Some Bond things

[adi]

I have this Bond at my garage now. After finding out whats up with it (stripped thread on the carb), i got it started, and it pretty much all works, been driving it around the private road that leads to my garage and it drives OK, apart from it has no brakes. Starts forward and reverse OK, and all seems good.

I cant really work out some things tho:

1) where the hell are the front indicators?

2) is there a fusebox/relay box or anything like that?

3) why does the exhaust have a line of small (approx 4mm?) holes near the inlet, and also near the tailpipe? Im pretty sure they are not rust holes since they look too regular. Are they some kind of weird gas bleed arrangement for something or other?

4) the car IS 12v NEGATIVE GROUND, right?

5) does anyone happen to know what the various controls do? There are 4 white pull-out handles. I know one is the choke and one is the lights (but it seems to be only a on/off switch), but what do the other two do?

6) are the brake slave cylinders from the parts bin, or are they unique? The master cylinder looks like a totally generic British unit as used by...well...almost everything from the 40s to the 80s, but the slave cylinders, im not too sure about. It looks like it only has two, one for the front and one for the rear that operates both wheels through a rod linkage. But anyone happen to know if they were used in any other vehicles?

I never even SEEN a bond before, so its kind of difficult to work out all this.

[adi]

Anyone?

SOMEONE here must own a Bond?

[Peelpower]

Seems they all in the garden, doing a BBQ 

[Grant Kearney]

1) where the hell are the front indicators? 
At the front  .  They are on the front wings below the headlamps. 

2) is there a fusebox/relay box or anything like that?
No

3) why does the exhaust have a line of small (approx 4mm?) holes near the inlet, and also near the tailpipe? Im pretty sure they are not rust holes since they look too regular. Are they some kind of weird gas bleed arrangement for something or other?
No other Bond has these so guess its a owner modification

4) the car IS 12v NEGATIVE GROUND, right?
Yes

5) does anyone happen to know what the various controls do? There are 4 white pull-out handles. I know one is the choke and one is the lights (but it seems to be only a on/off switch), but what do the other two do?
Wipers and speedo lights

6) are the brake slave cylinders from the parts bin, or are they unique? The master cylinder looks like a totally generic British unit as used by...well...almost everything from the 40s to the 80s, but the slave cylinders, im not too sure about. It looks like it only has two, one for the front and one for the rear that operates both wheels through a rod linkage. But anyone happen to know if they were used in any other vehicles?
Front is mini and the rear cylinder is Austin A30. Shoes are mini
Perhaps consider joining the Bond Owners Club as they can provide all the assistance and parts you will require

[adi]

Thanks. That cleared a few things up.

I have now found the mystery indicators. Someone explained to me that some old UK cars did the same with their front sidelights as US cars did with their brake lights. The indicators are not a separate unit, but flash the parking light on the appropriate side.

I have never come across that before, thats pretty wierd.

Im still baffled by the exhaust (no pun intended hahahaha....not that that muffler even HAS any baffles anymore by the sounds of it when the engine is running).

What could the holes be for? They look like this:



I cant imagine any possible use for them. If it was a 4-stroke, they would make it afterfire on the over-run, i drilled a small hole in the exhaust of a tuned beetle engine i once had, and when you took to near redline in 1st or 2nd and then let it decelerate, it would make a massive bang and scare the hell out of pedestrians. But, i dont think that this is the reason why the Bond has it! Besides i dont think it will work with a 2 stroke.

[Big Al]

Interuptor indicators are not uncommon on pre 55 stuff. I kind of like them. You just need to understand the wiring loop to get them working. Otherwise I think you have the indication you require save the exhaust. Some Exhausts are bolt together for cleaning out I assume. It maybe that there has been an attempt to tune the exhaust by moving the end baffle. Bonds are not really built for racing and the exhaust note is very distinctive. All you need now is a skinny roll up, flat hat and whippet.

[adi]

Well, today i think i got everything pretty much worked out. The car is waking up very nicely with gentle persuasion.

I took the wiper motor apart and found a stuck brass bush on the tail end of the rotor, which would explain why it did not work. Now that i put it back together it works brilliantly.

The lights now work. I soaked the floor-mounted dip switch with oil and then kicked it a few times and it freed up very nicely. however, i was still not getting any main/dip. It was THEN that i realized that the light switch is in fact a two-position unit, but it will not go straight from parking lights to headlights with a pull. You need to twist the handle a few degrees and then it will go further out to the second position. Im not sure if its a fault with my switch, or that they are all like that, but either way, once you learn the slight twisting technique, the lights work ok.

I am really baffled why the speedo back light has its own separate switch. Is there any particular reason for this? I dont think i have ever seen a setup like that before. I cannot possibly think of an occasion when it would come in useful anyway.

The indicators seem to not work. I think its because of the flasher unit, as they occasionally work but flash irregularly and intermittently. It may also be because the tail lights are not connected. I heard that some old British flasher units dont do the usual thing of flashing twice as fast when one bulb blows, and instead just dont work very well when one bulb blows, so maybe thats the problem. You dont happen to have a generic circuit diagram for this mystery 'loop' interrupter setup do you?

Apart from that, i just been oiling stuff, and everything seems to be coming unstuck pretty nicely. The brake linkage at the back is pretty crusty too, i soaked it on oil and will give it further attention after a few days to give the oil a chance to soak in.

[marcus]

Heinkels and Trojans have that dashboard switch. It is extremely useful when you and your lovely lady are parked in a quiet place and getting cosy . It gives just enough light to see each other. Obligatory fitting in all cars with bench seats.

[adi]

Hmm, there seems to be a few problems with this:

1) the speedo light switch on my bond only works when the lights are on. So its either lights AND speedo lamp, or just lights. So, the way my bond is set up, the switch basically disconnects the speedo lamp even if the lights are on.

2) getting a 'lovely lady' by having a front-wheel drive car with less then 10hp may be difficult, considering it looks like a bad caricature of a Reliant.

[steven mandell]

Just a chance that if the drilled holes in the muffler are on the underside that it could be for water drainage to prevent muffler rotting in a dank environment.
Srteve