Paul H

Hi Pete thanks for neoprene gasket idea . Will purchase when I visit the shop or will the shop be at Duxford ? Club Shop postage is a no no for me and it’s time they sorted it as they are missing business . I know l could ring the shop but shouldn’t have to Rant over Sorted the cork gasket for the time being as used Wellseal to “glue “ the cork gasket to the cover . Clamped the edges over night and gasket is in place . Paul

Hi any tips how to hold the cork gasket in place when refitting the alloy rocker cover . Every time I do it I get a leak mostly at the rear of the rocker cover The alloy rocker cover might look the part but with no retaining groove it’s a pig to get the gasket right Paul

Yes Colin the hose is in good condition and the hot water solution was easier than cutting Paul

Just flushing the water system in my vitesse prior to adding soda crystals for a day of 2 to remove some crud and help prevent overheating . The bottom hose wouldn’t come off no matter what I tried . Solution : boiling water over the hose and came off easily Paul

I use Por15 paint products for ancillaries and relining the petrol tank in my vitesse . I’ve got nothing but praise for their products though you must follow the instructions . Check out https://www.frost.co.uk/por15-black-engine-enamel-paint-473ml/ i used a brush and the finish was very acceptable with 2 coats Paul

And your battery is ok , worth s test Paul

Tried Demon Shine on both my Vitesse and Modern and the results very acceptable . Wash the car allow to dry , spray on Demon Shine or apply with cloth, then wipe off and buff. Purchased from Lidl £3.99 Paul

Hi . Welcome to the forum . I would suggest a start with Spitfire Graveyard The Ebay site is https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/spitfiregraveyard . There will be other sources no doubt being suggested Paul

I had a minor water leak in my Vitesse mk2 . Tracked it down to a core plug at back of the engine and only visible with the gear box cover off . As soon as I prodded with a screwdriver the hole opened up and if this had happened while driving would have had serious consequences Paul

This is the Huco one I used for my Vitesse Mk2 https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/264031210689 - so far no issues and you get the reassuring click as the pressure builds up - I did add an inline filter prior to the pump so you can see if the petrol is there Paul

Have you upgraded the fuel lines to R9 grade . If not the best solution is Gates Barricade grade which is ethanol proof . Some R9 grade from EBay is fake so best avoided , got the T Shirt Paul

I use Tesco Momentum99 where I can in my mk2 Vitesse and the pricing is very similar to other commercial brands of 95 Ron I did have running issues which are well documented here and it all got sorted by retarding the ignition Paulm

https://classictravelling.com/luggage/fitted-luggage/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=July 2019&utm_content=July 2019+CID_32829c18f2096b9fbf329b6d7750ff7a&utm_source=Email marketing software Special Offers on fitted luggage for TR5,7,8 Spitfire Mk4 Paul

No quibble guarantee for 1 year . I’ve tested Argos’s return policy and it works . Just tape the receipt on the box so you don’t lose it Paul

Argos special £15 . Paul

Dont forget the brackets are handed and the stepped bolts only go in one way ( assuming they are the same as the Club Shop ) Paul

Hi Nick , didn’t understand this part of your post “Provided the right inner O-ring is fitted on the older style adaptor.” Paul

Here’s the Club Shop version Paul

I bought the magnetic one from Canleys for my vitesse . Don’t forget to use the copper washer . Got the t shirt ! nb same one fits the diff level plug https://www.canleyclassics.com/demoapp/?ptno=155660 Paul

A better bet is a oversize plug from Canleys with magnet 155660 DRAIN PLUG - MAGNETIC £6.98 EACH IN STOCK

I hope next weekend is ok as were off to Monaghan for a wedding though in our modern, Paul

Update : managed to raise the engine high enough to pull out the U bolt . Old rubber block removed and replaced with blue polybush. I think this exercise was made much more difficult due to the length of the ubolt . A normal 1/2 in socket is too short and had to use a long reach socket to tighten up. On reflection I should have shortened them by a few mm to make the job easier next time . The pic shows how long the ubolt studs are , is this standard ? Pic taken from underneath the steering rack When I changed the offside to polybush the difference was very noticeable and the steering “tightened” up significantly , so should now see further improvement Paul

I’ve got an Aldi heat probe so will give this a go . Thanks for the heads up Paul

Hi Dave. It’s probably a case of too many dials on the dash ! Or too much info . In my case with a mechanical gauge and seeing it climb to 110 plus and not seen this before set the panic in . In summary I didn’t lose any water , the water in the overflow bottle is still the same colour with no bits / sludge so if I had no gauge I would be none the wiser . However I will be going down the route of Soda Crystals plus as I nearly forgot making sure the rally badge doesn’t cover the radiator grill which it did in my case albeit just in one corner . Paul

Removed the whole mounting bracket on offside and I’m within a few mm from removing the u bolt . The nearest rubber mounting is now catching and pretty sure it’s lifting the whole front end , so need to remove the whole bracket to see if I can get the final few mm clearance. Why did I start this simple job on a sunny afternoon 😎 The whole bracket is off now The bracket is catching the engine mount Paul