Peter Truman

Well that would be enough excitement for one day. Around 20 yrs ago heading back to the office I was following an unknown to me roundtail Spitfire thro the beach suburb of St Kilda here in Melbourne when he stopped very suddenly, I pulled in behind to see if I could help, the driver explained his oil pressure just dropped, on opening the bonnet it was obvious the oil filter was off lodged near the suspension turrent oil everywhere and half the screw in adapter was still in the filter. Having a Spit also I asked was he using a modified adapter/filter he responded yes a local Triumph guru?? ( not popular with us Trumpeteers) had provided it and he was on his way home, obviously the adapter wasn't up to it and sheared at the filter to block joint, it was too thin, overtightened or something, funnily enough I'd picked up 3 very rare but original Coopers Spitfire oil filters with adapters just a few days previous from a getting rid of old stock sale, and they were still in the boot. We removed the old adapter remnants and fitted a new original filter got some oil from a local garage and fired her up, IT WAS TERRIBLE a real set of hammers. The driver arranged a low loader to get home, I advised he should take the supplier on for full restitution as the adapter wasn't fit for purpose the two threads ran up to each other no shank length or hex between the different threads, I never heard how he got on, but advised our club members to be aware and only get the adapters from a good resource, not a back street charlie, specifically this back street charlie! I recently brought 4 modified adapters from a NZ machine shop he was advertising in the NZ "Trade Me", delivered they cost a measly $10 each, there of good quality with a short hex shank between threads, delivery was a little slow as he had to make them and Covid Mail issues. I only needed one for a Spit 1500 engine I was building up for the daughters car, but good to have spares in case one gets thrown away with the filter, and if need be help others.

Agreed & Thanks, just checked mine where I've had to fit an original NOS IThink AMI CKD supply Aus made I believe small Herald tank into the Mk2 Vitesse which originally was a seal ring type at 2.375in OD Sender flange onto the Herald bolted Sender tank flange which is 3in OD. I had to have a stepped Annulus ring made to take the smaller ring seal sender flange onto the larger earlier bolted tank flange, I'd forgotten I'd done that, plenty of aircraft gasket glue applied to ensure a seal. I've amended the original post!

So there are numerous fuel sender and fuel gauge combinations in summary; Stabilized (10.5V) & non stabilized (12V+),gauges, what are the markings on the face of these gauges to indicate which is which? Two types of sender fitments, earlier 6 bolt and later locking ring. Two types of sender, for stabilized and non stabilized gauges Generally the later type locking ring sender isn't compatible with the non stabilized gauges. The locking ring sender flange has to be modified/enlarged (see later post re stepped annulus)(can be trimmed down) and drilled to fit the earlier fuel tank 6 bolt mounting, but check that it connects to a stabilized gauge.. Are the sender arms and floats similar for the small and large Herald/Vitesse fuel tanks? Is this correct, if not pls advise corrections

I find the hydraulic locking nozzle/fitting of the grease gun just to big to fit onto the GKN extended nipple so I have a special removable grease nipple for UJ’s it’s the GKN supplied long one cut in half and a thin brass tube slid into the cut 2 halves then soldered the whole extended nipple would be around 1.25in long and the connecting end of the nipple is just free on the UJ so easily connected with the grease gun hydraulic nozzle also being longer easily screwed in and out. Being thin brass the nipple is fragile so care in connecting and disconnecting is needed, but it’s lasted 40 years, every time I use it I think I must make a better one. just used it last week on the Vitesse on its annual oil change, grease up, and oil the trunnions. Next week or so the Spit gets done plus brake fluid change the tester shows the moisture level at the upper limit, fortunately it’s the daughters car and she helps and understands the sequence of brake bleeding, I’ve checked I have a spare set of 3/4in slaves in case.

that type of pump with no removable dome cover to access the filter has one advantage I can see there's no sealing issue on the dome cover, which on my original dome cover fitment caused me much grief in the cork gasket failing, the pump body has a very narrow annulus for the cork too seal on and the harder you tighten the more compressed the cork gets. There's a broken pump brass arm somewhere in the sump of my Vitesse, been there 40 years, I prefer the laminated and rivited steel arms there stronger,

I always had trouble fitting the slot head grub screw, so I'd use an allen headed grub screw as the allen socket holds the grub screw whilst you locate and screw in, no frustration.. Nowerdays allen headed grub screws come in all different threads and lengths.

Yes the convertible B post is a lot wider and extends into the floor pan area so some carpet will have to be trimmed to radius around the larger B post of the CV. I think the rear heel to floor is in the same position for both conv and saloon

I found the FRONT stamping very confusing on my Mk2 Vitesse, I fitted the front stamping to the front ie bulkhead end BUT the stamping was then upside down ie read FRONT from the bulkhead side, so I trial fitted the spring with the FRONT stamping to the rear where it could be read normally ie standing at the back FRONT stamping was normal. I found this all confusing WHY didn't Triumph put the FRONT stamping the right was round when located on the front of the spring and viewed from the rear! Are you confussed! I actually fitted it with the reversed FRONT stamping to the front, BUT it has been discussed previously on the forum and I think the conclusion was there's no difference.

I also have 2 old round ones they had perished boots but I found a neat fitting pliable plastic boot that fitted neatly over the lip and cable ties into the groove so completely water tight. I had around 7 of these boots (red) but friends have used them for the same purpose on all manner of Trumpies Spits, Gt6, and the TR range. I think the boots came off the emergency stop switch’s for each pump when the station was getting its 15 year complete upgrade, my motto waste not want not!

Colin here is a NEW very old spare solenoid I have in my store and this arvo I drilled (1/8in) the end and fitted a pusher button (red nail varnish) the internal spring push's it back after operation so it now has remote operation. If needed I could fit a rubber bladder to make it fully water tight but in reality water wouldn't get thro my new button

JB Weld is very good can even be tapped when set but a good cure takes say 6 hours. I was going to say an Aluminum Rivnut but I think that might pull through, maybe use a Rivnut without compressing it and JB Weld it into place.

Colin it was that long ago I can’t remember but I did try pushing the red button today and it kicked the starter so it’s connected thro the red plastic cover and presumably a rod or something to investigate any further I’d have to remove the solenoid and that’s a right bugger! Probably why Pete L moved it onto the bulkhead shelf.

Colin I modified your Left Hand no button solenoid to have a remote push button by drilling a hole thro the solid raised black section see attached photo. I can't remember what the little red plastic button/cover is off, as I did the mod around 30 years ago, Oh and yes it works but in reality I've probably only used it a couple of times since installation. I've recently converted the Mk2 Vitesse to a Hi Torque Starter see under the solenoid it's a Isuzu Trooper (Aus Holden Rodeo) starter, it's wired thro the old solenoid, but I think I might wire it in direct and remove the remote solenoid ie to remove some of the congestion around the carb throttle lever, and twin battery cables near starter note the battery is in the boot and the battery cable is routed along the outside of the main chassis rail. In the proposed modified cabling only the cable near the speedo cable would be used and wired direct to the Hi Torque Starter underneath the starter, there's adequate clearance/space under there.

OK I can’t type “Colin”

AusPost too Colon but eBay usually pays up just no product!

I like the Rabbit solution, one car I've owned in the past had a hole in the drum face to do just that maybe a Sprite? bit of a fiddle but worked well Would the Hart style Stag aftermarket lever adjusters help application leverage' I know my Sprint has self adjusters they appear OK but I seldom use a handbrake anyway even in a modern (had stretched cables on a car once) and after brake overhaul I think its a drive it backwards and apply brakes hard!

This one not car related we had a baby skink get into our big (9kw) split air conditioner in the external fan part on the ground section and shorted out the fused connection and there were also tracks across the circuit board the AC was toast, replaced under household insurance (no argument) because the repair tech specified fusion failure, final bill probably because it was an insurance job > $3k. We had possums in the roof, had them removed twice now, Peter the Possum man advised when possums are removed rats move in, a month or so later yep we heard scratching, so now the pest eradicator came threw Ratsac around in the roof esp around the perimeter over the next month 4 dead rats, a couple of years ago we had a relatively minor termite infestation laundry floor not in the structure appears they love Tasmanian Oak, Termite solutions treated the house internal and external continuous barriers and annual inspections, during their initial inspection they found a couple of dead rat skeletons in the roof space around the perimeter. The termite problem came from the 2 acre council reserve we back onto, old rotten trees, also the 18 hole golf course that surround our small housing estate, so it'll be an ongoing inspection & 7 yearly treatment cost to ensure there's no re-occurrence, they say in our area 1 in 3 houses will incur termites!!! We had a good run we've been here 43 years. A country club member had his Stag seats demolished within a month by a mice plague!

A friend with a Stag had his viscous fan fail on a club run, fortunately it missed his rad and he got home using the electric fan, he replaced the viscous, the bearing had failed. I have as standard a viscous on the Dolly Sprint and must admit it works very well controlling the very high temperatures experienced here in Melbourne (up to 40C, 37 net Monday) the gauge normally runs just under the mid point of the gauge, in traffic on a hot day just over no where overheating, but if I have problems with it I'll go electric sucker fan, would love to shroud it. The Spit runs only electric temp controlled but they are pushers where shrouding wouldn't be effective? Originally the elect fan operation was manual and there were times our oversight saw the temp get hot it took quite a while to pull the water temp down, now there auto the temp is maintained well and there's no overheating.

can't comment on the corrosion issue but around 8 years ago I brought 24 new NGK BP6ES plugs as a job lot at a club meeting over the following 8 years there've all failed ie the Pete Lewis advised saturation of the non glazed insulator, I put the last 2 in a couple of weeks ago. Maybe they were cheap for a reason! The issue is how I start the car so as to get oil circulation before firing the engine after she's stood unused for a while, choke in spin the starter for 8-10sec then pull the choke and churn for another couple of secs then she fires, she is obviously flooded a little as she runs rough then clears. With an unglazed plug insulator it gets saturated and fails, there very hard to dry out and clean sometimes its fixed the issue for a short period but once there've been saturated their life expectancy appears short, Being honest because I had a good supply I just replaced them. I'm now looking for Bosch replacements, but for some reason there getting hard to source here locally in Melbourne almost as if Bosch are limiting there supply! NGK virtually have the market covered esp with the major aftermarket suppliers. Ridiculous as it sounds I'm looking to source plugs from the UK, and pay the shipping

From memory used on RSJ's (Rolled Steel Joists) and there about 5 degrees, got some in my jar of special washers, there heavily galvanised and they came with me from UK 48 years ago! Usually round on the thick end

Remember a lot of senders earth thro their body ie the screw in fitting so don’t put too much pyre on I think the oil pressure sensor is not.

Paula re 1600 O/D gearbox, there's a fully rec'd one just come up on ebay maybe from TLD? starting price 250GBP buy it now 1050 can't see a reserve price quoted, the ebay item No.143906509385

Well done started the new year right I’ve watched your work with interest

Had a similar problem with a friends PI that wouldn’t ‘t start which hadn’t been run for eons fuel smelt terrible drained and refilled started immediately. I put a locally made product into our classic car tanks every 6 months called Fuel Doctor to stabilise it and reduce tank corrosion

I believe In the 60’s in the NEast ICI had a chemical plant by product and processed it as fuel thro a network of garages I seem to remember/think it was methanol based it was a bit cheaper than other fuels the Vitesse ran well on it with no apparent damage to the engine, someone might be able to clarify what it actually was and if it had any effect on our engines.