Not updated here for a while! Didn't do too much on Freddie over winter beyond keeping him running & enjoying a few trips out.
At the start of lockdown we decided we'd get the engine out & start to investigate a couple of small oil leaks we'd noticed. Also removed the rusty engine lid as it had reached the point where it was bending the panel to open rather than rotating the hinges! Hinges were a nightmare to remove, in the end took a combination of WD40, dremmel & kitchen blowtorch to get any movement out of the bolts.
With the engine removed we're taking the opportunity to de-rust & paint up the tinware. Smaller pieces are done, currently debating whether to send some of the bigger parts to be shot blasted.
One leak seem to be coming from the push rod tubes. One of the push rod tubes looks slightly damaged so we're ordering a new set.
Also looked like there was a lot of oil sitting around from spillage when being filled up, as the majority was underneath the filler. We've cleaned this up & will keep an eye on it in future, though we're replacing all gaskets we gain access to as a precaution.
We've noticed a carbon build up on the ends of the piston, and there appears to be a small amount of oil underneath the pistons. We're waiting for some carb cleaner to be delivered to clean up the piston ends, unsure how concerned we should be about this area? We hadn't noticed any smoke when the engine was running, the only prompt we've had to open up the engine was these small oil leaks (about a drop per day).
We've also picked up a second hand interior set (found for sale on facebook 5 mins from us) so have a variety of panels & front seat covers to fit at some point in the near future!