Chris H

Thanks for all the replies and pics, all appreciated. Hopefully I'll be in a position to try fitting the bonnet in next few coming days using your collective guidance and it'll all come together without a hitch... maybe . Chris

It's over 20 year since I took the bonnet off of my Vitesse and now that I've come to re-fit it I'm uncertain of the order in which the various components around the pivot should be assembled. I've found a couple of photos (see below) which show differing ways of doing it. One shows the bonnet stay rod and overider link next to each other, whereas another image (possibly after renovation) seems to show them on either side of the bonnet pivot. (I think these photos are of different sides - just to add to the confusion - and also they add confusion as to where the (slotted) link to the overider bracket should fit. On the outside or inside (left/right viewed from front of car) of the overider mounting bracket. Ii guess it might be a matter of whichever gives the best alignment result 'though one way the bonnet bracket has locating support on only one side, the other on both sides. Any enlightenment welcomed. As an aside, I think that the biggest advantage nowadays if you start a restoration is having digital cameras. You can just take loads of pictures of everything you start to dismantle. That wasn't an option when I started, so I have few images from the early days, only partially labelled bags of bits and hand drawn diagrams and written notes. It often turns out to be some little thing in the photos background that is most useful later on. Chris

Hi all, I think I know the answer but I thought it worth asking anyway. Can you get replacements anywhere for Vitesse Mk2 "Mounting bracket- luggage floor" (described as this in the Workshop - manual page 5-212V item 17 & 19). P/N 703805/6 (L.H/R.H) from parts manual. This is the bracket welded into the boot floor that incorporates the metal tube through which the rear overriders are bolted - see picture. Were they ever available? Not an easy thing to fabricate but I might have to attempt that as half of mine are missing having rusted away while awaiting re-build. Thanks, Chris

Thanks again for the replies, I had similar thoughts to Peters suggestions about repairing the hole but wouldn't want to do that as a permanent fix for on the road, however at the moment all I want is to be able to get the car (rolling chassis) out of the garage and up on ramps under its own steam and be able then to stop, also to fill the system and check for leaks in the slave cylinders and pipe unions. So yesterday I filled the hole with a tight fitting ball of metal (oval nail head as I had no suitable grub screw) and brazed it in, then ground down the excess metal to a rough cup shape for the push rod to fit into. It looks good but I've yet to fit and test it for leaks. I wouldn't be happy leaving it long term as I can imagine the brazed metal eventually cracking with fatigue. However as an interim fix it's OK until I get nearer to OTR* day. Cheers, Chris *(On The Road - 2021 maybe)

Colin, Thanks for the reply, pity I didn't ask you 10 (?) years ago when I when I removed and dismantled the MS, but at that time the object was to dismantle whatever I could on the car to preserve it for a later day when I had time ! Photo shows what it looked like at that time. Ah well , maybe on the next restoration project ... in another life.

Thanks all for your suggestions. I think pragmatically a replacement is the only viable option. However out of interest I inspected the bore of the cylinder (with an inspection microscope) and it's smooth as the proverbial babys bum. As I recall (from many years ago) although the plunger was stuck it was purely gummed up with dried fluid around the rubber and so was impossible to "suck out", I guess maybe high pressure air could have done it. I'd have no real compunction re-using it if plungers where available but as they're not ... Cheers, Chris

Hi all, Yes I mean the metal piston that fits inside the MS cylinder. I call it a plunger as that's what the parts manual calls it , personally I'd have gone with piston, but I think it best to defer to the Standard-Triumph company''s definitive knowledge on these matters. Non of the repair kits include that, I guess because it rarely gets damaged, unless of course you drill a hole in it as a last pitch attempt to get the bugger out with a self tapping (probably metric) screw, thinking you'd just order another one when the time came. Live and learn eh? Chris

Thanks for the replies, perhaps I should have been more explicit. This is for a car that's been off the road for about 30 years and the brake/clutch parts were removed maybe 10 - 20 years ago. It's a long ongoing, body off, restoration project and I'm at the point now, having earlier this year got the engine running again, of sorting the hydraulics (new pipes/seals etc ). I've already, some years ago, replaced the clutch master cylinder as the casting was cracked around the pipe union thread. I could of course replace the brake MS but as it's in very good condition, apart from the holed plunger (which fundamentally stops it working ... the fluid would leak out :-) there's no reason not to keep it, unless I can't source a placement plunger, which it may turn out I can't . If new ones aren't around then a used, unfixable MS (e.g damaged casing) would solve the problem as a source of the plunger. There's no hurry for this, the cars not going anywhere near a road for some time. Chris

Any one know where I could source a plunger for a Vitesse Mk2 master brake cylinder, part number is 511137 (~17mm diameter). The one I have has hole in it, I think it's where I drilled it years ago to get the seized plunger out of the cylinder, I guess it seemed a good idea at the time ! I don't really want to buy a complete replacement cylinder if I can avoid it. Chris