"professional" advice

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TerryG
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Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

"professional" advice

#1 Post by TerryG » Sat Jun 04, 2016 9:38 pm

I've been googling about looking for a supplier of bits to upgrade my mog to dual circuit brakes. The master cylinder has failed so I thought as I have to replace it anyway I may as well see if an upgrade is available.
Anyway, when looking at Charles Ware's website I found the following passage in their FAQ.
FYI they are recommended by the owners club but from personal experience I wouldn't trust them to check the torque on the screws holding the ash tray in place.

"Converting to unleaded fuel:
The generally accepted way to convert a vehicle to run on unleaded fuel is to change the valve seats and the valves and we carry out this type of improvement regularly.

This costs approximately £330.00 for parts and labour.
Although this is the accepted way forward, it can be troublesome; an example of this is, an engine that is running perfectly and doesn't lose any oil, is then converted to run on unleaded fuel by changing the valve seats and valves, within one or two thousand miles of driving, the vehicle starts to burn oil. This is because some of the exhaust gases that would have naturally escaped through an average cylinder head are trapped perfectly by the new cylinder head and pressure is put down into the pistons. The additional oil used manifests itself as excessive oil consumption, visible smoke through the exhaust system and also because of the hotter running temperatures of unleaded fuel, the oil in the upper cylinder is burnt on to the valves and as the exhaust gases escape past the valves, a hot spot is created, which then burns the valve out prematurely. So a well meaning attempt to convert a vehicle to unleaded fuel, results in some major engine work to be carried out maybe 5000 miles later.
So our recommendation would be to fit a catalyst on the fuel system, this is a cigar shaped gizmo, which is fitted on the fuel line, and as the fuel passes over the tiny pellets enclosed, microscopic amounts of tin are collected by the fuel and the tin becomes the lead replacement. The catalyst lasts for up to 100,00 miles. We have been using these for approximately 10 years and have nothing but good reports about them.
In the future, when the engine needs to be rebuilt through general fair wear and tear, then the engine will at this point be converted to run on unleaded fuel by changing the valves and the valve seats. When the engine is reconditioned all the potential problems of fitting a new head to an older engine are overcome.
The cost to convert the vehicle to run on unleaded fuel on the catalyst system would be £89.50."
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

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JPB
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Re: "professional" advice

#2 Post by JPB » Sat Jun 04, 2016 10:15 pm

Are they sending themselves up, or do they actually believe what they’re saying? :lol:
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

rich.
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Re: "professional" advice

#3 Post by rich. » Sun Jun 05, 2016 5:27 am

that has to be a joke??

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TerryG
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Location: East Midlands

Re: "professional" advice

#4 Post by TerryG » Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:49 am

Here's the link to it.
http://www.morrisminor.org.uk/index.php ... leadedfuel

I wouldn't trust them to make a tea for someone in their waiting room but I'm sure some gullible people have gone down this route.
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

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JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: "professional" advice

#5 Post by JPB » Sun Jun 05, 2016 12:11 pm

I'd take a flask rather than risk the tea.

They also appear to have little understanding of how automatic gearboxes work as they say, in the section on fitting autos, this load of codswallop:
Also, because an automatic does not have engine braking, you would need to increase the power to the brakes.
Piffle! A Marina-sourced BW65 or (pre-1976) BW35 will provide exactly the same sensation of retardation when you change down into second and lift off. Minor brakes are no less capable of reining in an automatic than they are in a manual and the trend toward improving braking is a separate, usually oversold issue. The transmission paragraph also neglects to mention that even the Marina derived auto won't fit under the rack in a Minor without engine and box being mounted much lower with the disadvantages that brings to propshaft balance and not being able to reach the dog if you have to start the engine on the handle. Had auto conversion really been that simple, everyone would be going down that route rather than seeking out and destroying rare Datsuns to provide the parts that actually fit and work well.. :x

Other Minor specialists are available, some have moved the game to a new level in terms of quality and workmanship.

http://www.westridingclassics.co.uk/ ;)
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

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TerryG
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Location: East Midlands

Re: "professional" advice

#6 Post by TerryG » Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:31 pm

These days, this is my modified minor specialist of choice:
http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/
Jonathan is a seriously nice guy who has developed some great kits.
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

User avatar
JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: "professional" advice

#7 Post by JPB » Mon Jun 06, 2016 9:41 am

Some interesting bits & pieces on his site and given that so many alternatives are around these days - surely more specialists per surviving car than at any time since the Minor was still on sale - it's all the more surprising that someone who has courted such controversy and been criticised so widely over the years is still in business.

£70 seems very reasonable for the modified brake master cylinder, not just because it's modified with disc brakes in mind but in general terms.
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

User avatar
TerryG
Posts: 6754
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: "professional" advice

#8 Post by TerryG » Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:07 pm

He has certainly caused some controversy, had some issues with other "specialists" mentioned higher up in this thread (the first post) and some run-ins with the owners club but when you turn up and the first question is "how do you take your tea" shortly followed by an offer of a chocolate digestive, you know you are in the right place ;)

more seriously, i would have a 2.0 zetec powered traveller made by them if the company i was working for about 10-11 years ago hadn't gone bust :(
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

rich.
Posts: 6804
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:18 pm

Re: "professional" advice

#9 Post by rich. » Mon Jun 06, 2016 8:37 pm

TerryG wrote:but when you turn up and the first question is "how do you take your tea" shortly followed by an offer of a chocolate digestive, you know you are in the right place ;)
(
sounds like my kind of shop! :thumbs:

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