DerekS

I wonder about the cost, yes, never thought , quite possibly. Particularly bearing in mind that the cost of producing the likes of these must be a lot less now with CNC's etc rather than some poor soul with his back bent over a lathe.

Evening all. On page 109 of the October edition of Practical Classics, Gary Stretton is setting up a TR3 engine and makes mention of a rocker spacer kit that does away with the standard springs to eliminate any deflection when the engine is running. I have noticed this happening with mine and am sure that it's a source of noise. He sourced his kit through David Manners; while I am waiting for their response, I had a quick look at the Moss site and they keep a similar kit, part number TT1318. The more I think about this idea, the more I like the sound of it. Has anyone else used this, please? ( I am NOT going down the route of roller rockers or the dreaded external oil feed...)

Cheese head, definitely.

Dave, the magnetic plug should be fitted in place of the drain plug. Can I point out that you have a golden opportunity to measure up and install an access plate in the tunnel for the filler plug? A small amount of extra work now will save a load of grief in the future!

Bit of thread drift here but I can't resist it, the guy at the local car accessories shop gave me a very useful tip when I was buying some Wynns brake/clutch cleaner. It's excellent for getting oil or grease marks off clothing without damaging them. Not that you get marks on your good clothes...

Thanks for your replies on this guys, you've helped clarify my thoughts. The shims I have are as you describe, Pete, and will be going back in tomorrow. Pad chatter... here's a question... if pads are chattering, can they be pushing the caliper pistons back in slightly so when you come to brake, you have a similar effect to air in the system, i.e. the brake pedal needs a couple of pushes to bite? There's been one or two threads about excessive pedal travel recently and I'm wondering if it's something else for the check-list. Just a thought.

I've recently had to change my brake pads due to grease contamination caused by seal failure. I've gone for the 1144's again of course, from the Club shop.I used standard anti-squeel shims with the first set, but with the new set I've used the adhesive pads that came in the kit. These seem to alter the "feel" of the brake pedal and I'm not absolutely convinced that I like it, there's a slight "softness" initially to the brake pedal before they bite. I'm considering going back to solid steel shims. I followed the "bedding in" procedure and they do work very well indeed. I would be interested in any thoughts, opinions etc...

I just wanted to use this column to say a big "Thankyou" to Garth and staff in the Club Shop, for their help and service. Truly outstanding service again, as always! Thankyou and best regards, Derek.

Evening all! I thought I'd pass on my experience with a really useful product, I hope this is in order! I've been trying Autoglym Wheel Protector Spray for a while now and have been really pleased with the results. Basically, it stops brake dust etc. sticking to your wheels. On 2x 300 miles motorway journeys, with quite a bit of rain at one point, the wheels on my daily driver were very clean indeed. I now use it regularly. It's not cheap but it IS effective. Running a Spitfire with 1144 disc pads seems to generate a level of dust and given that I don't do that many miles and try to wash it as little as possible, using the spray seems to be a win-win from the start. I've been refurbishing the original wheels and this is the last detail. ( I have no connection with the manufacturer) Best regards. P.s., as always, read the instructions, the car can't be moved for a couple of hours after application.

And the other thing of course,keep your foot off the clutch pedal. Keeps the weight off the engine thrust washers.

FLANGE... Another excellent word. There's also SPIGOT but it hasn't got the giggle factor of FLANGE...

Ooops, wrong place to post this, should have been in "General", sorry...

Well done indeed and many thanks to Steve Payne for a truly outstanding article in this month's magazine. I find the whole subject fascinating and would dearly love to learn more about events leading up to and on the final day and the run-down procedure. Thanks to Steve, John Sherborne and John Davies!

Thankyou all for your comments on this and please keep them coming. It was Minilite type wheels I was running, they are a lovely wheel but I am happy with the originals back in place. I'm interested in all opinions,for or against!

On page 34 of the new "Practical Classics" is a letter that pretty well sums up my own thoughts regarding alloy wheels on a classic car as opposed to the manufacturer's originals. I have replaced my shiny alloys with the original steel wheels, basically, I got bored with the alloys. Yes, you can feel a difference, the alloys were superior in a lot of respects but I really prefer the original look. How do YOU feel about this?

Forgive me for asking a question about a question but do Strombergs on a Vitesse have diaphragms? If they do, it only takes a pinhole or perishing/degradation of the diaphragm to cause problems...

The power of auto-suggesfion! Half past ten on a Saturday night and I suddenly fancy a whisky and there's none in the house! Waaaah!

It's very pleasing indeed when this happens, something sorted without throwing loads of money at it! I have to say a lot of the pleasure that I've had from the car has been from such as this, with sound advice of course! Very rewarding!

Pete, yes, it makes perfect sense. Many thanks for your help and your patience...again!

Pete, thanks for your response, I've just been out to the garage and disconnected the white yellow wire at the coil. Now then...the car has never, in my ownership, fired up first time from cold, it's always taken 4 or 5 turns of the key. I've been right through the ignition and fuel systems time and again. When the engine's hot, the starter barely has to turn and she fires up right away never a problem. It runs and drives beautifully. With the white yellow disconnected it has fired up like never before, you'd honestly think there was a new battery fitted. I was thinking that a new battery was needed to be honest, although I do use a CTEK battery conditioner/monitor/charger. Disconnecting that wire has made so much difference, I'm absolutely delighted and thankyou! I've got to ask though, WHY has it made that much difference?

I've been a bit hasty posting this, with further investigation it's obvious that I do need this feed, the question is now, is beside the ignition switch the best place to pick up a controlled feed or is there a better, recommended place? I realise this must be an old chestnut...

When I got my 1500 Spitfire ( 9 years ago, time flies! ) it had been fitted with a 12v Lucas Sport coil and the ballast wire was taped up. An ignition switch controlled feed has been taken from just beside the switch itself but there is a White and Yellow wire that appears to also be an ignition switch controlled feed, from the starter solenoid, at the top, a small terminal. Is the feed taken from beside the switch needed? I can't see the point, or am I missing something blindingly obvious, please? (this is my 2nd attempt at posting this, the first wasn't too clear...

X

And they were quick to point out there's a 12 month guarantee as well. One detail I did notice , mind, with most of the new ones on sale is that the old one had a solid body, whereas the new ones on sale have a removable cover on the back for access to the brushes. A difference in detail if you're a stickler for originality. Best regards.

Feedback from this thread. The gearbox was filled with Comma oil and I have to say after a couple of road-tests I'm pleased with the results, quiet running, nice smooth gear changes and the overdrive behaving itself superbly. A good result! Thanks for your help, Clive, Pete and all... again!