Darren Sharp

Still looks ok from 20yards away though. Driving much sweeter but I’m going to investigate the big ends before too long . Fine up to 3000 revs but then a bit too rumbly for me . Still can’t trace the annoying ever present tappet noise either so may have to have the lump out for a real good rummage at some point . Daily driving at the moment about 100 miles a week .

Latest news … So Nick says , how many panels on the Dolly need the welder then Darren? Er All of them Nick! See below

It sounds like restoring this car is a step too far for you . Finding a much better one may be the cheaper and better solution. Keep your options open as there may be a resto project out there that has had all the welding and panel work and is in need of paint finishing . Advertise widely and see what comes along .

Next up in the return of the log has been replacing both engine mounts. The nearside one looked a little 'baggy' and upon loosening the mounting bolts ( which was really easy) and jacking the engine up gently it fell in half with the rubber part having parted company with the backing plate. The engine was still shaky so a week later I tackled the off side. This has slightly less accessibility and was fitted with nylocs which made it a faff to release with two ring spanners as there was no room for a ratchet. This time the top plate was detached. All three powertrain supports on this car have now been replaced. The net effect of all this whole lot of shaking going on is that the entire drive train is now noticeably quieter and the bulkhead shake and exhaust rattling has abated. sadly though I didn't find it in time to stop the manifold to downpipe gasket blowing again. I fixed that this morning, relieved to find that it wasn't the torturous manifold to head gasket

Just changed the front near side engine mount on The Log ! Now the bulkhead shake has gone in an instant … if I can just get rid of that constant ticking noise and the rumble under load …. A few more trials on the road to recovery . Just bought a 9” x 7 “ sticker of the Marmite label from eBay …. Saves a lot of questions at car shows . Russet brown I’m a fan when it’s all one shade lol

Nice to see Mark Rutter and his family today . That young man sure tucked into his chocolate Sundae!

Hi all I am a volunteer at the Bubble Car Museum at Langrick near Boston Lincolnshire. Museum is open Fri- Sun 10-5 (last museum admittance 4pm) from Easter until November great nostalgic place not just for the Bubble cars but also of the era of they’re heyday with displays of 1950’s homes ,decor and domestic appliances. This is great for those with partners who are not so interested in cars as it’s very nostalgic of the era . There is also a camp site on the grounds for tents and tourers with electric hook up if required. Pop in if you are up this way .

So last week I had the manifolds off the Log . The exhaust side was burned out at both the manifold and downpipe . A long job but successful. Ever since I’ve had The log back in my possession it’s had a misfire , doesn’t rev cleanly and had a lot of excessive engine noise . I’ve done the tappets several times , cold as per the manuals removed and inspected the rocker shaft , removed the pushrods and checked all the ancillaries for bearing rumbles Etc . It now has a sealed manifold and today I’ve fitted a new electronic distributor and coil . Done in an hour it has transformed the cars drivability . I checked and triple checked the wiring before fitting the new coil and distributor, to ensure that I didn’t ‘blow the sensor’ . Many of our old cars have had the wiring tampered with over the years and it’s quite common on points equipped cars to wire the coil backwards . Curiously they still work but not with aftermarket electronic undercap systems or full electronic distributors . They will fail immediately. They are also voltage sensitive and will not work with ballast resistors in the system , even if they are being used with a 12v coil. Consequently the ballast resistor circuit must be disabled before fitment. One way around this issue is to take the live feed to the distributor from a separate ignition controlled source rather than just direct to the coil + VE terminal . There are a few Ignition controlled wires on most triumphs and a good place to ‘plumb in’ is the heater fan circuit . IMG_0828.MOV

Today I’ve had the manifolds off the log after a chuffing noise from the engine told me all was not well. Those bottom fixings are a pig! I knew the manifold needed new studs and nuts so it had to come off in any case.

Hi all Today I recovered a Spitfire hood on Abbie Johnson’s 1979 1500. The hood was from a parts car and was repaired with new windows by a Chandler who deal with Perspex windows for boats . It needed a lot of scrubbing and some solvents to remove the old glue but it has come up really well with a bit of boot polish and some gentle warming with a het gun to stretch it over the frame . It is a Moss hood and fits like a glove . The only problems encountered were getting enough of the old glue off and realigning the old header rail with the replacement hood .

Here is a link to some pics of Kevin Hagger’s Vincent Hurricane. Almost complete after an epic build . Next on the agenda is a conversion to mechanical fuel injection. Awaiting the metering unit .

https://www.facebook.com/groups/club.triumph/permalink/10159450692263729/

Latest on the The log. I have now fitted the replacement Petrol tank in the Log . It was very well stored and required no more than a rinse round inside with fresh fuel . The old tank was deformed with the top crushed down . In the Dolomite the top of the tank is the floor of the boot , protected only by a piece of hardboard over the sender unit and the hardura boot mat and is susceptible to heaven loads being placed on top of it . A previous Dolomite of mine had a fuel smell in the cabin and it turned out to have a crack on the top of the tank . They were far easier to come by in the 1990’s and I replaced it with a new one. In the pictures you can see how the original tank has become concave (reference the cushion placed on edge across it) it should be flat. The fuel gauge reading empty with the ignition on has not featured on the car for many years because the deflection in the top of the tank caused the sender unit arm to foul on a baffle inside the tank . Other than this the tank is good so I’m going to inflate it to see if the top can be popped back up . I checked the breather and found that although it was clear I had to be careful to reinstall the filler pipe rubber so as to keep it from obstructing the outlet . I have a nagging doubt in my mind about how the top of the tank became crushed I do remember doing a lot of camping with this car and even towing a trailer tent with it . At the time I bought a heavy 6 man tunnel tent . If that was stored on top of the tank along with camp kitchens and all the paraphernalia it could have caused some damage. It’s quite strange having Amy (as it used to be known when I owned it in the 2000’s ) AKA the log back in my ownership. As I’m going through the various jobs I’m finding marks and scratches that were made at the time . Like the holes for the tow bar and a scratch on the offside rear door caused by a girl walking past the car with a tent pole sticking out from her rucksack . I’ve chosen some smart new wheels and I’m looking forward to the winter when Nick will be getting out the hot spanner’s to repair the headlamp support panels and tidy up the door bottoms . There are a couple of small holes in the corners of the front floor wells which will need his attention and a full inspection of the vulnerable subframe mounts, both of which have been previously repaired to ensure that they are fit for future service . Otherwise the bottom of the car is surprisingly good. My next job is to replace all the suspension bushes , the shocks and both track rod ends . They work fine but both have split gaiters . After I’d used a 1/4 tank inspection of the rear fuel filter (fitted with new R9 hose) shows no debris in the new tank . Inspired I gave the rear underside a bit of t cut !

Latest on the The log. I have now fitted the replacement Petrol tank in the Log . It was very well stored and required no more than a rinse round inside with fresh fuel . The old tank was deformed with the top crushed down . In the Dolomite the top of the tank is the floor of the boot , protected only by a piece of hardboard over the sender unit and the hardura boot mat and is susceptible to heaven loads being placed on top of it . A previous Dolomite of mine had a fuel smell in the cabin and it turned out to have a crack on the top of the tank . They were far easier to come by in the 1990’s and I replaced it with a new one. In the pictures you can see how the original tank has become concave (reference the cushion placed on edge across it) it should be flat. The fuel gauge reading empty with the ignition on has not featured on the car for many years because the deflection in the top of the tank caused the sender unit arm to foul on a baffle inside the tank . Other than this the tank is good so I’m going to inflate it to see if the top can be popped back up . I checked the breather and found that although it was clear I had to be careful to reinstall the filler pipe rubber so as to keep it from obstructing the outlet . I have a nagging doubt in my mind about how the top of the tank became crushed I do remember doing a lot of camping with this car and even towing a trailer tent with it . At the time I bought a heavy 6 man tunnel tent . If that was stored on top of the tank along with camp kitchens and all the paraphernalia it could have caused some damage. It’s quite strange having Amy (as it used to be known when I owned it in the 2000’s ) AKA the log back in my ownership. As I’m going through the various jobs I’m finding marks and scratches that were made at the time . Like the holes for the tow bar and a scratch on the offside rear door caused by a girl walking past the car with a tent pole sticking out from her rucksack . I’ve chosen some smart new wheels and I’m looking forward to the winter when Nick will be getting out the hot spanner’s to repair the headlamp support panels and tidy up the door bottoms . There are a couple of small holes in the corners of the front floor wells which will need his attention and a full inspection of the vulnerable subframe mounts, both of which have been previously repaired to ensure that they are fit for future service . Otherwise the bottom of the car is surprisingly good. My next job is to replace all the suspension bushes , the shocks and both track rod ends . They work fine but both have split gaiters . After I’d used a 1/4 tank inspection of the rear fuel filter (fitted with new R9 hose) shows no debris in the new tank . Inspired I gave the rear underside a bit of t cut !

Nice!

I’ve had no issues with my Speedo but it does dip out in the M.25 tunnels for a few seconds .

Hi all, Olaf has had new boots, a PAS rack and I’ve just invested in a gallon of Lanoguard for the underside . The Flying Log is now back with me and will be getting a bit of attention. So far he has had a full service and replacement bits and bobs . New petrol tank is on the way . Aftermarket exhaust has been adjusted and is no longer fouling the body but it’s a dreadful fit . Only one company making a kit these days so I may have to go bespoke or at least get it tweaked a bit . Gearbox mounting was hanging out due to loose and missing bolts so it’s all been tweaked back up. Oh and lots of cleaning .

New website should be up and running later tonight !

Just in case anyone wonders how to wire a pre engaged starter to mate with Spitfire wiring it’s all quite simple . The pre engaged starter has its Solenoid mounted on top off the motor whereas all spitfires have inertia type starters and the solenoid is remotely mounted on the bulkhead. The Bulkhead mounted Solenoid is a hub for many other functions but it is easily bypassed for starting by removing the starter wire (red and white) from the ignition switch . This is extended and routed to the bottom terminal on the pre engaged unit. A second wire goes from the pre engaged starter direct to the negative terminal of the coil . Then the big thick wire is detached from the old solenoid bottom terminal and Siamese’d with the top terminal on the old solenoid (this goes direct to the + terminal on the battery) you could cut out the old solenoid altogether but it looks neat and prevents the need to buy new leads . One top tip is the fitting of a discarnect device . This little gem saves a lot of hassle removing the battery connection to work on car electrical’s . I fitted it last year as a solution to a constant battery draining issue on this car. This has now been resolved with the fitting of a new alternator. The diode pack in the old unit had failed meaning it constantly drained the battery . A hard one to diagnose without proper testing gear (and the knowledge) if someone can explain why it does this it might be very useful cheers all

So Pt 2 started with the discovery that friend and Club Triumph local group organiser Andy Johnson had recently purchased a Spitfire 1500 Donor car . It’s an absolute basket case but came fitted with a 1300 engine that had been rebuilt and a J type o/d . This was the reason for its purchase as a donor for another Spitfire in the family which is a long term resto project. I spotted the engine , removed from the car and perched on a crate and enquired if it was surplus to requirements. It was and I brokered a deal between Matt and Andy . The engined was duly delivered. I was still not convinced that the Dolly engine was as tired as Matt had imagined and during a visit to his house I realised that the reason my own compression tester hadn’t fitted before was because I had covered the head with an adapter to protect it .. doh. I removed the adapter and carried out a quick test and found 150lbs of pressure in No’s 2&4 . I didn’t have time to remove the dizzy and alternator for the other two but I’m fairly confident they would have revealed similar reasons . Matt’s eBay tester was just tatt! . I returned a few days later and found the car bonnet off and half the engine dismantled. Ready for removal . I was a bit disappointed as I’m pretty certain we never really got to the bottom of the tuning issue with the Dolly lump . Good friend and wise Guru Chris Allen has now offered up a very plausible explanation based on the examination of the dismantled lump. With an engine crane acquired all attempts to remove the old cylinder head were abandoned . I’d wanted a look at it in situ and intended to get it off for valve testing and gasket examination before putting it back on to attach the hoist . Sadly it was seized solid on two of the 10 studs which rebutted all attempts at removal . A shame because the others came out easily with no damage . I carried on trying to remove the head whilst Matt and his aptly named RAF mechanic friend Mr Wrench (yes really, nicknamed Spanner’s) set about preparing the replacement engine for fitting . It was at this point I noticed that the clutch was entirely different with a 21 point splined plate . It was never going to mate with a ten splined gearbox input shaft . Closer examination revealed that the phosphor bronze bush was also missing and the ring gear was also a odd size and half the thickness of the one on the Dolomite engine. Removing both ring gears revealed that the ‘New’ engine was also sporting much smaller flywheel bolts which precluded a straight swap with the flywheel from the Dolly engine. Matt had negotiated the purchase of the starter motor with the new engine and it was a pre engaged type. The clutch plate was also bigger. At this point work stopped for the day but we were left wondering where the Clutch and flywheel were actually from. They were clearly Triumph but not from a Spitfire. On my return Matt and Spanner’s had refitted the engine with a new clutch plate of the correct diameter and Splines . I had liberated the flywheel bush from the old engine and checked with Andy as to how it had gone missing from the new engine bearing in mind I’d had to remove the flywheel to salvage the other one. Andy had no idea but an inspection of the O/D gearbox nose in the scrapper suggests that it was never fitted. The last time the clutch had been changed. The mystery of where the flywheel had come from was solved by an examination of the pre engaged starter motor . These were never fitted to any Spitfire’s but were fitted to late Dolomites and Sprints. With the engine back in and the starter fitted , the problem of bypassing the solenoid in the car and wiring up the new pre engaged one had to be undertaken . Despite starting the donor car the pre engaged starter appeared dead and resisted all attempts to make it operate on the car. The old inertia starter would not mesh with the Dolomite ring gear so off it came for internal inspection. Once apart it was thoroughly cleaned and I found that one of the brushes was full of gunk and stuck solid . It was freed off and the solenoid was properly lubricated and it then sprung to life . Refitted with the bolts in the other way round from the back plate forwards (much easier to fit ) the moment of truth came . On the first turn the engine sprung to life . It was dry of water so was only briefly run to set the static timing and a quick look at the dynamic with my timing gun. Matt was keen to get water flowing round it so he topped it up . A second start up to check for leaks and water was pouring from the pump housing . I said “ did you have this apart” Matt rather sheepishly replied that he had swapped the pump off the old engine as it had been replaced . He had not however bought a new gasket or any Blue Hylomar to seal it with . “Oh it’ll be alright he says, just needs nipping up” he then promptly sheared one of the housing bolts... arghh! Off it all came again including the housing and we went off to the chippy for dinner. I advised new gaskets all round and a tube of the blue stuff . Good job he only lives two miles from Rimmers ! up and running! IMG_0520.MOV

That’s in Pt 2 but I did do a compression test on it and his ebay tester was woefully out .

That’s in Pt 2 but I did do a compression test on it and his ebay tester was woefully out .