Jason C

Incredible work Matt! That’s an epic project, lots of quality work already done. Looking forward to seeing the next repairs to the body. 🔨

Thanks for the insights and well wishes @Dave Clasper. I’m sure I’ll need luck on my side. 🙂 Wow, Canley has been around a while. A few years back I enquired about their OD kit, but they had stopped selling them at that stage. Curious, was the OD conversion popular on cars when they left the factory? Or did they become a addition years later?

Thank you, very good information to know.

Thanks glang, typically do people have the original propshaft cut down and balanced? I guess ideally, if a spare propshaft could be sourced and that reduced, should you want to revert in the future.

The J-Type units are becoming harder to find, at least in New Zealand, the adopter plate being the biggest challenge. I was lucky, a fine local chap was kind enough to sell to me. The parts for the Overdrive conversion I have so far: J-Type unit, Stanpart adapter plate (313085), mount plate and bracket, and the main-shaft. And a second hand Lucas steering wheel stalk. I think, I still need to source: Speedo adapter and right angle drive, and the electrical cut-out switch and bracket on the remote housing and shaft. Not sure where to buy the Speedo adapter, as I’ve read these can cause problems, wearing out if incorrect? Would I need to buy a different Speedo cable? Lastly, not sure about the cut-out switch, second hand only?

Thanks @RobPearce fascinating, as mentioned to glang I wasn’t aware this was a common conversion. I suspected a previous owner just put a random diff on or something. Would you mind going into a little more detail on why the 3.63 is good match? So I should keep the diff on the car, good for driving now and later with the OD conversion?

Very interesting info @glang I wasn’t aware this was a popular conversion. When I first discovered the diff was from a Spitfire, my thoughts were “oh no, what’s a Spitfire diff doing on the car!” To clarify is the 3.63 ratio diff a preferred ratio for a Vitesse than the 3.89 fitted from the factory? A good compromise between starting acceleration and cruising in 4th gear? How does it compare to the 3.89 ratio? Is the diff itself the same strength coming from a 1500 Spitfire, just with a different ratio? Did Triumph document diff serial numbers, I came across this but it looks to be incorrect listing the FD prefix as a 3.89 for the Vitesse, 2 Litre: http://www.wolfitt.com/numbers_and_ratios.htm I’ve been told the 3.27 is the best of the lot, but hard to source. Thanks Jason

Leads me to another question, I have sourced a second hand J-Type OD – are there typically items that should be replaced as a matter of course before installing to the gearbox? As these units are old, are most parts readily available?

A few people have suggested this as an option – sourcing a different ratio diff for nicer open road driving. Unfortunately, my Vitesse sounds to have an incorrect diff (FD12062) - from a Mk3 Spitfire with I think a 4:1 ratio rather than the standard Vitesse 3.89 ratio. From what I gather a 3.89 with an OD would be a nice set-up.

Interesting points @glang thanks so much for sharing. Very helpful understanding the pitfalls, whether large or small before converting to an OD. With reliability, is there a common fault with the wiring that typically occurs, any methods when installing to prevent? Or is this due to wear and tear overtime. By energy consumption, being a more complex system, ultimately requires a little more fuel to run? Have you found gearbox overhauls more frequent through everyday driving with an OD fitted? Side note: my existing gearbox needs an overhaul - noisy in gears except 4th - hence wanting to convert to OD at the same time. Sadly, have a potential head gasket to deal with first. Hadn’t thought of the overall unit being more cumbersome for removal. The OD itself is quite a beefy unit. Plus removing some of the tunnel to accomodate. Thank you

Great detailed info @RobPearce - for a newbie like me a negligible performance difference. Brilliant! You’ve sold me.

Update! Not too exciting, but another little piece of the puzzle solved. Today I learnt my clips holding the brake and fuel line to the chassis are upside down. A top Triumph bloke (Steve) pointed out that the brake pipe goes to the bottom with the fuel line at the top. Fingers crossed someone on this wonderful community knows how the rear and engine bay fuel line should be bent and attached. 🤞🏼

Excellent, quality oil and a regular maintenance schedule. I was on this train of thought with oil. A local chap with an admirable collection of Heralds and Vitesse's told me to be very particular with gearbox oil - using something too modern, can give trouble with gear selection? Great tip! Will remember to include a fuse in the system as a safety precaution if the wiring fails. I have heard the drawback with the switch on the stick - the wiring being the weak point. For some reason I’m sold on the steering wheel switch, I think I’d like it’s location and I prefer the look of it. The gear stick switch feels more modern in appearance.

Wow, sounds fantastic - enjoyed reading that! Im usually enjoying the sound and scenery, a little delay is not a worry. I wasn’t aware there were so many flavours of OD, quite a fascinating invention. Very interesting about the modern paddles, I was fooled into thinking they were “high tech”, some brands do a good job on marketing them, in sports models. 🙂

I’ve read Volvo used the Laycock OD too for many years, not sure how they handled the change.

Thanks all, really enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts on the Overdrive. Sounds overwhelmingly positive, are there many if any draws backs? - Must do’s when rebuilding a second hand unit? - Ongoing maintenance? The OD sounds more flexible than a 5th gear - why did car makers phase them out? Assume once more motorways were built, the 5 speed gearbox become expected by consumers, and more cost effective to manufacture?

Interesting idea @glang do you know if any other car manufactures had this set-up? I found it interesting that some modern cars have the gear change ‘paddles’ by the steering wheel, to mimic formula one I think. Similar to the Triumph OD steering wheel switch. Everything old is new again. Here’s a tricky question, preference for a Vitesse overdrive control, the steering wheel switch or the gear stick?

Very interesting @tr250 so a J-Type overdrive is a little slower to engage? Is it noticeable? Does it feel kind of like an automatic delay (sorry newbie here)? From what I gather the Vitesse 2 Litre would have originally had the D-Type, but I’ve sourced a J-Type as several people mentioned they are a stronger unit after refinements and easier to source.

Appreciate your thoughts @Bish - by the sounds Overdrive is a wonderful addition to driving a Vitesse and solid enough to learn on the fly! Reducing fuel consumption is another bonus too.

Sounds great @RobPearce Overdrive sounds versatile and forgiving. 👍🏻

Thanks @Rutty appreciate the advise, no doubt you’re right! And a random hole in the dash for a bulb, no thanks. 🙂 The more I learn about the OD the more excited I get!

Such a beautiful restoration, hadn’t heard of the Hurricane (great name!) until watching the video. Congratulations to Kevin.

Sorry don’t want to bore people, but a good area to find products and techniques is within the car audio space, you might not want to build a monster sound system - but the same techniques apply. This chap goes to great lengths to reduce rattles etc. I would caution, always wise to think long term serviceability.