JohnD

You''re asking ME??? I was quoting the Club's email. Ask the Club!

Welcome to classic car ownership, piran! And well done, for having back plan! As Colin says, those "reverse thread extractors" (I can't remember their proper name, but it should be &(^%$&^)(*¬!!!!) are worse than useless, as the small ones are modelled on much larger design, and they break off, IN the snapped bolt. Because they are made of vert highly tempered steel they are harder than any steel used, even specialist drill bits. NOTHING can get the snapped end out! There should be a sign at the top of this and every classic car website, "DO NOT USE THE ^%$&*)(*) REVERSE THREAD EXTRACTORS!!!!" You can get sets of reverse threaded DRILLS, which are a much better option, especially when used as Colin describes, and may lead to the bolt undoing itself! Hope things improve for you! John

Thank you, Kevin! I couldn't recall the details. How many copies would qualify? A printout on the Chairman's desk? John

Some engineer's blue on the cap will leave witness marks where it touches.

After Thruxton this year, my old bonnet was marmelised, and while repair was possible, it would be a massive amount of work. A friend came to my rescue, and offered me a lovely, undamaged GRP bonnet (I am MOST grateful!) to which a DPO had added said outraaaaaageous bulge which to my eyes only made it better. They had also cut two holes in it and rather than patch them with GRP, which would never be an invisible repair, instead I searched for and found these blingey air intakes, big enough to cover the holes. Yes, they look as if I have a V-4 and supercharger under there!

Ideas been around for a while: https://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/72-remote-clutch-bleeder/#comment-787 I was inspired by the Renault UN1 trans axle, where the slave is at the bottom! But comes with a bleed extension to the top - much more convenient! Shows bleed hose attached.

Iain, "raising the rear edge of the bonnet" to let out hot air? How does that work? On any car with a windscreen, there is a high pressure bubble just on front. Triumph knew this - that's where the intake is for the cabin ventilation! Perhaps towards the edges?? John PS "Anorak"?!?! I'll have you know I wear two T-shirts when it's wet!

If you think that bonnet bulge is OUTRAAAAAAAGEOUS, Dahling! Wait until you see the new one!

Early Heralds (and Spitfires?) had a header tank over the engine , an d no filler cap on the radiator. Cut off the filler, get someone to weld a plate over the hole, and add a header.

Penetrating oil - Innotec Deblock. Works every time for me. Heat - try to get the bolt stub RED hot. allow to cool, add Deblock! Welding a nut on the stub - The thermostat housing is part of the water pump housing. Take off the water pump and you have something easier to carry and take to a garage or body shop. Ask them to weld a nut on for you, or else find a prper machine shop and get them to remove the stubs. If necessary the last will have no problem in putting in Helicoils to deal with damaged threads. John

The Haynes manual contains a plan of this tool. Simple to make if you can weld. It suggests solid hex bar (!) but I used 1" square tube, no probs. John

I fear that this won't suit you, IainT, but I had the same problem, caused by a too tall filler cap neck in a new copy Vitesse radiator. My solution? Cut a hole, fill it with a beaten alloy dome, paint it a contrasting colour and make a bug into feature!

Bit of an aside, but a recent "Just rolled in" video on YouTube showed a modern, in for fitting a new carpet set, "because the owners son, short of money, had ripped them out and sold them." Only in America?

Now, you CAN!

In my OP, I remained positive about this venture, so while the general response seems to be the same with some reservations, perhaps I may be allowed to point out that I have been advocating that The Courier goes digital for YEARS! The TSSC has some obscure accountancy/fiscal trick which they argue kept the subscription down, despite the cost of issuing a printed version, and has used this as an argument NOT to go digital. Well, now they have gone digital, and Lo! the subscription goes up. Not that I think the two are at all associated - costs in general have risen recently, it's called "Inflation". Many respected journals have digital versions - Octane, Classic & Sports Car, Car, AutoExpress, Practical Classics, etc.etc. to name a few. There are exclusively digital mags too, notably "Classic & Competition Car", which is extraordinary value for the range and scope of its text and pictures. Or it would be, if you had to pay for it, but when it is FREE it just proves my case! See: Classic and Competition Car Classic and Competition Car - Motorsport and cars of the past and present John

For the love of the gods, TRY IT! I've proposed a simple fix. You've tried everything else, including things that just aren't relevant to excessively retarded ignition. John

Just had an email telling that the Club has to raise it's subscription, sad, but I can't deny, necessary. But I'm really posting about the next paragraph: "At last year’s AGM the Com proposed that we introduce an electronic membership to our overseas members, this was voted on and carried unanimously in favour." "An electronic member will receive a PDF version of the Courier magazine." EXCELLENT! I'm sure that overseas members will be grateful to get their Courier more quickly! Well done! John

Your pic from above, niceguy, and it shows the distributor rotated clockwise from the normal position, which is with No.1 lead at 'six o'clock'. This I presume is the "Very advanced timing" that you have found necessary. But why, everyone cries! The legbone's connected to the ... kneebone, or in this case the dizzie drive shaft is connected to the distributor drive gear and thereby to the cam shaft, and to the oil pump. The pump has a 'dog' on the end of its shaft that connects to the drive gear. But when assembling these parts, the pump must go in long before the others. Then when inserting the drive gear, the pump shaft must be rotated so that the dogs match, AND the gear must be inserted several degrees away from this orientation, as the hypoid cogs between camshaft and drive gear rotate the gear as it descends into place. The objective of this fiddly manoeuvre is to orientate the drive slot in the face of the gear to match the peg in the end of the Dizzie drive shaft, so that the dizzie is then in the correct orientation, with 1 at six o'clock. Phew! A picture is worth a thousand words, but I can't find a diagram of all three (Pump, drive gear, dizzie) as they are always in different sections of the parts catalogue! What I'm saying is that it is possible to assemble these parts in as many positions as there are cogs on the drive gear! That's 16, I think, so the possible error is in multiples of 20 degrees. I suggest that is your problem, nice guy! Your cam mistiming is trivial, carb tuning likewise, neither could account for the advance you need to use. It's the Distributor! Take it out, look at the slot in the face of the drive gear. It should be in a "five past seven" position , but note, the slot is slightly offset, which should be to the left, thusly: Alternatively, just move all your ignition plug leads one place counter-clockwise! Then re-time! Simples! John

Soooooooooo, Mr.Doug, we've been expecting you!

OK, that disposes of 1/ and 2/ . Except that I note Gully's pic is of a GT6 and must be a rear wheel as there's a brake drum. If your seller has front discs and isn't a pre-12/50, 1962 then make sure they are the originals, Some non-original calipers are more bulky, eg Princess ones. My point 3/, I stand by! John

On safety, the Fb page "Triumph in Italy" have a copy of an advertising leaflet from 1961, for this 'rear seat' for a TR4. The text says that "two children can sit comfortably and perfectly safe, because there are no doors that can open suddenly"! How times change! John

Nurse! The Chocolate Sponge Hat, a bib and a spoon, please!

Colin, Damned if I'll trust my life to a couple of U-bolts! A proper anchor should be a forged eye bolt as shown in my post above. PeteH, Interesting RoT! What does it mean? The "removed material" for an M10 bolt would have an area of less than a centimetre squared. John

OH!!!! Inspection is useless! Just as is resistance, if you are a prisoner of the Vogons. You cannot tell by looking if the inertia ring has moved! I have several examples to demonstrate this, on one of which the ring has moved by 60 degrees! When you can, refit the damper pulley. Move the crank to TCD , as determined by a piston stop. THEN look at the crank pulley. If it coincides with the pointer on your timing cover, I will eat my hat (the chocolate sponge one), and resign from the Dishonourable Order of Gurus! Nothing else can remove the suspicion that you are trying to time the ignition from a fictional TDC point and I thought you had said that you had done this, and that the TDC marking and actual TDC coincided. John