Steve P

Update: Took it apart,Pete was right about the degraded seal,jeez,it was like tar. Not sure what i was looking at but the lever and rocker thing it was attached to didn`t move very freely,cleaned it with a squirt of brake cleaner and some silicone lube and put it back together, Odometer now seems to work normally,hoorah.As i drove i noticed the fuel gauge was at max..3/4 of a tank before,and the temp gauge went up to just before the red. Back to my garage,found the earth loop had pinged off the back stud before i put the knurled round nut on.Refitted and back to normal,Thanks Pete. Steve

Like the colour and looks a decent car if that`s your thing but i would rather a Sprint,in that colour. Price guide looks a bit high imho. Steve

I use the Fram ones on my Vitesse,have done for many years,although the angle of mine is a bit less horizontal than that pic. I bought 2 of the Mann short ones to try but after reading the other thread i decided to stick with the Fram,always had instant oil pressure on startup. Steve

Reminds me of my Mini i had before my Vitesse in 1985,i loved that car,1293 CC and went like a rocket.Ford Rosso Red with a White roof and 6 x 10 White Weller 8 spoke wheels. Sadly written off by the idiot i sold it to.The brakes were 7 inch MK 1 cooper discs and were worse than drums. Steve

Just read online that prolific writer and well known enthusiast to many in the classic scene passed away on Friday.RIP. Steve

Agree with Pete about reliabilty,these cars are reliable as anything if maintained and more importantly USED. My Vitesse has only ever broken down once,a snapped driveshaft in Cornwall,that was probably due to torque from the2.5 engine,probably outside the design specs of the shaft. Similarly with the Herald,i would take it anywhere. Steve

Been up round Windsor/Ascot today in my Vitesse,roof off in the rain,joyous to drive it again. Steve

Well i have both a Herald 13/60 cv and a Vitesse cv,i like to tinker so the Vitesse (owned for 36 years) is now a tuned 2.5L putting out 170 ish bhp,that will keep up with most things on the road. Herald is now a 1500 with o/d and a 3:63 diff.Perfectly driveable with enough grunt. I actually find the Herald a bit easier to drive because of the lightness compared to the Vitesse. Steve

Update on this,i removed the one on the car that read 3/4 during normal running,the resistance of that one was 780 ohms ish,(different every time i tested it). I had the 2 new ones,i fitted the one with the lower resistance (600 ish ohms). Went for a 20 mile run and the gauge now sits at 1/3 and pretty much stayed there.I am going to leave this one in and see what happens. Steve

Nice to see a company still around that puts quality of work and customer satisfaction above money,good for them.(and you). I am in the same mindset you were in early July,haven`t looked at either my Herald or Vitesse for over a month,Vitesse had moved temporarily to a family members spare garage after my lockup got busted into. I entered a club Yorkshire tour which i have done 3 times before but pulled out 2 weeks ago,just because i couldn`t muster any enthusiasm for it. Interesting thread and i`m sure the car will be much improved. Steve

There was a gathering in Egham (Surrey) yesterday which i only found out about because my daughter told me,(i don`t do Faceache). I was working so couldn`t take my cars,but managed to get there about 3pm,when a few had already left,Triumphs were 2 x TR7 and 2 x TR8,a couple of nice Alpines including one which started life in Sri Lanka in 1960.Also a friend of mine with an Austin 7. Nice to see people getting back to something like normal. Steve

I would be more worried about the shafts snapping,especially with a Turbo MX5 engine. I have personal experience of loosing a back wheel at about 40mph in Cornwall in my Vitesse 2.5L.The wheel departed with the brake drum still attached. I CV`d the Vitesse and have all the parts to CV my 1500Herald. Steve

Not a fan of Red but that looks really nice,and that`s some serious positive camber on the back,hope it settles ok when rolled. Steve

My Vitesse and Herald both died when i changed to a non vented lockable cap, remove the cap and a gush of air.I Modified them so they vented and no more problems,so i would say yes. I have since gone electric pumps so i guess not relevant now. Steve

Just to give you an idea,this is my Herald with Dunlop LP923 5.5j with 175/70 tyres on.It`s not lowered,the spring is a bit tired.

A lot of the modern repro pumps put out way too much pressure for SU`s,i think from memory 2 psi is fine. Had experience of this when i put a new pump on my 1500 Herald.I went electric in the end. Steve

Not unusual for the front seal to leak,worth checking the jiggle pin on the top as it acts as a breather,no breather = pressure and more likely to leak. Don`t think the exhaust makes too much difference,use a good quality oil- EP90 GL4. Some on here have looked at modern synthetics but i have no experience of those.Changing the seal isn`t a massive job. Steve

What is the gap like on the front quaterlight to the windscreen frame?. Steve

All the door problems on my Herald and Vitesse have been down to gummed up parts,but that door gap looks weird,what is going on with the Bow in the middle?. Is it just the picture or does the door bottom go inboard of the post?. Has it had new panels or repairs?. Steve

Whilst out in my Herald 13/60 yesterday i noticed something. It has a single rail O/D box,when the new engine went in it had a new cable + angle drive. The speedo needle is much steadier than before and is accurate,however although the trip mileage turns as normal,the overall mileage does not move at all. Before i take it apart and get a box of bits flying everywhere,anyone know what might do this?. I think i have a spare in the shed but would like to keep the original one in the car. Steve

Not fitted either new one yet been busy with work and Grandaughters birthday,party to come on Saturday in our garden due to space,oh joy 20 odd 6 year olds around.Grumpy in my old age. Steve

No,sold on e bay for 40 quid. As for markings on the new ones,one has none,the other has the following..FAE then 31210 and also 035. No idea.Both have black tops. I don`t think the stabiliser is faulty as i have never had a problem with the fuel gauge which is fairly accurate. Steve

My new 1500 engine in the Herald runs at 3/4 on the gauge whereas the old 1300 engine ran at half way max.I bought 2 x 108 senders from different suppliers to test with an Ohm meter. 1 reads 680 ohms,the other 880 from the spade to the sensor when cold,this must give a different reading on the car between the 2. Steve

I have used various items to try and wedge the bolt so it doesn`t rotate,screwdrivers,chisels,rods etc,even tried to compress the cage a bit with a chisel. I think the original nuts were square so it can be possible to get something either side of it,(i used 4 inch nails).lots of penetrating fluid to free it up as well. Steve

My first project car was a 997 Cooper in 1985 when i was 19,got an engine from an Austin 1300GT and rebuilt it to 1293cc, with a hot cam from Avonbar racing in Byfleet,head work etc.Straight cut gearbox. Went like rocket,it had a 90 mph speedo and i used to get the needle past that and round to the petrol gauge at the bottom.Problem was the brakes were awful,it had 7 inch discs which were actually worse than drums.Sold it for £800 in 1986 and bought my current Vitesse for £700. Both my daughters had BMW Coopers,one a 2002 ,no aircon,one a 2003.The 2002 one was brilliant and never had any problems,2003 one was a nightmare,overheating and steering issues.I had to put a new water pump on it which involved taking the whole front of the car off. Steve