DRL152K Marina based roadster rebuild

[martinclan56]

So a bit of investigation and much discussion later resuted in pulling the engine to investigate the clutch issue. I had used a NOS clutch cover, plate and bearing, but to be on the safe side I have now purchased a new boxed set of the 3 components. The clutch plate and cover are completely different in appearance to the NOS items but probably similar in function. The bearing however is a different story. The bearing I originally installed, supposedly the correct item, was 16mm high. The new bearing is 19mm high. I have since put everything back together and refitted the engine and am pleased to say I now have a clutch that works!


nos_vs__new_clutch1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

nos_vs_new_clutch2 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

clutch_bearing by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[martinclan56]

With a little help from a like thinking friend the engine complete with gearbox is now fitted. 4 hands and 2 heads are better than 2 hands and 1 head! I first tried mating the engine and box on my own and failed - it is a heavy old lump.
Everything pretty much fits as it should other than:
1. I am a bit concerned about the clutch operating lever which doesn't seem will have much travel. About 2.5cm before it hits the gearbox. Don't think I cocked anything up but it does seem a bit "not right". See picture.
2. And the gearbox just touches the transmission tunnel side in one place so a little fettling will be required there.
Both the steering shaft and the alternator (not in picture) are fine with a huge 1cm clearance :-)

engine_in1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
engine_in2 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
clutch_lever by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[martinclan56]

Robin, your build is exquisite in every detail. A real credit to your skills and vision! Can’t wait to see the finished article. Quick question if you don’t mind! What have you used for your bonnet/scuttle rubber tape and where did you get it from? Thanks and keep the post coming!

Thank-you :-)
The flat rubber tape is similar to the original. It was a while ago I bought it but I think it was from woolies-trim.co.uk.

[C_Bogue]

Robin, your build is exquisite in every detail. A real credit to your skills and vision! Can’t wait to see the finished article. Quick question if you don’t mind! What have you used for your bonnet/scuttle rubber tape and where did you get it from? Thanks and keep the post coming!

[martinclan56]

It's been a while since my last post but things have moved on. The Marlin has moved from my man cave to the garage (thanks to help from Peter) ready for the engine installation. And I have a real wheel in each corner. Just waiting for the inevitable few forgotten items to arrive now and the engine will be ready for fitting. In the meantime I have been fixing the Pembleton (see my other build) and have started painting the body - pictures to follow.
in_garage2 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
in_garage1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[listerjp2]

This is absolutely the last thing that I will do now before moving the car from my man cave to the garage to fit the engine.
I chose and fitted a Spal push fan to assist the radiator in its job. They are relatively expensive, but as they say, you get what you pay for and much cheaper than a new engine! There are unbranded fans arround for as little as £20 but I came across a comparison of a cheap fan against the Spal - there was no comparison!
The spal fan is also only 50mm thick making it a perfect fit in the Marlin nose.
radiator4 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
radiator5 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

That looks perfect.

[martinclan56]

This is absolutely the last thing that I will do now before moving the car from my man cave to the garage to fit the engine.
I chose and fitted a Spal push fan to assist the radiator in its job. They are relatively expensive, but as they say, you get what you pay for and much cheaper than a new engine! There are unbranded fans arround for as little as £20 but I came across a comparison of a cheap fan against the Spal - there was no comparison!
The spal fan is also only 50mm thick making it a perfect fit in the Marlin nose.
radiator4 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
radiator5 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[martinclan56]

Keep up the good work, it will be great to see it on the road again.

If you want a Tonneau, check out my post regarding hoods and tonneaus.

Adrian

I will be looking for a tonneau so will keep that in mind. Cheers.

[listerjp2]

Keep up the good work, it will be great to see it on the road again.

If you want a Tonneau, check out my post regarding hoods and tonneaus.

Adrian

[martinclan56]

And another little update.
I needed to de-grease the clutch housing (bellhousing) which, as ever with any British car from the 70's, was covered in a thick layer of old oil, worn clutch lining and road dirt. 3 or 4mm deep in places.
I thought I would try the new Gunk Ultra which is:
A - cheaper
B - more eco-friendly
It seems to be detergent based rather than solvent based. Well it does work. But requires a lot of scrubing rather than the solvent based Gunk which was very much paint on and then wash off.
One of the big bonuses is that it doesn't smell! Anyone who has used the original Gunk will know what I mean.
bellhousing1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[martinclan56]

Hood fitting
I have completed the hood fitting.
I bought an old hood that had been trial fitted but never actually used. As you can see from the pictures the protective paper over the see through bits are still in place. New hoods are not available and getting one made from scratch would have cost as much as the car!
You can see that the hood is patinated which I like. Not going for the new look....
However it has proved to be a challenge....
1. Although it had never been fitted, the hood had been (badly) glued to a cant rail and at some point mechanically removed leaving the glue that looked like it had been applied using a trowel. There were also some little tears in the inner layer which was not good news. So first job was to remove glue and try to repair the tears. I managed that but it took a lot of time.
2. The little tabs that are used to secure the hood to the cant rail were missing. I learnt how to saddle stitch and made some new ones.
3. Now to the biggest problem. The hood was made from double duck. It's the sort of stuff normally used on vintage cars and not really suited to the Marlin hood design. This is made from two layers of cotton with a rubber membrane in between. It doesn't stretch. At all. And it is very, very stiff. I had to make several small mods to make it fit. Again the saddle stitching came in handy.
Finally I could fit the hood. I stretched it into place using a clamp arrangement and a ratchet strap as I didn't have a helper. It was only 5 degrees in the shed! This worked well. Glued, once again, onto the cant rail using a high temperature industrial strength impact adhesive.
It's good and taught. The side screens are not quite so good a fit looking a bit baggy. But should keep the rain out!
Pictures :-)
hood1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
hood2 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
hood3 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
hood4 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[martinclan56]

They are steel rivnuts. I put a big blob of paint in the hole before fitting to seal them and hopefully stop any corrosion.

[Ye Ol Ripper]

Hi Robin. Looking at your radiator brackets where it appears that you have drilled into the horizontal chassis rail. I note you have used stainless fixings. Did you use aluminium rivnuts? Upon final assembly ,Did you lay the bracket down on a bead of silicon or made a rubber gasket?
Just thinking & raising thought before final assembly to ensure water doesn't get inside the chassis, which could happen if you are unintentionally forced to Wade/drive through a large puddle / water logged road. I would also inject waxoyl or dinitrol through those 4 holes possibly ising a syringe if the probe tube is too big.

[martinclan56]

Just a little side project while I ponder a couple of problems that have arisen while fitting the hood.
I had acquired a new old stock Vauxall Viva radiator which Marlin originally suggested. But the more I looked at it the less I thought it was up to the job. So a lot of Googling later I came up with a Datsun 1200 radiator. Almost the perfect size and the connections in the correct place. It seems that the Datsun 1200 was very popular in Australia which is Ebay suggested it was coming from. I suspect it was made in China though and came to the UK via Czechoslovakia! Anyway, hand in mouth I offered it up and it fits a treat. It is a heavy duty version with three rows and looks much more up to the job. Not much room between it and the steering rack however but there does seem enough room in front to fit a pusher fan.
radiator1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
radiator2 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
radiator3 by Robin Martin, on Flickr

[martinclan56]

I have been trying to come up with a way of mounting indicators on the front cycle wings. The problem being the centre ridge, which adds strength and character, is, err, in the centre right where such an indicator would be mounted. After dismissing several idea I decided to bite the bullet and see if I could flatten the ridge at the point the indicator is to be mounted. My main concern is that it would distort the rest of the wing.
Firstly I drilled a 10mm hole rignt in the center through the ridge.
front_ind_1 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
I then tightened a large bolt with several thick washers and a nut through the hole. Of course nothing happened.... The wings are 1.5mm thick steel after all. So I heated up the area arround the hole to red hot using a blowtorch and then tightened the bolt. Hey presto!
No pictures I'm afraid as I neeeded three hands just to hold the blowtorch and tighten the bolt. But here it is after.
front_ind_2 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
And with the indicator fitted. Success!
front_ind_3 by Robin Martin, on Flickr
Next post will be hood fitting but is causing me some serious problems so could be a while....