Colin Lindsay

Can you work it out in reverse ie remove the current belt, put the alternator where you want it, and measure the length with string? Then just buy the length of belt that corresponds to the length of string. I've done that in the past with GT6 alternator conversions and modified brackets.

I think the HL had, being the uprated version with a lot of extras compared to the basic model. If it mentions corrosion, it could be light rust, not a great problem, but if it's actual perforation that's a more involved repair. You really need to see it in person and decide.

It's the two measurements that are confusing me... 8mm x 18mm but which shaft diameter? 2.3mm? If the outer diameter of the coupling is 8mm then I'm assuming the other measurement ie 2.3mm is the shaft that will fit into it, or what the connecting shafts need turned down to? Am I correct?

Thanks Roger; I'm assuming I go for the largest shaft diameter (2.3mm) to minimise trimming?

so... already it's costing me money...

Started off as one of these:

Lovely work! Any chance of a lazy-man's link to the 8mm (saves machining the Carb shafts.... sorry Roger!)

Wonder how far it drifted off topic....

True, I remember Mercedes delivery vans in the early 2000s with no seatbelts. Under Construction and Use, if they're fitted they must work; if not, due to having never been fitted or required for that class of vehicle, they're exempt.

Just what I was about to say, Pete - before dismantling the switch give it a good dousing with Servisol Super 10 or the like, whilst working the switch round or in and out repeatedly. It might just clean up the internal contacts without needing to repair it to destruction...

Who supplied the new panels? I might go that way myself; it might work out cheaper if my welder (£20 per hour) only has to fit those rather than cut and shape patches. Here's a test for your skills: if I had a sheet of flat steel, and an air nibbler, and could cut the basic shape of the repair section for the rear behind-seat vertical panel... what would you recommend to put the strengthening ribs into it? How do you reckon you'd go about it?

Some of those will appear on eBay as "light restoration or drive as is, MOT-exempt...." That would be an amazingly nostalgic place for an afternoon's exploration.

Yes, definitely welded. It curves away from the square profile of the outer boot corner (leaving a lovely rust trap in behind) but is welded to the floor and spotwelded to the outer sides. Best photo I could find but can get more if needed.

That's correct; the gaiter in the photo isn't being stretched far enough downwards as it's not attached to the cardboard base. You can make a base quite easily, but it has to be flexible enough to mould to the centre tunnel where four screws hold it down (Herald and Vitesse, anyway). In a moment of rare financial surplus I went for one of these stitched leather versions for the Herald (not fitted yet...) but they have a small base already stitched in https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RED-STITCH-LEATHER-HANDBRAKE-PLASTIC-FRAME-FITS-TRIUMPH-HERALD-VITESSE/352745719389?hash=item522148865d:g:IwYAAOSwxBldSXzu

So it's a duff switch?

+1; if it ain't dripping out, you're not losing any. Run the engine with a piece of clean cardboard on the floor under the radiator, let it run for half an hour or so to get well up to temperature and give it the occasional rev up. If there are no drips, you're not losing any. Make sure it covers the area under the front of the engine too, in case coolant is being blown back by the engine fan, and watch for steam or drips after you turn the engine off, when the fan no longer keeps the temperature down and there's a slight rise.

Advised that in the case of a collision they won't get compensation for injuries sustained if they were not wearing seatbelts.

£25 for a 6 ton bottle jack... that went down on first use. Fluid came up round the bottom of the silver tube. Took it back, complained, got another and it did the same thing. Went in skip.

Looks like someone's cannabis stash....

All depends on the plastic... that's NOT one of mine by the way.

I spent an incredibly boring and fume-filled day back in the late 80s / early 90s drilling large holes in the doors and inner sills of a Clan Crusader as a weight-saving exercise. It was like sitting in a cheese grater.

Approx £180 all in; that was my choice of silver-grey webbing and chromed brackets - I could have gone for a range of colours and textures plus zinc plated or stainless brackets so the price can vary quite a bit. The silver grey webbing is 'silver grey pebble weave'. https://www.quickfitsbs.com/components_colours.php

As long as it fits and seals at the end, no problem. A replacement for the rubber seal / grommet, if you need one, is to put petrol-resistant rubber sealant around the pipe at the point the rubber grommet would rest at; then you can either shape it when soft or wait till it hardens and then smooth to shape. When the pipe is replaced and tightened it should conform to the contours and grip the pipe in the same way as the original seal would.

Thanks for that; it is excellent reading and very helpful, so keep it going.

QuickfitSBS will make you an exact match; they did for me a month or two ago - same colour and brackets as yours. https://www.quickfitsbs.com