Clive

It's possible. Earlier springs were softer and a shorter fitted length. You can have a go at measuring the spring rate. Weigh yourself in lbs, measure thd spring length then stand on the spring (best done in a doorway so you can stop yourself falling off) and get somebody to measure the compressed length. Even better if you can add weight, maybe 25l of water in a container or whatever. Or find a place with a spring rate gauge.... 1500 springs are 180lb/inch from memory. Earlier springs as low as 140 I think.

This B+B (OK, B+B box) also has the concentric marks on the fingers. I wonder if the marks are from a QA check?

Update on the Vitesse The rebuilt 4 syncho OD box, 3.89 diff, swingspring, M16 calipers/Gt6 discs, new prop are all fitted. Tyres swapped over to the minilites. And all is well. I even ran a cable from the gearbox reverse light switch so I can get rid of the dash-mounted switch (1600 Vitesse didsn't have reverse lights, so a manual switch has been added at sometime, next to one for the fog light that must have beed fitted at the same time.) However the oil light went from not working at all to staying on permanently. Which is far more irritating than no light at all. A swap to a new switch and it now lights up, but goes out instantly the engine is running. Happy with that. Especially as I used the opportunity to remove the extra oil feed to the rocker gear. I just need to get the new pads bedded it, the pedal feels a tad soft despite fitting a 0.70 master cylinder for the bigger calipers. Definitely no air in the system. And thats it until after my week of sitting in the sun doing nothing more useful than reading a book and drinking tea and beer.

I thnk you can use your professional qualification. They seem to allow tradesman to get one. I blagged mine years ago. Turned up in overalls etc.

Brake cleaner is the stuff these days. Carbon tet not been (Easily) available for about 20 years or more!

I should add, it is the blocks that are recessed around the bores. Not the heads. Any "mk2" type head will fit, some (much) better than others.

The engine needs a set of core plugs soon. The cam swap is pretty easy with the head removed, and a skim is not expensive. The unleaded conversion may be more than I paid last time I had one done. In other news, the Vitesse now has the diaphragm cluch kit, plus the fresh later 4 synchro box in it, and new prop. No rear spring yet. The later gearbox has a reverse light switchwhich means I can soon use the reverse light sensibly (it currently has a seperate flick switch, which is a PITA). I haven't changed the slave, and the clutch does not feel heavy, so that can stay. I will potter on with the odds and ends, then take the day off on Wednesday to hopefully get it (more or less) finished.

The obvious givaway is the head gasket. If it has a tab sticking out at the rear of the head it is recessed, if not tab it isn't. (but beware, I have had an engine that wasn't recessed bore, but had the incorrect gasket fiitted. Likewise somebody could ciut the tab off the gasket. People do odd things)

Apologies, we are looking into what the issue is. I will be in contact once resolved. Now fixed

The order of "significant" jobs has crystallised a little. My friend Pete has given the gearbox a decent overhaul, and I have now got a 3.89 diff and a new propshaft. I am also swapping the rear spring to a swingspring constructed from a couple of good used ones. While teh car is up in the air, I have fitted full sized GT6/Vitesse discs (the 1600 has the slightly smaller spitfire discs) and teh Type12 calipers are being replaced with m16 metric calipers from a ford. I absolutely refuse to use the new Triumph calipers after hearing the experiences others have had. The ones I got are almost identical to Triumph except they have the same lug spacing as the spitfire/herald etc. And I heard a rumour (!) that if the disc was reduced a little in diameter they would fit right on. Nope, with the discs off the caliper fouled the actual hub. And I know the early hubs are chunkier. So a trip to another friend and a play on the lathe had the hubs reshaped. But it was clear that either I was not being brave enough, or I needed to sit the calipers futher out. So I made some new caliper mounts, and it all fits. And then..... I cant fit a steel wheel. At this point I was looking for a sturdy tree and length of rope. So I have bought a set of minilitish wheels that do fit. Something I was toying with as I want to make the car "mine" However, the moral of the story is that I should have got GT6/Vitesse p16s and the associated brackets. Or just left the smaller brakes..... The gearbox will be out of the car today, and the flywheel so I can redrill to accept a better/stronger diaphragm clutch (I have got an AP cover, plate and proper RHP bearing) Saturday I hope to get it all bolted back together. A winter job is in the pipeline. I have got a 25/65 cam, and intend to take the head off, a hefty skim to get the CR to 9.5, new core plugs, maybe 3 angle valve seats and unleaded inserts while it is apart. Fit the cam, and a the pair of strombergs I have bought. Hoping that will perk the performance up a bit! Also in the garage I have my rebuilt sprint engine to go in my Dolomite. That is a possible autumn job. And in the spring the Spit will get a bit of bodywork and paint, the 40K hard miles has taken its toll in places. Talking of which, the car behaved impeccably on the recent trip to Slovenia. Managed a new top speed of 127mph on the autobahn, roof down but then I was told to back off by the lady wife. There was still a bit to go, but genuinely nearing the limit of the H rated tyres. So probably sensible. Otherwise I had to add about a litre of water on the first day, then it was fine therest of the trip. When I got home about 1/2 litre of oil to top up, but that was well over 2k miles. Nothing else to report, it just works. Right, the sun is out, time to pull a gearbox out of a vitesse.

worringly if you google the burton part number is appears to be a QH part number for a 215mm clutch. But the correct plate is from an early sierra 1600 (however, 2 types were used, so check it is the 1" 23 spline centre)

This looks hopeful. 7 1/4" is 185mm, this one is 190. https://www.burtonpower.com/std-clutch-plate-ford-x-flow-ohv-kent-190mm-1-x23-c784af.html

No, but it is the same as TR7 5 speed and dolomite 1850, so that plate gets used when converting 2L cars.

From tbe Canley blurb, you can buy collars to take up the gap. If you want a 1500 flywheel, I have a freebie in Brighton.

That looks like it is the "custom supplied" clutch plate. No idea who sells them, but Frontline were the people supplying kits, so may be able to help. The better idea may well be to use the larger clutch/1500 flywheel. Proably the cheaper option too. Besides, the plate you have looks as if it has lost springs? But appears to have plenty of friction material. And the cover has odd wear marks on the fingers, as if the bearing has been rubbing halfway down them. Wear is usually at the tips.

The hubcaps in that picture are the original type. The pointy type come with the new soothie wheels, and I very much doubt they will fit the original rims.

The fitted wheels are the new 5.5J "smoothie" wheels, indicated by the "pointy" hubcaps. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133555192429 They are about £300 a set new. If they were the original Dunlop LP923 wheels, they are worth loads! (probably why these are being reproduced) Tyres on wheels is tricky. If they are good quality tyres, correct size (I would say 175/70 13 is the correct size on the 5,5 wheels) and not old, they add some value. In reality, your best bet may be ebay to sell these if you can cope with the occasional idiotic question. I expect they will fetch north of £200, possibly more. Partly depending on location.

The relay earth can be tiny, the current is so small. Otherwise, yes, sounds good to me. I used them, but boy can they rust. The 2nd set I stprayed with some wax protection spray, and that certainly helped.

I recently fitted relays to my 1850. I cut into the loom behind/under the dash. And use a pair of relays, one for dipped, one for main. I used a single feed wire to the 2 relays, 33A cable and that was protected by a single 30A continious rated fuse close to the battery so all the wire is protected (fused relays only protect the wiring after the relay) As to wire size, auto wiring is often sold by current. But for thin wall cable (beware, thick walled will be different) 2mm is 25A, so adequate for the 4x main beams. But I would probably overspec to 3mm (33A) 1mm is 17A, so if you go for 3 relays, that would be ideal. As long as you feed each relay individually. 15A fuses in the 3 relays.

Govt appears to have booked it. Premier Inn seems to be the popular alternative.

The biggest problem with gearboxes is that GL5 is too slippery (too good?) for the synchros to be able to grip the hubs. Many modern gearboxes (Honda, Nissan and probably many many more) are not suited tio GL5 either. Today, most GL5 oil is yellow metal safe, but you have to check with the manufacturer if you wish to use it in your diff. The simple solution is to play it safe, and use GL4 oil. Incidently, the Honda boxes are very specific. I rebuild a Jazz gearbox (just 2 bearings required) and used a "compatable" oil. Correct grade etc and the gearchange is definitely clunkier. At some point I will drain and fill with the correct Honda oil. At £15 a litre.... That oil may be good in a Triumph box, a bit thinner, and correct grade of additives.

No eveidence to say they do. And thinking about my chemistry degree, all the claims are pure bo!!0ck$.

Yes, thicker oil can help a bit. EP80 and 90 were the original specification, but ep80/90 is a good option especially for gearboxes. They MUST have gl4 oil, yellow metal safe or not, A thicker oil in the box can make the gearchange difficult. When checking the diff for backlash, there are 2 different ones to check for. The CW&P is VERY subtle and should be a tiny amount. As in a couple of mm rotation. The backlash most people feel is the far more obvious one, play in the differential itself which is down to worn washers and isn't a serious issue. Of course, it could be a bearing, but a stripdown is needed to find that. Mark is correct, many (most?) diffs whine to some extent or another, so don't fret too much.

It souunds like you have a bit of noise from the diff. Power on and the crownwheel&pinion are under pressure, no power to the diff and that pressure is released. It depends how bad it is, but once a CW&P get noisy they are VERY difficult to get silent, all a rebuild can do is reset them with shims, but it is likely to still have some noise. Even brand new diffs from reputable suppliers can scream. Moss sell a "special" oil for noisy diffs. It may help a little, and they are clear it doesn't fix the issue, just attempost to quieten it a bit. It is a GL5 oil, but is safe to use. I expect any other 85/140 oil would do the same job

The diff needs resealing. Seals are cheap, and the front one is easy to do. The side seals require somebody with the correct tool to press the bearing off the sideshaft (do it wring and it snaps) Re diff oil, as Amy says, anything in the range 75 to 90 EP oil, GL4 (or a yellow metal safe GL5, but that takes some digging for the info) I use an 80/90 GL4 for engine and gearbox.