jagnut66

I didn't see any on the site, or do you mean from the likes of Halfords? My only concern with a 'length of blade' would be the lack of end stops to prevent it sliding back out as it sweeps across the screen. Best wishes, Mike.

Methinks this could veer off again at any moment! 😄 As an aside, something that I touched on when typing the initial post in this saga, I am very glad that I did purchase those new wipers. The ones on Hetty looked okay but were scraping rather than sweeping across the screen. The replacements are much more supple, so safety wise it was a good job done. I still haven't thrown the old ones out though, the stainless frames are in such good nick it seems an awful waste. If I had seen rubber blades for them on Rimmers site I'd have just bought those. C'est la vie. I suppose I'll bin them once I'm sick of looking at them on the kitchen side......................... Best wishes, Mike.

😄 It did veer a bit 'off topic' didn't it. 😄 For those looking for where it went follow / click on the link in the above post by KevinR. Best wishes, Mike.

Interesting stuff. Don't worry I won't be buying one. Best wishes, Mike.

I didn't think I'd seen any fitted to engines I've looked at. If the engine needed it and was problematic without this, then it did cross my mind that surely Triumph would have fitted it (or something similar) in the first place. Any other opinions on this kit? Best wishes, Mike.

Hi, I was just buying some windscreen wipers when I noticed this kit. What do people think of it / has anyone fitted it? https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GRID007533 Best wishes, Mike.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with Colin, how far are you from having one of your Heralds back on the road? Best wishes, Mike.

I am now of the opinion that it's a case of whatever works for you. So long as the pullies line up and the belt can be adjusted as required, then that's all that matters. Best wishes, Mike.

Todays (Sunday) drive out was much better. She pulled and climbed well and is no longer over revving when standing (at junctions etc.) in neutral, so I shall leave it at that for now. 🙂 Still doesn't like much choke, she's now back to as she was with the Solex fitted in that respect, pull it out when starting from cold, move her off the driveway and shortly thereafter push it back in (off). To summarize the combination I've ended up with is: Side Draft Carb Adapter (originally for a stromberg carb) mated to SU HS4 carb with a 'standard' 1275 needle (needle code DZ). Then a SU air filter elbow, inverted and fitted with a Morris Marina Air Filter. To do this I employed a craft knife to adapt gaskets where neccessary, plus some hardboard and a 2mm rubber sheet, to make a hardboard 'reducer', to make the hole in the base of the air filter smaller and the 2mm rubber sheet to make a gasket to seal it. I also had a couple of hole saws handy (like you use for cutting holes for bath taps etc except larger -- readily available at the likes of B & Q) for making the reducer and for using as a size template for the rubber gasket (craft knife deployed to cut the rubber round them). NB: I spayed the hardboard black after, so it isn't that noticeable. The remainder of the 2mm rubber sheet was riveted to the inner wing under the bonnet, to act as a splash / mud guard, replacing the section of metal I had to remove to allow clearance for the air filter. Best wishes, Mike.

Well, the drive out went okay. Sort of. I found she was over revving and wondered why, until I remembered the little screw that adjusts the 'rest' position of the choke lever on the side of the carb. You'd be surprised how many people forget this little screw. Me included on this occasion of course. It should have a few thou clearance, as in not be touching / activating the lever until the choke is pulled out, this one, for some reason, had been screwed half way out in its former set up (it was previously fitted to someone elses Mini) and consequently it was as if the choke was permanently engaged. Once home again I corrected this, to find the engine wasn't at all happy. After much tinkering and fiddling with the adjustment screw settings I came to the conclusion that, with a standard style filter attached, it didn't like the rich 1098 needle. I also felt that a standard 1098 needle would make it run even weaker, so opted to refit the standard 1275 needle. So far, with the adjustment screws now tweeked, it seems much happier. A good run will tell but that will have to wait until Sunday, as I'm off the NEC classic motor show tomorrow. I suspect there may be more 'tinkering and fiddling' ahead, however I am happy enough with the SU to have now removed the part of the bonnets inner wing that was fouling the standard style air filter whenever I closed the bonnet. Best wishes, Mike.

As an update to this topic, I have now replaced both the needle, which I felt was 'overfuelling' the engine (changed from a standard 1275 needle to a rich 1098 needle, code DL), plus the air filter, which (as stated in another post) I found to be too noisy and 'raspy' for my liking, to something more 'standard' and quieter, namely the ex-Marina air filter pictured above. I got round the fitting of this using an inverted and adapted SU filter elbow (not pictured in the above post). Some on here will be fans of the how the embossed pancake looks no doubt but looks aren't everything, so in all likelihood I will be advertising the pancake for sale on here at some point, should anyone be interested. Best wishes, Mike.

Well I have now fitted a rich 1098 needle (ref: code DL for the HS4). Also I have changed the air filter back to something nearer standard. The Chromed SU pancake looked good but it turned a quiet running engine into a noisy 'raspy' one, which I didn't like. So I now have the set up below. The air filter is a Morris Marina one with an inverted SU filter elbow. This meant filing a pair of fresh channels in the filter elbow to match a couple of vent holes on the SU but it wasn't a big problem to overcome. It started, ran and revved on the driveway okay, plus there was a noticeable improvement in how it sounds. I'm going to take it for a run out tomorrow (Thursday), so I'll let people know how this goes. There is a small 'lip' on the section of inner wing attached to the bonnet that is slightly bent inwards, this just scrapes the metal lid on the air filter, hence the scrape marks on it. Providing the run out goes okay I'll alter this so it misses the air filter lid in future. Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks all. 1 division on my torque wrench = 0.74 ft lbs, therefore I have made a note to set it to 44.3 + 1 division = 45.04 ft lbs, when tightening the cylinder head nuts. Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks Pete, there is a setting on my torque wrench of 44.3 ft/lbs (normally you add sub-divisions to achieve the correct torque) which would seem to fit with what you advise. Does someone know the setting for the 1300? Best wishes, Mike.

Hi, Thought I might as well as about both engines whilst I was at it......... In my Herald manual it states that the cylinder head nut torque setting should be between 42 to 46 lb / ft, so which do members recommend from their experience? I also have a (ex-Spitfire) 1300 engine sat in the wings, should I need it, what should the cylinder head nuts be torqued to on that engine? Many thanks, Mike.

Interesting stuff. I have an overdrive box and the bits needed to fit it already but that's for another day / post. Best wishes, Mike.

As an additional bit of trivia, the 948cc, 1098cc and 1275cc A series engines, fitted to Austin A30 / 35's, Morris Minors and MG Midgets, all use the same size exhaust / inlet manifolds, so you could, if you wanted, interchange between them. Triumph engines exhaust / inlet manifolds all seem to be different, so no interchangability............ C'est la vie........... Best wishes, Mike.

As an aside I have a spare 1300 engine from a spitfire (Canley Classics confirmed this by the engine number when I made an unleaded head inquiry) which has a similar side entry inlet manifold to that. However, as above, no use for my 1200 engine, as it won't fit it. The 1300 engine was too good to miss price-wise but it is only a standby, in case the 1200 ever develops a terminal (rebuild required) problem. Best wishes, Mike.

Nice run out to Stanton in the Peak / Stanton Moor yesterday, I also managed a pleasant walk on the moor before the weather deteriorated again. However I think she's overfuelling with the 1275 needle installed and she has never liked the choke being out for too long, even when cold it has always been pretty much pull it out, start her up, push it in again. So I'm going to try a 'rich' 1098 needle and see how that goes. Best wishes, Mike.

The suns come out for a bit, so I think I'll go for a run in the Peak District then....... Like I said, it's a standard 1275 needle at present, so we'll see..... Best wishes, Mike.

I also have a standard 1098 needle for my HS4 (though I would need a 'rich' needle from what Pete says above), which I may try if I start to think that the engine is running too fast. What I can confirm is that the engine runs very well on the carb itself, so it's just down to fine tuning and being sure I don't cause premature wear, hence my questions about the pancake filter I have fitted. Of course the other thing that dictated my choice was that I had already refurbished the SU, making it E10 proof (as much as you can anyway). Refurb kits for the solex are generally in the £70 to £80 range!! 🙄 Best wishes, Mike.

Not specifically for an 1147 sized engine no. So you can either go for a 1098 needle or a 1275 one. I have been running Hetty on a standard 1275 one. So far so good. The main things that started this experiment was, one, necessity, I wanted her up and running again, the Solex needs rebuilding as it is 'blowing bubbles' around the diaphragm at present. This has occurred since I have been running her regularly, so I am putting it down to E10 fuel. As an aside, I have been unable to get super unleaded, synergy supreme etc. for some time, it seems as if as soon as the local garages replenish their stocks, everyone piles in and drains them down again (I'm talking moderns here). With all the negative reports circulating, I think they are running scared of E10. Two, I prefer SU's, I've experienced Solex before and my opinion of them isn't that high. That said, she ran okay until she didn't................... And three, curiousity, I wanted to see if I could adapt the manifold to take an SU and how it would run on one. I have sourced a standard Herald 1200 manifold to go back to if I decide I prefer this and the Solex will be rebuilt in due course. Best wishes, Mike.

Interesting, so I need a 'rich' needle, rather than a 'standard' one then? Best wishes, Mike.

Hi Colin, I have just updated my 'Engine problems' topic. Basically I have skimmed a few mil off the inlet manifold and this has allowed the SU carb to sit under the bonnet, however I then had an issue with finding an air filter housing that fitted and didn't impact on the bonnet itself. In the end I used an SU pancake, though I read a worrying post recently that stated that these type of filters can bring on engine wear in the long term. Is this true? My main problem with getting to this stage though wasn't the above, what really held me up was getting the correct manifold to downpipe gasket, long story short, GEG702 which is supposed to be for late Heralds doesn't fit, as it's too big, it appears my late Herald (1970) is fitted with an earlier manifold that requires GEG717. Your cars date to the lates sixties don't they? So I wonder which they will need...... Best wishes, Mike.

Sometimes it's the little things that hold you up. To get over my height issue I removed the studs and skimmed a few mil off the inlet section of the manifold. However, to achieve this without metal shavings getting into the engine I naturally removed the manifold, eventually....... All the metal nuts resisted me, some more than others..... So first on my shopping list was brass nuts. Also required and not included in any of my head gasket kits, is the manifold to downpipe gasket. And so it began..... I had a look on ebay and found a seller with one that appeared the right shape and was listed for a Herald/Spitfire etc. etc........ This went inder the code GEG701, which turned out to be too large and is for a 13/60, shame he didn't put that little detail in his advert title..... So I went back to him, "no problem, it's actually GEG702 that you need for a late Herald 1200 sir, send the others back and we'll issue a refund"........... So I bought GEG702's, as my car dates to 1970, problem solved?.......... Actually no...... These were a size too big also. It appears my 1970 car is fitted with an earlier manifold, which requires gasket ref: GEG717..... which he doesn't stock....... Fortunately Rimmers does, so I bought some from them in the end and they fitted first time. These arrived this morning and I was finally able to bolt everything back together again. So problems over? Well not quite....... Although my SU carb now sits under the bonnet, without trying to push through it (just), because of its height and angle I am having trouble to get a 'normal' type of air filter housing to fit. I was going to use a Morris Minor 1000 one, I have one restored and ready to fit, however upon fitting this it sat too high and I was back to being unable to close the bonnet.... So I tried a Morris Marina style one, same issue. In the end I robbed my project Series 2 Minor of it's rather fetching SU pancake filter. This is fine I'll fit the Minor 1000 one to it instead and 'keep it in the family'....... Time for a test drive. I am pleased to report it no longer hisitates and stutters, obviously the Solex needs a complete overhall with E10 proof diaphragms etc. Performance is about the same, though a bit more 'rorty'. Took her up to 70 on a bit of duel carraigeway near me. Not as noisy as I thought the pancake might make her though, I notice it mainly because before, with her standard air filter fitted, she was almost silent by comparison. One thing I have heard that worries me though, I noticed someone commenting on the MMOC site that pancake air filters can bring on an engine rebuild..... Are they really that bad for the engine long term or was the guy talking out of his a***.............. ? The last picture shows some of my 'alternative' air filter fittings, that sit too high, does anyone have a suggestion for a more standard type air filter arrangement that may sit lower and fit? Best wishes, Mike.