Nigel Clark

Oooh, that looks very nice. May need a cold shower after viewing such hot pics! Nigel

Yes, me too. I had to bin a pair of cheap replacement bushes and order the uprated ones. Nigel

Hi Ian, I can't open your photo. Is it possible to upload it as a .jpg file? With the steering wheel and column switches out, you should be looking at the horn contact ring which is held into the outer column by metal tabs which gently bending back. Then you should see the clip on the inner column which self cancels the indicators. Behind that, further into the column is the upper bush. To do a proper job and replace both bushes, the whole column assembly does need to be removed but you shouldn't need to disturb the bolts on the ignition switch/steering lock if fitted (only fitted to very late Mk3s and Mk4/1500). Some (not me!) would do half the job because it's much easier... (this trick of the trade applies up to all Spitfires up to early 1500s, don't know if it works for the later ones). The upper bush usually wears faster than the lower one. With the steering wheel, horn ring, column switches and self-cancelling clip removed, it's possible to fit a new upper bush without removing the old one. Slide the new bush over the inner column and using a suitable diameter tube as a drift, push the new bush down into the column so the old bush moves further down. Tap the new bush down until the mounting lugs engage with the holes in the outer column. Final piece of hard won experience: some cheap replacement bushes are poorly made and of doubtful dimensions. In my opinion, it's worth paying the extra for the uprated bushes. Nigel

Well certainly not over 9k with 1500... At least not while running in! Nigel

Try this recent post: Nigel

Haha! Colin just beat me to it. I've got a pair of new handbrake return springs ready to fit to my Spitfire Mk3, part no.131806. They measure up as follows: - Spring length 38mm - Coil Diameter 14.6mm - Wire diameter 2.2mm - 20 coils. Nigel

I just took a look at a spare Delco distributor. It's 1/4" with a square nut but the thread looks much coarser than UNF, seems to be UNC. Don't know if the Lucas version is different. Nigel

Well you were never going to resist the temptation! Hope fitting up ancillaries and fire up go well. Nigel

Novel idea! It would be interesting to have a 'before and after' rolling road comparison. Is the engine really sucking hard enough at 3-4,000 rpm for the air valve piston to be a significant obstruction? I would be concerned about the consequences of running the engine at full throttle above the self-imposed rev limit of 4,000 rpm. At higher revs with the engine drawing more air, the metering needle would already be at the top of its travel with no possibility to increase fuel flow. I expect the mixture would go very weak and combustion temp could increase enough to damage the pistons or exhaust valves. Just my thoughts... Nigel

This is getting interesting! Volumetric Efficiency also needs to be considered. For a normally aspirated 4 stroke engine, with fixed valve timing, 2 vertical valves per cylinder, bath tub combustion chamber and modest cam timing, VE will be somewhat lower than 100%, perhaps 75-80% as a guesstimate. Air speed may therefore be lower than calculated above, but it's still going to be moving pretty fast, well in excess of 150mph through those 2" tubes at peak revs and wide open throttle. So a large diameter air feed tube will work best. The standard-fit flexi tube feeding cold air from the filter to the plenum on an injected TR6 is 4-5" diameter. That's more like it! Nigel

This is quite a mystery. Unusual for the factory WSM to be wrong but in this case it appears to be. Nigel

Could it be 9/16" BSF perhaps, the fine version of the Whitworth thread form? Nigel

Strange, the WSM definitely says 9/16" Whit, but I see what you mean about the Whitworth thread being coarser. Nigel

According to the the factory WSM, it's 9/16" Whitworth, torque to 28-30 lb ft. Nigel

Jigsaw used to sell thicker sump and timing case gaskets. In Mark Field's words, the sump gaskets 'are the only ones that never leak'. The thicker timing case gasket replicated the factory original, ensuring the timing chain runs in the centre of the tensioner (more of an issue for duplex chains). I've no idea if these are still available following the sad demise of Jigsaw. Nigel

No coat hanger wire or milk bottle tops as fuses then!? Nigel

Haha! How did you know, that's the exact method that I spent 30 years developing. Nigel

Check this out for classic vehicle inflation: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174207892019 Nigel

The trouble with such tasks is that we amateurs only perform them occasionally. We learn how to do it the hard way, we get the job done, and by the time we need to do it again several years later, we've forgotten how. Advancing age doesn't help either. Try refitting the securing pins into a Triumph window winder handle if you haven't done it for a while... Back to square one! Nigel

Haha, we all love that kind of honesty! About the tensioner pivot pin... They are fiddly. I've done them a few times, using the original washers, placing the spilt pin through the hole with small, thin nose pliers then rotating the pivot pin so the open end of the split pin points towards the middle of the cover. The head of the pin is then held against the inside of the cover with the pliers while the ends are tickled apart with a small screwdriver. Only needs three hands! Nigel

I'm happy to bow to Kevin's knowledge. Welding it is then. Nigel

I've just a quick look under the back of my Spit Mk3. As you know, these handbrake cable guides fit to the chassis bracket onto which the front differential mounting bridge attaches. Assuming the diff bridge mountings are already welded on the chassis, I imagine the cable guides could be attached with a pair of small (M5 or similar size) bolts but space is tight. If it was my car, I would want this properly welded later, which would require dropping the diff so the front bushes didn't get melted. If using small bolts, plug welding into the bolt holes at a later date should make the mounting stronger. Just my point of view, others may or may not agree. Nigel

I think we're talking about a four cylinder engine here, in which case there's no seal extension or spacer on the crank nose. Colin or Pete will tell us for certain. The timing cover oil seal runs on the crank pulley if I recall and the pulley is secured to the threaded crank nose by a sleeve nut. So I would fit the oil seal to the cover, loosely bolt the cover to the engine, then gently slide the pulley onto the crank to centre the oil seal, and after that tighten the cover bolts. Before offering up the pulley, clean the face on which the seal runs and polish with fine wet & dry; clean it well and lubricate seal and pulley with lots of oil so it all slips together easily without damaging the seal. Nigel

Pete, I know the Payen head gaskets are supposed to be fitted dry, as they have a resin coating. However, they still leak oil by the pushrods often as not. Using Wellseal down the pushrod edge of the gasket and around the rocker oil feed has worked for me twice in the last few years, though it didn't fully seal the head on my TR6. But that TR engine is a bit of a 'heavy breather'! I've asked a couple of professional Triumph engine builders how to prevent this oil leak recently. Both said use a Payen HG with Wellseal and for what it's worth, they put the sealer on the entire gasket face. Nigel

You mention Canley and Chris Witor. Both supply quality parts, I used Witor for my 2.5 litre rebuild a year ago. Further advice if I may... Use a thread locking compound like Loctite 243 on critical fasteners including main bearing, big end and flywheel bolts. Torque the bolts accurately, consider buying a new calibrated torque wrench, Halfords Pro tools are good. Use top quality gaskets, Payen for example. The head gasket has a nasty habit of leaking oil from the push rod side. Coat both sides of the gasket with Wellseal, it's what the trade use then torque the nuts in the correct sequence. Re-torque after 2-300 miles. Finally, enjoy the process of building the engine, let it take as much time as necessary, and if in doubt on any aspect of the rebuild ask here. Pete has most if not all of the answers! Nigel