Chris Longhurst

Rather random selection of countries he/she won't ship to! Bolivia, Haiti, Liberia, Nicaragua, Turkmenistan, Paraguay, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Venezuela

I recall using Castrol PH White (Brake) Grease back in the late 70's and 1980s - if I remember correctly it was recommended because it was 'waterproof' (it also had marine applications). It did the job. Not sure why I started using copper later on - probably because I had a tube to hand. Chris

My post was a little misleading - what I have is some Vitesse 2L MkII body shells in resin that seem to have been derived from a 1/32nd Airfix Herald. 1 will use for a 2L MKII, the other 2 will be modified to a 1600 and a Indian Standard Herald MKIII 4-door (which has a early Vitesse bonnet) - hence the need to the grill mesh size! Attached (I hope) are a few pics (apologies for the poor quality) - the front end shape looks o.k. although I think the lights are slightly over-scale. There is also a lot of 'flash; from casting to remove. I once tried to convert an Airfix Herald to a Vitesse but realised that although peoples faces are usually asymmetrical, Vitesse front ends are usually not & gave up on the project. Chris

Thanks Gav. - very helpful. Regards - Chris

I wonder if anyone with easy access to their Vitesse 1600 or 2L MkI could measure the size of the 'hole' in the front grill and the thickness of the metal around the hole for me!! (mm preferred) I am building a model Vitesse from a modified Herald Airfix kit & need to purchase some fine mesh for the grill & need full sizes so I can scale down & order. Many Thanks - Chris (78/00350)

The smooth snake is the 3rd UK 'true' snake - but rare. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/reptiles/smooth-snake

I leave them in place on the suspension but put a rubber cover in place (the covers can also be used on brake nipples to stop dust & dirt getting in). Plenty on eBay - example:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-UNIVERSAL-RUBBER-BLEED-NIPPLE-PIPE-COVERS-BLEED-SCREW-COVERS-GREASE-CAPS/124332539498?hash=item1cf2cbfe6a:g:ToEAAOSwyedfWfvS I'm sure they are available from many other suppliers.

Not sure where to put this - my daughter who was transported around the UK in Heralds throughout the late 70s - to early 90s has been planning a trip to Japan with her family & found this on YT (as they can't go for a while they have been watching videos instead!) - at approx 1min & 2mins in there are some nice shots of a Signal Red saloon whizzing around Tokyo. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VmXPwCJ9lag Chris 78/00350

Even back in the late 70s/80s, when I was 'busy' with my (then) 'fleet' of Heralds, I don't ever recall new rubber hoses (usually purchased from Halfords or similar) coming with the anti-chafe springs - maybe they were sold separately. I always transferred the springs to the new hoses. So ingrained was the habit that I fitted them to the braided hoses when I fitted them to the car 20+ years ago - so at least I know where they are!! Chris

Of course I will use new fluid for final bleeding; but as it may (almost certainly will!) take me several weeks to complete the work with the calipers off of the car I would rather have the old fluid in the system while waiting to complete the work so the MC & rear cylinder seals do not dry out. The final bleed fluid will come from a new sealed 'can' of brake fluid. I generally change the fluid every 2-3years but have been a bit lax of late as the Herald has been off the road for a while. On my modern car and my wife's modern car I have the fluid changed every 2 years during the dealer service to be on the safe side.

Thanks everyone - time for new hoses as well as calipers - I'll check to see if the front calipers can be reconditioned; probably time for new ones or professionally reconditioned ones. I put in new pistons/seals 22 years ago but seem to recall that several days were spent removing the old ones! Just remembered (from 30+ years ago!) that a double or triple layer of cling film over the master cylinder reservoir (held in place by the reservoir cap) will stop all the brake fluid running out & ensures the seals in master cylinder/wheel cylinders stay 'lubricated'.

Thanks Pete - totally agree with you on question #2 regarding clamping. What about the longevity (question #2) of braided hoses - how many years before they need replacement? With rubber hoses it is easier to spot degradation! Thanks - Chris

A couple of questions on braided brake hoses:- 1. I fitted braided hoses all round to my 1200 Herald Convertible in ~1988 when doing a rebuild - I'm assuming these braided hoses are 'lined' with rubber. How long do these last before needing replacement? (I think they were Goodrich brand which at the time was regarded a reputable brand) 2. I need to remove the front calipers (seized pistons) - can these braided hoses be clamped in the same way as ordinary 'all rubber' hoses or is it a case of catching the fluid in a contained for later disposal? Thanks - Chris (78-00350)

Thanks for the info - lucky escape for me as I was planning to take out a subs. as WHSmith (where I usually buy my copy) is not open . I wonder how many other magazines will go under? Have ordered a single copy of the last issue from Kelsey; overall a good magazine with a nice mix of articles.

British Heritage Models have recently listed a couple of Standard Gazel (4 door Herald derivative produced in India with a non swing spring back axle) 1/43rd models by Max Derrez. http://www.britishheritagemodels.co.uk/ourshop/prod_6581053-STANDARD-TRIUMPH-GAZEL-4DOOR-HERALD-INDIA-SCALE-143-ROYAL-BLUE.html http://www.britishheritagemodels.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7117660-STANDARD-TRIUMPH-GAZEL-4DOOR-HERALD-INDIA-SCALE-143-RED.html There is also a 1.43rd scale Derrez Triumph (Standard) 'front end' listed. http://www.britishheritagemodels.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7117661-TRIUMPH-HERALD-FRONT-END-INDIA-SCALE-143-MATTE-GREY.html All slightly expensive but unusual topics. They are also listed on eBay. Chris (78/00350)

The Vitesse CV has been on sale for over a year now - seems to be out of stock on the BHM site - there are still a few on eBay. At 1/18th scale it is a magnificent beast but takes up a lot of space ! It is about time the BHM entry was updated. The Derrez Herald is also out of stock - Max Derrez has retired so I doubt if there will be any more; personally I don't like the wire wheels version pictured - the wheels are too big & I prefer my version with 'stock' white painted wheels. Chris

If anyone is interested Silas Models have released some 1.43rd scale resin Triumph 2000 & 2500 estates in various colors. Fairy expensive but I do not think that there are many models of the large Triumph estates around. Silas models are pretty good (I have their Herald 1200 coupe & Herald 1200 estates & the colours are very accurate). They can be purchased in the UK from British Heritage Models (1st four entries) http://www.britishheritagemodels.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=triumph+estate&search.x=2&search.y=6 They are also listed on eBay. Chris

As the topic of Newsletters, Couriers & Turning Circles has come up in a few ‘threads’ I went back to look at the history of these TSSC publications. An A5 newsletter has been published more or less monthly, under various names, from October 1977 until present. #1 (Oct 1977) to #14 (April 1977) the publication was simply known as the ‘NEWSLETTER’ with the TSSC logo, date and number on the front. In May 1979 (#15) the monthly publication was renamed ‘Turning Circle’ (not to be confused with later Turning Circles – see below) and continued under this name until #26 in May 1980. June 1980s publication (#27) was labelled ‘Temporary Issue; this was succeeded in July 1980 by ‘The Courier’ #1 – which has continued until the present day. Single topic Turning Circles (Marques, Competition, 10th Anniversary of the TSSC...) in A5 format started in October 1981 (#1 Herald) and continued until May 1991 (#17 Spitfire IV 1500). I also have two A4 Turning Circles which do not fit into the general pattern. The first from March 1979 and labelled Vol 1 Number 1 was edited by Peter Hocking; the cover page reads ‘Turning Circle. Incorporating The Amphicar Owners Register‘ and has a few pages of club news; the rest is dedicated to the Amphicar. The second A4 TC is undated and was edited by D.R.Hughes – I think it was published in late 1980; it contains a long article by Dave Bayliss & Sue Chambers on the Round Britain Tour for the Herald’s 21st birthday which I think was in May 1980, a short update on Bonds by Dave McDougall and an article on Clutch Overhaul by myself (I don’t remember that at all!). It is printed on glossy paper & has some decent pictures of the tour in it. I don’t have, or recall, any other A4 Turning Circles – but maybe someone out there has seen others. Chris 78/00350

Thanks - the multiple refresh worked for me (Windows 10 laptop with Firefox) - good thing as I've no no idea how to 'clear my cache' !

I would recommend using Revell Contacta glue (blue container/'needle' dispenser) rather than a tube of glue (similar to the ones you & I used 40 years ago) - the Revell option is a lot easier to use. The moulds for the kits kits are getting a bit long in the tooth (I think they were first used in 1962) so there is a fair amount of flash and small imperfections to clean off. Chris Longhurst