TooTallMike

Hi Richard, Plugs have been swapped about and any plugs fitted into 3 & 4 wet up again immediately while the removed ones immediately work fine in other cylinders. There are also five spare used plugs which have been included in the mix. Plugs fitted in 3 & 4 always come out glistening wet with petrol - my interpretation was that they are receiving so much fuel they are unable to spark, but thinking about it is that realistic or am I mis-interpreting it? I also tried pre-heating the plugs on the stove but again no improvement. The plug lead screening has already been removed and the leads are modern copper-cored type, fitted into the screened distributor and run as exposed black plastic leads up to the right-angle connectors which are screwed down to 'original' screened plugs. I would be very pleased to do away with these and fit standard plugs and lead ends to facilitate testing but I don't think the customer will go for that unless there is a compelling argument. - MG

Hi Clive, We did this and all of them jump a good 10mm or more with a nice blue spark and a 'crack' which is audible even above the sound of the engine running. - MG

We re-checked that this afternoon but thanks for the thought! - MG

Indeed Richard, I am painfully aware of that possibility! Unfortunately we don't know whether the plugs are wet because they are receiving too much fuel, or whether it is because they are not firing. We have happy sparks on all six when they are out of the engine but of course no guarantee of what is going on inside. - MG

We just swapped in a Champ float chamber which made pretty much no difference to the running. This means it is unlikely to be the main jet or accel pump since these are fitted to it. - MG

I forgot to mention - ChrisG is going to bring over a Champ float chamber tomorrow as this will replace the main jet and accelerator pump in one go and we'll see if that makes any difference. - MG

Thanks folks, ChrisG and I spent most of today on the Dingo and are none the wiser. We have however established some of the obvious differences between Dingo and Champ carbs which was interesting and seems to be mainly in the accelerator pump. We have now established that putting a hand over the inlet masks the problem rather than curing it, so that should be disregarded as a clue. Essentially it seems to be overfuelling to the extent that it is drowning plugs 3 & 4 which then causes rough running. Both these plugs have a healthy spark when out of the engine but when fitted for any period come out wet, especially no.3. Compressions have been checked and are ok. We cured the fuel leak mentioned in my previous post - it was leaking out between the carb casting and the vertical brass accelerator jet within the inlet orifice. This was cured by fitting a trimmed-down 'o' ring under the register to seal it up. The fuel now comes out of the hole in the jet as it should. However there is a hideous delay between briskly opening the throttle, and the fuel appearing out of the accel pump jet, and then it being drawn into the engine and the revs actually increasing. I presume this is down to the accel pump being operated by depression in the inlet rather than what I would consider to be a more conventional mechanical linkage. Is this delay normal? Singe - PM on its way! To be continued... - MG

Everything in the carb is new - it was rebuilt using a NOS 40-odd piece kit which replaced pretty much everything apart from the main castings. I've now had the main jet out back and blown it through along with every other airway and orifice. The main jet comprises two tubes, the inner of which is supplied pressed into the outer. It cannot be further dismantled but there is air getting through so it is presumably clear of obstructions. One thing which I think is odd is that today after re-fitting the carb I ran it without the inlet pipe or air filter and I noticed that when revved up, a quantity of fuel appears round the outside of the low speed jet between the brass of the jet and the casting of the carb. I'm not sure whether this is significant or not since it seems to me the problem is a lack of fuel rather than an excess of it. Chris - are you familiar with this carb from your Champ? If so I don't suppose you'd care to come and have a look would you? There's tea and Xmas cake if that helps... Regards - MG

Thanks chaps, I fitted a gravity-fed supply direct to the carb containing fresh petrol and it made no difference but it still revs up more freely when the inlet is substantially covered which to me points to either fuel starvation or excessive air (ie. a leak). There is still no position in which the idle jet makes any difference except from being fully done up, to just being undone a fraction, when the revs drop a little. I am now going to take the carb off to look inside it. The carb looks like the one in the manual. How would I tell if it the correct one? The vehicle has done considerable mileage in the past with this carb so I must presume it has run better than this at some point previously! - MG

Hi folks, For the sake of tying up this thread, I am pleased to report that the GMC has now completed a couple of journeys with none of the aforementioned problems. It now has an electric fuel pump and starts very quickly whether hot or cold. The pump is mounted to the X-member inboard of the fuel tank and there is a large in-line filter to deal with any junk. It was an easy conversion costing around £50 in parts and a couple of hours work. I personally think this is the way forwards to avoid a number of the issues relating to modern fuels in old vehicles. Thanks once again for everyone's help and advice! Regards - MG

Hi folks, I've got an on-going issue with a customer's Dingo on which I would appreciate some advice (in return for which I will happily make a donation to the forum :-).) The vehicle has been off the road for a couple of years and Richard Farrant very kindly gave me his advice on the finer points of replacing the outer hub oil seals, which was not the most fun job I've ever done. The other major job on it was to sort out the poor running - to be blunt it ran like a dog, with clouds of smoke and sooting up the middle plugs. We concluded the carb was at fault and it was rebuilt by a relative of the customer. He found it was full of crud and the diaphragms were all shot. It is now better but still not right. If you rev it up to around 1/3 revs and then hold the throttle steady it will start to back off and will die completely if the throttle remains held at the same setting. With the air cleaner off, covering 90% of the intake causes it to tick over more slowly but it will then rev up much better. I don't believe it's an air leak anywhere as I've sprayed carb cleaner all round the carb, gaskets and inlet manifold joints with no change in revs. It will drive on full choke but is very rough. Unsurprisingly it is un-driveable off choke as there is no power at all and the engine just wants to die. Petrol is mostly fresh mixed with a small amount of old, but smells fine. The idle mixture jet appears to do very little - when screwed all the way in there is a very slight increase in revs, otherwise it appears to have very little effect. It is currently set at approx 1 turn out as this is the least bad position for it. The lift pump is producing a good volume of fuel at a very healthy-looking pressure. I was just wondering if this could be caused by incorrect float level as there is a small amount of petrol seeping from the joint at the top of the float housing. However the manual does not show how to set the float or the lever it operates. I have heard these carbs can be a horror and that Dingo's always run rich - any comments welcome! I hope i've covered all the relevant points. Thanks in advance - MG

Hi, I've just successfully completed two applications for registrations of 1940s trucks. I was advised by DVLA to only complete the following entries: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10,15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 47 onwards. Some of these may not apply to an old Land Rover and there may be other boxes you can complete but the point is they are not expecting you to complete every box, just the applicable ones. Hope this helps - MG

Hi, There are numerous companies out there who will carry out a pre-MoT inspection for you. You'll be able to explain the potential issues discretely without prejudicing any ministry inspection. Any large local haulier will be able to advise who they use. Alternatively print off a load of photos and take them down to the local test station with a big bag of doughnuts around tea break time and see if the guys there will give you their thoughts. You'll probably get more help if you can find a private place that hosts ministry tests rather than an actual ministry station - nothing against the ministry guys but they are less able to give opinions. Otherwise you could book the truck in for a test and see what happens, but that's a big gamble because if it fails they can put a PG9 on it which means you can't drive it away. - MG ps. that's a fantastic looking truck!

Maybe a silly question but have you checked to see whether the braking system might already have been modified to meet UK requirements? - MG

Hi, About 10 years ago a friend of ours with a newly-imported 1980s Peterbilt tractor unit had to modify the braking system to make it conform before it could be tested. While other vehicles may have got on the road in the past by a little stretching of the truth and massaging of details on paperwork these things have been clamped down on recently and you will have to do it the right way. There should be no reason why it can't be done, but agreed it is gutting when you think you've bought something that is already road-ready. All the best - MG

Fair point, but in my defence the truck was incomplete when bought, and I had the fire engine one sitting on the shelf for free which at the time was an important factor :-). - MG

If these are the 5/8" hex size I have a fair number of used ones in stock. How many do you need? PM me if interested. - MG

I fitted one to a Halftrack that I was told by the customer had been from a CVRW Fox. I have a feeling it may have been from a Ferret, but either way it stopped much better than stock. I also fitted one from a 1970s Dennis fire engine to my old CCKW and you could lock all six wheels on a dry road. Had to have the brakes set up perfectly though! - MG

The other truck wasn't scrapped - as I understand it, it was sold on along with this one as a donor, which was then re-sold to Roy. - MG

Tony, I think the point people are making is there is already a choice of restored ones available and ready to rally for less than it would cost to do this one up. Sadly it's probably only viable for someone who is local to it, has access to a cheap way of transporting it, and can get it for less than the stated price. I agree it's unpleasant when economics becomes the governing factor. - MG

Hi, If you're asking how to dispose of them safely - our local council tip has an asbestos skip. Might be worth a call. - MG

Hi, I'd go for a Cummins C series: 8.3l turbo, available as charge-air cooled with 265hp as standard spec. Numerous clutch housing options to put the starter wherever you want it (high, low, left and right sides). SAE pattern means the original box will bolt straight on or with minimal adaption. Rev range is comparable to the original. If an L10 is 4" too long a C will fit in no problem. Tin sump means modification to clear diff etc. is easy. - MG

Hi, I've been told Belzona make a product which has been used for this by the owner of a Mack NM. He burned out the existing material and cleaned everything thoroughly before making a jig to hold the pin in the correct location and to plug the bottom. He then poured the product in and let it set and was very satisfied with the result. Apparently the Belzona rep was very interested in the project and was very helpful. Might be worth a phone call. Please let us know what you do either way as I have several sets to re-do at some point in the next couple of years! Regards - MG

Last time I did this I just entered the new info on the V5 and sent it in for amendment. Has something changed? - MG

Ian, Have you done any off-roading or driving through deep water or mud recently? What you are describing could indeed be caused by a rapid and massive mal-adjustmnent of the brakes, since you have not lost fluid. I experienced similar in a GMC after wading in mud. The drums were not washed out quickly enough and the dried abrasive particles rapidly wore the linings down and the pedal became ineffective. A clean-up and re-adjust had it sorted. - MG