Keeping Classics Alive... - A40 Farina Club

First note how the yard stores tyres. The best conditions are either purpose-built racking or
in a neat pile, ideally in a darkened shed. Beware of a tyre still in situ on a car in the yard.
How was the car dragged there, and what might it have picked up on the way? Do not buy
it. Beware tyres that have been removed from the rim - few owners have the facilities to
do this, so why was it taken off? Unless of course the yard has done it for an internal
check.
Check the tread - do not buy anything with less than 3mm left (remember the legal
minimum tread depth is now 1.6mm). Reject a tyre with any uneven wear - check the
depth across the whole width and all round the circumference. Look for sections of tread
that are lifting from the canvas - this results from impact damage or the tyre picking up
something that then becomes embedded. This can happen on both new and remould
tyres. Examine the walls for cracks or scuffing - check all around and on both sides - the
inner wall is usually not as often inspected in service as the outer. Glance at the rim also.
If it is damaged the tyre probably is also, even if it looks OK. Reject any tyres with faults or
anything else that looks suspicious - would you feel safe at your car's maximum cruising
speed on it? New-looking balance weights are a good sign - someone has been careful.
Whenever possible fit matching pairs or even matching sets, or at least try to find
something with a tread pattern that matches its opposite number on the other side of the
axle. It is illegal to mix sizes on an axle, and it is worth repeating too, that tyres of different
construction must never ever be mixed at all on the same axle (preferably not on the car).
This is not just illegal but lethal. You can have crossplys on the front and radials on the
back but not the other way around. It is also illegal to fit different tyre widths on the same
axle. You can usually go up one size all the way round or fit slightly larger tyres on the
back to improve traction - provided the tyre does not rub anywhere, especially on the front
wheels at full lock.
Light units: Most head lamps have three terminals; one for dipped beam, one for main
and one for earth that's common to both. Therefore there are only three ways that two
leads (from a power source) can be connected, and two of them should result in the lamp
working. No battery available? Use the one on the car you drove down in. Check also that
the lamp is water tight, look for ingress around the edges, and rust affecting the reflector.
A non-working or damaged sealed beam unit is scrap but bulb type units can often be
fitted with replacement lenses or reflectors as required.
Rear and auxiliary units are usually good buys though, just in case, check for accident
damage or stone damage and rusting of the internal parts.
Switches etc : Check that they operate as they should, switch cleanly and that they stay
in all positions. Lucas multifunction direction indicator/dip/horn/ etc. switches are excellent
scrapyard buys, but make sure they function properly as they cannot be repaired.
Remember too that while they often look similar there are many differences - so make
sure the unit you are offered is the right one.
Do not overlook bulbs either. Get some as spares next time you are there. They cost next
to nothing from a yard. Especially true of halogen bulbs which are very expensive new ­
but take care when removing them not to touch the glass part with your fingers as this can
ruin some types.
In the final instalment I'll be detailing how to go about getting the best deal at a 'yard ­
including a solemn warning about not nicking what's not yours (by the way, did I ever
acknowledge the source of these three articles?).
Kevin James
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Copyright A40 Farina Club Ltd
www.a40farinaclub.co.uk
SPARES GUIDE UPDATE
by Paul Stapleton
I had hoped to announce a likely publication date by now but due to holdups in word
processing and circulation of parts lists I am still unable to do so. However, I will explain
what I hope Club members will eventually receive. There will be two publications; a Spares
Guide, which will serve the Club for at least the next decade, and a Spares Availability &
Sources List, which will need updating every few years.
The Spares Guide lists the latest Rover/Unipart numbers for 1,113 different A40 parts that
are most likely to be needed by members. Most of these will be illustrated by George
Bailey's excellent computer-scanned diagrams derived from BMC Parts Manuals but
rearranged to suit the various sections of the Guide. However, these are still subject to
copyright permission from Rover Heritage who so far have failed to reply, leaving us little
choice but to press on and hope for the best. Further sections cover paint colours and
codes; obsolete BMC/BURover part numbers for all parts listed; other manufacturers' part
numbers and major A40 parts common to other cars.
The Spares Availability & Sources List instructs members how to use the two publications
and then lists all 1,113 part numbers with one or more source codes against each one.
The final section lists full details of 96 suppliers of A40 spares, each with their unique
source code referred to in the previous section. Motor Factors, Rover and Unipart Agents
are also referred to as sources for specific parts. All these sources have also been
published in recent editions of Farina News, finishing with this issue.
Thanks go to Richard Stott, Ted Cole, John Fowler and May Kahn for supplying
information after my recent appeals, and to Mr Basford for offering to enlarge and print the
microfiches some of us have had to pore over. A special thank you goes to Kevin James
for looking up those 1,113 parts in the latest Moss Europe, Rover and Unipart Price Lists.
The good news is that 382 of them are available from Moss the Sprite/Midget specialists
(see elsewhere in this magazine for details of their branches) whilst the bad news is that
only 152 are available from Rover Agents and a further 89 from Unipart. I believe that
many Rover Agents are also Unipart stockists, so in practice they should have 241 A40
parts available - interesting that they are now no longer the biggest source of A40 parts!
I would like to make a FINAL APPEAL (I hope) for another bit of one-off help from
someone prepared to do some word processing for the above publications - please
contact me at 28 Manor Close, Clifton, Beds. SG17 5EJ and I'll supply details.
Thank you,
SPRITE &MG PARTS
Paul Stapleton
Major A40 parts common to the MG are indicated on the final page of the Spares
Guide.
The MGB Hive, Marshall's Bank, Parson Drove, Wisbech, Cambs. Phone 01945 700500
(700130). Range of parts for later MG Midgets. Illustrated catalogue uses latest
BMC/BURover part numbers; mail order.
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