mpbarrett

also check the rack mounting, if these are soft the rack will move in the mounting and it does make the steering interesting...` With the bonnet open wiggle the steering and check to see if the rack moves. mike

took the Herald out this afternoon to get some stuff from Twenty Pence garden centre. Nice fast ride along the straight roads from Cottenham to Wilburton. Gave the car a good run. Only problem is the wiper dont turn off, I think I have messed up the wiring... something to sort out before Mondays ride out. Mike

peter Baldwin was working in Cambridge last year. The local TSSC club took a couple of cars to his rolling road for a tune up. mike

just done the same on my Herald. Managed to fit a diode in a Lucas black rubber round connector in the feed from the original flasher to the indicator switch. mike

my experience of going from twin SU's, tubular exhaust, 1500 engine straight to EFI and wasted spark mapped ignition is that the EFI/fuel and ignition means thats you get a smoother engine. Not sure there is an overall gain in max power but instead of a couple of sweet spots in the tune its nice over the whole rev range. And so much nicer to drive... This was on an engine with 3 good compression cylinders and one very poorly! Mike

they are ok if used with a correctly adjusted crimp tool. Anything else and they are useless! Before I retired I worked for a large oil field service company, Schlumberger, in the 1980's they were having a very large expensive research facility built (see picture below) and a very large and expensive research drilling machine built. the electrical work was contracted out. One day the chief electrical engineer was visiting the control room for this expensive (£5 Million) facility and watch in horror as the 'electrician' was using a pair of ordinary pliers to crimp the terminals onto the cables.... The 'electrician' was thrown off the site and main contractor had to get there electrical contractor to redo ALL the crimped connections on the facility. It cost thousands of pounds and weeks of work to redo all the connections. Therefore, if you don't have the correct crimping tool don't try to use crimped connections! Mike

They came from Carbuilders have a look at the web link "For 4.7mm (3/16") Lucas Type Brass Bullet Connectors Part Number: LUCRIMP" Mike

You can buy a decent crimp tool. Well it does a decent crimp to the wire but you have to make sure you have squeezed it all the way, its not like a racket crimp tool! I have been using it on the Herald and it makes very good connections. See https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/crimping-tool-for-lucas-terminals Mike

just had a letter from Kerlsey media transferring the remaining subscription to Classic car Mart. They are blaming the Covid-19 crisis as the reason for shutting it down, not sure that is the complete reason. You don't often see Triumph world for sale in super markets (well not round Cambridge) etc so I would have thought that most sales are from subscriptions. As for writing new articles, I would have thought they had some in hand a and could have raided there archive.... However they do add, in the small print at the bottom of the letter, that you can choose a different title from the magazines they publish or get a refund. Mike

but you can only do one fly before the tool breaks into hundreds of bits... A magazine is good for a whole swam of flies.... mike

sad they cant make it pay. Simon did a couple of articles on my Herald. We talked about the magazine and classic car mags, he used to work on Practical Classics. In those days he would have a photographer and writers. Now he is virtually produced the whole mag, interviews, writing the articles and taking all the photos. There was part of Kelsey that sorted the advertising but that was it. Whole magazine produced by very few people. I still like a paper magazine it can be read anywhere without having to find tablet, charger, wifi etc.. mike

I am sure I saw something in an old mag about using a house brick to measure brakes. You rotated it around put the brakes on and looked to see if it fell over, on its end for min braking on its side for max braking have to see if I can find the article mike

BTW I am replacing the mechanical pressure gauge with an pressure transducer and need an adapter. I could buy one but as I have the time and the lathe and milling machine I thought I could make one I could take the old one out and measure it... Mike

Trying to find what size is the thread in the engine block used for the oil pressure switch? I have been thru a Vitesse and Herald workshop manual but cant find any thread details. The Vitesse manual has a list of all the torque settings for everything on the engine, and this also lists the thread size, but it does not include the oil pressure switch. I found one reference to the switch (in the electrical section) that states its a 1/8" 27 TPI American Standard Taper. At the moment mine goes into an adapter so no sure if the block thread is a taper thread or not. So does anyone know what size the thread is? And, more generally, is there anywhere a list of the threads sizes used on Triumph cars? I don't have a parts list so maybe it in that. thanks mike

You can have very good brakes on a Triumph but you need to pay attention to the details. I think its sometimes the feel that is very different to a modern, more free play before anything happens usually its just wear and tear of an old system. Check for corrosion on the front disks, if there is any change them you want the max area for the pads to work on. Get the rear brakes working correctly (difficult on the late self adjusting GT6 brakes, but possible). Make sure the hand brake is properly adjusted and works. Use new brake fluid if it more than a few years old change it. Check all the pivot point on the master cylinder to pedal (they wear and will reduce the feel of the brakes as there is more free play), check the brake pedal bearing for wear. Bleed the system carefully and get rid of all the air in the system. Yes to Minex pads, worth paying for. Mike

I wonder if there is an issue with fitting power steering to a Herald etc. Are the components of the steering system strong enough to cope with power steering? Most modern cars allow you to turn the wheel when the car is not moving, that must put a lot of force on the steering components. That's ok if its been designed like that but if you do it on a system not design for those loads, will stuff break? Mike

New ali spacers made and fitted, they are 40mm and 38 mm long to allow enough thread through the space for.the nut. The original spacer were made from hard plastic. They do stick out a bit from the bulkhead a bit I don't this will be a problem, I think it wont interfere with the dashboard surround. Maybe I will do a trial fitting of the surround.. The motor is a 2 speed GT6 one with a 100 degree crank, the crank gives about 25 mm of stroke.. With the 22 tooth wheel in the gearbox this give about 120 degrees of wiper movement. It all feels amazing with no play in the linkage! I am not sure what the correct wiper movement for a 1968 13/60 herald should be? I can change the wheel in the motor for a 90 degree one, I will have to calculate what wiper sweep that would give. I need to pull it apart to grease before the final fitting. Anyway pictures below. Mike

Colin have turned down some 40mm spacers, think they will fit but will put it all together tomorrow and try it! Will take some pics. Actually nice to spend some time on the lathe, something very satisfying about turning metal.... cheers mike

It came from SVC (Pete mentioned them earlier in the thread). I have brought other parts from SVC before. it does not say that it will fit a Herald and I thought it looked a bit long in the picture... but as I hadn't been able to find the correct part I decided to take a chance. Finding 22 teeth ones seem to be the problem. Its one of those parts that you really need new, any second hand parts are probably too worn already. Here is the link https://www.s-v-c.co.uk/product/14w-wiper-wheelboxes-22-teeth/ I expect someone will tell me where to get the correct bit from, and probably cheaper... Mike

Pete Only a problem (I think) with the 22 teeth gearbox, you seem to be able to get the correct 32 teeth boxes from the usual suspects which I assume have the correct shaft length. On the pre 1969 Heralds, the shaft is so close to the windscreen that the rubber windscreen seal actually covers the plastic spacer on the outside. I guess the rubber windscreen seal is a slightly difference design from the original OEM design. I don't think you could fit a 32 tooth gearbox as there would not be room for it. mike

Adrian Yes planning to do the same with a bit of redundancy, I am hoping to use Lucas colours if possible. New Wiper gearbox arrived. Unfortunately the shaft is much longer than the original herald one but I can turn up a spacer for them. The passenger side is easy but it will be very close to the steering column support on the drivers side, I think it will just fit. great to still be able to buy stuff online at the moment.. Mike

Colin its a mk3 2 speed GT6 modified to fit the Herald. I had to replace the parking switches and have added a Arduino to give interrupted wipe. Have ordered some new 22 teeth gearboxes (very expensive) and had to split the nuts to get the old ones out. The outer housing was rotating in the case so could not undo the nut. Both gears badly worn and lots of wear on the shaft. I am surprised they worked as well as they did! I don't think there was room to fit 32 teeth gearboxes, the hole for the wipe shaft is very close to the edge of the windscreen, I think the later 32 wheel gearboxes were fitted slightly down from the edge of the windscreen (see page 35 of Mike Costigans book on the Herald/Vitesse). My GT6 motor has 100degree wheel in it. Once I get the new gearboxes I will fit them and measure what sweep I am getting.. I have another wheel for the wiper motor if needed. At least it should keep the wiper arms on the screen rather than go off on to the body, windscreen surround, depending on day of the week, rain wind etc etc... Beginning to think about the wiring. Most of the nasty added stuff is/was feeds to radio, interior lights, washer motor, and other stuff added and removed over the years. Beginning to think the neatest way is to add a new fuse and relay box under the dash on the drivers side and have separate fused feeds for permeant and switch supplies all. I already have a fuse box and relays set in the engine bay for the lights. I could run one relay from the ignition to provide a switched supply (on when the ign is on) that can feed radio USB outlets, 12V sockets (for sat nav) each with separate fuse. I have also just fitted new MX5 heated seats so they need switched fused supply as well. That would take the load off the ign switch and make it all a bit neater. On the dash surround I don't use the ashtray so am thinking of replacing to with an outlet to feed the Sat Nav, it would save having a cable across the dashboard. I think I need to sit done and work out whats needed, what would be nice to have, and what I already have, and start to draw a circuit diagram..... The car is not very standard, on the passengers side I have the Megasquirt to control the fuel injection and ignition so no room there for more fuses/relays on that side. Mike

Peter, Colin thanks they are a bit pricey but I am not spending any money in my local pub at the moment ….. have to take my GT6 wiper motor to bits to see what wheel I put in it.. regards mike

I have been wanting to do this for the last 15 Years... The dashtop has always been bent and the cardboard is all falling apart, as I have a few weeks before I can drive the car again I decided to take the dash surround out of the car. Not a pretty sight, years of bodging of the wiring and lots of connections etc fuses etc added. Most of them are, I am ashamed to say, are my bodges over the 15 years... Hopefully I can sort if all out, add another fuse box and make it a bit neater. I also want to change the wiper box as they are very worn (I can move the arms by about 40 degrees and yes I have rotated the wheels round). The problem is that is has 22 teeth cogs in them rather than the normal 32 teeth cogs. Not sure you can buy the 22 teeth wiper boxes...The car is a 13/60 but made in 1968, the wiper positions and wiper boxes changed in 1969.. As I have a modified 2 speed GT6 wiper motor I can probably play around with the drive wheel in the wiper motor to get the right movement. At the moment its about 170 degrees! I have a new surround (from a Vitesse) that is in fairly good condition and not split. I have painted it with PVA glue to stabilize it and is seems quite strong now so will use that to replace the old one. I think this will keep me busy for a while... Mike

yes can all be done on a Pi or Ardunio but its nice to have the software to do all the tricky graphic stuff, and the PLC is designed to be very reliable. I have seen them installed in factories and just sit there working for years without any intervention. I have played with a PI driving a display from a megasquirt and one of the problems is the boot time and building in a safe shutdown when the power goes off, otherwise it tends to corrupt the SD card... I ended using a Ardunio to control the power to the Pi to shut it down safely. Look forward to seeing the finished (or part finished) project. Mike