Bordfunker

Pete, thanks for that. Sounds like I'll be putting in an order for a new starter motor. Not sure I'll go go down the hi-torque root though, as that sounds a little pricey. Thanks again. Karl

My Herald has not been a great starter since I bought it 3 months ago, but the last couple of weeks it's just not starting. The starter motor felt very slow on turnover, and would emit a clunk from the bell housing. The battery is good, and chuck's out around 13.6V, so no issues there. The cabling between the battery and solenoid looked shonky, so I have replaced it along with the battery clamps, taking the opportunity to turn the battery around in the process. Still slow. So I took the starter motor out and cleaned up the Bendix gear as this was sticking. Here it is post clean up, and mounted in the vice for a bench test. The Bendix gear is no longer sticking, but even on the bench, connected directly to the battery, it doesn't feel particularly energetic. I've tried it back in the car, but no joy. I also tried bridging the solenoid contacts, but that made no difference. Therefore is there anything else I should try before getting a replacement starter motor? Karl

That starter motor is definitely coming out as the Herald wouldn't start this morning, so had to take one of our modern Citroens to the Scramble. Great selection of Triumphs, as well as the more mundane selection of Ferraris, Porsches & Astons. Came back this afternoon, and the Herald started on the button!!!! I think the problem is a combination of sticky starter motor dog, less than stellar battery condition, and dodgy wiring between the battery and solenoid. I took the Herald out for a 10 mile spin through some of the local villages and much of the vibration has gone, no doubt due to proper support for the engine. There is still some vibration, but the car can now at least attain 60 without trying to shake itself to pieces. Looks like October will be dedicated to the starter systems, and rebuilding those trunnions. Karl

I was looking at the spanners in Halfords today. I think I shall be asking Mrs Bordfunker to buy me some for Xmas. Some Imperial stubbies would come in very handy. Today saw the brake master cylinder back in, and brakes bled, with help from Mrs Bordfunker on the pedal. Then spent several hours trying to start the Herald. Turn over on the starter was very sluggish, and drained the battery in seconds! After several rounds of charging the battery, and consulting the Haynes manual, I decided that the starter was jammed in the ring gear and wouldn't disengage. I tried backing of the starter without joy. A quick consultation of this forum, threw up the idea of putting the car in gear and rocking it back and forth. Et voilà! A Herald that starts, albeit with a engine that tried to rev itself senseless. Two minutes with a screw driver adjusting the accelerator cable and we are good to go. Next stop tomorrow's Bicester Scramble, and the TSSC stand. Karl

The repair kit for the leaking brake master cylinder turned up yesterday, so I decided to remove the offending object. More easily said than done. The nut connecting the brake line to the top of the cylinder was rounded off, so I ended up having to search through my limited selection of spanners to try and find one that would fit. I eventually found an ancient spanner at the bottom of an old tool box. God only knows where it came from, but it fitted and allowed me to unscrew the brake line. Now I've never rebuilt a master brake cylinder before, but with the help of my official Triumph dealer workshop manual, so old that it doesn't mention either the GT6 or 13/60, it was much easier than I expected. Et voilà! One cylinder reduced to its constituent assemblies. As you can see, I forsook the darkness of the garage for the comfort of the study. Much more conducive to cleaning up components. This is the piston assembly with new seals fitted. Both piston and bore were free of scoring or corrosion, so no issues there. And here it is all back together. I've now bolted the cylinder back onto the mounting bracket, and should be able to get the whole ensemble back on the bulkhead tomorrow night. Karl

Thanks for posting that. Very detailed, but does make it clear that silicone is not the work of Satan. I'll top up with Dot 4 for now, but will make the switch when I've repaired and painted the bulkhead. Karl

I probably will when I do the final finish on the bulkhead. For now I'll stick with Dot 4. Do I need to replace all the seals , or strip everything down if I go down the silicone route? Karl

Hopefully these are half decent as I purchased them from Rimmer Bro's, but we shall see. With the rain holding off this afternoon I tackled the masking up of the bulkhead area, ahead of receiving a coat of Halfords finest red primer. Everything got a wipe down with a rag soaked in cellose thinners first to remove any lingering oily traces. Here you can see the effect of the Kurust that I applied yesterday. It looks rusty in the top pic, but that just a trick of the sunlight as it's actually dark blue and purple! Which reminds me, when I was stripping down the bulkhead there appeared to be some metallic pink paint under the black gunk!!! Anyway, this is what it looks like after a coat of primer from the rattlecan. I haven't used one of these for years, but was actually quite impressed at how well it went on, with very little in the way of runs or splatters. While that lot was setting up ahead of a second coat, I attacked the clutch and brake master cylinder brackets with the power drill and wire brushes. Cleaned up clutch bracket on the right, untouched brake bracket on the left. These have both now been cleaned up and received a coat of Kurust, ahead of some primer tomorrow night. While I've be doing all this I've noticed a slight weep from the brake master cylinder, so looks like I'll be ordering a rebuild kit this week. The aim is to have everything back together for next Sunday's Bicester Scramble event. Fingers crossed. Karl

I think mine's more flailing engine than driveline judder judging from the jumps missing from the gearbox tunnel cover! I was quite surprised at just how soft the old mounts were compared with the new ones. I can easily compress the rubber in them, something I just can't do with the new ones. Looking forward to seeing what improvement this makes to the driving. Karl

I applied Hammerite Kurust to the drivers side of the front bulkhead this afternoon which has turned it all a nice purply blue, but didn't get a chance to take any pics. I did however manage to get both new engine mounts on, which turned out to be much easier than I anticipated, apart from losing one of the nuts from the last bolt! I'm sure it'll turn up. This the driver's side. And the old and the new side by side. The old one doesn't look too bad, but it is very 'squidgy', that's a technical term, when compared with the new one. Here I am half way through replacing the passenger side, and presumably around the point I misplaced the nut. Tomorrow I'll put a coat of primer over the driver's side of the bulkhead. Karl

I hadn't noticed the difference between the brackets, so thanks for pointing that out. I've just been out into the garage to take a look, and can see the additional gusset on the brake bracket. Everything looks good pedal wise, with no obvious wear, so should just need new split pins and a dab of grease on re-assembly. New engine mounts turned up today, along with a new set of trunnion seals, so enough to be keeping me busy for the next month of weekends. Karl

The work on sprucing up the bulkhead has continued over the weekend, tackling the driver's side of the bay, hence the question on removing the accelerator cable. The area around the clutch and brake cylinders was looking particularly rough under the coat of black gunk applied by a previous owner, so I decided to disconnect both from the pedal assemblies, butg not the actual pipework. Two and a half hours later and this is what I was left with, excuse the poor pics, I had to take them in the garage. The area around the master cylinders was as pitted as expected, but actually came up quite well. Next up will be applying a rust stopper, before a couple of coats of primer. The master cylinder brackets are marinading in Gunk, as they were particularly mucky, however both cylinders appear to be in excellent condition, with no leaks. The aim is to have it all primed and back together ahead of the next Bicester Scramble on October 2nd. Karl

Thanks Pete. The original is in OK condition so will do for now. Karl

Great thinking! I didn't think about that at all. Thanks

I'm currently stripping the bulkhead of my 1200 Herald back to bare metal to check for corrosion. I've removed the wiper motor, clutch and brake master cylinders, but am struggling to remove the accelerator cable. I've withdrawn the brass bush attached part way up the cable, but can't get the peice that attaches to the pedal through the hole in the bulkhead. Is there a trick I am missing? Karl

The cotton reel mounts on the gearbox look to be brand new. I did a gearbox oil change at the weekend, hence discovering the chafing on the gearbox tunnel cover. I think the are the only thing keeping the engine in place. Probably explains the vibration when I try and exceed 55! Karl

The one on the driver's side is totally shot, and the passenger side not far behind. They are so bad that the gearbox rubs on the inside of the gearbox tunnel if you rev the engine! Karl

The trunnion inspection will probably have to wait until next month, but I will try and take some photos of the whole procedure. The engine mounts will probably done at the same time as they are both shot. Karl

I think I'll play it safe and remove the trunnions, clean, inspect, and then dependent on condition, either just fit new seals & bushes, or replace the trunnions as well. It makes sense that the VLs would wear less than the trunnions, given that the former are steel, and the latter much softer bronze. Thanks for the feedback and sharing of experience, much appreciated. Karl

Many thanks for the response. Do I need a spring compressor to remove the trunnions, or it simply a case of slackening off the lower wishbone/shock mounting bolt, and then removing the bot attaching the Trunnion to the wishbone? Karl

I bought my Herald from a dealer who specialises in Rovers & MGs, and prior to the sale they serviced it, including greasing the trunnions! Having just acquired a Wanner grease gun, I have pumped the trunnions full of EP90, forcing the grease out from around the seals. Is this good enough, or do I need to strip the trunnions down, clean them out and then re-install? The steering is considerably lighter post application of said EP90, which hopefully indicates that all is well, but still worried having read numerous Trunnion failure horror stories. Karl

Look what the postman brought! Just needs a clean up, and then I can load it up with EP90. Karl

I'm under orders from SWMBO that I'm not to take this one apart and leave it in bits like my last Herald 20 years ago, so all work will be on a 'running' basis. This will at least allow me to drive the car, and get to know it. The bulkhead needs a spruce up and a bit of welding, after which it should look much more presentable, much better than the current matt black gunk that has been liberally applied. I've not heard of the additional earth lead, where about does it attach on the body shell? Karl

Thanks I managed to 'win' one on e-bay last week for under a tenner. It looks to be a similar vintage to my Herald so will hopefully work fine with EP90. Karl

Many thanks for this. Very timely as I need to undo parts of my loom to get some welding and painting done. Downloaded and saved. Karl