I only got the Coupe back 10 days before my trip to Thailand so literally drove it home from Otley in the pouring rain and chucked it in the garage where it stayed until I returned. Our trip was extended by four days due to the ongoing closures of Dubai airport and we were lucky to get a flight home via Paris at no extra cost.
The wet drive home was however something of a revelation; the clutch is now extremely light, considerably lighter than both my ie Coupes, which were both similar to how this clutch was pre-restoration. It’s also lighter than my previous 1300 Coupe which was hitherto the best of the bunch. The engine also revs and pulls noticeably stronger, although there is still possibly some adjustment needed to the idle stop on the carb. So, so far so good, with a nice drive up into the Dales for my birthday last week.
The only downsides I’ve found so far are that my windscreen washer pump was somehow broken from the tank and refitted with sealant rather than the internal locating clip. The sealant didn’t work. Also, neither of the fuel lines were properly tightened up at the carb. Bizarrely they didn’t start noticeably leaking until my second drive out in the car.
So, as I’ve been tardy in maintaining this thread, a summary of the work done;
Cylinder head removed and fully refurbished. Refitted via the failed NOS gasket which was replaced with a new one sourced in Germany. The cambelt and water pump were replaced during this process, along with the front and rear crankshaft oil seals.
Engine subframe stripped and powder coated.
All engine mountings replaced.
Clutch fully replaced. Again, more stress when the parts I has bought did not fit. Ultimately the original clutch was refurbished by a firm in Keighley. It seems, contrary to general thought, that the Facelift 1300 Coupe did not share the 1600 clutch, despite apparently sharing the same gearbox. The input shaft oil seal was also replaced.
All coolant hoses replaced.
Steering rack boot, wing grommets and track rod ends replaced.
All front suspension bushes replaced.
Front wheel bearings replaced. Nigel was correct in his diagnosis of the offside one being the source of the very annoying ‘whirr’ at speed.
Front flexible brake pipes replaced.
After a bit of negotiation I wasn’t charged for the clutch debacle. I wish I had the gumption, knowledge, facilities and energy to do this work myself, but I’d probably have messed it up and overall, I’m very happy with the outcome and with now owning a car I can hopefully use for many years ahead.
