rlubikey

The index is indeed searchable ... with the mistakes and omissions which were inevitable in such a mammoth undertaking. Don't misunderstand me - I really appreciate the effort you chaps made and the CDs are a really valuable resource. But an online index could have these corrected as they come to light. I would suggest that such an index is made freely available and not stashed away in a members' area. This way, non-members will stumble across it as they search for information online, and they will see what a mine of information is available to TSSC members. Good for club membership as well as CD sales. Cheers, Richard

You'll need a BMIHT (British Motor Industry Heritage Trust) certificate to satisfy mister MOT man - well, that's what I have anyway. Phone BMIHT and try to get through to an archivist. Explain the situation and they might tell you the date over the phone. That way, you know whether to shell out your money for the certificate. Cheers, Richard

Doug, I've been using my exhaust life extension technique for 30 years and never had a problem with MOTs. My modern's rear silencer is patched up good 'n proper with sealant & tin plate ... and has been for 5-years or more! You have a PM. Cheers, Richard

Doug, it's a bit close to the front but you could still try the bath sealant and baked bean can trick. Most RTV Silicone sealants are good for a few hundred degrees. Smear some into the weld and cover with a bit of metal (e.g. tin can) and a Jubilee clip or whatever to secure. In you case, maybe you only need the Jubilee clip? If it doesn't work, revert to plan "B". I used to have a wheelbarrow system and can confirm it's just not nice on anything except short journeys Cheers, Richard PS: If you go down the new exhaust route, can I have your old centre resonator pleeeeeeze?

PTFE tape. Plumbers' tape (white bobbin) for small threads, Gas tape (yellow bobbin) for >= 3/4" BSP Cheers, Richard

Yes, fans will free-wheel when they're not powered (acting as a generator), and this *probably* won't damage the fan - even if it's in the wrong direction. This is why a fan in front of the radiator, provided it's properly mounted, will be (almost) as effective as one behind. Any so called "masking" by the blades is virtually zero as they turn in the breeze. I'm rather interested in your "front + sucking" layout. (Were you on the CT forum several months ago?) As has been said, blades need to be turning in the correct direction to get good efficiency, as they're an aerofoil profile - planes don't fly well backwards! However, unless there's something wrong with your cooling system, I think the fans will almost never come on while moving - mine don't. So here's a wacky thought - if you could automatically sense the car was moving, run the fans inefficiently in reverse, blowing into the engine bay. When stationary run the fan in the correct direction, sucking the hot air out through the front! I ran a thermocouple at the back of the engine bay on my Spit in hot weather last year and watched the temperature during normal driving. It was mostly down around 40- to 45'C, but pushed up after enthusiastic application of the loud pedal and would creep down after. However, sitting stationary in traffic (we get lots of that round here) would send the temperature soaring up to 60'C-plus. My twin XJ6/XJ40 pusher (air-con) fans (no mechanical fan) come on for 20- to 30-seconds every 4- or 5-minutes and bring the temp down by 5- or 10'C. What I really need to design is a "slow mode" for the fans so they waft air through in response to high temperatures in the engine bay - or fit a mechanical fan! Cheers, Richard

Sorry not to have made the Shire Horse yesterday evening everyone; my alternator had packed up. The battery was dead and must have been dying as I drove back from the SEM on Saturday. Jump starting worked, but the Ign. light didn't extinguish. Quick check and I've got 11.5V and barely charging when I rev a little. Switch the lights on and deffo. *not* charging. Waggling the connector doesn't help. Out with the alternator! So, on my bench today and it's obvious that two of the three "exciter coil" diodes had expired - these are the little ones that are visible on the top of the rectifier pack. They had cracked (never a good sign, as it's evidence the smoke has escaped!) and one had been hot enough for the solder to melt. Fortunately they are a common type that I just happened to have to hand - 1N4003 (it's handy being an electronics engineer!) - so in they go. The big diodes checked out OK so this evening I put the alternator back in the Spit and all seems well. So, why do these things spontaneously combust? Last time I changed the rectifier pack (2012, I think) I searched for some NOS and this one came in a MoD sealed packet. Quality, I thought - got to be better than the recon. alternator that failed in no time back in 2005. Perhaps not. Maybe it's time to go for one of those little Nippon-Denso ones. That's it - rant over! Cheers, Richard

OK, so gently waggle the carburettor throttle shafts up & down - without turning them. You can try it both outsides but I think it's in the middle (i.e. between the carbs) that the problem happens, because that's where the return springs are - on a 1500 anyway, and I'm guessing it's the same on a Mk3. If the engine note changes then it shows there's wear on the body where the shafts run through. If not, then the problem is elsewhere, but at least we now know it's not forward motion that's the cause! Cheers, Richard

Is it coming to a halt that stalls it or the throttle coming to the idle position after the engine's been working??

I would say that, once you've cooled the water in the radiator, the thermostat will soon close and there will be little circulation. However, I believe that older cars such as ours suffer from "heat soak" under the bonnet, where the petrol - and other things - get pretty warm from engine & exhaust. Having the fan run on with the radiator sender only keeps it going for half a minute on mine. A heat sensor at the back of the bonnet area to keep the fan turning over and wafting air through would be a big help I think. Designing one is on my "to do" list! I would have it on a timer for, say, 10-minutes so that, if anything fails, you don't come back to a flat battery Cheers, Richard

Whilst stationary & in neutral, does it stall when you set revs then *gently* take your foot off the throttle? Yes? Worn carb. butterfly spindles. Confirm by pushing spindles up & down and see if the revs change/stall. No? See other suggestions! Cheers, Richard

Well, as the fuse is there to protect the wire, you should use something less than 16.5A. What does the coil take? 3-ohms (is that right?) across 14V is 4.7A (ign on, points closed but engine not turning), so try 10A. Cheers, Richard

Yes, I wave at all makes and most wave back. MGs, Jags, Moggies, Fords, etc. The worst for not waving - I hate to say this - are Stag owners Cheers, Richard

Beware of people saying "it's not much louder", cuz different people perceive noise in different ways. One persons "sporty note" is another's "$%^£ me - that's loud!" I also had the wheelbarrow system and, like you, had to resort to ear plugs. (I always go to live music events with ear plugs, or my ears will ring afterwards.) My best advice would be to get along to your local group and see what others have. Cadge a ride to see what a system *really* sounds like. Cheers, Richard PS: After someone spends a load of money on something, they often convince themselves that it's good - even when it isn't. That goes for exhaust noise too!

Mike, you might want to read a thread on the TR Register Forum - Steering, Rack or Standard? where the consensus seems to be that a rack should be lighter and have a more direct feel. But note that not all rack conversions are created the same. I'll leave you to read through. It does sound as though your 3 has a seized component or it hasn't been set up properly. (I had already spotted this thread on the TR forum because the Atlas has a wibbly wobbly steering box and I'm thinking of a DIY rack and pinion conversion, along the lines of the Vee-Dub Type-2 boys.) Cheers, Richard

It's the same on my Spit. The lens is the clear bar which has the writing on - Hot, Cold, Screen, etc. and, while there seems to be a place behind the dash in the middle where a lamp holder could clip on, there's no lamp assembly on my car! Cheers, Richard

I don't have a smartphone - it would be smarter than me! You have a PM. Cheers, Richard

Thanks Clive - I can picture what you're saying! Cheers, Richard

There are thousands of Triumph owners out there who have no problem at all and a mere handful who have broken studs. I think it's the combination of abuse by tyre fitters, engine & brake upgrades and spirited driving that breaks the studs. Tell me more about this workaround please Clive! Cheers, Richard

Quentin Wilson - I wish he'd shut up about the investment potential of classics. Truly a man who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing! Cheers, Richard

Don't hold back Darren; what do you *really* think of him? At least that show does more practical work than the others, and it's probably his producer that insists on the health & safety stuff. It's the other one on Wheeler Dealers I can't stand. Remember the early series of ... SOS and For the Love Of ... which both had more actual restoration work, but that aspect's been toned down in favour of the human interest and gimmicky deals. Oh, and bloody features (pronounced "adverts") for the manufacturer's current model Cheers, Richard

Nigel, Dot-5 fluid is based on silicone oil, and silicone grease (which is silicone oil with an inert thickener such as silica) is a well known assembly aid for O-rings and other elastomer seals. So I'm afraid I have to agree that you probably fell foul of some of the rubbish pattern parts around today. Many seemingly original parts in well known manufacturers boxes, have been made in the far east with little or no quality control because the manufacturer has been bought out by some utter toe-rag who wants to capitalise on the name. I know; I had my new master cylinder refurbished by an engineering company because it simply didn't work and we didn't want the pain of going through the supplier's stock until we found a good one! I've had track rod end boots that rot in 12-months - this seems quite a common problem. Cheers, Richard

Some people will do anything for a mention in the local area news! Cheers, Richard

Yeah, but not as quick as Fords! Thanks for that document Casper. I knew I'd seen something somewhere about Heralds being dipped. I seem to recall being told that the phosphate process was cancelled as part of the British Leyland economies in '72 (??) and that BL also started buying their sheet metal from whomever was cheapest, meaning that '70's cars rusted like you know what. Not so much sheet metal, more sh*te metal. Cheers, Richard

This happened to me back in '91. Got my Spit back from the Leyland main dealer with a Gold Steal (sorry!) Gold SEAL engine, replaced under warranty. (The first Gold Seal had been drinking a pint of oil every 100 miles.) But the clutch now had terrible judder! "Oh, you sometimes get that with inline engine & g'box" said the head mechanic "Nothing I can do." Anyway, a year later when I stripped down this second engine (burnt exhaust valve - it's a Gold Seal remember?) I discovered the "Pringle" shaped back plate. The incompetent main dealer bar stewards had just tightened up the bell housing until it popped the clutch into place. Fortunately my mate in our company's model shop said he could fix it. He put the back plate through sheet metal rollers several times, backing off the rollers slightly, and turning the backplate over and rotating 90' each time. Job's a good'un. One backplate restored to flatness! Cheers, Richard