Gold Convertible... one month in

[Rich]

Ok, this is a follow on from my resurrection thread, didn't know where else to put it so feel free to move it David.

The little red beast has been on the road for just over a month now and hasn't let me down (much) so I'm now starting to relax a bit and enjoy the driving whilst sorting out small problems as they arise. So far these have been...

1. Screen frame rattling against the quarterlight frames. Cured by applying some self adhesive foam strip to the frames.

2. Hard top rattling against screen top. Cured initially by removing hard top! Seal later purchased from Alistair which seems to have done the trick.

3. Clutch cable failed. The car has an uprated clutch fitted, the extra weight wrecked the adjuster on the brand new pattern cable. This was replaced with a Veco cable which has held up to the clutch weight but has left the pedal part way down with the occasional difficulty getting gears. Pulling the cable adjuster out of it's housing shows 4mm of play. Cured by turning up a brass 4mm spacer on the lathe, pedal now sits at the correct height and gear engagement is as it should be.

4. Weird handling. Not so much weird as downright bloody scary, the car would choose it's own line through a corner and I found myself inadvertently crossing the white line on the odd occasion when I should have been well within. Cure. In making my own poly bushes I'd actually created a degree of castor adjustment which I hadn't taken account of when I bolted up the front suspension. Equalising the castor measurements left to right has improved the handling immensely, though I'll be making up permanent distance washer in aluminium to firm up the adjustment.

5. Lack of performance. Cure. Only half throttle available, so pedal assembly bent until full throttle available, fuel consumption seems to have suffered though........

6. Brake performance poor. Cure. Replace cheap pads that I fitted to clean up the dipped discs with EBC Greenstuff pads, brakes are much more convincing now, just need to sort out the travel (see problems to sort).


Problems still to sort out..

1. Brake pedal travel still too far, seems to be a common problem on the Midas. Initially I think I'll fit an adaptor between the servo and master cylinder rods to take up the free play. Ultimately I'd like to make a new pedal with slightly different geometry to cut down the free play but also increase the mechanical advantage lost with the pedal chopping.

2. Replace the hydrolastic with springs.

3. Heated screen to be fitted.

[Hans Efde]

Hi Rich,
Depending on the strength of the clutch diapraghm you are using, the best way eventually is a hydraulic clutch. The previous owner of my Convertible came to that conclusion after snapping a few cables and I have to say I am very happy with it. It's simple and reliable.

Concerning your brake problem, the easy fix would be to lift the master cylinder from the servo carefully (the brake lines should be flexible enough for that) and place something on the pin you see sticking out, f.e. a cap. This will push the primary piston slightly up, setting it close to the activation point. Place the master cylinder back and check if the brakes are still loose. Test the brakes. Repeat this if necessary, but make sure the brakes are not pre-activated. Ed Darwinkel cured his brake dead stroke this way. Simple and doesn't cost anything except time.
Alternatively you have a brake servo problem what can only be confirmed by changing it with a new one.

[Rich]

Hi Hans,

The servo is new-old stock so it should be ok (famous last words), I reckon a 5mm 'cap' should do the trick. Or simply threading the end of the servo rod after chopping off the fixed clevis and fitting a longer clevis with adjustment potential.

Rich

[manifold]

Nice one Rich.

You've took a leaf out of my KAD brake pedal arrangement.

Good implimentation! Thats one way of loosing the slack. If you use a bottle screw with reverse threads at each end above the clevis, even better!

Kind regards,

David

[Hans Efde]

I have used a threaded rod to get rid of the clearance. The plate is an adaptor plate that drops in the holes of the brake servo.The master cylinder gets on top. The threaded clevis is mounted on the brake pedal. The rod is screwed in. By trial fitting the master cylinder (a slight resistance when its pushed on the plate, so a bit of preactivation on the springs in the master cylinder) I determined its position and then locked it with the nut. Sharp and direct braking, but obviously needs a bit more push.

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brake2.jpg (30.68 KiB) Viewed 8874 times

[manifold]

Spot on Hans.

More or less same implimentation as mine, albeit i'm on twins....and you have captivated your bolts (better). I didnt because mines a stainless plate, making it a two man job.

I used the servo gasket as a template for the plate.

[Rich]

I've gone for the cap option for now, no great desire to be rummaging around in the rain if I can avoid it.

I've found that a 4mm spacer gives me a really good pedal and partially applied brakes as David found when he over adjusted his pedal box, after a couple of laps around the village everything is very hot and the car is slowing down. A 2mm spacer doesn't offer much improvement so I suspect the happy medium will be around 2.5mm to 3mm but I've other things to do on my only day off this weekend.

Rich

[manifold]

just goes to show how much even a couple of mm can make in the pedal.

[Rich]

just goes to show how much even a couple of mm can make in the pedal.

It certainly does! I may have been a little hasty in my judgement, the brakes are actually quite significantly better on the move. I think the simple addition of a thin washer as a spacer will do the trick.

I've also reduced the amount of steering wheel shake by replacing the two stacks of penny washer under the column bracket with two large aluminium spacers which seems to have done the trick as well as lowering the column another 6mm to where I wanted it. Another bracket further down the column as was fitted as standard should take even more flex out of it.

Rich

[manifold]

Rich,

I'd be wary of lowering the column too much. Those rubber donuts that connect to the rack dont like being taken out of shape too much.

Mine was cracked again after 2 years. When I replaced subframe for coil conversion it needed replacing. Last one was changed 2 years ago. I noticed the first one was shagged too before I changed it, to use a phrase.