A TR7 16V

Found a circuit using one of these units, and it looks like it does do the intermittent bit, but no separate control of the pulse rate. Rather, the other pin is for wipe while wash:

It's hard to be sure, but it looks like there's a pulse generator and relay all built into the units used on Land Rovers and such, the unit being like £5 to £10 on ebay. I think, if I've got it right, all that needs is a pot to control that generator, some wires, and some Lucar connectors, and it should run the wiper motor direct. Pin 15 looks like +12v. 53M looks like drive to the motor. 31 looks like ground. 53S might be connected to a park switch, perhaps. I think then, that I and T go to a pot to set the speed/frequency of pulses and the trigger switch. It will need a small mod to a herald 13/60 column switch to separate the flash from the main beam output, but that looks easy enough. The problem is in finding the circuit and the resistance value and power requirement for the pot. If it needs a big wirewound one, like is used as a dimmer on some dashboard lighting systems, then it's probably not worth it, and I'll just get a relay and a 555 - I have Veroboard. I do remember discrete transistors (we did valves at A level when I were a lad - my physics teacher worked on the first radar laid AAA and claimed to have known A.C. Clarke before he were famous; even before he wrote Glide Path), but a timer chip and a relay will do better if I must build something (I'm not paying £36 for a blooming low frequency pulse train generator). Graham

Has anyone fitted a reasonably simple wiper delay circuit to a small chassis car, possibly based on the compound relays fitted to land Rovers. I'm thinking of moving the dip/main/flash switch elsewhere on the column and re-using the existing one/location for a wiper switch, with the flash used for an electric wash pump. As that switch has 3 positions for lights, and the flash, I though I might use the first for off, the second for delay, and the third for normal op. The existing wiper switch location might then be used for a potentiometer to control delay/speed. I know I can put a circuit together to do the delay, probably based on a 555 timer chip. But if there's a rugged automotive device I can use easy enough, that's got to be better. However, I can't find the circuit for the Land Rover showing how the relay wires, and what value the pot, that I assume controls delay, might be. Graham

I think it may be even more involved than that. Looking at the rear tub, while the boot lid fits fine, there's more tub overhanging the left wheel than the right already, and (as mentioned before) the right B post leans back at the top and the left B post leans out. Also, I think the left A post leans back. Some of the door being too low at the back may be the hinge pins, but the quarter light is tight against the upper part of the left A post, which suggests the door want's dropping at the back - which it would do, but then wouldn't come even close to aligning with the lowest position of the striker on the B post. All in all it looks like a right can of worms to fix a smallish problem with the door not staying shut.

And even if I move the rear tub forward, it wouldn't exactly have fixed the problem that the striker is worn - it will bring some of the less worn part into contact with the lock plate, but that narrow area will just wear, I think, quickly. Whereas, plating the top surface does fix the problem for minimal effort The question then is whether the fix last long enough to be worth even that small effort: I did have to spend £3.99 in Aldi for some new tinsnips, as the set I had were a bit too rusty, and the missus won't let me cut brass with her kitchen scissors. If do I get the lock and the repaired striker to engage better, I might also look at moving the rivet holes further apart, especially moving the inboard one further over - so the rivet heads are off the section that's wearing. But right now, the door seems to have stopped flying open on right turns, which was the original big problem - it was going to hit a traffic light post or a cyclist eventually. Graham

Yes and no. The problems are I have no idea how big a job that might be, and right now it's needed for daily use, even if mostly as a shopping trolley. I hope the wife's car will return from it's latest disaster - the key won't turn enough to operate the starter - but it always seems to take too flipping long (and cost too much money). Graham

Now available in brass: The second pic shows I didn't file the top of the casting as flat as I might have; though it doesn't seem to matter as yet. I'm wondering about shimming the forward edge of the brass sheet up a bit with some aluminium sheet, perhaps filed to a wedge. I think that would have to be an interference fit between the brass sheet and the casting, as there isn't the space to get it as far back as the rivets. It should be easy to drill those rivets out, file the top of the casting more nearly flat, and use the original alloy repair sheet to lift the brass, but the bit of the casting where the rivets are is already a bit thin to be filing more off. And if the casting is a cheap alloy of mostly zinc and aluminium, it can be a bit brittle. The third pic shows the limited engagement between the lock and the striker plate with the lock pin caught on the second stop. Not sure how long that would hold on a bumpy road, but it holds against me pulling reasonably hard at the door. But the separate anti-burst catch is at the bottom of its range when it engages, so that should be helping the lock hold in this state. So I've got to keep an eye on this repair to see how it wears, how the rivets hold, and if there's any rot from the mix of metals - the copper and zinc in the brass plate, the aluminium in the rivets, and whatever the alloy of the striker is. The galvanic issues may not be helped by it living by the seaside.

Well the attempt to repair a worn-out striker has sort of worked: With the part of the top edge that wasn't worn filed down 1mm and a strip of alloy riveted on, the door catches on the second latch and, I assume, will go back to staying closed. The problem was that the top of the casting just above the top screw was so worn, that with the steel plate of the door lock resting on it, the lock pin could pass under the top hook. While the wear was probably made worse by the door fitting so badly - it's too far forward and won't go back, and too low down and won't go up - it was the wear that was stopping the door staying shut. Some of the problem with the door being too low is due to worn hinges. But I don't want to go fitting new/recon'ed hinges on these doors that I think are being replaced when I can. However, looking at how the allow strip is wearing with just a few shuts of the door to test it all, I think it's too soft and won't last. Looks to me like the striker has some alloyant in it, possibly zinc, that makes it's wear properties against the steel lock plate much better. But I have some brass sheet the same thickness, and tomorrow, if I can, I shall see if I can form that to fit well enough. I hope that will wear better and still not cause whatever problem meant the designers made this striker plate from a light alloy, not steel. I might also look at cutting an aluminium spacer to make up a bit for the door being too far forward and look for some longer countersunk setscrews. I may also look if I can get a small offcut of aircraft grade aluminium alloy to see if that is tough enough. This may only be a temporary fix till new strikers are available. But, again, fitting new ones don't seem like a great idea if I'm replacing the doors and hopefully, getting the replacements to fit better. Graham

As an aside, on the issue of the lock acting as a vent, that turned out to be a problem on the TR7 I had with a locking cap with the lock at the bottom of a small well. The TR7's cap is more or less flat on the deck behind the back window. So, whenever it rained, that well would fill, and the water in it would drain into the tank. Not much each time, but it accumulated. It wasn't a problem while I had SUs fitted. But when I went to Delortos, the steel bits in the accelerator pumps rusted, and the rust flaked off and kept blocking the slow running jets so it wouldn't idle. It took a while to work all this out though. Graham

There was no sign of the tank collapsing or fuel starvation with the cap as it was, just some pressure in the tank and a bit of a smell of petrol when it had been stood in the sun. The smell was mostly in or around the boot. I wonder then if the seal was acting as a one way valve, so that it allowed air in to replace the petrol being used, but would not allow vapour out as the day warmed and the vapour pressure increased. Looking at it, I'd have expected it the work the opposite way with pressure getting out as the cap was pushed away from the neck and vacuum building up as it was pulled tighter on to the seal. But it clearly wasn't sucking the tank flat. Maybe it's some other part of the system and pipework that was acting as a one way vent and that, perhaps, explains the smell. I've been out now, and there's no smell, and obviously no pressure, with the cap rebuilt to not fit so well - I think it's which way around the lock bar is fitted determines the pressure between the filler neck and the rubber seal, but some of it could be which bit of the inside of the neck it bears on and how worn that is. I'm still gonna keep an eye on it, and watch for any slosh out the filler, etc. There's no sign of a bypass round the seal, but I guess I could cut one if I have to tighten the fit to keep the petrol in. It is a proper 3 pin fitting made by Wasso for the Herald/vitesse and Dolomites (it don't look so good on the doly though). So why it don't have a breather/vent is a bit of a mystery. Graham

I got sold a US spec. non-vented cap for my first fake TR7 Sprint many years ago at the main dealers. It only took the fuel pump a day or two (doing 50 miles a day) to suck the fuel tank flat. I did notice it was a bit hard to get the bugger off, and it took only a dribble to fill the tank. So I looked underneath and saw it was a bit thin. Luckily I still had the receipt on the floor of the car and the parts man admitted he'd cocked-up. Got a new tank and hanger straps from the dealers. But with this non-vented cap on the herald, there was only a bit of pressure in there. I don't do so many miles and it was late morning when the sun had warmed the car up. But it's a surprise to me there's no vent anywhere. Graham

I was looking for padded sun visors for the convertible and couldn't find any. So I got a pair for a saloon, sawed off the ends of the pins sticking out towards the sides of the car (which were rusted solid into the visors), and drilled holes in the bits stuck in the shades to take the convertible pins. The job needed more care drilling down the pin than I put into it. So I did damage the driver's shade a bit. But it's definitely a job that can be done with a hand held electric drill and a Black and Decker Workmate bench.

The problem seems to be that the pentangle shaped locking one I have has a seal round the barrel, so it didn't vent through the lock. There was some pressure in the tank when I came to take it off this morning, and a bit of a petrol smell round the car. I don't think the 5 sided shape is at the Rootes of the problem. It was a tight seal on the neck of the filler, but I've taken it apart turned all the gubbins inside around, and now it's a bit slack. So I think that should ease the problem, but I'll keep an eye on it. It fits in what looks a better way, in that the cover for the keyhole points straight down not down and back. Graham

Does the Herald 13/60 tank need a vented cap or is there supposed to be a vent elsewhere? Graham

I see you put the sensor in the correct part of the system, near the cooled output from the rad. That's to say, not on the input side, like all those that mistakenly think the fan is is being used to control the temperature of the engine. Graham

Are these more like the original seals? Must be some joke about arf as wide. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191986009829?hash=item2cb34206e5:g:CLUAAMXQcVNQ60Ro

It would be nice to fix one that's not got any life left in it really, i.e. one that's well worn on the top surface. So if you think yours are worth using as they are, I think you should hang on to them.

I'm looking to see if it's possible to refurbish the LH striker plates that are currently unobtainable. Of course, if someone has a good one, that would save me the effort. But failing that, if anyone has one they've been keeping as a might come in useful one day, etc. and is willing to part with it, please let me know. My plan is to file the step in the top surface down and then try and rivet an aluminium strip on, to bring it back to the right level. I don't need the sprung wedge to be there, and if it is, but seized, I'll need to be able to get it off without damaging the alloy plate. Graham Here's the one on my car showing the wear to the top edge that stops the door from catching the second latch. This is with it washered out to try to get the lock to align better, which helps, but it won't last. And mightn't have worked if the door gap had been smaller.

Going back to the issue of the striker plate and the LH ones not being available new at the moment, I was wondering if there's any possibility of repairing one? I was thinking that it may be possible to file one down uniformly, and use countersunk blind rivets to hold a repair plate on the surface. I assume this would have to be aluminium as well. That's because I assume the striker plate is meant to wear sacrificially, cos it's a shed load easier to replace than the lock plate. I wonder if a 3x10mm plate is thick enough. Maybe 4mm is available and bends easy enough. Put the rivets as close to the B post as possible so they wear least. Anybody got any knackered ones for some experimentation? The other Q is whether there's any 3D printable material that would be hard enough to replicate the whole thing? Graham

I think the front of the right rear wing is high. Last time I was able, I did try looking to see where the tub bolts to the chassis there, but I can't see were it is it to see if there's packing between them that might remove. If anyone has a picture of where that mounting is, I should have a chance in the next week or two to have a good look. Graham

I've had a look at the boot lid fitting and that looks very good, at least in comparison with all the other closures. So if the measure across the B posts should be 48.5 not 46.5, maybe the problem is in the door. I shall see if there's any give with a wedge in the top, and a push on the bottom rear corner, but I don't anticipate that being enough. Possibly a very large, door cross-section shaped, wooden C spanner? Sounds like a chainsaw carving job. I do expect to replace the doors at some point - if they haven't been lost as a result of me not doing anything for lockdown -, so it might be worth trying with the old one. Graham

Yes, I see how that one B post being off line vertically will cause the effect on the door bottom. But I'm not sure I'm bothered enough to do very much. I guess the trick would be to pull the top of the left B post down towards a point on the right side level with the chassis, not to the top of other B post, as that's near enough. The question then is where is strong enough over on the right side of the floor and where I can attach ratchet straps - I'm certainly not cutting new holes to do the job. Is the seat belt anchor like to be up to the job? And what do I pull on at the top of the B post - the hood attachment? If I wrap a strap down the outside of the left B post, underneath the chassis, and back through the right door hole to the top of the left B post, will the post bend before the sill collapses? The other question is, what effect on the hood will there be from moving the left B post top 1/2" nearer the right B post top? I take it there's no mileage in trying to twist the door. 2 bricks under top rear and bottom front and a couple of fullbacks one on each of the other corners? If they wear slippers they mightn't scratch the paint too bad. Graham

The distance I measure between the outsides of the flanges at the tops of the B posts is 48 & 9/16th in. Two inches sounds like a very big error. The bottom of the door is out by no more than 1/2". Graham

Heres the door gaps from side on - no refs to Bremner's "N-N-Nineteen Not Out" please. I think, if I bothered, I could get the door up a little more at the fore, to make the gaps a little more constant. But, that would need me to be bothered. And here the door sticking out at the bottom. This bothers me more than the gaps tapering. This is the gap by the quarterlight. I'm not sure what I'm looking for, so it may not show it. And here's the gap at the back of the drivers door. I can't get back far enough to do better without turning the car around: The fit between the back of the door window and the seal on the hood is made right by packing between the frame and where the hood goes round. It's thin at the top of the wing, but about 3/4" thick as it starts the curve round to horizontal. It's just made of poly foam, and long M2 bolts with extra nuts as standoffs holding the seal runners. I'm a bit surprised the foam is holding up three years after I did the hood. But it is. I know I didn't get the hood pulled down enough at the tops of the B posts, but I found doing the pop rivets there a real difficult bit. So, after a bit, I just went that'll effing do, and went in for tea. I have considered re-doing them, but I have a solution to stop it leaking, so I haven't felt the need. I shall go next and take measurements between the B post tops.

I think the apparent bow is the angle the picture is taken from. Also, the door sticks out at the bottom. And that's adding to making the gap look like it narrows when, in fact, it gets slightly bigger when seen from side on. I've tried moving in at the bottom and out at the top on the hinges, but have had no success. I think I need to find the right shaped tree and open the door against it a few times. I think it's had several replacement panels, but I doubt any of them were exactly new. Graham