Colin Lindsay

Thanks Jeff; I think I've pulled the wrong pair from the spares pile... ah well they needed cleaning anyway.

Can anyone confirm that the seats on the left are original pattern 1200 and more importantly that the ones on the right are later 13/60? Don't worry about the shape; I padded them out to get into the crevices and clean the stitching before finding them to be very brittle and cracking, but when I went looking for replacements I think I've found them to be 13/60 and not early 1200 in which case I'm renovating the wrong seats... I think the 1200s have the unribbed section to the front but I've checked some suppliers just now who seem to be selling the same pattern for all Herald and Vitesse, so want to confirm.

How long have you had out of those? I've got some, not yet fitted, but still use the single-use one-per-year plastic varieties, so was wondering if there was any advantage.

Still ongoing! You need heavy ratchets and be careful where you attach them; I had to jam substantial lengths of wood behind the wings and down into the bottom of the footwell behind the b-posts, which I secured in place with a large self tapper and penny washer through the seat-belt mounting hole. It's too easy to bend metal or pull out the spot-welds if you do it incorrectly so what you brace it behind is very important. As the b-posts pull in you can see the floors drop, the tunnel seatbelt mounting moves down in relation to the chassis mounting, but springs up again once pressure is released. I have a professional bodyworker not far from me who was to call over and advise but Covid is delaying nearly everything in my garage at present.

See? 2021 is brill already!

Yeah, I've met ladies like that too. For the Herald, fuel gauge and rev counter are fine, all else is just worry.

You don't need the sender; it's just the bit that controls the movement of the needle on the gauge. Earth the sender cable to the car engine block and the gauge should move fully across. It's designed to work on 12v so you won't do it any harm unless you get the wires back to front, and even then some gauges will only register zero without harm.

France and the UK seem to have different priorities and ours is electric. The leaded fuel went, as did the leaded replacement (LRP) in an amazingly short time. I cannot find it anywhere here now, and most fuel stations here seem to have a choice of one diesel or one petrol - that's it. Even the low-sulphur 'City Diesel' seems to have gone from the forecourt. No 98 Super Unleaded, nor 100 RON in any of the places I use across the country, and I'm always on the lookout. The major supermarkets sell two types of fuel, no matter how many pumps or how many hoses each pump has. Most petrol stations will stock whichever is expedient and if the 10% Ethanol sells in quantity, that's all we'll get once current stocks of 5% are used up.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Smiths-Industries-Automotive-Instrument-Tester-SR-D-380/193754669670?hash=item2d1cada266:g:kykAAOSwloxfs~dK Your pic didn't load Pete so I found another, but at that price I'll settle for two lengths of wire and a good earth point.

I've just measured 7.5 inches from cap / felt washer to tip on my Herald sticks, which are all 1147. The early block that doesn't have the tube has the casting in the actual block to exactly the same level as the later block with the extension tube fitted, so the same dipstick fits both and will be at the same height.

Landrover forum says the Smiths valve thread is 1/2 BSP, and I think they use the same one as our cars.

Start in the middle - a good hammering with a large screwdriver will push the centre inwards so the edges compress. Don't be too harsh on the sides; you don't want to damage the block so that new plugs won't seal. Get the screwdriver through them then lever out.

Love it. Actually it's a great debate, I love a good discussion - not much opportunity recently with all these lockdowns - so keep it going.

Had to, it doesn't clear the steering column otherwise! anyway it shouldn't matter between engines, the theory is the same - standard starter pulls back, hi-torq starters push forward no matter which side they're on. Yep, that was the same problem... sorted by a different crank. Even so it gives some idea of where the starter gear sits in relation to the backplate, with no spacer.

These are two pics I took many moons ago when rebuilding the GT6 engine, in order to determine if I needed a spacer or not. In both cases no spacer was needed; you can see how close the original starter Bendix is to the flywheel so any kind of spacer between the starter motor and the backplate will only pull it closer in (as it moves backwards towards the motor when engaged), whilst the uprated starter is quite far away and so has to extend further forwards away from the motor to engage, which any kind of spacer would only worsen - it's just bolted to the engine using the original adaptor plate. I suspect that flywheel was changed for one that sat closer to the block and so did not snag the starter gears. (Long-running problem with the gearbox input shaft so possibly the crank was swapped; in any case the flywheel moved further in)

My argument in a nutshell. Why on Earth would I want to risk my life in a basic, dangerous, life-threatening car at all is beyond me, but if I want to - why do others have to make me feel inferior, or that I'm some kind of careless idiot who will throw my life away whilst others nod sagely? Your analogy of RCDs can be used in the same fashion - they're there for safety. How would you view someone who puts on rubber gloves everytime they want to turn on something electrical? It may save their lives, it may look strange to others, but then they can turn round and say that those of us who don't are risking our lives unnecessarily and if we die, it's our own fault. I guess I'm just daft, then.

I've been out in my car, but not 'out' in my car... sad, but yes, sat in the garage and listened to the music. Went out to the shops yesterday morning and got checked by the local Police Covid team. "Is your journey really necessary?" Well, yes, the potatoes were, but the apple turnovers weren't for me and I keep telling her that she needs to cut down...

It's a very tight press fit, so leave it in place unless you really have to, in which case heat the block around it to expand the metal, and drift the tube out from underneath where you can see where it enters the sump. Better to leave it in place though, they're easily damaged. Core plugs - might as well since you've stripped the block and can tilt / shake it about to dislodge any debris in the waterways; just stick a screwdriver through them and twist out. You'll be amazed at what builds up in behind them. Replace like for like; yours will be bucket type rather than domed.

Difficult analogy for my point, John - modern mountaineers don't go out in 60 year old equipment, and those idiots who go hill walking in t-shirts and shorts would probably drive with bald tyres and dodgy brakes, and then blame the weather for a crash... But: if you take any other hobby - for example, firearms - anyone who loves old weapons will tell you modern guns are more accurate and potentially safer for the user, yet you don't add telescopic sights to an old musket, or a modern rubberised butt, or gas tubes to reduce recoil; you can, and people will argue that it's safer and more comfortable, less likely to cause injury etc but it's not the original experience and you might as well just buy a modern weapon. Same with cars - why don't I just drive a modern everywhere? Safer, more comfortable, better mpg... so I have to sacrifice something if I want to drive an old car. It's striking a balance between originality and safety and there has to be a point a which I'm prepared to say: that's it, and come what may. As for brakes... a car with front and rear discs and a servo has to have some advantage over a four-drum Herald!

Again, I don't want to feel like I'm 'getting away with anything' but it can always be argued that our cars, being less safe than moderns, are dangerous. Brakes are less efficient. There are no airbags or crumple zones. If I decide to stick with an original car in original spec, no matter how well maintained, no matter how well I drive or how carefully, someone somewhere will be able to come up with a well-reasoned argument about how much I'm risking my life and how many more times I'm likely to be killed or seriously injured than in a modern or an armoured / uprated / heavily strengthened and protected equivalent of a 1960s Triumph. Someone, somewhere, will always nod their head sagely and tell me: 'Well, it's your life.' It's an argument that I simply cannot win. If I try to argue: 'someday it may happen, someday it may not', I'll be made to feel that's an irresponsible attitude. No, I can't guarantee that I won't be in accident, and I can't vouch for all the idiots out there in oncoming cars. All I can do is try to be responsible, try to be careful, and try to finish every journey that I start in one piece. I'll keep good tyres, good uprated brakes, improved lighting and well fitted seatbelts, and trust that these are adequate. But: I don't want to fit a roll bar.

Possibly the butterfly jamming in the carb body? As Johny says check each carb, springs and working parts, and oil if necessary, but if it's the main butterfly sticking in the body it either needs a good clean or replacement.

That's the problem. I know it can be argued that the heavier and more securely braced a roll bar is, the safer it will be, and an entire cage will be the ultimate safety barrier, but at what point do you stop with a normal roadgoing car that you want to look original and period, and not like something from Mad Max?

You get NOS versions coming up for sale online, I bought very good Tri-metal versions a while back (Vandervell possibly?) so I'd check eBay or the like before buying modern equivalents from (some) suppliers.

The cup sits nicely into the hub, same shape, to hold the bearing in place, then the felt - soaked in oil for a day or two first. WSM says tighten up the hub to the prefloat first, mark where the nut sits, take it off again and repeat with the felt in place, tighten up until the nut reaches the same marks. You couldn't do that with the felt inside or you'd have to chisel the backing cup out again and probably ruin it so - metal to bearing, felt facing out of the hub.

Won't be me doing it, it's a free respray owed to me in lieu of legal work... but the red oxide will be rubbed down then coated in Bonda - unless that reacts too?