|
|
|
|
|
If your brakes are cr4p, take a look at the pedal assembly. If it’s got the one with the big ally baseplate like a lot of these have, when you shorten the pedals as part of the build to make em fit in the very tight footwell, the ratios become comically awful. I redid the pedals on one for a local guy after he’d replaced the entire brake system chasing improvements. Turns out the pedal ratio was about 3:1! I made a new baseplate in steel that moved the master cyls up about an inch(I did the clutch too) and managed to get it to 6:1 and It was totally different to drive.
My first thoughts about uprating the brakes were based on the original plan to fit a much more powerful engine, plus, stepping out of my wife's car, which has 380mm discs all round, to road test the Marlin was a bit of a technology / culture shock.  Since then, I have decided to enjoy the Marlin as it is, with just a light restoration, and some basic improvements.
It seems that the pedal ratios are as you describe:
The previous owner, who is disabled with extremely weak legs, dealt with this, and the correspondingly heavy clutch pedal, in an interesting way; by fitting an electric pump to provide servo assistance to the clutch, and boost that to the brakes:
There is a vacuum gauge to keep tabs on this:
I haven't had time to examine its operation, but pedal pressures are typical of what one might expect from a 1970s car.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I found a few minutes today to refix the gear lever and handbrake gaiters, start it for the first time in weeks* and take it for a short drive. It's many years since I have driven a road car not even equipped with a heater, but very cool, and not just in the sense of today's temperature.
* The cold starting difficulty reminded me that I need to do something about the carburettor settings, specifically the choke operation.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 10, 2022 13:59:21 GMT
|
I refitted a few more pieces of trim, as much as I plan fro the immediate future
scraped down and repainted a couple of spots of flaking paint on the chassis
not really visible in the photos.
And attempted to spray the boot rack, which was a disaster as the temperature dropped suddenly as I was doing it, causing the paint to bloom. It can wait, but at least the car is useable if / when a warmish sunny day appears.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 11, 2022 10:47:46 GMT
|
|
Looking really tidy, well done!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 11, 2022 12:12:54 GMT
|
Looking really tidy, well done! Thank you, thank you, thank you; you’re far too kind.*😎 *Linkin Park, a long time ago. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Instead of trying to respray the bootrack, I laboriously stripped (not really; I wiped cellulose thinners over it) the gold paint, leaving the bare aluminium. I am not sure whether I like it on the car, but the mounting holes are in the body, and it covers them up.
When we moved into our house, a previous owner had left a very old suitcase with some interesting travel stickers on it, which I thought might look cool on the rack, or really rubbish; I'm not sure about this either:
Opinions written on £50 notes please, failing that, via the thread.
The case was lined with a few pages from a 1987 Times newspaper, one of which contains cars for sale, I found it interesting reading:
|
| |
Last Edit: Jan 13, 2022 7:05:24 GMT by etypephil
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Morning Phil, Just wrote a long reply and description on how to create a small mini bar for a bottle of Gin, 4 cans of Fever Tree Tonic water and a pair of glasses, using cavity foam (God forbid) or polystyrene, modern PC transport foam or something similar to create a safe place for the stuff. Then using a pair of old leather belts, or buy cheap from Primark and create the look in the pic below. I did this one in 2009 for Nicola my ex’s Ford 100E It was removable, but you could screw the case to the carrier for extra security with some old electrical pipe saddles. Printed off some old airline tickets and labels, and pasted them on with wood glues, left in the sun to dry, then 3 coats of clear lacquer. I also bought 2 size 42 inch belts at the Pound shop yesterday. Cut them in 2 and drilled and screwed them into the suitcase, so that they will create the illusion of being strapped to the boot carrier when it gets here from Essex.  |
| |
|
|
glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,357
Club RR Member Number: 64
|
1974 Marlin Roadsterglenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
|
Jan 13, 2022 12:24:21 GMT
|
|
De-golding is good. 👍
|
| |
My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
|
|
jimi
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,233 
|
|
Jan 13, 2022 16:43:01 GMT
|
+1 Losing the gold on the wheels would make a major difference to the look. The bare alloy rack looks good, suits the car, not so keen on the suitcase, looks too "artificial" ie trying to hard ..... but thats me, your car, your choice 👍 |
| |
Last Edit: Jan 13, 2022 16:44:24 GMT by jimi
Black is not a colour ! .... Its the absence of colour
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 29, 2022 17:52:24 GMT
|
|
The suitcase is waiting at the loft access for me to head up there on Monday to alter lighting circuits; I'm with those thinking that it's too much, but it should be preserved for posterity, the wheels will go black when I have the time and the weather warms sufficiently for paint. In the meantime, having done a little more fettling (tinkering in truth), I went for a chilly but sunny drive in it around some local minor roads yesterday. It's a real blast; less than 20% of my XJR's power, yet so much fun at almost legal speeds. If it's a little less windy tomorrow, I may take the wife to our local for lunch, which will have things nicely warmed up, for me to set the mixtures properly in the afternoon; it's running a tad rich ATM.
|
| |
Last Edit: Jan 29, 2022 17:52:48 GMT by etypephil
|
|
|
|
Since then, I have decided to enjoy the Marlin as it is, with just a light restoration, and some basic improvements. 
