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Ok - so this has been asked before but before was before and now is now and things just keep on getting more annoying. My blueprinted 1500 engined Herald 1360 convertible runs very well thank you. New, anti nasty-petrol hoses recently fitted plus a new cheap mechanical fuel pump which seems to be doing the business. Unfortunately, we live in a built-up area of West London and driving any distance in ANY direction means sticking to 20mph or risk points, or worse, a speed awareness test. In these new and ever more restricting circumstances, how does the team feel about my dropping one of the shiny HS4 SU's and running around with one only? The long branch exhaust manifold will stay, and I will need to source the right single carb manifold (advice please...?). Just a thought and a possible experiment - but am I being overly pessimistic? I use the car quite a lot just to spite old Ghengis Khan (sorry, Sadique) as my perfect and very useful 1996 Spacewagon had to go due to ULEZ charges and old Euro 3 ratings. Yes, the Herald won't accelerate as well, but will it save me fuel? I can always replace the second for holidays...

Thanks gents all done. DF

Pete - Ah not those switches - from my mini rally days we had lots of those on the cars for extra spots and hazards and fuel off and all that. Those days my brain was in tune and switch perfect - and I could swap a rear subframe in 90 minutes. But my suppleness is waning and I dream about a pit or a lift nowadays! This is indeed the pull out t switch common to 13/60s - I will work it out tomorrow when madam allows me time ( I have a print out of the messages above to assist). In addition to a shiny new dashboard from Chapman & Cliff I bought a new transmission tunnel in shiny plastic plus some shiny sticky backed insulation and a new fitting kit - I spotted that my 50+ yrs old paper one had given up along the top front when topping up gearbox oil and checking the overdrive - THAT's why it was a bit hot noisy and smelly.... (The things you do with an unexpected but very small premium bonds win....) Oh and I still need to find a reasonable sprayer for my rolling, totally stripped and welded and in primer 4 door 1954 Minor. The London prices are daft...and I dont expect another bonds win for years.... DF

Oh and thanks pete - that helps a lot..! DF

Gents - thanks and yes it is my beautiful 1500 Herald 13/60 convertible. I've looked in the manuals too but just can't figure which terminal is which. Trial and error might be the only way but I HATE burning stuff out... DF

Fellow enthusiasts - So I'm not very bright..... Well, I'm actually quite bright but the Herald 1500 isn't when things are in the 'right ' position. I will illuminate my conundrum... with the T switch right OUT my sides and heads are OFF but that isn't right is it? I push it in once for sides and fully in for heads and it's been working in the aforementioned manner since I rebuilt the thing 10 years ago ...but it is now annoying me and anyway a shiny new dashboard is here to be fitted so here's my chance. Nil excuses! Can anyone please advise? I have a fuzzy bit in my brain where electric car switches are concerned. Thanks David F

So, the blueprinted 1500 engine in my 13/60 convertible ran beautifully all summer on the old plugs I took from my 1954 Morris Minor. The engine is a belter with excellent pressure, no leaks or major rattles and has not let me down since the ebay 4 way plugs disaster last year. The blighter starts and runs beautifully. I have a question for my learned not-seen fellow enthusiasts...concerning the use of fuel...and the question is two fold, one answer dependent on the other I reckon. I have decent long branch exhaust manifold through a fat pipe to a standard silencer (the wife's not a fan of that 'roar'). Above this arrangement there sits two nicely balanced and maintained HS4 carbs which are fed air via a late double filter housing with no filters inside - which is in turn fed through 2 pipes to chrome motor cycle type filters to the side of the radiator in the main airflow. It works a treat. My point is - if I were to drop to ONE HS4 carb - what detrimental 'real world' effect would it have? Major power loss or just some top end loss? Less or more fuel used? Any other side issues? Question2 - what manifold can I get to do this and has anyone got one should I feel like experimenting? HNY or HND to all. D

(I lied about buying those plugs last summer...it was Feb 2018 from the email invoice I've just found). But hey...18 months of very light use!? However, I have since connected all four, separately, to a flying HT lead and yes, one sparked the once every few turns...the others not at all. Is this a record?? That was another 2 cups job....strong...no sugar. I don't blame the 8 yr olds in the factories...it's the quality control which is lacking... DF

A warning. Last summer, for fun, I bought a set of those multi ground electrode plugs from ebay for my rather nippy Herald-convertible-with-a-1500-spitfire-engine. They seemed to work well with the car starting on the button and running nicely at all revs... All winter she sat in the garage behaving herself, starting well a couple of times during the cold winter months. At the beginning of May what happened? Nothing ....that's what. Blighter just would not start. I checked everything.. three times...timing.....fuel...condenser...cables...floats...pump...filter...carbs...needles..spark...switch...starter motor...battery. For various reasons (personal accident) I was unable to go near the car until this week...but I am now able to walk again and my mate Chris came around and we had another go. She fired once every 10 turns of the key. This was a two cups of tea job..... Those new plugs from last year seemed a no-brainer - how could they have failed? To humour Chris I picked up a set of old plugs from my 1955 minor, scrubbed them with the wire brush machine and screwed them in. Yes...you know what happened next - started FIRST time and ran beautifully. As Chris says (retired banker)..she go like bomb... Moral - DON'T BUY CHINESE PLUGS! David F

LIGHTBULB moment - the 12v issue - need to check that one. Thanks, The battery has been places if you know what I mean... Thanks Pete and Doug ... DF

No. Still nothing. am now going though cables one by one. Different coil. New condenser, This is driving me bananas...BANANAS I tell you... DF

All - famous unseen friends. many thanks. Yes, I spotted the firing order typo - at least I hope it was a typo and not foreign fake news... Condenser fail. Thats a possibuility even though there's plenty of sparkles at the plugs...I'll also treble check the SUs are ding their job properly. Firing order, timing all spot on. The WD40 gag I haven't tried since when I had to start diesel diggers in sub zero temperatures at 5 am when I was a student...although it could have been diesel cold start stuff when i think about it.. Pity really, am missing this clement late summer.. Thanks All...I'll let you know.. DF

Ok - so I fixed in a new dash to my modified 1500 spitfire powered Herald Convertible and carefully returned all cables correctly after a slight mishap with the light switch. I turned the key and everything lights up normally. Timings right, electronic ign perfect, cables firmly in, head screwed tight, compression V good, rockers and valves behaving normally, lots of sparkles at the plugs when sitting on the rocker cover, ...but no fire up. Old petrol perhaps? So I put new in and cleaned out the pipes. Cleaned the HS4s. Checked vacuum pipes. Am at my wits end - it has NEVER failed me before! Old Isleworth, West London if you're passing...! David

Drat - and after all these years...possibly the wrong switch! Curses. I will need to loosen the dash and take incriminating pics of the switch solus rather than of a range of bits to focus for you experts out there. I will, I will.. It has worked for years as it is with the previous dash..but it always felt wrong somehow. Watch this space - bit busy today though...but needs must... DF

So after a long wait, The walnut veneer Chapman and Cliff dashboard for my convertible 1360 Herald came off the garage shelf for fitting. Yes, I took pics of the wiring, and yes I was careful with screws and screwdrivers and yes, the dash all fitted nicely c/with a nice loose replacement heater cable to replace the seized previous one. However, daft old me has the main dash lighting switch wired incorrectly - it needs to be OUT for the headlights and sides to be OFF and IN for them to be on. Simple incorrect positioning of a multi cable I reckon...but hey, what pray is the correct positioning? PS IT WAS LIKE THIS BEFORE I CHANGED DASH!! It would be nice for all my pull switches to be IN during normal working. Does anyone have pics? PS the dash is stunning, but it is a Vitesse Mark 2 version for extra dials I have fitted (oil pressure and etc) . But the afficionadoes amongst you might be horrified....oh and the engine is a very nice peppy 1500 which puts out a lot of BHP at the wheels oh and the seats, brakes, overdrive unit , interior etc have also been changed from nice to NICE. I like it. David F