203 in progress

Normal 403 running with a working thermostat is around 80C or 176 F. My 203 has always run around the same. A bit under on a cool day and bit over in the heat.
 
Here are some final shots for this resto thread.
She's still got vestigial unrestored bits as you see. I guess I lost interest in it all looking amazing under the bonnet. I just want to close it and enjoy. Yeah still needs paint on the fan, the air cleaner and the radiator. I may get a round twoit.
Had to fit front parkers and found those cute little LED's that I shoved in between the grill. I also still have to get nicer front indicators. Was not cosmetically happy with the blue heater hose but in that diameter it was all they had.
Meanwhile it's ready for the pink slip stage.
Other cosmetics are a rechromed rear bumper and maybe whitewalls with wheels repainted same blue as the car. No time for any of that right now. I need to get on with some intense geetar making.

Many thanks to all who contributed their knowledge and enthusiasm to my blue 'Tootsy'.
Hope to meet you all in the flesh some day.

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Mate, I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread and it is good to see you have reached the light at the end of the tunnel. She is a great tribute to you.
FLASH
 
good job

Looks good Dan as soon as you get it plated go for a drive to Armidale and back the hill work will bed your rings in perfectly wheras too many short runs will only help to glaze the bores.

Also with radiators I recommend a full strip and rod out at least. And for country cars at least a new 3 row core to handle our summer temps west of the coast and even more so if you plan trips to the north west or into the top end.
 
Here's an update on my woes with Toots.

So it was running a bit hot and then I noticed that it was blowing past one of the spark plugs.
One of those cracks that go between the plug hole and valve seat had obviously got out of hand.
So my engineer suggested I get a longreach plug and a big washer and use some holden head sealant. I arranged a big washer on a plug as he suggested but I wasn't aware of the ledge down there that the plug is recessed in. Of course the washer sat on the ledge , the plug half engaged in the thread and with a small twist on the plug spanner it dragged the thread out of the head. The engineer wasn't fazed. He suggested I send it to some crowd in Queensland. Needless to say I won't be going back to him or anyone he recommends.
So one night I ripped that head off and installed another with home ground valves and home surfaced face on a block of glass with wet and dry.
It went, but not very well and soon I bought a comp tester to find very bad compression in one cylinder [60psi]and only 90psi in the others.
So yesterday I took that head off to find those cracks had really opened up on this head as well, letting all that compression out.
I think these are the reasons why it has run just that bit hotter under load as it hasn't yet had enough compression to maintain correct power.
I also suspect that the spin on oil filter may be keeping the oil a tad warmer than the original alloy bell which would have acted as a bit of a cooler. I may install an oil cooler later.
I am going to see the man that Robbo goes to for heads, Unlimited Head Jobs in Ashfield and I expect he will have to weld cracks, machine and fit hardened inserts etc. I have four heads to choose from now.
Too bad I had the inserts done on the first head but they have to come out again if that head were to be repaired. Also that head had a stripped exhaust stud and the helicoil failed and then the next insert was already starting to pull out by the time I decommissioned it. Matt says perhaps the alloy has gone soft, which I wasn't aware of. He does a hardness test before any work is begun on these heads.
Someone was suggesting that there is some treatment for such heads. Does anyone know of that?
I spose these things are getting past their useby date but I'm still hoping to get it going right some day.
Then I'll be needing another good engine for the 49er, but one thing at a time.
 
luthier said:
Here's an update on my woes with Toots.

So it was running a bit hot and then I noticed that it was blowing past one of the spark plugs.
One of those cracks that go between the plug hole and valve seat had obviously got out of hand.
So my engineer suggested I get a longreach plug and a big washer and use some holden head sealant. I arranged a big washer on a plug as he suggested but I wasn't aware of the ledge down there that the plug is recessed in. Of course the washer sat on the ledge , the plug half engaged in the thread and with a small twist on the plug spanner it dragged the thread out of the head. The engineer wasn't fazed. He suggested I send it to some crowd in Queensland. Needless to say I won't be going back to him or anyone he recommends.
So one night I ripped that head off and installed another with home ground valves and home surfaced face on a block of glass with wet and dry.
It went, but not very well and soon I bought a comp tester to find very bad compression in one cylinder [60psi]and only 90psi in the others.
So yesterday I took that head off to find those cracks had really opened up on this head as well, letting all that compression out.
I think these are the reasons why it has run just that bit hotter under load as it hasn't yet had enough compression to maintain correct power.
I also suspect that the spin on oil filter may be keeping the oil a tad warmer than the original alloy bell which would have acted as a bit of a cooler. I may install an oil cooler later.
I am going to see the man that Robbo goes to for heads, Unlimited Head Jobs in Ashfield and I expect he will have to weld cracks, machine and fit hardened inserts etc. I have four heads to choose from now.
Too bad I had the inserts done on the first head but they have to come out again if that head were to be repaired. Also that head had a stripped exhaust stud and the helicoil failed and then the next insert was already starting to pull out by the time I decommissioned it. Matt says perhaps the alloy has gone soft, which I wasn't aware of. He does a hardness test before any work is begun on these heads.
Someone was suggesting that there is some treatment for such heads. Does anyone know of that?
I spose these things are getting past their useby date but I'm still hoping to get it going right some day.
Then I'll be needing another good engine for the 49er, but one thing at a time.
Click to expand...

I,ve got a heap of heads let me know how you go.
Never had any problem with cracks seems a bit strange.
Hardness test is dropping a ball bearing on the head and see how far it bounces.
Graham
 
true blue

well i admire this blue it looks French-car blue as a conservative shade fitting right in the era period colour schemes. :confused:
 
It's interesting nobody but me has problems with cracks in heads.
Because when I took 4 heads to the place in Ashfield he pronounced 3 out of 4 not worth fixing. They had cracks even into the inlet sides as well as very bad ones on the exhaust side and the one I had just paid to be done up by Lee Meares in East Maitland was one of the worst. Matt said it should never have been repaired, as fitting hardened inserts into such heads can even result in the inserts falling out. So that was a $400 mistake that has also cost me a heap of time and thought and mucking about and taking heads off twice. I'm just thankful that I didn't take further advice from Lee to send that head to some Queensland crowd who do alloy welding.
They do such welding right here in Ashfield anyhow and I think actually know a lot more about their job.
Matt said to repair that head would have cost round $1500. I won't throw these heads out though. They can live in the back of my shed just in case there comes a time when there is no alternative.
Graham , it looks like I will be needing one more good head for the other car. I'll PM you when the time comes.
Will take pics when I get the repaired head back.
 
Calling Graham Wallace, the head they chose which was the only possible one turned out to have a crack almost all the way across it, almost broken in half.
So I'll be needing another, except I'm seriously considering putting a 203 head on her as I have two with no cracks.
Let me know what your heads are really like. I'm about over cracked heads.
 
Dan, I am 90% certain that I'm going to be discarding the engine from my 403 (early model), got any 403 bits you might like to trade for a head? :)
 
Thanks for the offer Scotty, I guess the only 403 stuff I have that's any good is gearboxes and diffs but I really don't want to part with them as they are likely to be called upon in the next few years once I'm up and running.
Let me know how much filthy money you might want for it if that were an option.
But I really think these nice 203 heads will come up well so I'll work on building a twin carb manifold after I get some extractors made. Till then the crossflow of the 403 head does little with such restricted exhaust as the standard 203 provides. With a healthy motor I may not even bother with such mods. The extra capacity may well be enough for satisfactory performance once I have compression.
I discovered an interesting thing about both my 203 heads. They are the same pattern for the head gasket as the 403, meaning that the cutout to accommodate the piston is 80mm diameter so it will go straight on[after it's had valve seat inserts at the shop of course]. I have a very dilapidated 203 engine in the shed with the remains of a head gasket still clinging to it. This head gasket also has the 80mm openings though the bores are 75mm. Perhaps it was a 403 gasket or perhaps 203 gaskets are made exactly the same as 403 leaving a bit of space there at the top of the bore? Interesting thought.
I'm sure someone will tell us.
 
luthier said:
Thanks for the offer Scotty, I guess the only 403 stuff I have that's any good is gearboxes and diffs but I really don't want to part with them as they are likely to be called upon in the next few years once I'm up and running.
Let me know how much filthy money you might want for it if that were an option.
But I really think these nice 203 heads will come up well so I'll work on building a twin carb manifold after I get some extractors made. Till then the crossflow of the 403 head does little with such restricted exhaust as the standard 203 provides. With a healthy motor I may not even bother with such mods. The extra capacity may well be enough for satisfactory performance once I have compression.
I discovered an interesting thing about both my 203 heads. They are the same pattern for the head gasket as the 403, meaning that the cutout to accommodate the piston is 80mm diameter so it will go straight on[after it's had valve seat inserts at the shop of course]. I have a very dilapidated 203 engine in the shed with the remains of a head gasket still clinging to it. This head gasket also has the 80mm openings though the bores are 75mm. Perhaps it was a 403 gasket or perhaps 203 gaskets are made exactly the same as 403 leaving a bit of space there at the top of the bore? Interesting thought.
I'm sure someone will tell us.
Click to expand...

Yes, gaskets are the same, they must have known something!
Such a pleasure to have parts commonality between models and even in the same model.
403s had the same exhaust throughout, nowadays there are multiple variants, trying to stock all of this is a nightmare, no wonder parts are so expensive and hard to get.
This was also the strong point of Datsuns years ago, a big reason why they were and are so popular.
Graham
 
I always have wanted a 203 with more mod cons, an engine that had been warmed up to keep pace with today's traffic, some nice gearbox ratios and a few suspension tweaks, new seals, power windows and air-conditioning/heating. I'd drive it as my daily drive then. You could even drop in an Mi16 engine, rearrange the sump for RWD application and run it on carburetors to keep it period. Leyland make, or at least made rear drive vans using the XU motor as did Rover make a few cars with an XU engine, so the drivetrain would be there with some modification possibly to a ford?? gearbox... You'd keep the original drivetrain of course... One can dream.
 
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IS their a workshop manual available for the 203. I am busy restoring a 1959 203 and want to find out how big a job it is to replace the rear engine/gearbox mounting.
 
Yes, but it doesn't cover that job.
You would need a Haynes manual for this which doesn't exist
You need to drop down the rear suspension then slide it back after undoing the 4 bolts at the back of the gear box.
Do you have a new rear mount?



QUOTE=Arnold;1183823]IS their a workshop manual available for the 203. I am busy restoring a 1959 203 and want to find out how big a job it is to replace the rear engine/gearbox mounting.[/QUOTE]
 
Graham, I found a second hand one that is in a much better condition as the one in the car. I must also apologise for misreading the forum. Luthier and other members did answer my question a while back in another forum. Thanks again for that. Is the manual available somewhere ?
 
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