Nick Jones

Ok...... so there are other things to consider. That is the later 1850 gearbox. The single rail - so named because it has a single selector rod - it has the flat top. The good news is that it is stronger than the earlier three rail (three selector rods, bubble top) typre used on earlier Dolomites and Vitesse/GT6. The less good news is that unlike the earlier 3 rail Dolly box (also with J-type) which is a direct swap after a bellhousing change: - It's 1" longer than the earlier box (adapter plate between gearbox and OD is longer as is the mainshaft) so you'll need a special propshaft 1" shorter than the GT6 OD one and the space is very tight at the back, especially around the speedo drive. Some "relief" may be needed -The single rail selector sticks through the front of the main casing without any oil seal. The 1850 bell housing has extra material with a hole in it here to act as a closing plate for it. The GT6/Vitesse one does not. People have got around this in various ways - it's fixable. - You'll need to modify the gearstick to resemble a GT6 one. - Fine spline clutch plate needed (as observed above). Late Dolly 1850, TR7 4 speed, certain Sierras and Saabs all can be used. It is possible to overcome the bell housing problem by building the internals into your original 3 rail casing but the length problem remains. That's a fair price at present. Though there is no guarantee it's not knackered - they quite often are, but not as often as the early ones which almost always are! Nick

Interesting. The 1500 is mostly legendary for being short-lived, 40 - 50k miles being typical for the bottom end. Clearly you and the POS have looked after this one! Nick

Absolutely. Just like pretty much every car. I have no idea why Triumph thought the other way round was correct. Nick

30 front, 26 rear with 175/70s. If going far and fast with touring load then I’ll pump the rears up a couple more psi Nick

Mine has bigger ones as well - mainly because the one at the gearbox end came sized for a Toyota Supra so the other was chosen to match it. The original TRiumph sizing is marginal for a 2.5 or even a good 2L. Nick

Don’t recall it being an issue on my Herald and that used to spend quite a lot of time on the motorway at speed. It did have wider wheels and a lowered rear end though. Vitesse is fine to 100 but does get a bit sketchy above that..... everything flaps and shakes......

Sounds just about bob-on to me. You will struggle to improve on that. Nick

I have an 063 in the GT6 (and Spit) and an 075 in the Vitesse. We found the 075 a bit big for the Spit/Gt6 box, but the 063 is perfect. And Cheap. And very common. My original Halfords "3 year" lasted about 15, so I tend to buy them. Nick

My experience is “avoid the new calipers like the plague” And “Bigg Red for seal kits and stainless steel pistons” (they’ll also recon them For you if you prefer) Discs - I’d view the cooked one with suspicion but it might be ok. Replace as pairs. If you are in the south west I have a pair of used-but-will-go-again you can have. Wheel bearings - wash out thoroughly and inspect. If they weren’t knackered before the brake incident they will most likely be good to go again. Regrease and refit. Don’t fill the hub with grease - I have no idea why people think it’s a good idea. Don’t buy £6 no-name wheel bearings...... Nick

Did a Herald one years ago. Lady wife made it using the original as a pattern and I fitted it with the roof upside down on the lawn. The rear screen does need to come out. First one I’d done and it was straightforward enough. Came out well. Compared to a GT6 one...... walk in the park!

Sounds familiar....... The tool in the top pic is called a podger. The Americans call the aligning bars..... but where is the fun in that. The final tool development for me was an old spring eye bolt with the head cut off and the other end ground to a blunt point at a shallow angle - a podger as above - but a podger that you can tap all the way in and then chase through with the actual bolt. Works like a charm 🙂

Yeah...... it’s the fact that you have to significantly distort the Roto to allow the top of the vertical link to move in enough for the bolt to line up. And the Roto resists..... I have been known to use ratchet straps. But now I have CVs, so that fight has gone away! Nick

As Rob says..... Getting that bolt out is easy. Putting it back in with a fresh roto......... 😳 that’ll test your patience 🙄 May the force be with you..... Nick

Yeah, but if there isn’t a phone box handy, how do you tell if they are in mph or kph......? 😊🙃

Ah, the Irish borders. Mph and Kms all mixed up on very similar looking signs..... what could possibly go wrong.....

All three Triumphs out yesterday for MoT. Three passes. 🙂 The last time the GT6 was tested was on my 22nd birthday. I’m 53 now...... Nick

Dennis Vessey is very well respected in the Triumph tuning world, as are TR Enterprises. Also Peter Baldwin. Though he has nominally retired I did find mention on the web that he still works part time out two workshops; one in Cambridge and one in Lincoln. No idea whether this is still the case. Nick

Depending on what your complaint is and whether the engine also has (or may have) a non-standard cam, it might be worth seeking out a rolling road with an old school operator who knows his SUs. I say this because you have three visible deviations from standard. K & N airfilters, SU carbs (HS4s I assume) and some sort of tubular manifold. All of which mean that picking the right needles for the carbs is going to involve guesswork as there never was a Mk1 2L engine fitted with SUs even without the other factors. While it should be possible to get things right at idle, it won't necessarily follow that they will then be right elsewhere in the rev/load range. Don't know who to recommend in your area as I'm much further south. Nick

☺️ A happy ending......

It might improve with use. Bit of a long shot. Hub release pressures a bit light maybe, or just not a very grippy synchro. Might improve when the oil gets properly warm. It's a real minefield. New synchros aren't always great, decent used ones getting rare, and the cone surface on the gear can be a factor too. You have to try the baulk rings on, see what gap is left (more the better in general), but also, push and twist them together. A pair that is going to work well together will bite as you twist - it's difficult to describe - almost a squeak - but more a sensation of grip and friction than anything you can actually hear. If they just slide, they won't work well. I like to try a few and see. I will choose one with good bite over another with less bite even if it has more gap. Have seen new ones that are slightly out of round so have a great gap but minimal bite. What gear oil are you using? Can have a quite a big effect. Redline MTL or MT90 works quite well for that I've found. BTW on mine GT6 box I chose hub release pressures on the high side. Synchro works well but it is a bit notchy so far. Not as quiet as I would like either. Nick

Agreed. My (limited) experience with NOS cranks is that they may be production rejects and really need a grind to get them to properly match the bearings even when not rusty. However if you happen to have a set of VP2 shells in standard size....... Nick

CC conversion uses 1500 FWD CVs for outer joints (1300 are smaller). Inner joints are the pot joints that were used on some propshafts. The ones I know of are 1500 Spit, Dolly Sprint and maybe TR7. Could be others also. Likely were made by GKN but I have no idea whether any similar has been made in the last 40 years. Nick

Good lord........ that doesn’t sound like normal Colin behaviour 😳 Nick

Plenty of decent penetrating oil will usually save the adjusters. It’s worth stripping them completely for a full clean and reassembly with high temperature grease. They work so much better when free-turning and you can feel the flats. Roto bolts can be very stubborn. Make sure you’ve had your 3 shredded wheat and keep a can of spinach handy..... Nick

What Clive says. It’s actually the weight of your passenger flexing the floor (you might want to be careful telling your passenger 😛). The point of contact will be the reinforcement plate under the handbrake. Dropping the back of the gearbox a few mm is the easy way - if you have any room to drop left. Another possibility is to put a bit a packing under the floor along the top of the middle outrigger to prop the floor up a little. I’ve had this issue on a Herald with Dolly 1500 running gear and with my Vitesse with the long J-type box. Was able to lower the box both times. Nick