and selector hubs)


Whilst the engine was out we inspected the gearbox to find that it was full of corrosion and the bearings were no longer serviceable.  New bearings were ordered, the shafts and gears bead-blasted, washed and inspected and the casings cleaned before fitting new synchro rings. 

During strip-down

On close inspection debris is visible





Building up the gears on the shaft



Gearbox in the final stages of rebuild





The gearbox is now re-assembled ready for refitting

HAPPY NEW YEAR

We are now back to work following the welcome Christmas Break and wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Although the weather may not make you think of the summer ahead, please do not forget to book in early for pre-season servicing since we have quite a full workshop at the moment and would not like anyone to be disappointed.