RobPearce

Check the harness connections, particularly around the steering column area, and the condition of the harness in general. It sounds like there's a break somewhere in the ignition circuit.

As Rosbif said, there's nothing wrong with dynamos. My first Vitesse ran a dynamo its entire life and I used it in all weathers and all times of day & night. When the battery was tired, I actually found the dynamo worked better for rejuvenating it than an alternator. If the problem is that you don't use Mabel enough then fitting an alternator will not help at all. If it's a leak from some aftermarket accessory, then an alternator will not help at all.

No, that is not a valid deduction from my (correct) statement. There is a return path that allows the hot water exiting the block to return through the pump. This is required so that the pump isn't pushing against a blockage when the thermostat is closed. If you remove the pump, that path remains. However, while some of the water will take that path (and bypass the engine completely) some will still take the longer (but mostly fatter) route through the engine.

I give up. I've tried to help by stating facts and you're both refusing to believe me. Worse, you're throwing up straw men (that thing about the pump not pushing water through the block? I NEVER SAID THAT)

No, not even close. That "bit upstream" puts it the other side of a critical point. No, wrong again. The pump is positioned between the inlet and outlet of the block, so the thermostat ONLY shuts off the radiator route. The coolant still circulates around the block through the pump.

I've never found that. Ever. The proper beefy tool ALWAYS needs a whack to work.

It's the way I used to do it, even if I was planning to remove the shaft afterwards. To be honest, the clout you give it probably isn't as severe as bumping a kerb, it's just a momentary shock load which is substantially damped before it reaches the UJ.

Well, I think your problem is that: It's not true to say the thermostat isn't needed. Your fancy electric pump controller may have turned the pump off but there's still a fairly significant thermosyphon effect through radiator. The thermostat would stop that. I'm also really not convinced by: This means it can only pump through the radiator. The normal cooling system is designed to circulate water round the engine (in a loop) while the thermostat is closed. This wasn't just laziness - it's quite intentional. The water circulation equalises the temperature within the block and head, and prevents air locks and vapour bubbles.

This is a topic that gets mixed answers. When I had a new prop made for my GT6, the chap at Bailey Morris said it doesn't matter and you should fit it the way that makes it more likely you'll grease the slider.

It may depend on the control box but I think dynamos normally work without the light, whereas alternators usually don't.

They should slide but they shouldn't be loose. Once fitted it probably won't slide much, so tightening the cap then is probably OK. Does it really lock it solid or does it just make it very tight? I'm guessing there's a rubber seal behind it that's being compressed onto the shaft.

The video looks like the shaft is wobbling a bit, so it might be bent.

At least 100A I wouldn't recommend fitting a fuse there, but if you're going to then it needs to be one that won't ever blow. Triumph were minimalist on fuses because they can fail, and you don't want them taking out anything that matters. If you fit a fuse before the ignition switch, and expect it to protect you, then that pesky waterlogged brake light will kill your engine on the motorway and lead to far more serious consequences. Either stick with the original wiring or do it properly - a separate fuse on each circuit, with the ignition left unfused.

Only on very late ones with VINs rather than commission numbers, I think. The GT6 was well out of production before that change.

Woah! Stop right there! Electronics can be very weird in its failure modes and should not be discounted. The point at which it fails is a candidate for thermal gradient issues, which can expose dry solder joints and the like.

Sadly both my spare ones are driver's side

I don't think that page covers Brad's symptoms, unfortunately.

Cold oil. You may be right about the filter. If it's a little clogged, the cold, viscous oil won't pass easily and it'll be a bit reluctant. Once it's warmed the oil up a bit, though, it thins out and passes through fine.

Oh yes they can! I had no end of trouble with the (refurbished!) SUs on my Spitfire. I have NEVER had any trouble with the Strombergs on my Vitesse or my GT6 (or my previous Vitesse). Leaks from the float bowl or the adjuster are nearly always fixable with a couple of 5p O-rings and a new gasket. The plastic bits of the linkage can be replaced with readily available UJs (sold for RC models) if need be.

If my Mk3's engine had been salvageable it would have kept it. Even then, it probably would have got an FD engine to replace it, had I not already had a spare 1500 (with Herald flywheel and clutch) lying around. I definitely wouldn't have gone for a single-rail gearbox, but that's personal preference.

The Vitesse propshaft has a sliding spline with about two inches movement, so there's probably an inch of compression available. That's enough for a non-OD Vitesse prop to work OK on a 3-rail OD Herald but not with a single rail.

The one that nearly caught me out when helping a friend some years back, was that a lot of German-built cars use a Bosch standard where brown is ground.

Is that the same as the mainshaft for an early 1850 Dolomite 3-rail with J-type (which would be the one to use for a Vitesse)? The alternative would be later Dolomite (single rail) internals into a 3-rail casing.

When I was at Rover, I was told (by one of the older calibration engineers, an Austin man originally) that the only difference between a Dolomite clutch and a Marina one was that Triumph specified tighter tolerances on the various spring ratings, with the result that Marinas all got the "out of spec" ones and had horrible gear changes.

No, I don't think I've seen such a bracket as original fitment on any of my cars, though I have added one (a P-clip to the gearbox top cover) on at least the GT6. The J-type is a tiny bit longer than the D-type - perhaps an inch all in - but the difference to the speedo cable is minimal. There is a tendency for the angle drive to sit very close to the chassis and floor pan, though.