glang

I see that Daihatsu Hijet/Piaggio Porter vans have a loverly compact 5 speed rear wheel drive gearbox. I know the ratios probably arent ideal and its not designed for so much torque but I would love to have that extra gear - anyone fitted one or even considered it?

Thanks for the suggestions guys but it looks like there's no easy magic solution! I'll probably have to stick with a bodge that I saw in an old Alfa Romeo: it had a tick over adjustment lever on the dash (separate from the choke) that allowed the driver to pick up the revs a little if it started to struggle. I'm not going to install this in the Vit but have set up the choke so that by pulling out the knob just a little the throttle is opened without changing the choke position.......  

Thanks interesting idea Don. I've got the standard filter with the hoses fitted to take air from alongside the rad but maybe I need to investigate more to pin down exactly where the problem is.....

My problem is when the car is stationary as the fueling is fine when moving. I stop and whether I have the original mechanical fan or an electric one the idle drops very low and if allowed to stall the engine is quite difficult to get restarted. When u think about it on stopping the heat off the exhaust must be considerable and it has no easy escape route which is why I was wondering if anyones has tried the various mods I mentioned....

sorry u must have a special one as that didnt work on mine which with its recored rad runs at a good temperature. Have u removed the valences or done any other mods?

Hiya, has anyone found a real solution for fuel vaporisation in Vitesse carbs? I'm thinking heat shields, bonnet vents, exhaust manifold tape etc. Mine's going to live in southern Spain for a while and I would love to find something to help the old girl.....

Hi, you're right as you wouldnt get em skimmed for much less than that as its quite a specialised job. Ive just had my Vitesse ones done but that was because I couldnt find cheap new ones anywhere. Also I think the manufacturers have made them thinner over the years for technical reasons (the casting process may also have got better) such as cooling and suspensión weight.........

Hi Stu,
As Ive indicated in other posts Ive just changed by Mk1 Vit brake master cylinder to a 0.75 bore. They are used for the clutch in the original Landrover so easily available at very good prices but do come with the small reservoir and subsequently the accompanying problems that Bill has mentioned above. I'm very pleased with it and for me its now the perfect set up however I am a regular cyclist and have a fair bit of leg strength so maybe for others the ideal arrangement would be the same but with a larger reservoir and remote servo. This would then have both short pedal travel and reduced effort! Graham

Hello John,
As an aside to your question, I have just replaced the brake master cylinder on my Vitesse with a 0.75" bore unit and the pedal feel has improved 100%. I had previously changed the seals in the original unit but it remained spongy so got a new one off eBay (Landrover unit at 12quid delivered) and love it. I dont know if its just down to the bigger bore or cos its new but at that price its not worth messing about with seal changes!
Hope that helps, Graham