mikeyb

Good question Gully, unfortunately as I'm in my "twilight years" I can't really remember. I think it did, but wouldn't swear to it. If I do decide to look at this car again (it;s only 3 miles away so no big deal) I'll make sure to check. Could also get them to put it on their hoist for a better look. Cheers, Mike.

Thanks for all the comments chaps, there are several points mentioned that I have considered but obviously some of the potential problems are not possible to investigate easily on a car that doesn't belong to me. Richard may have hit the nail on the head as I know for a fact that this car has been sitting in the showroom for several months. Wayne also mentioned seized trunnions, and as per Richard's suggestion, this sounds a likely issue. Pete's quote from Rimmers blurb clearly indicates that the steering should have been lighter than standard. In my twilight gears Doug !!!!!!!!!! cheeky so and so I'm only 67! Joking apart......no offence taken, but my present "Triumph" is a JC Midge, Herald 13/60 based with standard non-assisted steering,15" TR3 wire wheels and 165 section tyres has steering almost as light as that on my wifes modern tin can. There is obviously something wrong with this car, and unless it proves to be overwhelmingly better than the other cars on my "look at" list, I shall be giving it a miss. Tomorrow I'm off on a trek to see 2 other TR3s, 1 with R&P conversion, the other without. Will be interesting to compare them. Thanks again for the advice guys. Mike.

Hello folks, I'm currently considering buying a TR3/3a and this morning drove one that is for sale in a local dealers. It's probably 40 years since I owned one, so obviously I have only vague memories of how it drove. The sample that I tried today had a Rack and Pinion conversion, but I was surprised at how heavy the steering was, even with the standard humungous steering wheel. Apparently, the tyres had been pumped up prior to my drive, but to what pressure I don't know. My question is, is heavy steering a characteristic of an R&P conversion, because if so, I would not be happy with that at all. All comments gratefully received, bye for now, Mike Bambridge.

Very kind of you to say so Richard. Thanks, Mike.

Oh oh, another senior moment........just re-read the magazine and saw the info I asked about in another advert. What a plonker.

I would like to take the Midge to the above event. Scenic and Continental imply in their ad in The Courier that there may be special rates if 5 or more Club cars book a tour with them. Has the club any plans to run a group to Laon, or is there sufficient interest amongst members that a group booking could be made? Cheers all, Mike .

Thanks chaps, put my mind at rest. As the box still works fine, I'll live with the whine and overhaul it if it starts to play up....... gives the car that "vintage" sound.

Hello folks, need some advice. My Herald 13/60 gearbox whines quite loudly in 1st, much less so in 2nd, and not at all in 3rd and 4th. Gears all select fine, synchro works well in the top 3 gears, and it doesn't slip out of any gear. I am old enough to remember when most boxes whined like the devil, especially in 1st, but cannot remember if I ever heard a Herald do this when they were a lot younger than they are now. Does anyone have a whining box as I've described, or are they all reasonably quiet? If the whine sounds as if it may be excessive, is there a specific part/parts that could be the cause? I intend to rebuild the box soon, but want to ensure that I don't miss anything crucial. Thanks, Merry Xmas to all, Mike.

Thanks Darren, Mike.

I have exactly the same problem (13/60 based Midge). How can I get hold of Dave Mac ? He's obviously the propshaft guru. Thanks, Mike.

Thanks Pete, I'll give that a go. I think I may have dialled in some errors when I did this initially as I have 15" TR3 wire wheels fitted and I used my O level maths to calculate the measurements! Probably not a wise decision. Mike.

Thanks chaps. Re the shocks....these are new, standard Herald so non-adjustable. The spring is standard too. Usual trick is to remove 4 leaves to compensate for reduced weight of the Midge body, however, when I did this, the resulting camber was excessive, such that on full compression, the tyres rubbed on the inner wings. After much experimentation, I finally settled on a return to a full set of leaves, i.e. back to standard. Bearing in mind though, that the spring is over 40 years old so it has lost much of it's temper, and consequently a lot softer than original. I have used the string method to align all 4 wheels, and am reasonably confident that the wheels are pointing in the right direction. I will be giving this another try,before I go to the expense of changing adjustable shocks . Thanks again, Mike.

My newly built Midge(13/60 based) rides quite nicely on smooth roads but the rear end feels like it skips sideways quite violently when hitting a bump or pothole. I have checked the rear toe in as accurately as I can, and this appears to be as per manufacturers specs. All bushes, shocks etc are new, and all fixings are secure. Does anyone have any ideas as to what may be the cause, or even better, a cure? Thanks, Mike.

Thanks guys, you've both confirmed my thoughts. However, having spoken to the tech blokes at Burlen (the SU manufacturers) I am going to persevere with theses carbs. Will post my results after I've rebuilt them......found several faults which may have been the reason for the poor running. Mike.

Evening all, I'm in the last stages of building another Midge. It's based on a 13/60 Herald. GE series engine. I fitted a 4 branch exhaust and what I was told, a pair of ex-Spitfire 1.25" SU carbs. This is the same set-up that I had on my first Midge, some 18 years ago. I've had it running, and driven up and down our short cul-de-sac. Set the carbs up as per the book. However, it appears to run very rich no matter what I do to the jet height. Checking Burlen's web site, it appears that the carbs (AUD 517) are for a Spitfire MK IV,ECE. Does any know what the ECE stands for, and are there any signifcant differences between this and other 1300 MK IVs ? that would mean these carbs are unsuitable. Thanks folks, Mike.

Well, that was the only reason that I could come up with as well Pete, but as pads run so close to the discs, which helps to keep them clean ,coupled with the fact that no motorcycle I have ever owned has had them, I reckon their worth is debatable. Mike.

Hello folks, visited the Restoration Show at Shepton Mallet last weekend, and saw a special (probably an Arrow) with Herald front suspension. The brake disc shields were not fitted which got me thinking........how necessary are they? I really can't see a valid reason to keep them, they get bent, rust, get in the way when working on the brakes etc etc. Can't see that they improve brake cooling, surely the contrary? Can anyone enlighten me, or has anyone taken them off and noticed any difference? Cheers all, Mike.