Bfg

and the loss of coolant and that being a frothy stream across the car park every time I park ? That would suggest the head gasket leaking gases into the water, No ? ^ From directly above this isn't very noticeable ..when you're looking at a car into an engine bay inside a garage ..and when I'm a pratt looking through rose tinted glasses.! The car was then pulled out to go for a test drive, in the drizzling rain, and any subsequent under bonnet inspection was quick. But now that I have the car, well.. where the eye can't see - a small camera can get in. And it seems to me that the 'issue' is not something new.

When I collected the car and the gauge read that she was over-heating, so I stopped to remove the thermostat, I wiped the cap clean then. At that time I just assumed it was there from where the car had been sitting through the winter. When I check it yesterday there was far more emulsification on it. But yes I hope you may be right. Your advice is sound and encouraging - Thank you. The head bolts need to be checked for peace of mind now, and then I think the car needs a good run. After all she's not been used probably since our test drive in November and has since been put away through the winter. Prior to that it saw very little use because of Covid putting an damper on club meetings and car shows. So possibly she's been sitting idle for 18-months.

Thanks Pete I'll check that website out. And also for your thoughts. The fuel pump has obviously been replaced recently, but I don't know when because there is no receipt for one in the file. I hadn't noticed the oil on the dipstick being grey nor a whiff of petrol, but tbh I didn't know to look for those things, only emulsified water on the rocker cover cap, and then when I lift that cover to see what's inside. Even peering down inside the rocker cover looks very clean, aside from around the cap's orifice. I'm of course hoping that the previous owner just forgot to re-torque the cylinder head bolts after he replaced the figure of eight gasket in April 2016. As he's only done 200 - 250 miles a year since then ..local club meets and shows, it's likely he just forgot to do after 300 - 600 miles. I'm always the optimist ! I dare not do the re-torquing today because the farm yard, where my container & tools are, is a sandy dust bowl. I was amazed yesterday, while greasing the king pins and wire wheel splines, how sand and straw was getting in my hair and literally collecting around to leave a silhouette of where I lay on the concrete. It's not the environment I want to take the rocker cover off in, but if the wind dies down for tomorrow - I'll tackle it then. Pete

^ now with white walls embellishes removed from the tyres I know that Katie could be a good driver's car once these issues are sorted out. Despite ergonomic issues I love the driving experience and the car's style. I'm just disappointed that the seller appears to have not been up front with me. If he'd just said that " I'm letting you have the car at bottom dollar because of this and that", then all would have been fine. I would have made my purchase decision based on what he must have known about but preferred to conceal. Thanks Colin, yes I also accept that It happens - the owner tootles about just to local shows and club meetings, and knows of the faults and the car's limits. But he's OK to live with them, and well as a long list of other 'foibles'. A new owner comes along, and within the first 20 miles discovers the more major issues. Knowing they are far from right ..but not how long they've been like that, so he fears the car is about to blow up and die. Yes also to your point about pushing the car a little more than it's been used to ..perhaps as insignificant as 70mph on the motorway rather than 60, and things let go. The seller will honestly tell you 'it never did that with me' and he may be right. I'll first try to re-torque the cylinder-head bolts, I've also been advised that there's waterway blanking plug on the top face of the head, which have been known to corrode through. So I'll check that too. But otherwise, because I now live in an apartment block and where my storage container is, is a dust bowl with sand and straw blowing around - I can't get into dismantling the engine. So.., can anyone recommend a person, or affordable garage, near Ipswich, Suffolk who have good experience of the four cylinder TR engine ? I very likely need the head lifted off and its cylinder sleeves set to the correct height for the figure-of-eight gasket to seal reliably. Thanks. Pete .

Good morning all The clutch release mechanism parts have been ordered and the car is booked in, for Thursday, to have the gearbox pulled and to hopefully sort the clutch fork pin. And to put the slave cylinder back in the right place. In the meantime.. After the strong winds and rain we've had this week, I went out in Katie for the second time today .. to the farm produce shop ('Richards' in Westerfield) and then across to where my storage container is. I had a few jobs I wished to do, or at least look at, a couple of which I'll come back to at another time. But one little job was simply to check the cooling system, and to possibly to flush it out. Let me share with you a few symptoms . . radiator coolant water coming out of the expansion bottle after a run. That water is a little frothy. emulsified water on the underside of the rocker cover cap. oil pressure 50 psi water level going down oil level rising Let me also share with you . . rocker cover cap didn't have emulsified deposits when I viewed the car for purchase. oil is very clean, obviously recently changed although the seller didn't mention that. Oil and water level were normal at that time. Oil pressure was c. 60psi around the housing estate during the test drive, when Bob drove. Bob has receipts for the figure 8 gasket and associated parts in April 2016. Since then the car has done just 1100 miles. Caveat Emptor Together with the clutch fork this sorta bursts my 'Mr Happy bubble'. I will get over it because I do love the TR4, but I'm disappointed in finding myself so gullible. Bidding you each a good weekend. Pete .

Brilliant Colin, Thank you.. invaluable help to me at this conjuncture. Regarding your first .. I thought I had felt the clutch pedal movement to be coarse, as if the edge of one lever or slider was grating against another. However, when I drove the car yesterday that was not apparent. Instead I was more aware of the weight of force needed and then also that the pedal travel was so close to the bulkhead before the clutch released, which I had not really noticed during our collection trip. But these were only the brief impressions of someone who was, for the first time, driving his own 1960's sports car (which relative to my Chrysler Voyager its great fun but oddball ! ). I nurturing a trapped nerve under my knee cap and could barely get into the car, and then not even straighten my legs - to use the clutch pedal in a straight push. The drive was for a total of perhaps an hour ..when my mind was distracted by little things like ; avoiding over-boiling and seizing the engine, so that included two stops due to over heating and my removing the thermostat. And then the following day ; just a few miles drive, mostly along unclassified (wobbly) country lanes to the container, where my focus was more on wanting needing to adjust the driving position. And then the drive back home again (albeit the long way around of perhaps ten miles on b-classified country roads) when I enjoyed a straighter leg position, so the push onto the clutch pedal was from a different attitude. By this time I was enjoying the drive However those impression do sort of tie-in with your "notchy action", and if it has just happened - then the change of angle of the fork end would be felt as the pedal getting closer to the bulkhead. Here are the photos I posted on the TR forum, and it was the angle of the actuating arm from the gearbox that led Stuart to propose that the clutch release fork's pin had, or was, going. . . . " piccies taken in the drizzling rain . . There's a spring dangling which I guess might have been a return spring on the clutch pedal (?). It's loop at the bottom is broken off. The clutch master cylinder looks to be 3/4" (spotted by Rich) according to the cast into the reservoir's side). I haven't yet looked up what was standard for the late TR4A. Double drat ..my Moss catalogue is in storage.. I wonder why the clutch pipe is a larger diameter than the brake pipe.? I cannot see any size markings on the slave cylinder, but I think it's fitted on the wrong side of the gearbox plate (thanks again to Rich for suggesting that possibility). The workshop manual p.2-106 fig.6 shows the slave cylinder to be mounted on the engine side of that plate. I don't know what difference that positioning would make to the feel but surely the clutch lever's tie rod would be too long as is, or too short if the cylinder were moved forward to the other side of the gearbox plate.? ^ the slave cylinder's tie-rod fork end appears to be correctly positioned to the centre of three holes in the release bearing's lever arm, and naturally lubricated. Again there is no spring to add to the weight of the pedal. As said previously I believe the car is fitted with a Borg & Beck diaphragm clutch. " . . . A BIG thank you also for the shopping list - That will certainly help me be prepared, which in turn will save me in labour costs. The gearbox tunnel cover is an odd one but is a task I'd prefer to set aside 'for a later date'. In short ; I don't believe either the bulkhead &/or the IRS chassis design are up to the job when cardboard (or fibreglass) is used to bridge the very long, wide gap from one side of the car to the other. This was evident from the very first press-report of this model which, however politely, and despite Triumph's intrusive dashboard H-frame - slighted the new model's scuttle shake. My intent "for a later date " is to replace that cardboard with steel-sheet (from the TR3 cover which I already have), cut and shove to fit the TR4 gearbox with overdrive. This is to be done with a stiffer dashboard ..again derived from the TR3. It's not a priority but getting rid of that H-frame would make the car so very much more airy comfortable for me ..without loosing anything good of the original character of the TR4.! Pete.

Was discussing on the TR forum that my priority is to next address this car's extraordinarily heavy clutch action. To share what I had.. I photographed what can be seen ..the master & the slave cylinder and their assembly (if you're interested, I can share those with you here ?), and the outcome of that is that, just now, it's been suggested that the pin securing the clutch release fork has failed, or is failing. The fork swiveling around the shaft would account for the symptoms of its action being very heavy indeed and also only releasing during the last inch of lever travel before the bulkhead. In short ; it means the gearbox has to come out of the car. As they say in the boating world.. Rowlocks ! I've booked the car in, a week on Thursday (subject to space availability), to tackle this. In the meantime I'll do my homework and shop to get the bits in stock. And I'll also consider what other jobs might be tackled while the gearbox is out. Pete.

^ all I need now is find a half decent, but not too nice Herald (or Vitesse) estate or van to use as my daily load-carrier.

What a beautiful sunny day yesterday was . . ..I drove MY NEW TR across to my container to tackle the first couple of jobs. (it's the only place I have to work on the car at the moment ..but it's a dust bowl there) Job 1. Getting the seat to move back, at least as far as the wheelarch. . . ^ The issue here was mainly the location of the seat belt's inertia reel, which stopped the seat moving back by about 2 1/2". ^ I drilled a tight hole through the inner mudguard, and fitted a big backing plate under there (suitably paint protected). I happened to have a nut to fit onto the seat belt bolt, and another for bolting the belts tail-end back into the sill. Aside from the fact that the seat belt is too long too retract all the way into the reel - it now works well with smooth tension, whereas as before it was snagging and wouldn't recoil. I'll sometime fit something to stop the buckle from sliding down the webbing. The pads on the carpet are because the driver's seat backrest is slightly more inclined than the passenger's, so 9mm reinforced rubber packing tilted the seat forward a little. But that proved uncomfortable with the backrests tubular seat frame pushing into my back ..so I took those out again on the (long) way home. Moving the inertia reel out of the way only partly worked because . . . The inner seat belt mounting is on an angle bracket, and with both the seat belt's eye and the bolt's tread each facing towards the seat (which over time had chewed up the seats fabric) the seat couldn't push back passed this point. That then had to be redone. ^ Job done and now the seat goes all the way, for its back to rest against the inner wheel arch. The seat runners themselves didn't need adjusting nor redrilling. ^ I don't think that seat will go much further back ! I did consider 'easing' the inner mudguard back, ie., indent it with a softwood block and lump hammer, but as you can see that would not just be a very localised indentation ..and there's no point because . . . ^ with the seat right the way back - the folded hood frame is already poking into the driver's shoulder. And that discomfort would only be more pronounced if I sat further back. Remind me not to wear a nice jacket without having the hood frame's cover on. These hood frame joints are hard edged and presently dry, but once lubricated they would certainly mark a sleeve. My friend, Rich, has advised that this is a TR6 hood frame and so perhaps the above width issue is not normally an issue with a TR4A hood frame.? Having said that the seat backs are very tapered up their outside backrest bolster. Anyway, SUCCESS insomuch as I now have another 2" to 2-1/2" of leg room length and arm length to the wheel. Now I can get my leg down low enough under the steering wheel to take my foot off the clutch. For the drive home yesterday I pulled my leg out sideways to rest against the gear lever, so that I could steer the car ! I'm sure this seat position will be easier for around roundabouts and corners when I also wish to change gear. - - - Job 2. was to make getting in and out of the car easier. The issue here was that the driver's door didn't open fully, so getting my size 13 brogues up inbetween the sill and the part-closed door was not at all easy. The cause of that was something to do with the check strap. I didn't know how to take the check strap out, but thankfully the phone sees where I cannot (watch out big brother is watching ! ) . . . ^ Having removed the carpet, over the lower A-post, and from the photo I could see that there was nothing holding the check strap in place, but its guides and the shut. I thought the rubber bump stop on its end looked too big, and that was causing the check strap to be too short. So I removed the check strap's pin, from the front end of the door, and pushed the check strap out through the A-post's square hole. I removed the rubber bump-stop pad, and tried it again but the door still wasn't opening nearly far as it might. So after securing the door from swinging too far forward and buckling itself against the front wing, I measured what extra length was needed, with the rubber bump-stop back in place . . . The rope used to hold the door from swinging too far forward. Disclaimer : do not drive the car like this ! ^ check strap extended. This in turn was drilled for the pin, to lengthen the check strap by another 15mm. Then of course I cut the length off and rounded its end, painted it and refitted. Task complete, aside from refitting the carpeted trim inside. ^ with the driver's door being pulled against the check strap - the door to wing clearance is still safe, but now the door opens another 15 or 20 degrees, which of course makes my getting in and out somewhat easier.. Perhaps the check strap's length is different between the TR4 and the TR6, and the wrong one was fitted.? 4 hours work in total, so I was glad not to be paying a professional rate, but they were very necessary tasks for me to simply be able to get in and drive the car.! It was also very pleasant working out in the sunshine. Pete.

Yee ha ! We collected Katie on Monday (8th) and I'm really very pleased. Drove back open-topped, a little chilly but not nearly as bad as I had expected, indeed very tolerable. Conversely the steering wheel shake at 60mph is intolerable, as is the heaviness of this clutch ..but I'm sure I'll soon have those sorted. On the way back from Bury I was compelled to turn off the A14 and stop, as the temp gauge pushed close to the red. But as soon the car slowed - the gauge went back down to a more normal reading. Yes plenty of water in the radiator, and that was hot but not scolding or spurting. Squeezing the top hose however indicated it was empty. The engine hadn't been pinking or rattling from being overheated so, because we had just another 12 miles to go and the weather was cool, we set off again. Back on the road - the temp went up to the red line, and so just two junctions further on, we stopped again ..and I removed the thermostat. That's temporarily sorted out that issue. Huh ! :)) Once I write it down - I'll have a 'snag list' the length of my arm, but for the most part they are minor tasks..so I feel I've a really great base to start from. I'm going to have fun with this car :))))) .. I'm so grateful to Bob for holding it for me until I could manage to get me piggy bank open. ..most urgent job I think will be to remove the seat-belt's inertia reel from the floor, which stops the seat going back. Then I can take my legs with me when I go out. In the meantime Bob is going to look at a cream coloured TR7 for sale down in Essex. Pete. ^ Katie's restorer and now prior custodian Bob Bell and his dearest little lady Pat just before I headed off. ^ Arrived safe n' sound, to the most salubrious* 'Woodland Manor'. My apologies that I have no fuel station photo.. I was otherwise preoccupied with the temperature gauge bending its needle ! .. and a couple of photos taken for insurance valuation purposes. . . Bidding you a very good day. Pete. .

Yes I see what you each mean regarding their marketing / perceived added-value purpose, I was more curious about their style not being in keeping with ..anything.! ?

I asked about the model specific (TR4A, TR250, & TR5) side marker lamps on the TR register and my query seems to have stumped everyone. Perhaps the historically learned or simply smart of the TSSC can shed some light . . Had they been a detail of a 1920's or 30's car such as the Triumph Gloria ..with its winged bonnet mascot, they might have been in keeping so to speak. But, to be perfectly honest.. they appear a design incongruity for either Triumph, Michelotti, or any sports car. The Italia of 1960's for example had very simple round side repeaters that wouldn't look out of place on a 21st century car. Similarly these wouln't sit well with the hippie fashions of the mid-1960's or to any obvious contemporary style ..whether in line with Triumph's saloon-car range, or as a response to a similar feature of a competitive marque. They are indifferent to any other design feature on these model of car, or to their badges. And If I look to mid-60's American influence, for example the Shelby Mustang, a Cobra, a GTO, or Corvette, I don't even see side-marker / repeater-lamps. With no precedent for their being legally required, nor their flamboyance being a style sought in the US .. just how did they get passed Triumph's bean-counters ? Michelotti (fairly representative of the Italian styles) was pushing smooth graceful curves with little or no adornment. Triumph's Fury concept of 1964 reflected the Italian 'influence'. Very much more Ferrari than harking back to the wings of Hermes. I'm not objecting to them, but they are undoubtedly an interesting objet d'art. And to me at least - a mystery. So I'm simply wondering if there is an interesting story behind their design and adoption.? . And did Triumph then try to disguise them ? .

Sounds good to me, and it'll help retain the value of the car. Personally speaking I (and I'm sure many other old school types) loath seeing thick 'protective coatings' and matt black under a car ..as they just smack of a bodged job &/or poor welding ..even though the repairs may have been done beautifully (you just can't tell). Sorry Colin, but my 'fear' (founded in long experience) is so strong that it might put me off buying a car so treated, or at least I drop the value I'm prepared to pay for it ..just in case. Rubberised protective coating / stone chip is brilliant stuff for example to the underside of a body shell - but imho only when it's been applied before fitting onto the chassis. Similarly when used for the splash guard areas under the wheel-arches, but even then I much prefer it to be over-painted in body colour. Conversely touched-in body colour paint under a car says to me that the owner is conscientious and has cared for the vehicle. Of course, that's just my opinion, Pete.

Two years later.., 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on a Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1967th year of the common era (CE). The Doors release their début album, (ironically entitled ).. the Doors. The Vietnam War Operation Cedar Falls started on January 8th, and NY Times also reported that the U.S. Army is 'conducting secret germ warfare experiments'. The world is so beautiful that Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with the intent of future resuscitation (I wonder how he's doing ..and whether he is now the oldest man alive ?) In Munich, the trial begins of Wilhelm Harster, accused of the murder of 82,856 Jews (including Anne Frank) when he led security police during the German occupation of the Netherlands during the second world war. He is eventually sentenced to 15 years in prison (which on the face of it seems very lenient ?). U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee are killed when fire breaks out in their Apollo 1 spacecraft during a launch pad test. While in New Orleans, District Attorney Jim Garrison claims he will solve the John F. Kennedy assassination, and that a conspiracy was planned in New Orleans. The Dutch government supports British EEC membership, and the first North Sea Gas is pumped ashore at Easington, East Riding, Yorkshire. Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana defects to the United States, and nine executives of the German pharmaceutical company Grunenthal are charged for breaking German drug laws because of thalidomide. The supertanker SS Torrey Canyon runs aground between Land's End and the Scilly Isles and spills huge amounts of oil, while the SEACOM Asian telephone cable is inaugurated. Martin Luther King Jr. denounces the Vietnam War during a sermon at the Riverside Church in New York City. And Puppet on a String performed by Sandie Shaw (music and lyrics by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter) WINS the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom.! Yeah ! In the Academy Awards, hosted by Bob Hope - Best picture goes to A Man For All Seasons, where Paul Scofield plays the obstinate Sir Thomas More, while in Texas - Muhammad Ali refuses military service. He is stripped of his boxing title and barred from professional boxing for 3 years. And Elvis and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in Las Vegas. Harold Wilson announces that the United Kingdom has decided to apply for EEC membership, and in May the UK and Ireland do so. The Jimi Hendrix Experience release their debut album Are You Experienced (Come back Davy Jones all is forgive ..we love the Monkees !), and The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band nicknamed in the US as "The Soundtrack of the Summer of Love" ..it was number one on the albums charts throughout the summer of 1967 (..up the Hippies ! ). Oddly, so I am told, 1967 was also a short year for new vehicle registrations in the UK. And Where, you might ask, is this leading us ? . . . . . . Well to June 1967 of course ..when this particular car was first registered. . . Yep, after almost two years from starting this particular thread.., I'm finally getting one. I had placed an advert in the TR Register's magazine way-back last summer ..after a year of waiting - the green basket-case-project TR4 car from US came to nothing. I then considered a number of other project TR4 / 4A's, but when unexpectedly given notice to vacate my home (of the previous 16 years), which was an old farm house - i realised I'd also loose my garage, the space and the facilities to restore a car. I guess, at much the same time, I also recognised that I'm also getting a bit too old to start another long term restoration project (..when I already have others on the go !) and that I would actually like to drive a car once in a while.! And perhaps equally as relevant was that I'm also getting too old / lazy / comfortable to bother clobbering up with riding gear and tent for touring on a motorcycle. Instead perhaps with a little lady and a happy dog ..like a spaniel, might be an altogether pleasant traveling experience. So I restored and sold 'Katie ' my 1948 Sunbeam S7 motorcycle to fund my buying a roadworthy car, thinking a driving / rolling restoration was the best I might afford. But then, during the preamble of moving from a farm house to an apartment, I was faced with the question of whether I should junk most-everything I owned and just go and live on my boat. In the end I decided "no bollocks.. I'll have the boat and the car I really want and I'll buy a shipping container to keep my tools and whatever else from my home in." ..even though other things will have to go to pay for &/or make room for what I now want. A change of direction perhaps but a direction to set course on. That was great in theory but of course my buying that container, paying rent to store it, and the cost of moving - took a bite out of the money I'd put aside for a TR. Only then, thanks to magazine lead in times, do I start to get response from my magazine advert. But they were either too expensive or projects that needed total restoration, so then things went quiet again. And then out of the blue, in September, just 11 days before my deadline to vacate my home and move, I get a message from a Mr Bob Bell (..in response to that advert in the magazine). As I said to him at the time "sorry but I cannot afford it, and even if I could - I couldn't do anything about it because I'm right in the middle of moving house" ..on my own, during a pandemic. I thought that was the end of that, not least because I was absolutely exhausted and frustrated., and so perhaps a little abrupt I fear. Possibly a month later, a couple of weeks after I'd moved I dropped him a line and we talked, he sent me photos, and so I was keen. The car is a TR4A with Independent Rear Suspension (rather than leaf springs) and overdrive, and was perfectly roadworthy ..albeit due for maintenance and checks due to hardly being used. Importantly she is very much the spec I was after. We arranged a date for me to go and see the car (last October) and despite drizzling rain he drove me around the housing estate where he lived. The ride was a little odd insomuch as he seemed to be trying to impress me with the performance, and the steering ..up to 30mph.! I held on. The car was in much better condition than I dared hope, but still over my budget. I might stretch but for the fact I'd spent a good percentage of the money I'd put aside for such a car - on buying a shipping container.! Tantalisingly close Pete.. but no coconut ! However....... as it happens..... I was also anticipating a gift of inheritance ..pending the sale of my Aunt's home. I explained the situation, and Bob incredibly kindly held the car for me, as he was "not using the car through the winter anyway'". It's taken months, but now I've finally managed to get all me ducks in a row, and to pay him, this past Monday ..some 23 weeks after he first dropped me a line. Surely that is above and beyond the call of duty ..even for a Triumph man Bob. ! The log book has now been transferred into my name and I have taken classic car insurance through the TR Register. With the aide of my good friend Rich Crewe-Read from the East Saxons TR Register group, I hope to collect her on Monday or Tuesday next week, when the current covid restrictions are eased a little. So there we go, this car, coincidentally also known as 'Katie ' thanks to her registration, was I understand first registered in June 1967 and was British racing / Triumph green. She was being restored through the late 1990's and Bob bought her as an unfinished / being abandoned project. He finished the task and had her painted red, with a black interior and varnish dashboard. The work must have been well done because she still looks great from pretty much any angle. The mileometer reads 37,900 since being put back on the road in 1999. He tells me that the interior and a few other jobs need doing, and she could do with a tune-up, but that other tasks like poly-bushing and gaiters, fuel pump, etc, and also some re-chroming have not-long-since been done. Naturally, I feel like a schoolboy awaiting his birthday in springtime ! Pete.

original is good so I keep being told !

Wow I'm impressed, just 11 weeks and you have a solid and great fun little Herald ..no space left on your driveway but hey I'm sure you have a plan Excellent self motivation Sir.

Despite outward appearance it looks a remarkably solid body tub ..hopefully a reflection of good chassis condition. hot wired and with fuel from a can - does it run ? I particularly like the tail-seat runners for the mother-in-laws chair. Looking forward to seeing progress & further shots. Pete

Not at all, the refraction of light pattern of a motorcycle headlamp lens is the same. However most motorcycle headlamps do also have the hole, or a bulb holder, for a sidelight as well (which may in part account for different part numbers). These can either be blanked off (a strip of electrical tape applied from the outside works fine to keep dust and moisture out) or utilised, even if your car has separate side lamps. It is perfectly legal to have four forward facing side lamps. However if bulbs are fitted then they have to work for an MOT, even if your car has separate side lamps. Motorcycle headlamp units are almost always held in place with spring clips to the inside of the chrome bezel, which in turn is clipped and screwed to the motorcycle's headlamp shell. And that whole shell tilts for height and is adjustable for direction. Many car headlamps, such as a Spitfire if I recall (..it's some 40 years since I owned one), are fitted between an inside adjuster bezel and its mounting shell. So, the chrome headlamp bezel on a car is non adjustable and is just there to hide the adjuster mechanism and to fair-in the headlamp's shape. Other types of car headlamp have brackets attached to their reflector bowl or rim to facilitate their fixing and adjustment. You'd have to see if your headlamp has any such brackets. Pete

You might look in old (pre-metric) Brit or American motorcycle parts bins (new or used) for headlamps with suitably period domed glass, which are not sealed beam. Mostly they had tungsten bulbs but H4's are readily available to fit. From the mid 1950's 7" became common place on bikes of 500cc and bigger, whereas you may find 5-1/2" fitted to smaller capacity models and off-road types. The smaller size may also be found among spotlamps which adorn scooters. Of course you may well find 7" headlamps that take H4 bulbs, which match the style you already have - so then you can leave the main-beam spots you have un-converted. After all how often do you tackle a night-time rally through forests ? Pete.

^ I found one of these roundabouts when I went across to Wales ..ironically soon after completing an Advanced Motorcycling course, although I was driving a car at the time. Got hit in the rear-left quarter by a car following around to the right. There was only damage to his front wing (..which was plastic and shattered), so my insurance company couldn't be arsed to dispute it, despite him running into me.. and so it was recorded against my no-claims record. I'd highly recommend you keep your arm tucked well in .. it wouldn't fend off a car !

No hood frame at all. Like the Lancia or Porsche I want to use the roll-over bar to support a Surrey hard-top lid, and then to use it as the rear-most hood stay for a fold down or lift off fabric / plastic rear window. Of course window seal flanges have yet to be added. I'll probably sell this car's hood & bows, but if not then this roll bar (..not the additional B-post structure) would have to come out to re-fit and use the standard hood bows.

furthermore. . . a little more sketching today, including using an on-line calculator to assess the bending deflection of different tubular sections under a 1/2 long-ton load. I used 50mm dia with 3mm wall thickness round-tubing as a yardstick to compare its deflection with wider but less deep rectangular box section ..with the primary objective being to replace the usual single, 45 or 50mm diameter, tube with two smaller-diameter ones and plating those inside and out. To match or better a 50mm x 3mm round tube's bending deflection over a 48" span, under the that load - I'm proposing to use two 30mm dia round tubes of 2mm wall thickness with flat plates welded flush to the tube's inside and out extremities. The two plates are to be 4.5" (114mm) wide x 3mm thick, and so the overall oval cross-section would be 30mm x 160mm. This is how things are presently looking . . . Of course having been drawn in Adobe Photoshop ..it is not to scale ..only to a visual approximation derived from this and other photos. Pete.

I have another photo of your car Mark, which I'm guessing I admired on the Autoshite forum. It looks a great Fun little runabout, nice and airy inside and a useful around-town or boat-yard utility, which if I remember from my days with a Herald would turn on a sixpence. I could certainly imagine myself driving around in something very similar indeed. Regarding the rear window, as I said in my own post I'm looking to use a fabric / folding back rear window ..and I think that would work really well with your Herald too, taking the fabric around your roll-over bar to lift-a-dot fasten just behind your door window shut (..the front edge of which would then be sheltered from the driving rain / air-stream). At first glance it would look like a convertible fitted with a hard top lid, with press studs along the bottom edge but a hidden rope-bead to attach the top under the roof overhang. Pete.

Thanks Dick, Yesterday I spoke to a chap who got rid of his fabric Surrey top and back-light to buy a hood and the bows to convert back to a soft top. He was saying that the Surrey top was OK but he and his wife preferred a proper open top car, and that fitting his fabric surrey-top and its bows was always a hassle. The later type (4a - 6) soft top just folds down and quickly n' easily tucked away under the cover ..and more importantly to them - it, almost as quickly, is put back up again should there be more than a light shower of rain. I'm hoping to just have a hard lid panel, but then modifying a boot rack for its en-route conveyance. The aforementioned chap didn't have a hard lid so couldn't say how quick it would be to re-fit just that. But if it proves to be a hassle - I guess I'll use one of those half car covers that drops over just the roof and windows ..for when parked. That'll also provide an all round curtain to annoy nosy-parkers and would-be opportunist thieves. Pete.