 |
 |
|
Home | Back | Forum | History | Gallery and Car Details | Information | Cars For Sale | Links | Site Map |
|
AC 3000ME REBUILD
Click Here for images that may help The 3000ME is one of the best home restoration projects. The main chassis components, comprising the tub and front and rear subframes, bolt together. If the subframes are badly rusted it is best to replace them unless the owner feels originality is critical; a batch of new ones, hot-dip galvanised for protection were produced by David Sanderson of B and D Racing Services. Fuel tanks tend to rot as well, and again replacement is the preferred option. Stainless tanks were produced by AC, but the shape is not complex and could be replicated by a competent fabricator. Dismantling the car for restoration involves stripping out the dashboard, clearing the engine bay of all pipes and electrical connections, and unbolting and removing the bodyshell. The latter lifts off with the entire wiring loom, while the hydraulic systems stay with the chassis. The dashboard comprises the instrument binnacle, the central panel, and the remaining one-piece moulding containing the dash top, the glove box and the eyeball vents. The top binnacle moulding is held in place by one wingnut under the panel and (in later cars) two self-tapping screws at the front. Removing this reveals the main panel, which can be disconnected and then unbolted from its brackets complete with all the instruments. The centre panel is held in place with four self-tapping screws on its front face, and with these removed and the ends of the heater levers pulled off, the wiring can be disconnected and the panel removed, again with all the switches, lamps and the radio still fitted. It is a good idea to label carefully all wires as they are removed! The main moulding can then be removed by unbolting two nuts under the front of the dashboard (close to the windscreen), two nuts under the ashtray, two screws into the side panels above the sills, and removing the heater hoses from the eyeball vents. The whole of the dashboard wiring loom can then be taped back to the windscreen, out of the way. Clearing the engine bay is reasonably self-evident; disconnect everything you can see! Removal of the rear exhaust manifold gives better access to the starter motor terminals. The drain plugs for the water system are under the radiator at the front of the car (the radiator stays in the body and need not be removed), and on the offside of the main cross pipe at the rear, revealed by removing the engine bay hatch and heat shield from the firewall. Also in this area are the connections to the copper fuel feed pipes to the tank (in the centre) and the flexible tank overflow pipe (on the offside). After disconnecting, the wiring loom can be tied back out of the way. Similarly, the relays and wiring screwed to the chassis rather than the body in the front compartment must be removed and tied back, and the battery box removed. When the Bowden cable connecting to the front hatch release is disconnected, the hatch bracket should be taped over to prevent the hatch from locking shut. With no hatch release in place the only way in is to drill through the hatch itself! Unbolting the body involves removing the four nuts at front and rear body corners; the four bolts holding in the roll-over hoop inside the cockpit (the roll hoop itself can stay in place in the body) and the two bolts holding the roll bar supports to the top of the rear subframe in the rear three-quarter panels, through which the fuel tank to fuel neck hoses must also be removed; and the two door stay brackets (section shown in drawing at end of article). These latter are revealed once the carpets have been pulled up on each side at the front of the fibreglass sills, with their access holes carefully concealed below a layer of leathercloth trim and copious Plastic Padding-type filler. The offside one is easiest to find first: it is about 2 inches to the rear of the pull handle for the front hatch release, on the flat top of the fibreglass sill. When the filler has been dug out of the hole, the inboard bolt (which goes into a captive nut in the chassis) should be removed rather than the obvious one in the centre of the hole. Before slackening this bolt, the door stay bolt should be loosely replaced after disconnecting the door stay - this keeps the bracket in the body and means it does not fall into an inaccessible place and hinder the body removal. It can be removed later for painting. The doors are unbolted from inside the body and their wiring disconnected (access to this being through the speaker apertures - there is no need to remove the door trim), and the D-shaped door support brackets unbolted from the dashboard support frame and then bolted back to the bodyshell, so they come off with the body. After a final check that everything is disconnected, the body to chassis sealing can be broken with a lever, or a trolley jack and block of wood, and the body can then be lifted off. Take care - it is HEAVY! Professionals may use a two-point lift; amateurs may use an engine hoist (as did the author), or a scaffolding frame with a block and tackle. Four, or more likely six, very strong men might do the job. Beware the copper water pipes in the sills, which are likely to catch on the sides of the tub as the body comes up. Continue to check at every stage of the operation that nothing is connecting the body to the chassis. The nature of small manufacturers like AC means that cars vary somewhat one from another through the run, and a bracket or earth strap present on one vehicle may be absent from all others. With the body removed, the chassis is revealed in all its rusty glory, and the engine can be removed for storage or rebuild. Dismantling the chassis is straightforward, with few pitfalls other than the usual caveat of ensuring that all parts are carefully labelled and stored, and reassembly positions noted. A photographic record of items before and after disassembly, and a rebuild diary containing vital notes are not just nice mementos, but also valuable guides to building up the car later. ‘Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly’ is an often quoted phrase, but in this case it is perfectly true. The ME is very similar to the Triumph Herald series of cars in that it is very much an overgrown Meccano set, and provided the basic chassis is built up square (and it is virtually self-jigging) assembly is likely to be trouble free. The subframes should be bolted to the tub starting with the centre bolts and working outwards. The Oilite handbrake pivot bush can be drifted out from below if a hole is drilled in the base of its box section, if the subframe is being replaced. The front suspension must be reassembled before the body is replaced, as the upper wishbone pivot bolts are very difficult to remove with the body in place. The author built up the complete rolling chassis before replacing the body; this is recommended procedure. Two changes the author did not make but wishes he had are (1) replacing the open cell foam used by Thames Ditton as padding between body and chassis with the closed cell variety, and (2) investigating whether the metal link pipes between the petrol filler caps and the fuel tank could be discarded and replaced by flexible hoses. The 2 3/8” I.D. flexible fuel hose used by AC to connect the tank to the link pipes is (at best) now very difficult to find. Removing the gear linkage is something of a chinese puzzle. When you've got the closing plates underneath the chassis removed, the front of the gear linkage loosened (from the top, by removing the knob and gate), the plate at the back of the tunnel removed (in between the water pipes - the hole at the back of the chassis is then elongated) and the protection plate under the selector at the front of the engine removed, at the front of the engine there is a bracket which clamps the selector tube to the chassis and a roller pin which holds the main part of the linkage to the stub which protrudes from the front of the engine. The roller pin (like a small, 2 - 3 mm dia sprung steel pin) can be drifted out with a punch, the bracket removed and with the gear knob removed the whole lot can be swung down and pulled out forwards. There's just enough room to do this with the gear lever still attached. When it's out make sure the neoprene cup at the bottom of the lever is intact - they tend to disintegrate and you get a shower of bits of neoprene on the floor and a very difficult gear shift. Seal the fuel tank while it is out, or it will attract fines which will clog up the fuel system when you reconnect it. Another worthwhile mod is to use modern sound absorption material in the cabin before the new carpets are laid down. My own car is definitely noisier than it was before the rebuild. While the car is in bits it is worth replumbing any water, fuel and oil lines which are perishing, replacing the flexible brake lines with braided steel items, checking the handbrake cable and replacing it if it has seized, rebuilding seized brake callipers, reconditioning the steering rack and replacing the steering column universal joints, mounting brackets and rubbers, and doing the million and one other jobs which make a rebuild take ten times as long as you allow. Depending on how quickly you work and how much work is carried out, it is possible for an amateur to completely re-chassis an ME in about 300 hours. At present the record is held by Eric Gates at 288 hours. The author took 306 hours, although some of this was trying (unsuccessfully) to work out why the engine would not run. The answer (discovered by Trevor Kitney) was that the fuel pipes to the carb were fitted the wrong way round! The inlet pipe goes to the big hole, and the return pipe to the very small hole. It sounds obvious in retrospect….. The 3000ME is in many ways the best compromise of
all the seventies mid-engined designs. Its foibles are now well
known and for the most part easily cured. It remains a strong and
attractive design, a practical two seater, and a quick and comfortable
road car even by today’s standards. An enthusiastic following
in the club is always ready with help and advice. What are you waiting
for?
|