TomL

When I did lower door-skins, I found on one door evidence of previous damage/repairs including much filler, so it didn't give a straight or flat edge to weld to. But with a bit of fettling (and some swearing) I ended up with a reasonable fit/finish. Paul: how much are the repair panels? Tom

Hello Paul and Paul, Paul Barlow is right that you have to be careful of heat-distortion when doing the lower repair section. In my experience, it is easier to fit a complete new skin. Of course, you then also get the chance to coat all the mating surface with paint - something Mr. Triumph often neglected to do. Let us know how you get on. Tom

Hi Colin, I have used Ashford Chroming n two occasions. I didn't find them pushy - I wasn't bombarded with emails. I have no price comparison but I expect they were a bit on the expensive side. They were quite slow, which happened not to be a problem as the items were not on any particular critical-path (they weren't in fact car-related things). The job they did, which was nickel-plating, appeared quite satisfactory. Let us know what you decide to do and how you get on. Tom

Hi Andy, I don't know anything about your car's history, I'm afraid, but I have to say it looks great. Stunning! And I am glad to hear that you are enjoying it. Tom

No idea if it's worth the money but what an elegant car. Beautiful. Tom

The seat runners for convertibles are saloons are the same. Tom

Oh no, what a pain, just think of all that great music you'll have to endure now....

HI Steve, It is more likely to be dealer-fitted. I recall when my parents bought cars in the 70s, factory-fitted radios were virtually unheard of and the dealer always fitted the radio of the customer's choice. Let us know how you get on. Tom

Great photos! Keep them coming... Tom

Fantastic! Any more photos? Tom

Hi Karl, As Clive says, this is a "can of worms" topic! There are some very good articles on the subject, and it's probably worth doing a search on this forum. There is a very good link to (I think) a TR owner who has done a great deal of research on the subject. My own experience is that I've been using silicone in my Vitesse for about 30-years. My main reason for using it that it is not hygroscopic, unlike convention DOT4. So ideal for a car that sits in the garage, unused for long-ish periods. It is the moisture that gets into conventional fluid that causes corrosion in the system, most noticeably in the caliper-pistons, that can lead to seizure. This can of course be overcome by regularly changing the fluid (every two year, I think). A lot is down to personal choice. Clive, let us know how you get on at Stelvio? Regards, Tom

Or Clive...

I think that it is unlikely to be an LSD. It is more likely that it has a bit of partial-minor-seizure that will free off with a bit more torque applied. If it were an LSD it would still behave like a normal diff at low-speed (I believe); the two output shafts can still rotate at different speeds. The maximum difference between the two shafts is the aspect that is "limited". This is probably better explained by someone with a racing licence - over to you John D.... Tom

Hi, In my experience Vitesse brakes, provided they are set up correctly, should feel pretty good, even compared to a modern car. Obviously the Vitesse doesn't have clever features like ABS but that shouldn't affect "feel". I have run mine both with and without a servo and I have to say I don't miss the servo now I've removed it. And, like many here, I also switch from a modern car to my classic and I must say, I consider the Vitesse brake to be pretty good. As others have said, new high-performance hoses will help (old ones can suffer from ballooning under pressure) as will good quality pads. I also wasn't keen on the green ones (despite great claims) and have gone back to Mintex 1144, which are IMO great. Again, as others have said, keeping the rear brakes adjusted properly helps too. I think you will be amazed by the improvement with a bit of fettling. Let us know how you get on. Regards, Tom

That's good. It's quite a rewarding job re-building a master-cylinder. Let us know how you get on. Tom

Hi Richard, If the bolt is rusted to the sleeve, which is what I suspect has happened, and is suggested also by others above, a bit of heat will help. It might be that getting the grinder onto it may be the way forward (I don't much like blow-torches) and the heat from that might just do the trick (as long as you leave enough of the bolt/nut intact such that you can get spanner onto it - obviously). Incidentally, I did the same (Nick Jones) conversion on my car this time last year. I haven't done many miles with it but I can vouch for the quality of the engineering. And Nick was very helpful with advice during the process. I'll be interested to hear how you get on. Tom

Hi roadster63, if it's a convertible, you will struggle with the top fixing (at shoulder level) as there is nothing structural on the car at this point. If it's a saloon, I imagine you can use the rear deck for the top fixing. A good spreader-plate will be essential. Tom

I am very sorry to hear of Garth's departure. He was always helpful and accommodating and, as others have said, very knowledgable. I wish him well. In response to JohnD - that's terrible that you should be met with such a negative attitude to a comment about the shutdown of the club's forum. Personally, I couldn't believe how long it was out of action; it seemingly taking forever to be fixed. And I'm genuinely not a nerd (I have enough other vices, thank you!) but do I appreciate that the forum is an extremely valuable part of the ongoing functioning of the club and one which should on no account be underestimated. Tom

I think they are from a Toledo. I have seen these same (or very similar) seats in a late Herald; the owner had been told that late in production, a seat with a release mechanism had been introduced to allow the seat to tip forward, unlike earlier Heralds, which had no such feature. It sounded plausible, and the seats certainly didn't look out of place in this Herald, but it later transpired that they had come from a two-door Triumph Toledo. As the seats do look remarkably similar to the Herald/Vitesse ones,you might be able, with a bit of creativity, to make the Vitesse covers fit. Tom

Great pics. And great trip, i imagine. I like the VW Variant. Is that a model for the Mexican market? I don't recall the Variant that came here being so small. Nice looking car though. Tom

Thanks Richard and Clive, for your comprehensive replies. Very helpful. Cars' headlamps have certainly improved in quality and intensity over the 50-odd years that our cars have been around. I have run mine with a halogen-conversion for a long time now and although an improvement over the originals, they're not up to some of the (often blinding!) ones on some moderns. Tom

It is not clear, at least not to me, what "crystal headlamps" are; is Crystal a manufacturer, and are these lights e-marked? Tom

Hi Ray, Won't you be for ever filling up with fuel if you change to a Herald tank? The Vitesse's tank is small by today's standards and the earlier Herald one even tinier. I'd be concerned that your mileage range might be somewhat limited. It depends on how you use the car, of course. My modern car has a range of about 450-miles between fill-ups - the Vitesse is nearer 190. Tom

I agree with Steve C; there is nothing wrong in re-rubbering your old cylinder. I have done it in the past but just recently I fitted a new rear brake cylinder (as I needed to the job in a hurry and the part was available quickly) but I did not throw out the old Girling cylinder as it seemed so much better than the new one. The new one is fine and got it through the MOT but I can see that a longer-term solution will probably be the re-built original. Tom

Hi Ean, The cars would have had Dot 4 from new. Nothing wrong with it as long as you change it periodically as it is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs moisture from the air, therefore reducing its performance. A great deal has been discussed regarding the use of different fluids on this forum, and there is a clear division of opinion. I have used silicone fluid for over twenty years and been happy with it. Others not so. It's probably a good idea to have a chat to members at your local area meeting. Tom