Challenges
Here are some of the little quirks that have proved a bit of a challenge so far.
Bonnet Catch
Having mounted the
bonnet, it seems a shame to spoil the nice line by fitting the double handles.
Why could I not have a bonnet catch like other cars - after all, the Sierra
donor steering column has a cable release mechanism. So I did it with a bit of
help from a Citroen bonnet catch, a clasp from a Rover 800, and re-engineering
the cable release mechanism from the Sierra.
Automatic Transmission
The vast majority of Sumos are built with manual gearboxes. To build one with an automatic transmission requires a couple of amendments, viz. No clutch pedal and an oil cooler for the transmission fluid.
Pedals
The nice people at
Pilgrim, who supplied the donor vehicle parts, were good enough to supply a
pedal box from a Granada automatic. The problem with using the Granada pedal is
that it is humongous (see photo with a comparison of the manual and automatic
brake pedal) - there is probably enough room in a Granada but this one pedal
nearly fills the foot well of the Sumo. The problem being that you would have to
rest your foot on this pedal whilst driving which does not seem like a good
idea. I managed to recover another brake pedal from a manual Sierra and replace
it in the automatic pedal box fitted to the vehicle.
Oil Cooler
The automatic transmission requires an oil cooler. The Rover SD1 utilizes a combined radiator with integral oil cooler. I believe I two options:
(Opted for the latter.)
Priming Oil Pump
After
playing around with the oil pump it needs to be primed after being drained of
oil. The workshop manual suggested packing with petroleum jelly so that it will
prime when the engine is turned over. Another option is to spin the oil pump
with a drill via the tooth which is accessed when the distributor is removed. A
special tool is required (available from Rimmer Brothers
for £17.00) but I didn't have one. I made a suitable alternative from a piece of
15mm copper pipe, squeezed at one end in the vice with a bole rammed in the
other end to fit in the drill. Hey presto, it worked (after replacing the relief
valve)
Nuts & Bolts
The starter pack includes a BIG bag of Nyloc nuts, bolts and washers - but no explanation of where they go. It is not too difficult to guess where they are intended, but life was made a lot easier when Penny sent me a document of the full nut & bolt inventory - a shame this is not included in the construction manual.
Oh, yes. I did incorrectly guess a couple of bolts so had to dissemble the front suspension to fit the right ones.
Drive shafts
When you read Haynes
Sierra workshop manual, it all appears quite simple. "Unscrew the four bolts
securing the hub carrier... The complete driveshaft and hub assembly can now be
withdrawn passing through the hole in the brake backplate" - No it wouldn't!!!
Very odd. I made lots of enquiries to find out why but no-one had any idea. Even
the Sierra Owners Club were stumped - they have done lots of these and they just
pull straight out.
The manual also says makes it quite clear - "the driveshaft joints should not be allowed to deflect through an angle exceeding 13 degrees." Whoops! It slipped and... @?>*%$ ... the rubber gaiter split. To change the rubber gaiter is an absolute nightmare requiring the driveshaft joint cover to be cut away and the joint rebuilt.
It had to be done so off to the Ford dealer for a new driveshaft kit. They supply two sizes and it is a bit of a lottery which one you will need - even knowing the year, chassis number, model, inside leg measure and mother's maiden name. Sod's law meant that the first one was too small so I exchanged it for the larger one. Even this was not quite big enough - which would explain why the joint would not fit through the back plate hole.
In desperation, I went to the dismantlers and bought a pair of different ones - these had intact rubber gaiters and, joy of joys, would fit through the brake backplate. The whole episode is still a mystery.