Steve P

Not sure about the MX5 conversion,but i see you are in a CV postcode,Mike Papworth is the man for reconditioning yours,he is in Cov as well,advertises in the Courier mag. I have had a few boxes/diffs done by him. Steve

I have one in my garage along with tons of other "must haves" from the 80`s. I will get a picture. Steve

You don`t need to cut off the guides,mine is a Mk 1,just needs careful setting up of the brake balance and handbrake,mine works fine. Steve

Myself and american Bill were exiting a roundabout just outside Bude in Cornwall,going uphill at about 30 when the rear started wobbling,the wheel came off with the brake drum still attached,car slid along the road on the twin box exhaust,managed to pull to the side ok,the wheel ended up in a ditch. I looked at alternative swinger shafts,Sommers Bros in the US,i think Chris Sherrington used them on his T6,but they were nearly a grand a pair. CV virtually fit and forget,about £700 all in.(diy fit) Steve

My twopenneth, Having been overtaken by my own rear wheel on the RBRR when the shaft snapped at the hub end in my MK 1 Vitesse,i would opt for Roto every time,my Vitesse is now CV shafted roto and i have all the bits to do my 1500 Herald as well. Steve

Picked up the new prop today that will hopefully cure the lardy passenger/ floor flexing issue.You can see the witness marks on the old one 2 inch tube with a beefier spline and 100mm joints,really nice piece of work. I would recommend propshaft services in Feltham,part of Bailey Morris i think. Steve

Slow painful death is just not enough for some scrotes nowadays,senseless. Anyone know the circumstances of the theft?. S

Been to Propshaft services today in Feltham,they are making me a bespoke prop with a 2 inch tube,he was worried about torque with the standard size UJ`s so he is going to use larger ones,and i checked with a spare flange he gave me that it will fit,so fingers crossed. Steve

So 1600 then. Running issue sounds like 3 things i had in the past. 1.Non vented fuel cap causing vacuum,if you take the cap off after a run,if there is a rush of air it`s not venting properly. 2.Crud in the tank which blocks the pickup,temporary fix was blowing back down the fuel lines.Coating the inside of the tank fixed my Herald. 3.Rubber pipe joining 2 copper fuel lines under the car allowing air to be sucked in causing fuel delivery issues. Steve

Not GPS,i got it from Speedy cables in Wales made to order,it has a sensor which counts prop rotations and you calibrate it to your diff/tyre/wheel combo.Very accurate after testing with a sat nav.Changed the rev counter to a matching electronic one which connects via the coil at the same time. Plan is to fit the 123 usb dizzy i have on the shelf Steve

I wondered that,IF it`s the original engine from 66 shouldn`t it be a 1600? Much more common for people to get rid of the Solex carbs?. Steve

I contacted Bailey Morris and they have a branch near me in Feltham,i have been there before but forgot,taken the front off today and will get the back bolts out tomorrow and go and see them. I can`t lower the box without replacing the mount as the speedo drive is touching already.I have an electronic speedo so no cable attached.Could blank off the drive hole somehow. Steve

I was thinking of modifying the rear box mount,or even making a solid one a bit lower as the current ones are rubbish anyway.. Steve

Thanks Clive and Nick,I hadn`t though about the floor flexing,this lockdown has definitely increased the weight on the passenger side,i will fix it rather than tell her😐 Steve

During the run to the coast yesterday,two up in the Vitesse,when going over fairly large dips and bumps in the road,i could hear contact between the prop and the floor under the handbrake. It`s a 2.5 engine with a Saloon box and home made rear box mount.It only did this once before when i did a wedding in it and it was 3 up.(big bride) The car is lowered by a Triumphtune spring from back in the day.My question is: Do i raise the rear with a new spring?,i have a new courier one in stock.Or do i modify the mount to get the box lower at the back. I don`t understand how the rear suspension compression makes the prop position change as the diff is fixed?. Or maybe the gearbox mount is knackered again,i discovered yesterday that the handbrake is useless,which means the new wheel cylinders have lasted just over a year before spilling the fluid. Anyone know where i can get cylinders that aren`t crap?. Steve

I think i bought one of the last ones he had,it wasn`t even trimmed from the moulding process. Steve

Just keep an eye on the filter housing,i lost almost all the oil whilst driving on my new expensive 2.5 engine after disturbing the seal,luckily i spotted the pressure dropping on the gauge and pulled over before disaster happened. Glad yours is back to normal. Steve

Imho definitely worth pulling the dizzy and drive,and then using the drill,you will know from the resistance on the pump if it has died. Steve

QH would be Quinton Hazell.Not the same company or parts as back in the day i don`t think. I have the Jones/Bowler conversion on my Vitesse and,i am about to change my Herald to the other CV conversion available,the shimming is going to be a ball ache as i don`t have the tools or facilities to do it. Fit and forget once done and peace of mind for me as i snapped a driveshaft when it was live axle. Steve

I bought 2 of those 714/2 filters to try on my 2.5 Vitesse,i have been using Fram ones for years (Ford Escort?) with excellent pressure and instant oil light out on startup. I use Valvoline VR1 oil. I get 60 psi at 2500 revs hot and about 30 psi on tickover. I`m not going to fit them now and stick with the Fram,if it ain`t broke,don`t fix it.After an oil and filter change,i always fill the filter,no issues regaining pressure. Steve

Mine came from Larkspeed and the description looks exactly the same as your link.As to driving,i found no difference in pedal feel or town driving with the paddle plate. Also my Vitesse was rollered at 170Bhp,it never slipped on the old clutch,just wore out quickly. Steve

I too fitted a Saloon box with J type OD to my tuned 2.5 Vitesse,Vitesse MK 1 flywheel with modified Spigot bush. Standard clutch only lasted 10k miles so i fitted the below one. Did have some geometry issues after the change but sorted with a shorter bearing carrier. Steve

Can`t quite see in that photo but,have you got the spacer in front of the starter?,without that it wont line up with the ring gear properly,(ask me how i know). i would join the 2 heavy wires on the solenoid and extend the ignition wire down to the starter terminal.(With the battery disconnected). Either that or put it on the bench and test it with jump leads. Steve

I had a Hi torque on my Vitesse that cranked really slowly,so much so the car rarely fired up before the battery died. I did away with the solenoid,ran new heavy cables everywhere,no change.I bit the bullet and bought another starter and hey presto,it whizzes over and fires up straight away now. Test the starter on a bench if you can to prove it works properly.Repro solenoids are generally crap(imho). Steve