Phil C

Thanks Dave, Not fitted yet, not got that far, but I would imagine filters would make the mixture richer anyway? I was hoping to get things running 90% before final assembly and fine tuning.

I am hopeful that the carb refurbs are all ok.....too many variables there if not! If the increase in engine speed is normal then I will try weakening the mixture. Thanks

I am struggling to get my newly rebuilt engine to run smoothly. It appears to be running very rich and starts to choke up at tick over. The carbs have all new internals and are adjusted to the "start settings" as per the manual. I have noticed if I remove the oil filler cap whilst running the engine speeds up and runs much smoother. I can replace the cap if the rocker cover to Emissions valve pipe is disconnected. This does not seem right but I can't quite get my head around what is happening. I have fitted an aftermarket rocker cover and a cap which is vented. I have not really done anything to the Emissions Valve apart from clean it and replace the diaphragm. It seems one or both are restricting the air intake in some way. Any thoughts from the group would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Thanks all for your input. I agree the cheapest/easiest solution is the secondhand option. I had already fitted a new glass/bezel to mine so I can transfer this over to make the replacement all spangly 😎. I still would like to understand the problem and will dismantle the seized one BUT only when I've secured a working replacement! JDO can be the backup plan The length of cable is very interesting and I will review this when reassembling. Need to replace the drive gear in the dizzy to fully assess this. My cable is new and sourced from Canley's so hopefully manufactured correctly?? Thanks again.

Just looked at their website, very interesting and I think I might give them a call tomorrow.

Yes, a secondhand replacement is probably the answer although you never know what you are buying. I guess I can then have a go at fixing the original without worry. Probably not, the car has been laid up in a shed since 1983 so may be I was expecting too much without giving it some attention?? The failure has occurred in the garage, not yet been on the road!

Evening all Rev counter stopped working recently. After further investigation I found the rev counter input had seized. The cable is brand new so wasn't going to give way so the plastic drive in the dizzy was sacrificed!! I can sort the dizzy but what to do with the rev counter. Is this a DIY job? I've never dismantled one and they look rather fragile - it has the potential to go horribly wrong. Or should it be sent off to the experts (expensive?) and if so any recommendations? Any thoughts most welcome.

Thanks all for your input. May be I have "normal" flex but I was very surprised as to the extent. I did feel the rubber mounts supplied were overly soft which made aligning the gaps very difficult as they would distort a little when tightened. I would be very interested to compare notes if/when you do? A similar movement would be reassuring for me - but a pain for you ☹️ I think this makes sense. In my case the engine cantilevered over the front support and the axle/drive shafts over the back. This obviously opened the top of the B post gap which then closed as the wheels take the weight. I am going to re-gap everything with the car on its wheels 😩 and rearrange the support points...and keep the doors closed whilst elevated!!

Evening all, What level of flex/bend is to be expected with a Mk2 Chassis in good condition? My chassis has been supported by four stands each mid way along the front and rear outriggers (all newly replaced) for a couple of years as the car has slowly been rebuilt. It now is almost complete with the four supports taking the full weight of the car. Not really thinking it through I had sorted all the panel gaps whilst supported like this too. Today I lowered the car on to its wheels and the B post door gaps closed up by around 4mm making the doors almost impossible to open. I can redo the gaps with the car on its wheels but was alarmed at the amount of flex witnessed and how this might cause future difficulties say when changing a wheel. Should I be concerned or is this normal?? I had the chassis blasted and, apart from the outriggers/rails which were replaced, it appeared to be in solid condition. Thanks

No problem Colin, if I can help.

Useful knowledge Pete but, unusually for me 🤓, I did remember to also order a seal!

Big day yesterday as the Vitesse was cranked over for the first time and started first turn of the key 🥳. The PO had old me it last ran in the early 1980s. Sounded a little rough but I was very pleased (surprised 😳). Unfortunately once up to temperature the heater valve decided to let go - new one ordered. Geeky video to mark the event 🙄 0B0D4F6C-51AB-4B2F-B72E-25475C16518D.mov

Just checked and it is actually a Clarke! 🤓 https://www.anglianpumping.com/product/air-conditioning-and-ventilation/clarke-cam300b-12-portable-ventilator-air-mover-230v-3230462?gclid=CjwKCAjw6MKXBhA5EiwANWLODCCcAcY8pUlMuoGMFZY1WaBL3GCGgI-Ew6oHnlz9r9LQKFUMnlwMxBoCGEsQAvD_BwE I bought a 12" but I think a smaller one could have done the job.

I sprayed my Vitesse with Celly last year and for what its worth this is what I did. I made a timber frame/polythene booth inside my garage (Lucky to have a double but could be done in a single?) I made it as small as possible - just big enough to hold the tub with space to spray it. I bought a pair of spray booth filters and made a filter box to suck air through. This was connected to the booth via a Sealey air mover and hose. This positively pressurised the booth ensuring no dust/flies etc would get in through gaps and cracks. An exhaust was provided using a piece of plastic pipe to the driveway. It worked very well as I had no problems with dust/flies etc.

I had a similar problem with my Vitesse bonnet (not quite as bad though) Is the alignment with the scuttle ok. My bonnet sagged in the middle which contributed a little to the lower section sticking out. Once remedied the alignment with the door was ok apart from the lowest section (where the catch is). To bring this into line I cut the strengthening rib running vertical along this section allowing the lower section to be realigned to suit the door and then welded it that position. Of course I hadn't painted it at this stage so damaging paint wasn't an issue. It is difficult to realign the sill if it already aligns with the door bottom. I didn't get it perfect but it was much improved. Search my post "Vitesse Bonnet Alignment" for a few pictures if useful.

Hi Graham, I was in your position with my Mk2 as the first lockdown kick in and I didn't know who to go to. So this was my experience if it helps as I bought a lot of replacement panels (as my fabrication skills are limited!) which had varying degrees of fit. Chicdoig would be my recommendation as they manufacture repair sections which are not available elsewhere. Two I found extremely useful were (i) Rear boot support panels and (ii) Lower bulkhead support panel. Its worth speaking to them as they have knowledge and appear willing to help fabricate any parts. Not cheap though. I also got boot sides, front and rear floor panels, tread-plates and lower b-post/wing repair sections from Chicdoig. All floor panels need a lot of work to fit anyway but they were ok. Their tread-plates are double skinned and slightly longer than standard which aids fitting. The B-post/rear wing repair sections fitted well. Fitchetts supplied front and rear valances and door skins. The front valance edge profile doesn't fit my aluminium bumper trim - a problem I have yet to resolve but the door skins were fine. Canley's supplied a front light/grill panel, claimed to be pressed from the original press. It wasn't cheap but fitted really well. As all three companies have real Triumph knowledge which I thought would be best? Many other companies are simply shops with little specific knowledge to advise - IMHO🙄 Anyway good luck !

Thanks Jonny, yes I think that is how it is intended to work. The spring is located at the back end which is pulling against it causing it to lift. The bracket idea is worth a look but there is not much room to work with. I'll see what I can do. I agree the quality of replacements is always an issue 😡

Afternoon All Currently working my way through fitting a new harness as part f the Vitesse restoration and couldn't get the main beam flash to work. Further investigation identified a switch malfunction. The plastic terminal block within the switch is not fixed within the metal part and therefore when the stalk is pulled back to activate the flash it rotates within its seating and the flash terminals fail to close. Very hard to describe so see video below. Do I need to replace it or am I missing something? Thanks in advance. A9046AE5-8A09-4486-B166-4F4339B06E9F.mov

many thanks 👍

Having just spent a while trying to work out a route for the tacho cable on my Mk2 restoration I remembered I'd used a donor Herald bulkhead!! 🤓 I would very much appreciate a photo/description as to where I should be drilling a new hole. Many thanks.

Just finished re-veneering the dash on my Mk2 Vitesse and thought I would share my experience for anyone else considering doing the same. It goes without saying, but photograph everything as you dismantle the dash to ensure it all goes back in the same place! As can be seen the starting point was not too pretty but using advice gleaned from the forum I used a heat gun to carefully remove the old lacquer. Once removed I could better inspect the existing veneer condition which was in a very poor state with cracks, chips and de-lamination. There were additional holes for accessories fitted by the PO. It was at this stage I decided to replace it. Some advice is to remove old veneer by sanding but mine was so dry and brittle I found it came off with a little gentle scraping. This exposed the plywood dash which had also de-laminated in places with parts of the top layer broken off. I was told that, if possible, retain the original dash as replacements can cause all sorts of later fitting issues. This makes a lot of sense given the quality of many replacement parts these days!! I therefore used wood filler to level up the plywood face. Care is needed when sanding the filler to ensure you do not remove any of the surrounding wood and everything remains flat. I did not want to re-veneer the door cappings as they are not exactly flat which may have caused difficulties in gluing on the new veneer and their condition was not too bad. I therefore simply sanded these down and applied lacquer to establish the grain/colour to get for the dash to match. The best way would be to take a sample along to the veneer shop but I am nowhere near so had to guess from pictures online. Straight Grained American Walnut has been suggested as the original used by Triumph but this did appear too grey. In the end I settled for Red Mahogany, the grain was not a good match but the colour was. I used the Veneer Hub ( https://www.thewoodveneerhub.co.uk ) and bought plain veneer at around £15/sheet (enough to do two dashboards). You can get more expensive iron-on options etc. This is the plywood following filling and sanding with the Veneer ready to apply I used standard waterproof wood glue and applied it to the dash, paying particular attention to the edges. Then carefully laid the dash on to the veneer and covered the whole thing with a polythene sheet to avoid sticking. Then clamped between two 25mm MDF planks. Use as many clamps as you can! I left this for about 4 hours and then carefully opened it to check if any glue had weeped through the veneer. It had so I used a wet cloth to remove it. I then clamped it back together and left it overnight. This stage is not essential as the excess glue can be removed later by sanding once fully set but can be more difficult. Once fully dry (24hrs) I removed the clamps again and very carefully trimmed off the excess veneer and cut out the instrument/switch apertures. I used a craft knife with a curved blade which I changed frequently. Particular care had to be taken with the glove box aperture because ideally you want to use this veneer to cover the door and get a nice match of grain across the dash. Same goes for the switch panel but here you have more room for error as the veneer required is much smaller than the aperture. Once done the edges were all sanded smooth and I sanded the face with 1200 grade. Here is the veneered dash components ready for lacquer. Note the matching door veneer grain 😎 I decided to use a cellulose lacquer in order that I might achieve a reasonably glossy finish. It also has the advantage of reduced drying time. I applied 5 coats of lacquer by brush, lightly sanding between each, building up a nice thick covering. (Note: if you have used any kind of wood stain don't use a solvent based finish as this will dissolve the stain and create a blotchy colour. With stains best use a water based finish.) I left the lacquer for a week to fully go off before trying to polish it. I used my DA with 1500 grade to flat back all the lacquer t a matt finish (a block will do but will be much harder). I then repeated with 3000 grade (3M Trizact) before using a cutting compound by hand. To finish off I simply polished it. I am very pleased with the result. The total costs were the Veneer (£15), wood filler (£8) and the Lacquer (£13). Everything else I had in stock from painting the body last year. The cheapest quote I got was £500 (dash + cappings) so I am quite chuffed.

Its in and no bang! Could see no way to fit the original s/s insert trim either on or off the car so opted for the plastic alternative which I fitted once the window was in place. This went in quite easily with care at the corners. Used a 3M windscreen sealer as it was a similar price to the gutter sealant. The instructions on this were to seal the glass into the gasket and then dry fit to the frame. Once correctly in position lift up the outer gasket lip and inject sealant around the whole screen/frame. I think this helped the fitting as it gripped the frame better and therefore stayed in place whilst pulling the cord - in any case it was certainly a cleaner option! As suggested by Colin, I used a length of wire from an old loom as cord and this worked very well with the plastic sheath aiding sliding on the rubber.

Thanks Pete, I hope that will work. My concern is the screen has to be pushed quite hard in the lower middle to get the seal near the flange to start the process. With either side already next to the flange the screen has to flex to accommodate this and I'm worried the screen will not flex this much without going bang!

Finally got around to having a go at fitting the windscreen to the Vitesse......stuff just gets in the way!! Ive just offered up the screen with seal fitted and thought I would seek the forum wisdom before hitting getting the hammer out! With both lower corners snug the middle section of the screen is some 8mm proud of the lip. I appreciate once the corners fit over the lip this will reduce but having never fitted a screen I am not sure if this is a normal starting-point or not? Its a laminated screen so mindful of Pete's warning re cracking. Top edge seems much better. Few pictures attached to illustrate. Any advice much appreciated.

About to try and fit the windscreen to my Vitesse. All good/useful info here, thanks to all for posting your experiences. Having read all about the difficulties people were having I initially thought I would go down the Autoglass route but a quote of £569.00 (and I supply the seal) made me think I should have ago myself. Screen (laminated) has arrived (£140ish) so when I have recruited some extra hands I'll make a start. Wish me luck!