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| Joined: | 03-12-2005 |
| Location: | Kingman, Arizona USA |
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Delta should have new floor pans and seat support brackets. They may still have shop manuals for sale. Haven't checked lately but IIRC the JHPS is selling some form of shop manual reprint. If all else fails, and nobody here has a spare, you can try eBay, but beware, some vendors there will ask for far more than what the book is worth.
Since you have clean oil and coolant, you can probably delay replacing those fluids for at least a while. Before starting, I suggest the following:
1. Examine the timing belt for damage. Some wear is OK but if the belt is frayed, cut, or teeth worn, replace it. Timing belts are about $20-30. If the belt breaks when the engine is running, you WILL need about $1000-1500 in repairs.
2. Install a fuel filter in the engine bay fuel line, just before the tee that feeds the two carbs. If this tee is plastic, replace it with a metal one! Many JHs have caught on fire and burned to death due to failure of the original plastic fuel tee.
3. Inspect and if necessary replace the fuel filter in the trunk. It is prudent to place the filter upstream of the fuel pump particularly if you suspect rust in the trunk.
4. Ensure battery and cables are in good condition. The JH has an interlock to prevent the engine from cranking when the ignition key is turned unless the driver and any passenger are seated and belted in place, parking brake on, etc. The system can easily be bypassed.
5. If the car has Stromberg carbs, pumping the throttle will NOT dump extra fuel into the manifold. When starting from cold, floor the throttle and pull the choke out all the way while cranking, then remove foot from throttle and push choke back in to maintain an idle speed about 1500-2000 rpm while warming up. The choke knob has a friction detent that is activated when it's twisted either way. Ensure that choke is completely off once the engine has warmed up.
6. Bleed the brakes, ensuring a complete replacement of all old brake fluid. Use fresh DOT4 fluid unless you know for a fact that the system currently contains silicone fluid. If you do this with a pressure bleeder, you may avoid the need for an immediate replacement of the master cylinder if there should be rust present in the system. (And as it's a British car, there will almost certainly be rust....).
This should get the car running and driveable if you can free up the clutch.
When starting, be absolutely certain to watch your oil pressure gauge. A JH that sees frequent use will normally take 4-6 seconds to display oil pressure, but if the car's been sitting for years, it may take 10-15 seconds the first time it starts. If you don't see pressure within 20 seconds, shut down the engine AT ONCE and find out why -- you may have a failed oil pump. Running the engine without oil pressure will become very expensive very quickly.
If your car is typical there will be a number of things that don't work....
If you think the engine is overheating, measure the coolant temperature before deciding on expensive repairs. Also, unless the car has an aftermarket fan shroud, there is very little air flow through the radiator when the hood is up, so things may get quite warm after awhile.
Most of the coolant hoses for the JH will develop age cracks after a couple of years, and will need replacement after 5 years or so.
If you have electrical problems, there is a small fuse block on the firewall near the brake booster, a couple of inline fuse holders under the dash, and one in the trunk. All fuses are 35 amp (European rating). I believe there was a wiring diagram in the owner's manual, and one can be found online if you need it. (No wiring diagram in the shop manual, though).
Once you get the shop manual, perform all of the checks on the scheduled maintenance lists. This will reveal most or all existing problems and can save a lot of future grief.
Good luck and have fun.
Last edited on 03-08-2006 10:31 pm by Mark Rosenbaum