Steve P

Having lost the keys to my Vitesse i am trying to do this,i changed the whole ignition switch yesterday,i have a new boot lock barrel,how do you get the old one out?.I cannot see anything holding it in?. Steve

I used a can of Australian stuff called "StartYouB4stard" on an old V8 Merc years ago. S

Thanks to Ian and Nick for those replies,i forgot about the CT thread as i don`t really check there any more. I will contact 2spec.I don`t really want to take it off the road until the end of the year though.On the speed/revs thing,i have a saloon box with J type and 13 inch wheels with 175/70 tyres,70 mph is 2900 RPM,that`s with an electronic speedo and rev counter, and checked with Sat Nav. Latest problem is i have lost the bloody keys,i have to change the ignition switch and door and boot locks. Steve

Sorry for the hijack but i see in Ians reply he has a quaife in a 3:27,i have a Blackline atb ready for my 2.5 +o/d Vitesse with a 3:27 already in there but i was told it can`t fit in due to the carrier?,I have a stronger carrier already fitted by Mike Papworth,Will it fit?. Steve

Yes that was a downer,sorry Paula. Today i realised i have lost my keys to my Vitesse,bummer,will have to change all locks and ignition. S

When i was 17 i had a friend who was into Mini`s,he had an oil in the garage drum on which he used to wash down mini engines with thinners,the thinners drained into the drum. One day he was welding in the garage and the drum blew up,killed him and his father who was in the garage with him. S

I fitted one to my 1500 Herald,fitted fine,the only thing i noticed was that it came with a 16lb cap,also the outlet to the expansion bottle never got hot water through it,i don`t know if that means the neck is right or not.The car never overheated according to the gauge. Steve

Standard rockers and cover?, My roller rockers fouled the cover slightly so had to adjust the cork gasket?. Steve

What Pete said,the chassis bracket bolt holes are slotted to make it easier. Steve

My Vitesse was off the road for about 10 years+,before Sorn came in,not taxed or MOT`d,when i got it back on the road i was prosecuted for the 10 years back tax,i contested the case and won on the basis of proving it was in bits in a garage the whole time.That was around 2009. Steve

That`s true up to a point,it`s what i did as i said on my earlier post.But you have to set the handbrake cable quite precisely so that the travel of the suspension doesn`t affect it, as the suspension travels upwards,the handbrake gets tighter so may drag if not set properly.After some time setting mine up it usually shows really good operation on the MOT rollers.It`s lowish anyway so travel is reduced. Steve

How many of our cars have clear drain holes?. My Vitesse leaked more from the hood front rail when i was on the RBRR. Also because i so rarely use the hood,its shrunk around the rear side bits. Steve

I think hand brake cables are the only difference,i have a MK 1 Vitesse that i converted to CV via Roto,just needs very careful setting up of the handbrake as the suspension movement affects the tension on the cables.I think MK 2`s are body mounted to compensate?. Steve

I saw a Stag and a Spitfire(not together) on my way back from Fulham, in the Twickenham area this morning. S

On my Vitesse i lined the whole thing with Dyna-Liner and made extra strips for the edges,much quieter and less fumes than before. Steve

I primed mine with a drill before so it had oil everywhere,and proper break in oil from the land of Donald. It has a 123 Tune USB dissy on it,it fired up first turn of the key,before i wanted it too really.Drove great....for 500 miles,now being rebuilt again.Contributing factor might have been not re-torquing the head down soon enough because i didn`t have the tool for the ARP head bolts. Steve

Sam, Breaking in process is crucial,mine started p,ing petrol from one of the float inlets so had to turn it off straight away,then an oil leak. This was my 1500 that i spent a fortune on,ended up grenading after 500 miles.Cracked head let water in the bore. On another note, I was on the Raiders run (Blue Vitesse) when your old one dropped a valve,hope it all goes well for you. Steve

Just putting my exhaust manifold and carbs back on the Vitesse this morning with the spacer,noticed something,no bolts in the right hand engine mount. This must have happened last year when i was having clutch trouble and entrusted the work to my local old school garage,who have a ramp, so it`s easier for them to wrestle the Saloon box out. I have used them for years and will continue to do so,i will tell them when they reopen. I have been driving the car for 6 months like that!. The pic shows where the mount has dropped away from the chassis holes.

Welcome,and good choice on the Vitesse,i bought mine in 1985,now quite modified (2.5L) but standard looking apart from the wheels,(Revolutions).I also have a 13/60 CV. Steve

Get Edd China to do it,even if its takes 94 hours,it`s free,and looks like a pro job. S

I would personally avoid the so called "Upgrade" brake masters on offer.I fitted one and it was awful on my Herald,smaller reservoir and much more leg needed to get the same braking,either refurb or use OE. If you can get the plunger in as far as it will go, i used some fine emery paper and silicone spray to clean the bore up, and sharp tapping on a flat surface(top of a vice for me) to persuade the piston out.This was on a Herald that had been in a garage for 30 years. Steve

DVLA says it was MOT`d 2 weeks ago so still alive. S

I used cage nuts and bolts from an IT cabinet at work. Steve

I have a Spal 11 inch on my Vitesse on an ali rad,never overheats.(See avatar).Only time it crept up near the danger zone last year in hot weather was when i was in a traffic jam and realised the fan wasn`t working,turned out to be a dodgy fuse connection. Steve

Looks like rear inners and outer arches to me. Steve