Nick Jones

Well, it’s clearly using an 1850 mainshaft, OD adapter plate and OD. I suppose the same parts could also be sourced from a single rail Spit /Dolly 1500. The adapter housing is the giveaway, being visibly longer. Presumably the coarse splined input shaft has been machined out for the bigger bearing. Hopefully they also addressed the lubrication issue which is a big factor on the bearing failures IMO. Who knows about the rest of the gearset. Expecting case markings to give any reliable information about the content is optimistic. The youngest of the three rail boxes is 45 years old and as they were woefully under specified from the factory, almost all will have been through multiple rebuild cycles, and contain whatever the rebuilder was able to find. Nick

That is a single rail 1850 box built into a three rail casing. Will have the larger mainshaft tip and same ratios as Vitesse 2L/GT6. Only downside is it’s 1” longer meaning a shorter prop is needed (guess you have that) and it’s a very tight fit at the rear so a little chassis relief may be needed for the speedo drive. Nick

Nice enough but strong money. Solex carbs and 4 dial dash? Thought the 4 dial cars had Strombergs......? Nick

Dave, the cap on mine, which looks just like that, has no valve in it. Just a metering orifice and a pellet of wire wool under the cap. Are there two variants? Nick

Is this the so called “big bearing Kit”?https://www.canleyclassics.com/?product=uprated-front-hub-and-stub-axle-kit I understand they work differently though not had hands on myself. Doesn’t it have instructions with it? Nick

Like 175/70s myself. Will be ok on a 5" rim. Falken SN832s are reasonably priced and brilliant in the wet. Nick

Problem is that the O rings MUST be made from EPDM rubber. DOT 4 kills all other normal rubbers. Even Viton is not great. Unfortunately even some suppliers who really should know better, do not. Get them from a specialist O-Ring supplier (I use Polymax, who are excellent). You will need to know the dimensions though. Nick

Agree on the breathers. It’s on the to-do list for mine as it gets a bit “sweaty” on track days or when ragging it round the Alps. Ok the rest of the time. Nick

I think US and Oz (maybe NZ too) were earlier to comply with local legislation. Nick

Thanks Paul. That’s put a slightly different slant on Gav’s pictures....... I’ve done it now and it’s not quite like that........ but it’s a lot better than it was. I’ve had Heralds and this Vitesse for a long time, but only the one. Never had a good look at Mk2 tub in the flesh. Nice clear shot of the handbrake guides I don’t have too 😀 Nick

As stated, to undo the drain plug you need to hold the neck firmly and work against that. If the tank is otherwise good you can wash it out with a hot caustic solution, which will also remove any fossilised hydrocarbon crud from in there. Suggest two or three washes and a thorough rinse. Final rinse with a dilute phosphoric acid solution to passivate. You’ll probably need to cut a fairly big section out to get away from rusty metal. Repair method..... MIG welding has a depressing tendency to porosity, especially if even tiny amounts of rust present. TIG should be better in skilled hands though the same applies if rust present. Solder or braze likely best. My GT6 tank was TIG’ed and leaked. Body soldered successfully (3rd attempt) Then slosh sealed internally. So far so good. If you can find a decent used tank, especially in the larger size, that is likely to be much easier. There are still a few places that will repair tanks (Often radiators are their main business) but getting scarce. Nick

Thank you both. Appreciate the effort Gav. Looks tidy enough to me - you set the bar high! I don’t have the handbrake cable guides to contend with. Cheers Nick

2.5 is indeed the way to lazy power. It will find the (many) weaknesses in power train though. Nick

Pics would be great. Spring is still out, which ought to help. It’s kunifer pipe. Not as obliging as copper, but easier than Bundy. Waiting for the fittings to arrive now...... but it’s ok, I’ve just found some holes in the bottom of the main chassis rails by the diff, so more work.......☹️ Nick

Thanks Gary. Looking now on a PC I can see that Clive's original reply was in fact perfectly good (sorry Clive!) - the link goes straight to the pic you've posted. Looking on my phone (earlier and now) it goes somewhere different (though does briefly flash up something that could be that pic). Anyway, that gives me something to work with. Think I'm going to be wishing I hadn't put the diff back in...... but the body is still raised about 4". Nick

Can’t find a diagram that differentiates between mk 1 and mk 2? All the swing axle cars have that pipe running along the lower rear x- member with the flexi-hoses going to the wheels behind the axles. Roto cars have the hoses well ahead of the axles with special extensions on the radius arm brackets to keep them away from the Roto couplings. For this reason the cross-pipe stays forward of the axle, though not sure what the “official” route is on a Vitesse..... Nick

My Vitesse is bitser, with rotoflex chassis / suspension and Mk1 body. Even after 30 years of ownership, this throws up the occasional question as a result. With it partly in bits for some fettling and the diff removed, I've noticed that the hard brake line that runs across the car (from 3 way union on LH rear to flexihose on RH rear, has been rubbing gently on the top of the diff. It's a steel pipe installed 30 years ago, and while no more than polished by the contact, I have a strong suspicion that the routing is wrong. I have some other pipes to renew - so now is the time - but where is it supposed to go? On a roto GT6 it clips to the cross-member behind the heel board, which doesn't exist on a Vitesse....... Thanks Nick

Why wouldn’t a smear of sealant help with a low pressure joint face? It does....... Presuming you have bigger breathers John? Marcus is right on the money about that. These engines sweat when worked hard unless they are very fresh or they have big breathers. Nick

This may help as a 1300 Spit engine is much the same , just two pots shorter http://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/1050-dhla40-jetting/ Worth poking around some more in the carb section of the Sideways forum. There is a lot of DHLA info there. Will mostly be pre 2015 as Dave Powell, a DHLA expert, didn’t post much after that. Clive is right too. Lots of variations and the common ones are the emissions versions which behave differently. There are threads that discuss this. Nick

That should do it 🙂

I dislike Wellseal. Mostly I dislike scraping it off...... so I avoid putting it on in the first place. Current favourite silcone is the Victor Reinz stuff - mainly because my usual motor factors stock it and it seems to work well https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15035053315?iid=233345124902&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=233345124902&targetid=878020360040&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045690&poi=&campaignid=9461445814&mkgroupid=97644908122&rlsatarget=pla-878020360040&abcId=1139576&merchantid=101732053&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtLT1BRD9ARIsAMH3BtUcCP-01XpmFlanC3tPXbD2x5iQaN4bE2MPukqc9ZJuHlwsYZHVfUYaAlnMEALw_wcB

In my experience they are a bit prone to weepage on that side. I do usually put a bit of extra sealant along that edge. Typically good quality automotive silicone. What you mention above certainly has potential. I've noted some variability in the fire-ring depths when measuring engines, though whether this is factory variation or later work I really don't know. Hugh's suggestion is something to think about also and should be fairly easy to measure with the head off. Nick

Something in the region of 330/350lb/in with a free length of 10 to 10.5 works well. These represent about as far as you can go without spacers with a fixed seat damper. As a bonus you can usually remove and fit without a spring compressor. Faulkner’s springs on the south coast do a 10” 350lb one from stock at a reasonable cost. Have these on my Vitesse and some 10.5” 330lb ones (Moss??) on my GT6. Both ride well (on Konis) and not too low Nick

Steve, the clues are in the original CT thread. https://www.club.triumph.org.uk/menu/6023/item/605008/view Can be done but machining needed on the carrier. You could contact 2Spec (dunno if they are your original supplier) as they have done before...... According to Canleys, there are 3 possible ratios for the J-type. 25%, 28% and 27%. The latter used on later applications (Volvo), but possible to fit. 28% were used on the 2.5 cars and Stag so seems likely that you have one Ian - as Rob says. It’s marked on the OD nameplate at the end of the serial movement. Nick

Checked taps in the oil pressure switch hole of a 6 cylinder block. I would say BSPT, though a BSPP tap goes in a reasonable distance (5 turns vs 7 for the taper tap). Don't have an NPT one to try. Nick