NonMember

I think I'd prefer to use the button on the solenoid. Sparks from the jump lead with an open container of petrol nearby doesn't fill me with enthusiasm!

I know the post is a little slower than normal at the moment but I hope you don't have to wait too long

I have two copies of the green re-print and one original embossed ring binder.

I'm on my second "dreadful" Mk1 Vitesse and have enjoyed driving both quite enthusiastically. The only times either of them (OK, the first one!) caught me out were in very wet weather, or when a rear tyre was flat. Oh, and the very first time I tried to turn off a dual carriageway onto a right-angle narrow lane with no slip road and wasn't acclimatised to non-servo brakes. I'd owned it, my first car, for all of a week at the time.

My younger brother always thought the low bumper was by far the best look for a Spitfire and none of the others compared. I agree the Mk2 is lovely but I've always rather liked the lines of the Mk3. It's a different look but at least equally good. Owners of MkIVs are entitled to disagree 😁

Dan, If it's currently stuck in 1st then "putting the car into 4th/2nd gear" isn't entirely practical advice. Since the engine doesn't currently run, "warm the engine and then..." isn't entirely practical advice. "If all else fails" is pretty much where Jonathan is, hence his query about how to get the gearbox cover off. If it were me, I think I'd address the stuck in gear first. How severely jammed is the gearstick? Does it feel rusted solid or just wedged by the tension from the drive line? If the latter then rocking the car back and forth while a helper (family member resident in the same household!) tries to pull the stick into neutral... might do the trick.

When I changed the engine on my 2500S I had the car up on ramps, replaced two of the cross-member fixing bolts with threaded rod and used them to lower the engine and gearbox onto a trolley. Then I rolled them onto their side to wheel the trolley out from under. Refitting was a reversal - roll it under on its side, lever it upright, install the threaded rod then slowly wind it up into position. Took ages but involved minimal crawling under.

The only one that looks "in keeping" to me is #2

With the cover off the engine and on your bench, you rotate the tensioner 180deg from its operating position. At the pivot pin end it's just wrapped round and pressed. Pull the two leaves of the tensioner apart from each other and the hook round the pin opens up. Push (fairly firmly) on the other end of the leaves and the pin slips through the gap. Then just slide the tensioner off. Re-fitting is a reversal of the removal procedure, as they say. Except it's easier - just push it fulliy home and "click", you're done.

Yep, got caught by that on my brother's old Mk2. In his case, the choke cable was a bit sloppy and the mechanism stiff. Pulling the choke out worked fine. Realising you'd done that on autopilot and the engine was already hot, then pushing it in... achieved nothing. The choke would stay firmly on until engine vibration eased it off. Which didn't happen because you had full choke on a hot engine and it just flooded.

Well, it's not unknown to see that sort of price difference for the very same part between Rimmers and other suppliers... However, "Heritage" sills should fit fairly well, whereas "pattern" often aren't even close.

I can't see any of your photos either. I think you're hosting them on a site that doesn't allow access for other people. Check your settings.

Cost. As always. So the solid prop is the cheapest to make, and was fitted to Heralds, unless there was an NVH problem. The strap type is only a little more expensive and would often fix the problem. The sliding spline costs more still but is generally better for NVH, which was worth the cost on a Vitesse with its "silky smooth and silent" advertising persona. CV joints were expensive in the '60s but had become common by the mid '70s.

If it's any consolation, Doug, I've come across more than one car with only five actually fitted.

Yep, given that the last thing disturbed was replacing the hoses, it's the dread rubber slivers.

I wouldn't try a G-clamp. Even if you've got a solid one, you can't really hold it straight enough to work. A bench vice is much easier to work with but a length of threaded rod through the middle of the bush is the easiest way to keep the sockets properly aligned.

Really Colin? Score +1 for free software then as my Linux box opens it fine in XV. Edit: A moment's research shows that JFIF is a JPEG wrapper, rather like TIF is a wrapper format.

Looks quite tidy - better than the 1850-engined 1500HL I had as daily transport back in the late '90s. Rust brown cars do seem to rust less than some colours.

What Colin said! There's a decent chance your existing shell is as easily repairable as any GT6 tub you can afford.

I have two moisture traps between the compressor tank and the blast cabinet.

If you're not worried about originality, you could use a non-OD gear-stick and a roundtail style column stalk.

Yep, as they said. I had to relieve a couple of places on mine to make it fit nicely and not keep blowing gaskets.

As I said above, my copy of the WSM does not give the long value for a GT6, it gives the 373.6mm figure. The one in Adrian's photo (which may be a later version) has the dimension cells in that table swapped, which has to be a misprint.

Somebody said the main problem is that those clips are far too narrow for the over-thick seals that are currently available. They certainly look it!

I don't think they're supposed to have gaskets or sealant but I've known some people to say they should because of leaks.