Hogie

Being alloy it would dissipate heat better than the original for the race/rallying fraternity. Roger

The car and garage are in Hillingdon Middlesex. Roger

Russell, the co-driver, is now home and feeling quite good. He hasn't had any painkillers today and although a bit achy he has no seering pain in his left leg. Fingers tightly crossed that the next few days go without incident. The surgeons and staff at Charring Cross treated him very well. The NHS has become high speed. Excellent. Thanks to everybody on here for your good wishes. Roger

The co-driver had his second op today and the surgeon found a couple of pieces of debris once opened up. They had a deeper look and found no more muck floating around. Russ looked happy this evening but he is up to his eyes in anaesthetic so tomorrow should reveal the true state. Hopefully home tomorrow. Roger

Today I found out from the surgeon, as he explained to Russell, that the MRI has revealed a small slither of disc that has migrated away from the damage site and is causing the pressure on the nerve causing the pain. So they have found the reason for the post op pain - this is good. On monday they will open him up again to clean up the more obscur area. Apparently when doing these ops they like to go in through a very small hole (not quite keyhole) this speeds up recovery and is usually successful. Occassionally because the small hole does not give perfect sight of the damage area some scraps may be missed as in this instance. The latest MRI has highlighted the debris so it is possible to go in again with the small hole knowing where the muck is. Hopefully Monday afternoon should prove a success - please. Roger

Oh dear. One step forward two steps back. Co-driver back in hospital this morning. The pain in his leg came back with a vengence over the last two nights. The Surgeon called him back in for another MRI (tomorrow) to see if they have missed something. One good sign was that there appeared to be some movement in his left foot, so soemthing is working. Roger

Hi Tony,             that's good stuff. I retired a couple of years ago and had to buy a lathe to replace the one I was used to in my old department. Since then I've been making unobtanium parts for the TR4A - not very cost effective but satisfying. Roger

I have just got the co-driver home from hospital. A little sore but mobile on his pins. The pain in the leg has now gone. Tomorrow the physio starts to get his foot working again. October is looking good. The surgeon thought the USB socket was silly. Mind you, I thought it was cool. Roger

Thanks guys. I collect him tomorrow, should be interesting how he feels. Roger

Well, he is out of the op and sitting up in bed; but on planet Zanussi. Should be home tomorrow. I hope it does the trick. Roger

The co-driver is on the surgeons slab. Russell went in this morning for his disc repair. Hopefully it will sort his left foot problem. Fingers crossed. Roger

Hi Mark,             think hard about the waterless coolant. It must work because that's physics, but these engines were designed for water with anti-freeze. You can get water anywhere when needed the waterless coolant must be carried with you. Silicon hoses look posh but are a luxury. The standard pipes last 10+years. If you do go for a leccy fan include a manual switch as well as the thermo switch Lots to think about. Roger

Hi Mark,                 you've now put a slightly different view on things. Before you take it off the road do a compression test to see if anything untoward is happening. Don't worry about highh or low readings they je=ust need to be fairly even. Take the big end caps off and have a look at the shells/bearings and mic up the journal - if all is well then fine. The mains are a little more awkward to check but if you have oil leaks then lift the crank out and mic the journals and inspect the shells. The oil seal can now be reapplied. If you are in France during the summer then you may benefit from an electric fan. If you don;t want to remove the mechanical one then fit the leccy fan in front of the rad as a pusher. The rebuild can be as big or small as you dictate. Roger

Hi Mark,                  go to your local group as they know the area for services etc. Regarding upgrading your engine to be more efficient/reliable - most of the standard components are OK and work well. If there is a choice in main and big-end bearings then go for the best quality available. The usual pistons being touted at present are 'County', these are very good, stick with them. If your existing cam is in good order keep it as some of the 'new' stuff is iffy, otherwise consider Newman cams. There is a lot of talk about getting the crank rear oil seal sorted with a split Dowty/lip seal. In theory these should work well but there have been the odd issue and  will require machining the crank - there is a German mod that uses the standard crank - stick with the standard TRiumph design The standard oil pump works well. Better still, check yours out to see if it is still OK - they can last forever. Consider a spin-on oil filter mod. Be careful with new water pumps. Make sure that the impellor fins are a good fit in the body. The standard inpellor is fine, the upgraded version not so. The head would benefit from unleaded valve seats on the exhaust valves. If you are not racing/rallying then use the standard valve springs otherwise you may eat camshafts. Get the crank and attachments balanced but not lightened. Whilst the work is going on get the block pickled/cleaned to ensure ALL the water/oil paths are spotless. Consider a thin belt upgrade for the front pulleys. This will make fitting new belts easier. The old belt often required the engine to be jacked up in order to fit. Remove the mechanical fan and fit an electric fan to the rad. Remove the dynamo and fit an alternator - 65amp. You could consider a tubular exhaust pipe. Even on a standard road car it allows the engine to breath better especially with the single box straight through sports megaphone - wow. Consider a Hi-Torque starter motor. Roger

I've never found an original TRiumph manufacturing C*ck-up but my father-in-laws Vauxhall Viva HC had an end cap on a big end that it shouldn't of had. When clamped up the crank was seized.   However with a new battery the bearing gave in and after 28K miles the bearing gave out. With mass production you can have problems. Roger

Today another hic-up but not the end of the world. Russell spent all day (7am - 5pm) at Charing Cross Hospital but didn't get in as there was no bed available. He will have to try next - but he will  go up the priority list. Fingers crossed for next week. Roger

Hi Richard,                  the part number is  -  JZx1394.  Moss and all the others sell them.  It is quite a coarse thread probably UNC. Haven't got one in my hand a present to measure. Roger

Yes, the NHS. They've worked very well so far. The only hic-up is that the hospital didn't forward their notes to the GP. Russell needed some stronger pain killers today so he contacted the GP and he got the elbow as the GP didn't know what treatment the hospital had provided. Anyway dad stepped in a spoke to the GP reception and good things happened. Roger

Hi Goody, not panicking yet. Some good news today. Russell got a call from the consultant - be at Charing Cross hospital at 7am this coming monday. if he can get in he will be sorted that day and out the following.  Fingers crossed. Roger

Hi Folks,                 thanks for your good wishes - I'll pass them on. In theory, according to the consultant, the op should sort things quickly. In reality I am conscious that things could be different. I hope I don't have to post in the summer for a co-driver. Roger

A couple of weeks ago my lad - car 69 co-driver - found his left foot pointing downwards. No amount of effort could bring the toe up. After a number of tests and an MRI scan it has been found he has a prolapsed disc at L5 vertebrae and it is pressing on the nerve, Next week or maybe the week after he goes in for an op to sort the disc. What are the chances he will be fit for October. He didn;t want me to enter this year - amazing what people will do to sabotage things. Roger

Halfords do a nice simple adjustable one for apprx £50. Having bought one all I hear now is that "you don't need one of those - use your ear"!! It's good for home disco's though. Roger

;D ;D ;D

Team 69 - Roger & Russell. It's not fast but it'll add class. Roger

Hi Alec,              my 0.1ohm was indeed hopeful.  The point I was badly making was to ensure that all the earths are in good order. Going down the relay route will help greatly but the earths still need to be working. Roger