Well, after faffing around for ages changing the engine front plate from the TR4 one to the TR3 one, cutting and drilling new mounting plates, welding them in upside down, grinding them off, cutting and drilling 2 more new mounting plates, welding them in the right way round, the engine and box are now finally in.
Ta Daa.
So far, so good.
However, when I get to the other end, a bit of a problem arises.
Bolting the Layrub to the diff is presenting a problem. Basically, I can't get either a Nylock or (my preferred choice) an Aeronut in between the face of the diff and the arm that bolts to the layrub. I could get a spring washer and a half nut in but I'm not convinced this is the best way to connect the drive.
My first idea was to remove the arm with the 2 bolt holes and insert the bolts from the diff side but on looking at the difff the nut holding the arm on is covered by some sort of locking device that I've never seen before. (Blue circle in pic below).
I could, of course, grind the lip off the diff flange which (I think) would allow a nylock or aeronut to fit but that seems a bit agricultural.
Can anyone identify whatever it is that's covering the nut on the diff main shaft and how it's fitted? I'd rather take that arm off, fit the bolts from the diff side and then attach the layrub.
On another subject, my next expense is getting the dizzy replaced. There are 2 options here. First, I send the old one (which is pretty manky) to the Distributor Doctor for refurbishment. I'd want to go for electronic so as well as having the dizzy rebuild, I'd have the cost of an electronic ignition system.
The second option is to get a new fully electronic dizzy from the likes of 123 red. A device with a switchable advance curve.
There's not much difference in cost but the first option is probably slightly more expensive however, I do kind of like the idea of a fully electronic system.
Do any other members have any experience or opinions on both options?
A aerolock nut should fit between the diff flange and the diff face. If it doesn't, then I'd suspect that there is something awry with the diff.
Just to restate the obvious, I think the assembly sequence goes like this.
Front Bolt head - washer - Layrub - shouldered spacer - diff flange - aerolock nut Diff body
Tomorrow, when its light, I'll roll the car out and try to get a measurement of the gap between the diff and its flange for you.
If I remember rightly, this big nut at the front of the diff is wound up against some sort of crush washer to set the diff preload. If the gap is not where
we think it should be, then how much do you know about the diff history? There's a guy down in Harlow trading as Salisbury Transmisions that
can rebuild it for you, although when he did mine, he only had one spare crownwheel left, and they are specific to the car.
I've used the Moss one, which is (whisper it) an MGB dizzy with a modified advance curve to suit the TR fast road cam. The original TR dizzy doesn't have replaceable springs and will probably be pretty worn by now. This has worked fine for me and I don't get any grief with pinking at high revs.
You can add an electronic contact breaker if this is your thnig, I've stayed with points because I can debug these by the side of the road in the dark if I have to.
Re the history of the diff, it's the one that came with the car and I've had it rebuilt by Agra Engineering in Dundee (their reputation is really good) a couple of years ago. The strange thing is that everything fits perfectly. From the gearbox through the propshaft and layrub to the diff, everything fits perfectly. If the diff flange was too close to the diff face, I'd expect there to be some back and forward play in the drivetrain somewhere.
Lying in bed last night, I was pondering this problem and came up with 2 alternatives. First option was to use a tab or nord lock washer with a half nut and a healthy quantity of threadlock on a half nut. Second option was to grind a couple of mils off the underside of a nylock or aeronut but making sure it doesn't interfere with the locking part.
Yes, I think that is the option I'll go for, Frank. As the force is rotational rather than back and fore, I'd guess a half nut and threadlock will suffice. Time will tell.
On the subject of the dizzy, was the one you bought from Moss the fully electronic one or conventional with an electronic kit?