Peter Truman

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!

I don't have a problem with the brass solder on bullets BUT I have also replaced ALL the bullet female connectors which I find appear to be a tighter fit, or maybe the old connectors have relaxed over 50 years, trying to retension them by compressing them usually ends up with them breaking

Pete Don't tell me you took a couple of parts off the assembly line every day intending to ultimately build yourself a free car/truck, but then found out all the parts you had assembled had made up different models so they were no good!! Wasn't there a 1950's American series with that theme

Re drain plug I had the same problem but I recoed the tap with a small brass spring I found in my jars of spares all OK now, Re drain plug the Spit had the same problem ith an aftermarket magnetic plug so reverted back to an original with a smear of Permatite thread seal not thread lock all good now! The aftermarket thread as yours seemed to go in deeper and the thread cut was very sharp!

That puts any myths to bed!! Thanks ALL, Studio Vignale it is!!

Did that, there was no debris in float valve or float chamber in some instances the needle was stuck open had to use carby clean to get it free there’s no issue if I start it regularly I have filters at the tank outlet and fuel pump inlet, the hoses are not a push or tight fit on the stubs I rely on the hose clips to seal the joints I haven’t seen any rubber slithers I’m sure it’s lack of use and modern fuels gumming up the float valve also the higher front carb evaporating out the fuel in the float chamber

If I haven't started the Mk2 with Stromberg Carbs for a couple of months the front carb always leaks it literally pours fuel out, the rear carb is OK. I have to drop the float chamber off (a pita) remove and clean the float valve with carb/throttle clean reassemble and all is OK then, no leak I've changed the standard Stromberg float valve front to rear carb, even put new float valves in, even tried USA Grosse valves (useless!) but still the front valve leaks after a car lay up. The rear carb is always OK. Yes I've reset the floats to the 18mm offset The engine in the Vitesse sits front up a little so the front carb is slightly higher, so is the issue modern ULP petrol (I use BP 98 I think it's 5% ethanol), does the front carb being higher dry out and the valve gums up or what? I know the solution is start the car more regularily but life gets in the way & time accelerates when you get older, anyone have a solution?

Have not got an electronic Workshop Manual but here are the Spare Parts Book and New Car Handbook for a Mk3 Spitfire. Spitfire Mk3 Handbook.pdf Spitfire Mk III Parts Catalogue.pdf

Kevin Interesting comment re copper grease, like most other classic car nuts I've used it for years to stop bolt thread & bush seizure it seems to work the grease does go black and gets thick but the parts do come undone! The Galvanic table & statement that to avoid corrosion the potential difference less than 0.1v is food for thought esp when you see where mild steel is relative to other metals s/s and brass, copper etc it doesn't give us much chance? your comment re Molycote Longterm grease is noted & I'll get some. For our large steel water mains a heat applied thick sprayed on (8mm ) epoxy coating with impressed current and sacrificial anodes is the answer then we affect other authorities assets and it becomes a horse trading which asset is to be sacrificed exercise.

In navel terms what do these crossed flags signal, I thought from what I've read previously it was less than flattering to the Triumph marque

When I did mine with no measuring only brute force, I found the outer metal washer covers titled to enter the wishbone then as I pushed it in the internal rubber seal lackey band gave enough and the trunnion slid into the wishbone with a very tight fitting