A TR7 16V

Well, actually, the gauge has to be an ammeter. That's because current is all an analogue moving coil or moving magnet meter can ever measure. It measures voltage by measuring the current in a fixed value series resistor, and gives voltage by Ohm's law. A DVM's different, but the process in the ADC is complicated and generally involves detecting when the external voltage is equal to a highly accurate digitally generated variable reference voltage using a fast differential amplifier and a comparator. But that's not important right now. But a bad earth to the instrument VR would increase the voltage across the meter  and negative temperature coefficient resistor in the sender in series with it, and increase the current through both. And earthing through the speedo light would mask it with the lights off. I didn't notice if the speedo backlight was working at the time - it would be off with no true earth to the speedo head body. Why that fault has gone away is the next question.  Graham 

Can anyone think of a logical reason why the temperature gauge would have read high with the lights on, but then gone straight back to normal when the engine was stopped and started again with the lights off? I'm pretty sure the engine wasn't overheating, like the thermostat was jammed shut or aught - the engine wasn't off long enough to cool much, didn't feel especially hot, and it's not doing it now. I did think it was an earth problem I could look at when it was light. But, thinking about it, I can't see how any earth fault could make more current flow through the sensor and or gauge - which I assume is an ammeter, not a voltmeter. And when I look, I can't find any problems. So I'm beginning to wonder if it's a faulty sender that's got an intermittent internal short, though that seems a bit bizarre, or something shorting the ammeter's series resistor.  Graham

Got a 3 leg puller somewhere that ought to do for a 3 spoke mountney - hadn't thought of that. Even if "leg puller" isn't nearly as funny as "When I nod my head, you hit it with the hammer". L&H? I managed to file the head off the rivet on the short arm switch, clean the PCB inside, and get it back together without losing any bits for any length of time. And it seems to work okay again. It's holding together with the old rivet without the washer. But I don't think that will hold for long term use, and I can't see there's access to put a long pop rivet in. Maybe an M3 nut and bolt will do - M3 nylocs? Graham

Well no actual flames as such. Just a bright glow and a lot of smelly smoke.  It seems like the WD40 washed some old grease into the gap in the copper tracking at the back of the switch, and helped it conduct. That started to smolder and melted more grease, presumably with some conductive metal crap mixed in. I tried cleaning it 'cos the cancelling mechanism was a bit hit and miss and wondered if it was dirty - well I knew it was dirty, but didn't know if that was that the problem. I now think it's that both mountings have broken and the indicator switch is fixed to two alloy straps off the headlight switch mounts. As a result it's not that well aligned with the cam on the shaft. I've got a spare switch off the scrap 12/50 Herald I bought. But the 13/60 has a 14" mountney wheel and had a short stalk switch, so the 12/50's may be a bit long. But I'll really only find out driving with it. I'd have swapped the column out, but the Mountney is on too tight for me to shift single handed - need to hold the wheel with the end of the shaft exposed, and tell a mate, "when I nods me head, you hit it". Graham

I fitted new door rubbers a while back cos the wind blowing in the front of the doors was freezing bits I didn't want frozen. I wasn't that concerned when the doors got hard to close cos I thought that would pass as they settled in. However, it ain't. As it happens I was looking at seals for the Dolomite bonnet, and came across these, which look to be a much lower profile than the ones I fitted: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-Car-Door-Boot-Bonnet-Rubber-Edge-Edging-Trim-Seal-Protect-Protection/222979493230?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 So, the question is, did I get sold the wrong ones, and would these likely solve the problems or would they let the draught in again? Graham

I fitted new door rubbers a while back cos the wind blowing in the front of the doors was freezing bits I didn't want frozen. I wasn't that concerned when the doors got hard to close cos I thought that would pass as they settled in. However, it ain't. As it happens I was looking at seals for the Dolomite bonnet, and came across these, which look to be a much lower profile than the ones I fitted: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-Car-Door-Boot-Bonnet-Rubber-Edge-Edging-Trim-Seal-Protect-Protection/222979493230?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 So, the question is, did I get sold the wrong ones, and would these likely solve the problems or would they let the draught in again? Graham

Yes, the tapers match – it's a standard 60° countersink, like on the original wheels. As to the spacers: Like I said, the change in load on the bearing from a 6mm spacer is going to be about the same as going to a 1/2 inc wider wheel, which also moves the centroid of the road to wheel contact area out by about 1/4 inch. And people go to 5J5 Sprint wheels, which adds an inch to the moment on the bearing. What I didn't like was that, with the spacer, the studs were short in the nuts. But that only showed that neither spacers nor shorter studs were needed. Graham

Where else would I keep the toolkit. She's made it clear she's put off by me keeping me spanners on the kitchen table, as per Stan from Dinnerladies. Graham

BTW, the wheel don't go on far enough volte-face to engage the splines well enough to be worth the risk of damaging them. Graham

There's no chance to get to the nuts with the wheel on. Also though more about the open-ended torque wrench problem and found a crows foot 11/16ths that solves some of the problem - now I need to work out a) if that causes an offset in the torque setting and b) if so whether it's big enough to matter. Maybe the bar only needs one bit of tube to go over an 11/16ths nut and will jam between the nut, an unsplined bit of the hub adaptor, and the road. Maybe a long enough screwdriver, with the blade in the gap between nut and adaptor and the handle on the road. Not sure that's a good idea really: there's jury rigging and there's bodging. Graham

tried it without spacer and it definitely fits. About 1/16th inch of stud beyond the nut with the standard Triumph Herald 3J5 wheel on.   But I put me thinkin head on, and worked out how to see what the margin is without the trip to poundland. The pencil was used to find the depth at the inner edge of the stud hole, where the wheel hub comes nearest the flange. I also measured in the centre, and it's about 15/16ths. Not perfect pictures, or exact measurement methods, but I think it can be seen that there's going to be about 1/4 inch clearance to the shoulder of the nut, and about 1/8th, maybe 1/4 to the stud end. But I'm still stressing about torquing the nuts up. 40 lbft with an open ender is many, considering the issue that I can't have the wheel to stop the hub turning. So it's going to be a bit of a problem to do alone.   Looking more closely, it may just be possible to get a thin wall socket to fit, though it's marginal. But even with a socket on the nut, I don't know what torque I can apply just with the nut on the opposite side of the axle from the force on the wrench (so the residual down force on the nut tries to counters the wheel turning as a reaction to the torque on the nut). I doubt it's 40 lbft. Probably not a problem with someone's foot on the brake. But if I ever have to do it alone, it'll be a right bugger.  A long bar bent at the end with two short bits of 11/16 id pipe welded to in in the right place (1.414 * 3.75/2 inches apart) perhaps? Graham

Tony, What aspect looks dodgy? As I understand it, these are the factory fit hub adaptors for the Dunlop wire wheel option on the Spitfire/GT6. I admit I'm not sure if it was an option on Herald, but if it fits the Spitfire, I can't see it can be wrong for the Herald. The question is, whether Triumph also fitted 5-6mm shorter studs with the wires. I find it a bit hard to credit they would have done that if it was at all possible to avoid, and looking at the photo with a spacer in, it does look unnecessary. I can see why spacers or short studs would be needed to fit modified Spridget Whitworth-Rudge type 42 hub adaptors, but not the factory fit Dunlop ones. I could credit Triumph used lower profile nuts. But as the wheel don't touch the standard nuts even with the obviously over-thick spacer behind the adaptor flange, I don't see how they can be essential either. Again, I can see why they might be needed with the type 42 hub adaptors though. And I'm not proposing to use that spacer, even were it the right thickness. I'd use the MGF ones (which is why the check it was 3.75" PCD not the 92.25mm some internet sources give). But the MGF ones are £10-15 each. So I were never gonna buy one of them just to test the thickness I need when I can get one of these cheap 4/5 hole ones for next to nowt. The bit I'm unhappy about is not being able to torque the nuts up to 40 lbft. I know I shouldn't need to be at these nuts roadside - that's the whole point of spin-ons. So Tony's idea of practising till I get the right load with an open-ender will  work. But till I get a 5th Dunlop wire, I'll have to carry a steel spare wheel (and a can of puncture repair). I've seen roadside puncture repair kits to plug a hole in 20 mins, but I don't know if they're any good. Graham

I only bought the spacer cos Colin was pretty sure I'd need to do something about the stud lengths, and TR Shop sell spacers (but don't say what thickness they are) with their kit to fit Dunlop 466 type wire wheels on the Herald/Spit/GT6/Vitesse.  Something squidgy on the stud's is a good idea. Shame the kids grew out of playdoh so long ago it's all gone hard. Could have nicked some o' theirs. I might get up to Poundland tomorrow. Bet they'll have plasticine by another name. Wonder how much it will cost.  Graham

Maybe and might work, but I might be happier with sub-sized nuts, say 5/8ths af on the 3/8 stud. But as the adaptors locate on the taper of the nut, not the hub ring, they may be hard to find. What do you reckon on the spacer: does it look like it's going to need a 3mm one, or will it go without?  Graham

I've offered the hub adaptor up on a cheap 5mm spacer, just as a look see. The wheel fits clear of the nuts with the spinner done up. Hard to see how much clear, but there's no marks from any nuts on the rust inside the hub, and that's after both a right good wiggle and the spinner well done up. However, 5mm is clearly too thick - looking at the result, I'm wondering if I'm even going to need one. I didn't try that cos I didn't have me thinking head on. And now I've put it all back together again. But the shape inside the hub suggests the edges of nuts that thick should catch mms before the stud. The problem I know I have is that there's not enough clearance between adaptor and studs for the 11/16ths socket to fit on the nuts. And it don't look like the thinnest wall one possible would fit neither. I think it's the next size down or use an open-ender. So, unless someone can point me at a cheap open-ended torque wrench, I'm not sure what to do. I know that's a left side adaptor on the right side, BTW. 

Well the change from spacers on bearing load should be less than going to a 4.5" rim, which moves the centroid of the contact area out by about 12mm on each side, with a heavier wheel and tyre,  and no one seems to think that's pushing the envelope at all. True, I'll be doing both that and adding spaces, but I haven't seen any caveats on 5" rims, and that's a bigger change overall. I guess the effect on clearance is more complex, but I doubt it'll be a problem as long as I keep the same or smaller rolling diameter as 5.20 crossplys.  Graham

Ah good. In which case, rather than shorten the studs, why not use 6mm spaces? I thought it was a problem that the 4 stud slotted ones only seem to go down to 95mm, the ones specific for the Spitfire/Herald being a bit expensive. But that, it seems is ok. Graham

Hang about, which is the right PCD dimension for the Herald, 3.75 inch or 92.25mm? Both are given, but there's 3mm difference betwixt. I'm going to bet this will teach me I should check these things not take as given. Graham

I'll see if the ones on order fit. I suspect I can adjust them with a hacksaw/file if there long, and pad the door with the rubber sheet I'll have left from making seals for the Doly's outboard headlamp shells. And yet another hole in the body won't be noticed. Purple and white wire. I've seen some of that somewhere. Don't think its got connectors on it though. I'll use some blue/white n blue/red I got for the Doly headlamps that I think's too thin for that. Graham

I take it they're "adjusted" with a pair of side cutters?

I included that one in the not found section.  I've got two on order, but I've been looking if something like this might work? But the SPDT push buttons look to have a bit short a movement. Like this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Push-Button-12MM-Momentary-Micro-Limit-Switch-250VAC-15A-SPDT-1NO-1NC/222588617891?hash=item33d350c4a3:m:msmCoHxaitVmqEjYqhivu2w&var=521429213011 Graham

Are there any tips or tricks to replacing the courtesy light switches in the Herald door jambs? I don't seem to be able to find the simple clip-in round ones, only oval ones with with a separate screw. Graham

Does anybody know where'd to get 3.75", 92.25mm PCD to type 42 hub adaptors? the only ones I can find for that PCD are for short spline Xzd466 type wheels. Or does one file Sprigit hub adaptor holes in from 4 to 3.75 PCD It's only an 1/8th inch. Graham

It seemed to make sense that, if Triumph were offering special wire wheels as an option on the Spitfire, they'd made/got ones that would ifit on the Spitfire and so Herald hubs with adaptors.  But the wire wheels on your small chassis Triumph(s)  are not the 37mm long spline Whitworth-Rudge Type 42 hub, like the ones for the TR and Sprigit. They are the 18mm long spline, Xzd466 type ones. And they still needed the studs shortening?  Just shows the folly in assuming Triumph were logical. Graham

Looks like 5.20 crossplys would have a diameter of 22.4 to 23.4 inches. 568 to 595 mm. Width of 132 mm. But that's from data off the internet. Some of which is true. Graham