trigolf

Hi Mark, If I recall correctly - it's a square shaped cable on the angle drive. I have an uprated J type gearbox fitted to my Vitesse also. As regards ftting the J type box into the chassis - I found that the angle drive round end cover plate just fouled the top inner flange on the chassis rail, which required a small notch to be cut in the flange to accommodate it and allow slight movement under engine/transmission loads. Gav

Went out in my Vit yesterday for a run through the New Forest and local areas. 46 miles done and reminded myself that for a 1960's car, the heater works quite well....... Gav

If it's a 2500 saloon, could it possibly be worn driveshaft splines? Gav

I find it helps to refit the black strips if you put them in very hot water first and fit them while they are still pliable. Gav

Earlier this year I fitted a set of Uniroyal Rainmaster Expert 3 tyres to my Vit. In the dry they felt a bit different to the previously fitted Avon tyres, which were only about 3 years old, but at least one had developed a bad flat spot, despite inflating them higher than normal, during short periods of storage. I decided to replace them all as another one wouldn't balance very well. At the weekend I was out in the Vit for probably the last run this year and got caught in prolonged and sometimes very heavy rain showers. I was very impressed at the roadholding that the Uniroyals demonstrated and I felt far more confident to 'press on' in an effort to get home asap. They certainly get my vote ! Gav

Thanks very much for the info Gary.

Hi Gary, Slight thread drift ...but I like the look of the wing mirrors on your Vit. Do you know if they are still available, if so where, and what car were they were fitted to ? Gav

Regarding the clunk - Have you checked that both rear trunnion bushes are not badly worn. I've seen them worn so badly that the trunnion bolt has worn the hole in the vertical link oval, which can cause the type of clunk on/off the power you've described. Just a thought...

Possibly late model Maxi or Allegro ? Gav

I think I've got it covered. I have the brown Haynes item, plus an Intereurope,also the green Autobook and finally the factory manual ! Gav.

Also it's not unknown, for people who are not aware of the different lengths of shaft to fit a long one, when it should be short and vice-versa. They then wonder why the rear camber looks odd on one side !

If the gouges aren't too deep you can get the anodizing removed at any reputable chroming company. Then get the them polished, either at same company or any good metal polisher, to remove all/most of the scratches and then re-anodized. Gav

I seem to recall that about 15 years ago, one of our local members here in the Wessex area had a genuine Brabham Herald. IIRC it was indeed 1220cc and Damson colour I think. It was very rare when new, so even 15 years ago would have been unusual. Not seen it for years and wonder if it's still around ?

Have you tried Chapman & Cliff? You might have to send yours to them. Gav

Steve, If you have trims with the BL logo in the centre cap and/or a hole in the centre then they are not the correct items. They've probably come from Triumph 2.5 PI, which has the BL logo fitted as a separate centre cap. They also have a different clip size for a different wheel ,which means they do not fit well to the Vitesse wheel rim - ask me how I know ! I lost two over the years, until I learned that there is a difference between the two. Proper Vit Mk2 and GT6 Mk2 trims will not have a hole in the centre. Many autojumblers pass off the wrong item by removing the BL centre cap. Even with the correct items the clips get weak with with time - result a rattly trim ! If you have a mix of trims I seem to recall that you can drill the rivets out that hold the clip ring on and substitute the correct item ? Gav

Hi Steve, Glad to be of help and that the job went well. Your Vit looks very nice underneath too !☺️ Gav

Hi Ian. Slight thread drift, but looking at your pic - does the exhaust manifold have Zircotec treatment? I would be interested to hear if it helps keep under bonnet temp down. Gav.

Rotoflex Bearing end float setting is also described in Technical Archive , Rear End Noises , Note 4 ,on Canley Classics website. It's essentially the same technique that Andy Cook uses, apart from Andy double checks end float with a dial gauge. Gav

Hmm, the outer end of the threads don't look too wonderful, as I highlighted on before. The nyloc nut does not appear to be original spec - i.e. not the shallow depth nyloc that was originally fitted ,and I understand, hard to get hold of nowadays. I don't like not being able to see some visible threads beyond the nyloc insert to give you confidence that the nyloc insert has gripped fully formed threads and won't work loose. My late father always used to say 'minimum two threads visible into safety', from his aviation days.

Would you be able to use something like a wallpaper steam stripper to soften the distorted areas and then clamp them flat, until dried out ? Just a mad idea.

If your into concours, the AA book is useful as a guide to factory colours of various engine & suspension parts as some of the' how to' guides feature a Mk 2 Vitesse.☺

Regarding Pete's comment about making adjustments with the car laden - I was watching Wheeler dealers the other day and Edd China was setting up a Lotus Elise geometry for a fast road /track car. He used weight lifting weights to simulate laden car. Gav

Pete, If this is a standard Rotoflex driveshaft we are talking about - there is no collapsible spacer - its fitted with a solid spacer picked from one of 5 sizes available + 1 or two 3 thou shims, to achieve the correct end float,ideally. Gav

From memory - it's 110lb ft, IIRC. I would unscrew the hub nut completley first and check the condition of the threads on the outer shaft. They tend to get stripped through successive bearing changes. After all they're 45 years old now. I would also use a new nyloc nut - make sure you obtain the correct spec item - it's quite a shallow nut, that allows the nylon insert to bite on the fully formed threads of the shaft - they're not fully formed to the tip. If your not experiencing rumbling from that side I would want to investigate the hub end float spacer and shims before re-torqueing.

Hi Phil, Welcome to the club/forum. As a fellow Vit owner I'll be following your progress with interest. Although our area ( Wessex) meet is a fair way from you I'm sure you'd be very welcome if you're ever over our way. Gav