GrahamB

I have never seen foam like that when draining the cooling system. Foam is a very poor conductor of heat so that might be the problem. I would flush the system , preferably with a hose pipe, until the water runs clear and without any foam before refilling. It is almost like someone has added screen wash instead of antifreeze, both of which are blue.

I have experienced problems on other non-Triumph cars loosing power when going up hill. With a light throttle opening the cylinder pressure prior to ignition is low and the electrical discharge from the coil fires the spark plug. On an uphill section with a wide throttle opening, the pressure in the cylinder is higher and it is easier for the spark to jump to earth through degraded insulation. Cleaning all the high tension components, which were later replaced, cured the problem. So, as Colin suggested, it may be an electrical fault ( or faults).

If, when you depress the brake pedal, a large quantity of fluid is spayed onto the hot exhaust system, the possibility of fire may not be your primary concern. Work on the braking system is usually performed when the vehicle is stationary and the engine is cold. Non silicone brake fluid is flammable but more similar to paraffin or light oil than petrol.

I found this difficult to believe so I poured some DOT 4 brake fluid into a small shallow dish. I then placed a lighted match in the dish. The match went out. I did not repeat the experiment with petrol as a control. I then soaked a small piece of fabric in the brake fluid. This did ignite and continued to burn until all the fluid had been consumed. This would suggest that the flammability of brake fluid is more similar to that of paraffin. The quoted flash point of octane, a major constituent of petrol, is about 13 deg C. the quoted flash point of glycerol, a major constituent of brake fluid is 199 deg C.

Years ago I built a capacitor discharge system, It would run with 40 thou plug gap. However, after a while it started missing badly when trying to accelerate; the plug lead insulation was breaking down. Cleaning the plug, leads and distributor cap and returning the gap to 30 thou, rather than the specified 25 thou, and the car ran just as well without the insulation problem. So, as others have said, as long as the mixture is ignited, a bigger spark is no advantage. A bigger spark with more energy is only an advantage if the petrol air mixture is not optimum. If you have a properly made fire, you can light it with a single match. Using a blow torch to light the fire will only achieve the same end result. If using the same type of coil suitable for mechanical points, the HT output will not significantly change so I would keep the same plug gaps.

I have found these effective but the price seems to have increased significantly since I purchased a set.

It was my father who informed me. He completed an apprentice with Alfred Herbert, a machine builder in Coventry. He had reference books detailing cutting speeds and lubricants for different materials such as mild steel, brass and aluminium. I have now inherited his pillar drill and Myford lathe. Alfred Herbert would have supplied machine tooling to Triumph and other manufacturers in Coventry. When producing thousands of identical components, it would be important to use the optimum cutting speed and lubricant to ensure best quality and speed with minimum tool wear. If just one or two holes, I would follow John's suggestion but make sure that the work piece is securely clamped so that it does not move when drilling the larger hole.

It is dependent on the peripheral speed of the drill bit in m/sec which should be optimised, and not excessive, for the material being worked. So high speed for a small drill bit and slow for a large bit. However, for most of the holes that I drill, I just select the middle speed and keep it at that !

At the risk of complicating things, use a standard relay rated at more than 10 amps. Connect 12V to both 30 and 85, could be a short bridging wire. The horn push is connected to 86 and the horns to 87

I had a similar problem with clutch slip on my Spitfire so bought a new clutch set. However, when preparing to remove the gearbox I found various problems with the hydraulics,(new master and slave required and missing return spring on the pedal) which I now think could be the main cause. As I already had the new clutch, I continued to fit it even though the existing clutch showed little wear. So my advice would be to check out the hydraulics before removing the gearbox.

If it was the Triumph, it could explain the oil marks under the front of the car !

After reading another thread and looking at the earlier photos, it would appear that the soft top hose with no reinforcement is not fit for purpose; easy to fit but not sufficiently rigid. It is just bulging at 13 psi as it is too soft. This could be taking up most of the expansion in the cooling system. I would replace it with a reinforced version, as I believe you intend to do, and then see how it operates.

I was mis-informed. The HSE still states air fed respiratory protection should be used for any reactive paint, which includes those containing isocyanates, even for small areas. Half masks with filters are only acceptable for solvent based paints such as cellulose. If your primer does not contain isocyanates then your mask and filters may be suitable.

Many, many years ago I worked for the HSE on the development of an air fed visor for use when spraying of 2 pack paints. If I remember correctly, the active ingredient was TDI, toluene di-isocyanate. You had to make sure that the compressor was sufficiently remote or it would draw in all the vapours and feed them back into the breathing zone. I was told more recently that a half mask fitted with the appropriate type A filters was acceptable provided that you changed the filters every day as the vapours had insufficient warning properties to let you know that the filters were approaching the end of life. However, I have not checked this information. The main thing to check with any half mask fitted with filters is that you can obtain a good seal against the face, no facial hair.

The top cut off the top of a 1 litre plastic squash bottle is my usual funnel for use in the garage. No need to clean, just dispose of, as another bottle or similar will be available the next time I need a funnel. If you then also cut off the base of the bottle, you are left with a clear plastic cylinder that the wife uses to protect new plants in the garden.

I thought that only vehicle constructed prior to 1973 were permitted to display black number plates. On checking my facts, I found that the law has changed and now vehicles constructed prior to 1980 can display black plates provided that they are also registered as Historic. Whether anyone would bother provided that the black plates are on an "old" car is another matter. My temperature gauge registers half scale when cruising around and the electronic thermostat is set to switch on the fan at three quarters scale. The fan switches on if caught in slow moving traffic on a warm day. The car is a Spitfire 1500 with a standard system, apart from the electric fan.

The wiring is a bit of a mess but it would appear that the relay is operated when the ignition is turned on. The fan will take in the order of 10 amps. Without the relay the extra 10 amps would flow through the ignition wiring and the system is not designed for such a high current. With the relay, the extra current in the ignition system will be less than 1 amp. The current for the fan will then flow direct from the battery through the relay contacts which can cope with upto 30 amps. When the ignition is turned off, the relay will be de-activated and the fan will stop. If the fan is connected directly to the battery, the fan may continue to run after the engine is stopped. The previous owner probably was worried that this continuous draw of 10 amps could flatten the battery, which is no longer being charged by the alternator, making it impossible to restart the engine.

I had an old fuel pump with failed valves. After removing the top half of the pump body, 4(?) screws, you can twist the diaphragm to disengage the actuating rod from the lever and gain access to the spring. I did the same with the new pump and swapped over the springs. The spring from the new pump was noticeably stronger than the original. So far the new pump with the original spring is operating without issues.

The manifold retaining nuts are 9/16" AF which is 14.3 mm so 15 mm may be a bit loose unless it is to fit over the rust! Convinced that nobody was reading his reports, an engineer started inserting his own units such as furlongs per minute instead of metres/sec. No comments were received which confirmed his suspicions.

In the later installations and with the correct return pipe fitted with a restrictor, there is a low flow of hot water through the manifold to slightly heat up the interior surfaces. This is to prevent petrol condensing on the inside to the manifold which would lead to poor mixture distribution to the cylinders. If the weather is cold and you turn on the heater, more hot water flows through the manifold and supplies more heat to counter the increased tendency for condensation to occur because of the cold ambient. Some engines, such as on the Mini, had the inlet manifold in direct contact with the exhaust manifold but this can supply excessive heat. If you want to go racing and need as much power as possible and are not concerned about smooth running at slow speeds, then yes there would be a theoretical advantage in not heating the manifold.

I too needed a 12v supply for the electronic ignition module as it is a ballasted system. I ran a separate wire from a switched unfused supply but fitted an in-line fuse holder. As this just supplies mA to power the electronics, I used a 3 amp fuse. The fuse holder is hidden behind the dashboard but is easily accessible from the driver's seat. When parking in a non secured location, it is easy to remove the fuse and push the holder back out of sight. Just remember to replace the fuse before trying to drive away or you will spend several frustrating minutes trying unsuccessfully to start the engine ! I have never had the fuse blow but I do carry a spare.

I made a replacement "T" piece out of 10 mm solder ring copper plumbing fittings which was fitted to the end of the manifold outlet by a short length of rubber hose. The ridges in the copper fittings for the solder rings help to secure the hoses. With my manifold the problem with the pipe rusting was not just the "T" piece so I also replaced the pipe from the manifold with a 3/8" BSP brass fitting. Considerably cheaper than scrapping an otherwise perfectly good manifold. Also contact the Club Shop. They were offering reconditioned manifolds with stainless steel pipes.

What you need are Waxstat jets for SUs !!😄

Many years ago, I did something similar with a Dremal as I had the same problem. It has not jumped out since. The depression only for the roller to rest in only has to be 1 or 2 mm.

Run with the extension pipe in the summer and without in the winter?