My '72 P6 V8 is back in use on UK roads and once again wearing its silver on black 'K' plates!

Hi Harvey. Have you got a 3500S long throttle rod you'd like to part with? Don't suppose you've/anybody has got a picture of one? Ideally in-situ, so I can see what it all ought to look like!
 
Has anybody here got a spare accelerator coupling shaft from a manual 3500S (part no 566141) that they'd like to sell me?
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Proper 3500S accelerator shaft obtained from Wins, snazzyfied with some rattle can silver, installed in place of former automatic item and unnecessary bracketry – lovely jubbly! Much nicer angle at the replacement plastic coupling, no more unsightly redundant 'ear' for the automatic kickdown cable, less clutter. Thanks for that suggestion Harvey!
Now some photos of all the bits and pieces I got from all over the place to perform a manual gearbox transplant.
Which isn't working properly, though more on that when I find the problem and rectify it.
 

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It has been ages since I had any progress to report here. I fitted a five speed manual gearbox, which wasn't as easy as I had somehow been led to believe! Once the various leaks in the new clutch hydraulics had finally been sorted out, and the system bled, I was very disappointed to discover the clutch wasn't disengaging. My friendly mechanic reckoned the pivot pin for the clutch lever was too short, and that the box would have to come back out. Furthermore, the rear brakes aren't up to much at all. Nor is the handbrake.
Frankly the thought of dismantling it all again filled me with dread, so I opted for the easy way out! At the start of the week I had the thing transported from my lock-up, across town to Classic Wheels, my professional friends who wrench on classic cars for a living. I had done 90% of the conversion (with lots of help from friends and garage neighbours), but I know my limitations, and it was clear to me that I needed pro help to complete the difficult last 10%.
This afternoon the guv'nor called and told me to come on by. His lads had already whipped the box out, and the boss had immediately identified that the carrier for the throw-out bearing was the wrong length. Handily, he had the correct part in stock, and in combination with the proper length pivot pin it has all been reassembled and refitted.
Yay! The clutch now works as it is supposed to! Much jubilation!
It wasn't that I'm a complete numpty, so much as I had been sold a couple of components that weren't the right ones, and I didn't have the experience to recognise that before fitting them.
I was chuffed to bits when the guys who had just wielded the spanners complimented me on the quality of the work undertaken to perform the swap. I can't take the credit for the various bits of welding, but the design of the fabricated bits'n'bobs that had to be made up to mount the master cylinder bracket, and the adaptions to the SD1 rear gearbox crossmember using some of the old BW35 bracketry all got a thumbs up. As long as the TÜV examiner is of the same opinion all should be well.
At the moment I can only select 1st and 2nd, because I still need to enlarge the hole in the tunnel to the appropriate size. The SD1 gear lever still needs to but cropped and the bottom half mated to the top of a proper 3500S lever, so that it looks as if it left the factory with the manual. The rear brakes will need attention, and then there is still the issue of the speedo cable. But the guys assured me it ought not to be too long now before we get it ready to submit for it's now long overdue roadworthiness test and back on the road! Watch this space!
Thanks again for all the encouragement and dispensation of vital wisdom Cobraboy, HarveyP6 and PaulCovey, plus all those other supportive forum contributors I've forgotten.
 
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Today I enlarged the hole in the top of the tunnel so that I can now select all five gears without any obstruction of the gear lever. My new accelerator linkage needed a bit of fettling to bring the idle down, and then I took my first test drive...

WOW!!! YAY!!!! EXCELLENT!!!! :cool::p:D

Further work, including combining the two gear levers into one, sorting out the speedo cable and refitting the tunnel carpet and trim, will have to wait until I next have some free time to tinker. At last the beast is back in my little garage here at home, but now I'm sat here bemoaning the fact the car isn't strictly road legal yet without a new TÜV certificate, so until I get that I can't go out for a proper hoon, err, I mean drive. :mad:
Without having got out of third gear, (because the very short drive home from Classic Wheels takes me through a strict 30 kmh restricted area) I can already say it feels quite different with a manual. Keener, sportier, everything I had hoped.
Watch this space for a proper road test and shakedown in the weeks to come... I'll do a proper write up with a few pics of what was involved too. All in good time. Now I'm going to go for a well earned beer or two!
 
Today I enlarged the hole in the top of the tunnel so that I can now select all five gears without any obstruction of the gear lever. My new accelerator linkage needed a bit of fettling to bring the idle down, and then I took my first test drive...

WOW!!! YAY!!!! EXCELLENT!!!! :cool::p:D

Further work, including combining the two gear levers into one, sorting out the speedo cable and refitting the tunnel carpet and trim, will have to wait until I next have some free time to tinker. At last the beast is back in my little garage here at home, but now I'm sat here bemoaning the fact the car isn't strictly road legal yet without a new TÜV certificate, so until I get that I can't go out for a proper hoon, err, I mean drive. :mad:
Without having got out of third gear, (because the very short drive home from Classic Wheels takes me through a strict 30 kmh restricted area) I can already say it feels quite different with a manual. Keener, sportier, everything I had hoped.
Watch this space for a proper road test and shakedown in the weeks to come... I'll do a proper write up with a few pics of what was involved too. All in good time. Now I'm going to go for a well earned beer or two!


Well done !

You must be itching for a good run.

Look forward to write up.

Mark.
 
;)
Not 'arf!
My very brief drive home was really loud, but I realised I haven't put the big round rubber bung back in the left side of the tunnel, and the front part of the tunnel carpet isn't refitted yet, so it sounded like a NASCAR from the driving seat.
It took absolutely all my composure not to sneak the old girl out for a night ride, but not having actually remedied the p**s-poor rear brakes yet means I still ain't got no TÜV. Don't fancy getting a tug from 'die Bullen' (wot they call ze fuzz in German) and having lots of explaining to do, so it'll have to remain cooped up for now. I've waited something like 12 years to achieve this, a few more weeks won't kill me!
I'm over in Blighty for a few days, from where I've just posted off my fraying and unravelling seat belts to be refurbished, and tomorrow I'll have a chat with Speedy Cables. Disappointed to discover they're not in London anymore, as I had hoped to pop in and speak to somebody in person, but they've relocated to Wales. I belatedly realise I still need the retaining bracket that holds the speedo drive in place on the LT77, and a new rubber gaitor for the gear stick, and maybe even a new plastic tunnel cover, one with the little plastic pins on the back to hold the rubber gear lever gaitor in place.
Once I get hold of these last pieces of the puzzle and get back home I reckon I should have it certified by early April.... :rolleyes:
 
Speedy Cables...….. ho hum, bain of car builders lives including mine up and down the country
They have two divisions the instrument and the cable.

Before dealing with the instrument division you need to assess roughly how much longer you can reasonably expect to live before placing an order.
The cable division, if you plead and grovel, can supply a made up cable in a couple of weeks.

These might be a better bet Speedograph Richfield, specialist automotive accessory manufacturers for all your classic car needs

The rectangular rubber stepped gaiter for the gear stick I bought I think from Wadhams when I needed one has already failed and is full of holes .The Lotus Elan +2 4 speed used this gaiter and I plan to get one from Paul Matty Lotus soon to see if it lasts longer.
 
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I used these guys for a custom cable (Rover instrument to Chevrolet motor drive for my ZF project) and they were excellent, really fast and the finished product of higher quality than factory items.

CABLE-TEC, CABLES & CONTROLS, Rossfield Road, Rossmore Industrial Estate, Ellesmere Port CH65 3AW

And yes change ANYTHING from standard and the 80:20 rule applies. You'll spend 80% of your time and effort to finish the last 20%
 
Thanks for that advice Mark, Peter.
---Trumpet fanfare ---
My car passed the TÜV (MOT) again this morning, and I managed to go for a little 'shakedown run' this afternoon.
Excellent fun! :cool::p:D
It is know an entirely different beast!
Lightened flywheel seems to have really woken up the engine, it feels much more revvy (if that is a word) and racy. Deffo needs a fine tune, but that is to be expected after a longish lay-up, and having changed things, right?
I should've fitted a manual box years ago! Well, actually I've been wanting to carry out the swap for years, it has just taken me this long to make it happen.
It is pretty noisy in the car because I haven't finessed making a combo gearstick yet, I've got the long SD1 stick as a temporary measure, and the proper P6 rubber gaiter requires a corresponding centre console! I hadn't realised it differs from the auto console. Lots of interesting whining, whirring and clunking noises from the drivetrain that the automatic didn't used to make.
Alas, my elation was curtailed when, after stalling (Doh! Getting used to driving stick again!) it refused to start again. I had to call out the ADAC (AA in German!) roadside assistance. But off course I did, as I'd risked bringing my wife out with me to enjoy the test drive, therefore needless to say we had a breakdown! The ADAC guy ("yellow angel") grinned when he pulled up. I'm not sure if that was because of the shiny old car, or the lady in the passenger seat with the long face!? He knew the battery was in the boot, and said he'd worked on P6s before although not for many years. He gave me a jump and it sprang straight back to life. :rolleyes: He then diagnosed a probable 'lectrical leak at the starter motor, for me to look at/for tomorrow, and pointed out the female connectors on the wiring behind my alternator look pretty ropey!
I also noticed a bit of coolant puddling on top of the timing cover (double drat! :mad:), which I'm really hoping turns out to be a loose hose clamp and not the intake manifold leaking again. I'm going to wait for daybreak before I investigate.
I just wanted to trumpet being back on the road after such a long spell out of duty, and say thanks again to everybody who helped me make it happen, y'all know who you are.
 
GOOD STUFF !

I bought the rectangular gaiter as stated above and glued it into my auto console, worked a treat, well apart from being made of el cheapo rubber !
I also got some fairly dense foam about 2" thick and cut a 6" or so square and sat it on top of the gearbox, with the stick coming through it. It muffles the transmission noise very well.
 
I also got some fairly dense foam about 2" thick and cut a 6" or so square and sat it on top of the gearbox, with the stick coming through it. It muffles the transmission noise very well.

That's what the SD1 used as standard, and I used on mine.
 
Today, for the second day on the trot, it was once again my pleasure to make the acquaintance of yet another friendly and helpful ADAC roadside assistance chap, when my troublesome machine decided not to restart after a two minute roadside pause to take an unnecessary phone call (note to self; get a hands-free headset or just ignore the phone if I'm driving, right!?). I knew I had fuel, and there was a good spark from the high tension lead when held against the inner wing. Not having come far from my shared lock-up, I called my mate who drove round the corner to give me a jump. The engine turned over a bit faster, but still wouldn't catch. When the ADAC guy turned up he took off the distributor cap and immediately diagnosed that the points were closed, well and truly, and didn't open. As if they had welded themselves together. I didn't know that happens! What causes that? We opened them up, filed them clean, and not having a dwell meter to hand roughly set the dwell angle so that the engine again 'sounded right', pending tuning with the proper devices. I had earlier decided not to tinker with the idle screws on the carbs to lower the idle speed, and now I reckon the closed-up points were probably the culprit.
Pleased though I was to be able to get home under my own power, when the right hand turn signal failed en route I think I died just a little. The tribulations never end, do they!? :eek:o_O:rolleyes: What is the likely culprit? Left signals both flash, just the right has quit.
 
Do the indicators share a fuse with the side marker lights? I seem to recall noticing that the tell-tale above the front right wing wasn't lit either. I'll investigate in daylight. If a fuse for an indicator goes, should the tell tale arrows on the dash still work?
 
Do the indicators share a fuse with the side marker lights? I seem to recall noticing that the tell-tale above the front right wing wasn't lit either. I'll investigate in daylight. If a fuse for an indicator goes, should the tell tale arrows on the dash still work?
Don't think the arrow would light if the indicator wasn't working. It could simple be the earth for the affected light unit. Have a play about under the wing!
 
Indicator issue seems to be at the switch on the steering column. It has fixed itself, which experience tells me means it is about to expire! I can't be bothered to remove the steering wheel and get in there now, I'll wait until I am next at my lock-up with time to tinker.
Sidelight was simply a burnt out bulb. Then I popped in to see my mechanic pal and have him measure the dwell angle with his fancy gadget. He reckoned I've got it spot on by ear, so that pleased me. In due course I'm going to finally get around to fitting an MSD Street Fire ignition module, which will reduce the amount of current going through the points, so that they ought to last a little longer!
 
Indicator switches that remain unused for some time tend to cause problems like this, perhaps something to do with drying out paste and copper oxidation, but normally some workout is enough fix them.
 
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