Rutty

They get my vote too, they are just as good as LEDs in fact the ones in my Vitesse are better than the LEDs on my brand new Citroen and look right for the age of the car.

It shouldn’t be that bad, I run Sealed beams on my big saloon and did the whole of the RBRR with sealed beams with no problems. The main reason for poor lights is dirt and corrosion effectively acting as a resistor. I recently looked at a mates 2.5 who was complaining the lights weren’t great and the 4 way bullet connector for the headlights was so corroded it was to hot to touch. I fitted a new connector and cleaning up all the connections and now it’s fine and his lights are brighter. Before fitting LEDs or halogen (my personal choice) I would clean all the connectors, replace any that are to far gone and use a pair of pliers to crimp up any that are lose. Also fit relays as this will take the load of your light switches and they will last longer.

I have to agree that several cars with LEDs appeared to have as much beam pattern as a household light bulb. There seems to be an assumption that fitting LEDs gives you better headlights, but fitting cheap, poor quality LEDs can endup giving you worse lights and blinding everyone around you.

Noticed some cars with LED’s had no discernible beam pattern and where just a dazzling bright light. A red Herald had such bad lights when following us I was able to use them to read the road book.

Team 96 running Pete Jackson’s brown 2.5 estate know as Poo. 10 days before the event Pete had to drop everything and fly back to New Zealand for a family emergency( He made it in time) I was sent a message saying the carbs are in bits on the workbench and a list of parts needed to repair them. Pete’s son Michael stepped into Pete’s place and we spent the Saturday before the event along with Pete Sargent rebuilding the carbs and getting Poo running. I then discovered various problems with the headlights due to corroded connections which I only resolved the two days before the RBRR. On the run we only suffered one true bonnet up brake down, as we came through Jedburgh Poo started misfiring after a couple of miles it was showing no sign of clearing so we turned around and headed back to Jedburgh to the light and dryness of the shell garage canopy. It was quickly diagnosed as a damp Dissy cap not surprising with all the rain and floods we had driven through. A spray with WD40 and we where on our way again. The next problem was a rattling gear stick, the advantage of an estate is you can reach the tools from the back seat, a suitable spanner was found and it was tightened up between gear changes. The final problem started on the A303 where the OD started slipping, we found by slowing down and driving less hard through the roundabouts the slipping problem cleared. We are putting this down to an gearbox oil leak Poo developed on the run and low oil level in the gearbox but we made it to the finish and then to my home. We where very lucky or fool hardy as we didn’t actually have any breakdown cover as Pete has a driver policy and had to be in the car not on the other side of the world. Finally two days later on the 40 mile trip from mine back to Pete’s 3 miles from Pete’s home Poo cutout, after being left a short while Poo restarted and 800m later cut out again. Poo continued to do this all the way back to Pete’s. We suspect the electronic Dissy module, Poo awaits Pete’s return from New Zealand to fix him. Mark Rutter

If you had joined the group you would have found out it was much more than a small group discussing spares. In fact it is still very active with 82 messages today 3 days after the event. Discussing everything from scotch pies to mpg. Also the live360 app gave live tracking for those who wanted it and you could have sent the link to anyone you liked. It was interesting seeing who had got the furthest up the A1 on Friday.

How to Join was posted on the CT forum.

Lots going on and still ongoing on the What’sapp RBRR 2023 Plebs Chat.

Yum Yum,😋 Sorry to be a pain but any chance of a few gluten free pies? Not for me but for my Co driver, but don’t worry if you can’t as I a m sure I can manage to eat his Pie as well😊😋

Bad or no earth. Assuming the battery is earthed to the body then the engine will need an earth to the body as well.

Have you checked the solenoid adjustment. If its not pulling the actuating leaver all the way you could have low oil pressure not fully holding the OD in. It's quite easy to do on a D type I have no experience of other types of OD but I would expect it to be similar.

I got my discount card by having a motor sport uk clubman license of the motor sort uk website. Even though it’s expired they don’t check.

Unless the diff is howling I wouldn’t worry to much about it. The diffs can go on for thousands of miles with no problems, my Vitesse has had a whining diff at high speed for over 8 thousand miles and it’s not got any worse. Just make sure you keep it topped up with oil.

Both the above are valid but in my case it was warped disks. This was not due to over exuberance and the disks getting to hot but due to uneven wear caused by sight imperfections in the mating surfaces between the hub and disk. The imperfections are just a factor of an old car with rust/corrosion and even slight warping of the hub. Similar to the head to block warping and not visible to the naked eye. This was explained to me by a very knowledgeable gentleman at a company called diskskimmers near where I live. He skimmed the disks on the car for me therefore making the disks true to the hubs. I have to say I was slightly sceptical but as the price of skimming was the same as a new set of disks which would only provide a short term fix till the problem came back. I have now done several thousand miles and everything is still in perfect balance. Mark

The lack of MOT would be the issue for me. If the seller says its in good order then why would they not spend the relatively small amount of £55 to get proof. I would ask the seller to get an MOT. If they say no either walkway of offer them a price of a none roadworthy car.

I should have patent my cable Tie idea. Then I could have sold you a cable tie at a tenner a time. 😉

Most of the smaller bodied Triumphs will be in the same situation, my Vitesse has a range of about 220 Miles. I will carry two 5 litres cans which will give me an extra 50 to 60 miles and I suspect most teams will carry at least one 5 litre can and will be happy to help a stranded crew. As Howard suggests do some research before the start even phone the garages up if necessary, I had to do this two years ago for the section through the Durham dales. Once you have all the information then you can publish it on this group for the rest of us. Remember where the last garage is before a remote section and fill up even if you can only get a few litres in. Mark

I have noticed my Vitesse is making a swishing noise at idle. It sounds like it’s coming from the front of the engine, I’m wondering if it’s a worn timing chain tensioner. The engine is running fine though I have felt a little momentary loss of power when cruising above 65mph a bit like hitting a sudden gust of head wind. The Tensioner was new about 6000 miles ago and the chain and sprockets where well inside the wear limits. Are these signs of a worn tensioner. Thanks in advance Mark

I used a cable tie which once in place and most of the bolts loosely done up I then cut and pulled it out. I also had to helicoil the alloy block.

Finals have been posted on the sapphire system in the downloads area. The main item of prep I noticed that we don't normally do is that you need to identify the battery earth lead with yellow tape. A reminder from the organiser to bring your CT membership card and motorsport license either electronic or card form. Cheers Mark

Hi Tim I might have someone for Tebay if you still need anyone. Cheers Mark

The Rutter Clan have entered, if it’s been organised by Rod and Heather Botteley it will be a good one. Will there be an entry list?

I thought the entry was opening yesterday as its the start of the new tax year.

Could be because it clashes with drive it day so lots of events going on. I would have liked to take part but am already signed up to a drive it day event in Norfolk.

A common problem. You need a gear linkage bush kit. Available from all suppliers and EBay for around £15. Quite easy to fit and expect to do it every few years.