Eyes Open, Shifty Ticket, Rattle Trap and more – Mick's Workshop
Mick is toiling away in the workshop and providing you with the car advice you need.
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Eyes open
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We have a lovely 2.0lt Alfa Romeo GTV in the workshop at the moment, a series 2, and it’s a good example of why you should check out a purchase with an expert, before handing over the money.
It’s a beautiful little car and I’ve always said you should own at least one Alfa in your life. Or preferably two – one to drive while the other is being worked on.
This could happen with any car, regardless of make. The owner has bought the car and got brakes, wheels and tyres done – all good. Then he has come in for a roadworthy and got a bit of a surprise, as there’s a very long list of things that need attention.
None of it is individually hugely expensive or terribly difficult, but the costs add up when there are lots of them. Once it’s done, it will be a wonderful drive and the value of the car will have increased.
So the message is, go in with your eyes open. In Victoria, buying a car with a roadworthy reduces the risk enormously, as the process is deadly serious.
Like many of us, I seem to have collected all sorts of bits and pieces over the years, possibly by osmosis. Anyway, it’s getting to the point where the shed desperately needs a clean-out and there just might be something of interest for you home builders out there.
First is a nice little 327 crate motor I’ve built up, with all the good gear in it. It’s been dressed up to present well in an engine bay.
The other is my Chrysler Frankenstein engine. It’s a 265 straight-six turbo over supercharger motor producing 720 horsepower! It’s something you build when you get bored, but now I’m going to do something else.
Give me a buzz at the workshop (tel 03 9381 1666) and I can tell you more.
SHIFTY TICKET
Hi to all at Unique Cars – I always enjoy the read but I thought for a change I’d drop you an email.
I was watching a show on Foxtel recently called Highway Patrol, which is set in Victoria and documents our ‘Boys in Blue’ dealing with the clowns who tend to grace our roads. As an aside, I have to give them credit for not shooting some of these nongs!
One thing that piqued my interest was a driver who got fined for: 1. Not having padding on his steering wheel and, 2. Not having the shift pattern displayed anywhere in the car.
The car was a ’90s Commodore with the centre piece missing from the steering wheel, but I think the four-speed shift was standard.
As the owner of a 1979 3 Series BMW with a Momo Monte Carlo sports steering wheel and a plain gearshift knob, it would appear that I could be fined.
The steering wheel is a replacement, which I installed in 1983 (the original wheel did have some basic padding) but the gear knob is standard.
I’m pretty sure that my HQ Monaro and probably my XD Falcon did not have the shift pattern displayed either on the knob or on the console.
If you look at most older British and European sports cars as
well as other classic ’60s and ’70s cars, the vast majority have had wooden rimmed steering wheels with metal spokes.
So, let’s throw this out there and see what the Unique Cars crew and the readers know and/or think about this. I look forward to reading the results.
Laurie Floyd
Mick says...
Okay, let's talk about my pet hate: The shift patten myth. The police in Victoria have for years been having a go at people for no shift pattern.
I challenge them to show me anything in the VRIs and VREs (VicRoads regs) where it says you must have a shift pattern on a gear lever. It is not a roadworthy requirement.
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| Padded wheel and shift pattern. Alright then, officer? |
Next time you get pulled over for this, tell them to go and root their boot and take the fine for swearing at them!
The rules on steering wheels are, they must have padding as manufactured. So if the car came with a padded steering wheel (including in the centre), the replacement must be similar. Your 1954 MG TF doesn’t have to have a padded wheel, but your Commodore does.
RATTLE TRAP
Hi there. I have a W126 Mercedes-Benz, a 380 SE, which is a lovely car with just one flaw that’s driving us a little nuts. We have a rattle coming from the underside, up front, I think.
If you sit in the driver seat it sounds like it’s coming from the front, but weirdly, if you sit on the passenger side, it sounds like it could be the rear.
The maintenance is pretty good, so the bushes and ball joints are generally okay. We’ve got under it and the exhaust moves around, but all the rubber mounts seem to be okay.
You must have some sort of method for chasing these things – can you share it?
Bob Ainslie
Mick says...
It takes a few people to do this properly – one in the front driving, another in the front passenger seat, plus another in the rear. What you’re trying to do is nail it down to a single area.
A little story here: Some time ago we were working on an FG Ford which was booked in for a service, and could we track down the rattle in the rear?
We duly lifted it on the hoist and went over this then relatively new car. Couldn’t find anything wrong.
We went for a drive – nothing. So we gave it back.
The customer was in the nexr day, the rattle was back. So we went for more drives, at one point looking for a crappy Brunswick street, including some cobblestones. Suddenly, there's a noise from the rear.
Back in the workshop and up on the hoist, there was nothing obvious. We went around the suspension with a plastic hammer and all of a sudden, we hear the rattle!
A rock had managed to get inside the left rear lower control arm. We then had to smash the rock out (weirdly it was too big to just pull out) and the noise went away.
You can spend days looking for a rattle. Enjoy!
BEAUT UTE
I have a 1981 Datsun 720 farm ute I have previously asked about with the L18S engine in it. It has a Weber carburetor and Scorcher electronic distributor.
It runs fine (very well, actually) however there are three things that need to be sorted.
Firstly, if you accelerate from down low in the revs (first gear, more so in second), enough that you can hear the secondaries in the carb kick in, it bogs down for about 3-5 seconds and then goes. Is this just the nature of the engine or is there an issue?
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| Weber-fueled farm ute. |
Secondly, the sweet spot for the ignition timing seems to be around 55 degrees or so instead of 8-10. Would this be because I adjusted valve timing to rectify a suspected stretched timing chain?
Also, the distributor only fits on one way, so it can't be 180 degrees out.
Lastly, when I installed the Weber, it came with its own air cleaner and I found out you just block off all hoses going to the air cleaner.
So I did that, except for one that comes out of the rocker cover. It blows out, so I didn't block it. What should I do with it?
Ben McIver
Mick says...
In part you’ve answered your own question. The bogging down will have to do with the timing and stretched chain. You need to replace the timing chain and get the timing back to where it should be.
People think the rocker cover hose is to suck up the fumes, but no that’s the job of the PCV. The hose you’re talking about is there to equalise the pressure across the top of the motor and needs to be connected to the air cleaner.
It’s not to be blocked. If you do that, kiss your seals goodbye.
RELUCTANT ROVER
Hi Mick. I have a Rover SD1 V8, 1980 series 1. Don’t judge me for it!
Anyway, it’s in fairly good condition overall, but the auto transmission is getting incredibly sluggish, pretty much in any direction. I’m getting worried it might be on the way out, but I’d be a whole lot happier if I don’t have to deal with a rebuild or replacement.
Any thoughts?
Clem Jensen
Mick says...
They're a beautiful car and I love the leather and timber. By the sound of it, your transmission (a BorgWarner 65) probably needs a bit of maintenance.
Those BorgWarners – right from the 35 through to the 65 – are as tough as nails. It’s an old-school transmission, so fresh fluid, filter and adjustment should sort it out. Don’t throw the towel in yet.
The easiest way to recognise when your BorgWarner really is in trouble, they lose reverse. If it’s got reverse, you’re okay!
XB SHUFFLE
Mick, I’ve got an XB Falcon wagon that seems to have been in the family forever. It’s running a 250 six and an auto, and is getting pretty worn out.
I’ve decided to give the engine a top-end rebuild, which I can do myself and was wondering if it’s a big job to change over the auto for a manual, while I’m on the job?
Rex Scanlon
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| Changing from an auto to manual in an XB is a cinch. |
Mick says...
Speaking of BorgWarners, it runs a 35. The change over to manual is dead easy. You don’t have to change the pedal box or anything – it’s already set up for two or three pedals. There’s a ready placement for the master cylinder.
It’s the same tail-shaft and cross member, so it’s really simple. You’ll have more trouble wiring up the reverse switch than with putting in the gearbox!
From Unique Cars #485, Nov 2023
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