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luckily I wasnt on the road. it went while I was turning the engine over in the garage to measure the fuel pressure. The casting has completely separated from itself. Not a great advert. I wont bore you with all the details but all I wanted to do was change out a 40 year old italian made pump which has very small filters in it which block easily, I found I did have some suspect old rubber and even some badged as R9 which appeared to be "melting" and blocking the pump. Ive now got nothing but ethanol proof and copper piping and the old pump with the small filter removed and large external filters fitted. I spoke to 3 of our largest suppliers and they seemed unaware that the pump they sell 208502 is too strong for the Herald but at least one has said they will talk to their suppliers ( I suspect they all come from the same source). One suggested that the 208502 was fitted to the 1300 Mk4 spitfire and may have needed a spacer but I couldnt test that as the studs arent long enough to fit one, if any Spitty people know if it wasnt just the 1500 that had a spacer that might explain something. And to make you feel better Colin, I managed to assemble my pump internals the wrong way round and couldnt figure out for a while why no fuel.

Glad you seem to have got it sorted Colin, I have been on the same journey and had some very interesting conversations with 3 of our suppliers who seem genuinly unaware that the 204893 pump replacements they are selling are not suitable. My workaround of fitting a pressure regulator didnt last long as the pump didnt like the back pressure and fell apart. The attached photo is of 204893 pumps for Herald 1360 from two different suppliers, anyone spot the issue with one ? I have also been told I need a spacer ( which I dont) and that it should work fine at 8lbs/in (which it wont). I have reverted back to my old pump using only external filters and like yourself have changed ALL my rubber for ethanol proof. We will see.

This is like the one I am using, its similar to an AC but is still too powerful. I have fitted a regulator which brings it down to about 2.5lbs. A lot of the repro ones are described as "straight arm type" which my original pump (non AC) certainly wasnt.

The after market fuel pumps supplied at the moment for Herald seem to be mainly Powertune and are mainly 208502, I queried this with my supplier as I ordered a 208493 for my 13/60. He said that it was the same pump and although listed as a Spitfire mk3 part it fits a 1300 Herald as well. That may be true but my original pump I measured as delivering at 2lbs/in wheras the new item runs at 7ilbs/in and floods my carb, it also has a very different shaped arm. My supplier says they have sold lots of these and nobody has complained so it must be an issue with my Carb. I will find out shortly when my Stromberg returns from a trip to Carburettor Exchange for a refurb, I will try it at 7lbs/in and see if it works but failing that I have a pressure regulator to fit as my old pump (Not AC) is now kaputt. This all kicked off when I changed my tank after a leak, then realised some of my hose was disintegrating (R6). Your probably best rebuilding the original one if you have the kit , Best of luck Colin

I promise to shut up now but just seen this on Rimmers , seems these new senders need an extra earth and a bend of the arm.

Just a quick update. I sourced all the parts from Fitchetts so as usual no issue with service or apparent quality. The tank went in without issue but the universal sender I gave up on. I succumbed to temptation and bent the arm but I could never get consistent readings from it, it would work for a while then seemed to go missing in action. In the end I repaired my old unit using cannibalised parts and at this time its working fine. The only other issue I had was the feed pipe into the tank, the original had a 5/16ths but the new tank which Fitchetts make themselves had a 1/4" pipe. Luckily I had some in stock along with the gland. Once again thanks for all the suggestions.

Pete , My old one is disintegrating it has lost its earth tag and makes nasty noises when you operate it. Its difficult to tell from the paddocks photo but in my pic that is the end of the travel so if you look the plastic bottle is still level/lower than the sender unit so would only be about half tank full ? I read on another forum that the additional wire is indeed for a low level light, possibly this is used on TR7 or something ?

Me again Im afraid, I decided to push the boat out and replace the tank and sender unit with new. However nothing is ever straight forward with classics is it. The sender unit supplied is apparently the standard replacement now (reputable supplier) and apart from having three contacts instead of my two it has an open plastic body unit. My issue is that when inserted into the tank (it will only go in one way because of the two retaining lugs) the MAXIMUM travel of the arm is to about half way up the tank. My first thought was it had been assembled wrongly but I spoke to the supplier who says I need to bend the arm ? Does that sound right? Ive seen a few earlier posts that actually said if you need to bend the arm you've got the wrong unit. Anybody got experience with these "new" units ? The attached pictures show the unit as it would go into the tank. On a brighter note the tank looks great just deciding whether to leave it in Lady Ga Ga pink or spray it black.

I used to tow my cousin to various short circuit racing events around the country, at scrutineering at one track it was pointed out the fire extinguisher was not easily accessible to the driver. I quickly moved it using two self tappers. Post race I thought my cousin looked a little unhappy as he removed his helmet and he lost no time in pointing out that I had screwed the extinguisher into the fuel tank and that he had done half the race with his feet sploshing around in fuel. Meanwhile I have had a better look at the Herald tank and it seems it needs changing out. I found a rimmer brothers set of seals and ring in my stores and I even tried an old stanpart original ring. It seems the actual flange is too worn to retain the ring properly and you cant tighten it sufficiently. As the forecast is 30' + this weekend Im not going to risk leaving a fuel trail everywhere. Who knows I may spot something in the autojumble and be bought it as a Fathers day pressie instead of the usual socks. Once again thanks for your help everyone

Thanks for the support guys, I have all but emptied the tank so may try and improve the situation with the lugs using non metallic tools methinks. If something has a seal I prefer not to use any sealants but as Pete says some replacements are pretty poor. Unfortunately stuck at work today and tomorrow so probably a limit to what Im going to get done. As Im taking the kids with me Sunday if there is any issue with it she will have to stay home. I remember seeing a bloke cutting a fuel tank out of an MG once with ox/acetylene, to be fair the ambulance was there very quickly. Once again thanks for the suggestions

No Pete don't give me the most expensive answer !!!! I think you may be right, this has "sweated" a bit for some time but is now too worn to work affectively. So you don't suggest welding the sender in situ then ? I could kick myself for not looking at this sooner as it looks like Im attending Santa Pod in a Citroen................................oh the ignominy of it all. As an aside how does a non moving item like this get worn ? Its like my wallet wearing out - should be impossible.

Thanks for the replies all, I bought the seals and ring from Paddocks but Ive also tried another ring I had. If you tighten the ring it gets tighter and tighter then just rides out of the flange. Ive cleaned up the mating face and tried it with just the rubber ring and I tried it with Hylomar ( it is petrol safe). I also tried another sender I had and the ring still comes out. Looks like there is something amiss with the tank flange. Worryingly I cant smell the petrol either but there isn't a section on the forum for Schnozzle trouble.

I was hoping to take the Herald to Santa Pod this weekend so decided to take her for a good shake down run to sort out any issues. I have to say she went pretty well so after a 30 mile run I made it back home, in fact al the way to my house bar 30 feet when she cut out and refused to restart. Another benefit of the Herald is I can push it on my own so managed to get her back on the drive where I quickly deduced it was a lack of fuel. Strange as I should have had plenty but having had the same issue before I double checked the sender unit on the tank and sure enough it seems I had lost a large part of it out the sender unit. I have recently replaced the seal ( twice) and put a new locking ring on but still I have a serious leak. I tried some hylomar on the seal this time and again Ive got a leak. Is there a secret to getting these sealing rings on, I'm turning it as far as I possibly can before it pops back out again ? I'm thinking there may be something wrong with the lip on the actual tank ? Any suggestions before I fork out for a new tank ( I might go for the screw type sender ) On the attached photo you can see why I didn't know my fuel situation the Earth tag has come off the sender.

I don't want to put a damper on all the above advice as you can do an awful lot of faulting with a meter or even just a 12v light up screwdriver. I will be the elf n safety bore here though, always be in a position to disconnect battery if your going to be moving / connecting wires up. My own 13/60 lost a large part of its wiring loom when the previous owner had problems with the wiper motor which resulted in the motor seizing and an under dash fire. A good manual is very handy and I also have a laminated wiring diagram to work from which is very useful. I have to say designing and fitting a decent fusebox to the Herald and converting it to an alternator were two of the most satisfying jobs I did on the rebuild. Get that meter and have a bash.

I bought a buzzer that has 3 wires ( eth - left turn - right turn) , I ended up fitting it in the boot of the herald where the loom delivers for the rear indicators. It ended up in the boot because it is really noisy at 92Db probably because it was designed for motorcyclists with a helmet on. Not sure I would want it under the dash it would drown out my wife talking .................................................hang on !

I find when enjoying a wind in the (where my hair used to be) drive I was often forgetting to cancel my indicators. I added a buzzer to the wiring and located it in the boot. Yes it sounds like a Dalek being strangled but it is better than any chance of confusion in modern traffic. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RVFM-12-v-90-dB-WARNING-SOUNDER-BUZZER-for-Indicators-ect-/142293674170?hash=item21215d28ba:m:mFRkpjwmAsxavAuMyDyJ-5Q

Its a fact of life that I hate modern driving, modern cars and modern traffic and the only time I get excited about vehicles is when I see something of an age. My wife laughed at me because I pointed out a raggedy old Morris Traveller in traffic the other day ignoring the 17 plate Jaguar sports car in front of it. Is there any chance we can get the AA men to salute us again , I know Im with green flag now but even so it would be a nice gesture.

John , that does look like fun. In current set up though my 1360 is more driving miss daisy than fast and furious 29

I guess the main problem with my car is the nut behind the wheel. I need to get more adventurous and get out more and further. BTW Im not avoiding the local Branch Pete honest ! just shift work that includes most Mondays. I like the look of that Roger Dudding collection, how come he is allowed all those cars when the wife wont let me have a second one.

After my father in law reminded me it was drive it day on the 23rd ( I really must pay more attention) he asked if he could stay with us in Bedfordshire with his Hillman Hunter as the Hillman owners club were having their AGM at the Shuttleworth museum in Old Warden. Once I had seen him to his destination I got chatting to several Minx and Hunter owners who had driven from as far away as Hampshire and kent. Added to that my Father in law had driven from Shropshire with a slight miss that we haven't sorted out yet. I started to feel truly humbled. In my defence I had been up for many hours having been fishing 6 miles out in the Thames estuary the night before and I hadn't had time to do anything with my Herald recently due to work commitments. After not much thought I succumbed and headed back home, moved two cars and a caravan on my drive and woke Chloe the Herald from her winter slumber , she wasn't happy ! For a start I had let the battery run down by leaving the interior light on so a pep up from the charger while I had a couple of tea , I had also started stripping the seats for refurb so the old seats went back in. the ones with no foam left in them which mean you might as well be sat directly on the chassis. Eventually she started and I squeezed her out into live traffic, I had forgotten how much fun this was. Of course I started noticing all the same issues spotted last year that I haven't dealt with , the vibrations from probably the prop although the engine mounts need changing and I'm not sure about that diff. I am very happy with the buzzer I attached to the indicators so no forgetting to cancel. After a very enjoyable drive on which several other nutters classic car owners waved their approval we got back to Shuttleworth , I say we as my kids and even Mickey the Springer had decided to join me for "drive it day ". We soon reached Shuttleworth again and decided against hijacking the Hillmans owners show and parked in a far corner, but being very friendly people we were beckoned over and found ourselves with various Hillmans , a rather lovely Metropolitan and closer to home a Stag. Earlier there were several Morris travellers and even an Austin Ruby parked up. We treated ourselves to a hot drink while we watched some of the veteran gliders being launched into the air, some looking like the balsa kits I did as a kid. Frightening ! there was one that looked like a wheelie bin with wings. All too soon we had to make our way home so forming up a very small convoy we headed off and travelled back via the hangers at Cardington to see the latest version of airship which is currently being tested, we also stopped off at the R101 memorial which my father in law hadn't seen. All in all it was a fantastic few hours and thanks to the "drive it day" initiative I was reminded that our cars are meant to be used and enjoyed. It also shows how much comradery there is between the various marques so special thanks to those nice Hillman people for allowing a Triumph interloper even if I did race Imp's a while ago and drove some very nice GLS Hunters back in the day. Its made me even more determined to iron out the wrinkles and to place that order to the club shop for my new seat foams as soon as the numbness in my posterior subsides.

I bought some Securon statics for my soft top as the inertias did work but after sometime of use started to get stuck a little too often. As Chris says when mounted on the rear wheel arch they don't interfere with the hood at all. Sorry to say the other issue I had was having to add the extenders to the seat belts as either the car has shrunk or Ive put on some serious weight.....................Nah ! must be the car Who mentioned tub spread

Thanks Darren , that makes sense. Ive only just got it back on the road and just idling it on the drive it doesnt get hot enough to cause a problem, only if I take it for a "ahem" spirited drive does it seem to do it. Just to confuse me even more I have two spare rads and one has a 7lb and one has a 13lb. I will try the latter on the car and take it for a good run this weekend. Appreciate the help

Is there a definitive answer to which radiator cap I should have on my 13/60 conv ? I have an issue with it blowing water out the overflow after a run, I suspect an air lock as I had a bit of work done for the MOT and they changed all the hoses while they were at it. I went to the excellent Duxford meet and it did it there so I bought a rad cap from the mobile club shop which was the same as the one on my car 7lbs. However when I checked a few online sellers some quote 13lbs for the 13/60. Its not a full width rad. I decided to take the thermostat out and check it. Using a slow warm up on the hob and my homebrew thermometer it seemed good starting to move at about 82' . Work has stopped me investigating further but the plan is to reinstall the thermostat and jack the front up a bit and slowly fill her up with the engine running and the heater valve wide open. I should add the gauge never showed the car running hot. I dont beleive its head gasket as takes ages to warm up and no overdue pressure in the hoses and no bubbles in the rad. Does having the wrong cap make that much difference ?

Supply of Wrong head gasket is common , I rebuilt my 1360 engine but in my amateur ignorance I didnt realise the head gasket with a ring I was supplied wasn't for the flat block I had. luckily mine didn't even get out the garage before it failed so I was able to spot my error. If you had a professional garage do it then the onus is on them to check and put right . I would be there when they take the head off though, if they do not play ball its an independent report and small claims. I diligently had a cam belt done on a rover 800 by a local garage and they left the cam cover bolts loose . It went bang on the M1 - the AA did a report for me which the garage accepted and replaced my valves etc.