1968 Wolseley 1000

Blimey, I have snapped a few wheel studs on Mini's over the years but never had a wheel fall off. My mate had a metro loose a wheel nut years ago and the remaking 3 had to be re-tightened every half a mile as they were coming loose. It was down to 2 with about a mile left to make it home and the wheel came off as his house was in sight. We had to knock a trolley up to push it the last few yards. If you only had 2 behind the hubcap it clearly didn't have 4 to start with. I would be giving it a good going over checking everything is tight.

It does light up, the damage is minimal compared to what it could have been, the backplate is bEnt and the Minifin is badly ‘mottled’ where it came down the road chasing me. Unfortunately we keep being presented with issue after issue around work from the PO. The head was out and had to have a fair amount taken off and now it looks like the rings are letting go as it’s a little smokey, all from a rebuilt engine with less than 1000 miles on it!!

The engine is being pulled next month and it’s time to see if the block is salvageable, if the bores are scored in may not be viable to machine it anymore bearing in mind it’s already been bored out and decked already.

The main thing is my motivation to the W has not wained, even with it sitting at the side of the road on its an old boy pulled up to help and have a chat about it…..

I had wheel nuts come loose once. Rear wheel on a maxi. The hubcaps were the only thing that let me know something was up due to the 'dink, dink, dink....' every time I slowed down. The noise made me stop and check things not knowing what was up. Popped the hubcap of (planning to Jack the car up and take the wheel off) and 2 nuts fell out. The other 2 weren't tight so if I'd been on the motorway things may have been different.
Such a nice car this one. Shame about the problems but it's doesn't detract from the nice at all.

So, the above reply has prompted me to update the thread. All ina all not good as the engine is toast, brain dump below of the issues found:

The bearing that goes on the end of the flywheel to the gearbox cover is missing
The movement due to said bearing missing has destroyed one other bearing and chipped another
The metal from the above has knackered the crank
The above missing bearing and the resultant play has cracked the gearbox
Gearbox has chipped gears due to metal floating around
Big end bearings shot, irrelevant as the crank is scored
Pistons are scored
Block has an imperfection between cylinders 1 & 2, it can’t be skimmed anymore so that’s scrap to
Radiator has been badly repaired so that’s shot
Thermostat housing has corroded to such an extent it’s a miracle the hose sealed it

Here is the positive/salvageable

Carb
Inlet manifold
Head….. you may recall I had that resurfaced
Camshaft
Diff and housing
Rocker cover
Water pump

Hmmmm…. Won’t be recommending the specialist who built this to anyone. I estimate about 5k to get the car back up-to the same spec built properly, such a shame really as I will more than likely sell it when done rather than stuff an unknown motor in it from the bay of love or elsewhere.

I fully get the stress and bad feelings with the car but it'd be a damned shame to sell it once rebuilt. You'd have something you could have great confidence on (though you should have ahd that before of course), and reading your earlier posts it does seem like a car you really liked. Maybe one to put away and sit on for a while if circumstances allow?

What a horrific experience for you.
How much of the engine spec as posted back in April were actually fitted?

All of the parts were present and correct when the engine was stripped down, it was just built by someone who had no idea on how to build an engine it would appear. The main culprit that killed the bottom end was the missing bearing that caused sufficient movement to damage the remaining bearings that were fitted, to such an extent one of them actually broke down causing all the swarf that had a detrimental effect to the majority of moving parts!!

Some of the parts are salvageable, but the expensive bits are scrap.

Me too, on my first car, a Fiat 126, while going up a steep hill - I could hear a clanking sound coming from the back, then also recently on my daily driver Abarth Grande Punto; front wheel nuts worked loose, fortunately close to my workplace so I limped back there to nip them up. Quite disconcerting, so I now check them fairly regularly.

Pretty poor show, if the seller only sold the car with only 2 wheel nuts on 2 wheels!