Jonny-Jimbo

Hi all, Any thoughts on here is best to buy Spitfire calipers from? I do not have like for like swaps, although I do have Avenger Tiger calipers currently. It's for my Ginetta G4, and as the calipers are wrong for the Triumph uprights the previous owner put loads of odd washers etc in to space them out. It looks and is horrible and dangerous, so I want to make them correct. So any prefered compaies to buy from?

Hi all, Thanks for all your suggestions. I checked over the carbs and links etc and all seemed to be shutting off properly. In the end I swapped over my entire ignition system from my Vitesse, and changed each piece back one by one (literally one by one, not complete systems!) In the end the fix was annoyingly simple. HT lead failure - plug four was sootier than a chimney sweep and the rhythmic misfire made me think one cylinder wasn't firing. It now seems to run well. However compression is very very low, average of 110PSI hot on most, with 4 and 5 down to 96psi. Are the thoughts that the head gasket is likely fair? The coolant seems good and clear enough though. Valve stem seals maybe?

Full set of front and rear, possibly mk1 and mk2 depending on price (realistically gonna need a set of each in my time!)

Hi All, I have taken the week off work to do some work on the cars - unfortunately they have all fallen apart on me!! Some bits I can deal with, others have left me stumped. On Monday I stripped the cooling system down as it developed a leak from the pump. I managed to put it back together, and started the engine (a Mk2 2.5 running on SU HS type carbs), to check for leaks. As it is it's still pissing coolant out everywhere, but I think the lower pipe may have failed. Anyway, during the initial running the car ran quite roughly, although this is nothing new; since I bought the car it has always been rough when running on choke from cold, and after warming up it picks up nicely. The engine ran quite badly, before I turned it off. I was then going to move the car to check the front suspension top mounts etc. The car wouldn't start - not even a cough or splutter. It turned over fine. I thought I may have flooded the engine with the choke, so I left it for a long time (2 hrs or so) and tried again, and it ran, but badly. I then clicked the key off, let the engine stop, and then tried again - absolutely nothing in terms of firing. I did the usual jobs like checking spark (Yes it is there, it is strong and at the right time), and then checked for fuel after the pump but before the carbs. There was fuel, and at a reasonably strong pulsing intervals. I tried again (just in case), but still nothing in terms of firing. I went to a specialist to get some parts and ask for advise - it wasn't like anything else they've really seen. I picked up a can of Start Ya Bastard (Easy Start) on the way home, and tried that. Still nothing. I then got someone else to turn the key whilst I operated the carbs by hand - if I lifted the air valves (the sliding pistons) by hand the engine would start to fire, but badly, and then the engine speed would pick up to match the airflow, and would run. But still quite badly. if I let go of the air valves, they would return to the bridge and the engine would die - the engine would then refuse to start again. This led me to believe that there was a lack of compression, and therefore no 'suck' to go with the squeeze, so no bang and no blow. I checked the valve gaps, and some were a bit close, but nothing major. I reset them all (engine cold, to 0.010"). Tried again, and still nothing. I then got worried there was a lack of compression, so I left it at that. This afternoon I tried again, but with compression tester in hand. I tested the compressions, and cylinders 4 and 5 were a little below average, with 1 and 2 showing the best. I refitted all the plugs and turned the key - the engine ran, and ran quite well! But not brilliantly. I shut it off, and then surprise, it wouldn't restart!! Still turned over, but wouldn't fire. I then stripped all the plugs out, cleaned and gapped them, then turned the engine over 10 seconds or so BEFORE refitting the plugs. I then put the plugs in, checked the torque on each, refitted the leads etc and then the engine fired up perfectly!! After a few seconds it started popping and farting before completely dieing. I then stripped the plugs out again, had a cup of tea, turned the engine over again and had another cup of tea. I then turned the engine over again, refitted the plugs and leads etc, and off she went first turn of the key. I kept my foot on the throttle a little bit longer, and she ran, but quite badly. At the top of the rev range there was a very strong back fire every 2 to 3 seconds. if I held the engine at partial throttle it ran well, and if I turned the ignition key off and back on again before the engine completely stopped turning it would pick up again with only a minor 'bang' from the unburned fuel. i did this a few times, and each time it was fine. I then turned the ignition off, with my foot hard on the throttle, as the engine often runs on. The engine came to a halt as expected. I then waited a few seconds, and turned the key again, it went back to it's old ways. It turned over fine, but wouldn't fire. In short - WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????? It seems the only way I can get the car to run is by pulling the plugs out and cranking the engine a bit. So main questions; 1) What is going on? 2) Ay suggestions 3) What (roughly) should the compression be on a Mk2 2.5 engine on carbs (it has been rebuilt, worked fine and did RBRR last year with no issues) Any help that leads to the arrest of these big gremlins will be much appreciated!! PS, I do have a video of it's long running period complete with loud and noticeable bangs at high revs.

Hi All, I have taken the week off work to do some work on the cars - unfortunately they have all fallen apart on me!! Some bits I can deal with, others have left me stumped. On Monday I stripped the cooling system down as it developed a leak from the pump. I managed to put it back together, and started the engine (a Mk2 2.5 running on SU HS type carbs), to check for leaks. As it is it's still pissing coolant out everywhere, but I think the lower pipe may have failed. Anyway, during the initial running the car ran quite roughly, although this is nothing new; since I bought the car it has always been rough when running on choke from cold, and after warming up it picks up nicely. The engine ran quite badly, before I turned it off. I was then going to move the car to check the front suspension top mounts etc. The car wouldn't start - not even a cough or splutter. It turned over fine. I thought I may have flooded the engine with the choke, so I left it for a long time (2 hrs or so) and tried again, and it ran, but badly. I then clicked the key off, let the engine stop, and then tried again - absolutely nothing in terms of firing. I did the usual jobs like checking spark (Yes it is there, it is strong and at the right time), and then checked for fuel after the pump but before the carbs. There was fuel, and at a reasonably strong pulsing intervals. I tried again (just in case), but still nothing in terms of firing. I went to a specialist to get some parts and ask for advise - it wasn't like anything else they've really seen. I picked up a can of Start Ya Bastard (Easy Start) on the way home, and tried that. Still nothing. I then got someone else to turn the key whilst I operated the carbs by hand - if I lifted the air valves (the sliding pistons) by hand the engine would start to fire, but badly, and then the engine speed would pick up to match the airflow, and would run. But still quite badly. if I let go of the air valves, they would return to the bridge and the engine would die - the engine would then refuse to start again. This led me to believe that there was a lack of compression, and therefore no 'suck' to go with the squeeze, so no bang and no blow. I checked the valve gaps, and some were a bit close, but nothing major. I reset them all (engine cold, to 0.010"). Tried again, and still nothing. I then got worried there was a lack of compression, so I left it at that. This afternoon I tried again, but with compression tester in hand. I tested the compressions, and cylinders 4 and 5 were a little below average, with 1 and 2 showing the best. I refitted all the plugs and turned the key - the engine ran, and ran quite well! But not brilliantly. I shut it off, and then surprise, it wouldn't restart!! Still turned over, but wouldn't fire. I then stripped all the plugs out, cleaned and gapped them, then turned the engine over 10 seconds or so BEFORE refitting the plugs. I then put the plugs in, checked the torque on each, refitted the leads etc and then the engine fired up perfectly!! After a few seconds it started popping and farting before completely dieing. I then stripped the plugs out again, had a cup of tea, turned the engine over again and had another cup of tea. I then turned the engine over again, refitted the plugs and leads etc, and off she went first turn of the key. I kept my foot on the throttle a little bit longer, and she ran, but quite badly. At the top of the rev range there was a very strong back fire every 2 to 3 seconds. if I held the engine at partial throttle it ran well, and if I turned the ignition key off and back on again before the engine completely stopped turning it would pick up again with only a minor 'bang' from the unburned fuel. i did this a few times, and each time it was fine. I then turned the ignition off, with my foot hard on the throttle, as the engine often runs on. The engine came to a halt as expected. I then waited a few seconds, and turned the key again, it went back to it's old ways. It turned over fine, but wouldn't fire. In short - WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????? It seems the only way I can get the car to run is by pulling the plugs out and cranking the engine a bit. So main questions; 1) What is going on? 2) Ay suggestions 3) What (roughly) should the compression be on a Mk2 2.5 engine on carbs (it has been rebuilt, worked fine and did RBRR last year with no issues) Any help that leads to the arrest of these big gremlins will be much appreciated!! PS, I do have a video of it's long running period complete with loud and noticeable bangs at high revs.

It's possible to tig weld it using stainless filler rod. Would there not be an issue with sacraficial corrosion though with having stainless steel welded to a mild steel body? However, I would like a set of rear wings, so both sides, and like radders, possibly two sets!

Hi all, I spent this afternoon putting the differential and driveshafts back into my 2000 mk1 having had the backing plate blasted and painted, plus many many bits from Chris Witor for it. The UJ's were replaced by Dave Mac and Mick Papworth inspected the differential - all was okay, it was the driveshaft UJ's knocking in the end. Anyway, I followed the workshop manual to make sure I didn't miss anything, however, there is something I don't think is right. I put the flange coupling bolts in, with the nuts on the UJ side, and this is what seems to be shown in the manual. However, I worry that the nuts will be very close to the UJ's when in use. Is this right? Or should the driveshaft and diff flange bolt have the bolt head on the UJ side, rather than the differential side? Any help much appreciated.

Richard; they are the two names I was gonna use, probably Mick Papworth. I was more wondering if anyone has had any dealings themselves, and roughly how much they will cost I guess. I have no idea how much a diff rebuild might cost. In terms of the shafts I don't know what condition the splines are in, but I think the bearings are on the way out, so I may have to budget for getting them rebuilt too completely, rather than just putting in new UJs. DJB, I appreciate that, but I think a 4.1:1 diff may be a bit short for a 2.5 engined car with an overdrive too. I may head up there. I have a TR6 differential too, so if I can change the back plates on it I may put that in and see if that makes it better.

Hi all, I have been a little quiet of late due to other things happening which have really put the Triumph's on hold. Anyway, for the first time in ages I went to my workshop and managed to dig out my RBRR machine from behind the Acclaim, Vitesse and various other things. I feel very sorry for it having got me and the family around Britain, only to be parked up and left. It's still wearing it's stickers and dirt from the event. There wasa reason for it being parked up though; At some point on the RBRR it picked up a 'clonk' from the back end upon taking up drive, which I presumed to be a UJ knocking. After I got her back and up in the air I realised that unfortunately it was actually the differential that had crapped itself. So, my main question is, where (in the Coventry area) is the best place to get the diff reconditioned and the shafts reconditioned? And roughly how much might I expect to pay? I'll be removing and refitting them myself all being well. Then once they're done I'll hopefully have a good summer of using the old Beast!

When I did the engine work at Ginetta we just used diesel to unseize stuff, usually worked well.

Right, I have now got the clutch and flywheel into the cold light of day and it is a bit of a state. I have taken photos, but my uploader from my phone is playing up. Basically, the flywheel side is orange, blue and black, with the clutch worn right into the rivets. Luckily the flywheel itself is not worn at all. The pressure plate side is black. The pressure plate itself is scored and blued throughout. The whole thing STINKS or burned clutch. My original thought of a clutch change seems to be up there. I'll get on with ordering one once I have worked out where to get one from. Chris Witor isn't the cheapest, but they seem to be good quality. I'm sceptical of ebay 'Borg and Beck quality' clutches for £50. Rimmers do the clutch alignment tool for a few quid... Decisions decisions. Davemate, I'll PM you about the roof, so sorry - my final year at Uni really got in the way of life and Triumphing!

Richard; The Getrag box is also Alloy - the difference being that it has a 5th gear in it, and about 5000 bearings... I will NEVER do a Getrag box again after the one went in my E30. 5 separate sections all sliding together... good design in principle, but so many places to leak from!

Maybe I have miss remembered as I think I last used the car in February, and maybe it was just the engine speed that was wrong, not the road speed. Also, where else would this occur? A problem with the differential? It's not as if a 2.5 on carbs with a TR5 cam is strong enough to spin the tyres at that speed!

Hi all, As some of you may have seen from over on the big saloon section of the forum I'm doing some work on my 2.5. The reason I laid the car up in the first place was that the clutch was slipping really badly when overtaking, even from around 30mph or so. I assumed that the clutch had somehow got affected by oil, from maybe a failed oil seal etc. I removed the box today, but the clutch appears to be completely dry. Is there anything else that would give this 'mid accelleration' type of clutch slip. Pulling away from junctions etc was okay, so initially I discounted a worn clutch plate. Is it possible the issue is actually in the overdrive? However, when doing this driving the overdrive was not active anyway due to an electrical fault, with the entire set up neutralised. Should I proceed anyway with fitting a new clutch and seeing if it makes a difference, or should I be looking elsewhere. As an example, when doing 30 - 40mph and putting my foot down, the speedo would shoot round to about 60mph or more, with associated increase in engine speed, but no actual accelleration. Thanks for any advice!

Hammer and vice?

Right, Thanks for the advice all. In terms of the heater box, it is currently removed anyway for a rebuild before RBRR - I want a working heater, and replacement foam gaskets etc from Chris Witor aren't expencive. My main issue was fighting the exhaust system, in the end I had to remove the backbox and undo all the mountings so I could rotate it in the rear crossmember and pull it out the way. As for box removal, I didn't have to fight it too much, all the bolts came out okay, and thanks to some Snap On tools, no rounded heads either! I undid all the bolts on the bell house apart from the three studs going into the block, then as I was worried about the weight of the box I filled a large box with polystyrene packing pieces, so if my hand slipped, the box would have a reasonably soft landing. As it was I got my Dad to help with the box final removal and it all went fine. The weight wasn't an issue, and I lifted it out of the pit okay myself. Even though it is a physically large gearbox, it is much MUCH lighter than the Getrag box used on my BMW! Anyway, my next worry is being able to get the reverse switch wires back on, but as I'm remaking the gearbox loom I may put some extra length on the wires so I can attache the loom when the box is in 'down position'.

Cheers Ted, I pressumed it would be possible, but wondered if something like the gearbox tunnel shape prevented it from being moved backwards. Out of interest though, does anyone know the weight of a 2000 box with J type overdrive? I ask as i'm not what you'd call beefy and don't want to damage anything whilst playing with it.

I personally wouldn't use silicon - you have no control over where it squeezes to, and you really don't want it going into the cylinders, nor the water jacket. Plus then you end up with more mating faces that could fail, and the head gasket won't 'squish' as much as it should as the silicon will take up much of that.

Bill, I did mine a while ago, and I wirewheeled the majority of it. I then removed the studs with a stud extractor, allowing full cleaning of the surfaces, which I surface polished using a tool steel and wet n' dry paper (800, 1200, 2000) with a few drops of light oil to help keep it smooth. If you don't have a ground tool steel a piece of glass will do as it's usually pretty flat. Or maybe a slate etc. Anyway, once I had got this far I dipped the whole thing in mild acid to loosen the inside sludge that builds up - this essentially etched the gasket surfaces too. A final thread cut for the various stud holes and temperature sender saw it all good, with a final surface polish. I then masked these and primed and painted it. A prorietry gasket sealent can be used if the gasket face is still pock marked etc. Essentially, no don't paint your gasket faces as this can allow the paint to lift, giving the effect the gasket has failed.

I need a front one Ferny, if you want I'll have your front one, then you can have two bent bumpers - they'll match!

Hi all, One of my last main jobs to do on the Mk1 2.5 before Round Britain is to do the clutch - it started slipping a few months back and got really bad over the course of three weeks or so. I didn't have time to fix it at the time, so I need to get it done now, and I start a new job in two weeks! Basically, I was reading the workshop manual and it only says to remove the engine and gearbox in one go. Is it not possible to remove the gearbox and leave the engine in the car? I will be doing this over a pit, so access should not be too much of an issue. I understand that I'll have to support the rear of the enigne as the mounts are so far forward. I had intended to get it over the pit, drop the prop off, and maybe the exhaust too and check all the nuts and bolts, bearings and brakes etc whilst the gearbox is it. But essentially, can I remove the gearbox as an individual component, or do you have to do it 'to the book', and drop the entire front subframe etc?

Craig; I didn't have any on my green 13/60 saloon - as you say, much cleaner design, smoother appearance, but at the same time, I wouldn't take Vitesse bumpers off a good car just for the sake of it.

Would that explain why in my old Herald it felt like you were sitting inside the door card then? If they were on the wrong side of the car they would 'twist'?

Sounds like a reasonable set up Clive. Don't suppose you've got any photos of your car in that set up you could post or a link to any photos on the net? I haven't decided on what spring rates to go for yet, but I was thinking of going for a 1" lowering block on the back and about the same down at the front, but hadn't decided on rates yet.

Exactly Andy; just sticking on the twin carbs won't do a thing really - not in terms of making it really drive differently. You've got to do a whole engine build really. If you want it to be cheapish (not sheepish) for a few more horses and a few more torques then you can blueprint the engine and use a Spitfire cam etc, or alternatively the easiest one would be to find a second hand Spitty Mk3 engine. Or, if you want to make more of a difference again just stick a Spitfire 1500 in. That's my intention anyway... find a rotten 1500; engine, gearbox (with overdrive), diff, shafts and brakes into my Herald along with marginally lowered and uprated suspension, but making sure it's still driveable.