A TR7 16V

I have, sort of, solved the problem, and got an inertia reel set with the plastic extensions to the buckle and the dual centre buckle block. The static belts from the 2000's come with an adjuster that is permanently fixed to the section of webbing with an eye at the other end that will bolt behind the inertia reel itself - with the same type of spacer that goes behind the hanger at the top of the B post. So I cut off the equivalent eye (actually, unstitched) from the inertia reel belt, slipped the extension piece and stop bar from the static belt onto that, and used the adjuster from the static to join that to the lower section of static belt webbing. As that join is exactly as it was in the static belt, I assume the result will be as strong as they were. So the result has an extra adjuster that isn't needed, and isn't the same course weave webbing as the early Dolomite Sprints, but I could have used a modern Securon for the inertia reel and webbing, which come in grey. I have yet to fix the free end in the plastic slider, but that's just riveted, and I reckon blind/pop rivets will do there. The first attached picture shows the extra adjuster that's joining the different belt pieces, and the second shows the extension piece plugged into the buckle block. Graham

16V not V8! I did have a TR7V8 once - P6 engine with SD1 heads - and for the same money spent fitting and tuning a Sprint engine in a TR7, that always gave a car that was more fun to drive. But I do like engines where peak torque is at the higher end of the rev range, as they feel more willing. I think the same of the small journal 1300 over the 1500 engine too.

I lost two of the gears (1st and 2nd) from my Dolomite Sprint and couldn't find anyone to even just swap it for the spare I have in any reasonable time. So I had to take out the under-dash shelving, which fell apart, lift the tunnel cover, and take the top off the box. It was, as I thought it might be, the selector fork that had come loose on the shaft. The Wedgelok screw into the shaft had never been Loctite'ed in properly - there was Loctite on the threads, but only where they didn't reach the hole. So it had slowly unscrewed - though it took nigh-on 50 years. Luckily, it had done no damage falling through the gears, and I was able to dredge it out with a magnet on a stick. So it all went back together OK, with a smallish issue with the reverse light switch wiring. The much bigger problem than the gearbox was rebuilding the parcel shelf, which was mostly wreckage - there had been a water leak both ends of the bulkhead for some years and the shelf, and the floors, had dissolved. The floors were done and the leak sealed a while back, but the parcel shelf was only usable for as long as I didn't have to take it out. So I made one from pieces of 3mm marine ply that I screwed to a 20mm square wood frame, and covered with black leather effect sticky-backed plastic, reusing the padded edge that runs right across. There are some screws that show, but they are black pan head ones like Triumph used everywhere (except these are stainless), so they look natural at least. And, it does have the advantage that I can take many of the panels out individually, so I can get at the wiring under the steering (where I have the main light and ignition feed relays) and under the glovebox, with a lot more ease than before. I also replaced the clutch pedal while I had access, because the hole for the clevis pin had worn oval and there was about 10mm of movement in the pedal before it started to push the master cylinder rod. It's less than half that now, even though I used an SH pedal - I may drill and bush the original one to make it even better. But even that makes getting reverse when hot, quite a bit easier. Graham

I'm not sure that there were both types. The only evidence I have is that Rimmers show an inertia reel set for the Stag, though it's NLA - but Rimmers also list inlet valve rocker arms (UKC794) for Dolomite Sprints -; Mike Barker's pictures of the Dolomite Sprint he did a rather nice restoration on, VA969DL, show inertia reel ones too; and one of the Dolomite Club guys that seems to know his stuff, reckons there were both static and inertia reel belts fitted to the early Dolomites. The NLA ones Rimmers show are a bit different, with finer weave belts, red buttons, buckles with two holes, which I think will fit the lock plates in the sets I have, and no cuffs on the extensions from belt to buckle. But I think they are just a later style. But it is possible I am re-creating something that wasn't fitted. Still, I do want inertia reel belts not static, and would like the right double block between the seats. So it looks like a mash-up is what I have to have. "Quickfit SBS" being the ones Pete paid a "vast sum to"? I reckon I'll see if I can do it myself or find an upholsterer that will, when I have all the bits I want to mash - a cheep, NVG, part set of 2000/2500 static belts turned up on eBay while I was sorting out the spare set of later Dolomite inertia reel ones. And I'd rather cut up an NVG set than a good one. Only question I have to resolve is whether to have black or red buttons. Graham

I'm getting a later Dolomite inertia reel set for parts. So I'm thinking of unstitching the eye plate at the end that goes between the inertia reel and the mounting on the inside of the sill, threading the webbing through the buckle extension that fits the earlier buckle block, and having it re-stitched. But I also want to look at modifying the lock plates in the earlier buckle block to match the ends of the later inertia reels sets, or look at swapping the lock plates if they will. I know I can take the earlier blocks apart and put them back together again. Graham

I'm finally sorting out the seat belts in my 73 mimosa Dolomite Sprint, and finding some problems. What I want to fit is a pair of inertial real belts with one of the dual cassette centre blocks as fitted to at least some models in the ranges mentioned in the thread title, and shown here: This one has red buttons (done them jokes) but some have black or white, and I've seen pictures of ones with white rather than black bodies. The problem is to find a set of belts to fit. I have (or will have when delivered) a set of Mk2 2000/2500 static belts, which shows the shape of the buckle ends that fit: But, as said, I want inertia reel ones. I've also found some pictures of a Stag on line where there's one of these dual centre blocks, but with buckles with two smaller holes. The original, "no longer available" - and I didn't want to spend that much anyway - ones on Rimmer's Stag page look the same. I've had one of the dual blocks to bits, and it looks like the same block will work with either buckle end. Incidentally, it was a lot easier to take the block apart than it was to put it back together again. There are also some pictures of early Dolomite Sprint and Spitfire seat belts with these single large hole buckles on a different, much coarser weave belt. But I think I'm happier with the finer weave, like the ones above and the latter Sprint ones below.My current plan is to get a set of slightly later Sprint seat belts and have someone good with an industrial sewing machine swap the short extensions with the plastic cuffs over. These are what I'm looking at, which have similar extensions but with different shaped buckle ends. But before I do something drastic, is there anyone who knows about these types of seat belts and might point me at a source of inertia reel sets with the right buckle ends to go in one of these dual centre blocks? Or even, is there someone that's been down this or a parallel path and has a better answer? Graham

I've seen that model of Smiths clock before, but don't know where or when it was used. Its face looks surprisingly like the Kienzle model 8013, 8014, and 8015 clocks; the last of which I was told went in the 2500TC. I'm not sure how they could look so much the same, as Smiths and Kienzle were quite separate companies, at least that's what I've read. I take it that's in a 60mm hole in the dash with a 65mm rebate about 8mm deep. That's what the Kienzle clocks fit into in the Dolomite dash, which is in a similar location, just right of the glovebox. Bit of a bugger to get at though, as there's no access from underneath. I have to take the glovebox door off it's hinges and pull the fibreboard lining out to get at the back of the clock.

Any chance of pictures? Graham

Thanks for the idents. As to the second hand colours, it does look very much like it's consistent that the first, remontoired clockwork ones, have very slightly darker yellow second hands than the electronic, electromagnetic ones, shown in pics 3&4. I've had near a dozen of each of these types so far. From those, I haven't seen any evidence at all that the yellow paint fades, just that the later ones are consistently paler - I'd expect at least some instances of it being the earlier ones being paler if the paint did fade by very much. Like I said, you can tell the two apart from the front by the fluting on the boss behind the front knob. Also, the backlight shrouding is just a little different. I've been back and looked at the pictures of Mike Barker's well restored 1973 Dolomite Sprint. I had, somewhere, pointed out that has a clock with a pale yellow second hand. However, looking at that again, it is possible to see that it is one of the later electromagnetic clocks, and not one of the clockwork ones - it might be a quartz one, but the face would have to have been swapped, and that's not so easy to do. So it's not as would have been fitted to a 73 car. But the visual differences are really very, very slight. The internal differences are huge, and I personally don't like the electromagnetic ones. For a start, they have a combined escape wheel and bevel gear, which goes between the armature that mounts vertically and the drive to the hands. That, being two light bits of amide plastic, seems to wear badly and stop working as an escape wheel, so the clock just stops. They also have a plain bearing top and bottom of the armature that wears, if the escape wheel doesn't. Also, the magnets are stuck to the armature with glue that hasn't lasted very well. So many of them have magnets that are in place only because they are magnetic, and they can move on a big enough bump. That will then change how fast or slow they run, often beyond what the tensioner on the hairspring can compensate for. The clockwork ones are better. The Kienzle 617a remontoire and escapement module inside is also a bit plastic, and isn't as good as the old, mostly metal, two-handed, 607b module - I've seen some 607g modules, but couldn't tell the difference from the b. Even so, that 617a module is nowhere near as cheap and nasty as the internals of the electromagnetic ones. The quartz ones seem to be the best of all, but the face is wrong. It can be swapped, but like I said, that's not so easy. Graham

Can anyone help me with which of the Triumph 2000/2500s had which of these or any other Kienzle clocks? 1&2: I know this model was fitted to the Dolomite Sprints of 1973 and for a couple of years after, and I suspect the same clocks were fitted to the 1500s and 1850s too. Note: the boss behind the knob that sets the time has flutes around it. 3&4: I think this model was fitted to the later Dolomites - possibly from about 1975 or 6 to about 1979. Note: the boss behind the time set knob is plain. There may be a later clock still, but they say "QUARTZ" not "KIENZLE" on the face and mount with a U bracket. It seems that these have a slightly paler yellow second hand than the clock in picture 1. The two second hands don't swap - the drive pins are different diameters. 5&6 I know this model was fitted to the S3 E Type and Daimler DS 420.In most cases, they have 8015 inked on the back, and often another 4-digit number as well. I've been told the other is a date code, but if it is, I can't decrypt it. So I don't have any dates, but I think it's more the late 60s than the early 70s. Note: there is no boss, and no second hand and an all black bezel. There is a very similar model 8014 that seems to have been fitted to Mk2 Cortina 1600E and Twin Cams, but that lights up blue, and it's not easy to swap the filters. Neither does it work that well if you put a green LED in one, because the LEDs have some blue in their output, and the blue filter enhances that to give a distinct blue tinge. Also, I've got into repairing these, so if anyone has any broken ones, I'd be interested. Graham

Ok, that clears that up then, thanks. I'm assuming that's the diameter of the body and the hole it fits in and the front bezel is a bit bigger. Anyone any pictures of these clocks? Just the face and hands reeally.

Now I've been told that the 65mm one isn't for the Stag at all - I know it fits the Dolomites, and I've been told it was fitted to some 2000/2500s along with the Kienzle model 8015 that went in S3 E-types and Daimler DS420s. So were any of the Stags fitted with a 65mm diameter Kienzle? There have certainly been enough of those sold on eBay as Stag clocks, mostly the three-handed ones fitted with the Kienzle 617a remontoire and jewelled clockwork escapement module.

I hope someone here can help me check something. What are the mounting hole diameters for the clocks in the Mk1 and Mk2 Stags and, most importantly, which is which.? I have it that one has about a 52mm, 2" hole for a clock with a 57mm bezel, and the other has about a 60mm hole for a clock with a 65mm bezel. But between what I'm told, and what RImmer bros show, I'm confused about which is which. Any pics of the smaller clock would be a bonus. Graham

Someone who's doing work on my Dolomite in Lytham St Annes, Lancs., has asked me if I know anyone with a Stag who might want "a load of parts" he has and doesn't want. All I know so far is that this horde includes a bonnet and a gearbox: a list and pictures to follow. The proviso is that he wants someone "to come with a van and take the lot". He's in the trade, but not into Triumphs; so I doubt he wants to give them away. But I also doubt he wants to spend long getting values on each item either. I can post further details as I get them, but is this the right forum for this or is there somewhere better? Graham

There is a difference between the positive and negative clearance between the right and left wheels and the roll bar as shown in attached pics. Would this be because the garage that fitted the rack set the track rod ends wrong? I think they may have been trying to line up the steering shaft so the indicators cancelled, like I insisted they should, without uncoupling the bottom knuckle from the shaft. Graham

Trivial really, but the USB player in the Herald has been dropping out slightly on big base notes and a needed it not to. I noticed that it was also making the interior light pulse on heavy base. I reckoned the problem may be the feed to the permanently live fuse (I put a three fuse box inside the old regulator when I swapped to an alternator). So, I wired a 6mm sq thin-wall feed direct from the battery positive, and similarly uprated the earth from the braid end on the body to the head unit. It may not be the ideal, permanent fix, which is like to involve uprating the feeds to and from the fuse, but it works well enough - the head is fused anyway.

I've got a rather nasty brown headlight reflector on the herald as a result of it being stood out in the rain of West Lancs right through the lockdowns. A good test of the hood I fitted though, which ain't leaked at all that I can see. Anyway, as it just about works, I ain't gonna mess with the headlights till the halogen kit I've ordered turns up. But when it does I wanna fit stainless screws wherever I can. So I wondered if anybody's done this job recently and knows what screws are likely to be needed? Also any hints and tips like about sealing the surrounds up when I'm putting it back together? The kit I've ordered is this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401982976657?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 Graham

Here's where it is fitted on mine. Looks like it's original. I got a stamp set in a wooden box at an auto jumble that seems close enough to the right size. But I haven't found it easy to get the numbers lined up and even space and depth. Maybe lots of practice would help. Graham

I have a clock to sell and a choice of blue or green plastic insert to go in it, and aren't sure which is Stag and which might be 2500TC or Rover P6. Graham

Finally have got a good set of short spline wire wheels and a spare all painted. So the next step is to have the hardly used tires, tubes, and bands I put on the first set swapped onto them so they can go on the Herald. The first set I got turned out to need a full set of spokes - the nipples are too far gone to tighten. They seemed ok, but I think it was just rust holding them tight. So, once they were on and run a bit, they made some quite unpleasant noises on corners. These 4 MWS wheels have good spokes and the spare is the best of a set of intermediate goodness ones I picked up cheapish. The rims and hubs, and some spokes, in these MWS from India seem to have some chrome in the alloy. Though not the minimum of (IIRC) 11% to be stainless. The nipples are not so good though, and have needed a fair bit of hammerite smooth to stop from rusting. If there's anybody out there up for respoking some wheels, once I have the tires, tubes, and bands off them, you can have the 4 with knackered spokes for collection from St Annes (too) near Blackpool. I think the hubs are okay, and the rims aren't too bad. I have a spare spare as well, but I'd want something that.

So, with the ignition in the run not the start position, you've checked there's battery voltage at the top of the coil and across the points with them open; and something less, but rather more than zero, at the top of the coil and 0v across the points when closed? If that's as it should be, and you get one of them separate, ceramic ballast resistors, you could wire it up direct from the battery to the coil top and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, then wire the resistor to the ignition switch output, which I assume you've also checked is battery voltage at the input to one of the fuses that supply something switched on the ignition. If it runs then, that's isolated the problem to the ballast resistor or the wiring to or from it. Graham

Even if it is that simple, I haven't got EFI; I have SUs. I was told, a long time ago (but not in a galaxy far, far away), that you can run a carbed car on wood smoke, preferably pine. The guy who told me said he and his dad did it with their car in the Netherlands when there wasn't any petrol, due to an early attempt at a European Union. Different gas, but if I knew how it was done - some kind of two section burner/cooker on the back bumper is all I know -, it might throw light on the issue of running a car on a combustible gas not petrol.

A bit off topic, but IFAPIFAP: Hydrogen, as in fuel cells, may be a better solution than batteries; though Elton Musk has much to say on them. But modifying a piston engined classic car to run on hydrogen as a fuel don't sound like a simple task, not even compared with converting to LPG. Don't think the SUs would cope well. And there'd be more than pure water coming out of my exhaust, even if I were to modify to run on pure hydrogen.

I take it all the supply leads to the coil are all in place? Since the boost connection back up from the solenoid is separate, if that's there but the feed from the ballast resistor is broke, or a connector has come off, it will start and then stop like that.

It's for a TR7 Sprint. So it probably wants better than HA Viva front brakes. And I do want to be able to stop reasonably well, which means I need to be able to lock the front wheels on the tires I have on a dry clean road (if I ever find one of them in West Lancs). I just don't want to do it many times in a row, like at every corner on a track. I only expect to get to the limit of breaking in a situation where the next step is to go straight home for a change of underwear. So vented discs are a waste of money for me. But slightly bigger brakes seems worthwhile. I will be checking if TR8 rear cylinders are smaller than TR7 ones, because TriumphTune used to recommend going to 4-speed rear cylinders on upgrading a TR7. That may be just to reduce pedal travel. But it may also be in anticipation of better tires, i.e. more grip, on the front. In that situation it's necessary to reduce the effort at the back, because the extra weight transfer from harder breaking that better tires give (and better brakes allow access to) means the back wheels are more likely to lock first. And we don't want that, do we? I was starting to despair of finding a pair of TR8 ones in good nick (I do have a pair, but they look like the Antikythera mechanism), and I knew the princess calipers would fit, at most for moving the mounting holes a few mm. But I need discs as well. So, I though, if it were possible to fit a slightly bigger disc with unmodified princess 4 pots, it would be simpler and relatively cheap - new repro princess ones being about £130 a pair plus pads, etc. And remembering (or misremembering) that I had had a set of unmodified princess calipers under std alloys, I though I'd ask. My next interesting option was going to be to wonder if it's possible to move the holes on Stag calipers, cos gRimmers are flogging new ones off for under £90 each, no exchange. But then, almost as soon as I asked I found a pair of TR8 calipers on eBay, slightly confused as being Stag/TR8 ones. Bit of checking that they ain't Stag ones, and they should be on their way even as I write. A bit expensive, but probably no more than re-conditioning the two lumps of bog iron in the garage. Graham