Clive

Doug, what type of temp/fuel gauges? Jaegar or smiths? I only have a Jaegar fuel gauge, but have both in Smiths. I might have a dashboard somewhere, but I haven't seen it for a while. Can investigate.

Looking at this another way, why has the battery discharged in the first place? If there is a vampire device in the car draining the battery, and it has made the battery completely flat, the battery may not recover. But the supplier should replace under warranty. 

Once you get this issue sorted, you need to check what is going on, a battery should hold charge for many many months. 

And yes, do try the charger on another battery, they too sometimes go wrong. Ho hum.

GB is herald 1200 I think. But all of the herald gearboxes (except the all alloy ones) are the same internally. So nothing to be learnt.

The stabaliser thing, I think you can safely remove that. Was is a exhaust steady? I can't remember now.

21 hours ago, samwhite95 said:

Hi All,

Looking to replace my steering wheel on my herald. I have a 1967 herald 12/50. I've just seen a 1961 948 steering wheel pop up and it is probably the fairest price and best condition that I've seen so far. Is the fit different throughout the life of the herald of the steering wheel to the column?

Many thanks,

Sam

All heralds use the same steering  wheel splines.

5 hours ago, Neilriser said:

If i go the way of a Fitchetts recon gearbox what exactly would have been done to the box? just interested to know what it involves.

Most of the people building gearboxes or diffs rely on a supply of "core" stock from dismantled units. So when inspected, they will replace any damaged or unservicable parts with good ones. This may apply to bearings too. 

My t( box needed a 5th gear, BGH supplied a good used one. Likewise they replaced some of the synchros with better used items, as they refuse to use any of the new synchro rings available. A lot of this stuff is down to experience of the builder. 

And teh kicker is that with diffs, some shims are impossible to find. As the stock of used ones disappears (as it now is) goodness knows what will happen. Recently one of the guys who has been doing these for many many years said he had trouble finding shims for a rebuild, having to take several apart to find one that was usable. He has a lot of core, but no longer offers diff rebuilds. Expect to see this to spread. 

No reason to change bearings if they are still good. The trouble is knowing how a good bearing feels. Likewise the layshaft pin, and synchros. 

A friend is very good with gearboxes, but he is always very keen to know what issues a  box has before he strips it, so he has a clue what he is looking for. Indeed when I took my T9 box to BGH they wanted to know why I wanted it worked on. 

So if you have no experience with gearboxes, it may be best to simply clean it out, waggle the input shaft to feel for excessive play (usually the mainshaft tip bearings) and change the rear seal. I think the frnt has a scroll seal, so not replaceable, but you should check. Then drive the car once assembled, and hopefully all is well. 

A lot of the money is the labour to strip/clean/inspect/reassemble a gearbox. So that is unavoidable if you get somebody to do it for you.

32 minutes ago, Shynsy said:

ABK looks like it could work. That would be Fab.

Would you be happy for me to try them?

Tim

They are both between the needles you already have, so I would ask to try both. See what works best? 

I am sure Danny can be bribed.

2 hours ago, Howard said:

Clive, Any update on the planned date to open entries?

 

It is Ellis who is in charge. I just help out with the website side of things. However, I believe there are a few things still being sorted causing some delays. 

I am sure we will all know when a date has been set, and an email will go out to all members.

35 minutes ago, Shynsy said:

Looks like it would work (see below).

I am going to drive the car this weekend to see how it feels and do some logging of some acceleration runs before shelling out cash 🙂

Tim

ABT are std 1500 needles, so somebody may have some they can lend you to try? 

But if you want teh 6 cylinder noise, and to build a pretty std spit 6...

1. Inlet manifold. Needs to be a proper GT6/Vitesse type, all others WILL mean cutting holes in the bonnet. Other option is PI or EFI, but if that is your intention, ask. Nick is your man for EFI

2. Engine. The 2litre v 2.5 debate is unending. The 2 engines are very different in character. The 2 litre is revvier, the 2.5 is more torquey and pulls better at lower RPM. And it is not a subtle difference. You really need to drive both, and then sit down and have an honest debate with yourself about what you really want. Be aware the 2.5 is going to stress the gearbox and diff more, and solving that issue is not simple.

3. Gearbox. The simple option is the std GT6/Vit box, with overdrive. Better is to use the internals from a later dolly 1850 or the whole single rail box. It has a bigger mainshaft tip, and comes with the stronger j type OD as std. That requires a little fettling, particularly to the GT6 bellhousing for the selector rod. And a bespoke 1" shorter than std prop.

4. 3.63 diff a good choice. 3.27 better for a 2.5, but it is weak and liable to fail (from experience, others have fitted LSDs to help)

http://www.mintylamb.co.uk/suneedle/

ABT maybe? Or take a file to the needles.

The trouble is that the needles move down under acceleration, so you are working with a number of variables. The spring and damper oil will affect mixture under acceleration. 

1 hour ago, glang said:

One thing with spares is that nowadays for many items, due to lack of demand, only one manufacturer makes them (probably in the far east) and so all the stockist are selling the same thing although of course at different prices!

Just changed all my indicator lights (except ign) to LED and far better in daylight but havent checked at night yet. For your main beam indicator looks like youll have to get the speedo out of the dash and have a look inside from the back...

 

Last I heard Canleys made their own kits up as they were not happy with the quality of the available kits. The nylon ball seems to be the main issue these days. ( so don't ever throw a decent one away)

8 hours ago, Tim Bancroft said:

Er, nice laces!

Is the 'Trackerjack' conversion not available...what has happened to John?

Shoes are really comfy!

TJ is around I think, not sure how active though. I am more or less replicating his kit, except using the bigger version of the discs and late Escort calipers. How hard can it be??

Currently waiting for some 8mm steel bar to make the adapters. Want them plenty strong enough. Then I need to get some braided hoses made up. I think that is all.

I have recently fitted a pump off a Yamaha motor bike. I bought 3 used ones, but all genuine.

One is on my vitesse, and is quiet compared to the Facet wch I have used on other cars. It is also low pressure, about 2psi, so causes no issues at all. And the bike has more bhp than the vitesse, so fuel delivery won't be an issue. Yoiu can hear it tick away when you start the car, getting the float chanmbers full, it then slows right down. When dric=ving, I really cannot hear it.

It has be be fitted close to the tank and ideally below the tank. 

I will be fitting the other pumpo to my dolomite, and the 3rd will be a spare to carry on the 10CR etc meaning it will never be needed. 

Best of all, I bought all 3 for £30!

Pulling the choke out when hitting the 4k should help diagnose weak mixture.

I think the 1300 uses richer needles than a 1500, and I think ABTs are std 1500 needles. I am sure somebody like Canley Classics or Burlen can suggest a suitable needles.

Today was a trip to Mr Brakes to machine some Dolomite brakes.

Started by machining down the original Dolomite discs to make simple clamp rings. Then opened some 256mm VW golf vented discs slightly to match the Dolomite hubs. I also have a pair of 239mm discs, which definitely fit under 13" wheels. The 256 not sure, deffo won't fit with sprint alloys but maybe with steelies? I do have some 14" minilites, or could go all out and fit MGF alloys. The second pic shows the difference in diameter between the original dolly disc and the nice shiny 256mm disc. And my nice new Sparco safety shoes (ebay bargain!)

Finally, use a special punch to mark the discs for redrilling, then drill to suit the original 3/8 bolts.  The first pic shows teh very handy drill that drills nice and slow, 134rpm. More pics tomorrow...

Next job is to make some brackets to fit the late escort calipers I bought a while ago. They were a bargain. Genuine Ford, brand new and I think £50 for the pair. May have a go tomorrow.

You have an email...

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

Tried that, Clive, and it says my OLD password is incorrect!   Could be.

I need a new one as I have a new phone, that can't access T unless I use a correct PW.  What do you advise?   I'll bet that If I try to register anew, I won't be able to use "JohnD".

John

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

I needed to change my password, so clicked on the "Forgot password" button.    I get an email that sends me to the new password page.  I  enter one, and get this message:

"Sorry, there is a problem

You are not awaiting validation for a lost password request."

This has happened twice in succession.   Please advise?

John

But you are logged in?

I think the forgotten password is for if you are trying to log in, and it sends you an email with instructions. 

Are you using this page? https://www.clubtriumph.co.uk/settings/

I think jf is in the USA (I just approved his forum membership)

Best bet if you can't find originals is to use miata seats from a mk1 or 2.

Google is your friend about "how to" 

Have you got the wire from the solenoid that supplies 12V direct to the coil while the engine is turning over on the starter? If not, the coil and distributor won't be powered when cranking. 

Also check if the 123 is happy running off 6V (the way you have it wired) as it may want a 12V supply.

I would suggest that the lightness is a big advantage with the 1500 engine. That long stroke is a bearing killer, the forces are big so lighter rods will help. 

Of course, Vandervell big end (in particular) bearings are a great idea IF you can find some. Which reminds me, I have some which I ought to advertise. (not a sales pitch, honest)

There was one on teh mk3 spit when we got it, but I didn't like the look of it!

So I fitted a hose adaptor and an OEM type switch to the bottom rad hose. 

But, are you using a relay? I wonder of the switch is not eant to take the full fan current, especially on startup (typically double the running current)

Unless driving the car hard, you should be fine without additives. If worried, the club sells Castrol at about the best price anywhere.

As to hoses, yes, you need to check yours ASAP for signs of damage/splitting etc, and replace with GOOD QUALITY R9 or 14 hoses. Gates Barricade, Cohline are 2 decent ones. Do not even condsider the ebay own brand stuff, it seems to have an incerdibly short life. 

10 minutes ago, Tim Bancroft said:

If a 2.5L car, then a 3.27:1 might be a realistic option, but aren't the carriers week and therefore susceptible to failure due to torque?

Yes. I have direct experience of this. I broke several 3.27 diffs in my 2.5 vitesse. I then fitted a 3.63 which handled the abuse it was given with no further issues. That diff later went into my zetec spitfire, and when removed was still in perfect condition. It was resealed and now lives in Belgium. 

On my 1600 Vitesse I have swapped the original 4.11 diff for a 3.89. A good compromise as a 3.63 would probably be a bit of a stuggle. 

Indeed, with my spitfire I feel quite vulnerable, and the relatively low height means drivers don't see you. I have been hit twice while stationary. One range rover backed into me in a queue into a Goodwood carpark after he had been refused entry (My fault apparently, as my car was too small!) and another time in a queue where the inside lane started moving, and the alfa behind "forgot we were there"

So we need ALL the help we can get!