Colin Lindsay

+1 on that, pics please so we can drool.

What does that entail? I just had one fitted but the flue goes out of the wall at 90 degrees, straight out behind it. Flaming expensive it was too!

I think they're around £20 and there are plenty to choose from, but all the same basic principle; they clip onto the quarterlight glass so no drilling involved. I've never knocked one off but have had one drop off as it was too loosely fitted, so this one has a small dab of sealant hidden in behind the clamp and has never caused any bother. It's been on there for about15 years now.

I ran a quick search online and found that they're the same for TR2, 3 and 4. This link may be of interest if you haven't seen it already - it's fairly critical of some suppliers and the quality of their modern replacements. https://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/5822-uprated-water-pump/ If you still have the old pump or can get hold of a good original, this company will rebuild them; they've done two Herald pumps for me now and I'm pleased with the rebuilds. http://www.ep-services.co.uk

TV Licensing e-mailed me this morning; there's a problem with the licence but if I click on the link it will allow me to pay online. Yeah, right.

Agree with both Pete and Doug; any Herald I've done has been chassis built up first, as it's much easier to route brake lines etc (and fit the engine and bellhousing as Doug says! I do it in one complete unit) then fit and gap the body. The underside should be already painted so it's just a case of masking off the bits you don't want resprayed. Bonnet goes on last.

Not sure which one the Herald fits into these days... stationary, maybe? CORDS Duaflex supply OEM and OES standard piston ringsets for the following applications:- agriculturalheavy industrialstationarycommercialaviationmarine

That'a amazing work, and well done. When you've finished that one you can come here and do this Herald for me. I started, got bored, and went off to do other things. My underseal seems quite soft; inclined to smear, and clog the stripping tools very easily, plus the bits fly everywhere! As I have the same electric drill as you I'm keen for any tips that will make it easier.

Yep. It's not only my engine that's broke. Plenty of free time, though.

A clip-on to the quarterlight is quite close to your head when driving; they look nice and cover the blind spot. Furthermore they require no drilling!

He has 18262 for the larger engines: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Spitfire-Std-Pistons-1296cc1967-Press-Fit-Pin-Fitting/202790838181?hash=item2f37469fa5:g:swsAAOSwlRpZaStD I've to get the block checked but as I can't lift it at present it's holding things up slightly. It's a very very slight ridge on two pistons only. One local member who checked it told me that back in the day he'd have used step rings; Cords were recommended as they'll seal right to the edge of the lip but are angled so as they're below it. I'll probably end up going for good pistons be they modern or not; those on eBay are a step back. It all comes down to the final cost!

Douglas - not Doug, like yourself, but Douglas - is an absolute gentleman and runs the club like a watch; on time, and never stopping. It's a very close-knit club so we banter a lot and the club meetings are usually a good laugh. If you think the work on the Herald is industrious, remember the TR7 has just come down onto all four wheels with the underside completed and I've started on the engine; the GT6 has been stripped down ready for bodywork repairs to the rear valence and boot floor and I've recommenced this one: This is where the 1967 enginework comes from that I've mentioned in other threads on the forum; it needs a slight rebore and has been stripped down to the bare block. I stopped work on it in 2003 as the body had been fitted incorrectly to the chassis, so the roof will not fit, and the engine had been fitted with no work whatsoever and was smoking even then. The garage it's pictured in is very cold so everything has rusted and requires re-doing, the rubber hoses have all cracked and split, and I'm appalled at some of the work I did way back then which included painting the engine block BMC green, and the diff and anti-roll bar bright red. The plan is: when the GT6 goes for bodywork and respray, the TR7 moves into the vacant space and the estate goes up on the ramp so that the rear axle can be removed and rebuilt. As for the 1200 convertible.... it's once more way down the list and will have to wait.

Full marks to Douglas Hogg the AO of TSSC Northern Ireland for putting me on the spot at last week's meeting and asking: when was the last time I had a Herald actually on the road. I blushed a lovely shade of Signal Red and muttered.... 2008.... In any case: the steering rack is now refurbished, and looking well: I've also cleaned up the petrol tank, which is in excellent condition with no rot or damage. I'll add a few coats of gloss plus the sticker for the top. I managed to get the drain plug out with no damage to tank or neck, and it's all been cleaned up and replaced with new seals. I've rebuilt the gearbox - or in truth replaced the bearings and seals, the teeth all looking good, but I'm wondering if for a talking point I should use this all-alloy gearbox from a very early car instead? I know they're not up to heavy work and were replaced due to stress cracking and other problems, but it's a shame to have it sitting idle.

Certainly heavy enough to be a Churchill! I have a diagram showing one in use, slight differences but then there's no guarantee that they were all the same, back in the day. Handy to have if you need one, but then - you have to ask yourself how many times are you ever going to use it? I've had to harden my heart and stop bidding on things that I might only use once - it used to be a bad habit but I seem to have more willpower these days. Or less money.

These are 16178 but he's added 18690 on the box in marker. The funny thing is that they're two different boxes, going by the writing he's added on the front, yet both the same pistons, same reference numbers, same labels, but £20 difference. I don't yet need pistons, only rings, as the wear to the bores is amazingly slight and I might get away with standard pistons with new rings - waiting for confirmation at present - but with the price of just new rings, VAT and postage, it adds up to almost the price of pistons and all.

That will always be a major problem on any older car. You buy parts from the catalogue only to find that a PO has replaced the parts with whatever came to hand, or was better, and you're left with the original part that cost a bomb and no-one else wants, as they've all done the same mod....

Well then you can have a duck.... or in the 13/60 you'll be changing gears just for fun. Not for hills, then? Did the 13/60 really have more leg room in the back?

I was looking for details of a press car that I've recently been sent info on, and it appeared in an article from Motor magazine, August 1965, reproduced in the Brooklands Roadtest book. This one was fitted to a 12/50 and the writer claims that the 'Pye 2010 unit gave no trouble at all.'

That's why I was being cagey and not committing myself that Imperial UNF fittings were definitely required!

These are the pistons from the later 1967 engine; the early ones are still in the block until work progresses that far. These are the ones that I need to replace more urgently once block boring work is complete. If, as Dan says, I can use later pistons on all then that sounds good; if they were strengthened to reflect the power increase caused by the other modifications that they should in theory be suitable for all whereas the earlier pistons won't last in the newer engines. Makes sense. The interesting thing is that one seller selling sets of Hepolites on eBay has two sets for Herald and Spitfire, one early and one late, but yet he is showing the same label for each sale; earlies are £80 and lates are £60 for the set - see the lower pic for what they look like boxed. It's a substantial saving over what the engine-work companies are charging me if they supply, but only if they'll fit a GA229***HE block. The earlier block is GA119***HE which going by Pete's post would be split skirt, but I now assuming can be changed to solid easily enough?

I've just ordered two sets of these from Nigel; red for the Estate and black for the convertible and he had them manufactured almost immediately. I'll have to road test them to see how the sound quality stands; as I have already two door speakers in the convertible I'll use these more as bass woofers to resonate back from the bodywork behind - effectively it means that I can have four speakers for the CD player but all in front, none behind. Incidentally I also found a speaker unit fitted to a Herald when looking for something totally different, as always happens. You can see how snugly it fits but it also gets in the way of the heater ducts...

Remember those are metric ends, so you may have to source Imperial versions. I bought 25 feet of Kunifer pipe recently for £14, more than enough for a car. (I see the price has gone up in this relisted product!) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-16-25-FT-LONG-CUPRO-NICKEL-KUNIFER-BRAKE-FUEL-PIPE-ROLL-25FT-BS-EN12449/271597859816?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 If you're only doing one car or just a couple of pipes it's probably most cost-effective to get someone to do it all for you or buy a ready-made pipe; if you want to try it yourself you'll need pipe, bending and flaring tools. Brake pipe benders are quite a variation; I bought the small club-supplied version but find it fiddly and sometimes prone to kink pipes, however the larger type I also use (£13 - 15) does not provide tight bends, plus you need to think ahead as to where you want the actual bend to be - bend at that spot and the large radius actually means the bend will be an inch away from where you require it, so it takes a little bit of practice to have the pipe at the right spot so that you know the bend will end up exactly where you need it. Flaring tools also vary; I used to use the hand-held version (£36 approx) however at a show a few years back I bought one of the professional vice-mounted flaring tools and it's a real doddle. Perfect flares every time, as Uncle Ben would say, cost me £40 second-hand, but it has really paid for itself ever since. Tot the price up - pipes, flaring and bending tools work out at about £65, less if you go for the cheaper items, and with a little bit of practice you've acquired a skill. With copper-only kits around £70 on eBay and over £80 from suppliers doing it yourself might not be much greater expense, plus you've always got the tools.

I'm working on two Herald engines at present, one from 1962 and one from 1967. I've already found substantial differences in the heads but whilst researching pistons I've found that some dealers will sell pistons as suitable for 1961 - 1965, and others as a one size fits all from 1961 - 1970. I've found hints of changes at GA80000 - prior to this is referred to by some as the 39bhp engine - whilst others will sell parts up to pre 1966 or post 1966. I'm nearly certain this only affects the head, which was redesigned regarding coolant flow etc. I'm keeping like for like regarding original heads with blocks, camshafts etc so it's only the lower end that's causing doubt. I can't find any reference of changes to the block or lower engine, but I just want to make sure before I commit to purchase; does anyone know if there were any changes that might affect the piston required?

Two that I came across earlier today:

We had a local radio channel test driving an electric car on Thursday; they started off with 167 miles range and by the time they had finished a 12 mile journey they had 177 miles range, thanks to regenerative braking recharging the battery. This appears to indicate that if you drive with the handbrake on the car never requires recharging. The biggest problem they had was arriving at a charging bay to find a car full of yobs eating burgers, who told them to f*** off when asked to move.