Hello all, I’m Alistair and I live just outside Bath in the currently not very sunny South West. I’ve had my ’73 tin-top about a year and it’s the first old (or at least deliberately old) vehicle I’ve had. However, thanks to the incredibly helpful advice I’ve read on this forum so far (and a bit of youtube, John Muir and Haynes) I’ve gone from staring blankly into the engine bay to getting my hands dirty (cut, scraped and squashed) changing the fuel lines, installing an automatic fire extinguisher replacing the accessible (ha!) breather pipe connections and giving it a service (valve clearances, timing, oil change, plugs, points etc.) I still find myself staring blankly at it from time to time but I’m now beginning to feel I know it and trust it a bit. Unfortunately, it still suffers from the classic petrol whiffs and I know the breather connections over the tank (and probably the filler elbow) are shot so before I strap the family into it for adventures further afield I’ve got to be confident that there isn’t petrol where it shouldn’t be, which means taking the engine out. I’m hoping to find time in the next few months to embark on that particular adventure! Apart from that I think its reasonably sound (famous last words!), there’s a bit of rust in the gutters which I try not think too hard about and some more around the front panel, which I sometimes let myself think about. It needs a respray but I don’t imagine I’ll be doing it anytime soon as it will doubtless involve discovering more areas of rust which I don’t even know I don’t want to think about… The interior is currently very basic with a full width rock and roll bed and that’s it, but the plan is just to tidy it up and use it as a day van which can also be usefully loaded up with stuff when a van is required for DIY projects that get a bit out of hand! Anyway, thanks for all your help so far- I will doubtless need more of it!
Welcome. Have a look under the paint tin lid in the engine bay, you may be able to see the condition of one of the main fuel pipes. I waited until my engine needed to come out before those breather pipes and fuel lines were changed. All pipes have been changed on mine and it and it still smells of petrol! Other posters on here will give better technical advice, but i wouldn't be in a hurry to pull your engine unless you really have to. Post some photos of the engine bay up here in case it helps others identify any other causes of petrol.
You're very welcome, but you can drop the Haynes folk on here call me Bazza Welcome from East Grinstead
Hello from New Forest If you’re ever down here with a broken clutch cable I have one Because I won’t need it
Another Hello from the New Forest. I’ll be no help what so ever on the technical side of things on here, but if it’s occasional lunacy, and ramblings about music that you require, I’m ya gal. It’s also good to now know where I can get a clutch cable locally @monkeyvanwestybike
Hello from Cockadilly, near Nympsfield near Nailsworth near Stroud near Gloucester .... and Bristol and Bath Currently in torrentially wet Norfolk and very pleased to have bought a small driveaway awning to go with our full-width-R&R-and-nothing-else-tintop
Hello and welcome from Dorset. Sounds like you're doing well with the DIY maintenance. I found that dropping the engine was straightforward, but getting the bus high enough to pull the engine clear was a bit more tricky!