I’m glad to report since the last update a few weeks back that the diff hasn’t dropped one bit of oil, so I’m confident to say that I should have sorted that issue. Next up is a few little jobs to help get everything progressing. First up is an expansion tank or header tank for the cooling system. With the radiator being relocated much further forward than originally and access to the pressure cap tricky I have devised a plan to update the cooling system that I hope will work well. First off is the tank itself, this is just a basic 1.5 litre alloy unit off eBay for around £30. I will replace the pressure cap with a correctly rated pressure release as per the original setup (13 Psi) and the second cap on the radiator which is not really accessibly with a higher rated pressure release which will then in theory act as a fail safe if needed. The new tank will be mounted on the bulkhead firewall as high as possible to help the cooling system bleed itself naturally, this is doubly important because the radiator is also now lower than the original Triumph setup so risk for airlocks could be high without this tank. The installation is basically plumbed in to replace what would be the heater matrix within the original setup.
From the water pump outlet side the coolant is pushed through the thermostat and then on through the radiator, however it is also diverted through a secondary outlet (black question mark shaped hose) through the inlet manifold and on to what would have been the heater matrix inlet. The reason to heat the inlet is to stop ice forming and keeping the fuel vaporised during winter cold drives. I don’t think that will be much of a risk with the nature of this car, however if you deviate off script then you normally create further issues to resolve. So the secondary outlet is now running through the inlet as it should but now is just the returning to the top feed of the new expansion tank. The bottom outlet of the tank is just going to be connected to the return feed pipe that runs under the exhaust manifold (yellow arrow) this tube I have upgraded to a stainless steel replacement as it fits with a compression and olive fitting into the water pump, and they a prone to leaking and corroding so a stainless unit should be much better.
Next up, fuel filter. I plan this whole build in my head weeks and months before I actually do it, so find myself trawling eBay etc.. for parts and components that I will need later on. This filter is also a pressure regulator to keep the fuel delivery to the carbs consistent and new they cost in the region of £100, this one was £35 so a significant saving made there. I have to mount the filter in a fashion that suits my setup best, so simply remove the top four bolts and rotating the top section of the body allows me to point the inlet and outlet in the correct directions needed. Then with a small angle bracket cut and painted I mounted the whole thing on the bulkhead with the inlet pointing down to where I need to fit the fuel pipe run from the fuel tank. I’m considering fitting a fuel pressure gauge between the outlet of this filter and the inlet to the carbs, they look cool in my opinion and will add some bling as such to the engine bay… not to mention being able to set the pressure to the correct 7psi required for the carbs.
So next up then is just to make and fit some fuel pipe etc.. which I need to order and then that’s one step closer to running the engine. Another good step forward!
