thebrookster

Roughly, yes, However, there is a surprising amount of science in fuses, as I discovered not that long back!! Fuses can basically be tailored to the job. As That Man says, blowing might be double constant rate, but you also have to factor in time. If say, it is a motor the fuse is protecting, then start-up currents can be huge, but you don't want the fuse to blow every time you start it! Also, say you have a 30A fuse, if the blowing capacity is double, 60A, what happens if you pull 45A through it? Still too much current, suggesting something is wrong. Would you want to leave it like this permanently? Andy, you could do to give us some more info really, i.e. what are you trying to protect? If it is headlights, your fuse rating (the one on the box) needs to be slightly higher than circuit power, however something like a wiper motor or a fuel pump may need a higher rating. Cheers, Phil

Excellent :) Out of interest, are the terminals facing forward or back?? From what I have seen, they had the terminals facing forward originally, however I know quite a few people now prefer to get a battery with the terminals the "wrong" way round, and simply fit it backwards so that the terminals face the rear of the car. The common explanation for doing this is concern over the battery potentially shorting out over the clamp, turning the battery round obviously alleviates this risk. It also incidentally gives you a wider ranger of batteries to choose from, if you ever need to get one in a hurry. I know my last Spitfire I turned the battery round, though my reasons were slightly more mercenary. I was scrapping my old Vectra at the time, and had an old battery in the Spitfire. Seeing as the Vectra had recently had an "uprated" battery fitted new, I was loath to send it to the scrapper, so I switched the batteries round ;)

1218 wrote: Why stop there?  How about a whole shell?    ;D M. I think John Bonnett was ahead of you there!! Though he was muttering something about stopping the project a while back, no idea what he is up to now??

Seeing as your engine is anything but standard, you will have to tailor your ignition somewhat. This is possible with a dizzy, by changing weights and so forth, but this is a lot of work, and so to be perfectly honest my recommendation (for what it is worth) is a fully map-able electronic ignition. Exactly which one you go for is up to you and your wallet, there are a few out there, from the 123 system (pricey I understand, but more in keeping with the classic look, if that is what you want) to Megajolt, a build it yourself system. The basic electronic ignition systems are no use to you, as they use the dizzy timing (which is the issue in the first place!), it is a map-able system you would be looking for.

6797 wrote:Starting to think the battery is the issue  - stripped the starter back off the motor and tried it on a spare battery that I charged overnight in the garage - it kicked and flew round as I'd expect. Sounds good! 6797 wrote:I can JUST turn the front pulley by hand on the engine, so I guess it's not seized OK, does suggest battery or power, I would expect the starter to turn the engine if you can turn it by hand (unless you also happen to be built like big Chris, our resident judoman, who would give any self respecting starter something to think about!!). Marcus' suggestions could well become useful here, if further testing is warranted. 6797 wrote:(managed to trap my finger between the pulley and the steering rack though as it went round - swore a bit!) I'll bet you swore!! Nowt worse than that kinda trap, you feel it for ages after as well!!

Louis, I am not completely clear what you intend this stuff for? Rust Removers etc are fine for small patches, say where a stone chip has chipped the paint work. Rub back, apply to completely cure the rust, and spray over but for larger areas you'll have a better effect with wirebrush/sandpaper/etc. If you strip a panel back to bare metal, you will always get surface oxidation occurring after a while, so expect to have to rub the entire car down before painting, part of the prep work. I notice you mention welding above, be warned you are going to have to get handy with a welder!! Like it or lump it, you will have to replace some panels/repair patches etc, and that entails a welder! Originally bits like sills would have been spot-welded, however this is not financially viable for the most restorations, so most of us make do with a MIG welder, using a technique called plug welding. You will also want to be able to lay good welds as well, say if you need a new floor pan or a patch. Nothing to worry about though, you can pick up a basic welder easily enough, Aldi sell them periodically IIRC, which will do fine for a single resto. Either that or possibly Machine Mart, the Clarke MIG 90EN 'No-Gas' MIG Welder will do the job. Unless of course you can borrow a welder from somebody, which would be even better. You want as low a minimum setting as possible, much better for thin steel like bodywork! If you have to work outside, then the gasless wire is better, though not as nice/neat a weld, if inside go for a gas bottle set-up, much nicer to work with IMO. http://www.mig-welding.co.uk is a very good site for info!! Cheers, Phil

And just double check the car isn't in gear!! I don't mean to teach granny about eggs etc, however I know I have several times puzzled over why I can't turn my engine by hand, only to discover I left the darn thing in gear!!

Can you stick your voltmeter on the battery, and see what voltage it is putting out as well?? Whilst it is looking like something else might be the issue, the more information you can give us the more we can argue needlessly over  :P :P TBH, I am still unconvinced the engine is going to be causing the issues, as you said in your original post it initially was having problems starting when cold, but was fine when warmed up. I would have expected the opposite, if something was jamming in the engine it should be worse when all the metal has heated up and expanded!! I may well be barking up the wrong tree, but that is my thinking currently.

6797 wrote: Phil, Done both these things - slight increase in crank speed with a jump lead from 1 starter bolt to the negative. A jump lead from +ve to the starter terminal made no difference. BUT - even with both of these AND the booster on the battery it won't turn over at all now - just clicks when I "ping" the solenoid. If I jump lead +ve to the starter I get a big fat spark, and nothing else. Take your point about reverse being too low though. Tried turning it over without spark plugs, still nothing, tried turning the crank pulley by hand - can't turn it. Just occurs to me, having read your thread in the Spitfire section, you mention you have just rebuilt the starter motor. Is there any chance this has gone wrong, and is jamming somewhere?? I am trying to think "backwards" here, and eliminating each possibility in turn. It is easier to pull the the starter than rebuild an engine ;)

6797 wrote:Starting to wonder about engine issues here - I can't get it to turn over at all now - just clicks rolled backwards down the drive with it in reverse - popped the clutch and just stopped rolling. :-( I would expect that?? Reverse is usually a very low ratio gear, in fact if you read about older cars you will find mention of people having to reverse up hills, as the reverse was commonly lower than 1st gear!! There is a reason you are reccomended to bump start in a higher gear (I usually use 3rd!!). When it is running, I presume there are no issues? Have you changed the battery? At this time of year, these symptoms normally indicate a failing battery, quite a common problem when the cold weather hits. How old is it?? You seem to have ruled out the starter motor, so most likely to be wiring, solenoid or battery. Battery, easiest way is to replace tbh. Earth - grab a jump lead, clean a bit of engine to clean metal, connect one end of lead there and the other to -ve terminal on battery. If cranking speed changes then you have a strong suspect. +ve wiring - if you feel brave, you can try a jump lead direct from +ve on battery to terminal on starter. This bypasses the key, so make sure car is out of gear!! Also, wear a pair of gloves, and for GOD's sake take care!!!!!!!! You are playing with a large amount of power there, and if you electrocute yourself it WILL hurt! If none of these makes a difference, then look at the engine, but I would go with wiring first. Apart from owt else, it is the cheaper bit to check :) Cheers, Phil

Aye, for heavens sake don't just give in on my word!! The right approach is what is called for, on my first car I went about things the wrong way, mostly from lack of knowledge. My main point was to investigate fully what you have, and make a reasoned plan. I have just had a quick scan through Rimmers website, as a rough guide, working on the WORST case scenario, you would be looking at approx £1000. However, there are a few caveats to this: 1. This assumes all panels have to be replaced. Chances are you'll have a few that are in fact re-usable or repairable. 2. I have deliberately chosen "Original" panels, these are more expensive. Repro panels are available much cheaper, although they will require more work to get a decent fit. But still viable!! 3. As I said, this is Rimmer Bros prices!! They are not the cheapest, shall we say TD Fitchetts, for example, will do most panels far cheaper, only problem is they don't have a website. 4. You may also be able to find second hand panels from Triumph breakers. Unlikely to get full panels this way, but if you only need a section then this could be viable. So in reality, cost of parts will probably be a good bit cheaper than the above price. It might be a bit steep all in one go, but also bear in mind you should only work on one side of the car at a time, and you can work from one end to the other. This would allow you to stagger the purchases somewhat, giving far more realistic sums. Also worth noting is some of the bigger companies periodically offer Sales/Special Prices etc, which could save you money. These cars are simple to work on, and excellent fun, and definitely worth doing! Also, plenty of advice and good threads showing other peoples restoration work, have a scan through Spitfire/GT6 section, will give you a very good idea of what is involved. Best of Luck, Phil

As a worst case scenario, I would budget for the following: Inner Sill Outer Sill Sill Strengthener Floor Pan Outer Wing (rear) This would need to be doubled, so one of each for each side! Now, it might be you can get away with repair panels for the rear wing, that will depend on how much rust there is. Sorry to be such a miserable git here, but a few years back I started on a spitfire without realising how bad it was. I kept buying parts, hoping that repair panels would do, then finding they wouldn't, then finding even more rust requiring more new panels. The end result was I grew sick of the car, and ended up being forced to scrap it as the cost and time available grew far too much for me. Had I known from the start what was entailed, I would have had several other options available to me, such as considering a replacement body tub, or simply having a decent idea of full costs and been able to properly plan a rebuild! This quite likely leaves you with a serious sinking feeling in your stomach, however I can assure you it is nothing compared to putting several months and a lot of money into a project that outgrows you. As Shaun rightly says, try and find some local Triumphists, or even just other classic car enthusiasts. I think you said you were 16, so possibly a bit young to pop along to your local area meeting by yourself, but maybe your dad might take you along? Work on a complete worse case scenario, and get costings, and decided what to do where. Study Canleys website, Rimmer Bros etc, and learn which panel is which, and then assume that every panel on your car with rust needs replacing. That will give you a very good idea how much you are looking at for costs. Then find some old shells, and find out how much they cost, I would assume places like Spitfire Graveyard, and smaller Triumph Specialists would be best for that. Then, armed with full knowledge, you can decide what route is best over all. Cheers, Phil

Yeah, I am very much with Mr Rosso, don't bother. In fact, (very much in my opinion) why the heck are you even bothering to try and save it? It is a crucial part to the car, so any weakness will show up in short order, also it is not like they are short supply! I could understand all this messing around if they were like hens teeth, but as far as I know all the usual suspects have these in stock. Also, you are in the process of doing a full body off restoration. Why run the risk of causing potentially catastrophic damage to your pride and joy over one single part? I can understand you might wish to keep the overall costs down, but some parts should be exempt from that. Various other threads and bolts on the car can be easily re-formed or cut to a new size, but we are talking about ONE nut that is the only thing holding the wheel onto your freshly restored pride and joy!! You have done some excellent work up to now, why ruin it over one item? Again, this is all my opinion of course :) Cheers, Phil

And incidentally, napa1 makes a good suggestion in his gt6 thread, you can use a magnet to detect rust reasonably well. If it sticks, may not be too bad, but if it doesn't stick then rusty. Not foolproof, but an easy guide without the need for butchering!!

Some more shots of under the doors, the bottom of the wings just behind the doors but before the wheel, and inside the rear wheel arches, if you can Louis?? And before you take them, give em a good scraping or wirebrushing, these are the areas that can be most susceptible to rust, which may hide behind the paint work. Blistering paint is a good clue. Also, get a screw driver, and poke the same areas, not quite hard enough to dent but almost. You are looking for either movement or the screwdriver just going straight through the sill!! Other possible problem areas are the floor pans, if you have any carpets get them out I reckon. And unfortunately, exposure to the elements is not the biggest threat in the UK, it is the sheer humidity we have!! Cheers, Phil

Hi Dave, nothing serious!! Just I recalled that your spitfire was the one that discovered it could JUST squeeze under the barrier at Edinburgh :) :) Kinda stuck in my memory, so i was merely curious to find who it was! Cheers, Phil

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00.....ativeASIN=B000LFVY7W I have heard good things about these discs (for an angle grinder), particularly coupled with a paint stripper. Engine seized - could be anything. Seeing as it needs rebuilding, put some diesel into each cylinder and leave it over night (an inch or so, and make sure either the sump pan is still on or a bucket underneath!!) Next day see if the engine will turn over (spanner on crank pulley nut). Might need a longish bar initially. Chances are, you will at least need the bores honed, and possibly bored out to the next oversize, but bit pointless worrying about that until you get the pistons to move!

Obviously being a youngster, you may not yet be aware of the southerners veiw of North compared to everyone else!! Most of us Northerners would agree York is not far above centre, particularly if you include Scotland!! However, a lot of southerners consider Birmingham to be North!! So you kinda have to take this into account when describing locations And yes, for decent advice, we need pictures. Obviously the car in flesh is better, but most of us on here are experts at interpreting photo's Plenty of practice! Phil (who truly lives in the North )

339 wrote:could it be fuel in the oil?  I don't know if that would turn it milky or not and only mention it because you said the coolant level hadn't changed. I don't know if fuel would make the oil milky, gut reaction says no but that is not based on anything scientific :) Easy way to check though, sniff the oil. Given the level of emulsification in the oil, you'll be able to smell the petrol if there is any!!

2402 wrote:Buggar it, just skim it anyway. It's £36 for a light skim. That way you wont waist £15 on the head gasket. Its an easy job to do and turn around can be next day. DO IT ONCE AND DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Chris. I quite agree, the skim is a good idea. However, I am not certain where you are based greenie, but £36 might be bit hopeful if you live in England, particularly the south. For some reason your engine shop prices tend to be a bit higher??

1936 wrote:Thanks guys, looks like a consensus on that one then  ;D  I'm guessing this might be something to do with the overheating issue (it was the thermostat by the way), is there a chance of any damage being caused to the head do you think? If so, will it be obvious? Whilst it is perfectly possible that the overheating issue has caused the headgasket to blow, it is also worth remembering that it can just as easily be the other way round!! You want to get the head off, and replace the gasket. If you have a straight edge it is relatively easy to check for warping. Assuming this is ok, stick it back together and see if it will run!! Other than checking the thermostat in a kettle, there is little else you can do to check the cooling system, so you might as well ignore it. Problem is, you have two big issues here, both can equally affect each other. You need to fix one before you can look at the other.

Yup, fraid I have to add another vote to the harbinger of doom, making +3 headgasket. Get that oil out of the engine, and drain the coolant to prevent further leakage. And for Christ's sake, don't run the engine!! Oil is kinda vital, and if you are lucky you should be able to get away with a gasket change. If you run the engine you may well be looking at a full bottom end rebuild as well!!

242 wrote: Washing mahine powder, your missus should have some. RR Bio, or Non-Bio?? Or does it not matter here? Just I know if you want to use washing powder to clean oil off a drive, then you need Bio to really attack the oil, just wondered if it was the same.

I was just thinking that I hope I don't come across him on a future RBRR or whatever at night. Just imagine coming around a corner at 3 in the morning to see him parked in a layby with that lot lit up, give you a heart attack!! Nice job, I have to say!!

NOS - New Old Stock, or simply, spares left over from when these cars were built, as opposed to spares made now. Regrettably, the quality of some parts available for our cars today is lamentable, and whilst people like Canleys etc are doing their best, items such as clutches/body panels etc can be rather dubious in quality. If you can find original parts they tend to be of a far higher quality!! (Also, you have to remember that parts such as clutches etc used to use naughty stuffs like asbestos, which obviously is not allowed now, However, asbestos, for all it's downsides, made for some high performing friction pads, and the modern stuff is not as good unless you start spending mega bucks! Modern cars are designed with this new stuff in mind, our cars weren't, and the difference can be noticeable!!) Cheers, Phil