Chilliman

Welcome, I'm in North Devon also & attend the monthly meetings at Littleham, it's a friendly bunch so come & introduce yourself. Nice bit of pub grub as well! John B

Well written article, thanks for sharing

Just done that very thing this winter for one of my cars, not exactly Moto-Lita quality but I'm happy with the end result which cost peanuts compared to new.

Nice clean lines & very purposeful looking...🙄.....lovely, just as I like them.

Having a clear out in the garage which is nearly all Triumph parts I've built up over many decades & have come across this new overrider which I'm struggling to identify & beginning to think it's probably not even Triumph...anyone got any ideas?

In that case I think I would start with some very basic geometry checks before you go any further- distance between nearside front/rear hub centres compared to offside for starters (I.e. wheelbase)

Some nice looking cars there thanks for posting Looks like a nice event in Angoulême, I'm quite tempted.

Yes, I agree with you it was pretty basic, I have to admit I made full use of the last section which from memory was a bit of a catch all......but my point was that at least they asked before making decisions unlike the register management who appear to be making decisions without asking in the first place...

Aah excellent, Yes I know Graham, he will have a good knowledge of the issue I'm referring to. Best of luck with getting it sorted

To be fair Colin - at least the TSSC have actually conducted a survey to canvass the members as to what they want in terms of events which is more than the TRR have done so all in all I feel the TSSC are probably coming out on top in my view.

I fear from your description that what you may have is a sheered pin (p/n 158777) in the fork of your clutch cross shaft, this is an achilles heel item in the drive train of the TR's. They have a habit of breaking with only part of it remaining in place but allowing a greater rotation of the cross shaft inside the release bearing fork. This in turn means the fork is not able to apply full pressure to the release bearing & hence the clutch driven plate is barely released which is why you are crunching in the two lowest gears - first & reverse. Sorry to say that is a gearbox out situation. There are now new hardened pins available but most of us also cross drill the release fork & shaft & fit a spring dowel to put it into a double sheer situation. P.s. the clutch slave rod should engage in the centre hole - or at least it does on my TR4's & we tend to share the same mechanics at this point.

Welcome Luke, that's a nice looking car you have.

Good spot...the Sportiva version perhaps?

I've got a set of these, which I picked up when they were on offer, still about twice the price of conventional dollies but work superbly & saves the hassle of jacking cars on & off in a restricted space.

i think when the original workshop manual's were produced the recommendations were entirely appropriate but we are now 50 - 60 years down the road and I personally would have no issue with the use of a gasket sealer. I'm not a great fan of the silicon sealers (RTV) which I have seen destroy engines due to over use causing blocked oilways but a a smear of something like Wellseal would provide some significant reassurance without risk...I remember Hylomar blue from the old days but no recent experience so I am l cannot comment. as to how appropriate it would be but either way I think you are on the right course.....

Well done Sandy, that was worth the effort if it's identified the problem, I would personally go for a head skim first as the head is the most likely unit to have changed shape...that doesn't mean to say the block doesn't need doing but given the cost & effort involved I'd get the head skimmed & pressure tested first - it's the most likely offender - Your machine shop should be able to give you some idea as to the quality or otherwise of the head face. Of all the engines I've built I have only had to deck a block once.....

Thanks Martyn, I'd had a look at those - unfortunately the ones they have are a different style & only 50mm high so the wouldn't clear my rear axle protrusion.

Having damaged one of my original centre caps I am in need of a replacement & having searched the Web it would appear this particular style & size is no longer produced. For a Minilite 66mm centre hole & the cap it stands 62mm high Anyone got an old one or part set kicking around?

Going back to your original post - I don't see any sign of the head gasket having 'blown' in fact as Peter has rightly said it looks as good as new & with very limited compression marks. What torque is the head set at and do you use a sealant? I ask that simply because I only work on the four pot TR 'tractor' engines & I always use a coat of Wellseal on my copper shim gaskets, I appreciate they are completely different engines, just curious.

If you've got a cracked block allowing that much coolant out - the fact it's cold wont make a huge difference, a pressure test will still manifest itself somewhere, although I do doubt that as the problem unless the block has had some serious abuse.

Excellent.....👍

Having a nice even reading across the pots is a good start & your wet test is giving you just over a 16% lift in pressure which is indicative of some wear in the bores which is to be expected but if she's running well I wouldn't be contemplating a re-bore yet based on that data - it's just a used engine but certainly not a knackered one.

Hammer & dolly every time for me - plenty of control, can be rolled gradually & with the correct dolly should never produce marks on the skin.

I always use NGK, - from the fitment tables it looks like the equivalent for your BP5ES are BPR5EIX...like you say worth a try.....👍

Not an answer to the source of your plug fowling problem but a suggestion to keep you running smoothly this year until you track down the underlying issue - valves, guides, carburation etc. I was suffering quite badly with plug fowling to the point of misfire & poor starting which meant I was frequently swapping/cleaning plugs - not such a problem for me as I knew the reason why - I run rich on Webers and compete in sprint & hill climbs with lots of stop start & prolonged idling on occasions followed by high revs & then lots more idling. In March this year I fitted a set of the Iridium spark plugs, I was a bit dubious as to whether I would see any real difference , in fact a good friend of mine referred to them as a case of the emperors new clothes, however I have been very impressed with the difference, the car starts & idles from cold straight away,no missing at all. The only downside is the cost as they are about four times the price of stock plugs........but if you want to keep her running this year & attack the cylinder head etc next winter as a winter project it may be worth you considering... Good luck John