johny

This might be worth investigating a bit as the symptom sounds very much like poor brush contact, either through wear or being stuck in the holder, and hence the intermittent operation which may well slowly get worse. The brushes are usually pretty easy to get to, especially on an alternator as opposed to a dynamo, and you'll be able to see straight away if theres enough protruding to make good contact.... Dont forget to check the condition of the slip rings although these will usually last years. Ive just done this job on a 1998 Citroen with 200k on the clock and what looks like the original alternator. The slip rings were horribly worn but the owner was happy for me to stick in new brushes and away they went👍

Yes but also it maybe horribly corroded☹️

oh dear yes the wire connection piece crimps onto that plastic piece as it has to be insulated from the centre operating rod. Its probably still on the end of the wire which has fallen down inside the A post - should be able to find it from inside the footwell....

Sure its only going to be a matter of time before tyre age becomes an MOT thing as I believe it already is in Germany....

As Pete says good chance clutch will be stuck on even once you get the master cylinder working. Then maybe new tyres when youve decided the cars a goer and youre going to keep it?

Right yes must be the only way to do it but unfortunately the best cup needle roller bearing I can find is 18 x 24mm which is good for the mainshaft tip but rather wide so needs 5mm taking out of the input shaft bore diameter and then might risk oil starvation🙁

Ive always wondered about the big tip mod as although its relatively easy to machine out the input shaft what about then hardening the surface the bearing runs on?

What condition is the radiator in? The fins start to deteriorate over time especially on the front face and these do dissipate a lot of heat. The other aspect is how much heat is produced by the engine. If its running with a weak mixture, either through adjustment or additional air getting into the intake side, it will produce more heat which of course means the cooling system has to work harder...

So why do you want OD then? I suppose the need to have the strongest possible diff depends on how youre going to drive it....

That might have been done because the 3 rail box seems to be stronger in non OD form. In fact if youre like me, not a great OD fan, a 3.27 diff would probably be a viable alternative solution although this would require a speedo change/recalibration...

Thats interesting then, so if you have a 3 rail box with D type OD a Jtype should bolt straight on IF you change the mainshaft of course....

NOS -Genuine Austin Mini door light switches | eBay and it looks like some have sold!

I wish I had polished up my old ones and put them on eBay at 80quid a pair🤑

Ha, theyre called Linread door switches and originals (theres different types) go for absolutely crazy money NOS or s/h especially if you put Mini Cooper, Escort Mexico or some such in the eBay advert. Ive never been impressed with them anyway so used new switches which fix using a small self tapper screw and the plunger is cut to length to suit the application. I see Leacy are out of stock....

well yes the J type is supposed to be an improvement on the D and is recommended if increasing the engine power output - fitting a 2.5 litre for example. However to keep the gearbox the same length (the standard OD gearbox is already a tight fit) the adaptor needed to fit the J type is part number 313085 not the one you have. Note: a new mainshaft is also needed as the drive to D and J types is different....

Pretty certain the engine and gearbox are the same for 1500 Spitfire and Midget. I think perhaps you should install it with a prop thats shorter, if required, and has the rear flange changed to match your existing diff. You can then drive it and decide later if you want to change the diff for another ratio....

No what looks better is to keep the flywheel and bigger clutch of the 1500 but with new 10 spline 7.25" friction plate (GCP103) and then as you say all hydraulics and thrust stay the same. The first gear ratio of the Herald 3 rail box however is quite a bit lower than that used in the Spitfire 1500 so for it to remain useable changing the diff becomes even more important....

Do you know if the Herald clutch hydraulics and thrust bearing will all be ok for it then?

Clutch is easy as Rimmers list a 10 spline 7.25" friction plate GCP103 for non UK 1500 Spitfire (apparently some of these had a 3 rail box)...

And I bet Steve thought this swop was going to be straight forward😭

No the splines only become a problem if you change the gearbox because the new one you have is 1" longer than the old so your existing propshaft maybe too long. Good idea to check the clutch and then when unit installed drive it a bit with the gearbox cover off to confirm all ok👍

Worth trying the new gearbox as its only an inch so an original prop with sliding joint might fit?

Then a new 10 spline clutch plate will be required as well....

I wonder if we're getting confused here? Morgana if your carb doesnt overflow your pump and float valve are working fine and the system pressure is irrelevant. High pump pressure wont give high fuel consumption as the float valve maintains the correct level in the chamber and if it doesnt it overflows....

Yes interesting! However still doesnt explain why it had the threaded lower trunnion design☹️