Nortonius

I've just fitted a brand new, made-in-Taiwan slave cylinder – it was a couple or three thou too thick to fit in the bracket, but it went in ok after a couple of hours in the freezer. So buyer beware, but it can be done. I saw a NOS Girling slave cylinder on ebay yesterday, £20 bid on it at the time I think. Maybe it'd need new seals after all these years …? Maybe that's old news about the new slave cylinder – I haven't posted for ages, been a bit otherwise engaged …

... and today that prop shaft bodge took me and two passengers on a 180-mile round trip to see another Aged Parent in Southend, happy as a happy thing! Except clutch slip was noticeable on acceleration, which is new, perhaps surprisingly so given 'other' Pete's diagnosis of oil on the clutch as the cause of the judder. I went for a Borg & Beck clutch in the end, £52 on ebay, and I think I've got all the other bits 'n' bobs. Let me know if a space opens up in your very full Triumph diary Clive, and I hope the mapping project's shaping up nicely for you!

Thank you!

That sounds like a good tip – any idea where the similar thread can be found? I do search forums before posting questions, as I know it can be annoying when people post the same questions time and again, but either the search function here is less than brilliant or I'm doing the internet wrong... Cheers.

Yep, all done now as you described – I'm extremely grateful for the advice, it turns out to be the easiest job once you have some confidence in how to do it! Just as I buttoned it all up again it started raining, so I didn't even need to use washer juice to wet the screen! It was meant to be... Cheers!

All great stuff, thanks again Pete, I'll dive in later today and let you know how I got on. Cheers!

My windscreen wipers work fine but they're a bit noisy. I've taken the cover off the motor and greased per the manuals, from which I got the great tip about marking up for the wiper parking position – I'm sure I'd have messed that up if I hadn't bothered to RTFM... Apart from that I've squirted some GT85 into the wiper fittings in an act of wishful thinking. My question is, am I right in thinking that the manuals suggest you can just pull out the inner cable that drives the wipers for greasing, and expect it to just go back in again and have everything working? Thing is I'm very reluctant to strip out the dash for this... TIA

Thanks Pete – that'd be a start, I hope you'll forgive my ignorance but it looks quite different in shape and drillings to the new clutch covers I've seen for sale from the usual suspects, would it really suit my 13/60? Cheers.

Aha! Sounds just the job – let me know how much you want for it, as and when you get around to looking for it, Clive!

Thanks Paul – actually it's because of a repro bracket from the Rimmers that I'm looking for a NOS or second-hand one – unfortunately the repro one I got from the Rimmers doesn't quite fit. At first it wouldn't go on at all, it's on now but only after the best filing job I could do without a bench and a vice, i.e. holding the thing in one hand and attempting to file it with the other: now the alternator's axis is out of alignment vertically with that of the engine by about 2 degrees. I think the fan belt will tolerate that for a good long while, but it's annoying. I've told the Rimmers about it, they requested photos and further info, but I haven't heard any more about it in a while...

Thanks Clive – you're right, the clutch isn't terrible, but it's at the top of my to-do list, now you've sorted the Thunderous Thrumming for me! And the last thing I'd want to do is break your heart. I did google the Powertune clutch's background and found very little, except a comment on an MG forum that says basically what you just did about Powertune as a brand... I noticed though that the image of a Powertune clutch on a dealer's website showed the diaphragm spring in the cover with 18 tangs/forks/whatever-you-call them, the same as in the factory illustration, and in the Borg & Beck clutch offered by the Club: the Classic Clutch has only 12 tangs, along with others I've seen, which feels like something that might be important for quality...? It's interesting that the Club sells the B&B clutch, but Canley seem very keen on the Classic Clutch... Lordy what a minefield...! The judder gets right on my nelly, mainly because it gets much worse with the extra weight of passengers and when everything's warmed up. The 'big spares day' sounds interesting though, where's that? February feels a long way away, but time it doth fly. While I'm here, unfortunately WINS don't have that Dolomite mounting bracket for the alternator, new or secondhand – 'sorry, they've all gone' – I hesitate to mine your spares stockpile, but you did let slip that you might have one...? Unless someone else wants to chime in. Or maybe that can wait until February too...!

Just when I'd made my mind up about a clutch kit... I just spoke to WINS about a bunch of bits and bobs, they have a clutch kit by Powertune, 'part of the British Motor Heritage Group', any thoughts?

Yep, and that bodge just took me and my son on a 70-mile round trip to see the Aged Parents with no complaints at all – in fact, you might say we were unfazed... (sorry) Thanks again Clive & Pete, fingers crossed that it's a long-term fix!

I've got three of those thanks Pete! Two came with the car but neither was a Haynes so I bought one of those: now I have three ways to confuse myself! Santa will have to bring me something else... What about the diameter of the flanges though...? I wasn't expecting to be asked this stuff, in my naivety I assumed they'd have made a few of these by now, although I suppose you never know what you'll find on a 46-year-old car...

Ok – the chap I spoke to at Dave Mac's wants to know the overall length of my propshaft and the diameter of the flanges before he can quote me for a made-to-order item. The Rimmers offer a 'strap-type' propshaft for the 13/60 that actually looks like a splined item (if the image is correct) and is 'out of stock [but] expected', at £244 plus P&P, whereas Canley offer built-to-order at £166.25 plus P&P. I think I can see what's going on there (disclaimer: without prejudice!), and would like to follow things up with Dave Mac. I talked to someone at Moss in London about a clutch kit, they have one in stock and the chap very kindly went off to have a look at it but found it's not branded, so it'd be a lucky dip, which doesn't seem a good idea. Thanks to what Clive and 'other Pete' told me, I seemed to know more about brands of clutch than the chap at Moss! And they wanted £75 plus about £10 P&P. So, unless anyone's got any better ideas, I think I'll just order a Classic Clutch from Canley, at £64.31 plus P&P. FWIW, Canley say that Classic Clutches 'have proven to be one of the most reliable brands of clutch [they] have ever sold'. Clive, it looks like I'll be pestering you for help lifting the car again, to measure up the propshaft!

Ok thanks both, feeling a bit clearer, I'll get on the phone tomorrow.

Hmm QH don't do a Herald clutch any more (in fact they don't list anything Triumph that I can see), Pete do you mean you thought the Classic Clutch was inadequate, or just inadequate for the vit6? My 13/60 is my only car and I just want it to work properly, no fancy stuff. I've just found Fleetway, based in Surrey: anyone heard of them and have an opinion? They claim to be 'specialists in the remanufacture of original clutch equipment', and seem to offer a clutch kit for the 13/60: http://www.fleetwayclutches.co.uk/uploads/3/4/4/2/34422291/fleetway-application-list-dec-2013.pdf Apart from Fleetway, so far I've only found clutches branded B&B, AP (apparently the same thing) and Classic Clutch, and I'm feeling a bit confused.com...

One of my favourite tipples went that way – it used to be made in Tuscany, then it got bought up and production moved to the USA, now it's just ordinary. Hey ho...!

Aha! Canley have Classic Clutch kits in stock, I might just go for them then, if AP now = B&B = First Line... I'm guessing I won't need a clutch alignment tool, Clive? It seems you're right about LUK Pete, as LUK clutches for the 13/60 haven't shown up in any of my online searches.

Clive it was great meeting you all today, thanks so much for the time, thoughts, tea etc! And thanks for the positive comments re the car! I've found the propshaft man, I'll have to do some phoning around on Monday: I see the Club sells the 'Borg & Beck' clutch, I wonder what clutch Canley sell... Been busy since I got back, I'll look for LUK clutches next, but I see the Rimmers have AP clutches, are they any good? I remember AP being a 'name' once upon a time...

That's an interesting tip, thanks Gully!

Pete, others have made the same mistake – though I may become notorious, it's early days here yet and I hope not!

Great – I didn't realise the shop sold it, I'd bought mine by the time I joined the club. You can call me Nort if you must! Anything that isn't rude, in fact!