Hurricane 1600 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Nick_Jones wrote:Driver error....... The steering rack died of blunt-trauma - not natural causes! :PNickToo True :) :) :)but did make it home mostly thanks to Jean Claude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeks Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Martin, I think there should be a special category with double penalty points for DNGOOB.... Did not get out of Britain ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyb Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 2133 wrote:We were covered by Peter James' European breakdown cover, :/Ow that used to be pretty good. Hope you will be advising PJ of the shortcomings so hopefully they will be addressed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 We had Peter James provided brakedown insurance and they were all brilliant. They arranged 3 hire cars, kept us infomed by phone, even worked out which train we needed to catch near Brunig to get to Chur in time to get tothe car hire place before it closed and also asked the garage's apprentice to drive us to the station (like a madman, as we were late....) to get the correct train. The comany who was acting on their behalf was AA ACTA based in Lyon.They were super efficient (so far), and I'll be telling Peter James that fact, when the car finally arrives here in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Raider wrote:OK - reason?It still made the ferry after ours, though granted it didn't visit the final control stop.I count that as a finisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 2133 wrote:If I went further inland than Northern France in my Spit I'd seriously consider taking out proper breakdown cover, has anyone had to use that?FRom what I understand they tend to use the same company as the free ones that come with the insurance, so the experience may well be similar.You may find the age of the vehicle precludes you taking it out in the first place, and if you do get cover it can be eye-wateringly expensive.And if it does break down their cost limits ar elower so you are less likely to see your "£100 old banger" back home again, no agreed values etc etc.....CheersColin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sienna PI Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I'm insured with P James insurance- cannot fault for one minute the premium...Can't be bothered to go into details about journey home other than they sent us to the wrong airport and missed the flight home from Germany-you can guess the rest and now i'm home i can actually laugh about it!!! ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJP Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 on my previous two attempts at the 10CR, I used the AA European Breakdown service, both times the service was excellent, hire cars were provided, Hotels were provided and the cost was very reasonable for a 1976 Spitfire on both occasions.This year I elected to rely on my 'free' breakdown cover with Richardson Hoskin Insurance, I can't comment on its effectiveness as I didn't need it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don cook1 Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 So...the GT6 is the most successful (by dint of total numbers) Triumph on the 10CR so far?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotoflex Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Rather than just assuming the GT6's have some advantage, I would be interested in seeing a plot of DNF's against infrequency of use.It seems like most of the GT6's on the 10CR's may be nearly daily driver vehicles for their owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GigGleR Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Well, I suspect the reasons that my 2000 estate died were a) overheated fuel pump and b) I think there is a tiny hole in the primary fuel run that expands as the engine gets hot drawing air into the system making the car undriveable. Our recovery cover was provided by the AA. Hires and repatriation used the car should be here by the end of the week fingers crossed ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 The Spitfire has landed.....3 weeks to the day of its recovery, it arrived home today as a single car on a 10 car double-decker transporter, which was towing a 6 car double-decker trailer! It caused traffic chaos outside my house (I live on a main road) but I was very relieved to see it home safe and sound.Sump off this weekend and an inspection of the shells and crank I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksnatcher Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Nice one Mike.....arrived saying ' look at me....! '...bet the neighbours were impressed :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radders Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 sparky_spit wrote:The Spitfire has landed.....3 weeks to the day of its recovery, it arrived home today as a single car on a 10 car double-decker transporter, which was towing a 6 car double-decker trailer! It caused traffic chaos outside my house (I live on a main road) but I was very relieved to see it home safe and sound.Sump off this weekend and an inspection of the shells and crank I think.Glad you've got your car back Mike. Be interesting to know the result of of your examination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocita Rosso Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 391 wrote:Glad you've got your car back Mike. Be interesting to know the result of of your examination. ...high blood pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 michael_charlton wrote:...high blood pressure? ;D ;D ;D - yes you're right there. Maybe I should have tapped some pressure off and fed it into the oil system via the oil pressure gauge pipe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radders Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 sparky_spit wrote: ;D ;D ;D - yes you're right there. Maybe I should have tapped some pressure off and fed it into the oil system via the oil pressure gauge pipe? I thought about doing that but the alcohol would have thinned the oil down too much. Especially after Rolduc! ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beans Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 sparky_spit wrote: ... relieved to see it home safe and sound ... Good to hear that :X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Well, I had the sump off this morning and this is was what I found (see pic of all 4 big ends and the centre main). Not as bad as it could have been, considering the noise it was making when hot. This engine has never been apart before and therefore has the original VP shells, but with 75,000 miles on them. All are well down into the copper with some scoring on numbers 3 and 4. The rear main was about the same as the centre one. I'm not taking the front one off as I'm not going to faff about with the front sealing block, as the engine's still in the car.New shells and thrust washers will be ordered in the morning so I can get it back together as soon as possible. There was 15 thou thrust clearance and both washers were at 85-ish thou instead of the 92 thou as spec. I'll leave the front main to chance.I will mic up the big ends, and Plastigauge the 2 mains I can reach with the new shells when they arrive, but to be honest, all this is a bit academic really as the new shells are going in whatever clearances are like. The scoring is pretty minor on the crank. I just need this engine to last another couple of thousand miles until the newly rebuilt one is completely finished.Interestingly, one of the centre main cap bolts was not a lot more than finger tight - I reckon about 15lbft or so? All the other bolts were F-tight.Now I'm off to scrub all the oil stains off my head.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 home and in bits already, well done Mike.Great feeling getting it back isn't it..I remember pushing the car in the garage and not looking at it for 3 months. Well miffed at the time.You will soon have the car back on the road.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Mike,Presumably the upper shell-halves in the con-rods are worse? Those don't look far enough gone to make big noise? Is the crank definitely in one piece? .......'cause that can sound alot like a knackered big end?CheersNick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Rob - yes it is great getting it back. Not having it here, and the slight (but real) risk of it never coming back made me realise how much I'd miss it - so many memories.Nick - upper halves about the same. There's noticeable movement in the BEs on the journals - I'll know more once I've measured them all. I'm going to check the crank again, but I'm pretty certain it's all in one piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Well I put in the new BE shells, the new centre and rear mains, and new thrust washers in last night and put the sump back on this lunchtime. Gave it a whirl on the starter with plugs out to get some pressure up and then started it. Sounds fine, with 60psi hot and 40psi hot idle.The BE journals were spot on lower spec limit, with no ovality, but the worst was running 4.5 thou clearance with the old shells in. With new shells they are back to 1 thou as spec. Mains (well centre and rear anyway) were running with 4 thou clearance, and were back to 1 thou with the new shells. Couldn't test ovality properly, as the crank was still in the car of course.Took it for a quick run to get it hot and all seems okay so far - fingers crossed. The job only took about 3 hours, admittedly over three days. I reckon, given the urgency, and suitable jacks/stands to get enough car height, you could do BEs only on the side of the road in under 2 hours. Maybe I should have taken some spare shells with me and done them halfway up the Alps? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 That's good :) Guess you stopped in time! I've done Herald BE shells in the road in a London side street....... desperate students only I'd suggest!The shells that came out of my PI looked worse than those......... It might have knocked but the clutch was so knackered I couldn't give it any welly....Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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