johny

Yes I think youll find that weld of the mounting support plate interferes with the OD housing so it has to be installed as in the first photo. Easy to confirm this by bolting onto the OD before installation....

You might be able to hammer an aluminium disc into shape but need a former and a bit of skill🤪

Pin would work as a last resort to save an otherwise good gearlever but finding a suitable dished washer might be more difficult🤔

oh dear, after market quality strikes again Im afraid. Its a good idea to try to reuse as much of the original stuff as possible even if sometimes it doesnt look great...

Didnt the snap ring come with the gearlever bush kit? Or is that the one that has come adrift?

Yes the circlip groove gets rounded edges instead of being nice and square so the circlip wont stay in so well. Some people thump the gearlever down for reverse and out it pops....

Yes this is a common problem and it can be down to the groove being worn so allowing the circlip to slip out. Being loose certainly doesnt help... Also it sounds like the stop pin has worn flat as it should be round like in the Triumph drawing. What state is the stop plate in?

This is what youre up against😲

I take it youve sprayed lubricant in the lock? Otherwise only possibility I can see is to insert a shim of some kind as Pete suggests but in the gap (if there is one) between the lock and the door as between the door and dash wont work. Usually the lock isnt a perfect fit and you might be able to slide something in directly on top of it to pass under the catch 28 and push down the latch - push the door in while doing this to release the tension. Its a long shot and you might be better off spending the time on removing the dash completely...

Heres a Smiths item used on motorcycles and I suppose as its much more accessible it comes with a grease nipple👍

Yes not easy. Here it all is with 28 being the catch with the latch of course trapped behind it....

Sorry just looked and got it wrong. These I got for the top ball joints off eBay - they felt strong and fitted perfectly...

Ah wait a minute, you might be best off getting just new (hopefully) better quality gaiters. Ive just done this on my top ball joints as theyre fine but the gaiters didnt last two years! Got them from balljointboots.co.uk but too early to say how theyre going to last....

Sounds like its done some miles then but I presume the wishbone bushes, trunnions and shocks are all ok? However for peace of mind you could take off the hubs to inspect and regrease wheel bearings plus remove backplates. This would then allow the trunnions to be unscrewed for an inspection of the vertical link threads that are can be prone to corrosion and failure. The only sticking point might be that the trunnion bush bolts can rust in their sleeves and so need cutting out which isnt a fun job. Saying that I wonder if with everything else dismantled (top ball joints, track rods, shock, brake calipers, hubs and back plate off) you couldnt just unscrew the vertical link from the trunnion without touching their bush bolts - perhaps someone on here has done it like that?

Yes I suppose grease would be best but difficult to get in there so got to be oil...

You certainly shouldnt be able to pull the gearlever upwards...

I would guess your circlip 69 has slipped out of its groove in the gearlever 72 which is very common. Its this that the spring 70 (which could also be broken or very weak) pushes against to keep the lever pulled fully up relative to the pivot ball 77...

Yes you have to be careful Roger but remember the upper explosive limit of petrol is something like 7.6% which means you have to get a lot of air into the tank (92.4%) before it will combust. Petrol evaporates so easily that all the time you have got some in liquid form in the tank, bearing in mind how few openings there are, its almost impossible to get enough air in to be dangerous. The danger comes when the tank is emptied and left open...

Would you fill in the hole left in the wing Roger or make up some sort cap? Blockage not that unusual, rag, paper, rubber from cap seal etc

No, a short length of angle iron with 3 holes drilled would be even better as it would stronger and give the correct vertical face for the rubber strap👍

There has been an issue of oil leaking out of the base of some new trunnions but unfortunately we dont know which ones. However if you get them from one of the main suppliers they should carry the Stanpart name and are hopefully better quality...

Yes are you sure Colin? Heres a photo of an angle drive and it looks like both gears are installed from the back and then capped over. They were never intended to come apart... Then some similar Smiths units for motorcycles have grease nipples in the same place as the screw on ours so it seems logical that its for lubrication.

Would you have to tell them about the fuel tank change? Here they can use modifications as an excuse to get out of a claim even if its not related to the actual accident - could be something like a number painted on racing car style and they say you werent paying the right premium because your risk had gone up so not covered😭

Do you have to have insurance there because I wonder if they are just as relaxed?

To answer your question I think the two halves of the tank are joined by roller welding. This is where the seam is clamped between two rollers and a current passed between them while the tank is moved around - spot welding on the move if you like... Fitting a Spitfire tank sounds to me like it might be a 'major modification' under the DVLA classic car rules. I would remove the fuel level sender and have a look inside to see the condition. Its most likely to have plenty of crud (probably the cause of the blockage) but should still be perfectly serviceable. Mine was pretty rusty and I considered coating it with an epoxy sealant but in the end put it back in the car with a paper filter installed before the fuel pump which has been fine...