TomL

Hi Gary, Have you bought it? (the ad says "sold") Tom

I used a heated-seat kit I found on line (by Waeco IIRC); quite easy to fit to the MGF seats, and a great addition to the car in colder weather:

Hi Puglet1, I would say that there is no noticeable difference in comfort between Vitesse 2-litre Mk1 and Vitesse 2-litre Mk2 seats. IIRC, the earlier 1600 Vitesse had the narrower, Herald-type seats which possibly offer a little less padding, and are (of course) narrower. I suggest having a look at one of the books, such as Graham Robson's "...The complete story", which has photos of the seats. If you're looking for greater comfort, plus the advantage of headrests, then I'd suggest going for one of the popular replacements such as MGF or MX5. Tom

Hi Steve, I am sorry to hear that things for you aren't going brilliantly for you at the moment. I understand your dilemma with your parts collection. There's a lot of good advice in the replies here and I'm not sure there's much I can add but you said you were interested in other people's experiences... Like other contributors to your post, I have to confess to having perhaps more than a few parts in storage. I try not to let the stash build up to a level where I don't readily know what I've got, so periodically I have a clear out, either by doing an autojumble stand, or by online auction. Participating at an autojumble can be fun. The online auction can be fun too, that is until you have to package up the parts, where I almost never have the right sized box etc. In my experience, letting parts go to someone who's going to use them, plus regaining space in the garage, is cathartic and it seems to renew my enthusiasm for what is the actual focus: the car. Coincidentally, Steve, I have also owned my Vitesse since 1985. Do come to one of the Surrey Area meetings. Always good to chat. Tom

Hi Steveo, Yes, they are double skinned. I believe one or more supplier does a replacement in thicker steel so that you can achieve single-skin construction here, thus eliminating a potential rust trap. Tom

Not that I know of. The 1850/2-litre engine is difficult to fit in a Herald/Vitesse. The 1500 is the more logical choice. The four cylinder engine could be fitted further forward, possibly reducing the amount of chassis mods. Tom

Hi Pete et al, Yes, there were chassis alterations because of the auto-box's sump. Consequent alterations to floorpans as well. Tom

Peter, I think Josef's (very nice) seats aren't MGF. Correct me if I'm wrong; they look like MX5 or similar

MGF seats and aftermarket heaters. Much more supportive than the original Vitesse seats. Headrests - and I have adapted the passenger's side seat's backrest to fold forward to allow access to the rear.

It's impossible to say exactly. A lot would depend on whether they're using electrical things like lights, wipers, heater fan, plus of course the condition and capacity of the battery. I expect if you weren't using lights etc, you might get an hour or so. Tom

On the capping, only the front face is veneered (American Walnut I recall). The top face (with indent for the quarter-light latch) is the base hardwood. You also see this harwood at both ends. I think that Triumph did not stain the veneers.

Hi Paul, I have been experiencing a similar issue with my Vitesse; occasionally, shortly after start-up it will splutter to a halt. It's done it three times now. Initially, I thought it might have been an electrical issue but after a bit of investigation, it transpired that although the fuel pump was pumping, no fuel was getting through. I assume that the delivery had stopped prior to start up, and the car had been running on the fuel in the float chambers. It happened again on the way back from the TSSC Malvern event. After a coffee-stop on the M4, it let me drive out of the services and back onto the motorway and then promptly stopped. Fortunately there was a hard-shoulder and a grass bank, and I was able to pull off to relative safety. I thought about calling for recovery but thought if I could fix it quickly, that would be the better option (thinking I could be waiting there for hours for recovery). I took the fuel cap off, undid the supply pipe to the pump, got my head into the engine bay, drew a massive breath and blew down the pipe. Even above the traffic noise, I could hear gurgling in the tank. Checked the pump - now delivering fuel! Started her up and quickly put the tools away and re-joined the Saturday evening M4 traffic. The car was then fine for the next few days. I'd put a shot of Ethanol protector stuff in, as well as shot of Redex but the car did the same trick last Sunday, and of course it stops where it stops, which can put you and the car in danger, so I have returned it to its barn, with a view to taking out the tank and cleaning it. I am expecting it to produce a similar pile of rust as yours. With regard to the internal coating products, I have seen a lot of bad reviews so I will start looking into a replacement tank. I'll probably change the rubber hoses now, using the ones the club sells. Tom

Hi Jeremy, It fits on the diff. and the spring sits on top. Tom

Hi both, I, too, have the Watling one on my Vitesse. Originally I had the the Witter one but I prefer the design of the Watling. Fitting was quite straightforward but I do recall having to make up a steel plate for the part that bolts through the spare wheel well. Other than that, it's been great.

Hi Alf, I second Richard's suggestion of Graham Whitehouse. They did an excellent job on my ZF 4HP22 auto gearbox in the Vitesse. Very knowledgeable and helpful. My understanding of the BW35 is that although it's referred to a the "kickdown cable", it needs to be connected at all times as it governs up-changes as well as kickdown. Let us know how you get on. Tom

Yes, a common problem on the cars - worn column bushes. Tom

The cappings are solid hardwood with an American walnut veneer to the front face only. Someone like Chapman & Cliff would re-veneer and re-finish, or a nice DIY job. Let us know how you get on. Tom

Yes, I think it's the same one as I don't recall another Vitesse with an automatic gearbox back then. It was in fact a Vitesse engine and although the gearbox was a Borg Warner 35 as fitted to the 2000/2.5, it was the Rover 2000/3500 version of the gearbox, as this had a shorter tail-housing, which presumably fitted better into the modified chassis. The donor car (scrapped by the PO) ran it with 2500 and 3.27 diff. It now runs with a 3.63 and a ZF 4HP24 gearbox, as fitted to the Jaguar XJ40. Tom

A number of reasons - somewhat subjective probably - but I didn't like the engineering principle of the way the organ pedal pulls, imho, awkwardly on the cable. The fixing of the organ-pedal to the floor can trap water and it is well-known place for rust on the cars (yes, my hood leaks, always has - I know it shouldn't but the reality is it does). The hanging pedal eliminated this particular source of decay. Also on my car, the throttle cable needed to be capable of operating a kickdown cable, which adds resistance, so it needed something a bit different to the original set up. My car uses a Spitfire pedal and pedal-box below the bulkhead and, iirc, parts to receive a Triumph 2000 cable on the top of the bulkhead. It worked for me but I appreciate it might not be of any benefit to others. Tom

Yes, I fitted one to my Vitesse about 25 years ago and it's a marked improvement.

Thank you for the replies Mjit, Cookie and Colin. That's two votes for Next Base, so I'll have a look at those. Tom

I'm looking at getting a dash cam for the Vitesse but know very little about them. If anyone could share any advice. observations, what to look for, pitfalls etc. that would be helpful. There seems to be a considerable range in price. I would quite like a discrete device and not have too may wires draped over the dash. Tom

The one you quite often see is made by a company called Aley Bars (I have one in my Vitesse). I have no idea if they still make them but I doubt it. There were two types of roll-over bars (not a cage) offered for the Herald/Vitesse, one being painted steel and one vinyl covered and padded. I am sure one will come up for sale if you keep looking. Good luck.

Hi, I would advise against using headphones when driving, and particularly a classic. Apart from sirens from emergency service vehicles, you need to be listening out for any strange noises from your car's mechanicals. Fitting a music system with conventional speakers to our cars is not a difficult job; in fact it should be an enjoyable project. I agree with Paul H that the AA Book of the Car is a very helpful resource (except for the section on bodging sills with chicken-wire and filler!). Let us know how you get on. Tom