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Ah, well... I don't think that's actually a conflict. The end gap ("distance between flanges") is definitiely 1/8". The problem is that whoever drew that diagram failed to account for potential name space conflicts, as we say in the software industry. The annotations marked "A" and "B" refer to the items marked with arrows from the big letters "A" and "B" on the left side of the drawing. The little inset marked "A-A" is a cross-sectional drawing taken at reference position "A-A" defined by the vertical line with an arrow at each end pointing to letter "A" on the right side of the drawing. Because this is a cross-section position marker it occupies a different "name space" to the flange identification markers. Thus there is no connection between these "A"s and the other "A"s. They're different things! The 1/4" dimension only defines how far from the nearside flange on the rack itself the cross-section showing the rubber button in the rack is taken.

Actually, no. The coloured filter works by not letting other colours of light through. White light contains all the colours, so putting a white bulb behind a coloured filter causes big loss of light. Putting a bulb (OK, LED) that only emits green light behind a green filter results in almost no loss of light because there's no "not-green" light in there to start with. It is true that you don't normally put a coloured filament bulb behind a jewel filter, but that's because there's no such thing as a coloured filament bulb - it's a white bulb with a coloured filter already applied to it.

That lining surface is fairly normal for new shoes. The thickness looks OK, too - possibly a tad on the generous side but not by much. When you say the drums are "catching", is that a general all-round reluctance to turn or a local drag spot at one particular angle? If the latter then it suggests the drums are out of true, although it could also be a bent hub or shaft, or some muck not letting the drum seat properly.

Run a tap through them. You're not "tapping new threads" - if the tap is the same thread as the one under the coating then it'll just cut away the coating and clean the thread up.

In my experience, the whole Rotoflex setup is under too much tension to "let" anything hang. It should be possible to disconnect the spring, using the lifter, with the wishbones and UJs still attached, but I'd not bet on being able to manoeuvre it out. Still, probably worth a try.

If the trunnion is in good nick and full of the correct oil, Dave's oil can will work fine. If a PO has filled it with grease, you may need the extra pressure of a Wanner to push the residue out.

Two possibilities spring to mind: - The dual bulb thing (brake warning and oil light) works by connecting the bulbs in series with the oil switch at the bottom and the PWDA grounding the middle. If the bulbs are the same type (same resistance both cold and hot) this works fine. If the oil light bulb is of significantly lower resistance than the brake one then it won't illuminate, just as you're having. - I had a main beam warning light fail an MOT once. When I took it out to change the bulb I found that it worked fine. Put it back in and no sign of life. It turned out the rubber "stray light barrier" round the end of the fitting tube, which is supposed to ensure the bulb only illuminates the jewel and not the whole instrument, had heat-shrunk until it was completely closed off.

Are you talking about the taper pin (ball joint to suspension arm, well known awkward bugger) or the track rod (from rack to ball joint)? If the former, you need a ball joint splitter. Several types available. If the latter, it "just" unscrews. Use plenty of PlusGas or similar and keep turning the housing, there's a LOT of thread in there. You may need to use grips on the track rod to hold it still - it does have a couple of flats but I've never found a spanner that fitted well enough to work. Edit: The ball joint splitter I favour is this one

Oh yes, definitely different. My first Vitesse was (mostly) Triumph White (19) and my GT6 (which left the factory in nappy kak (54) but had been resprayed by a PO) is Old English. Not the same. My current Vitesse is mostly a Jaguar colour but the recent repairs are a Ford colour, while the Spitfire - originally Damson (17) - is now BLMC Damask. Not a single original Triumph colour among the lot 😧

Me too. They're really useful. You can even get a version for angle grinders!

It's always hard to be sure about exact colours when presented only with a digital photo. However, I'd say that was a Triumph White stripe on a blue car - I can't remember the name of the particular blue, it's a slightly greeenish medium-dark shade.

How long had that been together since you last changed the gasket? It's just that the residue looks old and, while I'm sure you're far too experienced to make a total muppet mistake like I did once, failing to absolutely, scrupulously, thoroughly clean off every last minute speck of old gasket residue before reassembling... will cause loss of compression.

The additional....? If you mean the earth wire from the BritPart unit to the disi body then it'll certainly help reduce misfires. Check that the lead isn't restricting the vacuum advance at all - it looks like it might get caught - but otherwise that's a good result.

That's true but not the strict definition. A "leading shoe" is one where the actuator (piston or handbrake lever) pushes the "leading" edge, i.e. the end that a point on the rotating drum hits first (when travelling forwards). Since the actuator is fitted at the top of the backplate on Spitfires and Heralds, this is the front shoe. A "trailing shoe" is the opposite.

No problem jumping in. The handbook's service schedule is good but may expect there to be grease nipples (or bolts blanking off the holes for them) on parts that have since been replaced with "sealed-for-life" ones. Most grease nipples are a 1/4" thread (I'm not sure exactly what thread it is) but some are much bigger - probably 3/8". I think the steering rack is the big type. There are a range of shapes available - short, straight, angled, very angled - in both threads, which is why the box of assorted grease nipples has so many compartments.

As Doug says, EP90 oil in the trunnions. As you noticed, the factory didn't fit drain plugs in the diff. The service schedule assumes top-up only but that was written for when the cars were under ten years old. You can use a syphon pump to extract the old oil or you can drill a drain hole (there's a flat surface and possibly even a guide dimple to show you where) then tap it and fit a plug. This has all been discussed in another thread not long ago. You need to grease the rear wheel bearings - grease nipple should be present - and the steering rack - you may have a grease nipple holding the earth strap in but it's more likely a bolt that you have to swap. Drive shaft (and prop shaft) UJs may have a grub screw that you can swap for an extra-long grease nipple but you'll need to swap back once done. If it's a sliding spline prop shaft there's probably a grease point for that, again likely just a grub screw fitted. However, most UJs are sealed-for-life, no grease point. The same is true of track rod end ball joints. The water pump might have a grease nipple but, again, may be sealed-for-life.

That's true, Pete, but within the industry "fully warm" is defined, effectively, as when the stat remains open rather than cycling. This takes longer if you have more coolant.

I may have one lying around. I'll have a look (but it may be lurking somewhere I won't think to look in for a while!)

I think a 1965 was probably the narrow one but I'm not sure. Like I said, nothing wrong with going full width, it just means your engine will take longer to get fully warm (though no difference in time to get "mostly" warm and choke can go in).

Definitely. Slackening off the rear adjusters will make the pedal feel spongy.

Full-width fans were fitted to some Heralds and early Spitfires - they don't fit Vitesse or GT6 because there's no space in front of the engine. The factory changed from the wide to the narrow at some point in production, which was probably because they started to run the engine hotter for better efficiency. No real reason not to fit the full-width but for most people it's not needed, as long as the system is in decent condition.

At one time I could date the Google Earth photo of my house to a particular afternoon because of the locations of the 2.5PI and Toledo just visible in the drive (and the Toledo had RBRR stickers on it!) but that's been updated since I moved.

The short plate fitting needs a right-angle bracket, as fitted to MkIV Spitfires / Mk3 GT6. The earlier Spitfires (where actually fitted) originally had the buckle-on-webbing with an eyelet on the floor.

I don't think it's a question of arm length so much as car. I have static belts in both the Spitfire and the Vitesse, where the ignition switch is on the dash, and they're perfectly fine. I have inertia belts on the GT6 because the ignition key is down by your boots and you need to be able to touch your toes to use it. That won't be a problem on your GT6, Colin, as it's not a Mk3.

When my compressor packed up it turned out to be just a blown fuse, but as Clive says, the starter capacitor is often the culprit, or the pressure regulator switch. Unless, of course, it's got a more obvious fault, like the cracked cylinder head that mine developed (replacement parts no longer available so I had it repaired with chemical metal).