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| Darth V8Rs project | Rating: 
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| Posted: 05-10-2026 09:22 pm |
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101st Post |
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vnavaret Member 
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Progress on Rusty... I will admit, I have not been spending much time on Rusty, as I have pulled the TR8 out of it's winter slumber. I had replaced the TR8 brake booster last fall after it failed, and when I bled the brakes the pedal would slowly sink to the floor. <mumble> So I tossed in a new master cylinder. Took her for a spin, and she would not start to get me home. It was doing this 12 years ago, and a new fuel pump finally cured it, so I threw in another new fuel pump. Seems to be working now, but the throttle will not let it settle down to an idle unless I blip it after coming to a stop. <sigh> Worst spring startup ever for the TR8. =:-( Ahem. OK, let's talk about Rusty. I have installed the headlight surrounds, and replaced my leaking, rusty fuel tank with a new aluminum one from Robey. It fits nicely and to my surprise is powder coated, so it looks the business. I spent time diagnosing my rough running when I last tried to start it. My plug wires were off by one tower on the distributor, so I am surprised it tried to run at all. After I moved the wires around, I bumped the engine over to TDC on number one, and tried to set the timing statically. There was oil everywhere, leaking past the new o-ring I had installed on the dizzy drive during its rebuild. I went to the hardware store and got a slightly thicker o-ring, which prevented the distributor from seating in the block. Argh! Nothing is ever simple. I ended up using a metric o-ring with a 2mm thickness, and it seems to seal and the dizzy will seat in the block. I had thought that since the distributor was dimensioned in imperial units, the o-ring should be imperial as well. WRONG! Setting the timing on this car is a pain, because the spring between the oil pump and the distributor keeps pushing the dizzy out of the block. I finally removed the spring entirely in a fit of pique. We will see if any problems occur as a result. (Probably). So, I think I am ready to try to start it once again. Wish me luck! Vance Last edited on 05-10-2026 09:22 pm by vnavaret |
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| Posted: 05-10-2026 11:03 pm |
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102nd Post |
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redracer Member
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Vance: the dizzy also has a shaft seal as well; however, the very early ones did NOT even have a seal as the same 25D dizzy was used in many Brit cars where it sat straight up(hard to believe they overlooked this!). If you take the dizzy apart, be sure to keep the pieces form each one(assuming you have more than one (say for a spare) as they are "matched" so the parts are NOT interchangeable(ask me how I know!). Anyway, keeps us posted with all your trials & tribulations!
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| Posted: 06-25-2026 12:32 am |
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103rd Post |
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vnavaret Member
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Lads: I have barely touched Rusty. Been too busy driving the TR8 and working on cars out at the shop. An Austin Healey 100 BN2 has been giving me fits - but that is another story. I did manage to reinstall the Jensen's hood (bonnet). The rear edge of the drivers side will NOT align with the right fender. I had issues because of the hood to scuttle seal, but some trimming fixed that up and the left side aligned easily. Not so on the right side. I am stumped for now - pushing down on the hood with my thumb causes it to align, but as soon as I take my thumb off, it pops up. Grrr. I also had a massive toe out problem. It turns out that my (Martin Robey) new tie rod ends are 1/4" longer than the originals and made it impossible to get the toe correct on the front end. I ran out of threads on the tie rods before the toe could be set. After considering taking a chain saw to the oversized tie rod ends, I simply cut another 5 threads on each tie rod using my 1/2"x20 die. I can now set the toe to -1o. Yay! The hood release and choke cables required both hands to operate, so I pulled the wires out of their sheaths, and applied some grease, then rethreaded the wires. They work well now. I don't have a hose to connect the sump breather to the air box. Anyone know of a Gates or other supplier part number that will work? I really have no excuse for starting the car. It is sorta like writers block - all of a sudden you get stuck mentally. The nice weather is hear in western Oregon, so I really should be getting the car running. Don't know why I can't bring myself to twist the key. Maybe for my next update I will be able to say it is running. Stay tuned. Vance Last edited on 06-25-2026 12:32 am by vnavaret |
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