My Tiger MK1 B9472006 HRO FE - 1965 - Reg. No. HLF 375C

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Hello All!

Please forgive me if this is the wrong sub-forum for introductions!

The name is Ciaran, I live in Dublin Ireland.

Following a six month search, I've recently agreed to purchase a Tiger and will collect it in a couple of weeks. It's a good solid car which was stripped and rebuilt around about the year 2000. It was then lightly used for a couple of years before being garaged until recently. I do anticipate a few mechanical gremlins to surface as she awakes from her slumber (hopefully not on the 200 mile drive home from London!) so I'll probably be asking a lot of technical questions on this forum.

My account has just been fully activated overnight but I've been in touch with a couple of members by PM already and would like to thank them for the feedback received and information passed on already. Thanks TigerTamer and HolyCat for your contributions and assistance.

Thanks also to the famous Norm for feedback and assistance during my search and also to Graham Vickery of the UK's Sunbeam Tiger Owners Club (STOC) who put me in touch with the previous owner of the car which I've recently agreed to purchase.

Ciaran.
 

Jon B

Silver forum user
CAT Member
Messages
93
Welcome Ciaran! I'm pretty new here myself but have found this to be a great resource with very helpful and knowledgeable folks. Congratulations on the purchase. I'd love to hear about your drive home from London, sounds like a really nice trip!

-Jon
 

HolyCat

Gold forum user
CAT Member
Messages
1,241
Welcome Aboard

Ciaran,

Welcome aboard the Forum. You certainly did your research before settling on your car. Hopefully you will have the time to post a few photos once you get that beast home with you.

There are a lot of folks on the Forum with detailed knowledge and experience, and they are willing to share it.

Have fun with your new car!
 

cobrakidz

Gold forum user
Messages
2,289
Welcome and congratulations on your purchase. Post some pics when you get the car home, we always love seeing them.
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Thanks all for the welcome.

I'll post up some pics of the car when I get it home for sure.

I'm confident too that there's a lot of knowledge and expertise available here and look forward to interacting with members for maintenance and parts sourcing advice.

I've done plenty of reading around the forum already and see there's a wealth of information available and a fairly active community.
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Well, I made the trip home without any significant events.

This car was stripped and repaired and repainted back in 1999 or thereabouts and had a 289 engine installed circa 2001 and has been largely unused ever since then. I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd had mechanical issues on a 300 mile journey to the ferryport at Holyhead but no, it was largely uneventful.

I lost the speedo (probably broken cable, though I have yet to confirm) at 16.8 miles. The wiper arm disconnected at the mid-way point after about 150 miles but conveniently lodged on the scuttle and was recovered and re-connected.

10z3cic.jpg
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Brakes aren't wonderful. Vibration when used, not particularly effective, car pulls to one side, front left locks well ahead of anything else. Pedal is quite long but a second pump and it's a lot better. Rear drums may need adjustment or perhaps a warped disc is pushing the pads back or perhaps there's just some air in the line.

2ugnplx.jpg
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Engine performance isn't electrifying. Not particularly inclined to pull past 4500 approx. Sounds lovely though.

In the new Den ...

8vsraq.jpg
 

Doug C

Gold forum user
Messages
543
Sounds like a great trip home and I assume a lot better then others have experienced driving a "newly" bought used car. All the issues that appeared most likely will be minor fixes and ones that you'd most likely want to do anyway. Great looking Tiger and wishing you years of enjoyment.

Cheers from California.
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
The drive home was a good opportunity to get to know the car a wee bit and I'm happy to say that I'm well pleased with my purchase. Obviously it has it's issues and quirks but they're mostly positive. I love the main-beam under foot switch, the toggle switches for the wipers, the fact that the windows can be lowered without having the ignition turned on :D .....

The body and chassis are in good condition, with absolutely minimal rust in evidence.

I'd been slowly working on a list of jobs that need doing ...

1. Brakes need attention (as above)
2. Speedo cable or other repairs
3. Engine diagnostics - I feel sure it should be stronger - I haven't even pulled a spark plug or checked timing yet so it could be totally simple.
4. Cooling - I'd rather not change the radiator or add an electric cooling fan but when one get's caught in traffic the temperature rises to close to boiling point within say fifteen minutes. This is obviously of some concern and I need to understand better why she's not able to maintain temperature at a lower level. There's also a little bit of coolant leaking and pooling in and around the pump housing.
5. Hard-top refurb. The car comes to me with a hard top in good structural condition but with rubbers / gaskets in generally poor condition and a head liner that has seen better days. Even though I don't think the hard top is likely to be on the car regularly I do intend to renew everything.
6. Replacement of noisy fuel pump (electric in boot).
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Timing marks are less than obvious.

I can't actually find a TDC mark on the damper. I'm guessing these are probably indicating 0 to 5 degrees but it's not obvious ......

ibla15.jpg
 

Warren

Gold forum user
Messages
3,872
Color code

The drive home was a good opportunity to get to know the car a wee bit and I'm happy to say that I'm well pleased with my purchase. Obviously it has it's issues and quirks but they're mostly positive. I love the main-beam under foot switch, the toggle switches for the wipers, the fact that the windows can be lowered without having the ignition turned on :D .....

The body and chassis are in good condition, with absolutely minimal rust in evidence.

I'd been slowly working on a list of jobs that need doing ...

1. Brakes need attention (as above)
2. Speedo cable or other repairs
3. Engine diagnostics - I feel sure it should be stronger - I haven't even pulled a spark plug or checked timing yet so it could be totally simple.
4. Cooling - I'd rather not change the radiator or add an electric cooling fan but when one get's caught in traffic the temperature rises to close to boiling point within say fifteen minutes. This is obviously of some concern and I need to understand better why she's not able to maintain temperature at a lower level. There's also a little bit of coolant leaking and pooling in and around the pump housing.
5. Hard-top refurb. The car comes to me with a hard top in good structural condition but with rubbers / gaskets in generally poor condition and a head liner that has seen better days. Even though I don't think the hard top is likely to be on the car regularly I do intend to renew everything.
6. Replacement of noisy fuel pump (electric in boot).


Looks to be Commodore blue right?

Sounds like you have caliper problems and is there a booster. Seems to me like they aren't really worth their trouble to keep.

It's a heavy car proper tune up will help but you have been infected by driving modern cars. Try not to advance the timing too much as the trade off is more heat.

Read up on the pro's and cons of high volume water pumps and don't believe the sensor and temp gauge check with a good I/R gun at the sender. View our cooling threads and the Tigers United cooling the Tiger piece and the one about adding resistors to get accurate gauge readings in the 200 degree area.

Good luck on hard top I have four now and never had gotten one on a driver. It's like a raincoat in California I got one of those too but I call it foul weather gear.

Isolate the fuel pump with some rubber pads or better yet get a working period correct radio :) A dependable pump comes at a price and that seems to be noise.

Of course your results may vary and may other opinions have been grouped here and will follow good to have your input and questions.
 

0neoffive

Gold forum user
CAT Member
Messages
2,853
Timing Etc

I'm pretty sure Warren covered the needs. The timing marks I've viewed on cleaned original dampers read 0(TDC), 3, 6, 9 Be careful using any of those pre-printed tapes made for specific diameters. FYI: Enjoy the pump noise; silence is only good when the kids are in the car . . . . .
 

Tiger tamer

Gold forum user
Messages
318
Nice Tiger

Nice looking Tiger Ciaran. If you have a nice rust free car, a few mechanical niggles are nothing and expected for a car of this age. I am sure you will have it sorted out and will be out enjoying the Tiger experiance in know time . A few more ponies than standard are easy to achieve with the SBF if thats your goal.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.
Mal
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Looks to be Commodore blue right?

Sounds like you have caliper problems and is there a booster. Seems to me like they aren't really worth their trouble to keep.

It's a heavy car proper tune up will help but you have been infected by driving modern cars. Try not to advance the timing too much as the trade off is more heat.

Read up on the pro's and cons of high volume water pumps and don't believe the sensor and temp gauge check with a good I/R gun at the sender. View our cooling threads and the Tigers United cooling the Tiger piece and the one about adding resistors to get accurate gauge readings in the 200 degree area.

Good luck on hard top I have four now and never had gotten one on a driver. It's like a raincoat in California I got one of those too but I call it foul weather gear.

Isolate the fuel pump with some rubber pads or better yet get a working period correct radio :) A dependable pump comes at a price and that seems to be noise.

Of course your results may vary and may other opinions have been grouped here and will follow good to have your input and questions.

Thanks Warren,

Actually I believe it's Roots #058 - Midnight blue. It certainly seems to be capable of looking totally different in every photograph though! The car was originally Forest Green.

Booster seems to be fine. Caliper pistons are all nice and smooth, the calipers having been rebuilt as part of the sale process. I do notice that the discs are not nice and evenly shiny and suspect that the pads are not yet properly seated. It's quite possible that they were not properly labelled and have not been re-installed in their original locations and as such it could take quite some time for them to re-seat properly. I was supplied with a new set of pads by the previous owner so might install them next and see does that resolve the issue.

Yes, there is no doubt that one needs to re-adjust expectations when climbing into a Tiger from a modern vehicle. That said, I do feel the motor is under performing and that there is room for improvement.

I do have further reading to do on the cooling issue. The car maintains quite a low temperature when on the move, so much so I wonder whether there is a thermostat in place at all, but climbs quickly once one encounters a little traffic. It's running a flexi fan at present and it seems to me it could probably accommodate the next size up as there's a fair bit of clearance all around the cowl. There are holes behind the horns that I want to block off, around which I suspect fresh air is passing. Something can probably be done under the front of the radiator also.

Ciaran.
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
Sounds like a great trip home and I assume a lot better then others have experienced driving a "newly" bought used car. All the issues that appeared most likely will be minor fixes and ones that you'd most likely want to do anyway. Great looking Tiger and wishing you years of enjoyment.

Cheers from California.

Thanks Doug, Unfortunately I was somewhat against the clock and didn't have time to stop and take photographs or visit anywhere nice along the route but yes, I enjoyed the drive and got to know the car in mixed conditions and without any real drama. I'll bet that's not a bad place to be when waking up a Tiger from 15 years + of slumber!
 

FDubIrl

Bronze forum user
Messages
20
I'm pretty sure Warren covered the needs. The timing marks I've viewed on cleaned original dampers read 0(TDC), 3, 6, 9 Be careful using any of those pre-printed tapes made for specific diameters. FYI: Enjoy the pump noise; silence is only good when the kids are in the car . . . . .

Okay, there seems to be a common theme developing on the fuel pump! :D I guess there's nothing worse than the eerie silence of a failed unit but this one is pretty poor. It's already "somewhat" rubber insulated but still loud. Attached a pic ...

2ryj6nm.jpg



Nice looking Tiger Ciaran. If you have a nice rust free car, a few mechanical niggles are nothing and expected for a car of this age. I am sure you will have it sorted out and will be out enjoying the Tiger experiance in know time . A few more ponies than standard are easy to achieve with the SBF if thats your goal.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.
Mal

Thanks Mal. Ultimately that was the advice I received from two previous owners. Buy on condition of body and chassis, mechanicals are easily fixed.

I'm not really looking for significant HP as much as a sweet, functional motor. The engine has quite a few nice bolt-on bits and on paper everything reads good but somehow the execution seems to be lacking. She fires up willingly, doesn't smoke and has pretty good pull at lower engine speeds but seems to run out of puff very early. It's likely to be a mixture of things that are just a little off but I feel that it's a good canvas and I'll get there.

Ciaran.
 

Warren

Gold forum user
Messages
3,872
Aw Sheet

Of rubber that is...

That looks like the hardware store rubber sheet they sell on the plumbing aisle. I know this sounds simple but the bolts transfer the vibe's man and the noise right thru the non existent firewall and vinyl curtain lets the rest right thru. That looks like a pretty hefty one but I have had the little cheapo 25 dollar generic pumps and they are pretty loud too no matter how you mount them.

I recall the grimace and groan when I asked what was the wear limit on the front rotors and the response of " when the car doesn't stop any more,"

I know others will chime in but the good used rotor is close to 1/2" as I recall.

CAT sells a speedo cable but it should be easier to trim down a Falcon or other Ford one on your side of the planet. I'd say with the number of cables that break and guys that drive without the idea of a low mileage Tiger taken with a salt shaker....
 
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