rbalding

Conceptually, there's not a huge amount of difference on the face of it. The top compression ring and the oil control ring are conventional in their design. However, the second compression ring differs only in that it consists of two thinner 'cupped' rings replacing the usual single ring. On balance, I'm happy to put my faith in old school British design and manufacture. I'll let you know how it runs! Regards, Bob

Thanks Pete. I decided to abandon these rings. They took an awful lot of filing to get the required gap, yet the oil control spacer had no corresponding form of adjustment, resulting in it standing too proud and virtually binding in the bore. Anyway, a happy ending - subject to testing on completion of the rebuild! I tracked down a set of period NOS Cords rings. They are a great fit in the piston grooves and needed no filing to achieve the right gap. Once in the cylinder, each piston seems to have the level of resistance I would have expected - neither too tight, nor too sloppy. Fingers crossed!

I'm in the process of replacing pistons and rings in a Triumph 1296cc engine. The cylinders have never been rebored and the new pistons and rings are standard size (supplied by Rimmer). The rings have been gapped correctly and the bores de-glazed. My question concerns the oil control ring. Both rails have been gapped and are OK, but the spacer seems a very tight fit in the bore - such that I can only just move the con rod (not attached to the crankshaft) up and down by hand, despite copious lubrication. I assume the spacer cannot be adjusted (and that I was supplied with the right rings!). Does this sound normal or is there something wrong somewhere I wonder?

Hi Pete. Removing and dismantling the diff was quite straightforward. I replaced the outer pinion bearing which, unfortunately, affected the pinion pre-load. This posed two little challenges. The first was getting hold of suitable shims, which seem to be no longer obtainable through the usual Triumph spares suppliers. Luckily, I found a reasonable substitute on Ebay with the correct ID but with a slighter larger OD (+2 mm) and manufactured from 'carbon spring steel'. The other challenge was to find something to accurately measure a pre-load of 12-16 lb/in - in the absence of the recommended Churchill tool. I settled on a cycle tool - a torque wrench made by Park Tools (model TW1) which caters for the range 0-60 lb/in. This seemed to do the job pretty well. The next problem was re-installing the diff carrier without the Churchill spreading tool. After fiddling around for a bit, I hit on the idea of angling the bearing cones to form a slight wedge shape and then patiently easing the carrier complete with its bearings and shims into place by very gently tickling it with a hide mallet! To my surprise, this worked an absolute treat. I have now refitted the diff to the car, having also renewed the rear bushes (the front mounting rubbers still seemed like new - even after 50 years!). I should be ready for a road test in a few days, once I've finished some other bits and pieces. I'll let you know how it goes . . . Bob

Thanks Pete. You're right about the cage. Trouble is, I've trashed it further in a wild attempt to remove the rollers! There's a moral here I think. Ho hum. Bob

That's so helpful Pete - and you've given me the courage I need to move forward! I'll let you know how it goes. Merry Christmas. Bob

What started off as a pretty straightforward replacement of the pinion oil seal on my (early) Herald differential has now turned into something rather more ugly. In my eagerness to prise off the old seal, I cleverly managed to damage the tail bearing beneath it. I am now about to remove the diff from the car, and am wondering if it might be possible to pull the bearing from the nose piece housing without the need to dismantle the diff - which would require tools and skills I do not have. The only other (drastic) option would seem to be to replace the diff with a reconditioned unit. Any advice would be welcome please . . . Bob

Thanks Pete. I have a mains operated impact gun, which I was tempted to use as a quick solution. However, it delivers around 330 lbs ft - which put me off a bit! Bob

I'd be very grateful for any tips on the best way to tighten the crank pulley nut on a Herald to the correct torque (believed to be 150 lbs ft?) safely and accurately!

Many thanks Darren, Pete and Steve for taking the time and trouble to help me in my hour of need! I think I might have cracked it - the problem not the carburretor. Perhaps I missed the obvious - both float chambers had, over time, rotated and were sitting at a slight angle. Having now restored them to the upright position, hey presto, no flooding! I take it some movement of the float chamber is a design feature - having checked the float chamber fixing bolt is tight, without eliminating movement from the vertical? Thanks again all. Rgds, Bob

Thanks Darren. I've tried new needle valves, Grose jets, several fuel-tight adjustable floats - set at the right level - and still fuel spews out . . . Rgds, Bob

I have just completely rebuilt the twin SUs (HS2) fitted to my Bond Equipe GT4s (Spitfire Mk1 engine), using SU parts. The car starts very easily, runs well - if a bit rich but, after around a minute, fuel gushes from the float chamber vent and main jet on the front carburettor (and now the rear one). All the settings/adjustments are as specified and everything is scrupulously clean. Thinking that perhaps the fuel pump was not of the correct type, I have replaced it with a new pump - but to no avail. Everything seems to me to point to excessive fuel pressure. However, before I buy and fit a fuel pressure regulator (which seems a bit unorthodox?), can anyone suggest anything else worth checking? I believe I have eliminated all the usual potential causes, having spent countless hours over quite a few weeks trying just about everything . . .