JohnD

Can't swear to a GT6, but that's the way I deal with my Vitesse - and it's had a few engines/gearboxes in and out! It is far, far easier to detach and replace gearbox from the back of the engine on the bench than grovelling in the car. The WSM will say "take the bonnet off", but if you have a "LoadLeveller" and can suspend your engine winch from a high enough beam, the this is how I do it: Hope that helps! John

You may remember, with pleasure, the "All-Triumph" Internationals held on the Malvern County Show Ground in 2021 and 2023, that included TSSC, TRR and the MG clubs. Now, in 2024, the wide open spaces on the Show Ground will be filled by Clubs of ALL classic marques, an event I hope and expect will mark a new phase in the classic car movement. Please put it in your diary for next year! See: Inter-club International weekend invites all British marque clubs (tr-register.co.uk) I'm posting this here, and linking to the TRR site's page about it, because although the TSSC has surely been involved in the organisation for the event, which is being featured by the TRR, Club Triumph and the MG car clubs, and invitations have been sent to all other UK classic clubs, the TSSC has no mention of the event! Clearly, with the TSSC asleep at the wheel, someone has to sound the alarm! Come on TSSC, wake up! Join in and get everyone along to make it a great event! John

Mark, Bring them to Malvern next year! The Inter-Club International will attract someone who wants that part! TRR and Club Triumph are already featuring this event, which invites ALL classic clubs, but TSSC seem to be asleep at the wheel, with no mention of it at all! Inter-club International weekend invites all British marque clubs (tr-register.co.uk) John

That's easy then, only 676 possibilities!

Pete, they are just wood, easy to whittle! And no need for a fancy wedged shape, they are just short lengths of wood 'bar'! Slightly wider than the slot and a bit longer, tap them in and the excess width is shaved off. Excess length with a sharp chisel. I put some hylomar in first and on the wood, but I don't think hylomar alone would do it. John

But I think we have, Unkel! Courses, materials, and above all, practice! May we not diversicate now? John

The danger, Paula, is that the standard oil pressure switch triggers at less than 10psi! So if it goes on while you are running, then your oil pressure has been dangerously low for a long time! Other switches are available, that trigger at, say, 25, or else you can get them that are easily adjustable, so you can make your choice - you do need a gauge for that! See Merlin Motorsport for one. https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/s?search=Adjustable+oil+pressure+switch John

Unkel, like any conversation, over beer or coffee, these are not organised ( or disorganised!) debates,where a chair may stop any deviation. They meander, they branch off, they wander and all to the good! Please don't seek to police our chats! We learn so much more this way. John

PeteH, any flat bar from B&Q will surely be "builders metalwork" intended to provide a straight, durable edge for plaster work or othe non-structural purpose. It would not be intended to be bent, especially through a right angle, let alone welded! B&Q offer good materials, but not for metal working! Glad that others, like Paul, have found sympathetic workshops who Wil support the amateur metal worker! John

Colin, scale not clear from your pic, but a short section of square tube would be ideal for what you're making.

Not a GT6, but SofS with 2.6L engine has one, really because the Honda radiator has provision for one in the filler neck. Small volumes of coolant might otherwise escape, as the coolant itself expands slightly, and small bubbles even more so. Certainly the expansion bottle needs topping up now and then. John

I did NOT suggest metal from B&Q! Try any local fabricator, ask in the workshop for the foreman or similar, explain your need - to practice welding - and to take a few bits from their offcuts bin. I'd further suggest not to offer payment but after you have some bits give them a 'drink or two'! You might be invited back! John

I discovered recently that my favourite body shop no longer has mig ,or gas welding kit! The steels used in moderns, 'boron' etc, cannot be welded or else lose their strength if heated to bend them back onto shape. They will use a hydraulic jig for minor bends, or else replace and spot weld panels. It's a different world! John

Like the Noo Yorker cabbie said when the lady asked if she could go to Carnegie Hall, "Ya gotta practice, lady, practice!" But for instruction, try a local College. They may do evening or weekend classes, sometimes leading to a City & Guilds certificate. And, a local fabrication workshop whose offcuts bin you might ask to raid for material to practice on. Scrap yards are no good anymore! I discovered recently that they can no longer sell even clean offcuts except to a "Registered Waste Dealer"! Bugger, when I wanted some alloy sheet! John

https://shop.tssc.org.uk/product/front-engine-sealing-block

An overheating engine can make some very alarming noises! John

Paula, I don't trust temperature senders! Especially modern replicas, that go off in months. They can under and overread. Check with an IR 'gun' what the actual temp is at the thermostat, or take out the sender and calibrate it, in a pan of water, over a camp stove, with the IR gun, or a cooking thermometer: Extend wires to the sensor in the bath to the loom and a good earth, so you can read what the gauge says on the dash. Then you KNOW what "3/4" hot means! John

Morgana, sorry to hear that! Hope Anglia can help. If not, it's a long way to order from, but at least the US will have no truck with this new fangled 'motric' business! Plenty there.

The problem? THEY'RE BRASS! Compared to Bronze, Brass is malleable, it will strip the thread more easily, has a lower melting point, so will soften more easily in a high temp application and is much more prone to corrosion. Brass is an inferior alloy, pretty but that's it. John

I fear nothing so plebian! According to an interview with Moss Interview with Sir Stirling Moss (regtransfers.co.uk) his first car was a Morgan three-wheeler, although he drove an Austin7 and tractors on the family farm and he rapidly went on to a BMW Frazer Nash to race in. That car still exists, and races: You can see Moss talking about it here:

Yes! US only! I wonder why? But a quick Google finds this supplier in UK: Marine Fasteners - Anglia Stainless LTD ("Stainless" but they do non-ferrous too!) There will be others, look for a chandler near you. Chandlers in Cornwall (boatchandlersguide.com) John

I don't think Ford wheels could fit Triumph hubs, so that may reinforce the impression of a major suspension change. But Fords long before went monocoque, no chassis! John

Thank you, Pete! I assumed that GT6 would be as awkward, and although I knew were the Herald/Spitfire slave is, bleeding it from underneath would count as 'easy'! So I commend this above solution to the Vitesse section of this House! John

This car has appeared on the PistonHeads page, What car is this? - Page 1 - Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes - PistonHeads UK Other pics on that page Correctly IDed, I think, as a Bond, but it's either an unusual; model, or has been modified. The front wheel arches have been extended more than a "cheeky little bit", so different front end/whole chassis? And the back end/boot looks more like an Ashley hardtop for a Spitfire/ Altogether, quite a bitsa! But nicely done. Could it be a factory design mule? Any Bond experts about? John

I've just had a google around to see what advice is out there. The AA and RAC say, rightly, that tyres age due to sunlight, and the oxygen in the air, apart from misuse, running deflated for instance, and that old tyres should be replaced. But they offer no advice on how old is too old. Dunlop UK do the same, but their South African and Australian branches are more direct - "Five years". Sunnier climates? Michelin says ten years. The tyre dealers Black Circles say, "Tyres are considered to be “new” and fit for retail up to 5 years from the date of production. This is an industry standard based on the German BRV. When in use, it is recommended that tyres are replaced when they reach 6 - 10 years old, (6 years in the case of caravans or trailers)" I'd add to the last "classic cars" unless you run a daily driver. So you pays yer money and takes yer choice, but 14 years, let alone Pete's friend's 20 year olds, no way! John