Colin Lindsay

Here's the original article, slightly longer / deeper with that side flange for leverage. Wheel nuts appear to sit in chamfered holes.

New spring washers and threadlock in order, then. I used new washers all round last time, tho.... that is probably the reason the diff was howling at the end of the last run; half the oil has run out through the holes. I should have the bolts about somewhere.

I had the exact opposite!! Swing spring from a Spit 1500, used to bottom out all the time. Bought that one from Chic Doig and it cured the bottoming immediately. That's why I'm reluctant to blame the spring, it worked so well! Similarly - I don't want to buy a replacement only to find it's Spitfire again and bottoms out again... I don't think the proper GT6 spring is available any more?

Not surprising if it's 206 years old... :) The spring was a NOS GT6 Mk3 spring from Chic Doig, and I'd like to think it's still in good nick having been greased and protected from new. The shocks are Spax Gas adjustable. The car doesn't bottom out when driven or make any untoward 'contact' noises at the rear. I suspected the shocks as the halfshaft is able to touch the brake hose, and I'm trying to get it into my head how the spring and the halfshaft can compress down towards each other given that both are fixed points on the vertical link - hence the poor shock got the blame. Just as well I did decide on a bit of maintenance: not only was one rear trunnion bolt completely unscrewed, right to the end of the threads, but the diff case has two missing bolts, same place on each side... oops... how did THAT happen? That's the same bolt each side, right into the halfshaft housing, and should be the same length as all the others. Why those two, I wonder?

My Mk1 GT6 has gradually been getting lower at the rear, in fact when reversing it gets even lower and the mud flaps scrape off the ground. It's a swing-spring conversion on a GT6 MK3 spring and Spax adjustables, set at quite a low setting (maybe 3?) I quite like the low look but it's now hit a limit where the rear halfshaft is rubbing off the brake hose, again possibly just on reverse but I can't take that chance. The Spax have been on for twenty years now... Paddocks are selling Gaz shocks at a good price - any thoughts? Konis are £60 to £70 more expensive but I want fit and forget, not constant adjustment. All recommendations welcome!

Couple of photos that may help you visualise things: Clamps at the rear of the chassis and also at the diff.

Not the most attractive...

Same head on my late 1200, and the core plug looks to fit tight to the edge and no further in. The smaller one goes back further; you can see the lip round it.

Can you push the studs in finger-tight then fit the puller and the nuts over that, so that as you tighten the nuts the studs are pulled in first before they exert pressure on the hub?

I've just bought a length online, canvas reinforced strapping and very easy to cut with a hacksaw to the required length. Probably the cheapest option if you require a quantity of it. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154016531021 I agree with Clive about keeping the exhaust high; otherwise it will hit on absolutely everything, particularly speed bumps!

Bottle just purchased... home now for the evening and I'll raise one to a trying day. Good fun, though. Yes, base plate is moving freely and when the car is driven no pinking or other signs of lack of advancement. I adjusted it to about 9 degrees BTDC, it had been at about 13 and was running quite well but I decided on some very slightly lower idle in favour of more advance at higher revs. We had it right out to over 5000 rpm with no problems, just that strange noise at about 3000. No viscous fan, either. One thing I did notice, and maybe the cause, was the original carb heatshield, a woeful thing of pressed card and tinfoil - the ends were all split and raggedy and when the engine reached a certain pitch, the air from the fan blew on it like an organ reed! It actually started to make strange harmonic noises, they way you used to blow on paper as a kid. It's coming off in favour of a metal version asap.

Sounds like an export that has been repatriated?

One I was looking at this morning had grease around the hub against the backplate - I actually thought it was sealant but it turned out to be blackened grease. It has obviously been forced out around the hub on the outside rather than the inside.

Edges are a bit raggedy on that one, it's been battered into place. As Johnny says a good socket of the correct size will push it into the block / head or else put a flat metal face over it and hammer that. Looks neater!

Okay... just home, nightmare day - left the house at 9.10am expecting to arrive at 10.30, got there finally at noon due to roadworks, a diversion of over 40 miles and poor directions. The diversion was mostly due to me thinking I'd be a smarta$$ and find another route over the mountains. There wasn't one. Timing spot on, car did not overheat on test runs, coil fine so didn't replace. There's quite a roughness in the engine at 3000 revs that goes away by 4000 rpm but no pinking, missing or hesitation evident. It's an FM 1500 engine. No noises on idle or when revved stationary but when driving, once at 3000 rpm there's a loud rushing / hissing almost as if the heater blower has turned on that goes away again at higher revs. Weird and no identified cause. At least I'm happy now it's not down to anything I did...

Interesting that my 948 coupe was twin SU but I was looking at a 1200 coupe recently that is single Solex carb. With the uprated cam and manifold they must reckon the Solex has the extra oomph necessary.

All rebuilt with new master cylinder 5/8 bore as the one that came off but with the large plastic reservoir. Stainless hoses fitted to front. I'm hoping it will just need a few miles to bed it then I'll recheck.

Yes still on Waxstats, but has been running fine until now, just rich. The driver has had a non-working temp gauge ever since he bought the car and never looked at it until the car started to miss and play about. I've been on the phone constantly today, they've flushed the system and are replacing the thermostat but I'll do it again tomorrow, and will check the radiator. I'm going to have to drive 60-odd miles in the morning as I feel bad now. Large toolkit assembled and in the boot ready to go. Too many unknown quantities with this car; the distributor was also replaced a while back but at present I don't know why. I suspect it may not have been overheating but the gauge would have been in the top 2/3 and the inexperienced driver panicked, so that could be a red herring. Thinking out loud here as usual; won't know until tomorrow.

Still selling them on eBay, but incredibly high postage rates.

I'm just going to bounce this one off you guys for a bit of a) moral support and b) brain picking. Spitfire 1500, mid 1970s, hard to start and running very rich. I've replaced the leaking coil (12v, it has been modified from 6v ballast) and converted to Accuspark electronic ignition. Timing was set to about 13 degrees as it ran better there than at the handbook 10. It's been quite poorly maintained so no antifreeze in the system, just rusty water; I cleaned the thermostat and replaced a manky gasket on the housing and replaced temperature gauge and sensor as the gauge has never worked. Brakes have all been rebuilt. The driver picked it up today, took it for a short run, no issues, no leaks and temperature showing lower third of scale. It was idling quite high so I turned the idle down to 900rpm, the carbs have allegedly been tuned recently but it's a twin-box sports exhaust and very sooty. 40 minutes after it left me the driver phoned to say that he had broken down. He had taken a wrong turn so did some motorway driving but claims a maximum top speed of 60. So much for not thrashing it until the brakes bed in. At about 3000 rpm there was a loss of power, he dropped down to 2500 rpm then tells me he noticed the temperature gauge was in the red. He nursed it to a garage forecourt but on checking when it had cooled down the water is still full and with the radiator cap off can see it moving if the engine runs. So: it's not lack of coolant. I did not check the oil but am assuming it's got some. I'm wondering if the timing system would cause the symptoms, if the timing had managed to go way out? He's 60-odd miles from me and I may drive over tomorrow to have a look, but if the car runs well and idles well at lower speed, what might cause serious overheating at high speed with no coolant loss? Any thoughts of what to look for when I next see it?

Just despatched a Spitfire off home with its' owner after a complete brake rebuild and the pedal pressure is woeful. I was so worried about it I took it back inside this morning and rebuilt the rear brakes again then rebled the system. New type 14 calipers, discs and pads, new stainless front hoses, some of the pipes remade, and new master cylinder. I couldn't believe how poor the pedal feel is. The rears are adjusted as tight as free movement will allow. I'm hoping that as the front pads bed in the feel will improve, as Pete says on page 1. The old calipers were seized on one side but I may yet rebuild them, just in case it is the fault of the new calipers and doesn't go away in a short time.

Did you get the cracked head repaired or is it easy to source a replacement?

I was shamed into clearing mine a while back by the gang here... it was clutter free for a day or two and is now back almost to the way it was before. As you say, the natural state...

Now that's interesting!! Must go explore the possibilities. I have a lot of UJ circlips including uprated and odd shapes.

An old Welsh waltz...