Paddy75's 1300 Super

[Paddy75]

Bought this Avenger about a month ago. Here is the link to the advertized pics and a couple of others I've added:

http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g379/Paddy075


It was gotten blind! I never seen or put a hand on it untill after it was paid for. I have been working in Milan, Italy since January this year. So I took a flight in July from Milan to London, about a week befor they had the rioting and I was staying three nights in Lewisham while I arranged insurance and caught up with an old friend.

So the evening I first seen da'venger - was I happy! The car has no serious rust! The interior is near perfect, even got the original spare set of keys.

The drive from London to north Wales, for the ferry to Dublin went with unfortunatly one problem. I assumed the guy had changed the coolant - he didn't. Sure, I got the gearbox and back axle oil changed. The axle oil was burnt, good idea to change it for the 500mi motorway trip.

Driving out of London I was watching the temp guage like a hawk - no problems, stayed between C and N. At 50mph/90km no problems.

The Hillman has the great old 'Y' shaped steering wheel, keeps your hands at 10-past-2 and I was enjoying the drive. On the M40 I took it up to 60-65/100 and because the temp gauge is below the oil pressure gauge and the steering wheel blocks the temp gauge...

Looked down at the temp and..  between N and H !!!

So slowed down, freewheeled where I could and pulled off the highway.

Let it cool and, pulled out the bottom hose - water pure brown. Dammit!

Anyhow no blown gasket, so I refilled with new water, by a restraunt and the waiters etc musta beem wondering why I waqs going to and from the jacks with a 2l milk bottle!

Drove the rest of the way between C and N.

Just goes to show, just because your neww classic looks great etc, check everything, trust no-one!

So why did I buy an Avenger.

Well the very first car I drove, going down my Grandas lane, small farm where all 14 of his kids he raised.

Was 1978 or 1979, Granda had a silver 1600 Super, '74 I think, FIJ 4356 or GIJ 5632 was the reg'.

We were driving back from the Town, I was standing (remember I was 3 yrs old!) on the back seat looking at a piece of cut glass (he was a Joiner by trade) he had cut for a broken window.

Now, I was a very much 'futter' of a kid, I'd take apart plugs, remove the real indicator lights on my Fathers Morris 1800 and all the rest.
So, I'd taken a great intrest in cars and driving at this age. I soon noticed that when Granda moved the indicator stalk, that the cool little green 'turn' signal flashed on the clocks. So Granda noticed this.

Turning into his bumpy lane, about nearly a mile from the road to the farmyard/house.

He took me on his knee and let me hold the wheel as I 'drove' for a 3yr old kid this was super great!!! Then on a straight part of the lane he pulled back his right foot and... ''..here Paddy boy, press the pedal..'' Vroom!!

So thats why I went for an Avenger.
As well as they are better handling than an Escort and easier on the juice.

Good luck with all your Avengers.

Paddy B.

[Paddy75]

Thanks to oldskool for pointing out a good 71 GT/Tiger project - Oh I think if the seller can wait on the pick-up, the 75 Super could have a mate.
Good luck.

[Paddy75]

Got a set of wheel 'embellishers' thats the rim covers you fit behind the hubcap for the Avenger. They were standard fitment on the MK1 GL and Super Estate and on the Super onwards on the MK2.

The look really well! Happy Birthday to me!

[oldschool]

Hey Paddy...here's a Tiger spoiler for your 1300...add a set of Minilites and you'll have everyone fooled!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hillman-Avenger-Tiger-rear-spoiler-/271025897327?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f1a66ff6f

[Paddy75]

The 1300 with the SU HS4C. Airbox looks too tight against the dashpot. The spots on the guard is not rust as it looks like in the pic, flies.
The alternator is a Joe - prince of darkness - Lucas LRA360 and I'm still trying to find a fan belt that will suit it, hard-ish up against the return hose at the moment.





Seems to suit the dark or dusk, imperial red. The wheel 'embellishers' as seen on manys a Hunter or Avenger. 155/80 R13 tires/tyres (whatever - attire), gonna go for 155 R13 (higher profile) when changing, better on our crap, rubbish and potholed roads.



A good job those overriders, seemed to be standard fitment on the Super upwards S5 on. The Hillman Badge from a Hunter covers the second horn hole nicely. Bottom of the bumpers are peeling. The headlights are H4 Halogen, oh they work! You can see my untidy wiring relays direct off the battery to feed the dip/main beams.
 


Series 5 on got these type of window winders. The S4 can be figured by having the 1300/1600 engine with the older flush type.



Thank you Speedy Spares, replaced the cracked light with one of theirs from stock, came in a Rootes box and I see it has heavier plastic than the one that was in mine. That lamp is still going after 45+? years!




The headlining is the perforated type that I think is a Series 5 onwards thing. The rear view mirror is for a MK2 Avenger as the old one was flaked and was lose.



At a place called the playrock.





A set of clocks that were fitted to the 1500GL, had them in mine for a few days to see if all still worked. Just had to contact Speedy's for the regulator and the fuel and temperature worked too. Put a NoS speedo head into it hence the showroom mileage! This set belongs to a man I know with three Avengers and I put the GL dash in his 1600DL for him. More importantly for him I also ripped the weber destroyer off his rebuilt engine and replaced with the SU.





And finally an Avenger and an Imp got it on and the daughter was...



Yes that is a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and a Chrysler Sunbeam Ti. The man that owns them has a trailer making business and his logo is team Chrysler blue and white!

What the hey, a couple more. Semi-fastback or less kindly, hunchback! No its not a Ford!



The Chrysler basic radio. A Radiomobile R80 I think. Fits the hole properly anyway. The dashboard is of course cracked and the fine grain of the skin is a S4 on thing. The blue fiddle badged 1500GL/Alpine dashboards had a more coarse grain, some say this was a more expensive material, however they crack too!



The clocks out of mine as I was testing the Delco's. That little green 'Turn' lamp charmed me as a child. So started the Avenger affair. I've the unused 'Brake' on the RHS rigged to the 'No Charge' ignition lamp. The only problem with the Smiths set is that you can't see the temperature gauge!



There is just something better about that 1250/1500 blue Hillman bade in place of the '1300 Super'

[Paddy75]

Drum brakes, Lockheed BF47 8x1.75'' front drum. Going by an April 1973 price list I have you could have upgraded the drums fitted to the 1250 DL & Super 2 or 4-door for...wait for it... upgrade to discs.... ?10.00! FFS!
However they are quite a big lump of a drum so plenty of contact there and at least you don't have the bother of the four pot disc calipers seizing and the heat causing the grease in the hubs to puke out.
The drums don't fade, I have tried to make then fade, but if you get water in there...oh-ho!
As far as I know the all-drum system was fitted to the 1300 until Series 8 so an early MK2 would have them also.
All wagons were disc braked as was the 1300GL.







Changed these shoes last year.



See the colour of the linings, that is yellow asbesdos. There are good reasons why this material is banned these days. Before working on the shoes you must take the hose pipe to them. However like a yella clutch the lining lasts a long time. Probably why brakes and clutches today are so big, no asbesdos.

[Paddy75]

To quote The Omega Man, ''..the light, they should have stayed clear of the light..''

While fitting a new set of lamps to the instrument cluster I rigged the unused RHS 'Brake' red light to the 'No Charge' on the far left. 3W lamps in the warning lamps and dim 1.5W on the backlights.







Right I'll stop torturing you guys with my futtering about.

The Avenger is for the test in a few hours, here comes an argument with the testers about jacking the car up on the sills, they bent them last year - oh but the f******* think they know it all.
Grrrr


The funny colour, sorta purplish mauve, the rear demister switch has. When someone sits in the Avengers drivers seat there is a wee routine I do. Hand the guy or gal the keys - uhhh??? where is the switch? - Its on the other side so ye don't bang yer knee. Yes the signal stalk is on the right, where it should be so your left hand is free for the gears - no it wasn't only Japanese or Renault 18's that had the blinkers on the right.

Then after they figure the wee fiddle you hafta do with the key to get past the steering lock gate and they get the ignition on, I get them to switch on the demister, usually there is a funny comment about the switches lamp colour!

[Paddy75]

Good job on the Scarlet Avenger BTW, very well done by all involved.

Back to Stromberg a fixed needle CDS gotten from ebay for ?12 +p&p Come with a 1500 headset a ballast coil and pedal rubbers.

When I first fitted this last week it leaked and flooded, so while I was waiting on the 5BB to suit a 1250 needle arriving I swapped over as many bits from the CD3 (biased adjustable needle) as I could. Float bowl (they are the same) needle valve and the top cover - seemed to fit a bit better. Also the choke unit with new seals on the jet body for the float bowl.

Edit:
The vengance, the dang well way to do it an Avenger in top form. Yeh sure I'm talking shite here, just come back from an evening and my Avenger is going the best I have ever seen. It is going now like a banshee on a promise! Consumption looks good as well.
Up the hill no bother on 1/3rd pedal, with no flatting nor fuel smell from the exhaust. Up around a corner on a hill and still she wants to lift, into the corner a slight swing back just where you want it, no sway bar BTW and the power just suits her as the slight press on the pedal times so so so sweetly as the rear of the car reacts back on you.
50mph through a corner still she lights! No need to go heavy on the gas, I can feel a slight surge the odd time - Vizard said set the float to 12mm, being half way across the range or something, I have it at 9mm at the moment, do it as the man said!

The 1300 has found its vengeance, the Avenger! F****** dam well great going motor if ever there was one. AvenGer!
Edit: I'm just after driving home on the new (oldest type) CDS carbie fitted, man oh begob! That 1300 is going well. Very well, you'd swear that was a 1600 the way its going.

Sure this is a 40 year old carburettor but the spindle is okay and its in good enough shape as far as I can see.

Has a lifting pin.


David Vizard preferred this older type.


Hot here this last few days good weather to set the mixture, set before the temp gauge went over N.
The muck on the rockercover and the manifold was from me putting mastic on the gasket to stop or slow oil emulsifying during the winter.


Drove with the CDS now needled for a 1250 (5BB and red spring, same spring as fitted on the carburettor for the 1500) a few miles and no flatting as found with the SU unless I tuned it apparently rich, going by the stink of the exhaust.
It is not causing the car to jerk as I found with the CD3 however its early days and maybe the way wrong plug heat grade that the engine had caused the problem, or the lighter spring that was in the CD3.

After a period of idling with the fixed needle CDS and N6 plugs, at long last...
The insulator is going tan, no matter what I did with the CD3 or the SU I just could not get this. The better they run, the longer they last.

Again thank you folks and thank you David Vizard, is the man still with us? I hope so.

Also you can see the Service plate.
R3AH Service code.
R - 1300 high compression. A standard 1600 would be T5xx - HC & 3.89
3 - 4.11:1 diff (odd number means manual, 4 would mean 4.11 diff with an automatic)
A - Standard brakes (meaning no PCV) with standard suspension
H - Home market spec.

R5 xxx xxxx Service number
R - Ryton plant (L Linwood and T if built when the Talbot name was on the factory)
5 - Series 5, 09/74-08/75 build year.

The service plate on a Series6 Sunbeam Avenger 1600GT



W7BX

W - 1600 High Performance
7 - 3.7:1 diff
B - Brakes with no PCV and heavy duty suspension.
X - Export LHD spec'

I got this information from these photos.



This is from the Rootes/Chrysler/Talbot official 'red book' manual. For a Sunbeam so it shows also the Imp modified 930cc engine codes but the Avengers dog tags are the same.
'E' on the fourth digit is Export RHD, Z'e'aland? okok I'll stop torturing you guys!

The chassis number will start R4BBAxxxxx as all the 1300/1600 MK1's are VIN numbered this way, which sometimes people confuse as R4 so a Series 4, you'd end up with the wrong spring or shocker insert.



As you say Richard the thermostat opening in the 70's is better. Gave the legs a squeeze and the gauge is still going over N but its hot today and perhaps the 'stat is tired, I have a new one somewhere in the stash of parts in the roofspace. Replaced the thermostat gasket as you can see.
The new and correct 9lb rad' cap I got last year from ebay, for nothing ?2-3 and its a genuine Mopar with the right spring lengh. The one that was on it was a Motorcraft 9lb but seemed to have the spring too long.

Right well the SU is in a plastic bag in the back should the CDS flood on me again! Hopefully not.

Today is another hot day and a few more miles on the CDS.
Robert is a relation. Picture taken with the engine hot after a run and then idling for a minute or so.


#1 cylinder plug looking good.
You can see the VIN plate here all the later MK1's started R4BBxxx not to be confused as I say with the Service number R5 xxxx - Ryton series 5, or the service code R3AH where the 'R' is the engine type 1300 HC and the '3' the final drive ratio.

The idle is a bit uneven esp. when hot. MrV said 12mm float level, I have it at about 9mm as per Haynes manual, highly likely that's the problem. Bit of a sweat leak around the throttle side of the base, wee bit of mastic in the screw holes/guides I suppose.

[Paddy75]

To repair the damage crappy half-sealed Irish roads do to cars. Mind you the, lets say 'organic' cambered way the wee narra' roads are, they are fun. 50mph in a car that's not as so Volvo like noise insulated and hyper advanced suspended as they all are now is fun.
Often I've noticed a passenger getting nervous at 50mph then I say to them, do you see how you can't feel the danger in your Golf as you don't realize what 60mph will do WHEN you get a bang? Irish roads + young drivers + fast cars = good organ donor supply. Next to Portugal we have the worst road death rates in Europe. 

I'm getting old, ''..feckin youngsters! Gonna kill himself driving that hard!...'' Come here and sit in the Avenger, that'll wise ye up!
Its been hot and dry here and with the Avenger sitting in a warm garage all the damp is out of it. Before starting this I took a blowtorch to the sill to see if there was still damp, no sign of it so ahead with the blunt chisel and kurust. The brown bits go black and I'll slap a bit of paint over these bits this evening.

Friggin' roads. Ach well ye can't have it all.

The black on the sill lip and shoulder is not the rust acid its underspray. The chassis on this car is sound.


Very little wear on the back tyres though.

Under the lip of the lid.

They were a divil for rotting around here.


Around the battery tray, the door bottoms, front valence, fuel tank done and I'll pull the door cards off it and do the insides as well.
I also painted the rear axle brake pipe and the exhaust down pipes with the kurust, seems to be holding the treatment okay although It'll likely burn off.

Good stuff that rust eater I'm told as long as you don't trap moisture that's the rust deaded.

How often when you went to get a part for a Talbot or a Peugeot it came in this bag! Good to have a spare and at 3 poun' worth the punt.
4m of door seal strip also.

[Paddy75]

Right the weather is hot and dry here, ideal for a respray.
A guy with a pant gun and the know how has told me I can have the use of his kit on Monday & Tuesday next week.
My paint code is 165 which I think is Imperial Red. Here goes.

What to do with the plastic strip which has gone white?



The door quarter window runners are matte black as the later MK1's got.

Thank you Marcus at ASOC, it is Imperial Red, as used on R3-6 (the 1300/1600 MK1) hahaha if I got them to mix by the colour of the rear panels it would end up purple - I'm not a swinger hahahahaha!!!!!

Chrysler 165 colour was Called Imperial Red, that's burgundy to you and me.

When Peugeot took over the colours got renamed. In the parts shop who also mix paint:

Talbot 1973-77 165 (same as the Chrysler 165) is called 'Rouge Amarante' Rouge is of course red, and Amarante is .... wait for it ...''unfading'' hahahaha I like that!

I don't so much like, ''..generally used as a girls name..'' I'd bet the first owner was a woman or the colour was chosen by a woman.
Imperial Amarante, Imperial = Tsar or Czar, unfading so, urrrgghhh!!! The 1300 is the Tzarina! Oh no...I'm gonna spray it blue!

Ha! Anti-sway bars are for commoners! Disc brakes are for the Serfs!

They couldn't get the combination for 2-pack for this colour so its the cheaper synthetic, just do a light 1st coat with 20% thinners apparently.

What to do with the gutter rail plastic strip?

Maybe spray the window surrounds, upper middle pillar and the rear vents satin black? Black goes with burgundy I think, just wondering if I did that would it make the Avenger more or less 'Tzarina'!

[Paddy75]

A few pics of the body and progress with rust treating before the respray. I always had a strong suspicion the roof was re-skinned on this car, I can only guess the drum brakes caught out a joyrider.

Drivers door pillar
Passingers door pillar, this car has been on its side or rolled



Dead rust, just so long as you treat when the car is bone dry and this rust eater gets no moisture for a few hours after treating, then waxoil all is good.


Hard to see in the picture but you can just make out a ridge.

See the join?


Looks like old waxoil and aged waxoil overspray on the back of the front numberplate.


Jack box needs attention. The new exhaust I sprayed with zinc and exhaust manifold paint, plenty into the seams.


Otherwise pretty sound. Only a couple of places the underseal has come loose.



The rear underside, all looks good.



Right now to get the door cards and handles off.

BTW with the pinstripes off (and they are staying off) you can see how bad the paint has gone.


Yes I will strip the pinstripes glue from the body before DA-ing.



Looks like there was a bad coat of paint applied to the front, just flaked off when a chisel taken to it and the scars on the lid is 2 pack paint having hardned too fast, a rough job was done, I guess when the wings were replaced.

[Paddy75]

Yet another dog tag, behind the grille found when scraping off loose paint.



IMPERL RED
821/R/M D 252 146527

[Paddy75]

I've been busy.

Five or so coats of synthetic. Before flattening.



Yes we did have paper behind the tail-lights.


One of these are going on the passenger wing. They are the grille badges from the 1970-3 1250/1500. Picture taken before flattening, the morning after the respray.


I did remove the front indicators before spraying.



After flattening and buffing with the G stuff.



Now its a red Avenger! Chrysler 165 Imperial red.

[Paddy75]

Three days solid work.

How it looked when it left the showroom.

[Paddy75]

Not the 1300 Super here!

I've been taking a rally not-so-well-built Avenger engine apart to try and get it running and learn the tricks and knack of building Avenger engines.

Here we have 'Christine' the MK2 2-door forestry prepped Avenger which is about five years overdue a run. Its nicknamed Christine because it has sat around different garages until the mechanic takes a nervous breakdown and tells the owner where to go.


Me using the inside to keep the radiator, timing case and those Weber war-grade carburettors out of the way.

Reshaped MK2 wings to take the MK1 grille.


In its latest home, and the guy wants rid of it as its been here this last six months.
I first took a look at its ignition last summer as it was not sparking. Blown ballast and a 3ohm (points) coil was the problem - and BTW this was just after it sat in an auto-sparks yard for several months, now you get the whole Christine thing.
So a new ballast block and a 1.5 ohm coil got it sparking, with the dizzy rotor in a strange position, #1 was in #2 position by the rotor arm, so the oil pump drive was mis-timed. Of course just re-plug the leads to suit the drive as it was left.

Okay so sparking it was, but not starting, would fire with a fierce bang out of the exhaust and the odd spurt of flames out of the trumpets (Weber quad 40 rally carburettors) so I went and got the Weber downdraught twin-choke with its manifold from the guy I took this off for the SC SU conversion I was on about.
With the weber downdraught it started and ran like a cement mixer with again the exhaust banging and when I tried to rev the engine got a fire up through the barrel.

The obvious question at this point is, the camshaft is off its timing. I went off to Switzerland (boring and expensive) for work and when I returned Christine was still sitting in that garage pissing off the guy who owns the shed.

So off the cam timing, oh yes!



A tooth off the alignment and the dizzy drive way mis-timed. So a lot of questions about how the engine was built and there is a bad-tempered history of two different guys who apparently built this engine.

Spot also whats missing - the damper thing on the driven side of the chain, wether or not that's important I don't know.


Not looking so good. Head off and..



Not even run in?!
Then look at the head itself.


Oily #1 chamber and on cranking the engine by hand oil is left on the top of the stroke. Even more worrying that #1 piston touches the cylinder wall when pushed sideways.
Dropped the sump today - very easy to do with the engine in place.

Here is that #1 piston.




Top ring in the bore, what the...! Are they 1500cc rings in a 1600 bore?



Pretty big gap!




Now what to do? Measure up the bore and how can a piston ring be too small in an engine that has been re-built? The bearings look new and as tight as they should be.

Anyhow the camshaft is marked as KC AVRL1 D5 which I guess is some sort of group 2 thing but the pistons look pretty standard to me.



Oh hey! Me first Avenger engine re-build, a rally engine - do it right! No half measures!