DVD3500

I really wish we had clauses like in the US and UK in Germany that a car after a certain age does not require too much scrutiny at the MOT (or equivalent). Technically, if you don't replace a part with original, OEM or replica part you car is not allowed on the road (mildly oversimplified/exaggerated). If you do modify a car the TÜV (MOT) engineer has to "test" and certify it. I have spoken to nearly a dozen of them and like anything else, they all have fairly differing opinions. One guy even claimed he would not certify anything that had not run for at least 10000 km on the Nürnburgring! Others were more forthcoming... but it is a long, boring and frustrating process. The thing is, once something passes, just like your driver's license, it is valid forever. Problem is the parts are so niche I doubt anyone would go through the expense... It also seems to be a very German (and partially Austrian) problem. Part of me was thinking maybe there would be a legal way to get a car registered in say, Luxembourg but I haven't gone down that path much. I have written to a few suppliers in the UK asking if they would like help in getting TÜV approval but none have responded so far... My fear is that these cars may die if we can't find some sort of compromise. There is a group here fighting for recognition of "rolling motorized heritage" to try to get exemptions but most of them are purists and by nature against using non-standard parts... *sigh*...

I see both sides... when I first found this forum I literally checked every, single thread as I figured they would wander around a bit. Heck, there are some that start about fuel mixture and end up being about camber! I think though if the search function works it is OK if something veers off from the section it is posted in....

I was just going to ask for someone to post a picture... 🙂 Thanks!

I saw on the credits that they mentioned John Clancy who does the DVDs on British Leyland cars...

My Felicia was the last "real" Skoda with barely no German tech. Just Bosch MPI ... I think it was a '98...

We have had that since 2011 here. I had to sell my Skoda Felicia because its motor couldn't handle E10 and I wanted to get as much money as I could for it. It was particularly problematic for cars with aluminum parts in the engine. It has only just replaced E5 as the "super" grade of fuel. I was wondering just this morning about what one would have to do to get cars like ours to run on high-ethanol fuel (E85 has been used in Brazil for decades). My guess is even if it could be made to work, the loss in horsepower could be a big problem.

My company's firewall is blocking the site. Old certificate or something.... Might want to let him know...

I believe this is related to the fashionable "rat" look that was making the rounds the last few years...

I'll be honest and say I haven't been watching Triumph prices so much. I bought my Spitfire because I was looking for something fairly specific and this fit the bill. Since buying I have had (online) conversations and most models except the Spitfires seem to be going up greatly in price. For a long time I was thinking of getting a Porsche 924 as I was thinking of where I could put the kids. Back in 2010 you could get a TÜV approved (MOT) Porsche 924 for around 5k€. Now you can't find one under 10k€.... I think there are several things affecting the prices: 1. Covid: People have time to spend on them . You see this with other hobbies like model railroads and slot cars (Scalextric). In fact I see that as things open up the trend here is going back... 2. The death of internal combustion engines (ICEs): With ICEs not being made from 2030/2035 in most places I think people are trying to get cars that they understand. 3. Nostalgia: Boomers, Gen Xer etc are not old enough and have enough money to actually indulge in things that remind them of their younger days....

Ditto 😄

I have a battery powered ratchet that I love. You have to loosen the bolt/screw if it sits too tight but it it is great as it is barely bigger than regular ratchet and all you have to do is push a button and you can get the bolt/screw out/in. It is really good if you are alone and you have to hold a nut on one end and undo a bolt from the the other. I was a bit surprised when I started my restoration how hard it was to find one. They seem to only be made in country that rhymes with mynah and they were fairly expensive. Luckily someone was selling one unused on eBay and I got it for 30€. I also bought a car trim removal tool set for like 6€ and it made taking everything off a breeze (including the windshield/screen).

You will need a passport (if you come from outside the EU) and costs for things like mobile phone and mobile data might change... as far as the COVID rules as said it is all changing and evolving but I reckon by next year (2022) things will more or less be back to normal...

Car is stripped bare... hope to get it to a body shop for a dip and trim...

I personally don't like the dark theme... but then again I also don't like raw tomatoes....

110 LB/ft... and nearly 90 HP...

Completely tear it apart, fix it and put it back together!😀

Thanks Tim! The Speedo needs a complete overhaul as it is all very rusty. If I am in there maybe I can just change whatever is needed to match the diff I put in. The engine is putting out over 11 lb/ft of torque so I am actually thinking of going 3.27 but if I can't find one 3.63 will have to do.... In any case I know my 3.89 is just too short as my first Spitfire I only tweaked up to about 70 HP and it was screaming at 75 mph!

Did I just find it?!

We need a "Like" and "Thank you" button. 🙂

Ok Thanks. I may be be swapping diffs with a different ratio and I figure this is the safest option for knowing the speed. We have 30 KPH zones nearly everywhere in my town and radar traps to boot... the standard Spitfire speedo bobbing between 20 and 30 does not instill confidence...

How/where did you have this done or how did you do it?

Have you sen Graham Robson Triumph Works book? He covers a lot of information abotu rallies in there...

The only look for rust or damage. If it is painted over they won't likely notice. I know a guy who has a 5 speed ford gearbox in his Spitfire and they never noticed it wasn't original...  

There is a place in Mannheim that claims they can do it. I have no clue at what price. What I cannot find is info about durability.  There were reports of flaking/yellowing/loss of shine but they are all nearly 10 years old and most places that do this have only been doing it since 2018. I have asked in many forums and on social media but no one has done it or they are not owning up to it (I feel like I asked if they kissed their sister...) Some parts it's not worth it. Window cranks cost between 15-20€ here so not worth it. Decent door bezels and trunk/boot trim start at 40€ and go up to 400€ so if this is an option it might be worth it. I am not a "green" but I prefer not throwing things out if I can avoid it.  

Here in Germany where everything has to be documented 3-fold aftermarket LED headlights ARE available from Osram but only for H7 sockets and only for cars listed on teh packaging: Mostly late 90's early 00's cars at the moment.. The difference is amazing. Much brighter and from a color standpoint not jarring. One possible downside is they don't heat up like a headlight normally does so driving in cold rain/snow might might freeze on the lense. Then again few Triumph drivers are out in that kind of weather.... My hope is Osram is going to do the H4 socket at some time but I don't think it is high on their list right now. The other problem is unless the lenses are all standardized they will have to list every single car on the papers and that is not really feasible. I know in US there were only really 2 kinds of headlights and the lenses were the same. No clue if that was the case here in Europe...