T-Series New Project, '52 TD

[DrEntropy]

PHG area? What? Uug, wouldn't go near them big city slickers. We're up here in God's country, in North Central Pa. Up on the Mighty Susquehanna River, the largest fresh water tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. Straight up RT-15 to Watkins Glen.

Here's God's Country, sports car road included: Except when it looks like the 2nd pic.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ever hear of Enon Valley? Or Koppel? And Blackburn Road in Sewickley was referred to as "the home course."

I once lured a GTO into a chase, in the Elan. The butthead tried to keep up on Rt. 100 going south out of Perkiomen in the eastern part of the state. He wound up losing it, plowing into a church graveyard, reefed on a headstone.

Why we left Sewickley in 1980:

 

[vette]

Doc, you do get around. I did make to your neck of the woods in Florida a few times. I have friends in Sarasota. As a matter of fact I met pd there. I was invited to join a group of guys going to the Revs Museum and I was in the car with a couple of strangers. Here’s this guy talking about his son’s Alfa and that he had owned a few MGTDs. It was pd. Now here we are fixin up a TD together via the forum. I did the Orange Blossom Tour in Florida sponsored by Classic Motorsport Magazine. As a matter of fact, if you look at the center fold spread in the latest magazine there is a double page advertisement for the tour. The Healey in the middle of the spread is me and my wife. Chow.

 

[DrEntropy]

Nice, David! Next trip down here, give us advance notice!

Had shops on Cattleman Road and Ware Industrial in Sarasota area for years. The Revs, earlier known as the Collier Collection, is impressive. A couple of my pals and former co-workers are part of the place. Lots of connections.

BTW: you might contact Jim Boffo in New Brighton, PA about the TD brake drums.

 

[NutmegCT]

And please let us know what inside diameter you measure in your drums!

(I'm still thinking it's a mechanical part adjustment problem - not a drum diameter problem.)

 

[vette]

Hello folks, I know it's been a while since I posted but I think I owe you guys an update. The original issues with the TD have been resolved but a few other things have emerged. I'll get to them in a minute. This car has clutch rods and with adjustment the clutch is working fine. I have replaced everything in the brake system and now it is working fine as well. But the rear adjusters are at or near their maximum expanded position. I attribute this to the drums being worn out or the new shoes are not sized as well as they should be. I was not able to get a proper brake drum gauge to measure the brake drums. I can assure you everything is assembled correctly and I am enclosing 2 pictures. The picture of the rear brake assembly shows that the adjuster is very near its fully expanded position and with it in this position I can take the drum on and off with slight drag. There's not much I can do with getting the shoes pushed out further except some "non-conventional" fix which I am not willing to do at this time. I have cleaned and reassembled and tuned the carburetors and they are working perfectly.
So two other issues have reared their ugly head. I took it for a test drive and within a half mile of my shop the engine started to break-up. I got back to the shop and took the distributor cap off (which I have not touched the ignition system previously) and discovered that the distributor was flooded with oil.
It was a wonder to me that this car ran at all. The cap was saturated and the oil was pooled in the body of the distributor almost at the level of the breaker plate. I cleaned and dried the distributor but the misfiring still persisted. I pulled the spark plugs and they were completely sooted up. I cleaned the plugs and the engine ran fine but the plugs soon sooted up again. I can assure you that the carburetors are adjusted correctly. Good piston rise, no jets hanging up and with just a slight rpm rise when you manually lift the piston just as they should be.
Then I discovered that the spark plugs in this engine are not the right ones for this engine. There is another set of spare plugs on the firewall bulkhead and they are not the same as the ones in the engine and they also are not correct for this engine. As a matter of fact the numbers are not even close to what should be in this engine. So I just ordered new plugs, points, condenser and rotor from Abingdon Spares and we will see if this cures this problem.
The oil in the distributor is still a mystery to me. In doing some research I have read that some suggest that it is caused by a worn or missing washer/shim at the distributor gear and/or worn distributor bushings. So during the ignition tune-up I will check for these conditions.
See pictures of brakes attached:

 

[pdplot]

You're on the right track. Just make sure the plugs are the correct reach. If the cylinder head is original to the engine, the serial number should tell you what reach plug is correct. As to the distributor problem, I have no idea, never having heard of that problem but it sounds like a seal or washer is not doing its job and allowing oil under pressure to get up into the distributor head. The Moss or Abingdon catalog should have a picture of the parts needed that you can compare with what you have. Those kind of problems usually turn out to be something stupid or simple. BTW - I have a crank or starting handle from the old days if you need or want one. They are stored in clips on the back of the bench seat.

 

[DrEntropy]

Sounds as if your rear drums have been turned one too many times.

That much oil getting into the dizzy could also indicate crankcase over-pressure, IMHO.

 

[NutmegCT]

I'm still thinking you need to measure the I.D. of the drum. Original was 9". That'll tell you how much they've been shaved down - and if not much, then you know your shoes/linings/adjusters are the problem.

Regarding oil in the distributor, give Abingdon a call and they'll give you real-world advice.

Tom M.

 

[Jim B.]

Quite often T owners use a Penney on the pistons under the adjusters to bring back adjustment.

 

[vette]

Quite often T owners use a Penney on the pistons under the adjusters to bring back adjustment.

Thank You, I have heard of that.

 

[Grantura_MKI]

Would check the vent tube and valve cover cap and make sure they a venting.