HKM400

Cheers guys

Hi all, Wondering what fellow 1600 ford crossflow motor owners are seeing temperature wise at operating temp. Drove mine at the weekend and it was sitting around the 90 degree mark- didn't exceed this. I've heard they tend to run a bit hotter than normal... Any help appreciated, Cheers

Spurred on by the medium success of yesterday, I came home after work and did more things. Needed to get one of these off so the mechanical brake switch can be added in- because my car is too small and I'm an idiot and installed the pedals without adding the switch when the side panel was off. This is also known as laziness. So decided on the right hand one as it's the easiest to access. Needed to take the reservoir off because I couldn't get my spanner in to undo the bolts. Which is when I decided to make a mess But it was easy to take off then. I then cleaned up my mess because brake fluid is not very nice. Result. One line ready to get chopped. You may also notice my socks on the engine. Not much of a fan of these. Tried to get some proper weber mesh filters but they won't fit as the tubes are full radius. Anyone get around this other ways? Or just make my own? Off to visit Safe R tomorrow for the switch install. Discuss if desired. Ta http://oldschool.co....tus-7-series-3/

Seeing as the weather is rubbish, and I have the convenience of a dry garage to work in, I did some more on this today... Due to fitment issues the Pricol Mechanical Gauge I had for the car wasn't going to work- couldn't get a cable in there that would maintain a progressive bend so the cable could spin properly... as such I've got a new VDO Electronic Gauge and Hall Effect Sensor. This needs a rotating surface for the sensor to point at- I've just the bolts on the drive shaft... So hopefully the signal is strong enough. Made a little bracket like And then added the sensor... Bolted my bracket up and aligned the sensor with the bolts... Apologies for shite photo- shiny surfaces and flash don't mix Wired it all up and cable tied the sensor wire down so it doesn't get munched on Which then resulted in this happening Which pleased me. However the next step is to calibrate, which requires driving it 1 measured km, so that'll have to wait for another day when liquids aren't falling from the sky. Should also say I'm probably going to sell the Pricol gauge- never been used still in the original box. If anyone is keen let me know, will also list on the for sale section. Should my wiring actually work for the sensor (Sceptical at best) the last thing this needs for WOF is a brake light switch- which needs to be a mechanical pressure style one in the lines- so I will have to pull a hard line out and go visit someone with a flaring tool and buy a switch... Getting closer... Chairs http://oldschool.co....tus-7-series-3/

Evening. So last weekend I was meant to attend Hanmer. Several reasons prevented me from doing so. Which was not mad. However... on Sunday I decided to go for a small hoon in this. And I can confirm it is awesome. Also mounted my extinguisher here because there is minimal space inside. Mostly reserved for human body parts. The line up Truck is hiding behind the tree so didn't make the photo. Sorry truck. Funny for a tiny little car it looks bigger than the MG in this photo. Also have some gopro footage of the drive. Which I'm not sad to say is too big to put on here- mostly because I was making stupid excitement noises most of the time. Discussion if desired http://oldschool.co....tus-7-series-3/

Indeed reg on hold so that is the plan- Shouldn't be too many issues...... fingers crossed.

Good eve, Got part of the interior sorted this week. Very pleased indeed. Still have to get the tunnel done but that needs to happen at the upholstery shop. Lucky it's just down the road, and in the same complex there is a mechanic and wof garage who is going to take a look over it and point out anything that needs more attention before I finally send it for the ultimate test. Also coiled up some cable to wire the steering wheel switches into the loom. Also got some JB weld today so can bog up the pinholes in my diff case because I am an impatient bastard and don't want to take it apart again for awhile. I just want to drive itttttt. Discussion if desired. Cheers http://oldschool.co....tus-7-series-3/

Made more progress last weekend, sorted the seat back ply, also fitted my aeroscreen which was easier than anticipated The view from the business end Actually sits higher than expected too, so should do a half decent job of diverting the bees and other various insect life vaguely away from my face. Getting closer.... Excited for seats. Then it'll look proper car like. http://oldschool.co....tus-7-series-3/ Discussion if you wish, Cheers

It's been a looooong time. But I have actually made much progress no laziness here... Car has now been properly tuned and has been driven several successful times- have switched back from electronic ignition to a lucas dizzy as the electronic kit I bought was a bit of a let down. I am starting to sort out the finishing touches- have got an aeroscreen for it many reasons for this including the fact that I don't want to phaff around with wiper motors + unlikely to be actively pursue driving in the rain, interior is underway also. Trying to get it looking as tidy as possible before the warrant finally happens. Drives nice, pulls away in 4th with minimal encouragement on the throttle. No recent photos but will suss that for the next post. One other thing.... haven't sorted a bonnet yet- will need to be the last thing made and there will need to be a hole in it as the manifold is on an angle. Legalities of getting a WOF with no bonnet in the meantime? Guess i'm following the hot rod scene where t buckets often don't run a bonnet at all. Should say i'm not running a mechanical fan, have an electric shrouded one, nothing else protrudes to the point where a pedestrian would be impaled. In saying that... if you found yourself in a position to be hit by this I would recommend a big jump.... Discussion and thoughts? Cheers //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/46798-hkm400s-1969-lotus-7-series-3/

Been awhile... last year. Oops. Had thought I had knackered the drive line before Christmas while transporting a baby grand piano... went in for WOF when I came back for holiday and it's only universal joints. Winning right there. Still have the V8 and that plan is potentially still on the cards. Issue is these things are actually starting to get rare... I dare say probably worth more in original spec than being hacked up all for a bit more power... and grin factor... very much on the fence at this stage. Currently running in totally awesome surf mode. That's all for now...

I rechecked the seal between the carb and the manifold itself, seems the o rings weren't sealing properly hence the leak. Haven't had a lot of time to try start it again and check if it's fixed any of the issues- put some fuel in it last weekend though so might have a crack today and see how I get on.

Evening, Decided to do some more to this today being that the other alternative was more study... Went and bought myself some foam, vinyl and contact adhesive and upholstered the dash... Cut the holes out Test fit Apologies for the less than shite pictures. Pretty happy with how it turned out though Discussion if you wish //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/46798-hkm400s-1969-lotus-7-series-3/page-4

A brief update on this. I've spent the last few days tinkering around tidying things up and addressing some irritating issues. I've patched the small hole in the diff so it doesn't leak anymore- it's really a temporary fix for now but it's doing the job. Was only a small hole from welding the handbrake brackets onto the back of the case. Also rechecked all the valve clearances and made some adjustment, checked the timing. I've had a strange issue with the connection between the carb and the manifold. I've been getting a small amount of fuel leaking from one of the O ring seals so I pulled the carb off and checked the state of the gaskets- they were brand new from the rebuild. I just refitted the carb and tried to get the tension on each nut equal so it pulled up tight and flush- I can't get my torque wrench in there to get it perfectly accurate but it seems to have sealed up properly this time. Getting the shift remote correctly aligned with the selector rods is a massive wanker of a job, with such limited space I'm sure a gynecologist would probably have a go and think, "Oh god i'm at work!" I really need to sort a windscreen- my mates all ask why it's so close and it's taking so long and I don't really have an answer for them- it's more all the niggly little things holding it back. As picture less updates are pretty boring- and I imagine half the shit I write is just waffle: Discussion... http://oldschool.co....series-3/page-4

Cheers for the comments guys, as for the parabolics I bought them from rocky mountain in the UK, it did jack the car up a fair bit but the old elliptical jobs were pretty saggy to start with. They were supplied with shocks too but I didn't care for them much, seemed way too hard so I swapped them out for some others to try get the rate down. Still bloody hard riding though unless I put a few of the old wheels in the back or it's towing a trailer. As for the carbs in the interim stages of the build I'll probably just run it with them to get it started. Had a suggestion from governor sam about fitting a new manifold and a 4 barrel holly for ease of tuning and more efficient.... fuel injection is like a dark art to me but would be keen to give it a crack. It was once said that god stated let there be light, and there was, but the electrics were supplied by Mr Lucas and they died later that day

Discussion link as promised: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/49972-hkm400s-1976-land-rover-series-3/ Cheers

Discussion for this build //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/49971-hkm400s-1976-land-rover-series-3/ Cheers

Beginning to feel like that guy with a few projects all of which are unfinished, but there is no way in hell any of them are ending up on trademe. I have mentioned my landy a few times on my other thread and now it's about to get a rebuild it deserves considering it's 10 years of service. I bought the car with my father 10 years ago, and as a 12 year old it was pretty much the coolest thing in the world. Needless to say my lifetime of saving coins and doing odd jobs paid off in the end. This car has been my daily driver since I got my restricted up until the beginning of this year, when I realised the joys of a radio and a heater that wasn't like an asthmatic blowing at you through a drinking straw. Needless to say It's a lovely old thing and well deserving of a full rebuild. I bought it from a man in Timaru however the car spent most of it's life in Central Otago- and guess what that means oldschool lovers? No rust in this one praise the lord. It still has the original running gear, the standard bulletproof massive lump of iron 2286cc petrol- while I have got to the point where it is reliable and hasn't let me down for the last 6 or so years it is getting a bit tired. Improvements I've made over the years include a high ratio transfer box for better road speed and fuel economy (HA). I've also got a full canvas roof for it, it has parabolic springs front and rear, plus the new 15x8 wheels. Numerous fixes have been done to the engine over the years. The rear diff is making some pretty terrible noises and I suspect that the crownwheel has seen better days. At this point I feel that fixing just the diff isn't an economical decision and I have an opportunity to take the car off the road for a few months I may as well do a proper job. So the plan is to do a repower... with a Rover V8 I bought last weekend. Conversion kits come out of the UK for this however I doubt it'll be a bolt in job. Will possibly investigate higher ratio diffs from a rangerover or similar. The new engine This is what it has been used for the most- carting around the lotus 7 throughout that build. I will probably take the body off... considering doing a galv chassis for future proofing. I wouldn't call it a resortation but more a rebuild. I won't bother doing any bodywork, it's as straight as a landy should be and any knocks all add to the character. It will still afterall be a workhorse. Worth saying I'm not going for stupid power otherwise it'll just break axles. It will be more for the torque and towing ability... and who doesn't love a Rover V8. It will drink gas, but probably not as bad as the original unit... it's thirsty as. Discussion or comments are welcome... no doubt someone on oldschool will have done one before. I'll set up discussion on next post so link is available. Cheers

Evening, A modicum of progress has been made. Oil catch can is in... A cheapish trademe job which doesn't really fit in with the old English vibe but such is life. Maybe it'll be worth a few extra horses... or make it slide all over the place. Time will tell. I am also aware that the hose supplied will be rather shite so I will get some proper stuff later this week In other news the diff in my Landy isn't far from this world... which means it is soon time for me to pull that to bits completely and even put in a new powerplant, my current plan involves 8 cylinders.... Discussion if required: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/46798-hkm400s-1969-lotus-7-series-3/page-4

I really do need to do a thorough check of the manifold, there will more than likely be an air leak somewhere. Will have a spanner up today and see what eventuates. This tuning thing will no doubt be never ending, will just have to get used to it!

I had the carb refurbished by Simon at Palmside and he assembled it with the correct specs- specific to my engine which is the same as yours, 1600 Crossflow, single weber 40. I do have a regulator in the fuel line due to the fact that the pump I have may over or under fuel it... Seems my engine just needs some attention from someone who knows more than I do about tuning- which isn't difficult...

When you find your project lurking in the darkness of page 8 it's probably been awhile.. Not much has changed due to many things, I digress. In reality the car isn't far from being usable on the road... Just need to find someone to give it a good tuning and see what the carb is up to- whether it needs bigger or smaller jets etc. Can anyone recommend such a person to come to my shed and do that? Just easier than towing the fucker all around town. All it needs then is a windscreen and some interior design, a scatter cushion or two perhaps? //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/46798-hkm400s-1969-lotus-7-series-3/

Been awhile, have been low on funds so project is stalled for the meantime. Can anyone recommend a particular brand of wideband O2 sensor to buy so I can tune the carb properly? Cheers

Engine never ran when I bought that car, so pulled it out straight away. It first ran last year after I rebuilt the whole thing, carb was rebuilt by a specialist and he apparently used the correct spec jets for that engine. Plus that carb came on the engine originally... wide band sounds like a good idea at this point and I will get someone to tune it properly... will not be driving it until then, damn thing is an arsonist.

You've got me curious Rookie... I enjoy a good toast but not of the engine variety. I'm actually thinking about what Fliboi has suggested... on my manifold there is a vacuum outlet which I has been blanked off with a bolt, there is also what I believe is a breather coming from the block... should I just loop these with some heater hose so the vacuum circulates? I think the vacuum was used to power assist brakes or something? This will probably make me look like a total moron if I'm wrong haha. Should also state the engine is all good at idle and starts easily with no choke (hasn't been cold recently though). Idle is around 1k which needs to be dropped, sounds pretty lumpy. Only under load does it start shitting its pants.

Cheers for the advice, will give that a go at some point, just need it to retain oil and not ruin the asphalt any more than it has already!