Colin Lindsay

Don't start me on 3 or even 2 star, it all used to depend on the money at the end of the month.... Anyway, petrol is still the same price it used to be, I can still get a tenner's worth, same as I could back in the 1970s.... and don't say it doesn't go as far, as my car still does the same mpg it did then...

That's some tooth fairy!

You never have, especially the one that you need at that particular moment. Be prepared for the size you require to disappear into a black hole or be snatched by Gremlins and hidden just before you require it. However: good second-hand spanners and sockets are often miles better quality than modern Far-Eastern copies; if you don't find any in your local Cash Converters or whatever then Halfords or the Draper set in the link are good. You don't require really professional-quality tools, just good solid ones that will last in a home garage environment.

As a simple check, take measurements from data points on both sides to the chassis rails - just pick matching seams or bolts on suspension components and bulkhead / bonnet outer edges to the edge of the chassis; also from the top of the suspension turrets to the same point on either side. This will let you know if anything is off-line, for example if the chassis is twisted, if the bulkhead has been incorrectly fitted, or if there is a mis-match in components or shimming - it may possibly be just one wider wheel than the other? Swap the wheels over and see if the problem is still on that side.

These are there sort of ones I'm using at present: Triumph Herald Vitesse GT6 Spotfire Poly Polyurethane Differential Mount Bushes although for only £2 cheaper you can buy second-hand ones: TRIUMPH Herald 1200 13/60 Differential Mount Rubber (pair)Fit 1961 - 1971 (0184) (Fits: Triumph Herald)

Tyres on the inside of the wheel arches? My Mk1 used to have quite a wide flange at the arch lip - about an inch deep - and the rear tyres used to rub on this, in fact it used to dig large grooves into them. Check both your tyres and the inside of the arches, especially if you've fitted wider wheels than standard. I cured it by removing the Spitfire spring I was using and replacing it with a proper GT6 spring - much stiffer and less bottoming out. Exhausts and hangers can also hit the ground but this is a more metallic sound.

It depends on the pumps. Tesco will do it every time but my local garage doesn't, so it must be something to do with the speed or volume of fuel delivery at full squeeze.

A very sensible approach - a lot of owners upgrade things unnecessarily without ever having experienced the original systems, and just end up wasting money for little or no improvement.

For brake bleeding tools - simplest is best - short plastic pipe with a hole in it, about £1 from auto factors. From personal experience of pumps, vacuum pumps and other assorted gadgets - they're a waste of money. BTW Dot 5.1 fixes a security flaw in the original 5.0 fluid and should be downloaded as soon as possible.

Dammit - another specialised tool required.

Don't I know it! I regularly have to tell sellers that Northern Ireland does not require International Air Mail. Quite often sellers will not post to Northern Ireland, and that's that. One problem I had recently was a musical instrument posted at a very low price, but listed as collection only - this put off a lot of buyers - however my intention was to bid and then send a courier for it. Unfortunately the site looked at my location and would not allow me to bid at all. Apparently the seller would not post to Northern Ireland - in fact he wouldn't post to anywhere - but this blocked my bidding. It's not just eBay either - I still remember buying a small light Triumph part at £18 for which I was charged £21 carriage...

Black are hard to find, especially the padded ones. You could try a breaker. They come up on eBay from time to time; beware of those who will suggest that Dolomite ones are the same - they're not.

Yes, I'd recommend a one-time replacement of Polybushes. The red ones being harder may give more road noise - but less flex - than the blue ones. I've used blue (actually orange ones from a different supplier) - for years with no need to replace.

you don't need arms, just tentacles.

Pete might be on the right track with flooding; I had this experience once when I detected an engine misfire and stopping at the roadside with no diagnostic tools adjusted my carbs to run too rich; after about fifteen miles the GT6 ground to a halt. After a few minutes of inspection it ran fine, until the next time - the few minutes with the bonnet up allowed the excess fuel to evaporate and the car ran as normal, until the fuel built up again and it flooded. A friend adjusted them for me when I reached the show I was going to and told me that if I touched them again he'd remove both my hands at the wrist.

Have you swung the exhaust to make sure that it isn't the culprit? A visual check of the bushes will let you see any apparent wear - and it can be very visible - look for enlarged holes through the middle or wear marks caused by washers etc grating against the ends. If you're testing with one wheel at a time up on a jack make sure the car won't slip if you're pulling components or pushing against them to check for movement. Changing the bushes is wee buns, the hardest part is getting the old ones out. I went for the solid nylon type rather than polybushes and found them superb.

Doesn't matter, unless you're one of these guys who display your car on mirrors. I'm going to paint the underside of my Herald convertible black using underseal; if anyone but the MoT man wants to get down there and look, it's up to them....

I always found the original pressures far too low for modern tyres; my local fitter advised me to bump them all up to 28 or 30. I've run my GT6 and Heralds at that for years with no problems.

Do you require the original version, or an aftermarket version from the period? Originals are going to be harder to find, but the aftermarket ones are more plentiful.

That's nasty....

Family to feed, bills coming in... same as the rest of us.

If the filter is anti-drain it will work at any angle, and theoretically stay full of oil when not in use so as to circulate it more quickly on next startup. Angle it so that it's not rubbing against anything metal or otherwise and it will be fine. By the way your pressure tubing looks very thin - it's hard to tell from a photo but it looks like ordinary plastic tubing and I'd worry about it as a weak spot leading to a burst and loss of oil.

No, your only problem will be to avoid being caught.

Yes - that's the stuff, I've been a folkie all my life and apart from the local Ulster-Scots trad we have Irish, Scots, English (not so much Welsh?) French, Canadian, and a lot of East European stuff in the repertoires I play these days. Even tried Greek stuff (my avatar is me practicing in the Peloponnese prior to a few concerts around 2013 / 14) and I've found that the best way to learn about a culture - and make some great friends - is to learn their music. Second way is to learn about their cars...

LOL very true!! I messed about with various carbs on Heralds over the years and all I ever found was that they ran very rich with no other appreciable difference in running; of course I didn't upgrade anything else (same standard cam for one thing) but in the end I decided the original setup was best in my case. Someday I'll explore the full potential, but that'll have to wait until I get a garage...