13 March
The old fuel pump diaphragm was quite tired and the potentially catastrophic leak that caused the gasoline to in the engine oil was due to the loosening of the two metal plates holding the rubber foil. Please note the 'T'-shape of the shaft connecting the pump to the engine cam: this is what I needed. Below, a second type of shaft, allegedly also for 403s but obviously useless for me. Guess what I received from an eBay seller (pic below....)
Anyway Marco Gordini was able to find a suitable diaphragm and the pump was reassembled, tested (it didn't leak...at first!) and fitted on the 403 waiting for a new, ethanol-fuel-ready diaphragm sent by Peter Campbell to arrive
15 March
A VERY leaky fuel pump....:-(((
17 March
So the 'adapted' diaphragm was a disaster; sadly the new fuel pump repair kit kindly sent by Peter Campbell was lost in the mail. I asked Mimmo at Bedosti's to adapt the old pump's shaft to the new kit that I had already bought earlier on eBay, that has a perfect ethanol-fuel-ready diaphragm but the wrong shaft (see images above)
He did the trick, so the pump was reassembled at last and now it works without any leaks
The first test run of the overhauled brakes did bring the news of a VERY leaky front hub, on both sides... it was quickly mended refitting the hub covers, that were not properly sealed
The grease in the hub melted during a high-speed run with repeated braking tests to see if the new cylinders worked correctly. (They do.) The calendar reflected on the hub cap says a lot about the enduring passions for cars and women of italian mechanics and car owners as well....
18 March
Returning home in Bologna from Faenza, the evening of Friday 17 March was quite uneventful, I only need to have the headlamps readjusted. Parking the car in my garage, however, is a tricky business; the engine temperature soared and when I turned the engine off the water was boiling....time to remove the custom 'blinds', and Marco Gordini obliged, Saturday morning
Now there is no gasoline in the sump to dilute the engine oil: as a result, the oil pressure is much healthier than before (nearly 60 lb/sq.ft. at 2.500 rpm)
When I reached Gordini's garage, blinds still masking 3/4 of the radiator, the temperature at the top of the radiator was 84,4 °C and at the head 87°C
Some grease is still leaking from the front hubs, albeit much less than yesterday
I washed the 403 in a high-pressure, no brushes car wash
