Peter Truman

I always assumed that the front seat hinge bolts should be short shanked bolts as fully threaded would quickly wear down quickly allowing the seat to move about on the runners

I have Unkel K's top and bottom ball joint removers, the top I've found damages the bottom flange of the ball joint where the rubber boot seals but that isn't a problem as I'm usually replacing the joint. The bottom remover I've had mixed results with sometimes works others not? The most effective way to remove I've found is the two hammer way as indicated! Now for the punch line I usually smear a thin coat of grease on the taper, which is against all intent of locking the taper a dry joint would appear to be the design, I then use a normal nut to tighten the taper up locking it then as the joint doesn't turn then replace the standard nut with the provided locknut, it all stays tight until the next removal using two hammers? I'll be interested in the nay sayer arguments! I have over the years here in Aus returned ball joints to the suppliers as I perceived the male & female tapers were at different angles ie the joint appeared to rock before tightening down hard, good quality replacements from other suppliers fitted better. One thing I've noticed with recent replacements while the tapers were good the bolt thread and nut were metric threads, doesn't affect performance but those who insist on originality may object. My last ball joints purchased were really old hat having grease nipples fitted not even OE on my 68 Vitesse Mk2 ie greased for life!

Ditto and welding any crack in the bracket/arm insitu to the header is difficult due to access issues, as the bracket is rivited to the header and has two anchor arms into the header, been there done that!

If it’s difficult to extract I believe using a grease gun on the outside of the bush and pump grease in it’ll hydraulically push the spigot bush out. I’ve used the same method to pump out seized brake caliper pistons.

A neighbour of ours ran a Taxi service of 50 taxi’s (each. Licence was worth about $300k) their solution to a blocked or restricted CAT was smash it through with a crow bar no further any obstruction, all taxi’s of that period ran on gas so it wasn’t too great a pollution issue. He told me that quick solution after I’d just paid $900 for a new CAT for the then daughter in laws Hyundai

A past friend here used to use a big container of Molasses it worked but what a mess to clean it up. I used to use Swimming pool acid it worked, and there was no effect on the final paint finish. If I washed it off it quickly flash rusted

Here's part of the Club Permit Applic, there's all up 3 pages which includes the specific authorised car clubs authorisation the Permit is renewed annually and the club has to endorse the renewal that you are still a club member. It actually doesn't say it's a classic if older than 25 years BUT specifies classics & historics post 1930 and older than 25 years!

Unlike your classics which have to be 40 years old to get free rego we here can put our cars on Club Permit at 25 years old, it’s not a registration but a permit to use the car for up to 45 or 90 days per annum for personnel use at the cost of around $80 for 45 days and Proportionally more for 90 days. You have to be a member of a govt registered car club to get a permit and the club usually insist on a degree of club participation to be approved the permit which is then issued by the govt registration authority So you could say we classify a car as classic at 25 years

Driving a Commer 2 stroke was that video Aus based the terrain and vegetation looks local

I did the Same conversion on my Mk2 Vitesse eons ago removing the rubber bag and using a push contact switch, only issue is the return spring isn't strong enough to break the contact and return knob to normal off/out position I have to pull it off, maybe time to revisit & see if I can find a stronger spring return switch. I think a similar switch was used by several makes I found one from a Chrysler Centura made locally here for a short time it has a 3 position switch, off, slow, and fast, with push pump electrical connections switch mounted on the rear, it had a cheap plastic push rod which attached to the removable same knob, didn't give a positive feel when turning the speed switch, cheapy.

I know about soaked seat foams, my son drove into a lake/retarding basin as an 18 year old how I won't recite as its too embarrassing! the car was in about 20 feet at a depth of just under the dash board, the lights were still on after 45 min when I got there, fortunately I was able to get the tow truck to pull the car out slowly, so the doors didn't get ripped off and the water was able to escape. One lesson I learnt was oil floats on water as when I removed the sump plug the container I usually used for oil changes wasn't big enough and the oil came out last all over our drive!! yep the gearbox and diff oil had to be changed too! Now seat foams I converted my dads old portable sauna and put the two front seats in separately it took a day each to dry out, but the rear seat wouldn't fit in the sauna and even here in the Aus summer it took around 2 weeks to dry out, he ran the car for another 2 years before upgrading or was it downgrading to an Alfa. The car returned to service after 2 days all working OK sans rear seats, the carpets with only 1/2in of insulation dried out in a couple of days. With the lights on under water and some dash electrical connectors under water the electrolysis had cleaned the contacts up to a dull brassy colour, from memory re our water meter experience called de-zincification. All my son was worried about was his bl+++y hi fi system amplifier and boom system, no worries it fired up OK!!

My wife had a 2001 Jag X Type 3lt which she had for 18 years, in later life it insisted on a specific starting procedure or it would spew out alarms like ABS & Cruise control faults if you just hit the starter but only for the first start of the day! I could avoid these alarms if I turned the ignition on waited till the security light on the centre console went out then turned the key to start "no alarms" as I said the problem was only at the first start of the day, we reckoned it was a push in dirty/loose plug somewhere but where they were everywhere! Eventually sold the car as 20 year old electrics and all those computers/PLC's had to fail sooner than later, otherwise she was a great car comfortable, safe, ample power and reliable! bit expensive on fuel for a shopping basket!

I had serious running issues with the daughters Mk2 spit always stalling and running rough, the issue was the float bowl plastic insulator that locates the angle of the float bowl to vertical had failed ie broken with age allowing the bowl to swing towards the exhaust manifold hence the fuel vaporization and stalling! DIY heat shields made out of aluminum, can't find photos will post later

Try a 44mm (near 1.75in) King Chrome socket for the Spit 1500 crankshaft bolt with a 3/4in sq drive, I had to cut it short to half depth to fit in between the radiator and front of the engine. I've only used it once BUT it's almost on permanent loan to the local Mercedes club as it fits their V8 crank nut too! I have a selection of home made special Triumph tools spanners cut and welded to fit in tight places, ring spanners with a section removed to fit brake pipe unions, open enders filed thin to fit tight places eg J type solenoid , ring spanners with the outer surface ground down so the ring is very thin to tighten up in place the Sprint carby mounting bolts & on and on! Spring compressor made from 2 cut to length 4in wide 3.8in thick bar stock cost <$10 all up including the long threaded bars, used it about 4 times on the Spit & Vitesse but its there in case!!!

Enjoy there great cars and a great club

I assume it still has the 13/60 front suspension turrents, as the Spits are different ie the engine mount spacings are wider apart to allow the engine to sit lower. Vit, GT6 and Herald are the same Spits different. How do I know, when we got the Mk2 Spit the engine just cleared the bonnet and the top hose engine and rad hose ends didn't align, I twigged the issue and got a RH Spit turrent and it fixed everything. The distance from the top wishbone pivot bolts to engine mounting holes are different, in fact the Spits LH and RH measurements are different.

Will check the club members

AMI produced around 15,000 saloons, coupes and convertible Heralds here as CKD kits of which 1239 were Coupes of which only 144 were 12/50 Coupes with the Vitesse twin headlight bonnet. No Estates or 13/60 of any type were assembled here. My 68 Mk2 Vitesse which I've had 54 years and shipped back to Aus in 74 is actually fitted with an Aussie CKD 12/50 bonnet after the original was accident damaged. Interesting the speel advises the 12/50 saloon had chrome bumper covers front and rear, but none of the still exiisting Coupes have them at the rear.

An early 60's Australian Herald 12/50 Coupe photo recently taken at a TCCV club event with it's original fitment Vitesse style 4 headlight bonnet. Cars were CKD made by The Australiam Motor Industries AMI, a very pretty styled car! Note original fitment chrome bumpers at the front but not the rear, standard fixture.

next time I have to strip the float Bowls off, they looked like two half's molded and joined.

Might try and see if I can find some Ethanolmate here, I use local refinery produced 98RON BP WHICH is rumored? to be ethanol free here in Victoria whereas other states refineries are 5% ethanol Pete re floats I've been thinking of updrading to the solid non sink type rather than the moulded type used in the Strombergs.

Thought about 14in wheels when I brought the locally made Superlight's (Minilite copies) but they were 6in wide rims, too wide so I settled on the 13in wheels with 5.5in rims

I’ve got 5.5 Minilite replica’s so 175’s ok yhanks

I use 165/75/13 tyres and there now getting hard to get I can get Nankang 165/75/13 R13 at a good price, anyone know what there like? Alternatively 175/70/13 in several major suppliers appear a little easier to get

The ironical thing is that whilst Australia is probably the most stringent re not allowing anything asbestos up until a couple of years ago if I went to one of the small specialist one make suppliers I'd probably be supplied with NOS brake pads with asbestos, there still out there!