rlubikey

I bet it was Flamenco Red. People often say my Flamenco Spit is orange! Yes, the fake tension between Ant and the Fat Man is lame. Ant didn't initially like the Stag he did on the car restoration series with Philip Glenister but I seem to recall he came around in the end. Cheers, Richard

The electronic counter-measures in the aircraft seems to be working well. It certainly did the job with your camera! I was out cycling near Kintbury (west of Newbury) several years ago when one of those things shot past overhead at pretty low level - made me jump. Cheers, Richard

I wish! I feel more like one of these - a broken slinky ...

Pete, I've fitted EPS to my Spit 2.5PI. Having the Spit "quick" steering rack, the extra two cylinders makes the steering really heavy for a weed like me. I fitted the Corsa-C EPS - see this thread for more. I would say that if you find your steering heavy then it's worth considering. I think you may possibly add a hint of "vagueness" to the feel but it will deffo. make the steering lighter. Different people will have different opinions but it's down to you as to whether it's worth £900. Please note that, sadly, Picton Sportscars who did the heavy engineering on my EPS had to close their doors for the last time about 18 months ago. Cheers, Richard

Yes, that's my recollection too. <Goes to check hardtop> Yes, the front of the bottom "frame" folds over the top "skin" and is spot welded. Cheers, Richard

Not completely hollow it out, or that would connect the dual circuits and negate the safety of the system! ** I would leave everything in place but, if the PDWA gave problems, add the special cap to the master cylinder. Then you disconnect the wire somewhere it won't be noticed (or maybe you declare it to the Prototype Inspector and hope he understands) and connect the dash light wire to the cap switch instead. Cheers, Richard ** I had the dual circuit braking grafted on to my '77 Spit when it was converted to six cylinders. Unseen by me or the MOT chap a brake pipe was rubbing against the armoured PI fuel hose. Some years later the brake pipe burst while braking for a roundabout. This is how I know that the PWDA is useless when you get a catastrophic failure. You don't spend any time at all looking at the dash wondering why the light has come on. You immediately feel the brake pedal is different and so is the car's ability to loose speed. Anyway, I was jolly glad of the dual circuit system that day. Not sure I could have stopped on the handbrake in time.

DVD3500, it's a master cylinder cap with a float switch built in. The fluid level drops and the switch is activated. If it's a slow leak it gives you advanced warning. I see Car Builder Solutions have a switch you fit in your existing cap (drill a hole). Or there are period metal caps with switches such as fitted to Rovers. Cheers, Richard

Alan, you will feel the pressure differential with your foot (brake pedal sinks further), along with the Spit not loosing speed as quickly as expected! A Posteriori. Far better to put a low fluid switch cap on the master cylinder and wire that to the dash warning light. Cheers, Richard

The solder used for electronics work (and I think plumbing is the same stuff?) is probably too soft for anything structural like this. I would think silver solder is what's needed here. I don't know the answer to the annealing question, but I imagine someone will be along shortly who does. Cheers, Richard

Alex, I had a friend machine mine. And apparently PTFE isn't the best material for this application, but oil-impregnated nylon. I'm afraid I've forgotten the trade name of the material, sorry. Cheers, Richard

Yes, I was a trimming novice. Take it slowly, do one seat at a time so you have one to copy, and take the weight off the cable ties by compressing the foam so you can tighten the ties little by little, working round so as to keep the stress evenly distributed. I ended up making new holes down one side to stretch the material more so as to copy the originals, as the measurements in my instructions were the same down each side of the base - I don't think that's correct. Yes, I did that to copy what my original seat foams had. Triumph must have put the hessian there for a reason. Did you have an "Elvis" look before Doug? Cheers, Richard

Andrew, if you change the amount of gas coming out of the engine, it changes the amount sucked in. That means you have to modify the fuelling to accommodate this. I can confirm this is true. I took to using ear plugs on longer runs to keep my sanity until I managed to change to a standard system. Some poor fool (sorry) enthusiastic driver wanted to swap for a sports exhaust. He's probably not on such good terms with his neighbours now. Cheers, Richard

Chris, I think you'll find NPTF simply means NPT-Female. NPT is of course National Pipe Thread, an American standard which is a taper thread. There is only one NPT thread - no variations, unlike UNified-Coarse & -Fine threads. Cheers, Richard

Here you go, the Triumph 2600 MkIII Saloon Prototype from Canley Classics web site museum section. It says "These cars have unique bonnets, nose cones to fit the longer deeper 2600 engine." You can see the power bulge a bit like on the MkI saloon has been added, and somehow the nose looks different, but difficult to judge from this angle on the small photo. Perhaps a trip is in order next time Canleys open their museum for the day. Dave??? Cheers, Richard

You're right of course Clive. How long is it compared to the 2500? Would an "engine back" work?

I believe the Rover 2600 is one of those "what if" engines. As already said, it was developed from the Triumph 2500 for the Rover/Triumph big saloons. Being overhead cam it is taller than the older engine. Someone (Canleys?) had a picture of a Triumph 2000 test vehicle for the 2600 engine, which had a large rectangular raised section in the bonnet. The cross-flow design used the single cam layout of the Dolly Sprint and apparently the performance was so good that they had to de-tune it so it didn't embarrass the Rover V8 engines used in the top range models. I can't seem to lay my hands on any tuning catalogues from the period, but I haven't spotted anyone offering hotter cams to restore the power this engine should have given. I suppose the problem is that this was a one-car-engine. Just imagine what it could have been with a decent cam, then add 4-valves per cylinder - a Rover 2600 Sprint! Give it a go and let us know how you get on. Cheers, Richard PS: Leave the 2300 well alone - it was gutless, presumably to go in a cheaper stripped down model.

Were you ever one of the "Backroom Boys" for Blue Peter Roger? Cheers, Richard

The question is Nigel, which glycol? There's ethylene glycol, and there's propylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is nasty stuff but it's cheap. However, the corrosion inhibitors break down quickly - 2 or 3 years. Whereas the inhibitors in Propylene glycol are more stable and last 20 or 25 years. also, Propylene glycol is nowhere near as poisonous. I can't find an MSDS but it sounds to me as though 4life is based on Propylene glycol and I suspect that's how they get their "enhanced" performance. If so then it's just a "pre-mixed" Propylene Glycol anti-freeze. I run my Spit with domestic central heating heating antifreeze which is Propylene Glycol with 20 years life, compatible with all cooling system materials, and not too poisonous so no disposal issues. The long life means it works out way cheaper in the long run. Cheers, Richard

Yes, the UK Spit passenger side had the warning light BW at least as early as 1977. Cheers, Richard

No James, they didn't look anything like that on my old late (X-reg) Spit, which were just the same as my current ('77) model. Cheers, Richard

"Wireless" - how quaint! Martin, the problem with Spit/GT6 door speakers is they will foul the window when it's wound down if they are too deep. I can tell you from personal experience how dispiriting it is to hear that THUNK as the window hits first time you wind it down. It won't wind any further, and then you put two and two together. I think the only place any speaker will fit - unless you want to chop a hole in the door inner skin - is the bottom rear corner. Take the door panel off and, with a straight edge across the inner skin, measure the distance to the wound down window. It's not much - only just over an inch I think. 30mm, something like that? You could add the thickness of the door trim panel, but remember to keep something for clearance. I did this recently and the ones I fitted say "Radiomobile" but there's no model number and I can't find the box, sorry! They're about 125mm diameter. However, I simply trotted down to my local friendly independent motor factors and they opened the glass case and I measured what they had. You won't get anything special in such a slim speaker, but with the top down and the wind rushing past, who cares! Hope this is some help. Cheers, Richard

Silicone brake fluid is based on silicone oil. Silicone oil - I was surprised to find - is NOT compatible with silicon rubber! So it's POSSIBLE that they've used silicone rubber seals. However, I agree it's much more likely that they simply haven't tested DOT-5 silicone brake fluid and they won't warrant something they haven't tested. When you work in electrochemistry you start to get a bit nerdy about chemical compatibility! Cheers, Richard

Alan, I believe it's only function is as a switch for a puny little light on the dash - someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Here are some photos which may help - blue things are off the dual MC donor car. I had forgotten that the strengthening web is also different (lower) on the dual MC cars. The siamesed brake strengthening web and clutch bracket is to accommodate the 6-cylinder PI plenum. Sorry about the flash rust - that shower really caught us on the hop! Cheers, Richard

Agree with that! Having had this happen to me on my (dual circuit) Spit, I would also choose a dual circuit over single any time. You only find out when you're actually braking that there's a problem and if it happens, having the presence of mind to go for the handbrake is one of those things that takes a second or two to percolate through the old grey cells. The brake pedal goes further down (because you have no pressure in half the MC) but you still have some retardation. If you're driving like the road is your personal race track then that won't be enough. If you're being a bit more leisurely it probably will. I converted my 1977 Spit with bits from my '79 model when it went to that great scrap yard in the sky. You need the MC of course, plus the lower and steeper angle bracket (to hold the MC lower so it doesn't touch the bonnet) and you already know about the dish in the bulkhead so it clears there (like the one behind the battery for US models which had dual circuit years earlier). I simply declared the change to the insurance company - no problem there. Then the standard setup is front one circuit, rear the other. As has been said, less likely to spin when you panic and hit the pedal hard - which you will!!! I did not fit the PDWA (Pressure Differential Warning .... don't know what the last one is) as it only illuminates a silly little light on the dash - which you probably won't even notice. You'll know something's wrong because your foot WILL feel the difference! Cheers, Richard

Oh ... I don't remembering it touching there. Have you got the chrome caps on the B-post? Maybe it does touch there if 41 is missing. The blocks, from memory, are about 1/2" thick, so if you can find a spacer to simulate, you could see what difference it makes.