Jump to content

Adrian Cooper

TSSC Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    274

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Adrian Cooper

  1. Headlamp flash not working

    in Electrical System

    Posted

    The first thing to do is check that you have a live unswitched supply to the column stalk. There is a purple wire that supplies the flash circuit and it joins the other blue/white and blue/red wires at the base of the steering column to run up to the stalk. The purple wire may have worked loose from the bullet joint at this point or it may have broken between there and the fusebox but a quick test with a bulb or a multimeter will tell you if this wire is the problem. If you have a working supply then the flash contact in the stalk may need cleaning. If you unscrew the cowls you should be able to see the contacts without too much contortion. The contacts can burn but I would bet that it is simply a loose connection further down the steering column.

    Good luck

    Adrian

  4. Wire wheel question

    in Chassis, Suspension & Steering

    Posted

    I agree, the splined adaptor is a dreadful piece of design. I eventually gave up trying to keep them tightened up with ring spanner and I used an angle grinder to cut a slight relief on the adaptor so that there is now enough clearance to get a thin walled socket on the nuts. It only needed 1 or 2mm of metal ground away and I figured that it would not compromise the strength of the part to any significant degree. 30 years and 160,000 miles later they have neither worked loose nor broken off.

    Adrian

    • Like 1

  7. Mann 714/2 filter for Vitesse mk2

    in Engine

    Posted · Edited by Adrian Cooper
    checked price online

    Hi Paul,

    I got a couple from Euro Car Parts recently. The price keeps changing in their successive and constant 'sales' but I think delivery was free.

    I've just checked and they are £8.09 each with free delivery in the current sale.

    Adrian

    • Thanks 1

  10. Would you fit these or send them back?

    in Chassis, Suspension & Steering

    Posted

    It is so long since I have done the rear trunnions on a Triumph that I can't remember if the bushes are supposed to look like this. The plastic looks and feels more like something you would find in a Christmas cracker than on the suspension of a car, the supplied rubber seals are different thicknesses, and the rims of the bushes are far too thin to hold the seals in place while you assemble the dust shields. I ordered them from one of the main suppliers but they came in a Moss branded bag. Are these what you would expect? 

     

    Thank you in advance for any guidance.406030245_reartrunnionkit.thumb.jpg.9320bf58bd29233f8508b3377d42ca08.jpg

  11. 1147 Spitfire Engine

    in Engine

    Posted

    The 1147 with the Mk2 Spitfire cam is an absolute jewel. They are remarkable free-reving and surprisingly torquey for their size and they never seem to run out of puff. I remember reading that it was the most efficient of all the engines in the small chassis Triumphs, but I may have imagined that. Anyway, I think you are very lucky to still have the original as most of the Mk1s&2s I see advertised seem to have one of the later engines in place.  Enjoy it!, rev its nuts off!

    Adrian

  12. Triumph spitfire 1500

    in Engine

    Posted

    Hello Grahame,

    The adaptor is well wort having and maybe justifies the postage from the USA (I got mine from Clive of this Forum but I think he has exhausted his stock?)

    When you do get one, remember to screw it into the filter first, not the block, as the two threaded parts are not equal. When I first fitted mine I noticed a slight leak from round the filter so I nipped it up by hand and was shocked when the filter came off in my hand. This seems to be a common problem and there is a thread somewhere on here where someone advises putting a thick washer between the block and the adaptor, but I think that screwing it into the filter first gives the same result; certainly it gives six turns into the filter and six into the block which seems right to me.

    Adrian

  15. Headlamp trims

    in Bodywork & Fittings

    Posted

    2 hours ago, NonMember said:

    The headlamp rim on early Spitfires just snaps on.

    That's certainly true, but I remember my Spitfire came with one trim that had a screw and I found that the only way I could fit it was to tighten the screw as much as I could with it pointing sideways and then rotating the trim until the screw was underneath and in contact with the flange on the headlight rim. Maybe it was from a Mini?

    Adrian

  16. Unwanted smell of Petrol!!

    in Fuel System

    Posted

    Plus one for Andy's suggestion and the rubber collar that joins the filler cap to the tank neck is another weak point, especially if you have an increase in smell after spirited cornering or just after filling the tank. You don't say which model of Spitfire you have but I believe that the later versions have a vent pipe at the top of the tank which can perish and lead to petrol smells. Someone more knowledgable will be along to advise on that I'm sure.

    Adrian

  17. Wires on herald

    in General

    Posted

    Hi Shaun,

    I thought I would reply quickly before the flood of 'don't do it' style replies arrive. I have had painted wire wheels on my Spitfire for the last 26 years and I love them. I would recommend buying new. I first bought a set secondhand and quickly found that I needed to replace them with new as it is really difficult to tell how worn the splines are until they are mounted on the car. Fortunately I replaced the splined adaptors at the same time as the wheels because if one is worn it quickly wears out the other.  Contrary to what many say, wire wheels are not difficult to balance or fit inner tubes to tubeless tyres if you manage to find an old school tyre fitter who knows what they are doing. I am very lucky to have the Eastbourne Tyre Company near me who are outstanding. Motor Wheel Services are the manufacturers of new wheels but you can often but them cheaper from TRGB. The chrome ones are very time consuming to keep clean though. Don't be put off!

     

    Adrian

  21. Series 2a freewheel hubs

    in My NON-Triumph cars

    Posted

    After reading a positive review in some motoring magazine I fitted a pair to my brother's S2a and I don't remember them being difficult to fit or expensive, but that must have been 30 years ago. I do remember he said that they made an appreciable difference to noise and mpg.

    Adrian

  22. Spitfire Boot Hinge

    in Bodywork & Fittings

    Posted

    I bought a pair from James Paddock 3 years ago and they are slightly pitted with rust already. I expect that they are all made by the same factory and so I suppose success might depend on how you use your Spitfire. My Spitfire is garaged overnight but used throughout the year in all weathers.

    Adrian

  23. More Fuel Tank Stuff

    in Fuel System

    Posted

    3D printing the tank itself would not be be viable perhaps, but creating 3D printed moulds would be easy. My daughter was commissioned to produce a mould for a new type of horse racing saddle and she did this by 3D scanning the prototype (using a simple DSLR and some clever software) and creating the files for the mould in Fusion 360. The mould was printed in several pieces and took about 100 hours. But once you have a mould you could create the actual tank in whatever material you like, in theory.

    Adrian

×
×
  • Create New...