Humber FV1600

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

While at Corowa in March I was stopped in the main stree for an hour talking to an ex Humber owner of many years, and as always, if you listen, you learn.
He saw the badly cracked and repeat welding repairs on the cast iron "Y" exhaust and laughed, saying that this happened on all Humbers as the exhausts were never set up properly. His theory was that one of the 3-1 manifolds needs to "Undertightened" (I think I just invented a new word). The manifold gaskets are a simple aluminium shim that allow the manifold to expand and contract along the head itself, thus saving the "Y" from splitting down the middle. This of course fails immediatly we tighten the manifold up "properly". Much clearer when you have it all explained while looking at it.
However, I have just added to the amount of weld that others before me have laid down, the crack was out to 3 mm when hot, so will try the method outlined above while I save up for a set of headers.
Same Chap also asked if my Humber growled on a cold morning.
Funny he should say that.....I had been trying to tell myself only that morning that the funny deep sounds under the bonnet where nothing to worry about.
Stock phrase for Humbers, "they all do that". It's just the cold dense air coming back from the fan, makes a growling sound that rises and falls with the revs, and fades away once things warm up a little, about 3 or 4 minutes.
Must say it was quite unsettling the first time I heard it.
Shown below is the crack inside the "Y", "Y" in place with the 2x 3-1 manifolds: one of which needs to be just that little bit loose.
Last pic demonstrates the more than noticable engine off-set, just line the tappett cover up with windsreen centre.
Todays photos were brought to you with the courtesy of ARN 105 674.
This was the first ARN assigned to a Humber One Ton (so the lowest number), with the highest being 105 823.
Other trivia for today, ARN's are listed for HUMBER 1 ton CT Cargo, not a Commer as plated, same for the Australian Change in War Materiel (ACWM)
Rich.