Progress

[jeans_old_man]

Thanks for your kind comments. Blockleys appear to know what they are doing and I seem to remember that they had higher speed and load ratings than the competition. I went elsewhere for the inner tubes though as they seemed very expensive. One tip when fitting is to put the yellow dot that marks the lightest part of the tyre next to the valve stem to help to balance the wheel.

[Phillip]

Lovelyy Longtail...and the Blockleys fill the arches nicely!

[telco.2]

Hi folks,
Sorry for the lack of comments recently - I've been away from home quite a bit.
However Singer work did not totally stop, just that the clutch problem on our car had me head scratching. If it was started up and clutch depressed it was not possible to select any gear; but if a gear was selected & then pedal depressed, it would start & you could move off. Selection of further gears was impossible without resort to fancy clutchless changes....or a LOT of crunching
We had a go at all sorts of adjustments with out success. Eventually we decided the box had to come off to investigate - not an easy task with the 6 cylinder engine & box fitted into the 9 chassis...
And this is what we found. The odd pieces of lining weren't allowing the clutch to clear but I've never seen anything like it before...any comments as to reason would be interesting. We've put it back together with the spare clutch plate and it is running really well. A lot of work for a good result.

[ColinB]

That is a bit of a mess Bill!

[telco.2]

Well, it all went back together pretty well and we did about 20 miles in her today including Shap pass. Runs very smoothly and the clutch clears very well now - so I can make changes (mostly) without crunching. Just have to get used to the different gear ratios and pulling power between the 1.5 & the 2 litre! There's the usual issues of ignition timing and the odd oil/water leak but nothing internally which is always a relief. It wants to 'go' and I have to hold her back to my self imposed running in rev limit of 2500rpm.
One extremely happy grandson who has beavered away all week end - to say nothing of his grandad...of course
Bill

[telco.2]

Well, now the clutch is sorted, we've been gaining confidence - and adding mileage! We've had a spell of super weather & have been making the most of it. Head torqued down to 30lbs/ft, oil changed at 200 miles. No sign of water or "nasty bits".. Self -imposed rev limit of 2500 equates to 50mph so I'm happy with that. Not sure I like the gap between 2nd & 3rd but expect I'll get used to it. Once I can use a few more revs it probably won't be as noticeable. The six cylinder engine is really torquey and great to drive
The brakes with Hardwick stiffening rings are excellent with no squeal either so they were definitely worth the money. The next few days are forecast wet so I'll be able to get a few more bits and pieces completed.
Thanks to you all for your encouragement - and the necessary shove to get her on the road for the first time since 1956!

[ColinB]

Great job Bill!

[Phillip]

Awesome Singer, Bill, well done!