Greenie
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Everything posted by Greenie
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Thanks Colin, I think I pretty much have all the parts I need for this particular job now - it's just how to assemble them all that's the problem :-/
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Well, just restarting the project again this year, have managed to pick up a correct type windscreen frame header, and made up some brackets for the B pillar. Is there someone with a MkI or MkII who could help out with a couple of pictures please. Basically what I'm trying to work out is where a couple of the fittings locate. Firstly the hook which locates on the windscreen frame, just wonder where it's located and what it looks like. Also, the brackets on the B pillar, I think on the Spitfire they were welded in place? What angle were they at, and what height would the top of the bracket be? If anyone could oblige with a couple of pics I'd be very grateful. Thanks Simon
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Thanks Paul, pity the newer type doesn't fit, I've got 3 or 4 of those! Just had a look at Rimmers, the Mk1/2 type is about 70 quid, so I better bite the bullet I guess... Thanks again
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Sue, I found a pic of a signal red Mk3 which I think looks the bees knees with wires. Simon
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My 1968 mk3 with wires... A couple of the pics are very old scans but they give a bit of an idea - must get around to taking some up to date digi pics sometime! As for wibbles and wobbles on wires, I don't drive competitively but don't hang around either, I've never had a problem with them. As for appearance, I think wires suit a mk3 perfectly - very 1960s
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I've gone around in circles a bit with this over the past couple of years. Basically I decided to fit a mk3 hood after all, but with the seats in it was clear that the mk3 frame was going to quickly rip the sides of the seat as there's not really any clearance. Also, the windscreen surround is from a GT6 so doesn't have the keyhole shaped holes at the top for the quick release levers. So back to plan A (possibly at least!) the mk2 hood. I've got hold of a hood for the mk2 frame and have the chrome bits for the rear deck. The hood has the metal strip at the rear and what looks like a rigid plastic strip at the front, and the hooks and press studs on the outer corner for the A pillar attachment. Has anyone got any pictures of how the hood fits to the windscreen frame along the front please, and also what the brackets look like on the B pillar. 705 wrote:My mk2 had to have a metal strip fitted in the front edge of the soft top. This then slipped under the front edge of the aluminium capping on the top of the windscreen frame. Press studs had to be fitted to the soft top to keep the edges down. It was a fiddley job and found the toneau cover and hard top more water proof. I was looking at a nicely restored TR6 and noticed the gap between the side window and the hood. It seems that old Triumphs, pre 70's just have poor fitting hoods. :( I'm guessing the aluminium cappings varied through the different Spifire models, anyone know if I'll I be ok to use one from a mk4/1500? Thanks Simon
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Thanks everyone for the help again. I had replaced quite a few things when I put the engine in, it's all new hoses, new heater valve, water pump, stainless steel pipe from water pump housing. I gave the heater matrix a good flushing before I put it in – hope it’s ok as fitting it was probably one of the least enjoyable parts of the build so far. The water pump is made by County by the way, are they any good? When I fitted the drain plug and temperature sender I had to scrape some really very hard crud away in order to screw them in, so I guess there's more of the same inside, hopefully it'll soften up but I like the idea of the dishwasher tablets Marcus, I was wondering what I could use to help clean it out. I’ll see how the flushing goes before I dismantle or replace anything else, I also see there’s a bit of a knack to refilling the system to avoid airlocks, squeezing the bottom hose with the engine running looks like a good way to get a severe manicure though! On my wish list at the moment is a drain tap on the bottom of the radiator - and a waggalater of course ;D Better get on with it now the rain has stopped!
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I didn't have a thermometer Ferny, so had to make do unfortunately Checked the timing, it was a few degrees too advanced. I don't know how to tune up the carbs so haven't really touched them for now - that's a learning curve for another day. Anyway, there's definitely an overheating problem, I ran it a bit longer without the thermostat and the temperature creeps up to the red, it is a lot slower though. Have drilled the rim of the thermostat ready for when I put it back in. The heater is blowing slightly warm air, so I'm thinking there might be an airlock somewhere. I'm just scouring earlier threads to get some ideas, but have given up for the day as the taste of exhaust fumes has given me a headache! I think the original milky oil problem is sorted out now, it looks much better and I'll flush some more cheapy 20w50 through before i change the filter and put the proper stuff in. Thanks for all the help
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Thanks Richard, yes I'm just outside Bristol. I'll wait for it to cool down then give it another go. The mixture is a possibly bit rich I think, I put new plugs in when I originally got the engine going a month or two ago and they were sooty when I took them out this week. That said, I've been running it for short periods and using the choke a lot. A tune up was the next job before I noticed the over heating. I'll check the timing now as well.
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I've just done that - taken out thermostat and run it, the temperature gauge doesn't move much over halfway even after half an hour or so. With the radiator cap off I can see the water splosh around, drop a bit and is clearly circulating with the radiator becoming warm. Tested the thermostat again in a cup of boiling water and it opens as it should. Put it back in the car, run it for a just a few minutes and already the temp gauge needle is all the way in the red. With the rad cap off I can see the water vibrating but that's all it does. One thing that puzzles me, the Haynes manual says to drain off a couple of pints of coolant before taking off the thermostat housing to drop the level below the thermostat. I didn't do that (because I only read it after taking it off), and there was no spillage and water was just under where the temperature sender joins the housing. The level in the radiator is where it should be, as is the expansion bottle, but it did seem like not enough went in yesterday - it was only about 4 or 5 pints I would guess, which is probably about what came out when I drained it the day before. Just wondering now if there might be an airlock - any other ideas? How do I check and rectify if it is that?
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Well, everything is back together now, new thermostat, new head gasket, fresh oil and water. I've just run it, sounds pretty good. I've used a cheapy 20w50 so to flush it and the oil looks a little milky again but I guess that's the residue of the last lot. I didn't run it long though because the temperature gauge needle moves all the way to the right, takes 3 or 4 minutes from cold I guess. The thermostat housing is very hot, but the top hose and radiator are cold suggesting that the thermostat is staying closed? I tested it in a cup of boiled water before putting it in and it worked fine. Am I missing something?
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rotoflex wrote:That looks different from the mixture I got when my head gasket went. I saw a yellow-ish brown sort of frothy mixture. Mine looked more like a Coke float (When you put a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass & fill the glass up with Coca- Cola). I can't visualise how that would look Bill, I'd better go make one for breakfast ;D
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I don't think the oil smelt of petrol - there was a general smell of petrol around anyway because a float in one of the carbs was sticking and fuel was leaking out - but that's another story! Richard, the engine is a Spitfire 1300 FD, torque was whatever professor Haynes said in the good book. I did wonder if there might be cracks lurking somewhere out of sight, but Ferny raises a really good point. The engine came with another car I bought a while ago and when I fitted it into the Hurricane and added oil and water, the water was pouring out from between head and block. Turned out the previous owner had used a head gasket for a 1500 i.e. for recessed bores! So, yes, water could have, in fact quite likely did, get in to the oil then. Certainly would account for the coolant not dropping now. I'll keep my fingers crossed that nothing is cracked and will check/refit head with new gasket, fit new oil filter and thermostat (will test the bugger first this time) and put everything else back together. I guess it could do with flushing, I've got several gallons of modern multigrade which I'll never use, is it ok to use this to flush it? Thanks again for all the help Cheers Simon
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Thanks for all the replies. I've just drained everything and taken the head off, and to be honest I don't really know what a blown head gasket looks like, but I can't see any damage and it looks much the same as it did when I put it in. Head and block look ok too so might be lucky on that front. I had the head skimmed a couple of months ago (it was about 38 quid I think from memory) so will check with a steel rule to be on the safe side I'll give a new Payen gasket a go and see what happens, maybe I didn't torque it down quite properly last time :-/ but when I loosened off the nuts bit by bit they all felt about the same - hopefully nothing more sinister lurks :(
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thebrookster wrote:Yup, fraid I have to add another vote to the harbinger of doom, making +3 headgasket. Get that oil out of the engine, and drain the coolant to prevent further leakage. And for Christ's sake, don't run the engine!! Oil is kinda vital, and if you are lucky you should be able to get away with a gasket change. If you run the engine you may well be looking at a full bottom end rebuild as well!! Blimey, that would be all I need - my own stupid fault for running it a bit without the luxury of a temperature gauge but kind of assumed the new thermostat would be a good one and all would be ok for a short burst or two :(
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Thanks guys, looks like a consensus on that one then ;D I'm guessing this might be something to do with the overheating issue (it was the thermostat by the way), is there a chance of any damage being caused to the head do you think? If so, will it be obvious?
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I’ve noticed a small pool of oil under the car over the past few days so decided to check the oil level before investigating the leak further. When I pulled the dipstick out the oil on it had a very milky appearance and was way above the mark on the dipstick. I thought the oil might be contaminated with water but as far as I can tell, the water level hasn’t really changed Not sure if this connected but I’m guessing it probably is… I’ve run the engine for fairly short periods since putting it in the Hurricane and because I hadn’t finished the interior there were no gauges fitted. I’ve now fitted the temperature gauge and notice that it’s overheating which looks like it’s down to a faulty thermostat. Any ideas what’s happened?
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cook1e wrote:You'll need the angled speedo drive as well if you haven't got that already and they are quite pricey...about 40 quid new from memory and 2nd hand ones tend to break! The new ones seem to break quite often too, this might help - this is from the Moss US website http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/SearchResults.aspx?SearchText=angle+drive&WebCatalogID=0 - no mention of it as far as I can see on the Moss Europe website
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Just spotted this one on ebay... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-SPITFIRE-O-D-GEARBOX-MOUNT-PLATE-CLASSIC-HOTROD-RARE-/200832609272?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2ec28e6bf8
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They said I could send it back and get a refund, but as I need the rad now, I decided to keep it - seems like that's about the going rate for a recon one anyway. Pity about the frame/cradle but at least I've got a spare and a couple of tins of paint. Thanks Simon
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How much should I expect to pay for a recon radiator for a Mk3 Spitfire, or how much to get one re-cored? The reason I ask is that I bought one recently on ebay at £110 + postage. I thought it sounded a bit on the high side but was swayed because the seller said it came with a frame - saves me the hassle of refurbishing mine I thought. Alas, the seller neglected to mention a whopping great hole in the front of the frame, or how the rust had just been painted over - I know I should have asked questions about the condition, but when the ad states it's remanufactured and gives a lot of blurb about how they are specialists in radiator remanufacture etc etc, you kind of imagine it'll be done to a professional standard. I've contacted the seller and see what they suggest but I expect I'll have a choice - like it, or lump it! Live and learn Greenie! Simon
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Thanks Marcus - I now have my engine running so will see how it looks when the tester arrives.
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Thanks Dannyb and everyone, I've just ordered one - saw the same one even cheaper at £9.49, and I need to save all my pennies for Beaulieu this weekend Shaun, I don't know if I'll get away with spinning her that line - I was all brave until the reality sank in of what would happen to me if she got a high pressure hose on the nose.
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Thanks Phil and Andy. Good advice about the hose potentially pinging off - I better get my nearest and dearest to read the dial in that case... Cheers Simon