1955 Traction 11B "Barn Find" Project

@mpopka wrote:

@OSL282 wrote:

Haven’t seen a heat shield for the fuel pump before, was that on the car when you got it?

Standard fitting, I believe, Dave, as with the heatshield for the Dynamo and for the Carburettor.

They are the sort of thing that gets taken off and forgotten about when re-assembling (like the heater tube).

In places like the UK the difference is probably negligible, however if you encounter fuel vaporisation it something to try to eliminate the problem.

Given that my car took a lot of starting on the way to France last year which eventually lead to the 6v starter failing I decided to get a fuel pump heat shield from J Fransen (part 588.730)

Fitted it today and had doubts about there being enough clearance for the 1st and Reverse selector rod, but it’s working fine even if it does seem to ride up the inner side of the shield.

Hopefully not a waste of 22.49 Euro this summer 😎

I need to get the engine on the ground in readiness to fit the gear box tomorrow. I think it will be easier to slide the gear box on than try to lift it to the engine and plus I am not sure the little workmate bench will take all the weight. So out with the lift again.

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On with the rocker cover for a little protection

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I was just unscrewing the bolts ready for the gearbox when one fell in behind the flywheel. Bloody thing dropped so it poked out but the head was caught inside between the flywheel and the oil baffles…… arrrgh 👿 👿 So had to pull off the clutch and loosen the flywheel bolts and it dropped out. Will refit tomorrow and align the clutch again.

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I sent an email to Castrol to find out which oil I needed and they replied pretty quickly with Castrol Classic XL30. I will flush the engine first with 20w40 first a couple of times before putting in the expensive stuff. Any other recommendations would be appreciated.

When my engine was rebuilt I used the Castrol XL30 for the 1st 2 oil changes then switched over to Millers Classic 20w50 – Andy Burnett reckons it’s a waste of money and any 20w50 will do but the Millers has replacement additive for the Zinc of old which supposedly reduces wear and in the overall scheme of things it’s a small price to pay versus an engine rebuild.

Millers Technical support agree that it’s better to have any crud held in suspension and drained out with the oil, rather than being left to accumulate in the sump aka the Castrol.

Car has now covered 5k+ kms on the Millers oil and runs smoothly and quietly with minimal dirt on the magnetic drain plug when it’s cleaned at oil change time, still with no oil filter fitted.

Engine was then hoisted in taking care to wiggle the driveshafts on as they were the only thing to get caught. The rear engine mount slid into the box and I lined up the side mounts (with the help of my wife) and then dropped it in.

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In with the cross member and the angle supports – they were quite tough to get in, specially tightening the bolts but after an hour or so it was all bolted in.

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Starting to build up the engine with the accessories – got the gas pedal working perfectly but I need to get another choke cable as mine seems to have bent along the way and is not running smooth. Managed to connect up the starter cable and tried it for fun – first time the engine has turned over on its own since 1972 😀 😀

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Looking good! But wait, “gas pedal???” I thought you people called it a “petrol foot control device” Or something!

@L.Lewis wrote:

Looking good! But wait, “gas pedal???” I thought you people called it a “petrol foot control device” Or something!

Were an ‘International’ community so some allowances have to be made 😆

Ian, as Den says, before rebuilding the front end, make sure everything works. As long as there is oil in the engine, you can run it for a minute or two without the rad and coolant.

OK – you knew this was coming.

Has anyone a couple of clear photos on how the gear rods are connected. i.e. which is 1st and Reverse and which is 2nd and 3rd. I have tried every combination and it has been a long time since I took them apart. A picture of the bulkhead connections would be good as well as the gearbox end. Or a schematic if there is one.

Did not help at all that the EZ Power Steering motor was fouling the change mechanism – it was fine until I connected the levers in the engine bay. I have had to take out the motor for now so I can get the gear changing correct first.

Also, is the clutch supposed to be that heavy 😯

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