So, having started to post videos on Instagram (@luegolover) I thought I should start putting them on here too.

Another very chilly but beautiful morning in sunny London and the heater is on again.

Started by removing the pin that holds this leaver on the shaft that works on the solenoid switch for the overdrive.  I found it tricky to get a punch of the right size so used an old allen key thing that is part of a cheap socket set I never use and it worked a treat.  I replaced the oil seal and bashed the pin back.  I always wonder with this type of think if I have hit it hard enough and as I never do anything like this I have no real idea, oh well, if it fall off then I'll know.

Next was the spring and tube that sit behind the solenoid mounting plate.  I decided to grease the gasket rather than use a sealing compound.  I had gone to great lengths to make sure the surfaces are flat and burr free so I think it should be ok.


























I got it all together which is good.  At this point I realised that I had no bolts or washers etc. left over which was really quite good.  Actually I am one spring washer short and there is the outside possibility that it is lurking around somewhere inside the unit but I doubt it.

 

I then went to install this switch, which I think is to turn the overdrive off if reverse is selected,  only to realise that I didn't have a spanner of the correct size.  I found a spanner that was just a little too small in a collection of old spanners given to me ages ago and took it to the grinder, great fun.

Having had an email conversation with John of Healey 100 register fame about the damaged cotter pin I have decided to take the bottom of the threaded lug off so that I can mount the locking nut below the lug and therefore make more space for a decent amount of adjustment.  I think next weeks pictures will explain that better than I have just managed to.

A lovely and bright but very cold London day today so I put the heaters on in the garage before a small sausage sandwich  breakfast; a man needs energy for a days work!

I managed to get the the gear selector on after a bit of fiddling.  I also fitted the parts that I had painted black before I turned my attention to the side cover and all the bolts that that secure it.

The cotter pin for the gear lever adapter was pretty damaged which is a shame as I could have ordered one of those a while back had I known, oh well.

I laid out the gaskets for the side covered and realise that they will be fiddly to fit so I decided to leave them for now because I want to be able to fit them all in one go and I won't be able to do that without a new cotter pin.

I then turned my attention to the overdrive and began to sort out the studs that had been extracted by mistake and the general gunk that sat in the bottom of it.

I started to rebuild the gearbox and had to spend a fair bit if time cleaning it.  I was conscious that I have spent a lot of time cleaning this already but it is still pretty grubby.

It was lovely work but I am very nervous about it.

The gearbox is remarkably healthy looking for a 64 year old beast.  That is very pleasing.

I had bought a plate for the gearbox that enables the blanked off 1st gear to work but it seems exactly the same as the original which means I bought the wrong one or that it had already been done as an upgrade, who knows.  This will have to wait until the car is driven.

I enjoyed fitting the double seal and the felt seal as it seemed like a positive step.

However I couldn't get the selector on and decided at that point to take a break.

I tried the new solenoid and it seemed like the plunger was too long, umm,......