johny

I like your wooden one Dave and its worth a few bob🤑

Thanks, yes it looks like there were codes used on the chassis plate for leathercloth, leather and even cloth (I suppose this last one was only on GT6's) but Ive never seen the numbers of vehicles built with each material...

was the 3 spoke always leather because some look very similar but seem to be plastic? Then theres the fabled leather seats that some Vitesses have, was this an optional extra or after market thing?

oh alright no need as I see Clive says theyre all the same ratio anyway........

Paul can you confirm that the 3.55 - 1 that Martin has on his tacho is correct? Thanks

you could check the ratio number on the dial of the tacho, it might have 3.55 - 1, dont know if there are different ones but good to confirm what it is anyway....

if people are paying that it might change my equation!

if the theory we have got so far is correct the battery plates must be both anode and cathode at the same time so that the HT electrons can flow from -ve to +ve and 12v electrons go in the opposite direction😵

I think it'll have to have a disclaimer in large print😁

dont think its an H&S problem as theres alternative materials now, more likely to be: low demand plus low price = a profitability deficit....

I like that catalogue but the prices not so much☹️ Let us know what comes your of the cooling system Iana.

The heaters dont seem to produce much heat although the whiff of air that comes out of mine is quite hottish and I see some people do fit bigger fans from other cars. However Ive gone the opposite way and fitted a small valve in the right angle hose from the water pump to the carb manifold which I shut in summer so directing that coolant through the engine and radiator instead. Cant say Ive seen a massive improvement but it all helps......

yes most important to keep the occupants refreshed as you wait by the side of the road for the engine to cool down😂 No seriously it is possible to drive a Vitesse on a hot day in traffic and not overheat but you wont know until you try it. Beforehand all you can do is ensure the cooling system is as efficient as possible both inside and out so your coolant should be staying reasonable clear (if it continually goes brown there must be some sludge in there) and obviously the radiator fins must be clean and undamaged. I recommend that you gradually test the car rather than attempt the Dartford crossing on an exceptional August Bank holiday afternoon! If you see a problem developing come back on here for loads of interesting suggestions to improve cooling.......

I think it starting ok on easy start is a bit of a pointer😁

I believe on the bottom of the carb you will have the fuel mixture adjuster which as an intial running position should be unscrewed 3 complete turns. To know where to start from you need to look in the mouth of the carb to see the jet into which the needle slides and turn the adjuster until the top of the jet is flush with its locating sleeve. While your there you can lift up the needle piston with a finger (you should feel damping resistance as you do this) and let it drop back down which it should do smoothly and a little click as it lands back on the bottom of the carb intake. Once running you can then fine tune the mixture by further turning, one way or the other, of the adjuster.

it sounds like the choke mechanism isnt working or is poorly adjusted. On my MK1 Vitesse you can take off the airfilter box, operate the choke and see each carb piston being lifted but your carbs might have a different set up with possibly an automatic temperature controlled choke.....

tell us a bit more?

As I understand it the problem nowadays is finding reliable quality components for gearbox rebuilds. I havent suffered myself, yet, but would certainly feel nervous about using the 'pattern part' synchros and layshafts available.....

that all sounds good as the brass synchro rings should be loose and there will always be a bit of wobble in the input shaft. With the 1st/2nd selector ring (at the back of the box with the reverse gearteeth included) now you have aligned it should slip into both gears without too much difficulty..... You should be able to move each synchro ring along independently towards the gear they are going to engage but they shouldnt come right up against the gear ie. in your photo there should always be a gap between the ring and toothed cog. This gap reduces as the synchro ring wears and if non existant the gears will crunch badly during changes (it may still not be prefect anyway). Have a look at all the gears teeth for wear/chips including the small reverse gear operated by the lever on the side and thats about all you can do. In your case it doesnt sound necessary but if dismantling the box the usual minimum work is to replace the previously mention needle bearings and layshaft and swop around/replace the synchro rings as 2nd always suffers the most.

Thats interesting as the HT electrons must then flow the opposite way through the battery on their way back to the .coil. Nothing to stop em going both ways through the battery I suppose....

yes it must be electrons jumping from the earth post to the centre electrode of the sparkplugs and subsequently its the earth post that gets gradually eroded away opening up the gap....

Yes I dont know how many miles the box has done but its always difficult to judge whether to go further with overhauling while its out. The main causes of problems are the needle bearing between the input and mainshafts you can see in the top of the case and the needle bearings either end of the layshaft at the bottom of the case. To get an indication of the first you can try rocking the external end of the input shaft to check the amount of relative movement between it and the mainshaft. For the layshaft, without dismantling it, I cant think of any test other than using the gearbox but of course by then its a bit late to find out its bearings are shot!

Inside the box you can try sliding the selector rings forward and backwards as happens when changing gear. Its takes a bit of force with your fingers to slide but the ring should click off neutral to positively engage with each gear and by turning the input shaft you can confirm that when the output starts to turn.... Also check the state of the selector fingers on the '3 rails' under the top cover - if any is bent or severely worn it could also produce reduced movement of the selector rings so that they dont engage completely and can jump out of gear.

Probably find the bush at the base of the gear lever in a similar state..... The replacements usually come as a kit so you replace everything at the same time then when its all back in place the action should feel much more positive. Will you be taking off the gearbox top cover or just the gear lever casing shown in the photo?

hmmm in my opinion the thrust bearing does so little (depends on your use of the clutch of course) it should last the life of the car. But what about improving the sound deadening of the gearbox cover while its off as that helps with all sorts of bearing wear🤣