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rlubikey

TSSC Member
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rlubikey last won the day on March 18

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About rlubikey

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  • Location
    Reading, Berks.
  • Cars Owned
    Current:- Spit 2.5PI, Standard Atlas, Volvo V70. Previous Form:- Dolly 1850 (first car), Spit 1500, Volvo 145 (the green one on The Car's The Star S6E4) & other modern Volvos.

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  • Cars Owned
    Current:- Spit 2.5PI, Standard Atlas, Volvo V70 Previous Form:- Dolly 1850 (first car), Spit 1500, Volvo 145 (the green one on The Car's The Star S6E4) & other modern Volvos.

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  1. Well, Spitfires, TR7s and Dolomites were still in production when the TSSC was formed, and I was taking my old blue 1981 Spitfire to classic shows in 1988. It would have fallen foul of Colin's pre-1980 rule. I think classic cars are like music and fashion: you get to a certain age then (almost) everything after that is modern rubbish. Grumpy old git? Me? Cheers, Richard
  2. Did that come out quite right???
  3. rlubikey

    TR6

    It will almost certainly have pre-ethanol seals and o-rings. My money's on degraded butyl rubber due to ethanol in modern petrol.
  4. rlubikey

    TR6

    Check the injectors are all working. On tickover, feel the pipes to each injector in turn. You should feel a pulse which should be the same in each pipe. If not, one or more injector pipes may need bleeding to remove any air that's gathered inside. As John says, gummed up injectors will give sub-optimal spray pattern. Be careful about checking this as removing injectors from the manifold one at a time means spaying petrol around a (potentially) hot engine bay. The revs will rise as you remove each injector as you're letting air into the manifold, but will return to normal when replaced. Then you do the next one in sequence. The metering unit works on a vacuum, so if your valve clearances aren't correct this will throw the mixture out of the window. Any manifold leaks, vacuum tube leak, or metering unit diaphragm leak will also upset the mixture as Johny points out. A simple test of the pipe and diaphragm is, with the engine NOT running, disconnect the vacuum tube at the manifold end and suck air out of the end of the tube, then cover the end with your tongue. Does the tube and metering unit hold the vacuum for at least a few seconds? If yes then that's probably not the problem. Pulling the choke out *just a little bit* when you hit the flat spot is a good tip, and will suggest the mixture is weak for one of the above reasons - or something else! That's all I can think of at the moment, except to say that the Lucas PI system is generally reliable, so don't discount the problem lying elsewhere. It could easily be the ignition - i.e. coil, points, leads, plugs, etc. Good luck and let us know how you're getting on. Cheers, Richard
  5. I imagine it boils down to two things:- 1) You can load up a Herald far more than a Spit. Positive camber allows for a driver plus four passengers, and a boot full of luggage. 2) Spits are expected to be driven more "enthusiastically" than Heralds. Negative camber gives better handling at the expense of load capacity. The springs a different to give these characteristics. Does that sound about right? Cheers, Richard
  6. I think I'm right in saying that all the after-market alloy rocker cover caps have a completely different bayonet fitting to the original steel ones. Cheers, Richard
  7. This is one of those great "what if's". What if Triumph had thought ahead about putting the big six in the Herald right from the beginning? The Vitesse and GT6 wouldn't have had the engine sticking out at the front. The big saloon gearbox would have fitted between the rails. Some other solution for the heater. Lots of head scratching there, but if planned from the start the chassis at least would have been the right shape and it would have all slotted in just snugly. Dave Picton managed to do engine back 6-cylinder Spits with a big saloon box (without overdrive) so I think Steve's right about it being possible with a normal Vitesse - just minor mods like you'd taken a speed hump too fast! Cheers, Richard
  8. Quite so! The "Small Car" (SC) gearbox was designed at the same time as the SC engine to go in the 1953 Standard 8. The engine at that time was 803cc and made 26hp. Of course the capacity and power soon went up with following models, especially after the re-branding of Standard to Triumph. The early boxes were aluminium and had a sleeve bearing laygear with a scroll in the shaft to circulate oil. Later boxes had laygear bearings and went to cast iron to minimise flex and perhaps other improvements too. But as you say, the overall dimensions limit what you can do and with a 1500 producing nearly 3x and GT6/Vitesse 4x the power, no wonder the boxes don't last. Of course, our cars were only intended to have a 10 year life. But like Victorian engineering, some last much longer with love and attention. Forth Bridge anyone? Cheers, Richard
  9. W77 also standard fitment on 1990's FIAT Cinquecento and various 1960's~90's Renaults. So your GT6 may feel slower with the new filter. Cheers, Richard
  10. Martin, mine is a so-called "engine back" 6-cylinder Spitfire conversion. The engine is not only about 7" further back than a GT6, but also about 1 1/2" lower (so no hump in the bonnet). This means that the brake union isn't a problem for the oil filter, but the chassis is even closer. The W77 juuuuust fits between the oil pressure relief valve and the chassis at (from memory) the 8 o'clock position. Hope this helps. Richard
  11. Yes, I use the W77 filter with my spin-on adaptor. I get oil pressure, but no extra horses. But then it goes and contradicts itself in para 13 by saying it probably won't be straight down. In any case, I think the instructions were written by someone looking at a TR6. Cheers, Richard
  12. Trouble is, you don't know what's in the engine - cam, valves, etc. What's the engine number? You can find lists of the prefixes and this will suggest where the engine started life. Still doesn't tell you what a re-builder fitted! Richard
  13. Yes, the single carb isn't original. Either someone was looking for an "Economy Spitfire" or it's had an engine swap from a single carb 1300 saloon. As for 1300 vs 1500. If you like revs and working the gearbox, go for the 1300 and you'll be rewarded with a great engine. If you like torque and letting the engine work instead of the box, the 1500's for you. Me? I'm a 1500 person. Cheers, Richard
  14. Thanks for the suggestion. I'd rather not remove/disturb a manifold to fit a John Guest style tee, whereas a rubber part can be twisted on.
  15. Same problem Gary. The central section is too wide for the narrow gap. I'd like a single moulded rubber tee. My alternative plan is a take-off on the threaded hole on one of the manifolds. I already have a 1/4" take-off and tube to a manual valve under the dash which proves the concept. This is fine for idle, but not enough for starting - a little throttle is required. A 3/8" or 1/2" would easily suffice. But as you can imagine, on the final implementation inquisitive eyes would follow the tube looking for the brake booster, only to find an idle valve! Cheers, Richard
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