jagnut66

Well, I've done the above (except the pressure plate of course) and despite reversing my nipple I still can't get enough pressure. I have better pressure but not enough to activate the clutch fully with the engine running. I will try the weight holding down the clutch pedal overnight but in the meanwhile I'll purchase that NOS Herald pressure plate. It may be simply that my original is knackered or simply no longer up to dealing with an OD unit in the way it dealt with the standard 4 speed one. In the above posts I was advised that there is no difference between the Spitfire and Herald pressure plates, or have I misinterpreted that? Best wishes, Mike.

Fair enough, in the meanwhile I spotted this on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275373561843?hash=item401d8b17f3:g:NvgAAOSwdU5iRbei Is it the correct pressure plate for me? The advertiser has added question marks, as he's not sure, which is why I ask. It looks like NOS and I already have two NOS driven plates (one of which is fitted) to suit the OD boxes splines, so for that price a spare pressure plate would be a good idea. Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks, time to reverse it then. Then I'll bleed trough again and see where I'm at. Another possibility (as well as air trapped by reversed nipples) is the pressure plate. At present I have the original Herald one fitted, which worked okay with the four speed box but is it man enough for the OD unit I wonder? Best wishes, Mike.

When setting the new slave up I put the nipple in the lower hole, as it seemed to make more sense. Does it make any difference then? I did swap them round briefly, on one run of attempting to bleed the clutch through but it made no difference to the (lack of) pedal pressure, so I reverted to having the bleed nipple in the lower hole again. Best wishes, Mike.

Hello again and back onto topic, I can't get any pedal pressure to activate the clutch. I have fitted new master and slave cylinders and a new pipe linking them. But I get nothing except an very flaccid clutch pedal, no matter how much I bleed it through. Could I have a duff master cylinder? I have a different (from standard) brake master cylinder fitted (came with the car -- pictured below -- any suggestions as to what it might be from?) with a bigger plastic reservoir, I am tempted to fit a similar one to the clutch, as the reservoir does seem a bit small, though I suppose adequate for the Herald clutch but I now have the J type OD box fitted....... Do I need a more powerful master and slave cylinders with this set up? If so, which ones? In the meantime I have come across the below suggestion by 'Rogcastle' (Roger) on the TR forum when I looked up Triumph clutch problems on the net: So I shall give this a go overnight............ Thanks and best wishes, Mike.

Gutted about this. I was going to attend on one of the days but as I didn't know which I didn't pre-book. Sorry if this upsets people but I have no intention of letting COVID stop me living my life the same as I did before it was around. Be careful, if you feel the need to, by all means but don't let it stop you doing things / attending events / living your life, otherwise what's the point of being here? It isn't going to go away completely, so we have to learn to live with it. Back onto the subject of the cancelled Triumph / MG weekend, is that it now, or will the clubs try and come together for a big weekend next year? I thought Malvern was great, it would be a shame if it never happened again. If not every year then what about every two years or something? Best wishes, Mike.

Just as an update from me on this post (for those that haven't guessed already😉), Colin's original lock and key did the job brilliantly, without any issues. Original equipment is sometimes best (certainly for fit) -- when you can get it..... Best wishes, Mike.

😄 Funnily enough a very similar set up to mine is offered on eBay (and presumably elsewhere too), see link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284818789950?hash=item425085d63e:g:1TAAAOSwCvdiYtah&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAABAHUNNVi64MudD6wQa%2FG0QgxHNbkauEEtO0B7nnKzQJ%2BhOii%2BrKvqRkZU%2Bpoqt6QMxuior6Ug%2BPrSutxxmWvenNyeeQLloCCeTV328RZXP5oJ9Ehfot65cGrexIr965%2BryrGeQeLZXST0cOsGV4tsNLlGUOu%2FbGZTnpqGZrV6O9Ijs6LcI2pIv2Tr120JbHlsjXcQY45jQFX6Yqw28Jrw92YlWPXoo7AslXHCAFX0DiSX4oATw8IdrzkKmDgZKLK%2Fs6od%2BQRGReITQSIbfonVOviWcKTn%2Bx4nXtljFjXEo%2Fl0h6Kvixq%2BwZWKmza1SITVKP03Yeh8SesVouV2NVBLlSQ%3D|tkp%3ABFBMwoyowsFg They even use the same electric pump that I have (though bought individually by me): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283892034393 I have simply made my own bracket for the bottle and fixed the pump to the bulkhead in the area of the original washer bottle. And in my case the bottle was free....... After I'd consumed it's contents.......🙂 To be fair though, if you want the professional look you'd need to buy the one on eBay. Best wishes, Mike.

New blue coloured JD fed straight through to the driver......... tthe ttwaffffic ccoppss wwiiillll nneverrr kknoww...... 'hhiccupp'........😜

Well the replacement clutch master and slave won't be here until sometime next week, so in the meanwhile, after removing and discarding my knackered clutch items (very 'gunked up' inside I found), I got on with some other things that needed doing. Namely fitting the new speedo cable and angle drive and, finally getting round to fitting an electric upgrade to my windscreen washers. Don't get me wrong, the vacuum hand pump works and is, in fact, of far superior quality to any I've seem fitted to any of my Morris Minors. It's just that it's still feeble....................... I reused the bracket that holds it in place mind you, for the new push button. Saved me having to make new, though I did have to enlarge the hole in it. It fits back in the same place as the old one too, which is another reason for reusing it. Familiarity. I also replaced the small and 'squashed' plastic reservoir with a larger capacity glass one...... Best wishes, Mike.

The Master for the brakes had been replaced before I bought her, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised that the clutch Master has now given up. It looks like it could well be the original (or just very old). Plus I have disturbed it's slumber by removing the pipe / draining it.....😉 Best wishes, Mike.

The bolts for the mount to the gearbox arrived from Canley today, very pleased, a little smear of copper grease on each and they both screwed in lovely, with not too much fiddling to line them up. Dropped the jack away from the gearbox and bolted the mount to the crossmember plate, so that's one more off the to do list.🙂 Refilled the gearbox with new oil. Another tick. 🙂 On a roll here, I'll just reconnect the slave and master for the clutch..... Tried bleeding it through about five or six times, nothing! Limp as a (suggestions on a postcard to the editor -- could make an amusing article 😉).... Anyway, upon investigation and having tightened up where I thought there may be leaks, I decided to order new and start from fresh. I already have a new Kunifer pipe, in with a set of replacement brake pipes, so, with a new, internally clean, master and slave, I'll convert the clutch to Dot 5 Silicon whilst I'm at it. Hopefully they won't take too long to arrive.... That'll teach me for counting my Chickens..... Best wishes, Mike.

Yes, good thick metal, with a slight recess for the support to sit in, fitted first time of asking in the right place to fit the support, if I'd had the bolts!......... The picture below shows the new mounting plate that I bought but which doesn't fit, namely it doesn't slide far enough under the rear end of the gearbox (not narrow enough at one end) to be able to mount the support on it. I could trim it down with my angle grinder but, as the secondhand plate fits, I won't bother. I also bought a new support, which is exactly the same as the one that came with the box, picture in the above post. Hence why I thought the new plate would fit........ Whilst I am thinking of it, what experiences do people who have fitted a J type into a Herald have with the existing (fibreglass?) tunnel cover? Does it fit back over ok? I am hoping so, as I want to retain the original look but have popped off the sound deadening in case it's going to snag when I try it. Many thanks, Mike.

I temporarily refitted my flywheel lock tool, took them back out and wiped them off, as you recommended, before attempting to fit the O/D gearbox Pete. Nice to have them undo normally this time. The gearbox is now installed with the help of my friend and the new propshaft bolted up to it. The new mounting plate I bought before I rediscovered the secondhand one supplied with the gearbox, turned out to be the wrong plate, so the secondhand one was tried and is spot on. I should have stuck to what the chap supplied with the gearbox and not wasted my time. I suspect I've inadvertently ended up with one for the D type O/D box..... C'est la vie..... However, having got this far, feeling like I was on a roll, I've hit an unexpected snag, in the form of two bolts that I didn't think of until now.... These are the ones that secure the gearbox mount to the gearbox, see pictures below. I have been through my stash of bolts but the ones I have are either too narrow or too wide, they either slide into the holes or don't fit in at all. I do have two possible candidates to reduce down with my tap and die set but what is the thread size for these? Many thanks, Mike.

Thanks for letting me know how to replace the release bearing Colin, it really was quite simple, I think I was expecting something far more complicated. It is now replaced, though I've hung onto the old one, as it looks like a good clean up and it will make a serviceable spare -- or what do others think? I spruced up the O/D gearbox ready for fitting too, quite pleased with how it cleaned up. I thought someone had fitted an oversize sump drain plug and I might have hit a snag, so I decided to undo it and see if it screwed in and out okay, as in no crossed threads, before fitting the box. Turns out it's a magnetic one and it fits okay (Phew!). The gearbox had oil in, which I drained whilst I was at it. I don't think it's that old or used though, as it didn't stink like it can do, plus it looked quite clean. Maybe the seller put it in to keep things oiled whilst he found a buyer. He supplies secondhand spares for a living, so I wouldn't be surprised. Nice chap actually. Nor Loctite I would hope Pete, I've never used any on my Morris clutch cover plates. They were so tight I thought they might snap off in situ at one point -- thank God they didn't. My friend is going to pop round to help me fit the box tomorrow night, wish us luck..... Best wishes, Mike.

Thanks for the suggestions about the wood (DanMi) and studs (Clive), all gratefully noted for when refitting the box. Though my existing three threaded studs are still in place, as is a locating dowel, would these not do? I have replaced the clutch driven plate, with one with finer splines to suit the O/D box. I used the clutch alignment tool I sourced, so hopefully it's centred correctly...... However I am glad I had my (A series) flywheel locking tool to hand, as the clutch cover bolts were a pig to undo, despite comments above that they shouldn't be / don't need to be overtight (these were - they made a bang as each one broke free!🙄). A light smear of copper grease on each should make them easier for next time. It's handy to know it's a good fit though -- pictured below. I've attached a link below for anyone interested in one. https://jbfab.co.uk/product/flywheel-locking-tool-classic-mini-a-series-a-clubman-cooper-1275/ Now to the clutch release bearing, I have removed the arm from the Herald box and I am faced with a dilemma. I can't for the life of me figure out how you would remove the release bearing from it's mount. I understand I would need to tap out the retaining screws locking pins and then turn them both to remove it from the operating arm / lever but how to remove the bearing from it's mounting? The other part of the dilemma is do I need to? The existing one was working fine and looks to be in good shape (touching lots of wood!! 😉), see pictures below -- the Herald one is at the bottom. Forgive me for defining the clutch arm that came with the O/D box as a Spitfire one, I believe it was thought that's where the box originated and it helps to differentiate between them. The Herald one also has a thinner activating arm slotting into the clutch slave cylinder, so that's another reason why I'm reusing it. I now have a choice of pivot pins for it.... There's the one I made up, the shorter Herald original, which came out in one piece, plus I have found a new (longer) one I must have ordered a while back, in case I needed one, put it somewhere I wouldn't forget and then promptly forgot all about it................ Doh! 😄 Best wishes, Mike.

Levered the gearbox up and managed to separate the prop and gearbox flanges with a screwdriver / my crowbar, namely getting past that lip ring that locks them together, which Colin mentioned in his post above.. I was in the process of gradually levering / knocking the prop completely off the back of the gearbox, when a friend arrived needing help with his Morris Minor. I helped with his problem and he provided me with the extra leverage I needed to separate gearbox and prop. Once the two were parted the back end dropped off the diff and I was able to slide the old prop out the back. So no grinders were required in the end and the old prop is still in one piece. This also meant that I was able to remove the old gearbox. Which means the prep work for the replacement O/D gearbox can now begin: Pop off the clutch cover plate and swap in the new driven plate, whose splines match the replacement box. Swap the Herald release bearing and arm over onto the O/D box (I have a new release bearing, if I can figure out how it fits onto the arm -- nothing is quite as simple as it is on the Minor). Cut a small section out of the tunnel ready for the longer O/D box. Then my friend has offered to pop back and help me pop the replacement box back in place and lever(?) the specially made replacement prop into place. Two can be better than one for some things, so I've accepted his offer. Then it will be back over to me to refit things like the slave cylinder and starter motor and bolt it all back together again..... All good fun..... Best wishes, Mike.

Yes, a one piece solid prop. I'll look at trying to lever the engine & box forward a bit then. Have any others tried this method? What did you find to be the best way? I have a crow bar I shall try first..... Many thanks, Mike.

I've hit a snag in that I can't seem to separate the old propshaft from the gearbox, even with all the nuts and bolts removed. Before I result to 'butchery', is there a method of achieving this? As above, at present all the nuts, bolts, starter motor, clutch slave etc. are undone and / or removed. I've tried jacking the box up slightly but the darn thing just goes with it. It's not rusted in position, as I have managed to partially shift it. But only so far....... Right now it's back in it's original position (on the end of the gearbox), save that the gearbox support has now been taken out (made no difference 😒). There must be a way other than cutting it in half.............. As always thanks for any advice. Best wishes, Mike.

So just a smear of grease then really? Best wishes, Mike.

That's a good idea, I wonder if I have a grease nipple that will fit in its place.... If not I'll just pump a little grease in there before I fit it anyway, one squirt should be enough with something this small. Thanks for the info. Best wishes, Mike.

The Angle Drive has just arrived, it screws onto the gearbox and the OD speedo cable cleanly, plus it comes with a copper washer for the gearbox side of things. So, good to go. However, there is a slot screw on top (see picture below), which is loosely screwed in at present, is this for some sort of adjustment or should it just be screwed up tight? Best wishes, Mike.

Yes Pete, on the left is correct. I believe it was mentioned but thanks for clarifying which side the washer goes, namely on the side that screws onto the gearbox / OD unit. From the picture, it appears the one I've bought off eBay comes with a washer suppled. Less expense / time spent sourcing a suitable one, always a plus! 😃👍 As the consensus of opinion leans towards a J type identification, I will go with this. Thanks and best wishes, Mike.

As a little update: I tested the Overdrive solenoid and it clicked in and out a couple of times, it sounds quite healthy (touching wood at this point!), plus the gearbox now has a new inhibitor switch. Though the original cleaned up well and could be okay, what setting on a meter should I use to test the old switch and what reading should I expect to see if it's still healthy? I have also renewed the little earth wire for the solenoid, as the sheathing was splitting badly, so badly that it snapped when I straightened it out. Whilst I was a it I made a threaded bar with my tap & die set to act as a pivot for the clutch release bearing's arm. The original wasn't with the gearbox, so I can only assume it was needed by another customer, prior to my purchasing the O/D box itself from him. I am just awaiting the Angle Drive for the speedo cable to arrive, then I can think about getting on with this. One question I do have though, relating to the power feed to the O/D solenoid, I want to fit an inline fuse when I wire this up, what rating of fuse would be suitable for this? Thanks and best wishes, Mike.

No pun intended, eh Colin......😉 Interesting. Judging by the condition of the Bakelite they are all quite old. I guess there must have been variations. Or they just used whatever was in the BMC / BL parts bin on that day....... 😉 Best wishes, Mike.