Clive

Seems to be some drift towards herald here! On a herald MX5 seats are brilliant, and yes, will need a little lift if anything. However, a spitfire is a very different kettle of fish. Still very comfy (they are the best seats I have sat in of any car I think) but the position just didn't suit me. It really is a case of trying them and seeing. If you have a roll bar, it may be an issue too, and a full tonneau cover wont fit either! Other seats that may be worth a look include RX7 (don't bother with RX8, I got a pair and gave up, the mechanism is very difficult to alter!)

1. Buy some MX5 seats. 2. Chop a couple of bits off the runners at the front, plus the "spikes". This is all very obvious. Think you may need to hammer a bit flat too, but memory is hazy on this. Most (all?) bolt holes are the same, may need penny washers. I did so to my spitfire, but even for a correct height person (me, 5@8) I found the seating position too high and found the top rail of teh windscreen was in my sightline. I took the foams out of he bases and cut 2" off them at the bottom, that was better but not ideal. However, others, including a good friend, have them at he is 6' or so and is fine with them. So nest to try some in somebody elses car first, go to one of the big Triumph shows or ask about at your local meeting, somebody is bound to know such a car. And if you ask people are always happy to help etc. There is an article by Paul Teglirizer here http://www.teglerizer.com/triumphstuff/miataseats/

Tht sounds like corroded connections, probably in teh fusebox. It was OK carrying the 1/2amp to teh interior light, but ask for 10amps and the connection gives up the ghost. A good clean with a scourer/fine abrasive etc may help. If you are after a period fusebox that uses spade connectors to the loom and the same fuses as original, Minis use a 4 fuse box.

Hmm, I would add a note to the order re the cable. With unusual stuff people get confused, so best to be ultra clear what you want!

Give canleys a call. They were very helpful when I needed an unusual cable.

155 80 will fit either rim, and be the standard size. Likewise 145 80's. If you want larger is 165/70 you will need the 4.5j size. I did think it was stamped on the rims, under the hubcap somewhere.

My 2p here. A recent setup will use the factory castor and toe settings from the wsm in cookies post above. On the front 1-2 degrees of negative camber helps cornering and certainly the car will look more purposeful. At the rear the camber is not adjustable (well, a saggy spring or using a lowering block works, but no actual adjustment) However, making sure the suspension is correctly settled and the figures are correctly applied for Lauren or unlaiden is vital.

Not clear at all if that is for one or two. Even at £150 each, they would appear a fair price. However, the club would be in a dilemma. If they commissioned a run of 10 pairs, it could be £2000+ that is then tied up. Yes, a couple of pairs may sell quickly, but to keep that amount of capital tied up in what may be a VERY slow moving item may not be ideal. However, if they could get pre-orders (along with a deposit!) that would be a good idea.

On fuel hoses, do NOT use anything marked as R6. You want R9 which is rated for modern fuels.of course the retailer will say otherwise, and R6 is suitable for injection. However,cit does not last very long at all, as the ethanol in today's petrol attacks it.

If I may be so bold.... The quality of the moulded hose sets is appalling, very short lifespan. I would happily use heater hose bought off the roll, but the rad hoses and possibly some others need to be shaped. Not sure if silicone sets are available. Yes, more expensive, but cheaper in the longer term. Worth cleaning the water system thoroughly too. A good hose flush through, including the drain tap on the block (below number 5/6 manifold, may be solid crud behind the drain and need prodding about to start it moving) and then some cleaning agent will really help. On another fori there has been talk of using the foot section off a pair of tights to make a filter for the top hose to catch crud. Worth a real thought, there will be lots of it.

The 2nd hose is there to help prevent airlocks. There are other suppliers, paddocks as the first I thought of (plus do free postage over a nominal spend) they seem to be rare as used parts now, but obviously there are still some about!

You have a spitfire etc thermostat housing, and indeed the correct gt6 (all versions) have the extra outlet. Now you just need to find one! http://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/parts.aspx?categoryID=11&vehicleId=4 near the bottom of the page.

Bearings. Lack of greasing (remember most of these cars have been through the banger stage of having very little value and therefore non-existent maintenance) plus general wear. After all they are 36-55 years old! UJ's, again lack of grease, not used correct circlip sizes, wear in yokes. The UJ's are highly stressed in the shafts, far more so than in the propshaft. Solution is to use the very best UJ's and make sure there is no wear in the yokes, plus make sure they are tight with the circlips. That will help.

Canleys probably better than most!

All done with teh body on, bit of faff but be patient and all is good. My experience with kits is that some pipes are a bit long, and not easy to lose the extra. The fuel pipe is just 5/16 copper (or better, kunifer) but 8mm is essentially the same size, so just buy some of that. With the fuel rubber hose make sure you use R9 hose (do not get fobbed off by sellers with R6, it is not suitable for modern fuels with ethanol in them) If you are handy and want to save a few bob you can just buy a roll of brake pipe and a cheap flairing tool plus cutter, all the ends, and make your own. They should then be a good fit. I use electrical wire (from 2.5 t+e cables) to make the patterns up, just stiff enough the bend easily and keep its shape.

To be fair, it isn't the EU really. It is medical peeps who advise H+S who have a say with the governments etc. DCM is VERY nasty stuff and generally poorly used by the public. It is exactly the same reason as who you have to use a "gas safe" engineer to fit a boiler or repair a gas leak. Not because many people can't do the job themselves safely, but there are enough idiots out there who cause injury or worse to themselves and/or others. If anybody wants a paintstripper with DCM in it just search for Starchem synstrip. You may have to make a declaration that you are a professional/trade. The other idea is to buy DCM, I bought 5L of recycled stuff, but it is neat. It can be added to normal useless stripper, about 10% to make it like old nitromors.

Does it need to go back to bare metal? I ask as the factory primer on Triumphs is amazingly good and tough (OK, does have its limitations, but it is better than any other primer I have come across) But back to the question. 3M strippping discs are very good. There is no way round the dust issue really, and chemical strippers can come back to bite you after it has all be repainted. You could try a hot air gun, but it may affect paint on the underside of the panel. The next issue is (are) the seams. I haven't found a way of stopping them cracking, even the concours winners are cracked along them. The only thing I have done is put a thin cutting disc though the seam and then mig weld it. To be honest braze would have been better, but I don't have the facilities. & years on and no cracks, so it did work but it is also not as neat as the seam sealer. Re painting, on bare metal use a decent etch primer. Acid 8 is very good. Follow by a few coats of filler primer, and then topcoat. Allow plenty of drying time, and flat the primer with 800-1000 grade wet and dry paper. Then topcoats and leave for a week or two, then flat with 2000 grade and then polish.

Depends what you mean by affordable! My advice is to find a GOOD bodyshop, no matter what the distance. After all, a fair respray will be about £2000, and could be rather more. In no particular order, these are some of the suitable places who are worth contacting Moordale Motors Picton Sportscars JY Classics Triumph Autoclassique If you want a more budget job, still well done but not as high a quality finish, then Andy Dann at Classic Resprays. Seen a few of teh cars he has done, all look pretty good to me. And well priced.

If producing a paper magazine greatly helps the club finances (reclaim vat on the notional magazine cost or something). So I guess if you opt out you would have to pay a higher annual subscription. So the idea of a paper magazine and an online one published the day after the magazine is sent out seems the simple answer. Very simple. Saying that, I wouldn't use it. Somehow (for me at least) a magazine is for holding, taking when you will have some dead time or whatever. Much friendlier than a glaring screen.

Do a compression test. head won't be down to valve recession, but could be a worn valve guide. But if wet/oily probably rings.

And keep an eye out for a genuine old stock pump. They do turn up!

My toledo does not appear to have a warning lamp! But on previous towbar fittings to our "moderns", there was a indicator relay in the boot for the trailer. Guess it depends on what is fitted, but sounds a basic setup!

The electronic type should work OK. That is what I have used. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVER-DEFENDER-90-110-130-INDICATOR-FLASHER-RELAY-3-PIN-YWT10003-/271105670971?hash=item3f1f283f3b:m:mcWLbKGsl-3kpSfRPdHy9yg

It is near enough impossible to check the UJ's without disconnecting the raer spring from the uprights (or take the shaft off the car) This is because the spring puts a massive tension on the uj's. The canleys page explains some visual checks, but even they are not foolproof. Taking a shaft off the car often results in seeing a floppy, worn UJ that looked to be fine on the car. I have a T shirt, but only one, on that matter. Other thing worth checking is the tie rod attachment and the bracket where it attaches to the outrigger. A friends herald had dropped its shims from behind the bracket, made an awful noise.

If here is in the UK, this may be of help http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p72819