Front Suspension Overhaul – Part 5

A little while later: With the delay, due to the faulty new strut stopping progress, it gave me time to reflect on the work done so far and to be completed. Upon closer inspection of the assembled nearside strut, it was evident the top nut needed tightening quite a lot more as my current tools couldn’t reach into the top mount’s recess. I had to buy a 24mm swan necked ring spanner (Ebay) to finish the job properly. Fitting the track control arms with new inner arm rubbers and ARB poly bushes into the front cross member was initially a tough job. However, with a bit of lubrication and some persuasion with my leather faced mallet got them both in position. After I had reinstalled the nearside strut which was reasonably straight forward, I set about putting the brake caliper on. Here was when I noticed the bellows were split and had got mangled up when I inserted the brake pads in September last year.

Ford Corsair offside TCA with new bushes
Ford Corsair offside TCA with a lick of paint and new bushes.
Brake calipers with damaged bellows
Brake calipers with damaged bellows

So, I had the saga of replacing the bellows. Luckily, I had a new spare set I had bought several years ago, but I wasn’t sure how to make them fit, as they seemed too large to fit in the groove of the caliper piston hole. In my haste and doubts, I contacted BCA Automotive to find out where they got the bellows from when they rebuilt the calipers last year. Later, I was on the internet to order two front caliper seal kits from Mev Spares and within a couple of days I had the new set, only to find they were the exact part number as my original spares! One evening in the week, with a renewed approach I tried again to fit the seal into the groove of the caliper and this time they all went in. It was down to a technique of gentle but firm pressure and faith that the rubber would pop into the groove. Having acquired a mini air compressor in the summer (during the carport conversion to garage) I found it invaluable in popping out the caliper pistons and blowing excess fluid in my face.

Ford Corsair P16 caliper replacement bellows fitting
Ford Corsair P16 caliper with replacement bellows being fitted

At the same time as ordering the replacement caliper seals, that I didn’t need, I also ordered a new Meyle top strut mount from a Ebay seller hoping this one would be good to go. By the weekend (12/13th Sept) the part had arrived and I was ready to finish the offside strut assembly, front anti roll bar, attach the brakes and connect them up.

Volvo strut top
Volvo strut top with new mounting holes to be drilled
Ford Corsair strut top (Volvo 240)
Ford Corsair strut top (Volvo 240) fits neatly in existing location and plastic dust cap fits too.

Fitting the anti roll bar with new poly bushes was a more awkward job than expected as I had to re-tap a bolt hole that had become a bit cross threaded and use the jack to help align and manoeuvre the anti roll bar into place.

Ford Corsair offside strut with anti roll bar
Off side front strut and anti rolled bar ready for fitting.

So in nutshell, the new parts I ordered for the front strut refurbishment were:

  • Meyle (Volvo 240) damper Part No. 526 614 0001
  • Meyle (Volvo 240) strut top mount Part No. 514 127 0001
  • Amsteer steering ball joint kit Part No. (as at Sept 2020, no stock left)
  • Inner TCA original (Ford tooling) quality rubber bush from Corsair Enthusiasts Facebook member
  • Superflex poly bushes for TCA to anti roll bar (SF0233KSS) and anti roll bar mounts (SF2045/19)

During the strut refurbishment, I needed to insert 2 large washers to take up the excess space of the Volvo 240 damper in the strut tube, and conveniently, the damper locking nut was the same thread as on the strut. I had to relocate the mounting studs on the Volvo 240 strut top mount to match the holes on the Corsair inner wing. I used two good condition springs obtained from a Corsair Club member on Facebook.

Summer 2020 Update

Plenty of driving had been done in the Corsair, mostly for errands as well as pleasure and I made one trip to work (50 mile round trip) on one of the hottest days in June. It was lovely and fresh in the morning but stifling hot (30°+) on the way home and the Corsair didn’t appear to be overly hot either once home. July saw the Corsair return to the first informal car gathering at Sturminster Newton after the lockdown restrictions had eased, which was a pleasant, socially distanced occasion.

Ford Corsair convertible at Sturminster Newton

A bit of time was also spent adjusting the handbrake to be more effective which in return improved the feel of the foot pedal braking. I had spoken recently to a neighbour who owns a very good condition 1957 Hillman Minx and he was describing the poor running of his car which sounded just like the Corsair was suffering. He said it was more likely to be a spark plug breaking down, as was the case with his Minx. So I looked up how to test spark plugs on YouTube using a multimeter. Of the four plugs, two on the left hand bank had failed and were not showing any resistance. I had a nearly new set of plugs to try out which all showed to be good with resistance when tested with the multimeter. So, once fitted all seemed good and the run out to Sturminster proved the previous plugs had been at fault.

A few errand runs and local drives for fun were the mainstay for July, but a lovely warm and sunny run out to Stourhead one Friday with the wife (after a week of working on doors for the ‘workshop’ at home) came as a great way to round off a hard week. The car received many appreciative looks and waves from other classic users on the way to and back from Stourhead. My wife took these video clips of the run through the village of Motcombe and then a brisk drive up out via the hollow to Shaftesbury.

Hope you enjoyed the videos – 38 mph was probably quite fast enough on those narrow lanes in an old car with single circuit non-servo assisted brakes.

Brake Master Cylinder Refurb, Again.

Had an issue with the Corsair’s brakes again, they were locking up as I found out after a short run (less than a mile) last Sunday. So I posed a question on a favourite Facebook group and most of the helpful answers came up with the master cylinder being the likely cause or to at least start at the top of the hydraulic system. I checked my (this) blog to see when the master cylinder was last refurbished and I was surprised to see it was October 2012! I had nothing to lose by investigating because the first thing I noticed when I drove the Corsair out of the garage was that the front calipers were seized on.

With the front jacked up, I released the brake pressure from the front offside caliper and the wheels moved freely. A pump on the brake pedal and the brakes seized on again. I released the pressure this time from the master cylinder output and the front wheels rotated again. Looking into the reservoir, the fluid did look a bit cloudy and with what appeared to be black flecks of dirt in the bottom. It was then that I decided to remove the brake master cylinder, so I pumped out the brake fluid via the off side front caliper to reduce the chance of spillage of brake fluid or making a mess during removal.

Continue reading “Brake Master Cylinder Refurb, Again.”

End of year round-up

At the beginning of October I attended, for an hour or so, the Sturminster Newton Saturday morning vehicle gathering, after which I took an errand run to Gillingham before heading home. Earlier that morning I had bled the brakes and they felt firmer and much improved to the very spongy feel I had the previous week on the New Forest Tour.

Towards the end of October the weather had deteriorated to rain and more rain, so I tried to start the Corsair up just to keep it turning over, but it was stubborn to the point that I flattened the battery. I tried a few more times after re-charging the battery but to no avail and the bad weather continued through November to December to be too wet to take the Corsair out. Later in December, I ordered a new battery (UK spec 038 – 45aH 330 CCA) and finally fitted it just before Christmas and it fired up the car almost straight away. Which leads me to this write up, as I rounded off the year with a spirited drive on Sunday 29th December. The Corsair took a few turns to get going but once on the road I had a fairly clear run all the way to Sherborne along the A30 and then, on the return trip, once clear of Milborne Port it was a swift drive with other modern traffic home.

To round off the year I have ordered two type s of fuel additives that I hope will aid starting the Corsair but also because the unleaded in Dorset now has 5% ethanol content (E5) and as the car sits unused for a few weeks at a time I felt the additive will help preserve the quality of the fuel and also for my lawn mower. I use the premium unleaded (Tesco Momentum or Esso Super) mainly for the higher octane and better performance, so time will tell if there is a noticeable improvement for me to let you know.

The First Car Tour

I really thought I wasn’t going to make this, my first Car Tour with the Facebook group, Enthusiasts of British Motor Vehicles Built Before 1985. I had it in my diary for several months and plenty of time to get the Corsair ready so was keen to take part.The calipers I sent away to BCS Automotive a couple of weeks earlier hadn’t turned up by Thursday (26th) but by the evening I had an email notification of their dispatch and due for arrival on Friday. So, thankfully the all day rain on Friday had stopped by 6.30pm in fading light for me to get on and fit the new calipers, and when I say new, they looked like new. All was going well until I had the problematic nut that wouldn’t undo on the nearside caliper which ended up in typical fashion, rounding off. Luckily I still had some spare parts from a few years ago, so I ended up having to re-fabricate a new section of pipe and fit new unions and flare the ends. I was a bit miffed about this as it was only 3 years ago that I re-did all the brake lines [see blog post].

Continue reading “The First Car Tour”

New Brake Discs

The other weekend I got around to fitting the new brake discs I bought from Burton. They were discs for Mk1 Cortina/Mk1 Escort/Mk1 Capri but assured they would fit. I took it steady removing the hubs without rushing to ensure I didn’t miss anything along the way.

Fitting the new pads revealed that the near side caliper may be the cause of the brakes locking on. As I prised the pistons back to fit the new pads I noticed they stayed back and didn’t creep back out to take up pressure on the discs. On a test drive after sorting out the points and poor running issues, the brake pedal started to get firm again so I put the Corsair away. I then thought about and dug out the old calipers I replaced on the Corsair some 18 years ago and never sent back on exchange for the then new ones.

The next day I made enquiries with automotive brake refurbishment companies, and the only one to get back was BCS Automotive in Nottingham. After a few email exchanges to clarify on details I sent them my very crusty calipers but somehow doubt their estimate will remain the same.

Rusty Corsair calipers
Original calipers, removed in 2001 and sent away for refurbishing

August Summer Driving

Changeable weather for the month reduced options for driving the Corsair as I hoped to take it into work for a decent long run. However, the brake seizing problem was seemingly cured (weekend 10/11th) by replacing all the brake fluid in the system with new DOT4 fluid, my grown up helper assisted with pedal pumping and fluid top ups. Thinking about it, the fluid was last done 3 years ago and quite probably had ‘gone off’ with water absorption which reduced the fluid’s pressure tolerance. A 20 mile test drive around the lanes of Hindon to Tisbury was a good try out which didn’t reveal any problems.

Another bonus this month was my success at winning a hotly contested Ebay auction for a rear view mirror. Original, good condition mirrors for the Corsair and Mk1 Cortina are quite rare to find because the plastic becomes brittle, crumbles and the silver mirror backing often deteriorates just as per mine. Saturday morning (17th) I had a decent run out to Westmoors, 40+ mile round trip, in the Corsair and it was a good run with me chasing the traffic rather rather being stuck behind part time drivers and no problem with the brakes. Later, I fitted the mirror and what an improvement that was. Later drives with the new mirror in place was that it didn’t wobble as much as the previous one and I did have better general view as well.

A drive out one Thursday evening brought back the dreaded brake seizing issue again. it was brisk, spirited drive up Zig Zag hill an then along the back lanes towards Cashmoor and the ‘Gussages’. However, I had another event of slamming on the brakes was required after a near head on with a tractor. This may have upset things a bit with the brake system, because on the way home and going back down Zig Zag Hill I could the feel the pedal become more firm and the further I went on the steering vibrated more as the brakes seized on again. I just managed to get the car home without a forced stop. The next day I re-bled the system just to ensure it was air free and took it for another drive to Sturminster and Durweston then home anlong the A350. Again, after about 22 miles the brakes became hot and the Corsair became difficult to keep going. I pulled over about a mile from home and checked all the wheels for heat. The rear wheels were fine, but the front wheels were very hot, not just the discs but the rims too! I have ordered new brake discs and pads, as the current discs were rusty and pitted and could be binding therefore causing heat to build up and thus raising the brake fluid pressure in the system?

New Year, New MOT

The Corsair had been a bit tricky to start since it’s last outing to Blandford before Christmas. Unfortunately, it let me down on New Years Day as I had planned to go to a classic meet at Sturminster Newton but it failed to start and I drained the battery in the process. A couple of weeks later, with the battery on trickle charge, I tried it again and after several turn overs I just caught it enough for it to cough in to life on minimal choke and after several pumps of the accelerator (gas) pedal.

Ford Corsair in for an MOT inspection at 5 Square Motors, Shaftesbury
Continue reading “New Year, New MOT”

October round-up

To start the month I took the Corsair to the Hampshire Capri Club meeting at the New Inn pub/hotel at Heckfield. Where the ‘heck’ is that? Heckfield is a small village off from the A33 between Basingstoke and Reading, just inside the North Hampshire border to Berkshire. It therefore became 70+ miles each way journey for the Corsair, which drove fine with no problems and cruised happily at 60mph on the A303. I didn’t take it on the M3, opting to go through Basingstoke and negotiating the multiple roundabouts which wasn’t too daunting mixing it up with all the Sunday shopper traffic. I hadn’t lost my touch on the traffic lights either, successfully burning up a Fiesta on one occasion. The weather was glorious and warm but the hood stayed up as it was now in the winter mode (after a cooling off at the end of September) and will stay that way until after March next year.

Corsair at the New Inn, Heckfield, near Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Continue reading “October round-up”

Running problems and carb farts…

On the Saturday (8th April) I fitted a battery to use the fuel pump to suck fresh clean fuel from a fuel can to flush through the pipes, electric pump and in-line filter into a jar. The first wave of fuel was quite dirty, the second was cleaner and then the third batch was better still. The fuel wasn’t wasted – it went straight in to the lawnmower. The original battery was fitted – as the one I initially used didn’t have enough charge to turn the starter over properly. This one eventually fired the engine to life, after a few sluggish turn overs and then ran using fuel from the fuel can still sited on a wooden block at the other end of the car. After being satisfied with the car starting and running for a few minutes it was shut down and then the refurbished fuel tank was refitted with the remnants of the fuel can put in the tank.

On the Sunday a gallon (5 litres) of Tesco Momentum fuel was added – have been “Internet” informed it doesn’t contain ethanol, which can harm old fuel lines and components. With the help of my son, the brakes were re-bled (the system had a slight leak last summer and the reservoir became empty) and another fire up loomed with a test drive.

The test drive was down an access road to a car park, just across the road from my driveway, but it didn’t go to plan and the Corsair cut out as I was about to manouevre the car around at the bottom of the car park to come back! Then the Corsair wouldn’t start, not enough battery juice, at which point my son had been sent down to investigate as my wife couldn’t hear the Corsair’s engine running. We managed to push the car out of the way in the car park and then I jogged back to get the jump leads and the Passat.

The Corsair started fine but would only run for about a minute – so adjustment to the mixture screw enabled the engine to run without dying so quickly but with a fair bit of popping through the carburetor under load or acceleration. At least I could keep it going and drive the Corsair back into it’s garage. Disaster averted, but I’m none the wiser for getting the Corsair to run smoothly.