DaveH

Welcome on board fellow Mk3’er! They are beautiful cars, and great to drive (when all works as it should). Sounds like you have a good project on your hands, and these cars are relatively easy to tinker with. This welcoming community (and others) have a whole wealth of invaluable knowledge, which has certainly helped me! Good luck! Dave

Yeah, I’m not really sure to be honest, and it really depends on the light! I think the car was originally white, going by what I’ve found. In any case, it’ll get another respray down the line as a) it needs it, b) I fancy a metallic blue that ‘pops’ a bit more, like Honda’s Monte Carlo blue. I’ll have to start a thread in the ‘projects’ section to keep tabs as I work on it. Discovered a new gem I hadn’t noticed before where a PO has fitted rear quarter repair panels that lip over the rear wing! Christ knows what I’ll find underneath, so it feels like a bit more body repair than I anticipated. Still, I’m enjoying it though. Night class in Mig welding next I think!

Well, having checked all suggestions, I’ve come to the conclusion it’s not from the Spit. Still, good game for a while eh! 🤪

😂 And now I find myself tea in hand, leafing through the workshop manual. Must be the novelty of it all.

Oh, not many, 2k spirited miles per year. Im not definitely doing it, just researching. My mind often wanders off down deep rabbit holes! 🤪

Oh, I don’t, was just thinking ahead if I ever do a trunionless conversion. I’d either have to reuse the stubs I have or get new. Cheers Dave

It was the ‘don’t really know what I’m doing, so get everything in bits on the workbench’ method! Apart from the shock, didn’t touch that in the end.

Not sure why I picked this as my first newbie job, but after several hours spannering hammering and swearing, I managed to get to one of the trunnions. Packed solid with black grease, which might explain the stiffness. Cleaned it out, inspected the vertical link (looks good), and shoved it all back with a new grease nipple & big dose of ep90. Other side will have to wait as I noticed a few things I wasn’t prepared for (mostly bushes), plus looks like the inner hubs need some tlc as I think there’s a rubber or felt seal missing. Will likely go trunnionless if I rebuild all this properly, but how do you remove / install the stub axle? Seems a solid bugger.

Oh maybe! I did fold it down last weekend! I’ll go look.

Cheers chaps, I’ll rest easy knowing it’s likely not from the Spit. I had my doubts, especially as it’s Alu.

Spitty part or not. Wifey found it on the drive, now it’s got me worried that something has dropped off the Spit! Or maybe she put it there to drive me nuts. its light, so must be Aluminium. What the heck is it?! 🤔

Righto, thanks chief!

Mileage is a bit of an unknown. Speedo states 13k, but that could easily be a replacement speedo. Not many historical MOTs to give the real truth. Ball joints & TREs only being replaced as the boots flagged as an advisory, so I thought I’d replace the lot just to be safe. Shock bushes may be okay, no issues driving, they just look grimey, so swapping them out for SupaFlex ones. I suppose I’m quite risk adverse (comes from working in insurance) so just playing safe. May just go trunnionless at this rate! 😂

I have TRE’s, upper ball joints & lower shock bushes to change out at the same time, but is there anything else worth doing whilst I’m at that level of disassembly?

Righto, cheers!

Do we have a preferred choice of trunnion / supplier, or are they all much of a muchness?

Busted out the EP90 to oil the trunnions as first port of call. No joy, couldn’t get anything through the grease nipples so took them off. Gunged solid with grease. Couldn’t get anything in the trunnions with the nips off either, so I’m guessing they are packed too. looks like I’ll be stripping or replacing those then when I do the TRE’s.

Thanks chaps, I'll start working through those suggestions & let you know what I find out. I have to replace the TRE boots anyhow, so a good overhaul of the steering comes at the right time, if there ever is one! 🤪 Cheers, Dave

I think there’s a lug / pin on the steering column that’s supposed to engage at the 3 o’clock position. If it’s in the right place, then I guess the indicator stalk is another issue. But if not at 3 o’clock, that might point to the column having been fiddled with.

Not had the car wheels up yet, but will check at the weekend. i know something isn’t right as the indicators don’t self cancel either.

Steering on the Spit is not as light as I’d expected, and really stiff as I approach full lock. No noises, clunks or play, apart from a bit of a squeal from the steering column area. Any suggestions as to what the likely suspects might be? Cheers, Dave

Spit has now made the (trailer) journey to its new home here. I used the services of Car-Go Vehicle Movements https://www.cargovehiclemovements.co.uk/ based in Exeter and would happily recommend Amy who did the run. 10 mile shakedown drive done, all seemed okay, no scary moments. Looks like the first job will be stopping the exhaust box from knocking somewhere at the rear, then sorting that passenger door latch, then the boots. I can see how this is going to be addictive and take over my weekends! What have I done?! 😂

Makes sense. My Granddad died of oesophageal cancer, worked in a rubber factory cleaning out rubber crumb from plant equipment.

I’ve got some Polyflex boots so will see how they fair. Modern rubber seems iffy these days. Noted, I’ll give the winders a good look at, as the drivers side is a bit rattly too. Yeah, I saw new steel boot lids were pricey! Will keep looking for a used one, not essential in any case. Cheers!

😂 Colour is currently up for debate, I thought Royal blue, previous owner thought Sapphire blue, so who knows! Chance it may not even be a Triumph blue, as history indicates it was white at some point in its life! Ive made the journey to see the car, and am happy with it. Decided not to drive it back as it’s barely done 100 miles in the last 10 years! It’ll be trailered to me on Friday, so I’m currently in full on garage clearing mode. Not an easy task with 25 years of accumulated “might be useful” things! Passed its MOT last week with only an advisory on the track rod boots needing attention soon, which I have ready and waiting. It drove really well & I didn’t note any concerns. Paint blemishes look to be the main issue, but easily addressed in time. Passenger door doesn’t seem to hold closed without a big slam, so may need the latches looking at, and the windows don’t fully close, so more work there. It’s had new furflex seals on which don’t seem to help. All in, it ticks the boxes for a project for me with limited experience so far. Came with several boxes, manuals and a boot (which is fibreglass, so that will have to go) full of spares, and the icing on the cake for me being the original round tail hardtop in great nick. I originally thought it was just the shell, but no, behind the seats was a full new headlining kit, seals, and mint condition glass! Happy days. Im expecting many highs and lows as I go, but am pretty excited to be doing this.