micmak

Colin, When I first saw your link, I thought Brilliant, this is the solution! However, when I looked more closely at it, I realized that these shields are really more to prevent heat from the exhaust rising to the carbs and evaporating the fuel. It doesn’t seem to be really intended to keep spilled fuel away from the exhaust.

Hi Guys, In my original post, I asked a question that nobody seems to have answered. I asked if anyone had developed some sort of plate or cover to protect the exhaust from getting fuel dumped onto it. As there have been no direct responses to that, I will assume that nobody had made anything to keep fuel away from the exhaust. So, let me pose a further question by asking if any fuel dumps/spills similar to what I had, are known to have definitely caused a fire in a twin Stromberg set up? Or am I worrying about nothing? Thanks. .....Mick.....

Once again Guys, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Sandy Gibson, the idea of a valve although it makes sense, it wouldn’t help my situation, really. As for it being a security device, yes it would be so, but in my case, the chances of the car being stolen is VERY slim, as I never park any of my toy cars anywhere unless I can see it!

Johny, There IS a lever on it!!!! I wondered why it was there. Ok, so I will use that to pump some fuel and "flush through" any bits of dirt. Thank you for that. Dunno if I will have time to do it this weekend though. Not using the car so it can sit there until I am ready. And yes, it IS indeed a new pump. Everything is new so I am surprised that dirt can be causing this problem. .....Mick.....

Thanks for your input, Pete Lewis. I will take a look in the morning and see what type of hoses are on the lines. Excuse my ignorance, but how do you go about removing the float valve and pumping some fuel into a jar? I presume remove the bowl, and look for some sort of pin that the float valve swivels on, and remove it? And then, do I crank the car to make it pump fuel? Sounds kinda splashy! 🤣 .....Mick.....

Thanks for the responses so far, Guys. I should have said in my original post, that the car has only done a few hundred miles since a full restoration. It hasn't even reach it's first 1,000-mile-service yet. I have only done 333 miles in it. All the lines were replaced as part of the resto, and there is a glass fuel filter which looks clear. I don’t know if any of the rubber parts are particularly ethanol resistant, but they are so new that I wouldn’t have thought there is any degradation yet. Also the few times that I have put fuel in the car, I have used additive too. .....Mick.....

Hi Guys, I had an experience with the Vitesse that bothers me. Sorry for the long-winded story, but here goes: The car died just as I approached my driveway after a short little drive. It wouldn’t re-start. I pushed it into the driveway and into the garage. I suspected a fuel starvation situation as it had been sorta stumbling when accelerating recently. My first thought was to check the fuel pump. Next morning, I came out to examine the fuel pump. Before I did anything, I decided to see if the car would start. It did!! It sounded very uneven and it was inclined to stall if I didn’t keep the revs up a little or leave the choke slightly pulled. After 2 or 3 minutes, I got out of the car and to my horror, I saw a river of black liquid all over the floor under the engine. I quickly turned off the engine and feared the engine sump had split or something equally catastrophic allowing engine oil to pour out. There was also a varnish-like smell. Then I realized that it wasn’t engine oil at all, but petrol! It has VERY effectively washed off the black tar-like paint on the bulkhead below the carbs and also on the frame below. The petrol was coming out the air filter. Now, from researching on this forum, I learned that the float valve in one of the carbs was likely stuck. The carb closest to the windshield was causing the problem. I removed the bowl on that carb. I was expecting to find little bits of dirt, but there was almost no dirt. There were very, very tiny bits caked into the corners of the bowl. I cleaned them off, and blew out the little ports in the jet assembly. Again, no dirt was obvious. The float valve was moving up and down freely when I maneuvered it. So, I reassembled everything and started the car. It sounded fine, there was no leak, and there seemed to be no problem. This morning, I went out and re-sprayed the parts of the bulkhead and frame that were stripped. My questions now are: Why did the car die and not restart? Why did it start the next morning? Have I solved the problem, or is it likely to return today, tomorrow, next month? And has any one devised some sort of cover or plate to deflect any future leak away from the exhaust? When I realized how close this was to a fire, it scared me a bit. I would like to avoid a repeat of the problem, but if it should ever happen again, I would like to have something to keep the fuel away from the exhaust area. All theories and suggestions welcome. Thanks. …..Mick…..

Great suggestions, Guys. Thanks. I'll be trying it again tomorrow. .....Mick.....

I recently removed the door cards from my Vitesse to spray some anti-rust paint into the lower area of the doors. There is no rust in there, but I was just trying to be proactive. Reinstalling the door cards is not an easy task, is it? Is there any “trick” to doing this? Is there a newer alternative to the awkward assembly of the spring and the little pin that goes through the window winder and door handles? .....Mick.....

Colin, I looked for weeks and I found a few that were either not the type I wanted (I wanted separate headrests) or they were damaged or the wrong colour. Then, out of the blue, I found a set and they are in absolutely pristine condition. And to make it even sweeter, the guy selling them was able to meet me close to home as he was a delivery guy in a van, so bringing them along in his work day was no problem! I couldn't believe it. So, keep looking. Sooner or later you will find what you want. The MX5/Miata is the biggest selling sports car in the world, apparently, so there are many being scrapped all the time with good seats.

Puglet1, I would say yes. I have not driven the car yet as I still have other work to do first, but from sitting in the driver’s seat with the door closed, I feel that I am further in towards the middle of the car, therefore more in line with the steering wheel, and I also feel that there is more room between my knees and the steering wheel. I have to allow for the fact that it might feel different when I drive the car, but so far that is impression I am getting. Also to back up this theory, the seat is slightly touching the carpet underneath if I move it backwards or forwards, but I have not compared these MX5 seats with the MGF seats that I removed, or with the original Vitesse seats that I also have. It is possible that the MX5 seats are bulkier in the seat base area, and therefore touching the carpet. I dunno. But so far, I would say that they are a little lower.

Finally had the chance to get the MX5 seats into the Vitesse. Really pleased with the look and the feel of them. They clear the B post nicely, allowing me to slide the seat back to a comfortable position, and they kinda hug you when you sit in them. Very comfy. I have not driven the car with them yet, but I expect I will be happy with them. So far, so good.

Pete Lewis and Chris A: Very droll, Gentlemen. Very droll indeed! I am not too worried about performance, drag, or cooling. But I thank you for your concerns. Very thoughtful of you both to take such variables into consideration!!!🤣 Paul H, as much as I love your car (and it’s a beauty), I’d prefer the spots above the bumper especially as my car already had a mounting bar sitting there waiting for something to be attached to it.

Pete, I am just interested in adding spots for appearance reasons. Not for functionality. In actual fact, I will probably only drive the car at night if I am out somewhere during the day, it's gets late, and I end up getting home in the dark.

So Colin, are you selling the lucas spots, by any chance?

Wow what a gorgeous car!

When I first saw my Vitesse, before I bought it, it has two perfectly sized Lucas spots, see attached. The car came with a perfect mounting bar too! But by the time I was ready to buy the car, the seller had removed the spots and sold them!!! I’d like to get a set like them, but the price is scaring me away. I would probably never actually wire them up. I just want them for appearance’s sake. I would actually consider a broken or incomplete set as long as the covers make them look complete.

What size are Vitesse headlights? I want to get a set of spotlights the same size. But are they regarded as 5inch, or 5¼ inch? Or are spots measured in mm? I have looked online and I see little or nothing to match 5 or 5¼. I would prefer a nice Lucas set with the covers too, but they are pricey. I have seen a few sets but it is difficult to determine their size. By The Way, anyone got a suitable set for sale?

Got these little beauties this morning. I am amazed by their pristine condition. Can't wait to get the opportunity to put them in the car.

Hmmm..... Interesting.

The MX5 seats have a narrow back compared to the original seats. This will allow you to slide the seat back further. The original seats do not go back far enough because they hit the B pillar on the convertible cars. Thanks to a pic posted by Gary Flinn below, and one I found online, you can see the difference. I am currently looking for a set of MX5 seats (the removable headrest type).

I saw a facebook advert for a Herald. It had what I figured was a unique handle in the middle of the bonnet. I thought it was a great idea, and I wondered if it is a common thing to add. I liked the idea of opening the hood nice and evenly without straining it by lifting it from one side. Comments? Opinions? I might put one on my Vitesse! …..Mick…..

I like those guides. Where might a fella find guides like that? …..Mick…..

Wow, they look so perfect. I gotta get a set of MX5 seats. I have been looking, but they are quite rare, and it seems to be even more rare to get the type with the removable headrests. Most seem to be the high-back type. Is that an additional bracket/guide for the seatbelt? The seatbelts seem to be awkward to use. I know the car was designed before seatbelts came along, but surely there is a tidier way to control them instead of being a contortionist reaching back there to grab them!

How much could I reasonably expect to get for the MGFs?