You got it One Carb Or Two? !!
When we set out on September 12th, 2011 to drive around Australia in 70 days, John & I expected that we might have a few issues on such a long road trip. However, we had both ensured that our vehicles were serviced - on my test drive to New South Wales from Brisbane, I discovered that the front suspension needed adj. trumpets, adj. dampers and the best used cones we could find (no new ones immediately available), a door mirror fell off on the Great Western Hwy. and i needed a new muffler & tailpipe.
With spares in hand we set out, John lost a tire on the run north to Croydon, Qld. No issues until my SU filter inhaled part of a swarm of bees on the Indian Ocean coast in Western Australia. I needed two more new tires in Adelaide (2 of 6 new Falkens I started with were worn out) and a battery. The interesting thing about the battery was that Mini Sport in Adelaide would not let me anywhere near the Mini on the hoist...and I was the one driving the dang thing around the continent...and did NOT discuss a battery replacement, just installed one...without even telling me. You guessed it, the battery 'suitable for an antique vehicle' 260CCA. That battery was toasted in Tasmania, again on the ship from Japan delivering the Mini to Canada and was quickly replaced with a 560 CCA battery here in British Columbia.
Back to Australia, John had a very minor wiring issue (aux. fan) on the slow run in heavy traffic to Melbourne from the Great Ocean Road. Then on Day 68 on the run up the Gore Hwy. towards Toowoomba and the end, my
right front wheel bearings blew out. Re & Re'd new CV & bearings at the roadside and finished on time Day 70 in Palmview, Qld. where we started!
Before going to Tasmania 2 years later I replaced the ball bearings in the front hub with Timken tapered rollers. However on that trip the QH u-joints started to show play. Nonetheless, I drove around the sloppy u-joints...on disassembly, the needles were toast. I have since replaced the temporarily installed rubber u-joints with Triumph/Austin Healey u-joints with grease nipples and extreme grease in the cups.
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