After collecting a few parts during the week I was ready to continue my work efforts in improving the Green Cortina. I had thought that the original front hubs on this car were just standard ones, but trial fitting of a standard hub just saw it jamming against the calliper and locking the wheel up.
A lot of searching was carried out online and after finding out part numbers etc, it turned out the car had been fitted with Mk2 Cortina 1600E hubs. (and also with 1600E 12.7mm discs) So a trip to a friend in Grays, Essex followed and I purchased a pair for £30.
Despite the cold, I ventured into the garage and got on with my work. My first job was to replace the spring on the nearside as I had only managed to do the driver side the previous Saturday. I got this done quicker than I thought I would. Good start.
The next job was to fit the new hubs with bearing races and wheel bearings. Again this went smoothly and before long they were assembled on the car.
With things going so well and whilst the car was still up in the air, I decided the replace the starter motor. There's nothing actually wrong with the existing starter motor, but it does crank over quite slowly when cold. The car has a brand new battery, (made for a Transit van) so this isn't a battery problem. The replacement start motor is a 9 volt one, so when the battery drops voltage, it will still crank fully. It also has an extra tooth on the trigger wheel, so it should spin the engine faster. If this doesn't solve the slow cranking issue, I may look at moving the battery back to the under bonnet area. (It's currently in the boot)
Last job of the day was to replace the remote brake servo. The first one that was on the car was faulty and wouldn't release the brakes fully after operation. I then fitted one that had been sitting in my shed for seven years that I had as a spare. This was working ok, but the last time that me and a friend drove this car, we both felt that the brake servo wasn't doing its job. Luckily, I had purchased a brand new one from MGB Hive when they had a sale and had put it to one side.
It was now time to use it. This was a bit tricky to fit on my own as I have to be outside the car to hold it in place and inside the car to put the nuts on and tighten them. Being ever resourceful, I chocked the servo up with blocks of wood while I secured from the inside. The brake pipes were then attached and that was another job off of my 'pending' list. I have to say, the new servo has smartened up the engine bay somewhat as well looking all shiny and new.
By now it was close on 2pm and the cold was starting to get into my bones, so I called it a day and had a hot shower to warm up followed by lunch. I was pleased with my days work though. It had been a very productive session. All I need to do now is bleed the brakes so I can see how she drives.
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