New owner and member to the site :)

[Tim Hunt]

Nick, talk of desperately low gearing puts me in mind of my 1275cc Morris Mini Cooper S, GLW 183C. This gave 16mph per 1,000rpm in top! Wonderful cross country but a pain 'cruising' at 70 on the motorway at 4,300+. Sadly this car had to go when I got my first company car in 1970. Strange to think that were the two cars in a similar condition today it would be worth more than  my 4A. I know which car I would prefer to live with day to day, and certainly which one I would choose for the RBRR (even if non-Triumphs were permitted)!

Tim 

[Dave Bunney]

The plate is still in the engine bay. But paint and trim codes are missing......... 

Not entirely sure how or why.

[Wendy Dawes]

Welcome to the forum really good looking car 

[Dave Bunney]

21 hours ago, Wendy Dawes said:

Welcome to the forum really good looking car 

Thanks very much to both 😃.

Looking forward to getting a few bits done and driving about. 

New chrome trim for the front windscreen is due this week so should nice little addition that was missing. Thanks Nathan for pointing that out. 

Had a flat battery issue yesterday aswell!!

[mikeyb]

On 18/12/2021 at 16:04, Dave bunney said:

The plate is still in the engine bay. But paint and trim codes are missing......... 

Not entirely sure how or why.

Are you referring to a black and silver stamped plate (labelled commission plate or similar) or a body colour painted riveted number tag?  If the former, very odd, if the latter, that's just a bodyshell number from the steelworks prior to arrival at the factory and has no bearing on official records or registered identity!

[Dave Bunney]

It is a silver and black plate riveted to the body. It does say trim and paint code but both blank. 

So looks likes a replacement with the chassis number on only.

[mikeyb]

Oh rats!  That will be the one then 🤔

So interior trim is fairly easy to nail as there were only a few different base colours, the paint on the other hand will have to be identified by eye.  At the risk of stating the obvious, the places to find the freshest unfaded paint are door shuts, underside of bootlid and spare wheel well.  If you get a chance, polish up a bit of the spare wheel well maybe and post a pic and we'll have another go.

[yorkshire_spam]

If it bothers you not knowing the "official" colours and you are prepared to risk some money... a heritage certificate might record the actual colour names rather than simply generic ones (For example my Spitfire is recorded as "Flamenco" for the body colour). If the certificate has a proper Triumph colour name rather than a generic name then you can use the table in the front of a parts manual to get the code(s).

If that works, you could always get a replacement plate or have yours stamped with the right codes.

Cheers, Sam

[Rosbif]

A heritage certificate can also be interesting as it will/should confirm the original engine and chassis number as well as interior trim. Can also list any factory fitted equipment, build date . .

[PeteStupps]

On 18/12/2021 at 10:15, Tim Hunt said:

Nick, talk of desperately low gearing puts me in mind of my 1275cc Morris Mini Cooper S, GLW 183C. This gave 16mph per 1,000rpm in top!

Pretty sure the 1300fwd is 14mph per 1000rpm, but I don't mind cruising at 70mph... my engines don't seem to last long though! 

[PeteStupps]

Car looks lovely @Dave bunney, does it run ok? 

That roof is interesting - it is vinyl is it? Did you get any old paperwork with the car?

[Dave Bunney]

Hi Pete, the car had a lot of previous owners wiring in there, which was removed And with the legends Nathan and Phil helping me got the car sounding sweet. 

Then some issues ensued. The electronic starter failed, the outer CV fell out at full lock as there was nothing holding it in.

Water is leaking in somewhere drivers side. 

Gutter sealed windscreen and still found some, so I will be investigating this. Currently has a cover on, only windows and windscreen mind. 

So to do list :

put on new ignition, not electronic but rotor etc. 

Remove carpets, and source and fix leak. Make my own custom carpets for boot and interior with logos cut in for personal touch. 

paint a few parts in the. At to be black rather than weathered look.

paint the roof lining to get rid of stains and smarten it up. 

buy new headlights with modern bulbs. Found some units with no side lights 7" which should do the job. 

bought more underseal, so will tackle everywhere again to be certain rust is covered to prevent it getting worse. 

Get new rotaflex on passenger side as it split on my maiden voyage home from garage. 

lastly go for a proper drive with car all done fingers crossed. 

 

 

[PeteStupps]

Good stuff Dave, nothing's ever easy is it. Sorry I posted essentially the same question about the roof on Facebook. Pretty sure the 1300 never had a vinyl roof option (were they a thing before 1970?) so I'd guess it is a later Dolomite one.

My main tip would be to source ignition parts from Distributor Doctor, which have been faultless in my experience but I did hear of some possibly suspect condensers recently. 

Rotoflex couplings, the ones from ANG don't have a bad reputation for the price (I fitted some recently), or you can try getting in touch with Robush who make the Metalastik branded ones - bit more expensive but apparently the best. 

Not sure about sources of your leak. The air vent cavity in front of the bulkhead must have a drain which might be blocked, but I'm not familiar with how that is routed. 

[Dave Bunney]

Hi Pete, not a problem..really not sure about the roof. A few ppl have said it's factory, others not. So I really don't know. Might do some digging to see what I can unearth.

Purchased some new headlights, non sealed upgrades so easier to replace. 

Got some new door handle seals too for all four. Another job on water protection. 

No unfortunately not easy, many areas to hunt down to find this leak. It's starting to test me. 

I dug out the previous silicone which was in between the wing and A pillar. I have filled it with gutter sealant for now to test if that's a cause. 

I then found the grommet around the bonnet release cable was worn. And is it points to the sky water could potentially run down it. So more gutter seal around that too. 

 

Luckily I have a spare engine and it had a distributor on it, so will exchange with that. 

I did actually order a rotaflex from TD fitchets. Which was reasonable.

 Once fitted time will tell how decent it is.

 

So tomorrow will see how we get on if it rains etc..but another pool in the footwell today which sucks and is annoying and worrying. I will look more under the dash and see if we can find this water ingress. 

 

Cheers. 

 

[Dave Bunney]

Evening all. So I still have a leak..... I have images below to see if anyone can see anything I've missed maybe? 

So water droplets are visible behind pedals and from above the bonnet release, but funnily nowhere near the wiper motor bolts ?????? 

 

[PeteStupps]

How tidy is the joint where the front wing meets the A-post? Could be leaking there, or collecting below the wiper motor and seeping through the seam? The latter would make more sense if the rubber seal around the top of the scuttle panel (not sure what you call it, the bit beneath the bonnet air vents) is missing or letting water past. 

[Dave Bunney]

Today I found the culprit. 

I was messing about with my torch in the car and was shining it up behind the dash as I had some more water ingress. 

Found a small bit of light coming from below the wiper motor. 

Found a rusty bit of metal, and low and behold it's a hole!!!!

So wiper motor off tomorrow and see what the damage is. 

But will get some mesh and/or fibre glass kits to rectify once I know what I'm dealing with. 

Ultimately if it's bad it should be welded. But we shall see once I've cleared the area and taken a proper look. 

Again thanks to everyone so far putting up with me on the water leak!! And offering any advice you can. I really really do appreciate it. And will soon post images of good things happening 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

[Dave Bunney]

So here is a pic of where the water was getting in. 

Couldn't see these originally because of all of the crap on top hiding it. 

As you can see, daylight, lots of it!!! 

 

 

 

[PeteStupps]

Awkward place to weld! That picture's taken under the steering column isn't it? If the bonnet seal rubber is in good condition around the fresh air intake, you shouldn't get too much water in there though. If the rubber isn't sealing you'll get all the run-off from the windscreen seeping in.

[Dave Bunney]

It is yes under the dash and behind the wiring loom. It would be a dash out job really. 

It's all because of the drainage areas on the driver's side full of soil and crud. So just rotted through. 

Bonnet seal seems good to be honest. 

Removed the wiper motor to get "better" access. But it's so limited. 

I've used fiberfix patches to stick on the inside to cover the holes. Then chemical metal  on the outside under the wiper motor to fill it as well then primed it. 

just need some top coat to finish, refit the motor and should be good.

also trying to keep a cover over the windows and bonnet vent only when it rains to help the situation and prevent water getting in. 

Progress in the right direction, just annoyed at fixing previous owners neglect and "creative" ideas. 

 

[Velocita Rosso]

16 hours ago, Dave bunney said:

 

I've used fiberfix patches to stick on the inside to cover the holes. Then chemical metal  on the outside under the wiper motor to fill it as well then primed it. 

just need some top coat to finish, refit the motor and should be good.

 

 

So...a bodge?...or a put you on till you weld properly. ?

[Tim Bancroft]

Bit harsh to call it a 'bodge'..seems like a pragmatic answer if it works.

[Velocita Rosso]

1 hour ago, Tim Bancroft said:

Bit harsh to call it a 'bodge'..seems like a pragmatic answer if it works.

Don`t think its harsh....just a Yorkshire way of expression. Not only that....if its sold on at some point someone else would have to put some corrections in

[Dave Bunney]

I bought the car with no intention of selling, but renovate. It's for me to drive and enjoy for many a year yet, I hope!! 

And due to weather it's a temporary fix.

To weld this properly the whole dash needs removing and at this time of year I just need the car to be waterproof otherwise bigger issues will arise from it especially from how much water was getting in. 

So not a bodge really as that would imply (to me at least) its been done quickly/incorrectly and will work without much care. But I've taken a lot of time and research to see the best way to repair it without being able to use my first choice of welding.

That's the issue with older cars, many owners and many people's own ideas of what is correct or right and wrong.

So much tinkering from each individual that you end up with a vehicle with many "bodges" as well as intuitive designs and flaws. 

So hope that sort of explains it a bit 🤷🏻‍♂️.

 

 

 

[Velocita Rosso]

Temporary fixes are OK....if you dont` let them go too far....as a strip down and welding will cure all

Gone through a full strip and restoration so I know ,after months of making do and mend, how much satisfaction there is in doing it all right, and to the book.

There are sufficient on here to give advice.......but full blown CT membership then gives impetus from other members to visit and give their two penneth worth of advice. 

I once saw a TR6 bought and it had holes in the bulkhead as bad as Yorkshiremen`s  shoe soles, the owner did sticky patches all over, tarted it up ...and then sold it on for a £4k profit . I still wince when I think of the poor unsuspecting soul who bought it