Saltddirk

Count the rev's a wheel make in relation to the propshaft :) Put a. Dot of paint on one of the bolts of the propshaft uj Then jack up one wheel and spin it while looking at the shaft You should be able to see the differences between the various gearing Eg more than 4, a bit less, or a lot less... D

ferny wrote:I just had a thought. If you do an oil change on it at yours then bring it over here, complete the RBRR and drive it back it'll be due another change, won't it. ;D only if I bring her over on a trailer :) and that is if the new engine doesnt burn any oil  ;D

I have a 123Tune to go in with the new engine, we blew up the engine last summer and I almost finished the transplant. Still It will come out again to put new valve guides in and the overdrive gearbox. Then she will be ready to be used. There are a fwe maintenance related things we want to do before the run, or perhaps not, such as changing bearings seals and hoses, electrical back up fuel pump, change part of the wiring up to the front so we have reliable headlights and such... Shaun is dying to start a thread about these and our preparation so it should be fun... Dirk

Ferny I will have to look into this, I had a look at the entrance list and the closed relative would be the TR3A, our engines have common genes but quite a lot had been changed come along the TR3. Liners and pistons are interchangeable, actually mine uses liners from a TR4, but little else. Rockers also but not longer the valves. Still I dont think we willbe changing liners roadside! Mechanical fuel pump is the same, or at least use similar parts, possible also the generator. mine however use a wide belt (900x20) while the TR3 has already changed over to the narrow belt. Starter motors are the same upto a certain build number Renown use the early "bomb" nose type Brakes are hydraulic lockheed, so there might be more common parts here. off hand mine are 10 inch drums, not sure what the TR3 uses still master cylinder would be the same.

Nah, to mark where to drop the oil obviously.... What praying? My madness is only matched by your eagerness to go ahead! Dirk

Jason, I'll get you the form. Attached some pictures of the Renown, She is ex- wedding hire and came with complimentary fake flowers on the rear shelve. A few months ago i bought a water pump for the car on ebay, turned out that it was the previous-previous owner of the car, he sold her to the bloke i bought her from when he retired. The second picture has also our roadster in it, is even more comfortable to drive, and we took her 3 times to the Alps in Switzerland, but for the RBRR i preferred the Renown, she has a back seat to Kip on.... Since we will be closing the run and sweep the road for stragglers it has been known that we will enter under the name of Team Broom and the drive will be the RBBR AKA the round Britain on a Broom run ;)

Agree on all points!  ;D Except for the acclaim, too modern to my taste. I have to admit though that a few weeks ago a Standard vanguard estate came up for sale and we considered this as the ideal vehicle, until Shaun noticed that it was a diesel, so even slower than the renown.  :)

Hi Rob, bad connections are common source of trouble.... if it is general as with yours it might well be worth looking at the fusebox first and the switches. Clean them all off and measure. If you have a multimeter put it on ohm or continuity and see if you actually get current from one end to the other. Sometime the contact corrode internally. Bad earth connections are also frequent, run a short piece of wire from the lamp to a good clean metal point . if this helps then you will need to do more cleaning where the fixture gets the earth return. Although wiring might become brittle and have breaks over time it is not the main source of bad connections, but again, test first.  Get a lenght of wire with what We call crocodile clamps (not sure if that is the english word) and again measure between the fuse and the other  end of the wire. if you have continuity the no need to change. Dirk

How  good are you in Brick laying ? Sorry , link no longer available :) I had a look at your rear arches in the other thread and indeed they look like somebody learned how to weld on them.... :( speaking of learning, is there not a technical college near you, where my parents live there is one and they ran restoration classes and were happy to tackle a project for skint money. You then have the advantage that there is a teacher overlooking the work, but the welding might not be.... well, it is done by students. Still worth considering Dirk

Well I think that is a Yes then.(ok) -- Does his finest imitation of an Indian war dance round the table  :) :) iustum abigo Look at it from the bright side, we can always carry a few extra spares to help these that have taken off and broke down before us  ;D And being last to come in has the advantage that everybody must not overtake us every single stretch over and over again Now just convince the Co-driver (crucial!!! as he is Mechanic by trade) and Memsabib that this is a good idea. oh and finish off the heart transplant of the Blue lady, plus a few other tweaks might be needed. I'll get the subscription form in after the weekend, I am still marooned here on the rig in Egypt Dirk

Shaun, go round to my place, then you can lift and weigh anything you want, without paint and glass, Doors, bonnet, hardtop, chassis.... But for the sake of accuracy in this highly scientific threat (thanks BiTurbo) please remove the dust with a soft rag and mild soap first if you would 😀

Na, That was the owner taking the pictures just after they knocked him over with the bill D

I guess you are OK with the air cleaner, after all it is a 1800 one, closer call than Vanguard!. for the correct cleaner you also need the rocker cover, it is slightly different and has 2 brackets where the 2 loops loop (eugh? is that how you say this) through. The crankcase breether is on the side of the car, just below the oil gallery on the passenger side aft that connects into the air cleaner There is also a breather on the rocker cover carburettor side, that connects on the manifold just below the carburettor. carburettor shouls be a Solex Bio , not sure which one in in the picture, and not sure what the use is for the pipe sticking out of the side at the air cleaner TBH I thought the car was too good to be broken, or whatever was left of it did not seem too bad to me, but then market prices are low for these parts and Brad is not really awash with storage space to keep these just in case. However I am pretty sure the car was an 1800, or at least a round chassis one. Dirk

Martin, Oh then I saw your car when I was over at brad's last month! I did offer him to buy the Wings but we could not agree on a price... your aircleaner is actually still an other one, this type comes off a 1800...

Bodge? The 710 is actually attached to the rocker cover by a spring and small chain ( think at those old fashioned drain plug chains) and most likely will have the different grades of oil listed Attached picture is of a Vanguard, but it is the same on the renown, it is the only picture i have at the moment. The rocker cover is different though, the air silencer is running longitudinal and not traversal Dirk

Steer away from the cheap ones! Also disconnect the battery from the car or better still remove her while charging! One of the American Pre-1949 Triumph Motor club members had his garage, his TR and his pre-war Gloria roadster burned down after one of them overheated or shorted starting the fire. I had a battery exploding while charging with a Bosch smart charger. Could not figure out the bang we heard in the living room until next morning.... the distances debris was thrown away was quiet impressive. Luckily the battery was not in the car. I used to be fairly nonchalant while charging, chargers perched on top of a wheel, or on the battery, leads badly clipped on etc.... This cured me! Dirk

hello Jim, The car is in pieces at the moment getting an engine and gearbox transplant, so will do the other maintenance as a matter of routine. The tires are brand new, I have the same as you and will not run on old tires or ditch seekers, and sorry for those that swear by them, not use shady cheap brands (I understand why people fit them, but that is an other discussion, TEHO) after all it is the only thing between you, the 1.5 ton of metal and the blacktop. Na, driving the Renown is never a white knuckle thing, even at higher speeds, she is more refined than that, Sir Black had big plans for the car, pity nobody else would see it his way. :D I have not driven the car very much yet (too much toys to play with) but have done the occasional trip to the ardennes, she sits well in modern traffic, goes about the same speed as a HGV, could do with a bit more uuumph to over take, but once you have it in your mind that the road in front is actually just the same as the one you are driving on now with more trucks to overtake, then that stress is gone too! With the roadster high way driving is no fun, the noise filtering through the hood taking care of that, but in the Renown you are more sheltered. We have driven the Roadster on lengthy trips, yearly pilgrimage to the club rally, to Switzerland, Germany Holland... and that is mechanically the same car so can not see why the Renown could not do the same. The biggest unknown is I guess the condition of stress bearing components, driveshafts, Bearings, suspension parts.... they are  64 years old now so who knows not about to let go? But then, the RBRR is on good surfaced roads, not some Peking to Paris expedition, so what is the difference between driving them in Belgium or Scotland?   And breaking down, coming last, or having to abandon are all part and parcel of participating in a run, and possibly also a bit of the fun too, so if you dont try you will never find out. Dirk

M, Car is in UK me think, getting a bit of a freeby ;) D

Tim I'm sure the Spit would be more fun to drive on the RBRR, the Renown is a whole different experience, but as to be stressed and not enjoying, not likely. It is quite a tall order for the old lady, and she might come back on the back of a recovery truck, but then so might the Spit. It would be easier if I had driven it before then one can extrapolate, or look for a new challenge  ;D As to carrying spares in case of a break down, mechanically they are basically the same as Vanguards- and with a pinch TR2-3, so not that odd. If I can not carry the spares to repair then chances are that it is major anyway and not repairable at the roadside. And the best mechanic in the world will be co driver  ;) (no harm in brushing his ego a bit, he still has to agree to come  ;D ;D) Have just been reading the blog and entry list, 110+ already, so the point is more or less moot, or more than 10% should drop out... Dirk

Tim, The Renown can cope with modern traffic all right, just takes a bit longer to get there :P but still, top speed was 75 MPH in 1950. I have no problems in being last, somebody has to! You are right that if we are to participate in the Renown it will have to be the same route and mileage as the others, else it would not be a challenge or even the same (morally speaking), A bitlike me boasting that I have driven on the Spa- Francochamps circuit and forgetting to mention that it was out the event, when the roads are just local roads, open to everyday traffic. and you are right, it has to be thought through, and it would have to be in a standard-ish car, no V8 modifications with go-faster stripes. As for now it is just toying with the idea, so I wont feel rejected if the comity thinks it is daft, not sure if we ever will make it even if you OK it. Dirk

Well the Spit (Mk2 Restoration tread) will not be ready for the next event, possibly for the next 10CR  :'( :'( But now just testing what if.... using the renown? It is a comfy car, demanding quite a bit of concentration not to wander too much of a straight line, got a 2 L engine with all of 68 Horses on tap..... It can carry 3, so easier on our old bones Downside: is it uses a lot of fuel (eek)mpg and is rather slow, 60+ MPH, safe-ish. What would the chances be of completing? Reading all the stories of screaming down the moors at full blast on a moonlight night are mouthwatering but what if that full blast is a bit slower, what is the average speed? How far are the checkpoints in between and how long is a stop? Quick shake, cuppa and off again or a bit more substantial? Preparation is all, the engine will be fresh, as is the gearbox and I'm sure all will be given an expert once over by my tamed Mechanic so any reason not to? We have never taken the Renown to any lengthy trip yet (failed last year on the way over to the lakes) but have toured the last few years in the roadster without major issues, and they are mechanically the same cars. Downright daft, crazy, daydreaming, utterly optimistic or masochistic, perhaps a bit of all or..... Feasible?? Opinions before I sell the idea to her indoors? Dirk

hi just had a mail from John Bath, the TROC historican he is also convinced that it is linked to the HMS Renown, but has asked Tom who has done  some research into this for confirmation so no commie connections, no olympics either it would seem.... D

JohnD wrote: Was this a Olympic (1948 ) remnant?   One for the archivists, I think.  Pity the TSSC msb isn't up - they are good on history. John I'll ask John Bath TROC historian if he can shed a light. D

Who will tell, I have always heard it referred to as flaming torch

It evokes an mental image in me of those early propaganda posters of Whathis name Cheremnykh or whatever Eisenstein made, no political affiliation intended, I don't think that Black qualified for a party membership card. In fact I must be the most a-political person you can meet, would not even know what tories are. Anyhow, this is what they remind me off D