Colin Lindsay

Didn't I read somewhere recently (on here, maybe?) that it's only the 95 RON that uses ethanol, and the higher octanes don't?

Be careful at the other end - you're lifting the front of the engine whilst the rear and bellhousing is also raising up, denting and crushing the edges of the bulkhead. Keep an eye on that end too!

Have you removed the earth lead at the front of the block? Been there, done that....

I rest my case, Your Worship... in between the sounds of someone flogging a dead horse and digging a large hole.

Plenty of penetrating oil, maybe a bit of heat... oh and a hub puller. Or maybe you've tried those already? (runs away and hides...)

Never mentioned it; the PO has a 1968 model so I used the year as an example. It's a good illustration of how many differences there are over the totals already!!

Well it's only been twenty years. I'll give it a while longer before deciding.

I've been running a 13 on my Mk1 GT6 for years with no problems; I always thought 7 was too low.

Good job Heralds use the Solex, then... but wait a short while and the suppliers / reconditioners will invent a resistant variety once they realise there's a demand. No doubt back in the day condom manufacturers were crying over the diminishing availability of lamb's intestines... and then someone went: look, we've invented a rubber variety.... ...and then the detractors went: yeah, but is it ethanol resistant?

The year 1968 shows 15 licensed, and 10 SORN....

Yes it does, I bought it way back when I was converting the GT6 rev counter to electronic and sort of suspected it was, but thanks for the confirmation.

In a word... no. I mean that as kindly as possible, as the also proud owner of a 1968 model, but there are statistics and then there are statistics, and if you believe eBay sellers ("only 11 of these left in the world!") or the info on owners' cars at shows ("the only one of these in the country" - I used to park mine beside that one out of sheer mischief) the figure varies considerably, but there are a surprising number known to the club, compared to the late 1990s when I bought mine and no-one seemed to want them. Official sites such as the DVA never seem to have the correct quantity, and there's an online database which covers the world, not just the UK: http://www.teglerizer.com/InternationalGT6database/ Click on the 'view' button, top left. I don't honestly believe at this moment there's any kind of accurate record - just a lot of guessing and made-up figures - but would love to be proved wrong. The site 'howmanyleft?' claims there are 25 in total, both SORN and licensed.

I always thought the pins were deliberately smaller than the hole to allow for movement, not only in and out but up and down, as the shoes wear or grip? Otherwise there'd just be a slot for the twist and push lock and the shank would be the same thickness as the hole?

I'm having a clearout of old gauges that are all shunted in a drawer (just found a NOS Jaguar MK5 ammeter, still boxed) but can't remember if some of them are from Spitfires or Dolomites. I think the 4-cylinder electronic rev counters are all late Spitfire (rear codes on the small stickers are 444) but I also have a 110 mph Speedo, sticker code 518 - I'm assuming this is Spitfire too? I also have a non-Triumph 6-cylinder rev counter, rear code 259 but dial code RVC2615 - Jaguar again? Is there any handy on-line site I can go to to check these and others?

You can watch the entire box set on TSSC iPlayer if you subscribe; otherwise wait for the next episode.

They won't be doing away with 97 or 98 RON anytime soon, so we'll be okay for a while, or until BMW or Mercedes throw the toys out of the cot over Brexit and refuse to sell to the UK. The term 'significant damage' is lawyer-speak for: we haven't blown up any engines, but consumables like fuel lines are being eaten away slightly faster than they would be normally. The problem is that there is always a solution. When lead went, we got lead-free heads. Now we'll have to get ethanol-resistant parts, which are either available, or can be requested. Since there's a readily-available alternative, we have no bargaining power whatsoever.

I've been searching for photos but no success so far; is that a loop mount, as in the earlier Heralds, Dan? Just a looped metal mount bolted through the floor pan with two nuts?

Most of the main suppliers claim to have them, until you click on the link then they're NLA. I'd try a breaker / reconditioner like Chic Doig, if a repair can't be performed on your existing ones. Is there any way a washer can be adapted, by welding over or behind the existing worn hole, or even use one of the the slotted retaining clips over the pin - put it onto the pin then the pin through the backplate?

The whole point is to get you all hooked, and therefore put pressure on me to progress the rebuild - therefore it will eventually have Gully's happy ending and he can go to bed with a smile! Tonight's episode continues the stripdown: Out came the gearbox, and eventually the engine, which had lain under the bonnet for a winter or two but wrapped in an old quilt and a waterproof cover so it was protected by the material and all of the oil that covered everything. The entire front end was stripped down, right to the bare chassis; many of the bolts were rusted solid and required the special sockets shown here which bite into rusty bolt heads and really grip them. You can see the front valence of the 13/60 that I was working on at the same time, in the garage. The floors look solid in this shot but in reality were far gone, just off camera shot. This car was fitted for a starting handle, with a hole drilled through the chassis cross-tube and a corresponding gear on the crank nut. Eventually we were down to the bare chassis which was sandblasted - and was in fact quite solid - given a temporary coat of primer and then welded or patched as required; not by me, I hasten to add, as I still had not learned to weld, despite owning a Mig welder since 1994... Stay tuned to this channel for more updates later in the month.

http://www.gowerlee.dircon.co.uk/Stromberg.html e-mail these guys, they have them listed in their spares page but require an e-mail enquiry. (part 48 throttle return spring?) These guys below have them in stock, but only two left:(scroll down the page, they'll appear quite far down) https://www.oneillvintageford.co.uk/acatalog/Stromberg_Carburetor.html I've found lots of them in the USA, referred to as 'snap-back springs'... try SummitRacing.com

I wish we were all standing round the car, cuppa tea in hand, and debating. No doubt it would be spotted in minutes and probably fixed in hours.

I still like the 4, it's a great shape; the 5 was a bit more modern and I remember having the whatevers scared out of me in a rally Gordini in the late 1970s. A cousin had the 5 'Campus' and I remember it had no temperature gauge, only a warning light.

I'll agree with you there. There should be others available for a fraction of that. I have non-O/D versions, but sadly no O/D ones or they'd be on eBay straight away...

Steering column shroud is different on the later Spits so you can't use the two-arm version from the early cars or Heralds etc... original single-rail sticks come up for sale all the time although this guy surely must be having a laugh: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-OVERDRIVE-GEAR-LEVER-STICK-SHIFT-SHIFTER-KNOB-WIRES-DOLOMITE-3RAIL-1850/392333073321?hash=item5b58df9ba9:g:kuYAAOSwlQddJGNb https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-SPITFIRE-1500-OVERDRIVE-GEAR-STICK-LEVER-SHIFT-SHIFTER-KNOB-SWITCH/352714342630?hash=item521f69c0e6:g:bmUAAOSwhBVdJa4D

I remember that those used to be massively expensive back in the day, any NOS or even S/H sets that came up for sale were snapped up. I'm at the other extreme - I have something like seven sets of Estate side glass which all the van owners wanted back in the day to convert their vans to estates... but no-one wants these days....