dave.vitesse

I agree as the 13/60's breather pipe is feed into the air filter it will doesn't have any effect on the carbs if the oil filler cap is removed. Good point. All those cars with breather pipes either into the manifold, using a Smiths valve, or to the carbs will be effected. Either way the principle is the same. I have been digging around trying to find the reference book it's in. Dave

Thanks John, It's the OE system I was making ref to, not your own. The proof the OE system does have intake assistance is if you take the oil filler cap off the engine will stop as it's then drawing air in through the oil filler hole. Hence the small vacuum in the crankcase and rocker cover. Generally without this vacuum oil leaks can happen. On a track car, Triumph, I have seen where an electric fuel pump has been used, the un-used mechanical pump hole in the block has been re-used to take a sump breather pipe. The rocker cover pipe then vents out into a catcher. Retofit I guess. Dave

Sorry John the intakes does assist by set-up the small vacuum within the engine. A sweaty engine is an old term whereby it sweats oil. Dave

The pipe from the rocker cover to the air plenum is the close circuit system and hence does not require a sump breather. It when than pipe is disconnected, and allowed to vent into the air the small vacuum is lost and pressure can build up within parts of the engine. This can result in oil leaks and what was called a sweaty engine! Dave

If the closed circuit breather system is not used and the rocker cover is the only means of releasing pressure in the crankcase then oil leaks will occur as there is not crankcase breather. The original open breathing had a rocker cover and crankcase breather. This is because both temperature differences and the dynamics in the engine cause different pressures in different parts of the engine. Hence the use of two breather. The close circuit system is designed to create a very small vacuum which will over come these differences. Dave

Hello Dave, Good point, It's OK with a Mig if you tack weld. The inlet manifold is made to sit on an exhaust manifold which gets very hot anyway. You do need heat, plus oil, to free the remains of the bolt. Dave

A clever device in it's time, 1950's, when it was designed. No suitable solid state parts then. The unreliable electronic replacements types are just a series transistor with a zener diode controlling the, base, voltage. The transistor give current gain and allows greater power than the zener diode on it's own. This type doesn't have overload protection and can easy burn out. The better types have a voltage regulator chip with overload protection. e.g. 7810. Back in the late 1970's the gauges of my Toledo became intermittently erratic and after replacing the voltage stabiliser a couple of times with no improvement I built an electronic replacement using a 78** chip in the existing box. But, no improvement and it turned out to be a duff connection in the fusebox in the end! HiHo Dave

For the Stab system the following values are used to test the gauges- Full/Hot = 20 Ohms. Half/Normal = 72 Ohms. Empty/Cold = 270 Ohms. Pete, Snap! I did an article in March 2011 on this subject. Dave

Stanpart Fan Part numbers - 211986 Late Vit6 and MK1. 308353 Mk2. Dave

With the different gauges generally you can get the full and empty to read correctly, but the measurement in-between where it's inaccurate i.e. Quarter, Half, Three-Quarter. Dave

The later fan requires the smaller spacer fitted to the crank pulley, top picture. You can fit the later fan but you may have clearance problems with the rad. In the bottom picture the left hand is the Mk1 spacer and the right the Mk2. Dave

Oil leaks mainly come from the, also Mk1 pushrod tubes, the oil feed between the block and the head. As far as the oil feed leaks are concerned then a very small amount of sealer on the gasket either of the feed hole normally resolves the problem. From my experience this also applies to the small four cylinder engines. Having owned two new Triumphs this problem wasn't present and would only appear after an engine rebuild. Did the factory use a sealer around the feed hole, probably, some I have talked too who were involved say yes. Dave

Yes, Triumph stated they were walnut. But they always struck me as a bit light for walnut even when new. Dave

The Vit6 has no stabiliser. The 2 Litre and Mk2 does and both are mounted on the rear of the Speedo. Dave

Not sure Pete, but the old memory tells me the Vit6 used a moving iron meter for the fuel and Temp. In which case it's not polarity conscious. Dave

The light was also used in the later Toledo and the Dolomite models. Good old parts bin. Dave

I concur Kevin re the insulation. I didn't cover this as we were dealing with a 12 volts system. High temperature reduces the effectiveness of insulation which becomes apparent when a high voltage is present. If that's coupled with a high current which creates a high energy field then it can make matters worse. Valve radio/TV transmitters or power generation are an example. Dave

For the purposes of this discussion we are saying copper is a constant as that is the point of increasing the size of the wire to handle a larger current. Agreed there are varies degrees of conductivity as far as copper cable goes. However, there are standards which most manufacturers adhere to. Dave

Hello Gary, The point is you don't want heat in the cable as this is caused by the resistance and current in the cable, this in turn creates a voltage drop at the load end. The cable should operate at the lowest temperature. At 12 volts these are low voltage circuits hence even a small voltage drop is unwanted. Dave

Go back to basic physics. A cable with a greater resistance for a given length will cause a bigger voltage drop at a given current and voltage. Basic Ohms law. Two factors that can change the resistance are the material it's made of or it's size. If we say copper is a constant then it's the size that makes the difference. i.e. Increase the size of the cable and you reduce it's resistance. The resistance should be lower not higher for a cable carrying a higher current to prevent both heat and a voltage drop. The next factor to consider is if the cable is either solid or stranded (multi core). It has been stated that a solid cable for a given diameter has a lower resistance and will dissipate the heat more effectively than a stranded cable of the same diameter. Therefore the solid cable should be able to carry a higher current. However, my training was that solid cable should not be used where there is any vibration or movement as it could fracture. Only stranded should be used in these applications. Any advantage in current carrying capability with the solid cable is lightly to be small over the stranded cable. To my mind the disadvantage of a likely fractured cable due to higher vibrations present in a classic car is greater. The main advantage with the solid cable, in Direct Current use, is that it uses less copper. There are other advantages, skin effect, when used in high frequency, AC, radio applications. Dave

The cable should not be working at a temperature that effects the insulation. If it is then there is likely to be to much voltage drop at 12 volts. A cable with a higher or greater current ratings has a lower resistance therefore generates less heat and has a lower voltage drop at 12 volts. Sorry to labour the point. Dave

I agree, stay with copper. The heat in the wire is caused by it's resistance and the current flowing through it. This heat is a power lost in the wire and causes a voltage drop. You don't want heat in the wire in the first place. e.g. Thicker wire gives a lower resistance, generates less heat for a given current and less voltage drop. Also the increase in resistance of copper wire due to the increase in heat is small enough to have little effect in this application. If it is better than copper then it will be due to a lower resistance for a given length of wire and not it's insulation.. Dave

The prefix reg HVC indicates its was registered in Coventry. Home of Standard Triumph. Nice looking car. Dave

I find in true the more you get into a subject in depth the greater you realise that it's the less you know I still get people at car shows telling me that the Herald has a dangerous rear suspension. Have they ever owned or driven one, NO. Though as Colin as pointed out some of this stuff is fundamental. I'll blow a fuse in a minute! Dave

Just some feedback on the video which may help. The Vitesse was born in May 1962. Not 1964. Engine size 1962 - 1966 1596cc. 1966 - 1971 1998cc. The swing axle was replaced by the Rotoflex rear suspensions in Oct 1968 and the car re-styled. A heavy weight in the boot improved the swing axle performance. Excellent car. Dave