Colin Lindsay

I usually get modern underfelt from any scrapyard. Sells for pennies if not free and is totally waterproof; the more 'luxury' car you source it from the thicker it usually is and the better for soundproofing. Many scrappies just throw it in their skips so you can sort through for the big bits that can then be cut to size.

There is a thriving Triumph scene in Greece... although a grille badge I bought some months ago never arrived.....

They were available some years back; from the colour of the protective coating on this pair I have I'd suggest Chic Doig can probably make and supply them.

I doubt many owners will 'revert' once they have the new setup given the cost of initial purchase, however there will be enough purists who will want a replacement set of axles to recondition off the car whilst keeping the car on the road using the original set. I'd sell them on but bear in mind the postage costs - could be high - and of course make sure you advertise them as used with the added caveat that the seller understands they are worn and sold for reconditioning rather than immediate fit.

The problem with the GT6 Register of days gone by was that it was a lot of work to keep up to date, with members buying or selling cars, members enquiring about cars, dozens of forms landing through the post and every owner wanting to know the entire history of the Triumph they had just bought... and it just wasn't feasible in the days of data protection to have an unpaid and unregulated member of the public holding other members details in a private computer system with no regulation or security of data. Modern times, but that's the way it is. Nice in theory to have a record of everyone's car, but difficult to work in practice. It raised a lot of expectations among new members who seemed to think that we had every detail of their car from day one, along the lines of the Lotus Owners Club where factory records are readily available and can be used as reference. Best plan of attack is, as here, to advertise and see who knows the car.

The bush should fit through ok, have you compressed it so much that it's pancaked out?

What makes you think it's the alternator? Any more clues? The red light may come on due to low idle but not necessarily an electrical fault. It could be a fuel fault; overheating in the jam could have caused a vapour lock, the fan runs due to the heat, but the engine dies due to lack of fuel. It could be running rich - the carbs flood, the engine dies but once the excess fuel evaporates it runs normally again - been there! It may also have been something as simple as dirt in the fuel line, stirred up by the long run. The fan may just be a red herring. Do you have the mechanical fan fitted or can you refit it? I'd try a few runs without the electric fan just to make sure there isn't a combination of issues, and clean out the fuel system just in case, refilling with good fresh petrol. Nice to see a Triumph getting good usage this time of year!

Someone on eBay has been trying to sell a Triumphtune version for really funny money; I can't remember the exact price but it's around £300. I sold mine for about £30 if I recall correctly; it cost me £20 in the first place. What about a nice chromed version from an early GT6? Last one I sold at a local auto jumble went for a fiver.

Hammerite? Yuck! Terrible stuff that chips really easily and never seems to last except on drainpipes. Sandblast the valences then prime with a good rust-encapsulator-type paint, I use Vinylkote matt black then a good top coat of black gloss. I've started using it on my suspension components too, gives a very nice finish.

I think in a lot of cases it's the fitting of the old Carlos Fandango super-wide wheels that causes the bother, as you're often working further out on the wheel studs than standard wheels need to.

A recore to three row modern core is around £120 (based on my last Herald recore). There are companies all over the country, try a quick Internet search around your location. You can probably fit any modern radiator provided you don't mind a dogs dinner of large hoses everywhere and the word "Honda" or "Nissan" glaring at you every time you open the bonnet. Aluminium rads are (or were very recently) on eBay for less than £200 (from China I think) but it's a toss-up as to whether they're really any better for normal road use.

I've just upgraded my Mac to another model so haven't yet transferred across all my reference numbers but is this the compression ratio code, not the part number?

Fill it full of Waxoyl through the switch aperture at the top. It will all run to the bottom in the next spell of hot weather but should trap and neutralise any rust particles inside.

Nicely put! However I believe that if Triumphs hadn't been so simple to work on and maintain, I'd never have got into them.

All the same; only the glass and handles changed.

There are quite a few carb adaptors or replacement manifolds that will be a straight fit; easiest if you can find one is the Speedograph Stromberg adaptor which allows a Stromberg CD150 from the 13/60 to be fitted to the original manifold. If you don't mind a bit of manual work then grinding off the inlet manifold without damaging the exhaust part of the original setup clears the way for twin-carb manifolds such as the twin-SU versions from Heralds or Spitfires whilst retaining the original exhaust. Some of the cables may require slight modifications but it's all quite simple and straightforward. I ran my 1200 with the Stromberg setup and it worked perfectly.

So are our cars!! Bullet connectors, imperial measurements and metal rather than plastic fittings are part of the charm and appeal... to me at least. When I rebuilt an accident damaged Volvo I was amazed at how many of these modern plug-in connectors had cracked or splintered following the impact, and many were nowhere near the damage. They also suffer from plastic deterioration due to weathering so scrappy versions can often be beyond use. I can rewire almost any ancient Triumph with a roll of wire, bullet connectors and solder.... but can't fit a head unit to my modern Mondeo as it requires power take-offs and additional wiring that won't affect the canbus or other delicate circuits where any minute voltage drop sets off all sorts of warning lights. I just can't do it myself! Moderns seem to work along the lines of "why have two wires, red and black, when you can have twenty", probably to allow someone in India or wherever to monitor your engine remotely and then when a component fails, sell you a complete new one as they're too complicated to recondition or repair. Progress? Bah.

Far better than the modern rubbish that always bends or breaks after about three times.

Lovely job!! I see you went for the polished stainless bonnet stays - I have a pair but haven't fitted them yet. Do they become marked when the bonnet is opened?

I hadn't heard that but it will be a pity if he is.

It also depends on how many times you intend to use it at such high settings. If you're doing a one-off job on the rear hubs - then buying a top-of-the-range garage-spec professional tool might not be the best economy; going for a good mid-range item rules out the bottom-end imported cheapies but also means you don't buy an over-specced wrench that you'll never get the best use out of. It's deciding how to best buy something that will last years, but then might never be used for years.... (As I mentioned more than once recently when my garden grape broke earlier this week... when I bought it, a friend looked at it and stated that he wanted something good quality that would last, and not a toy. It was £4.99 back in 1991, so 25 years wasn't bad.)

Is there any of the bolt protruding from the vertical link at all, i.e. enough to get a grip on? Heat, vibration and penetrating oil will all help loosen the bolt but it depends on whether you have to drill into it or not as to how easy it's going to be. Tap the metal around it in a fast rhythm with a small hammer, this is often enough to break the rusted seal. Plenty of penetrating oil - and buy proper penetrating oil - will help but allow time for it to soak down into the threads. If applying heat while on the car watch out for fumes that may ignite. If the car is as rusty as you hint at I'd treat all the nuts and bolts to a spray of good oil, in case the entire assembly has to come off eventually.

I have a few of them; pm me your address.

one y wife's rover broke dow When my wife's Rover broke down a few years ago her uncle, not knowing any better, towed her to a local dealership. Once I heard, I removed it immediately. It was there for two hours and the dealership, without even looking at it, charged me almost £400. Admin costs and use of their parking, apparently.

Looks like the bit that holds a brush head onto the shaft....