Colin Lindsay

Morning Graham; two methods of attack here - if you can't undo the cables in behind them undo the black knobs (there's a pushbutton on the side, press it in and whilst pressing pull the knob off) then by unscrewing the silver bezel you can push the cable back through the dash. This might be easier for the choke and heater valve cables. The other cable might be one piece with a nut in behind, so if you look in the footwell by the steering column you'll see the large flap control that directs heat, just above the gearbox tunnel, and you can undo the short cable down there then remove it with the dash. The wooden dash fascia is screwed to the back surround and the heads of the screws are easily found, but the gauges can be either screwed / clamped just to the wood or else to the backing surround - I've seen both over the years depending on whether they've been disturbed before or not. Some of them also have a metal 'rim' which acts as a strengthener in behind and against which the long clamps are tightened. If it was me, I'd remove both gauges before removing the dash, it makes it lighter and less easy to bend or crack when moved.

Lucky man! I've been dreaming of autojumbles since forever... Was out all day until just now; dozens of classics on the road particularly classic rally cars - there's an event on somewhere that I don't know of! Not one Triumph but a very nice Opel, quite a few classic Minis including one on a transporter, three American muscle cars and more Escort MK1s and 2s than I've seen in years. I knew I should have taken the Gt6 out!

That bit has certainly helped; it's given me some great ideas. Many thanks.

I've enjoyed reading this entire page again, as I've just obtained a more solid rear tub than the one I had previously. I'm going to try making little sections such as the lower part of the rear light sockets and the front leading edge of the tub floor, which is missing completely. My mate should have my welder sorted by now with 'proper' gas supply. Here's a real challenge for your metalwork skills: I reckon best course of action is just to replace the top? (Or cheat and cut them off the other tub?)

So: a chance remark last week on the local TSSC Run and I was like a dog with a bone - jump on it, grab hard and don't let go. Someone casually told me: "Yer man over there has a Herald bodytub." Does he now? I barely gave the poor man chance to draw breath. 'Not perfect but too good to scrap, and unmolested.' I wasn't giving an inch; yes I would like to see it and yes I was bringing a trailer. No ifs or buts. I drove about 50 miles to a shed beside a house where we firstly had the wrong key, then stopped for coffee when the house owner arrived, fixed a conservatory window, had lunch, and only then four hours later got round to business. That's the Ulster Way. Not only one bodytub but two... although the first used to be mine, from a 948 saloon, and had lost the boot floor in the meantime. The other was in much better shape. It's a late 13/60 saloon tub, part green and part white with the rest either rust or very very thick soundproofing or underseal... Gawd not more of the stuff. Since it didn't dissolve on first inspection, and I couldn't see any visible patches, it went straight onto my trusty trailer and was home 90 minutes later. Now... As I've said it's a saloon, and the tops of the wings at the rear deck are bad. A little modicum of welding and patching required. However: the floors are amazingly sound as are the boot corners. The spare wheel well is perforated in the usual area, but it's a mirror image of my other tub so the rear of that well can be grafted into place. The entire boot floor and rear spring tunnel are inches thick in a kind of underseal, which lifts off in huge chunks when prised with a screwdriver. Underneath the metal is quite sound and still painted. From the pattern remaining on the white paint it may be sheets of sound deadening material that has been stuck on and has now moulded into shape. It seems to come off easily enough and the screwdriver has not - so far - gone through the metal underneath. It looks like we're essentially sound and unlike the other tub, undistorted, so might be a much better base from which to start patching and replacing panels. I'm going to have this one cleaned up and sandblasted, then the welder and I can sit down and work out how to convert a saloon tub to convertible, in the sense of how much of each to use and where to cut and splice. Measure three four or five times and cut once... but this tub is a major boost and a real leap forward.

Have you checked your engine earth strap? Not the first time that I've jacked or lifted an engine and forgotten that bit... but it shears under sufficient pressure. It won't explain the engine dropping or an oil leak, or might not if you're jacking under the sump, but it's one place to look at for resistance to lifting; the other is the bellhousing against the bulkhead.

Just because it's not straight up and down doesn't mean it's lacking anything... as the old Physics Law goes: the angle of dangle is directly related to the heat of the moment. Or is that biology? I'll leave them alone and just claim the slot is straight but the whole car is at an angle.

Nope, I just wanted something that held them on without rusting! The last pair I had left rusty streaks down the red lens and even on to the bodywork. As long as I don't park beside another Mk1 those will do fine.

Found out only last week I have one of each on the GT6; both shafts were restored by a specialist.

Or... with the bonnet closed but not latched they're just at shin height. They hurt!

Brill!! Another small but significant step forward.

Well they arrived, 48 hours for the cheapest option! Bought from Spalding Fasteners, they fit the threads and look the part. (Sorry Rabbit, looked at the brass but decided the colour change was a step too far!) Only problem is that they tighten fully at an angle and not up-down or horizontal to suit my OCD...

I bought two replacement springs for the Herald pedals a few months ago, they were rubbish. Too long, so no real tension, and they didn't help the pedal return. I ended up fitting a pair of old ones that were much better.

You need 159654, GT6 MK3 spring. Be careful if anyone fobs you off with the Spitfire version, it may fit but as often as not it'll foul on something if it has the large end 'eyes'. Been there. There are some differences: the GT6 version is 93 lbf/in at the wheel whilst the Spitfire version is 110; Spitfire is 2 x .25" and 3 x .38" leaves and the Gt6 is 2 x .3125" and 3 x .375".

That's for short gearchanges... need to see what's what and what isn't. Triumph, that is. Anyway I've found out why these gearboxes are so weak... they're not well.

When the International was at Stafford in the mid to late 90s I was driving a 1990 Maestro (badged as a Triumph, too!) which had a horrendous oil leak. I called in at the Motorspares shop in Stafford and bought a huge container of oil for £1. The guy behind the counter looked at it and commented: "You don't like your car much." He could only laugh when I told him it would all be gone by Carlisle...

...and very smartly too!

You can buy it by the metre from Kit Car Suppliers but you'll have to add the ends yourself - something I never tried. I'd reckon hydraulic hose manufacturers could make one up for you, although you may have to supply the ends for them to crimp on.

I just invested for the future, in case... £12 the lot. Now I've got to sort through it all and see what's what and what's useable...

Last time I saw a car going like that it was the rear seat springs I was worried about... Definitely swing spring and looks to be five leaf from what I can see. That brake pipe bracket is bent 90 degrees; you can see how the brake hose is pulled tight to the shock and is rubbing against it, (It's rubbed quite a clean patch on the side) and is a very tight angle round the vertical link. It should be going fore and aft, not sideways, so that the hose goes round the underside of the shocker - comparison photo of my Mk1 attached. It also looks like someone has cut the lower end off that spring eye? Possibly to make it clear the hose and not push it downwards, or is it just the angle of the photo? Second photo from the bottom shows a truncated end just above and to the left of the yellow Goodrich sheathing - this may mean the end eye is bouncing up and down and hitting the upper springs, hence the noise. Second photo shows the way the end should look - GT6 swing spring to left and rusty Spitfire swing spring to right. I suspect that's a Spitfire spring and someone has cut the end off otherwise it would foul the hose.

Maybe not so far off after all... I had to run out and check an old one in my roofspace. It's got a vinyl-like coating but on the bits where this has peeled away you can see a very thin card-like layer on the inside - top left of second photo. Interesting!

Ok. Now try the wires the other way round.....

Yep Herald too is vinyl-covered.

I think you're right (well a 50% chance anyway!); I've been trawling through Hiace wiring diagrams and the white / black (or B- W on the diagram) goes from the negative terminal on the coil. That just leaves the other one, be it red or brown, for the power. Lord those manuals are complicated. Give me a Triumph any day.

We're getting there, Pete, we're getting there... No doubt our local will start up soon too. I miss the 90 minute drive for an hours nattering and indecision then another 90 minutes home again.