SixasStandard

Thanks Tony.

I like your D/S door mirror Paul, I definitely need to get one of those. Ian

I expect you're right Pete, as I don't think Triumph would have bothered if they weren't serving a purpose, not in the face of the infamous BL bean counters!

Thanks Colin, as you suggest I'll bend the tabs down and attach on the N/S with self tappers, and probably epoxy some on the O/S and again use self tappers. Ian

Nope!!........I'm one of those 'old school' types that aren't married to their mobile!! (although would have come in handy on this occasion).

Hello All, Took the Vitesse for its MOT this morning, and came away with a pass with no advisories, plus the praises of the garage owner. Whilst he had the car up on the 4 post lift the examiner let me have a shufty underneath the old girl with an inspection lamp (not strictly allowed........but he was a classic car fan himself.......so no names no pack drill). There were the usual collection of oil leaks that I keep promising myself I'll sort out one day (you can quote that back to me in 5 years time).........but other than a totally solid chassis and floor pan (phew!) the only other thing of note were the sill fixings, or should I say LACK of them. The N/S sill has tabs spaced along its lower edge that are obviously meant to be screwed into the outer perimeter rail, but instead were simply bent up out of the way. On the O/S sill there weren't ant tabs at all. So my question is this.......are these tabs necessary or not? Any help/advice appreciated. Ian P.S. ALWAYS take a camera with you to the MOT garage........I forgot mine and missed out on an ideal opportunity to photograph the underside of the car whilst it was on the lift!!

Thanks Mate. Ian

I definitely think that there should be 4. I currently only have 2 per seat on the rear, and the runners foul on the carpet when you move the seat forward. If you have the runners properly greased this will have the dual effect of dirtying your carpet and wiping all of the grease off the runners, so I can't imagine that was they way it was intended. Ian

You're a complete gent! Ian

That's a very generous offer, I'll let you know mate. Ian

Looks like I need to keep on your good side then!! I'll have to check my spares stash to see if I have any lurking in the bottom of a box somewhere. Ian

Good to hear from you mate.......and thanks for the info, and offer of the sender unit. I've ordered the appropriate 'T' piece and adaptor for the Vitesse from James Paddock, and the 6ft braided pipe from E-Bay..........so I'm now sorted, but thanks again for the offer. That's a good point about the rubber washer when fitting the pipe to the gauge, so I'll be sure to get something if it doesn't come with the braided pipe. It would be a heart breaker if I coated the new carpet set in oil!! All the best, Ian

Hello All, I'm currently planning on spending this month's sweetie money on the required gubbins to connect up a newly installed Oil Pressure gauge in my Vitesse. The gauge is a period correct Smiths mechanical jobby, and on the advice of an experienced Vitesse owning friend (hope you're keeping well Richard) I'm going to be using braided flex pipe. My question relates to the thread size of the sender on my '68 Mk1 2L Vitesse.........is it 1/8" BSP? The only reason I ask is that I've seen a 'T' adaptor being punted on E-Bay that purports to be for various Triumph models (including the Vitesse) but which specifies a 1/8" NPT thread. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPITFIRE-DOLOMITE-STAG-TR6-GT6-VITESSE-1-8NPT-OIL-PRESSURE-GAUGE-ADAPTOR-II/122637100866 Also, what is the recommended method of making the connection at the sender end? the braided flex pipe that I'm planning to use has female connectors at both ends. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Braided-Oil-Pressure-Gauge-Pipe-6ft-1-8-BSP-Fittings-Flat-Ends-041-6/283888602531 Any help or advice greatly appreciated (as always). Ian

I can't bare it!!........did it pass?........did it fail?........were trafficators an option in the time available?........all will be revealed in due course.

That could be an option Doug, although by the looks of it my headliner has already been painted once before, so not sure how well a second coat would bond. Worth considering though. Ian

It's not the prospect of dusting off the Singer that has me worried Pete........it's taking the top half of my car apart that gives me the collywobbles!! I'll defer to the advice given to me in 1976 by my apprenticeship training instructor Mr. March.......'If it's not broken lad, then don't fix it'. Ian

Oh dear!!.......that has made my mind up very quickly!!.......thanks Pete. Ian

To be honest mate it's not that bad, just a few rips here and there, and could do with a good clean..........but if it was straightforward to do I would consider replacing it just to match the standard of the rest of the car, but now that Pete has given me the grisly details I think I'll live with it!! Ian

Now then you lot, How difficult is it to replace a Vitesse Mk1 2 Litre headliner? Now obviously it isn't going to be EASY.......but just how much grief is it likely to entail on a scale of 1 to 10? If anyone has actually done the job and can offer some insights then that would be greatly appreciated. I know from past experience with other cars that some models require the front and rear screens to come out, and if that's the case with the Vitesse then sorry to have to say that the current headliner will be seeing continued service! Ian

If you haven't already done so I would suggest posting this request on the various Triumph owners Facebook groups.........social media has such a wide reach nowadays it will definitely help your search. You might also increase the chances of a response if you had some photos of the car from its early days that you could offer to share with the current owner. Good luck. Ian

Fair comment Colin. I suppose I was coming at it from the angle of TSSC accredited businesses giving members preferential rates, or else providing services tailored to our specific cars. All academic really, as Nick's comments regarding Dennis Vessey have given me the reassurance I needed. Ian

Is there any chance that the TSSC would consider maintaining a list of recommended rolling road tuning shops, perhaps based on feedback from the local area clubs? I'm going to need a RR session for my Vitesse at some stage, and will probably just have to rely on a general web search. It would be good to have a list of TSSC accredited sites around the country where you know that the technicians have the experience of working with classic Triumphs. I have identified this business in North Lincolnshire, and would be interested to hear from anyone who has previous experience of them: Dennis Vessey - Carburettor setup, service and repair Ian

Great post Paul, these will definitely be going on my car in due course. Extra visibility for tail and stop lights is a great upgrade for improving overall safety, and at the cost you have quoted it's a 'no brainer'. Ian

When you get your new gearbox cover you might want to consider installing an oil filler grommet and sound deadening as part of the project. I did this on my Mk1 Vitesse 2 Litre recently. My car has the ABS cover, and this proved very easy to cut in order to fit the grommet, but I'm not so sure it would have been quite so straight forward with a fibreglass cover. The grommet just makes it a lot easier if you want to top up your gearbox oil, meaning that it can be done from inside the car with just the gearbox carpet section removed. I suppose you could even go one step further and make an access flap in your carpet as well. The grommet is from a Land Rover and available quite cheaply on E-Bay, whilst the sound deadening I used was called Dodo Dead Mat, and is excellent stuff.........I ended up covering my car's bulkhead and the boot floor as well. The picture of the cover's interior showing the sound matting installed was taken before I installed the grommet, just in case you were wondering where it had gone! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334189-Land-Rover-Series-2-2a-3-Gearbox-tunnel-Access-Blanking-Rubber-Grommet/291551705317?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dodo-Dead-Mat-Hex-Sound-Deadening-12-Sheets-12sq-ft-Car-Vibration-Proofing/162733411046?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Ian

I'm with Dave on this one. I recently installed a new molded carpet set in my '68 Mk1 Vitesse in the correct original colour of blue, replacing a very threadbare black one. As part of the project I stripped and restored the runners, and on my car the spacers were only present on the rear bolts. After installing the new carpet and refurbished seats I tested the seat adjustment fore and aft, and promptly left nice stripes of fresh lithium grease on my brand new carpet set!! The seat moves ok, but without the spacers on the front bolts the seat rails come into contact with the carpet........which I suppose isn't the end of the world if you have a black interior........but definitely doesn't work well with a blue one! I currently have my seats set well back on the runners to avoid any further problems (and because I'm 6'3") but will be adding the extra spacers when I can get some made. Never a dull moment with old cars!! Ian