Wagger

By the time the messages from my extremities reach my brain, it is too late.

The pipe atthe top of my tank was new and looked ok. However, one of the clamps had distorted it and air was getting in.

Resurrected this because I had to change a wheel for another 'Puncture'. This meant putting unmatched tyres on the front because I won't put repaired tyres on that end. I have five run flats, four on the car. I have a Uniroyal on n/s front and a Goodyear on o/s front. The Unroyal hardly notices manholes but the Goodyear really does. Looking at tyre reviews, this is to be expected. MOT is soon, so I will review all then. I am expecting a few issues this time as it has gone straight through the previous three MOT's. If it passes, I wil fit two new more compliant tyres. The only immediate cure is to put two Goodyears on the front as the spare is a Goodyear. I am reluctant because this was the last one to deflate. It was not a puncture, but a sudden leak between tyre and rim. It would not hold pressure for even half a minute. I watched the repait guy through the whole procss and he found a lump between tyre and rim, maybe corrosion. He removed the tyre, cleaned the rim and tyre and re-fitted it. It is holding up after a week now. It ran for half a mile flat, so I am reluctant to fit it on the front. Would rather test it on the rear for a while before doing so. Will have to ask a friend to change it as I injured the back again. Lifting it back on is the problem because you have to lift, align and get a bolt in. May just fit one stud to make this easier. Too damn cold now anyway.

A brief look at Canleys reveals that there was an uprated shaft availble sometime in the past, but it is NLA. PN was 132300. The Herald/Vit6/GT6 and Spit was 128135. Anyone know what the difference was?

My car was a present from my son after I had treatment, so a total surprise to find it had the 'Wrong' engine. Having said that it runs very nicely. I believe that the drive shafts are beefier than Herald ones (Except 13/60 maybe). I know that the u/j kits have larger diameter inserts. Using a Torque wrench to take the hubs off broke nothing, even at 150 lb/ft, so I may be ok. It required that torque to remove the left hub, even after hammering and gentle heating.

Most of our cars have old shafts and who knows what PO's have done with them. I doubt very much if anything made today is the same as back in the 1960's. All this is making me reluctant to use my car with the torque produced by a 2.5 litre engine. Modding it to Mk2 rear suspension is way beyond me now.

I did mine with the plugs in, one at a time in case I was disturbed and muddled it all up. It was many years ago.

OK, if you spend a long time cranking a six pot with the throttles open and fuel pump enabled, then you may fill the exhaust with a load of ready to pop mixture next time you start it. I put a lovely circular smut on the garage door doing just that. The mechanical pump can be disabled if it has a priming lever. Just tie it up and it cannot pump fuel. Probably totally unnecessary on a four pot.

I had a wheeled clockwork mouse. It had cams that dropped skids to turn it left and right. Went well on the lino. The cat chased it and caught it removing its rubber tail.

My elder brothers were helping on the family farm just after WW2. They were clearing the old hay from a barn. As they did so, the density of mice increased to the point where they ran up my brothers trouser legs in order to hide. My brothers were wearing shorts! Another pal had a large caravan written off by mice. He cleared it of all consumables and upholstery and now uses it as a shed. Waterproff but not mouse proof. Our border collie kept the hens safe from rats (and foxes) in the 1950's. We had a brick surrounded yard and he slept in the same building as the hens. He gave very good audible warning of anything different going on.

Rats are very intelligent. I am told by several different 'Catchers' that the mother will allow her mate to bring back food for her and offspring but allow him o try it first. If he dies, she won't touch it. My pal has a very old house, part Tudor. It was divided in two so the adjoining walls are lath & plaster wth a gap. Many poisoned rats have died in this cavity making rooms stink until the decay has finished. Currently he is havig a re-wire. There is no insulation left on most of the 1960's PVC. The previous Lead is ok. The ceilings are littered with walnut shells and old rat skeletons. That tree was removed in 1970. He has lived their since birth in 1947. The rewire is being done using conduit. Keep cars and caravans vermin tight. I have found nests in air boxes and heaters.

Maternal Grandfather was a farmer. He had one cat in each barn that was never fed or encouraged into the house. They were, virtually, Ferrall. Tea dregs were put down for them to drink. He also had a Jack Russell Terrier. He could despatch about five mice per minute when they were sorting the hay. Also dealt with the rats. You can make a 'Humane' trap using a tall can. Put ramps into it and use chocolate as the bait. Mice love it. I once put a box of Roses into a cupboard for mother's day. On the day it was just an empty box with the wrappers left. You will catch mice in the can so you can put the lid on, drive a few miles away and release them wherever you wish. Near a Kestrel's nest maybe.

There is no logic Colin. My 2.2 litre Moho costs £325 and it is under 3.5 Tonnes. If it was over that weight it would cost £165. I am now limited to 3.5 tonnes.

How about Agostini's 3 cyl MV Agusta and the racing Triumph Tridents? Then there are the Kawasaki tw strokes.

Fit filter at the tank exit in the boot. change it if it shows rust. Blow down the exit pipe before replacing it and return lever to normal position. I always put a filter a this point anyway and check it before starting after a lay up exceeding 4 weeks. If I cannot see fuel in it, I use the prime lever on the pump until fuel appears in the glass bowl.

Leave it alone! Inspect it through the sender hole after removing thetank and draining via the filler hole. Remember that a tank full of fumes is dangerous. Fit an in line filter and only use reserve setting to test for rust.

If the drive is wide enough, approach it diagonally then use the amazing steering feature to straighten up. you will have to do that every time though!

I suspect that the exhaust grounds on the sharp kink where th drive meets the pavement. If so, can you radius that point? Some carefully placed scaffold planks could be a temporary solution. My car only has a silencer on the rear end, no centre box. It is quiet enough with the Standard rear box. Early Vitesse just had one pipe from manifold to rear box. You could fit a section of flexible exhaust pipe and fit a few more hangers to the chassis.

Welcome to the club. That is a very nice car and one year older than mine. Do you have details of any mods and is it an Overdrive model? You will receive a good deal of info and assistance on this forum. Yes, keep it dry. Mine has a sunroof which means use sparingly when it is wet as the wind can force water in.

A Vitesse is a very different 'Animal' from a MM or 105E Anglia, Much more nose heavy and the rear suspension makes for very different handling from what you may be used to. I have a Mk1 with a 2500TC engine and I will never use full power on 'Take off' having seen pictures of sheared drive shafts on this forum. I once had a BMW 2002tii which the PO had fitted 205's. It went sideways in the wet even when setting off from the lights. I fitted 165's as designed and it handled very well behaving as designed. Gave many a 205 GTi a run for its money. Not every mod is worth while. Looks sometimes mean nothing. Yes I've done it before, especially on motor bikes fitting fancy noisy exhausts. That is why I am deaf.

My son transferred a taller battery to my mk1 Vitesse from one of his scrap cars. I extended the 'Reach' of the retaining hooks by using a short length of chain. Gonna make some longer hooks one day. This battery will crank the car for about 5 mins using ten second attempts with a 20 second rest in between. No need to do that any more now fuel feed is sorted.

You need to post 'For sale' in the Courier really. However, do you know the ratio? Rotate the prop flange 3.5 turns and check if the other two rotate almost once. That would be 3.63:1 If another half turn make them go just past one turn, then it is 3.89:1. I am looking for a 3.27:1 which would be approx 3.25 turns of the prop for one turn of the other two. The term 'Overdrive diff' usually refers to differentials that include a built in overdrive. Some Transits had these.

Check the mechanism at the base of the lever. If the bolt is inserted the wrong way, it prevents lever moving enough to engage 4th. It is a common mistake on re-assembly.

Looks like your team are 'On the ball'. My doctor in 2011 missed having me screened. Aged 72 in 2019, my PSA was 1100. Fourteen days later, it was 1400. It was in Runaway. What you do not need either is anything else going wrong. That was the problem with my 85 year old brother , he had a heart problem before the prostate played up, preventing further surgery. Keep yourself fit, and you will be ok. I believe that this could be classed as 'Coping with Storms' so I continued here. Will be back to topic one day. (Maybe).

I have posted somewhere else on this topic Iain. Basically, I am 76 and into my 4th year of remission from stage 4 APC. Had chemo, radiotherapy and an orchiectomy so am one of about 5% who survive this extreme of the disease. I live a wonderful life with a lovely understanding wife. I joined a gym and swim centre to combat muscle wastage and this is working well. (No testosterone due to having no gonads). One had a growth on it anyway. I do not miss them. Do not allow the disease to escape from the prostate if at all possible. Have the bloody thing removed rather than that. Incontinence may follow, but that is better than not surviving. I still have my prostate as my disease had escaped, so no point in having it removed, therefore it may return one day. I have a healthy 86 year old brother who had his prostate removed, but the 85 year old one is having palliative care now because he chose to keep his due to being on thinners following a bypass op. This really should be on another section, but, if it saves one bloke from doing the wrong thing, then is well worth while. Anyone can PM me for re-assurance if they wish.