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Bitumen Boy

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Everything posted by Bitumen Boy

  1. Bitumen Boy
    I know you don't want to bypass the servo, but I'd be tempted to do so on a temporary basis just to be 100% sure the servo is causing the problem. 3 servos with the same fault strikes me as being more than usually unlucky.
  2. Bitumen Boy
    I don't honestly believe the adjusters ever did work. Nice idea but a little beyond the technology of the time.
  3. Bitumen Boy

    Water Pump

    Bitumen Boy replied to John54's topic in Engine

    I don't know if you've got to this stage yet, but I found that once I got the hang of driving it to best advantage the triomatic could give performance and economy that wasn't far behind the manual cars.
  4. Bitumen Boy
    I agree 100%, Clive. I've been buying NOS pads for type 12 calipers (IMO perfectly good for road use) and have never had any problems. As to the supposed health risks, if asbestos linings were anything like as dangerous as some "experts" would have you believe then men of my dad's generation who always worked on their own cars and bikes ought to be dropping like flies with asbestos-related diseases, but it just isn't happening. But there, the risks are bound to be talked up when some people are making ££££££'s out of the "safe" treatment of asbestos...
  5. Bitumen Boy

    Water Pump

    Bitumen Boy replied to John54's topic in Engine

    Despite what Haynes etc. advise there is NO NEED to remove the timing covers or crankshaft pulley to change the waterpump on an Acclaim. All you need to do is remove the one bolt that passes through the timing cover and waterpump along with all the other waterpump fixing bolts, then simply loosen the other timing cover bolts by a couple of turns. You'll then find it's quite easy to wangle the old pump out and, with a little care, the new one in. I've done a few like this and it's not a bad job, really - couple of hours tops once you know the ropes but if it's your first one allow an afternoon. Still miss the Triomatic we had, lovely to drive even though it was a bit of a shed.
  6. Bitumen Boy
    Sounds like a duff master cylinder to me.
  7. Bitumen Boy
    Just a thought - which type of heater was that? Looks a different shape to my Delaney so I'd guess at Smiths, but of course that could be down to the mods.
  8. Bitumen Boy
    That's neat. I like it!
  9. Bitumen Boy
    Strange but true, I also have special footwear for driving the Herald - clogs. I noticed a long time ago that boots with stiffer soles were more comfortable for driving this car and had them made up. The wooden soles are noticeably narrower for the size than anything you can buy made of rubber/plastic. Uppers are ex German para boots so plenty of ankle support yet I still feel the need of a servo...
  10. Bitumen Boy
    Tony, I'm no expert on this but I'd expect anything made for modern trucks or buses to be powered by air pressure rather than engine vacuum, but if I'm wrong there do let me know.
  11. Bitumen Boy
    I know what you mean, Nick. So far the only things I've driven with sensibly sized and spaced pedals have been buses and an old Landy, and yet I don't think my size 10s are anything out of the ordinary. I've been having a look around online and what I want to do seems to be a fairly common mod on vehicles that have properly heavy clutches. Some don't like it, sometimes it doesn't work properly (quality of aftermarket components?) but the general feeling seems positive, and it's definitely something to go into in more detail when I have the time to do so.
  12. Bitumen Boy
    Been reading this thread with interest as I'd like to fit a servo to my Herald one day - not for the brakes but for the clutch, of course the only difference would be in the plumbing. Not that there's anything wrong with the clutch, but I have an ongoing problem with my left foot/ankle - fine when it's fine, but when it's bad (like now) I can't drive the car at all. I can still manage the modern which is pretty light on the clutch hence thinking that a servo would help. Best idea so far has been relocating the battery and mounting it over there, I'm a lazy mechanic and detest cars where you have to remove X to shift Y to even get a spanner onto Z (the Herald is pretty good for this in standard form) so mounting it over the master cylinders doesn't really appeal.
  13. Bitumen Boy
    How are the new road tax rules more favourable to automatics? Is it that emissions have less effect on the rate paid?
  14. Bitumen Boy
    Perhaps it's different in the big cities, but from my own observations automatics still seem to be relatively uncommon on UK roads. A shame as I don't want to be faffing with a manual 'box on my next modern, all that clutchwork in traffic is too much like hard work to my mind.
  15. Bitumen Boy
    TBH I think 3 years is too long as it is, I would have all vehicles MOT'd yearly from new.
  16. Bitumen Boy
    I have a vague memory of a car that had a similar problem, it turned out to be a bad electrical connection in, I think, the starter itself, though I'm really not sure now. Check all your earthing straps - not just visually, have them off and fiddle a bit - and if you have no luck there take the starter off. Open it up if you're confident with these things or have it overhauled if not. There's definitely a fault somewhere and finding and curing it will cost you a lot less than a fancy new starter.
  17. Bitumen Boy
    I always wondered where they all came from and why, never been tempted myself but thanks for that little nugget all the same. Mind you, in the right circumstances used tyres could be a bargain. A chap I know went to a scrapyard looking for something else, found what he wanted and also came away with 4 practically new tyres (on rims) for next to nothing, off a car that had had them fitted just before the MOT then promptly failed on something else. Only the week before he'd been grumbling about the likely cost of new tyres so was well pleased with that scrapyard visit.
  18. Bitumen Boy
    I too would suggest fibreglass, handy for repairing all sorts of things. If you're really stuck though you could try some thin cotton cloth (old shirts or sheets) fixed with weatherproof PVA - it gives a little flexibility which may or may not be helpful in this application. I've found it surprisingly strong on cardboard and the material you're dealing with is pretty much the same thing.
  19. Bitumen Boy
    Yes, it does look smart. That looks like an original rocker cover btw, they were never very wonderful but you can probably make it seal as well as most with a little work.
  20. Bitumen Boy
    I think velcro could work quite well. The one problem I would expect would be fixing the one side to the carpet - I can't see the self adhesive stuff sticking for long, though the other side onto the panelwork should be OK so long as the paint is good. If you had access to an industrial sewing machine that would be ideal, though a good liquid glue - NOT water based, for obvious reasons - may do the trick.
  21. Bitumen Boy
    When you look at the cost of the batteries, the range they'll give and the likely lifespan, the fuel economy of the old Triumph engines doesn't look too bad at all... 🙂
  22. Bitumen Boy
    I had a very similar experience with my (quite possibly original) clutch M/C, and eventually, tired of mucking about with it, fitted a new one. No further problems, and the gearchange is nicer than I can ever remember which suggests it hadn't been right for a while. Bearing in mind that the clutch hydraulics get much more use than the brake hydraulics, I think you just have to accept that it's knackered and move on. The fact that the bore looks OK doesn't mean the small parts that make up the piston assembly and valve seal haven't worn, and it doesn't seem to take much wear there to make a difference - once the wear  is visible I'd say it's on borrowed time.
  23. Bitumen Boy
    I don't know why I've only just thought of this, but it's worth mentioning something else we noticed with Acclaims - hard old tyres can make the steering noticeably heavy, but new tyres are an instant cure. Probably not so applicable here as it sounds like this particular car gets used regularly but worth bearing in mind anyway.
  24. Bitumen Boy
    Wouldn't it be easier to fabricate a manifold to suit the 1500 head? Or is it more important for it to look absolutely original?
  25. Bitumen Boy
    Don't forget that MOT testers sometimes aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, or the most literate. I would suggest having a good fiddle to see if you can find the cause of this steering play yourself before condemning any parts.
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