Unkel Kunkel

Really can't see any bargains here , Dave. Does make you realise to hang on to bits rather than bin them when you're restoring though. - even the false horizon gauge,(should one feel the need) available on Ebay much cheaper

The bore size is more related to volume than pressure ,Doug - pressure = force/area so if you want high pressure from same force reduce the bore size not increase. I haven't seen the club oiler. The easiest gun to use for grease or oil I found is the pistol grip Swiss made Wanner 315 It is also the easiest quickest and least messy to fill with either grease or oil and if filled with oil,doesn't leak oil everywhere. Generates up to 5000 psi (not that is relevant for the trunnions) They seem to last for ever.Ihave had mine for over forty years. I don't now if they still make them. They crop up on eBay for as little as a tenner

NASA not very impressed by spring washers either, Pete: ( You can't pull up on the hard shoulder to fix things up there can you?) "Fastener Design Manual" NASA ;March 1990 NASA reference publication no. 1228, Author Richard Barnett discussing spring washers: "In summary, a lock washer of this type is useless" Andrew

How much is it worth? Well it depends- . Price of any "thing" is simply whatever the market will stand for that "thing" If someone will pay £200- then that is what it worth ( at least to the to the seller) Someone might fall in love with it, take it home and build a stunning machine- many have with worse. To me, it is worth nothing - I would walk away( breaking into a run perhaps)) Even if the chassis has survived.,there will not be a single panel anywhere that does not need repair or replacing This vehicle has not recived devoted atentionEvery mechanical part that still remains will be be well knackered There is no such thing as a cheap car only expensive cars that can be bought cheaply but need a lot of money/and/or time spending on them thereby making them expensive again

Yes,see your point That would be sensible I defer to your wise counsel,Pete I was a bit too quick recycling the bits of my Mk1 DIY Heath -Robinson braces... the bits are in something else now. I will just mig weld some box section tube across (since the gaps are ok and adjustment not needed now) Andrew

I have just finished replacing my Spitfire's lower A posts ,inner sills, middle sills and outer sills, both floors ,lower B posts, inner rear wings and outer wings.(On the chassis with door gaps braced). it wasn't really a case of bracing the door gaps to maintain positions as in it's" previous life" repairs had not maintained these- it was more having adjustable braces to improve /restore the door gaps as welding proceeded It's all done and rigid now with fairly reasonable (well, better) door gaps I intend to lift the body off the chassis by eye bolts through suitable locations in the floor, suspending it by my engine crane whilst I tackle some chassis work , tilting by adjusting the supporting chains to allow a tidy up of the underside of the body. Finally....The question...... Will the door gaps still need bracing prior to lifting after all the new panels? -it does seems pretty solid Andrew

Garage would have to have a very low roof for it to be a problem, I think I'm sure someone will give you the exact figures but if this is any help, I see In an old Autotest review of the "new" Spitfire1500 which will be the same dimensions I would think for practical purposes, the scale drawing shows the open bonnet at just under 6ft (It also shows a "standard garage" being 16ft x8ft 6") Overall length car 12ft 5" width 4ft 10"

Going back to the original questions Yes change Dot 4 every 2 years or so -and the clutch fluid Yes , change fluid by following usual bleeding sequence which is very straight forward as long as the bleed nipples aren't seized and you keep watching the fluid resevoir is well topped up during the proceedure or you'll get air into the system and end up going round again at least once to bleed it. As for the silicone\dot 4 religious debate Both are fine - it really depends on what you want from the brake fluid: =If you want a brake fluid that is perfectly satisfactory(and much better than that available when these cars were designed then Dot 4 is fine) but change it every 2 years or so. =If you store the car for years between doing jobs on it or using it and want everything to be uncorroded and unsieized ( ie regard it as having a preservative function) so that things working next time and/or are worried about fluid stripping the bulkhead paint then go for the silicone fluid. I went for silicone over 10 years ago and I find it fine for my requirements As long as you don't furiously pump the brake pedal when your bleeding it won't produce little bubbles. Hazards : as stated Dot 4 is a good paint stripper. It stings like ***** if you get it in a cut( or in your eyes -don't ask) it is flammable. -Silicone is pretty inert stuff and doesn't strip paint -even polishes quite well. Main hazard I found was that if you spill it on floor it is very slippery.....

I was having similar thoughts, dougbgt6 but most impressively, Pete has answered my question before I asked it ! Andrew

How frustrating! Observations : 1) The plugs are "dry" After (I suspect!) some prolonged cranking on choke I would expect them to be dripping. 2) you consider is there some lack of vacuum Also consider again dougbgt6 's observation re the pipe work.: On engines after KE 10,000 the crankcase ventilation was revised: -The Smith's emission valve was no longer used. -The central manifold tapping previously used for the emission vac tube was now used for the servo vac connection. Now each carb had a vac tube which ,after merging at a T tube led to the rocker cover. Looking at your pics,I can see the servo connection to the central portion of the inlet manifold - that's what one would expect. and I can see a vac pipe coming off the rear carb (I cant see where it goes for sure but I suspect it leads to the rocker cover) However, 1)I can't see a front carb vac. tube 2)I can't see a T piece If the front carb vac connection is simply open this certainly will be an inlet leak. If the rear is unconnected this would further aggravate the situation compounded by stale fuel.. Hope it helps, Andrew

OK ,Let's take that you've got a good spark and that it is happening at the right time This is also supported by the fact that it fires up briefly on your carb. cleaner ( Bradex Easy Start best) This suggests not enough petrol reaching cylinders. So,1) is it reaching carbs ? Test this - detach fuel line from fuel pump and point it into a jar, away from any sources of spark ie detached plug leads and spin engine over ( I presume still has the mechanical fuel pump -should get a good spurt of fuel. If not, then given fuel in tank ,have a look at the fuel pump- they can hold an extraordinary amount of debris even blocking the filter screen. Having ascertained it is getting to the carbs 2) is it getting into into the carbs? for this your best dismantling and cleaning everything out especially the needle valves (with any carb cleaner you have left) Fuel a)It is quite possible that the carbs will be fouled up with residue especially if laid up long time. b)Fuel is very "old" at 9 months.You used to be able to get away with this but recently it goes off/stale quite quickly and the ethanol in it absorbs water and can speed corrosion -a real issue with garden machinery where the advice is anything over thirty days old can be seen as suspect.It also gums up forming a sticky jelly like residue ,or a varnish ,or jelly with gritty white corroded bits in it ( I had to strip down a carb on a mower yesterday which I put away in November without bothering to drain the fuel and it was quite impossible to start until new fuel and carb. fully cleaned out...) Good Luck! Andrew

That graphically makes the point, JohnD ! That impact stud remover looks the job, Pete- I didn't know there was such a thing.I learn something every time I look on here.

It's going to be yer studs - the head is going to be "stuck" because of one or more of the studs being rusted in the head.The gasket doesn't stick to this extent. So,as per Pete's advice, removing the studs will be the logical route to follow even if this may require stud remover ,double nuts on the stud (if there is room) ,welding a nut to the stud, patiently drilling out stud remnants but it is ultimately the least likely to cause damage. Other things worth trying are the spinning engine on starter with plugs in. I have head of someone running an engine (wasn't a triumph however ) with cyl. h nuts removed over several cycles from cold to hot Heard advocated penetrating oil down the threads made from 50% acetone and 50%ATF Never tried the oil in cylinder or the "rope trick" for, perhaps unwarranted ,fear of hydraulic damage- or the rope equivalent certainly I would only turn the engine by hand not spin it on the starter. Finally,I heard of an unusual proceedure to prevent rusting of studs in aluminium heads which involved boiling the studs in linseed oil before use! Good Luck!

-it ain't no Triumph, bruv No idea- DIY electronics with display unit -rev counter? speedo? decades away from most Triumphs . Daily Mail will run a story about it being left by a time traveller

Can't recall what a Herald's cleaner normally looks like. This one reminds me of the sort of air cleaner used to see on quite a few sixties cars ? Mk 1 Cortina ,?Hillman's etc It looks like someone has added a short pipe and extended the original inlet pipe (why?) -I seem to remember that the advice on some cars like the old 105e ford was to simply turn the air cleaner around so the inlet pipe faced rewards in winter to get warmer air from exhaust manifold. By the way, what's that silver vertical cylindrical" thingy" in the angle between the engine side valance and the rad? Looks a bit like old Pyrene fire extinguisher or is it something else? ( If extinguisher perhaps not the easiest to reach if engine/carb fire) or is it a bespoke rad overflow bottle or ...

Pochin probably best in the tea

I use some stuff called "Shell Advanced fuel system protector" comes in little 50ml bottles The idea being to put a bottle or two in the fuel tank ,run the engine so it gets into carbs then the fuel doesn't go off and gum up in storage. . As it seems to be Its used by motorcycle enthusiasts round here who lay up their bikes for many of the months of the year I thought I would try it.Seems to work OK. I get it from a Sthil agent ( sold to for garden machinery use -put it in chain saw engine tanks etc) I also put it in the for the lawn mower over winter and a very infrequently used little petrol driven generator

I had fitted a new stainless fuel tank. to a Scimitar I had in the 70's. Returning home from putting the 20 galls needed to fill it, I noticed a steady stream of petrol coming from under the car.It was very obvious that I had not fitted the cork gasket properly where the tank sender unit is fitted into the tank Moments later, with the car on ramps I was frantically trying to re-position the sender unit joint to save the precious fluid which was now running down my arm and forming a large pool under my shoulder and beginning to soak my shirt. The approaching voice of my neighbour caused me to panic.Derek was an very amiable alcoholic but he invariably had a fag dangling from between his fingers (as per the compere on the Wheel Tappers and Shunters Club) Ignoring my shout of " For Christ's sake, keep back!" he bent unsteadily down to peer under the car with a silly puzzled grin and ,sure enough there was the glowing ciggie now dropping fag ash into the petrol pool. Luckily nothing happened but I have never moved so fast as when I got from under that car and ran to distance myself from him!

How interesting! A bright red powder 1/4 inch deep that is soluble in xylene? rust? ( ie red rust that is iron(111) oxide Fe2O3 ) - like in Colin's picture? No = wouldn't be soluble in Xylene. Additives? No= seems unlikely- This would have to have been be a very, very concentrated solution to leave an evapourated residue 1/4"inch deep in a small float chamber and the possibly of some one putting neat additive into the float chamber seems a bit unlikely,even if this would produce so much residue.If the same concentration was in the tank this would represent a huge amount of additiive and then,unless it was cleared the filter at least would show some evidence. The clue, I suspect, seems to be the missing gaskets and O ring I venture that , in the past ,someone has used sealants rather "ad lib" in lieu of gaskets etc around the carbs -and not the newish silicone based stuff but some nice smelling, old fashioned stuff like Hermetite or silmilar ( these often using solvents such as xylene or toluene) which partially dissolved in the petrol in the float chamber, engine spluttered to a halt fairly soon afterwards and the residue dried and degraded. Or there again, it could be....

Shouldn't be a problem in a pressurised plane! Meanwhile, in the afternoon Flatology clinic of Dr Janus (Hugh to his friends) Mr Sprout, "I have self referred myself to your special clinic, doctor" Dr J, "How can I help?" Mr S, "Well, My farts are so unusual I thought your department might like to investigate them in the interests of medical science.I don't mind being sent for tests and investigations " Dr J, " Mmm, tell me about them" Mr S"Well, They are very very frequent 10 -20 a day and they last a very long time -up to 3-4 minutes each, sometimes up to a quarter of a hour" Dr J "That is unusual,Mr Sprout , and it must cause you a great deal of inconvenience." Mr S "Not really doctor, even though I spend several hours a day in board meetings, meet clients for lunch and I go to the theatre nearly every evening, luckily the other really unusual thing about my farts is that they are all completely silent.I started one your waiting room and it's still going" Dr J "I would like you to take this referral form over to the hospital,please" Mr S " Is it the first of the special tests?" Dr J,"No Mr Sprout ,it is for a hearing aid"

Hilarious, Cookie! This a subject which holds fascination and is studied very widely ,mainly at a very personal level, but also in in academic institutions throughout the world through the science of Flatology. Through extensive flatological research we know that the answer to Pete's question lies in the colon.It is here where intestinal fermentation of the polysaccharides takes place. The Brassica genus - such as sprouts are known to be sulphur containing.The fermenation impart a small, but highly significant ,amount of hydrogen sulphide, H2S to the nitrogen, and air of the flatus. Also in the flatus, there is hydrogen and methane which of course are are flammable. Yes, flammable - but please don't try this at home (but if you really must, then only try it at home) Flatology also studies the question of the effect of high altitude on flatus. High Altitude Flatus Expulsion, or HAFE as we flatologists like to call it is a remarkarble phenomenon experienced by climbers and others when above 11,000 feet(largely explained on the basis of Boyle's law) Dietary advice for these adventurers is avoid ingestion of brassicacae (with special note here to Pete - no sprouts ) ref: .Aeurbach Miller .West Jr. Med., Vol.134(2) 1981 Feb Astronauts have provided further research data specific to the special challenges associated with their unique environment. Although much work was published on this subject in the 1980 , more recently this area of study has been silent (but deadly)

Cue the flatulent dowager and the butler joke ?

The explosion risk is when or there has been "gassing" Oxygen also comes off then ,Pete. Gassing occurs during charging (especially overcharging whether bench charging or alternator fault) and at end of bench charging. It is also more likely on sulphated batteries ie old clapped out, run flat or so called "week-end" cars. When the battery is getting charged there is release of hydrogen and also because electrolysis of water,also oxygen= 2H2O => 2H2 (g) + O2 (g) The hydrogen explodes "best" at a concentration of 4-70%. Normal atmosphere. is 21% O2 .So these conditions are fairly easily met inside the battery and its immediate environs. The result is quite dramatic and not without risk of quite serious injury as the fragments of battery can fly like shrapnell (as Colin described); eyes are at risk and although deafness after explosions is often temporary it can be permanent. It is said that since mid 1990s and trend towards lead calcium batteries etc batteries gas less anyway and are getting safer- they certainly last longer. Since sulphated batteries are more likely to go bang when charging it suggests not letting your battery get very discharged an excuse for frequent use of your vehicle and/or use of one of these clever little trickle charger/.maintenance charger such as CTEK etc being rather cautious of vigorously charging old sulphated batteries that you know are near to dead. Dearly beloved, Here endeth the lesson

Had to charge a battery recently- haven't had to for years. Got me thinking about mishaps that I had seen or been involved with over the years So at risk of sounding like some preaching 'elf and safety bod here we go. My main point is these folk, in each case, were professional sensible people- in one case a respected motor engineer of over forty years experience. Beware Direct shorting of battery terminals: 2 cases- 1) A long ring spanner touched both terminals=Loud bang,part of spanner blew off.red hot spanner 2 burnt fingers. 2) Again direct short -across terminals of a tractor battery.This time short through spanner and metal strap of wrist watch resulting in nasty circumferential burn to wrist. -another reason to remove your wristwatch when" mechanicking" - esp if it has metal strap Explosion from hydrogen: A very experienced car mechanic charging a battery in a room where many batteries were stored and several on charge= He disconnected the battery without switching off the charger at mains first - spark from battery terminal caused explosion from hydrogen build up.Battery blown to pieces.He was splashed with acid.He doused himself with water.He sustained a corneal abrasion from the flying battery debris aggravated by the acid.Twenty years on he has gets frequent painful flare ups of of inflammation from his damaged cornea requiring drops for 2 weeks.He has resisted the idea of a corneal transplant but his vision is extremely poor in this eye. There were explosions when mini owners peering into the boot to check the battery used a lighted match....

I've done far worse things and not always involving cars. -more "Mr Bean" than "Blonde" - Remarkably, I do still have a full head of hair -perhaps the EP90 has qualities as a hair product.The bouquet does needs a bit of further development work, I admit.