Colin Lindsay

Thanks Tony; cheapest complete handle I've found online so far is about £40 so worth looking for that part alone. Wonder if those handles were ever used on any other car of the period?

Gummed up, probably, like the one I cleaned a few months back. The electronics of the solenoid will exert enough pull to move the plunger in one direction but the dirt will prevent it moving out again just as easily. This one would not rattle at all so was cleaned out with petrol, o-rings replaced and refitted with gearbox oil as lubrication. It rattled from the start and has worked well ever since.

Where exactly does that piece fit? I can't find a good diagram to show.

I'm wondering how the rear would sit if you fitted longer halfshafts; I'm thinking that will give you two inches of wider rear track so that it takes on a more negative stance.

One of our members, Paul Robinson, has released a very detailed booklet on Clarence Engineering, Belfast which he has compiled over quite a number of years. They built CKD Heralds and were the main distributors for Triumph in Northern Ireland for many years. It may be the only other UK Herald assembly plant to have existed.

Yes, they come up ok from time to time, but as you've found, never when you're actually looking for one!

The car remains as 'No MOT' until you tell them otherwise; it's not automatic where tax is concerned. If you tax it at a Post Office (which might be easier!) complete form V112 'Declaration of Exemption from MOT', this takes the place of an MOT Certificate and allows them to tax it without an MOT on record. I don't know if you have to use this every time, or only on first tax renewal to allow the records to be changed, but after a period off-road it might be the easiest way.

Looking good, but the bits that have caught my eye already are the rear seat belts. There are a lot of queries on the forum about fitting these. How are they secured underneath, how do they fit and perform in use? All info very welcome!

That's to update the manual for owners who purchased a negative-earth car in later years; I suppose it was cheaper to simply stamp the cover with the red warning inside and issue the same manual to use up stocks, given that this must have been very close to the release of the 13/60 in 1967. Penny-pinching again!

Original caps have no pin hole; they're just solid right across. I even took the label off one a while back to check - no pin hole. The locking versions may breathe to some small extent through the keyhole, as Pete says, but it doesn't appear to be a priority.

That's a spare, Peter, it was mocked up using odd parts before being fitted for an article in The Courier many moons ago - the GT6 now has the alloy housing plus a new stainless water-pipe take-off and a far better thermostat housing. Well spotted - it's in poor condition but still sitting on my shelf as I can't bring myself to throw it out.

Do you know what camshaft you're running? If it's only a block that has been rebuilt with Herald components including a Herald cam then replacing the carbs alone won't really make much difference and may even cause running problems; if it's the Spitfire Mk3 cam then you should see an improvement if the carb is uprated. (I'm assuming of course that the original Spitfire Mk3 and Herald 13/60 camshafts are interchangeable for this engine and don't differ in bearings etc) Hopefully some of the Spitfire owners will be able to advise on what cams are currently available! Put an ad in the 'Parts Wanted' section and we'll keep an eye out for a manifold.

You may find those very hard to remove, Mike - I've not ever tried it in earnest but the exploratory moves I tried years back took a lot of force. Be careful not to shear them unless you want to drill out and retap! I just had a quick look at my spares - all are 1200 so none have yet been used for a sender; but the inner bolt ie the one closest to the cylinder head nut in the photo would put the sender into the water flow inside the housing; the other one is out of the direct flow, if it makes any difference to the readings. I couldn't find any photos of a Herald version but that's the way it's done in the Spitfire:

I hope you don't mean these guys:

I've no idea where that one went; it was a Herald version but never used on any of my Heralds. It came ready drilled / tapped with no blanking plugs, but I suppose the original Herald versions could be removed and reused if the threads are the same. I do have one on the GT6 but only for bling purposes! I like the side-fitting cap; that would help with bonnet clearance in the sportier models. I think that even in some of the models that used the top-mounted system the terminal had to be bent sideways, or the spade terminal had to be right-angled, to clear the bonnet?

Hi Douglas - when you say 'accessories' what exactly do you mean - is it pads / shoes, hoses etc or brake upgrades? Many suppliers sell exactly the same product with amazing differences in prices, there are also some products that are below standard, so let us know what you need and someone will recommend.

Yes got a reprieve due to Covid!! No more sitting in wards watching television with the sound turned off. Celebrated by going out last night and indulging in Mourne Mist, my fav beverage of the moment. I reckon a few bottles of their stout would have me darlin mother up and dancing again.

Every time I try that I end up with vodka. Does the job, especially when drunk in pints...

Mmmmmmm... Moretti.... Looks like our shelves over here, we have the EU, shortage of lorry drivers, shortage of shop staff and the warm weather all competing to keep the shelves empty. Not something we can't overcome, tho.

Elderly mother in hospital, was visiting twice a day... things now improving however hospital has suspended visiting due to Covid so I'm getting a break. Had hardly set foot in the garage in a fortnight.

Heralds had two types: flat or thin, and padded or thicker. Flat white versions were used on the earlier cars; later cars had the padded versions and whilst these are sometimes easy to find in white, the black versions for some models are very difficult to find. The thin versions are always coming up for sale but you can convert these to padded by fitting covers such as these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232537710299?hash=item362453dedb:g:AtwAAOxyPH9RtvVq Post the parts you require in the 'Parts Wanted' section and we'll help find them.

It didn't have one as standard; certain models or special orders did and the sender was placed in the thermostat housing and came out of the top. The housing was blanked off for other models with a welded bolt. If you can get hold of an early threaded housing you can use that (early Ford Fiesta models used the same idea and their caps are a straight fit, but equally hard to find) otherwise you can put the sender into the waterpump housing as in later models. It does mean getting hold of a later housing unless you're able to drill out the blanks in the Herald version (be aware early Heralds didn't have the blanks, they only came in about 1964 or after) but the two apertures mean you can fit both a temp gauge sensor and a fan controller if you utilise both, otherwise just leave one sealed. You can also buy one of the Revotec hose inserts, originally designed for an electric fan control, but it will allow a non-standard temperature sender to be fitted. The bottom hose is the only one long enough in Heralds, so you'll have to experiment with the sender to find the correct range for whichever gauge you use.

If you're taking the wedge out be careful not to overstretch the spring; did that a few months back. It will no longer compress nor pull the wedge back into the striker. Easily done but not easily cured...

Dave - is it one of these? (Waso brand?)

Oh Lord.. imagine if they brought that in now. "From 2025 we'll all be driving on the right, so you need to be prepared..." "Remember... in one month's time we'll all be driving on the right, so if you haven't prepared... do something now." Breaking news: the government has granted a six months grace period for anyone not already driving on the right... Breaking news: ten years ago the UK switched to driving on the right... and a group of women has taken the decision to Court claiming they weren't given enough notice and so lost their jobs because of it..."