As if I don’t have too much to do...?

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Sun Apr 18, 2021 6:01 pm

Today I started ripping the Austin apart. It’s been garaged for way too long. It has to get out on the roads this year.

This minor project is about changing the dynamo. Not very complex but a lug in the old aluminium housing is shot and as the distrubutorn needs to come off it upsets the timing. Nothing too difficult really it’s just that I’ve been lazy.

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Sun Apr 18, 2021 10:01 pm

Is this the Dynamator upgrade Henrik?

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:03 pm

Yes Dave. Never got around to do it earlier.

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:57 pm

Been waiting a long time for the write up on this Henrik! Hope you get loads of pics and a good write up doing it!

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Mon Apr 19, 2021 6:16 pm

scoobyh123 wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:57 pm
Been waiting a long time for the write up on this Henrik! Hope you get loads of pics and a good write up doing it!

Oh dear, not sure I should!

I'll try Dave! It is really very simple now the rad and bonnet sides are gone, but the aluminium is super fragile and cracking it would be very bad as replacement parts are hard to come by. One lug is already lost so all of the arrangement is held by 3 and a half. And that dynamo is heavy!

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Mon Apr 19, 2021 6:56 pm

Might sound like a silly suggestion Henrik but what about slinging the dynamo and using the engine hoist to take its weight as you unbolt it? Would leave your hands free to worry about the bolts etc and minimise the risk of dropping several kilos of toe-crushing dynamo not to mention damaging the alloy brackets on it!

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:58 am

Not sure I understand that Dave But the dilemma is the dynamo sits at a 90deg angle in a housing driven by sprocket from the camshaft and the housing itself is the problem. I tried to find a good blueprint of it but it’s not very clear.

In this pic the housing is no 10. The dynamo isn’t seen here but you can compare to my pics. (Well it’s there but hard to make out. It’s behind the housing, black + the distributor on top) The housing needs to come off as the bolts fouls the dynamo.

But it’s not rocket science just very old fatigue aluminium. The crankcase is aluminium too so not the best after 90years of service. The lugs in the housing is nearly perished and the threads in the crankcase are not having their finest hour... Removing them is risky. Remember it’s some 15 years since I got it together...

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:21 am

The sling idea is only to support the weight of the dynamo so it doesn't hang on the bolts while you remove it. I think a lot of care and penetrating oil will be needed plus a degree of luck and maybe divine intervention.

Good luck with it however you do it though!

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 11:44 am

scoobyh123 wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:21 am
The sling idea is only to support the weight of the dynamo so it doesn't hang on the bolts while you remove it. I think a lot of care and penetrating oil will be needed plus a degree of luck and maybe divine intervention.

Good luck with it however you do it though!

Apparently the battery was dead so I need to rip the battery out of the Honda to give it a start first. I want it running when I take it apart so I know it's ok first. If I can't fire it up afterwards it's easier to fault finding.

Oh and I don't need a sling, I have Marcus.

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:21 pm

Ah-ha! A sling called Marcus - that works well too!

Good idea checking it runs before doing any work on it, should be fine fitting the dynamator, should only need two wires, one from battery +ve (thick heavy wire) and the other from the charge warning light to the field (often marked D+) terminal on the alternator/Dynamator.

Sometimes the instructions given involve bypassing certain parts of the existing votage regualtor to achieve this but that's what you end up with.

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 5:41 pm

Eureka! It runs! Quite happy really, it wasn’t started last year and with a fresh battery and some priming it ran to life. Running on three for Maybe 30-45s and then purring like a kitten. Impressive car that, it must be built by a true master!

Next step is removing the rad to get to all of the sad bolts holding the sad dynamo housing.

Hopefully dynamo is an easy fit. My electric system is built from scratch so not like an ordinary Seven But I have a manual for it so should be fairly easy! At least it’s designed for 12v electrics and neg ground.

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:49 pm

Fingers crossed the swap should be as easy as the start!

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:43 pm

I was off to the studio tonight but Marcus drained the rad. It’s a very special type of antifreeze, as you can see. There is blue, green, red and this.

The colour is called ”neglect”....

scoobyh123 · Post by **scoobyh123** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:58 pm

Eek!!!!

Manalishi · Post by **Manalishi** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 6:28 pm

A bit more free and system and rad flushed.

Next step getting the dynamo housing off. But as everything is easy accessible now it should be straight forward.

Some cleaning up and a stroke or two with a brush of paint might happen while at it.

Also I need to fix the hole in the nose cone. I had a lid there that has fallen off. The nose cone has been cut shorter as my radiator is positioned lower than usual. It’s also further back than it should giving a lower profile and better looking lines.

What it should look like:

Rover800.Info

As if I don’t have too much to do...?

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