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John but surely if that was the case then the short would be carrying the current, in effect bypassing the points. One side of the points is at earth of course, so if the other side of the points was earthed by a short, then the current would not be carried through the points so they wouldn't get hotter. But I think you may be right that something untoward is going on in the distributor. Something like the base plate or weights sticking when hot?

Richard we did actually do insulation tests on the distributor cap using the "megger" on 5Kv, but it seemed to be with at an acceptable level, um well when it was cold!

Well the rain reduced the hay fever somewhat which made life much more pleasant. In postscript to my disaster I would like to thank a number of people. TootallMike & his chum for removing my drive flanges & identifying the failed shaft. Gritineye for spotting a small piece of metal debris within the end cap. The worry was that this debris may have been part of the casing for the roller bearings, so new bearings were ordered. Philip of Dunsfold was superb in getting a bearing kit & half shaft sent up from his stores that arrived the next day. Truly a remarkable service at a modest price considering the current market cost & an on site delivery. Some dealers might have been able to tempted to exploit my predicament, but Philip was as always genuinely helpful. Richard Moyes camped next to me pressed on with the repair & with help from Colin Voss effected the replacement of the half shaft. Not easy because the diff end of shaft cannot be pulled through as it is too wide. So the shaft have to be exchanged from the other end as it were. The bearings were found to be in good condition. Examination of the washer tab showed that not only had it been used before, but the debris had come from a folded over piece that had failed. Allowing the hub nuts to start to undo, which I assume was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Going back to the pre-storm pictures whilst all that was about to hit us there was quite a different outlook looking west. Being camped near the base of the very large Dutch mast I was greatly relieved when it was lowered. The lull before the storm - no wind. In a matter of seconds the outlook changed & the wind got up. I believe the mast owner won the prize for best exhibit voted by the public. I thanked the owner for bringing it at it was a very striking landmark to help my visitors find me :-D

As Nick has pointed out Mike is using a conventional 12v coil & needs no ballast resistor. The primary of this coil measured 3 ohms which seems right for a standard 12v coil. Using my coil testing machine it was able to demonstrate that it had a healthy output across a pointed spark gap of 12mm equivalent to about 8Kv.

No great damage Wayne. Just that you will need about 10% more HT to get a spark with are positive spark rather than a negative. Long term reversed polarity can cause rotor arm metal loss rather than deposition. Large numbers of coils like yours are fitted incorrectly & I saw many at W&P. Owners often not pleased or non-believing so I have largely given up mentioning the matter. But as your are friend Wayne I thought you would want to know. It is easily done as the coil is provided with the clamp fitted 180 degrees out. This is the problem for most Rovers. it is very understandable to fit the coil as it is presented from the box. It is a widespread mistake that I have seen fitted in service & with new owners. It is very common & many fall into the trap :-D

Wayne looks as if the coil is connected incorrectly. The screened filter box lead should go to SW on coil not CB.

Yes we are all waiting for a satisfactory diagnosis for this Mike. Not just your peace of mind, but it is a puzzler that is rather frustrating that any of us might get caught out with on our own vehicles. I commented that one of the rotor arms looked to have lost metal suggesting a positive spark. If that was so it would require 10% more HT to get spark but would probably only be significant if other things go critical. This is the basis of that comment from an old training course from Lucas Technical Services.

Sorry to hear that it is still plaguing you Mike. I suppose one step would be to wire in a voltmeter for the time being & keep an eye on the voltage actually being delivered under all conditions. Just a thought. Have you tried another distributor? I was wondering if it was something with the weights sticking or the springs deteriorating & not doing well with heat? Perhaps get a can of freezer & zap a suspect component & see if it produces an instant recovery. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rothenberger-Quick-Pipe-Freezing-Freeze-Spray-300gms-/120318605243?pt=UK_DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item1c038c37bb Incidentally thank you Mike for your investigations on my half shaft problems. It was very impressive over the week seeing people helping each other out in times of need.

Drizzle and fog now a bit messy under foot :-(

Yes we're still here. Some very hairy moments. Greatest fear was tentage becoming airborne. Here is the storm heading our way.

Warm again today but requires special measures. This is the only thing that works for me Sorry don't know why phone has turned it. I am for the moment upright.

About 30ft away from a very tall Dutch erection with two corner reflectors and a Dutch flag in H Jones field

The 1Ton chassis was introduced in 1968. Mine was built on a 1965 2A merely with a 4 cylinder unlike the 1Ton with a 6 clinder. My chassis is reinforced and a forerunner of the later chassis. The ENV axles were considered stronger. Yes I know mine has failed. But gritineye Bernard diagnosed that the bearings have failed thus overloading the haft shaft at the splines. So Philip Dunsfold hopes to have a new shaft and bearings up here tomorrow. I'm very grateful to the many for their help and advice. Particularly Philip and Tootallmike. Maybe be this time tomorrow I'll have a 4x4 again. In the meantime I'm still available with full range electrical novelties and test equipment to do my bit to help those with ignition problems.

Nick thanks for that. Philip hopes to have one here on Wednesday. Tootallmike was very supportive in helping me this afternoon.

Not too bad at all Tim. Relatively few difficult patches. Straw laid in many patches and sunny day has greatly alleviated previous problems.

Wayne there was snap sound from the off side. Happened crossing a main road changing up into second. Was a bit worried getting on site in torrential rain in a 4x2. Tried jacking on wood but kept sinking. OS is the shorter shaft which figures. Trouble is this axle is ENV which is rare these days. Going to see Philip on Dunsfold stall to see what he has back at base. He's about my only hope. Nice and sunny now everything drying out :-D

Got here this evening rained stopped thankfully allowing the 9 x9 to go up. Not very happy as the Shorland bust the rear axle 75 miles from destination :cry:

Hmm thanks Nick, it looks like the end of Sunday afternoon will have the heaviest rain. That was my ETA & tent erecting time, might have a rethink & go Monday :undecided:

Hate to say it but sort of good in a way if that is the worst it gets & it does that every few days. Reducing the pollen & dust. Whether I'll think it is so good tomorrow when I come to put up the tent is another matter

At the last count I think you had 8 Pigs Wilson, how many is it now?

Wayne were you going to be towing this big trailer with it? I wonder if it might be more prudent to fit a NATO hitch? There seem to have been problems with the towing ring popping out of the jaws. Even after the EMER mod of welding some more metal onto the lower jaw, it looks rather "ify" by modern standards of safety. I know your ISPL specifies this type (curiously says 4 springs in it) but that is dated Jan 1960. I can find EMER references to the NATO hitch in Oct. 1960, so it would not be out of era to fit the NATO one. Although I accept many Humbers would have seen out their service life with the original hitch, but on a safety angle alone I think justifies a NATO one I would have thought.

Andy may I ask, have you suffered any such dampness yet?

Dunno we'll have to ask AndyM as he no doubt has scrutinised the report & matching it up to his Abbot. Interesting to see if they provided a breathable seat covering, shouldn't have been too much of a technical challenge.

Yes Richard I don't think I have ever seen a report where much attention was paid to crew difficulties under operational conditions. Such difficulties would clearly have an effect on crew efficiency.