yorkshire_spam

Beyond A. A++ If somebody has stopped for you and taken time out of their run to raid their stash to get you back on the road they deserve as a minimum the part returned (or a replacement in the same or better condition) and a few beers/beer vouchers as a thank-you! 

All I've achieved since the start of December is to migrate the Spitfire to the new house, Dolomite still sitting in mum's drive waiting to be brought over. 😞
House move, DIY and all the other seasonal distractions very much taking time away from Triumphing at the moment!

Unf AND unc. Eg. 1/4-20=1/4" unc and 1/4-28=1/4" unf

That's a bit lairy for round town motoring but sounds fantastic! 😉

Not sure about that specific gearbox, but with the Spitfire late single rail gearbox the appropriate input/mainshaft bearings are incredibly hard to find in a decent brand/quality and very expensive if you do. I'd take a very careful look at the existing ones before considering expensive and potentially inferior replacements. (assuming there's a similar situation with your Herald box)

1 hour ago, torque2me said:

So, do you have an engineering company in your neck of the woods that have and use Fives Landis?

If so, what are their details?

Kev

No idea what gear they use, but for all the machining work (block bore, crank polish, head skim) for my engine build I've used Bill Browns in Halifax (https://maps.app.goo.gl/QJKmxJJgPZDKvuvH6). Engine tuner commented on how "clearly your machinist knows what they are doing" when it was rolling road tuned, so I'm happy with that. 

I didn't use any washers when I built my engine - you had me wondering, so I just checked the photos from my build - no washers on the mains.

Plugs indicate a lean mixture. My fast road spec. 1500 runs on AAU needles, but obviously they may not the right for you on a 1300.

Interestingly on my previous rolling road session we found similar to the symptoms those you are describing. Changing the coil helped eliminate some of the issue. The only change I'd made between tuning sessions was the fuel filter - so I've changed that again. Not had the chance to re-try on the rolling road since then though. Went well on the RBRR though.

If I were you I'd drop the jets by a couple of flats and see if that helps the running and plug colour. If not start hunting other issues.

2 hours ago, torque2me said:

Confused with that comment.  Clicking on the "Contact Us" of th Newman site says they are in Kent.  Were they in Yorkshire (2021) and the moved?

Kev

I really rate Newman cams even though they aren't in Yorkshire.... but Fives Landis are.

🙂

'kin ell. That's a bit more than the £175 I paid them for a set a few years ago!
https://www.maxpeedingrods.co.uk/product/high-performance-triumph-spitfire-1500-4340-en24-chrome-moly-forged-h-beam-connecting-rods-conrod-with-arp-bolts-x4pcs.html
I mean, it's not Carrillo money, but it's not "cheap" either. 

Some people fit MX5 seats, but you'd have to wait for somebody with specific knowledge to comment on which ones are suitable (with adaptation).

Any chance of tracking some usable 2nd hand Spitfire ones down? Somebody like Dave at Spitfire Graveyard might be able to help?

1 hour ago, thescrapman said:

Ouch!

ISTR that the max-speeding rods have parallel bolts rather than offset, which is allegedly better. But does mean they only go in upwards, rather than down bores. 

Can anyone confirm?

Yes, they have parallel bolts, which causes a minor issue with interference with the oil pump casing on a 1500. Mine were fitted from the top though without issue.

6 minutes ago, Amy Wade said:

I can understand in your situation however if the originals are in serviceable condition, I think it would be spending for the sake of not wanting the money in your bank account.

Totally valid point. There was very much an element of "vanity build" to my 1500 engine project, I had the money and figured "I'll probably only ever get the chance to build one engine for the Spitfire... now or never". It makes good horsepower and excellent torque across the usable rev range for a 1500, I'm very pleased with it. Would I spend that much again? Moot point... the money is spent and I don't have it to spare these days, so I'm glad I did it when I had the chance. 🙂 

48 minutes ago, Amy Wade said:

I would question the need for upgraded con rods, the 1500 is a big bearing engine and doesn't like high revs, personally, I wouldn't bother, the crank flexes too much, if you want to make an engine which would benefit from internals like that, start with an FD engine from a Mk3 Spitfire, it's a better engine for high revs. The 1500 is a lazier but higher torque engine.

In general I agree - but here's the thing that tipped me over the edge in my Spitfire 1500 engine build. The rods I had were in questionable condition - so replacing them seemed sensible. At the time I could get a maxspeeding H beam set for £175, but replacement 146454 Triumph rods were about £70 each and only available to order, not off the shelf. So it was cheaper to use the "upgrade" than replace like for like. 
On getting them I was very pleased and they are significantly lighter than my originals.

@Paul B as per the comments on my blog - very happy with mine. The guy at the tuning place I've used (who also ported and flowed the head for my 1500) says they are great value for money, uses them himself and only fits things like Carrillo if that's what a customer specifies (to him Carrillo are better quality, but not by a big enough margin to justify the cost difference) 

Looking fabulous! Now get in it and DRIVE! After all that work you need to enjoy it

Had a quick look - sorry my spares are the 14W type

I should be able to stop the ignition assembly rattling now I've fettled a replacement for the stupid shear bolts. 

Ground a button head down to match the shoulder on the shear bolt

@Dannyb let's hope when you get it back on the wheels and out on the road all this work has paid off and the rattle is gone!

18 minutes ago, frenchiemk2 said:

Installed a tripmaster for the saloon Pi.

Brilliant, I could really do with something like that for some of the events we do as the trip meters in both our Triumphs are rubbish.

Last few weeks I've been tidying up small jobs on the Spitfire from the RBRR

• Running hot - I think replacing the thermostat has sorted this, no signs of blockage when flushing the rad. Needs a good run to test it though
• Rear view mirror - plastic mounting was cracked so it wobbled around all over the place and some of the mirror was gone - replaced it with a good used one
• Steering wheel - was mis-aligned from centre for the whole run... not important but annoying. Re-aligned!
• Indicator stalk - was getting a bit vague and using the indicators sometimes resulted in also getting high-beam! So I changed it for a new one... what a difference! Much more positive action.

1 hour ago, Matt306 said:

I can't imagine many of them know how to balance twin carbs

Peter knows how, worked wonders on mine

28 minutes ago, glang said:

Not sure theres much difference between the Powerspark and Accuspark units (and those from other suppliers) as they look very similar except maybe the plastic case colour🤔

For the unit I have the base plate is very different and the magnetic ring is of a much better quality/fit on the accuspark vs the new powerspark. 

As I've said, my original powerspark worked and lasted superbly - the new ones are clearly much lower quality - the last powerspark I had, the magnetic ring was loose on the dizzy spindle and their solution was "use your old one"

14 minutes ago, abandonearth said:

I went through a similar to-do with Powerspark as yorkshire_spam recently. Fired up the car once on the electronic ignition. Refused to start again, switched back to points and fired right up. They were insistent on sending out a replacement module, rather than refunding and started quoting outdated consumer rights legislation at me. The emails from them became downright unpleasant and I resorted to obtaining a refund via PayPal. Not what they used to be, unfortunately.

The replacement they sent me is on the shelf - I'll probably never use it. Glad you managed to fight via paypal and get the refund. I've decided to give Accuspark a go - clearly a very similar product but slightly different base plate design, so maybe a different maker? Anyway, I'll see how I get on with it.... it can't be any worse!

28 minutes ago, Amy Wade said:

It needs someone to rescue it. 

Problem will be if the owner either:

1. Genuinely intends to "get around to it one day" - they won't want to sell
2. Or if they think rarity = high value - they won't want to sell at a price that makes it worth taking on.

Not that I have the space or money or time to take it on!