jagnut66

Hi, As the title states I've run into a little hiccup. I ordered one for my (ex - Spitfire) 1300 engine along with other bits, they duly arrived and I've been picking from the pile as needed. However, when it came to the Crankshaft front oil seal I found it was too large for the hole. It looks the same as the one I "persuaded", after God knows how long in residence (it was like it was welded in place), out.... But it sits on the hole and the diameter appears to be 1 or 2mm too big to be driven into it. I clearly remember requesting the correct one from a certain well known supplier, however, I'm left wondering whether I should have been clearer...... I shall ring them tomorrow and discuss it. In the meantime I wondered whether anyone else has had this issue and whether I need to be ordering a specific item, to ensure I get the correct size?? Best wishes, Mike.

Looking at the images on the Rimmer site I think you may be right. Cheers, Mike.

Hi, One issue which I haven't looked at yet, mainly because I've been too preoccupied with end floats and bearings, is what exhaust is required once I've slotted the 1300 unit into the Herald? The manifold, obviously, is different, so there's no reusing the Herald 1200 set up..... Therefore I'm hoping that someone on here has done this before and can tell me which exhaust or combination of exhaust parts I will need to fit? One thing that (hopefully) will be simpler is the fact that the mounting for the carb on the inlet manifold is a side mounting, so the SU set up should go straight on........ fingers crossed........ Best wishes, Mike.

I've done the same. I have always painted my engines without undercoat, as the paint doesn't usually require it and I believe it can lead to it pealing. Did you use a high temp resistant undercoat? No, just about the engine I've acquired, which came from a Spitfire originally, my car's a Herald 1200. Best wishes, Mike.

I will let you know but it must be better than it was.... Thanks and best wishes, Mike.

What size tin did you require to do this? The tin shown above is only 100ml. Best wishes, Mike.

Right, the front thrust washer has been swapped out for the best of the two used ones, this one definitely has more 'slop' around it but, apart from being slightly worn, it has no pitting or other damage..... unlike the other....... For those interested I thought I'd post up some pictures of the main and big end bearings I have now replaced. At first glance it appeared that only the rear mains wear showing signs of wear.... However, I decided I'd clean the oily sludge off them, before taking pictures for your perusal, to find they weren't as 'unworn' as I first thought..... And whilst one of the two thrust washers was only slightly worn (if after all this it successfully fires up and works well in the Herald I will still have to keep an ear, as opposed to an eye 😉, on it), the other was almost worn flat on the side with the oilway notch in it, worse still it was badly pitted (poor manufacturing quality standards?), so this ones a bin job for sure..... Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks Johny.

To confirm, by 'front' side, do I understand you correctly by thinking you mean looking towards the front of the engine, as opposed to the flywheel side (which I would take to mean the back)? Best wishes, Mike.

That sounds like a good idea. The end float will still be less than it was, with the added benefit of my having a good spare standard sized thrust washer. I will try this and report back. Best wishes, Mike.

Black it will be then. What do members think of this make of engine paint (link below)? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271773626917?epid=11031282270&hash=item3f46f87225:g:ApUAAOSwDlxU3Nez&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwMYfNf2oL4asDrM602j%2F2jrblrOmiWdPb%2FuhTFMrYJ0RIrKtuPtNlEGPVp1AtAbs9L4ZfTYQ5ZWt0ElcjBKDrbbA5sJPdY1Y63Im5Ypk8nQ%2Bqd01FKKtFvd%2BYzZgZtuLqpNPpcM04WMOOmC%2FfBfSnJmZpvplKpxAXmeNldmtVtMIcyXj7ygyzglX2zE1n4RJmBVWX4%2FwfKOYYghoeFi05Ch44SGM0wCE8JtyLyghEw0sGNousNouMIrsLdUNtLKgtw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABlBMUJ7EiND9YQ Best wishes, Mike.

A sad reminder. Now in the vaults of BMW I believe, never to see the light of day again..............☹️ Best wishes, Mike.

Hi, Okay, I had ordered standard sized bearings and thrust washers. Happily I'm glad I did now. My micrometre showed that the existing ones were only slightly smaller than the new standard ones, the main wear being on the thrust washers themselves and the rear mains, one half of which was through to the copper(?). Anyway, all are now replaced, torqued up and I have a tight engine. I now don't appear to have any fore and aft movement, previously caused by the worn thrust washers. However, some 'you-tubers' seem to recommend a little bit of play but (as far as I am aware) my standard bearings are the smallest size anyway? Are they? And should I really be worried? The above not withstanding, all things being equal I shall now put the covers back on with replacement gaskets where necessary................... And cross my fingers................... One thing, the metal cover over the front mains bolts appears to two wooden plugs either side of it, these are supplied new in my gasket set but do I need to change them? They don't appear to have been damaged by the removal of said cover. So far I have left them undisturbed and in place, are they likely to be an issue if left or not? Thanks to all for your help thus far by the way. Best wishes, Mike.

Enamelled, as per the existing lapel badge, would look better / more professional. But that's just my opinion............ For the record, if they are ever produced as a grill badge, I too would be a buyer. Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks, a shame though as it would look great enlarged as a grill badge, Best wishes, Mike.

Hi, I like the TSSC badge shown under my picture but can't find it in the online shop, has it been discontinued? A shame if so, it would look great on my cars grill. Best wishes, Mike.

Dark or light? Best wishes, Mike.

It was more than a little bit......... 😉 (But not 90 degrees I'm glad to say) The bottom half is a little 'splayed', so that should stop it rattling....... I hope............ Best wishes, Mike.

Hi, I have now got my Spitfire 1300 engine mounted on the stand, in doing so I noticed the dipstick was slightly bent and needed a refresh, so I pulled it out, straightened it and put it to one side to be rubbed down and resprayed. This set me thinking, I intend (at present) to simply respray it black but was that the only engine colour that Triumph used? Morris, for example, also used a pale blue on their 803cc engines and I think that varied to a shade of grey. I dare say the engine will stay black but it did set me wondering if they used other colours? Best wishes, Mike.

When I have the sump off and it dismantled I will check what sizes were last fitted and aim to replace like for like. I will then recheck the end float. I will also get back to you (update this post) to let you know.... Best wishes, Mike.

That's a relief, so standard it is then. Plus thanks Johny, for clarifying how the gauge reads. Best wishes, Mike.

As an update to this I am now at the stage where I am about to strip the bottom of the engine and replace the thrust washers & bearings. As suggested above I have purchased standard ones only -- for now. I have also found out that you can mix and match thrust washers, if necessary, in order to get the end float measurement that is best. Plus I have invested in a Dial Indicator Test DTI Gauge (0 - 10mm) and have got the reading below: It hasn't travelled more indicated on the large dial, namely under one revolution, so I take it this is a reading of 3.2mm? (Set to zero first and returns to this when pully is pushed back) Sorry, this is my first DTI gauge and I'm still learning. Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks Nigel. I had a read of the Haynes manual and couldn't see a size mentioned for these. Best wishes, Mike.

Colin's engine stand looks very much like mine, I see (in the photo) that he left the flywheel in place, so maybe this helped to prevent the backplate from distorting? I suspect the block would be safer though, I don't want the additional cost of a new (secondhand) backplate..... What thread size UNF bolts will I need for block mounting? (Length I can measure / work out) Many thanks, Mike.

Hi, Hopefully just a quick question (is there such a thing with classic cars??)...... Anyway, having been distracted by Morris problems for a while, today I finally got back on the Herald. Hoping that I had simply made a schoolboy error I took the gearbox off again to check I'd fitted the clutch driven plate the right way round. I had. I then loosened the alternator belt, to make sure it wasn't holding the crankshaft pully in place and concealing an end float issue. It was. It feels about the same as my spare 1300 engine. Being this engine is already out of any car, it makes sense to rebuild this one first, fit it and then fix the 1200 engine when it's out of the car (lets hope this makes sense in practice too...). This is where my dilemma comes in. The back plate on a Morris 1098 engine is quite thick, so when mounted on my engine stand takes the weight of the Morris engine quite easily. However, the back plate on the Triumph 1200 and 1300 engines seems quite thin by comparison..... Will it take the weight of the triumph engine or bend under the load, if I mount it on the engine stand with it? Plus, if I can't mount it via the back plate, how do others on here attach their engines to a stand? Many thanks, Mike.