Well, this is our new acquisition. Another Sabre 6 GT. Unlike our original Sabre 6, this car has been refurbished to a good standard over a 5 year period by its previous owner.
The chassis has been repaired and galvanised, much body damage has been repaired and a good cellulose respray applied. All the electrics work perfectly and the interior has been very well re-trimmed (it even has the seldom seen rear "seat")
Engine, gearbox (Sierra 5-speed), axle, brakes, suspension have all been replaced or reconditioned. Obviously the proof of the pudding will be in the driving which must wait until after its MoT.
The few jobs left to do before getting it MoT'd include:-
- New tyres and splined adapters for the wire wheels (now done)
- Sorting out a rather noisy exhaust system - new silencers and repaired manifolds (now done)
- Tuning the carburettors
- Permanently fixing the seats on runners (at the moment this is my biggest task as I cannot see how to make the inner fixings as the main chassis rails get in the way - any advice would be appreciated)
- Complete fitting of the carpet
The engine compartment is a treat to the eye (to my eyes anyway!)
We had hoped to take the car to the Sabra/Sabre meeting in Kent over the weekend of 20/21 September but, sadly, did not quite make it (we took our Coupe instead).
Here are:-
- Chris's Sabre 6, calling in on its way to starting the Classic Marathon rally to Pamplona, Spain.
- Jacques Sabra
- Jeff's Sabra
- André's Sabra with rare hardtop.
- The car passed its MOT today with flying colours! So now it's insured, MOT'd and licensed and we can really start to have some fun.
- Not much has been done over the past few winter months but now that spring is not too far away.......
- Nigel Newth-Gibbs, with me as willing assistant, measured and set up the front suspension using his sophisticated optical equipment. The toe-in was wildly out, as I suspected, but Nigel also found the camber and castor angles in need of adjustment. The ride height at the front was also raised by almost 2" to give what I think is the correct 5" plus ground clearance under the chassis. The net result of all this is that the car now handles far better than before with much less tendency to bump-steer.
- The car has been a bit of a problem over the past few months! It would not do more that about 20 miles without conking out. The symptoms seemed to suggest fuel vapourisation so I relocated the electric fuel pump and re-routed the fuel lines.
- We then took it to the RSSOC International in June, which was relatively close to home, and it broke down twice! We then took it to Curborough in August but on the back of a trailer! We were determined to drive the car to Wrexham for the annual Sabra/ Sabre meeting so, once again, we enlisted the help of Nigel. He scratched his head for a few days and eventually isolated the problem to the ignition system. A replacement distributor cap and rotor and new HT leads seemed to solve the problem completely.
- With a degree of trepidation we set off on the 220 mile journey to Wrexham. For us such journeys always start with the dreaded M25 and the Dartford Tunnel which can be a nightmare at the best of times but even worse if you don't have 100% confidence in the car. Nevertheless the car sailed through the journey and the rest of the weekend without missing a beat covering a total of about 550 miles. Problem definitely solved at last!
- The picture on the left was taken in the Welsh hills alongside a few of the car's cousins. Note the new chromed bumpers.
- More changes and problems to deal with!
- I decided to change the fuel tank. The one that was fitted to the car was new and stainless but unfortunately not quite the correct shape. It was too deep at the rear necessitating the rear valence to be cut away and the exhaust tail pipes to hang too low. Powerspeed made me a new tank using an original as a pattern. Generally fitting it went OK but on road testing the car on completion it conked out after a few miles. Clearly fuel was not getting through. After several weekends changing fuel pumps and re-routing fuel lines I finally removed the tank completely and found that I had made a mistake with re-making the fuel pickup assembly resulting in the fuel line being almost completely blocked!
- I have also had the engine and gearbox replaced. There was nothing wrong with the engine but the gearbox leaked oil profusely. I had had an engine reconditioned a few years ago by John Wade and the late Chris Lloyd for our other Sabre and decided it should be tried out. So Nigel Newth-Gibbs changed the engine and gearbox for me.
- I have also changed the starter motor which is known to be weak. I had been told that a Hillman Hunter pre-engage starter fitted perfectly and was much more powerful. I can now confirm that this is the case.
- The car is now running very well. I need to do a few hundred miles to run in the new engine and hopefully it will then be ready for the various RSSOC trips planned for 2005 (Troyes, France in June, Curborough in August and Belgium in September).
The first long trip of the year was on the RSSOC International weekend to Troyes in France. We set off, again with a certain amount of trepidation, to catch the Eurotunnel, on Friday morning. The car travelled about 800 miles over the weekend without a hitch. This despite temperatures into the low 30's C. The only problem was overheating - of the driver and passenger! So another job on the list is now to improve the thermal insulation of the floor and to seal the various holes which were allowing very hot air to enter.
The picture on the left was taken in the grounds of Champagne house Chassenay d'Arce which we visited on the Saturday.
To try and reduce the heat inside the car I lined the underside of the floor with aluminium faced insulation and wrapped the exhaust down pipes. I also improved the seal between the floor and the removable transmission tunnel.
Our next trip was to Curborough for the RSSOC Sporting Weekend. A 600 mile round trip including an excursion to Manchester to visit a relative - the photo shows the car in front of the Imperial War Museum North. We were pleased to find that heat inside the car was significantly reduced.
The car generally ran well with the exception of a groaning clutch release bearing. On our return home this problem was again dealt with by Nigel. At the same time he reduced the level of the rear of the gearbox by about 40mm to reduce the propshaft angle and renewed the propshaft UJ bearings. These works, together with replacing the "quick shift" gear stick with a standard one, has achieve a step change improvement in driveability and refinement.
Another 500, almost, event free miles to Belgium for the Sabra/Sabre weekend. I say "almost" because the electric fuel pump spluttered a few times on the drive home. I suspect a dodgy electrical connection which I will check.
The car's refinement is now greatly improved as described above. My only complaint with this is that I can now hear Jaki talking to me at 70mph. Perhaps I'll get a radio!
The car is now at a stage where I am struggling to think what I can or need to do next.
The photo on the left shows the car sitting next to its sister, the property of Vin Ward, in the hotel car park in Belgium.
We thought Belgium would be the last major trip of the year but at the end of October we got a call asking us if we would put the car on the RSSOC stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show over the long weekend of 4/5/6 November. This presented us with an interesting logistical challenge as we live over 150 miles away. Anyway we found a solution, which certainly included driving it there and back, as can be seen by the photograph.
This really will be the last trip of the year. Over the various trips undertaken in 2005 the car has done about 2,500 very enjoyable and almost trouble free miles. Overall fuel consumption has been 25 mpg. Roll on 2006!
The engine has an adaptor plate to allow use of a standard canister type oil filter instead of the awkward and relatively hard to get element type. I had been warned by a friend that the hollow fixing bolt that comes with this kit appears to be about 6mm too long and can result in restricted oil flow. So just after Christmas I removed the adapter and shortened the bolt accordingly. On road testing the car a couple of weeks later, after about 1 mile the oil pressure suddenly plummeted to almost zero! A little disappointing I thought. To cut a longish story short, I eventually found it to be a consequence of the pressure relief valve piston in the oil pump housing sticking open – so totally unrelated to the adapter! All is now well and I think the hot oil pressure is a bit higher than before.
A similar problem occurred later in the year in August. This time the oil pressure fluctuated wildly dependant on engine speed. Again I dismantled the oil pump and found the pressure relief piston stuck again, but this time in a part-closed position. I have now replace the piston with one from another pump.
None of this is very photogenic so I decided to include a picture of son Damon's Westfield next to grandson Jonathan's little pedal car!! They make a good pair I think.
I decided to change the electrics to negative earth. Why? I hear you ask. Mainly I wanted the higher charging rate available from an alternator but also the convenience of being able to use the cigar lighter as a charger for mobile phones, satnavs etc. Further it seemed better to be able to use a standard -ve earth fuel pump and conventional wiring for the Lumenition electronic ignition. Purists will be groaning by now!
The conversion comprised the following:-
- Remove dynamo and install alternator. This required a modified mounting bracket. The original size fan belt is OK.
- Remove old control unit and modify wiring. This involved installing a new junction box to join the wires originally plugged into the junction box. The original connectors for the dynamo fit the appropriate alternator connections.
- Reverse the battery polarity. This involved new battery leads of appropriate length and colour.
- Change polarity of radiator fan. Heater fan still runs in the correct direction - perhaps it was wrong previously!
- Change polarity of electronic volt-type tachometer. This is a non standard component.
- Modify Lumenition wiring including connection to coil. Previously this was adapted with a non standard arrangement to force it to work with +ve earth.
- Replace 30A ammeter with new 60A unit.
- Change instrument voltage stabiliser.
Geoff Cooper is now an ace Sabre re-wirer and helped me by remaking the numerous cable ends.
And at the end of all this work the car worked exactly as it did before!
Another year almost over! The Sabre took us on three main trips this year - Curborough in August, the Sabra/Sabre weekend to Goodwood in September and the Dutch RSSOC autumn meeting in October. In late October we also went to Silverstone to watch a team of five Sabre 6's race in the Birkett 6 Hour Race. The car did about 1,500 miles in the year, somewhat less than the 2,500 of the previous year.
The Goodwood Revival Meeting was a fantastic time warp. Even persistent rain did not spoil the day. The 10 Sabras and Sabres parked together in the pre 1966 car park was a wonderful site attracting many admiring glances. The racing was excellent. It amazes me that the drivers seem happy to thrash their often priceless and irreplaceable classics, clearly with no punches pulled.
The Dutch meeting was actually held in the pretty countryside just east of Brussels. There were 15 or more cars altogether including our Sabre, four Sabras from Belgium and a good selection of Coupes, GTE's and SS1's from the Netherlands (must keep remembering not to call it Holland). We were the only visitors from the UK but fortunately everyone seemed happy to practice their excellent English. One lasting memory of the "rally" was driving along miles of typical Belgian pav
é which was a good test of our dental fillings and electrical connections (neither of which failed). The first photos shows us playing a silly game during the rally.The car behaved reasonably well for all the trips. Oil pressure problems are described above. During the Goodwood weekend it refused to start one morning. It has always been a very good starter so this was a puzzle. Anyway, with the assistance of about 10 amateur mechanics the distributor cap carbon brush was found to be the culprit and you will not be surprised to hear that someone had a spare. During both the Goodwood and the Curborough trips the car was inclined to misfire which somewhat spoilt the driving experience. Before the trip to Belgium I changed the ignition coil and HT leads (again!) and this seems to have resolved the problem - it ran very sweetly throughout that weekend and has continued to do so on the shorter trips undertaken since.
I am afraid our transport for Silverstone was a modern four door saloon. However once there it was a very full day of Sabres. Three of the cars have been campaigned for many seasons and I was aware of the car developed by Iain Daniels but it was still very impressive to see five race prepared cars competing together. They all acquitted themselves very well and survived the day intact. The second photo shows the cars posing after the race outside the pit garage (apparently the one used by McLaren for the GP). For a good flavour of the day I would recommend a visit to Dave Pool's website http://www.sporting-reliants.com/shows_and_events.htm where more photos from the day are displayed.
When we first bought the car the rear end below the bumper line was all wrong. The reason was that the new stainless steel fuel tank was too deep necessitating that the rear valence be cut away for clearance. I had a new tank made in 2005 (see above) and the exhaust tailpipes re-aligned. But it has taken me until now to rebuild the rear valence. This involved making a mould from another car, making a moulding from this and then bonding the new moulding to the car. Finally the affected area was re-sprayed. See the "before" and "after" photos.
This month saw our first trip of the year visiting Dave Womack's workshop in Great Yarmouth and fellow Bromley Noggin members Roger and Gill at their place in Suffolk for a barbeque. In all we covered about 350 miles over four days and once again the car behaved faultlessly.
August saw us and the Sabre at the RSSOC's Curborough meeting as usual. I say as usual, but for the first time in my memory the weather on Sunday afternoon was dreadful. Horizontal rain and heavy wind. We spent a good deal of the day sitting in the car.
In September we took the car to the eastern part of the Netherlands for the 2007 Sabra/ Sabre weekend organised this year by Jacques Vandevelde. 8 Sabra/Sabres attended together with a Fiat 124 Spider, an SE6a and a For Focus(!!). The latter three owners have Sabras or Sabres at various stages of restoration.
The Sabre 6's of Mark Barton and Richard Wos were racing at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium in October and we decided to spectate as part of a weekend visit with our Sabra owning friends Andr
é and Carine. Mark was sharing his car with Hugo Holder and Richard's car was driven by son Luke . Also racing were John Leslie and Iain Daniels in John's MGB. John's normal Sabre 6 steed was en route to Daytona for races in November (how cool is that!).Also in October the car passed its MOT without a single comment. This is always very satisfying. Total mileage through the year has been 2,100.
Another year! Although we are only just into March there are a few things to report. We've had new seat belts fitted. This doesn't sound a big deal but it has actually made the car much more "friendly" to use on the road. The old full harness belts have been replaced with new and much easier to use static lap and diagonal belts made to measure by FDTS Ltd in West Byfleet, Surrey.
The other main job was to have a new exhaust system fitted. We've had problems with the exhaust system from day one. Initially the steel manifold blew. This was sorted by replacing it with a new stainless manifold made by Bill Brighton. We then had had new silencers made for the car to replace the original very noisy "cherry bombs". Unfortunately these split after about 6 months but were repaired by the company that had made them. However after splitting again twice we decided to give up on them. So in February we travelled to Macclesfield to have a new system fabricated and fitted by JP Exhausts. So far this has been very successful. The system is much quieter and more in keeping with our use of he car. To achieve the level of silencing JP Exhaust made and fitted 4" by 6" oval silencers. I was interested to see, looking at Don Pither's book the Scimitar and its Forebears, that the original factory silencers appeared to be oval.
During the trip to Macclesfield we met up with fellow Sabre owners Vin & Sylvia Ward (Near Manchester), Tony Seddon (North Wales), Mark Cooper and Iain Daniels (Appleby Magna, Leicestershire). As the new RSSOC Sabre Registrars we collected all the associated paperwork from the previous incumbent Tony Seddon. Visits to Tony's place are always a pleasure as apart from his delightful family and his superb Sabre 6 convertible we also get to see his latest collection of steam traction engines and other steam driven vehicles.
The total mileage over the weekend was about 600 with no problems.