VG 2007

[halbe]

Nearly ready!!
VG is nearing completion. 10 years after buying her from a farm in Bungay she is back on the road. I took her for a little drive and all the mechanical bits are fine and functioning as they should!
Next thing to do is to get a dutch registration and hopefully freeze the original one. wouldnt like to see VG2007 on a new Merc.............
So off to the dutch RDW for a licence and on with the beading and another couple of small jobs.







Regards Halbe

[Ian Grace]

Just to update this thread. Halbe completed the restoration and has now sold the car to Tony Gamble. Delivery from Holland was delayed because of Covid, but it was finally delivered today. I'm sad to see Halbe part with it, but very pleased to see this fine, original and beautifully-restored car back in England.

Congratulations on your acquisition, Tony!

[Ian Grace]

And here she is back in England. Tony had considerable trouble getting the car back on a V5, but prevailed in the end.

But finding himself challenged for space, he has been advertising the car for over a year. To be honest, given the car's highly original 'barn-find' provenance and the meticulous and no-expense-spared restoration, I find it incredible that it wasn't snapped up. I am pleased to announce that I am in the process of acquiring the car from Tony and the plan is to bring it to Pre-War Prescott, as well as the Friday tour.

One of the many nice features of the car is that Halbe was able to retain all of the original interior, including the seats, which is all still in first class order, so the car doesn't feel (or smell) like a newly-restored car inside. Also, if you compare this photo to the one above (taken just before the car was shipped back to England), you will see that the beading has been completed on the body, which finishes the fabric body off nicely.

The car is a 1930 season example, but laid down in September 1929. Until Halbe acquired it, it had spent all of its life in Norfolk and had clearly had little use in its early years and was never messed about with, so it retains all of its original fittings, instrumentation, etc.

I'd like to list out all of the little jobs I plan to do on it, but there really isn't anything that needs doing, other than ordering a period road fund license disk for it! I have already applied for a VSCC Buff Form and will definitely be entering it in Light Car events.

[Ian Grace]

Just a very quick update to say I collected the car from Tony Gamble on Thursday and am delighted with it.

It was well down on power on the initial run around the lanes here in Herefordshire, but it feels like it is retarded and may have stale fuel in it. With its 12/12 cam and skimmed head, it should go better than it does.

I have a few days next week to sort it before putting it in the garage until our next visit to England in December. I have a battery tender which I will attach before departing.

I don't have the technology to post photos here with me right now, but will post several with more info when we get back to the US at the end of the month. It does look good parked beside the Semi-sports, which I collected from Cirencester last week.

[Ian Grace]

Took VG 2007 for its first real run to the New Year's Day pub meet at the New Inn, Pembridge, about 14 miles from our cottage. We were the first to arrive, so took the opportunity to take some photos and managed to get angles so the moderns were out of shot.

The car performed without fault, except I had starting difficulties - would hardly turn over even after I had charged the battery. We bump started the car to get home, after which I found the earth terminal loose and a bit corroded. Emery paper and a spanner did the trick. It is still underpowered, given the hugely expensive engine rebuild, 12/12 cam and M Type compression ratio, but this may be because it is not yet run in. I'll have more opportunity to tune it and run it on our next visit in July.

[Ian Grace]

Back in England for PWP and today I pulled the car out of hibernation. Battery charged, fresh fuel, filled the drained radiator and she fired up immediately with no issues. Oil pressure is 89 psi cold, 85 hot. Took it for a run round the lanes.

Taking it to a pub meet at the Boot, Orleton this evening. Only about ten miles, so should do it a power of good.

[Ian Grace]

Didn't get to the pub in it - there was a deluge!

When I took it to the Boot on New Year's Day, it was decidedly underpowered, needing first gear one one hill and only just maintaining forward movement!

And I had a repeat of the starting problem I had at Christmas. I fully charged the battery but the starter barely turned over. So I removed the battery terminals again and cleaned everything thoroughly. All sorted. This time I'll get some Vaseline and slather it all over the terminals, as we won't be back over again until next June, when we relocate permanently to the UK from Seattle. Or I might just disconnect both terminals so they don't corrode.

So last week I fiddled with the ignition timing and also put in a couple of gallons of fresh fuel and the car is transformed. As I have problems with the dynamo on the Semi-sports (see other thread), I'll be bringing the fabric saloon to Prescott next weekend.

[Ian Grace]

Arrived at the cottage last Sunday and got the car out. I charged the battery and it fired up immediately, after being stored since Christmas. I have run it around the lanes and it is running better than ever, pulling well in top up reasonable slopes. I really need to put some miles on it - not for the car, but for me! The first time out, I was crashing the gears, but I'm getting better at it!

I also stocked the tool box with the essentials and so I'm growing with confidence in it. More running planned this week so it will be ready for Ludlow. I won't be on the tours/rally as I have to 'sweep' the route with the modern, but will bring it to the evening socials.

Meanwhile, the container with the other four Minors is scheduled to arrive at Liverpool docks next week, so I'll have my hands full with those and also finalizing the rally preparations. Who said retirement will be boring?!

[Ian Grace]

100 miles or more put on the car last week, with a run out to Much Marcle and a lunch at the Dunkerton's cider mill. The more I use it, the better it seems to go. Is that because the car is freeing up, or is it that my driving is getting better (or less worse)?!

Either way, it is pulling nicely. A 35 mph cruise seems very comfortable and about 38 is easily attained when I have moderns behind me. There's some good hills between here and Bromyard and all were taken easily in top or second. I don't think I can ask much more of a Minor saloon.

Next up is the Lakes next weekend, which will definitely be a test.

[Francis Sanders]

38 is pretty good going on the flat. I think MU tops out about an alleged 42 but I know my speedo is inaccurate from my gps speed so I think only about 35 according to gps

[Ian Grace]

Interesting - thanks, Francis.

Incidentally, I've seen these GPS apps - could you point me to the one you have as I'd like to install it on my phone.

[Francis Sanders]

I just use Google maps it pops up in the corner as you travel along (the speed limit is also there and that is now actually a problem in the Minor in Wales with all the 20mph!)

[Ian Grace]

Last weekend I drove the car to our spring pub meet at The Old Bull, Inkberrow - a round trip of 83 miles and the weekend before I took it on the VSCC Light Car Welsh weekend (trailering it to Llandrindod Wells). I did 75 miles on the Saturday tour. Forty miles to the lunch stop at Montgomery with some fierce hills and pushing hard to keep up with Sue Woodward in her 2-seater. I elected to take the main roads back to The Metropole as I though the afternoon return route would be worse than the morning run. however, I was told afterwards that the afternoon run was not has hard.

The morning run included three or four hard first gear slogs. The run to the Old Bull only needed one.

Cruising speed on the flat on good roads was comfortable at 35, pushing it to about 38 at times. More than that felt like I was thrashing the car.

At the end of all this, I found a good deal of oil around the vertical drive. Not sure exactly where it is coming from, but there was no oil thrown into the radiator but the odd thing was that the cup-shaped alloy top of the worm and wheel steering box was overflowing with oil! I'll keep an eye on the front end going forward.

The problem I have is that, on the main road heading towards Worcester from Tenbury going eastbound, there is a fairly lengthy one in ten climb, which i avoided by taking the lanes to the south. I came home from the pub westbound on the main road, but I'm not sure I'd make it eastbound. And that is with just one up and the engine has more or less been rebuilt to M Type spec., other than the larger carb., so 12/12 cam, M Type compression ratio, P Type rods, M Type sump, full flow oil filter, VW distributor. Not all of these mods actually improve the performance, but I must admit to being disappointed in the car's hill climbing ability with just one up. Going down to first just feels like its straining everything. Perhaps this is something I just have to get used to. I know that the downside of using the 12/12 cam is that there's very little torque until you really rev it.

Perhaps the answer would be to get it on a rolling road and really optimize things. I might be missing something. I did retard the ignition timing before these runs as it was kicking back on the starter and the handle. So perhaps a proper timing might help.

What does the team think?

[SV_Minor]

That's interesting to learn Ian. I've taken my SV two-seater along the A456/A443/A4133 between Tenbury and Droitwich numerous times, and I've never needed to drop to bottom gear on any of the hills. Second gear, very much so, it's a hilly part of the country.. but not down to first. Might it be the extra weight of a saloon body?

[Ian Grace]

On another topic, Halbe fitted P Type rods to the engine when it was rebuilt by the M.G. Workshop in Holland and the original rods and pistons came with the car. I took a look at them yesterday - the pistons are the original factory ones and there's no wear in the ring grooves. They look good enough to use again. There's no wear on the pedals, but this is the best clue I have found that the car had done very few miles before restoration.

Also, I posted this on the MMM Forum this morning:

"I have an OHC engine in my 1930 Minor fabric saloon. The engine was rebuilt to more or less M Type spec. by the M.G. Workshop in Holland, who did a superb job. M Type compression ratio, 12/12 cam, M sump, P rods, VW distributor, full flow oil filter, etc.

The oil pressure is a pleasing 95 psi cold, and when hot, it it still 95 psi. I've driven it about 150 miles in the last couple of weekends and I've noticed a good deal of oil around the vertical drive coupling. I don't think it is coming from the pinion, as it had a new seal a few hundred miles back. What is noticeable is that the alloy cup-shaped cover on the steering box is overflowing with oil! I'm wondering if the high running temp oil pressure might be at least partly the problem. Should I ease off the oil pump spring to bring it down a bit?

I'm not sure what oil I'm running as I haven't changed it yet, but it is probably time for a change. What should I put in it? Good old 20/50 or what else?"