AndyTV8

Old Spitfire of mine failed the MOT many years ago when fitted with a TT twin silencer system for being too loud - it was loud, but I hadn't bought it to be a shrinking violet Went back to Mr Hurrell who smiled and said, 'hmmm, we did have some that were like that!' Straight swap for a pair of back boxes with acoustic tail-pipes which had a very good note to them - I don't think they are available from anyone these days. I'd tend to agree with Garth that the 'semi' sport is probably the best bet if you are not a fan of too much noise. ..... Andy

Check timing is set ok, worth swapping for a known-good coil and distributed cap Check the diaphragm of the Stromberg for any splits (I rarely trust much a PO says!) , ensure the dashpots have oil in them and check the piston can be raised easily by hand and drops nicely. ..... Andy

Welcome! Good luck persuading your friend to sell .... Andy

Hmmmm.... sounds a bit odd ..... my Stag was a Mk 1, so no intermittent, but this may have some useful info: http://vitessesteve.co.uk/LucasStuff/Triumph-2-speed-wiper-wiring ..... Andy

i'm 6ft, not particularly slim and consider myself to be reasonably strong.... i wouldn't go smaller than a 14" wheel. that is based on running 195/65 15's if you have narrower tyres it would make things easier on the arm. Personally, I'm not keen on the wooden-rimmed Moto-lita (but respect the choice of others ) either the look or the thinner rim, much prefer the leather one. .... Andy

Welcome, your car looks very nice, enjoy! ...... Andy

not often I get things right, but that is good news! I'll pick up a couple of gallons tomorrow at Stoneleigh tomorrow ..... Andy

I've been using VR1 for a long time.... but I'm going to try Classic Oils heritage 20/50 next change - £17 for 5 litres and 1300 ppm ZDDP, sounds like a good combo. ....... Andy

Welcome Derek, nice choice of car

I'm sure Mike Papworth could help you out: http://www.classiccarwebsite.com/mike-papworth-triumph-parts He's pretty contactable on Facebook as well ...... Andy

Have you tried Brasso or T-Cut, I've used both in the past, although not sure if the 'mix' is still the same these days - worth trying a small area first (Brasso used to be a finer cut than T-cut) ...... Andy

My money is on the baseplate earth wire ..... Andy

I looked at these a while ago but could never find a price, they are a good idea, but at 35ld each per corner I don't think I could sneak them back home in a suitcase ! ...... Andy

..... Forgot to add, while checking your Stromberg diaphragms also check that the dash pots have oil in them. ...... Andy

I think you have the right answers already.... My money is on the HT side, personally, I'd also lose the Sparkrite in favour of a simonbbc Powerspark (at their price, I'd buy two and shove one in the glovebox as a spare) ....... Andy

I couldn't resist ..... Andy

not everyone likes Halfords, but their Professional range of tools (when combined with special offers or a Trade Card) become good value, particularly when you consider their no-quible replacement if you do manage to break them. ..... Andy

High Pressure, Low Volume

if you think with your head (will i ever recoup the money?) then the answer will always be to move it on, if you think with your heart then you'll invest the money for your own enjoyment rather than for any potential future profit. The other part of the equation is, if you take your nominal £5k refurb-fund, add that you the cash you'd get if you sold your 'tired' car (£2k?) can you buy what you want for the combined total (£7k) and be happy ? choices choices..... .... andy

It certainly does seem to be sinking on the offside (or levitating on the nearside!) ...... Andy

welcome..... your Spitfire looks very nice - i'll keep an eye out for it. ........ Andy

No experience of this myself, but I agree that it sounds wrong! ....... Andy

I used a monsoon for a couple of years on my Previous car (Stag) mine only lasted 2 winters, during the second one it began to deteriorate badly. Worth saying that my car was a daily-driver, so I took it off/on everyday, so my usage pattern may not have been typical. I ended up switching to a Hamilton classic moltex-type (bought via the club) which was excellent - a couple of seams began to go after 4 years, but my best surgical stitch-work with some leather-thread kept it going for another year when I bought another one. I was impressed enough to choose the cockpit-cover from the same company for my current TR - slightly easier to handle and store in the boot - but obviously doesn't cover the entire car! Hope this help..... Andy

Not sure when the change-over to ballast took place - but do you have the correct coil for your set-up? 1.5 ohm for ballasted, 3 ohm for non-ballasted. HT-wise I'd complete the replacements by replacing the distributor cap and rotor arm. You could also rule out points/condenser with a swap to an electronic ignition - at £25 a powerspark (which includes a decent red rotor arm) probably wouldn't break the bank. ....... Andy

Weather is looking ok, so should be there ....... Andy