Kudu's Restoration

[moke123]

Steam, yes overheating may be a concern and is why I am planning a front mount rad in future (most likely as part of this build).  I have a NOS rad from an MG Metro with the inlet and outlet both on the passenger side to simplify plumbing.  Will use a bottom support bar welded to the inner guards and top mounts and bushes from M-Parts as fitted to the Cagiva. 

Terry, diff ratio is standard MG Metro 3.44, which used 13" wheels.  Will lose low end acceleration and torque compared to the Moke ratios but Kudu will be a street cruiser, so hopefully will be OK.  I have a 4.1 drive in the 1380 but don't really want to pilfer that unless I need to.  Kudu will be used around town and on the highways.  I have looked at the Mokewerx calculator but only have experience with my bagged-out 998 and not really in a position to know what would work best.  What do you think? 

Cheers, Graham

[Terry]

Hi,

I wouldn't raid the 4.1 diff either, that is to low for a good 1725. You might find yourself in 3rd gear around the suburbs a bit more and taking off, particularly on hills could require a bit of feathering to avoid stalling otherwise you really won't know until you drive it. It is the torque rather than the HP that makes a vehicle drivable or not. 3.7 or 3.6 is a more common ratio for Mokes with a warm 1275/1380.

See how it goes and if it is not what you want then look at building a 3.6/3.7 to put in your 1380.

Terry

[moke123]

Thanks Terry.  Sounds like a plan. 

[Steam]

Yep I put a front mount metro unit in. Should fit better in the moke than in the round nose mini I was using way back when.

[Terry]

Yep I put a front mount metro unit in.

It doesn't look very much in to me, it is more on.

and a fibreglass nose too.

Terry

[Steam]

It doesn't look very much in to me, it is more on.

and a fibreglass nose too.

Terry

Ha Ha, It was the only way it would fit, as I said should fit better in the moke.
That is actually a van and had a ffibreglass rear door as well as front. I did a lot to that thing and enjoyed giving the boy racers a few lessons.

[moke123]

Haha...looks like a big intercooler...not much of a sleeper.

[moke123]

Spent several hours untaping and labelling all the wiring.  Generally the loom is in good shape, but dirty and with some overspray in places.  I did find that the wiring to the coil had melted in the past and part of it had been patched by a PO.  For some reason I found this job quite rewarding.  Maybe because I find wiring diagrams a bit confusing sometimes and it takes forever to trace things.  I now feel confident to pull the loom out when it's time, clean it, and make a few upgrades before putting it back in.

Engine bay wiring


Dash wiring (looked better before I untaped it  )


While doing this job, I was reminded of an issue I had when first trying to start the moke after it sat outside for 4 years.  It turned over well but failed to start.  Spark was very poor.  I cleaned and reset the points, replaced the condensor, tested the coil, tested the spark plug leads, etc.  Still the same.  I then looked at the wiring coming in and out of the solenoid and it looked nothing like the photos I found online.  Some PO had disconnected all the brown wires going to the solenoid and connected them to two thick blue wires.  I traced these back to the dash and found them connected to the ammeter I installed 20 years ago shortly after I got the moke!  Haha...turns out the PO was me!  The ammeter will be replaced by a volt meter in this build for wiring safety reasons.


After running out of ideas regarding the poor spark, I got out the manual and wiring diagram and could see that the coil circuit was fed through the ignition switch.  Pulled the switch apart and found it badly rusted inside.  In addition, one of the small springs in the switch had corroded away almost completely.  Replaced the switch with a spare and the spark improved significantly.  I have since realised that the spring is the same as those in the later indicator stalk mechanism, of which I have an old broken one, so I can always clean up and repair the rusted ignition switch if needed for another project.