Today we reached an important milestone as the Herald passed its MOT (roadworthiness) test. This also marks the first time the car has been on the road in 7 years. All that remains is to iron out the minor issues we’ve discovered and make a few small changes to the car for the rally.
Author: David
Taking Shape
We had a bit of trouble finding someone who would repair the fuel tank properly. Several leaks were found, but it’s all repaired and tested now.
Progress at Last
After what feels like an eternity of body work, painting and other time consuming (but important) jobs, we’re finally putting the car back together. The turning point came when we dropped the engine in.
The Body
The first stage of work on the body was to repair the windscreen frame, this had suffered badly on the drivers side and had been “repaired” with masking tape and painted over!
Gearbox Rebuild
There is some difficulty in rebuilding a gearbox produced 50 years ago, particularly one that is completely worn out. Most parts are no longer available, and those that are may be poor quality reproductions.
December 16th 1958
A bit of a change for the blog, as this post isn’t about our car or trip. On October 18th 1958, a team from Standard-Triumph departed Cape Town. Their intention was to drive two pre-production Heralds (then known under the code-name “Zobo”) to Tangier.
Engine Rebuild: Part Two
In the last blog we ended with the engine dismantled and the components at the engineers. Whilst waiting for the machining to be completed I started refurbishing and cleaning up the remaining components and ancillaries.
Engine Rebuild: Part One
The original engine did run, but after more thorough inspection it was deemed to be beyond economic repair. Unfortunately, the only replacement engines readily available were later 1296cc ones.
Onward and Upwards
After moving the car, the dismantling continued with the remainder of the body, engine, suspension and running gear being removed.
New Beginnings
I first heard about the Mongol Rally when a team who were entering the 2016 rally posted on one of the forums I regularly browse, they were preparing a 1960 Singer Gazelle for the rally. This then led me on to youtube, watching various team’s past antics to get a sense of what was involved.
