A was for Austin, but now B is for Bedford

PDU, I had trouble starting it to test out the clutch after I re-wired the truck so I decided to move on with something else
ie; the brakes.
I will get to it next week & give you an update
Cheers
Pierre

Having been delayed by posthumous dog and grandchildren, the rear wheels are now all back in place with the inner wheel arch mountings finally fitted. This included re-fitting the Highway 1 signs where they were previously fitted, but now with relief for the roof winch mechanism.


I have made a start on B for's wiring also Pierre, at least mounting the fuse box, and figuring out where the switches will be. :S With my modified bulkhead, now boxed in, I made up a mounting plate for the fuse box, where it is accessible but will be out of sight once I make a cover plate to cover the front.

The "Made in China" fuse box (cheap and cheerful) combines flasher can and relay, with all wiring to GM colour codes. Once I had identified the wires and coloured in the supplied wiring diagram it was a lot less confusing, and quickly identified that the person who stuck the label on the front put it on back to front! :lol:
The next dilemma was where to place the electric fuel pump where it could be reached, if required, but without re-routing the fuel line. The answer was to tuck it in between the engine and driver's footwell. Accessibility will be revealed when I actually hook up the wires, and cut the fuel line to connect them to the pump. Reasonably easy from underneath while the drip trays are not in place.

While in there I pulled the dipstick out to discover I have signs of water in my oil!! No doubt the reworked (new but incorrect) gasket I used when first trying to get this engine running has let me down. Such is life.
And on a totally different tack wife has bought a Ford Laser from a friend who no longer needed her husband's car. They had two of them, and he died a month ago, so this 127000km buzz box had now moved in.

As quick as I clear 'em out they keep on coming! :pinch: Now if I could just off load the PT Cruiser and my Triumph 2000's it would be much simpler around here.

As part of the wiring for B for I wanted to include a "built in" indicator switch. The one used is from my "surplus" Herald Coupe (now gone dirt track racing). To do this the switch unit had to be cut from the Herald steering column, then cut at the point where it would fit over the Bedford steering column. Following this it was cut in two so I could wrap it around the column. This revealed the necessity to remove the Triumph horn contact ring which fouled the steering wheel. Having things looking as though everything was okay I refitted the indicator and light switches - only to have to space them out fractionally and remove the Triumph cancelling mechanism. To gain all the necessary clearances I ended up cutting it into quarters and the whole lot was reassembled and now does look right (to me at least),.
AND the wires will not hang down like that, they were just quickly tucked up through a convenient hole to get them up into the wiring department behind the dash.

Nice work PDU with the indicator switch. That upside down back to front sticker is because it came across the Equator and now reads @rse up with care.

PDU, you probably already thought of this, but just in case:
I have in the past mounted electric fuel pumps in the engine bay, only to have vapour lock on hot days. (cheap, push-type / Facet-type pumps). I had to subsequently mount them back near the tank and as low as I could reasonably get them.
Hopefully your pump is a more suitable unit.

Jarrod.

The old SU pump used to get mounted high up on the fire wall. So it must have sucked rather than pumped to work. I think they were one of the simplest and best electric fuel pumps from their day.

SU's are okay while they are working, but I have had so many problems with their points over the years I have basically given up on them. One Jaguar unit cost me my 1936 Ford many years ago!

The low down position chosen for the pump is in almost as much airflow as it would have been had I mounted it under the tray next to the fuel tank. Although it is a relatively cheap unit this particular one has given me several years reliable service in one of my Triumphs. A newer one of the same type that I would have used, needs the earth wire reconnected back inside the (sort of) sealed unit. Once this is done it will be used in preference to the older one currently mounted on the footwell purely to check clearances.

Note that the electric pump will be used in conjunction with the original Bedford pump, as both a priming pump and an assist to the mechanical pump. Two horses can pull a cart easier than one.

asw120 wrote:

PDU, you probably already thought of this, but just in case:
I have in the past mounted electric fuel pumps in the engine bay, only to have vapour lock on hot days. (cheap, push-type / Facet-type pumps). I had to subsequently mount them back near the tank and as low as I could reasonably get them.
Hopefully your pump is a more suitable unit.

Jarrod.

This my experience of electric fuel pumps as well, while most people love them I found these issues to challenging for me so just fixed the mechanical pump

Looking good with the indicator install, looks like it was always part of it from new

Paul

My old Morris has an SU pump on the firewall. Did it up several times and even replaced it with a brand new one, but as Pom says, the points fail with monotonous regularity. I replaced it with a modern solid state pump but it too was not all that reliable in keeping up the flow. Finally read the instructions which came with it. " Mount as low as possible and as close to the tank as possible". It is a pusher pump. I know, if the cakes a failure, read the recipe!

Now with it mounted correctly, it supplies fuel not only to the engine, but through the SU pump, so under the bonnet looks original. Hasn't let me down once.

Cobbadog
The old SU pump used to get mounted high up on the fire wall. So it must have sucked rather than pumped to work. I think they were one of the simplest and best electric fuel pumps from their day.

Having endless failures of SU fuel pumps over the years including losing a good date when my Jaguar failed in Melbourne and she got sick of waiting and caught a cab never to be seen again and having to drive 20 km back to the homestead north of Mt Isa with my mate on the mudguard of the Landrover pouring fuel directly into the carby I can only think you must have been smoking strange substances back in the day to have pleasant memories of SU fuel pumps.

Lang