DerekS

I know this isn't what you're looking for but A4 box files, stored flat, are a good fit and hold 2 years' magazines.

There's a piece in this week's Classic Car Weekly saying that the Triumph 2000 (etc.) Register has ditched their digital edition... no details given of membership numbers/ ages etc. though.

Pete: I really don't know to be honest. I started thinking that if the bolts that fasten the frame to the diff body weren't a dowelled fit through the frame, it introduced a further avenue for error/misalignment. The other factor was that the diff on the car is not the factory fitted one, the car's first owner had it replaced just before I got the car 10 years ago; he was advised to do this to cure a clicking noise from the rear! The top and bottom of it was that I was putting a lot of thought, time and effort into it and not actually achieving any improvement, but still not exactly happy with it either...

I would say yes, that more or less sums up where I'm at with it... the mysterious spacer. My pet puzzle. (If you really want a puzzle or two to mull over, there are one or two anomalies in the workshop manual and car handbook wiring diagrams, particularly in the detailing of the oil warning light/PDWA warning light area, having the U.K. and North American mixed up... thread drift alert!)

It measures 2"o.d., 5/8" i.d. by 1/4" in thicknesses, when in place it compresses both the lower and the upper rubber mounts by that 1/4", I'm guessing that in doing so it's twisting the diff clockwise ever so slightly when viewed from the rear, hence the effect on the ride height. I had it fitted for around a month and it hasn't done the Polybush mountings any good at all, I would like to replace them again. It was suggested that perhaps the mystery washer would counteract any effects of torque on the diff but I am honestly no wiser. However, there MUST be a happy medium with the assembly detail in the workshop manuals stating that the lower rubber mounting washer must be free to rotate when everything is tightened up. Too free and you've got a sloppy mounting, too tight: are you affecting alignment?

P.s. I measured the distance from the garage floor to the top of the rear wheelarches, vertically through the wheel centre before fitting, after fitting and after removal of this washer and found it altered the measurements each side between 1/4" and 5/16", lowered one side/raised the other side. (Sorry for being so long-winded...)

Part number 134603 in Rimmer's catalogue. I asked the question a while back and convinced myself it should have been fitted but was missing.(1980 Spitfire 1500) The mounting studs on the car underside are "stepped" in diameter and this dictates that it fits under the rubber mounting but on top of the steel washer. HOWEVER, fitting it compresses both the upper and lower rubber mountings and so must alter the alignment of the diff to the propshaft. The workshop manuals all say that with everything in place and torqued up, it should be possible to rotate the lower rubber mounting so the spacer is counter-productive; I've taken mine back off. I hope this helps but it's still a mystery!

Btw, the article I mentioned was in the June 2004 magazine, page 63, titled "Dim Lights" .

There was an article in the Courier a number of years back describing how to separate the two warning lights and, on the 1500, how to incorporate a handbrake warning light. Easy peasy and well worth doing as the oil light can actually be seen now.

There's an interesting article in this month's Classics Monthly magazine about fuel additives. What I didn't realise was that fuel companies vary the blend 4 times a year, so apart from any other reasons, a car with summer fuel in may be harder to start in winter...

Error

Paul, I know it's extra work for you but before you replace the gearbox cover, consider putting an access panel in to get to the gearbox filler. It would save a lot if grief in the future.

Hello Hag, something for you to check. I replaced both calipers recently and was plagued with excessive pedal travel and was convinced the problem was air in the system. The problem turned out to be caused by dry caliper seals, making the pistons retract, the seals rolling back. I got round it by removing one pad at a time and very carefully pressing the brake pedal to push the one piston out slightly further than it would have been with the pad in place, then pushing it back in. In your case you could check the condition of the pistons for dust build-up or corrosion. This is assuming that the pistons are free to move, of course. I hope this helps but perhaps someone else could throw a suggestion in?

Hello Kevin, there's an outfit on ebay I've dealt with do Fahler caps including nice ones in polished stainless steel at very reasonable prices. If you have any problems finding them, give us a shout and I'll have a look through my papers for the supplier. No problems with Fahler or the supplier. Cheers.

Well done and thanks for letting us know!

There's a trick to doing it, Paul, the unit is held in place by- I think- 3 small set screws and they can be a devil to locate. All good fun, cheers!

Hello Paul, have you managed to remove the outer headlamp surround assembly, the body-painted, shaped piece?

Not having the correct tool, I used a 3" jubilee clip, opened up and straightened out, with the end bent over to suit the clips.

That and the noise factor were the reasons I went from fabricated exhaust manifold and twin sport system back to original manifold and standard pattern exhaust. My feet used to feel like they were melting. That was on a Spitfire 1500, spoiling a good car, a case of improving it worse.

Not stupid at all, a perfectly reasonable question. With the doors closed and the windows up, the glass sits on the outside of the roof material. Makes it easier for wind and rain to enter the cabin...

This won't help your problem but it may save you having a nasty accident, NEVER go in to car electrics wearing either a ring- as in one of the pics- or a watch. Basic safety, look after yourself. A pic of the distributor inside is needed. Good luck.

Ok so it's late at night but here's a really daft suggestion based on my own experience. Leave it for a day or two days, chill out and find something completely different to think about. It could just help to polarise your thoughts. I'm sure that most of the guys/ladies will agree that your problem will be something really basic but hiding itself in a corner.

A daft question: your new plug lead set, have you checked them for continuity? Why I ask, going back about 5 years, I fitted a new set of leads and the car would NOT fire up. To cut a long story short, there was a break internally in the middle of the coil-to-distributor lead. It was only by chance that I tried turning the engine over and could actually hear an intermittent "tick" from it. I re-fitted the old lead and bingo, we were back on line. It taught me a lesson, don't assume new=o.k. Also beware of introducing new problems! You WILL crack this...

Ah, Stag Red, that brings back memories. We used to use it from a tin; for it's time it was good stuff but it did harden with age. You couldn't help getting covered in ths stuff, either, it got everywhere...

Very often you have to pull the chain slightly to lift/ take the weight before pulling the other side to lower it, just a safety mechanism.