Another PR90 resto

[pa_man]

Wow Peter, you really have done heaps!

It's looking fantastic

Josh

[Glenn]

Fantastic meticulous work. Hope to get to see it some day.

glenn

[peterd]

Time for another installment on the PR90 restoration.We have progressed a little bit since the last report and it seems that everybody is doing restorations these days causing delays in obtaining work from suppliers. The suspension is finally finished after a delay of six months waiting for front coil springs, the first round of chrome plating has been completed(again six months wait time) and it is nice to have all the bits back on the car. The grille badge did not come out as expected and will not stand up to another round of chrome plating so I have elected to have a new badge cast by a company here in Adelaide called Adelaide Brass and they specialise in remaking badges for vintage and classic vehicles. They will cast it in bronze and then it will need to be chromed. The steering wheel is now completed and I am very happy how that has come up with a sand back of the wood and a polish. I have chosen not to varnish the wood but instead apply a coating of bees wax which will oil the timber and prevent cracking. The wheel was very dry and had started to come apart in two places but with patience , clamps and some glue it has come back a treat. I was able to get my hands on two very good second hand water pumps and they have now been refurbished. we went to Melbourne in May to drop off the camshaft with Clive Stenlake of Clive Cams and the carburettors with Wilson Carburettors is Airport West. Both of these items have now been finished and both have come up really well. We have settled on wheels for the car and they have now arrived, they are Superlite 14 x 6 with an offset of 26P. Craig from Trackside Tyres in Kilsyth tried to supply the rims but unfortunately he was having supply issues and I eventually got them from Richard Neale in Queensland. Craig did supply the offset that I needed and Richard machined the wheels to suit. I have also been able to obtain the rubber strips for the top of the door between the glass and metal, these are being made by Isuzu Sports in Japan and I was able to obtain them through Import Monster. Trimming will commence probably in September as my trimmer is flat out at the moment and that is the earliest he can fit the car in. We are not going with the traditional black interior for seats and door trims but a colour that will blend with the exterior so you will have to wait until it is finished to see what is happening there. Off to Melbourne again in August, provided there are no border closures, I have recently bought a large quantity of NOS items and some second hand parts. Julie Amos gave me the lead to this person and I could not pass it up. It is a slow process but when doing a restoration you basically have to refurbish every part on the car or a least give it a once over, clean, lick of paint etc so that does take time. I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel but do not believe it will be finished this year but possibly early 2022.
Cheers
Peter

[pa_man]

WOW Peter an amazing amount of work there

Looks fantastic

Josh

[Glenn]

Lovely work.

Wondering what rate springs you are using front and rear ?

glenn

[peterd]

Thanks for your comments Josh

Glen, rear springs are 290lbs per inch and front are 350lbs per inch, front coils are same free height as rears, i am told it is similar to a stage two kit from the factory.

cheers
peter

[Farmer]

A truly amazing build, such clear photos too! I hope you are enjoying it as much as we are. Hopefully we can meet up during the Nationals, so looking forward to the event.
Thanks for showing us.
Cheers, Matt.

[Dick]

Hi Peter,
I wonder if the carbs were situated like this when you took the engine out?
The petrol bowles should both be in the middle between the carbs?
Gr Dick

[peterd]

Thanks for kind words Matt, we have npt entered the Nationals but5 will be going to some places as spectators, eg the show and shine and the Birdwood Mill. Hopefully Helen and I can catch up with some of you then.

[peterd]

Hi Dick,

Remember this is a PR90 and not a PR91 so they could have done things differently for the 90. I have attached some pictures of the engine in the car and after of the carbies on the bench when they were out, you will see that the factory fuel line is set up for the bowls to be where they are. I do not believe they have been taken apart before I got to them.

[Dick]

That looks original indeed, Hitachi probably had 1 type of SU lookalike carb then.
Gr Dick

[peterd]

Hi Dick,
Had a look at some more pictures I had on file and it looks like some if not all PR91 had their carbies the same way as my PR90. I have attached a picture of Kerry Bruty's engine bay in his PR91 and that all looks factory original.
Cheers
Peter

[Dick]

I ve never seen this layout of carbs in Holland. Always the bowles in between. It must be the age of the car: we do not have such an old model with twin carburettor. The metal pipes on the bowles for petrol overflow are metal too and go where to?
We have them in rubber and they go straight in to the carb air intake in case the float is not working properly.
There is always something to learn after all these years. Like the other day I found out later type Sports and GT ‘s standard have a limited slip differential ...
Gr Dick

[KJB]

Great to see you "pop up.." again Dick.
Please Post a few current pics.(engine bay , interior etc..) of your Bellett ...we would like to see it .......it is always interesting to see a later model in detail)
Here are a couple more "carby pics" (1967 PR91 Bellett GT) for your info. /reference .

[KJB]

I forgot to say that the "bowl overflow" pipes run down to near the "cross member, steering rack ..." and empty onto the ground......(I think maybe (going by a fuzzy original Sale Brochure picture) there was a short length of hose on the bottom of the pipe originally (I maybe wrong...)

[Dick]

A bit more symmetry this way? One of the seven beauties ...
I think the primary function of the hose, from bowl to intake, is to vent the bowl.
Second function: in case of flooding the engine will stall.

[Pombellett]

Great work as usual Peter, the car looks spot on. And Dick, great to hear from you again, I can confirm the engine you supplied me, all those years ago, also had the bowls in between.
Although strangely the only picture I have is the one from Retro Cars.

[Glenn]

I ve never seen this layout of carbs in Holland. Always the bowles in between. It must be the age of the car: we do not have such an old model with twin carburettor. The metal pipes on the bowles for petrol overflow are metal too and go where to?
We have them in rubber and they go straight in to the carb air intake in case the float is not working properly.
There is always something to learn after all these years. Like the other day I found out later type Sports and GT ‘s standard have a limited slip differential ...
Gr Dick

Thats interesting Dick, My 72 Sport doesn't have LSD though. Maybe varies according to country.
glenn

[Glenn]

Thanks for your comments Josh

Glen, rear springs are 290lbs per inch and front are 350lbs per inch, front coils are same free height as rears, i am told it is similar to a stage two kit from the factory.

cheers
peter

Thanks Peter,

My Sport is supposed to have stage 3 suspension in it when i bought it from Japan. I don't know the specs though, but very thick coils. Still has it, but it rides way to hard for my old bones these days !

[peterd]

Does not seem like six months since my last post. Things slowed a little with Covid but the car has been progressing slowly. Tyres finally arrived for the car, they took a while to come in but they are now fitted and I am happy with how they look. I was not happy with how the grille badge turned out so I had a new one cast in bronze and that is away at the moment being chromed along with some other items.The engine goes in for machining next week, taking the bore from 83mm to 84mm, pistoms finally arrived from USA via Ross Pistons, very happy with how they have turned out. I saved $2k buying them from the US instead of JP here in Adelaide.Also JP could not make a piston with the size of gudgeon pin needed which is 24mm, another strange quirk with this engine. I have all the bearings required for the build, secured six cam bearings because the PR90 motor has that many, also obtained the correct big end and main bearings in both standard and plus 20 just in case the crank does not linish up. Big end bearings are unique in this motor, same size as the G190 diesel( a lot bigger than normal big end bearings) thanks to Tom Amos for heading me in the right direction with that matter. Tom has been fantastic imparting his knowledge with this engine which also includes what to do with the cylinder head. Contrary to what has been said on the forum regarding differential bearings I have been able to secure all bearings for the diff including the 17mm wide side carrier bearings from the US.Saved $150 buying the 17mm bearings from the US against paying top dollar for ones here in Australia which were only 14mm wide. Diff goes in for overhaul next week as well and next month will see the gear box overhauled. Hoping by the end of April to have all the mechanicals completed in the car. The distributor has been fitted with electronic ignition system,starter motor, alternator and wiper motor have all been overhauled. Car is booked into the trimmers in June for total retrim of the boot and interior. Trimmer gave me a quote and then stated it would only be $500 extra if I wanted to do it in leather so was a no brainer really. I will post some pictures when motor is back for assembly and diff and gearbox are being put in.

cheers
peter