Peter Truman

I run Silicon DOT 5 purple in colour in the Vitesse and I have this DIY plastic covered label screwed to the bulkhead as a warning. Normal brake fluid is hydroscopic ie absorbs water so using a brake moisture test tool should confirm whether or not it's silicon.

The daughters 66 Mk2 Spit has the original removable roof and hood sticks, I looked at and acquired the parts to convert to a folding Mk3 hood, BUT gave up because of the metalwork necessary to mount the 3 bolt mounting flange (each side), this requires major work to the inner cockpit B post to get the angle as well as the adjustable 3 bolt mounting ie new panel work, to much surgery required. Ref the original Mk2 removable soft top, I replaced the windscreen glass rubber seal (by a professional) and the aftermarket seal rubber was thicker than the original so much so that the metal strip that's in the soft tops front envelope wouldn't fit between the alloy top cover strip and the windscreen rubber, so I had to space the cover strip to windscreen frame out a little using a washer between then pop riveted through the 3, ie top cover, washer, windscreen frame, the gap between was also protected with Denso Wrap to stop water ingress.

When I recently stripped the front hub of daughters Mk2 Spit down for the Type 14 brake upgrade the PO had fitted mech (ring) seals not felt so having new felt seals in my spares stock I reverted to original fitment that’s when I found the new aftermarket felt seals didn’t fit easily and needed significant modification to felt thickness and enlarging the steel backing ring inner dia to clear the stub axle mounting annulus outer dia and NOT collapse inwards when the hub was fitted and tightened up which put pressure on the bearings so they didn’t rotate. Sorted now but having to split the felt seal from its backing means the actual felt of the felt seal is stationary and seals or rotates on its backing plate/annulus. I can live with that short term. Ref the rotar to caliper gap it’s not quite central but even with new pads the hub rotates OK and will probably sort itself out. I’ve made but not fitted a couple of thin steel shims to fit between the rotar and the hub so rotar will be pushed back a little. I’ll wait and see how the gap adjusts with use and tightening the hub nut before fitting them. I’m going to get new felt seals I’m awaiting till I get a decent order to optimise postage costs any one know of a supplier of good quality felt seals?

Running esp when stopping never thought to look at the fuel bowl orientation!

I realize were talking Vitesse and Stromberg Carbs here, but just to expand members info my daughters Mk2 Spit had serious vaporization issues around 15 years ago it was only after making DIY heatshields & trial fitting them I realized what the problem was the float bowls weren't vertical they had rotated towards the standard tubular exhaust causing the vaporization. The plastic bush in the carb which orientates the fuel bowl on the rear carb had failed allowing the bowl to rotate, easy fix with minimal dismantling was to replace the plastic sleeve/bush the bowl was then vertical, there are different bush's available to suit different carb and inlet manifold inclinations eg BMC Mini etc, the bush's are colour coded depending on the required float bowl inclination. My DIY heat shields are separate for each carb and are mounted at the rear of the carb to manifold flange so they can be removed for access without disturbing the carbs ie studs replaced with threaded bar extending behind the manifold flange, see photo. I've never found this mod necessary on my Mk2 Vitesse, it's completely standard, with cast iron exhaust manifold.

Metrication When I returned to Aus in 74 the water authority I worked for (MMBW, = Melb Water Corp) was in the middle of metrication and converted to Meters head of water from psi as the pressure unit rather than the more usual engineering pressure unit of kpa. So the pressure recorded at our house is the top water supply of our supply reservoir Dandenong Res at 84mts AHD (above sea level) minus our property RL of 22mts ie a pressure of 62mts, or in the old imperial units 89psi, or metric 608kpa (1mt = 9.81kpa), so to the outside world it could be considered that we totally stuffed metrication up!! To make matters worse we did a soft conversion for all our chart recorders (700 plus) which were converted by changing the weekly circular graph papers from 0 to 100psi to 0 to 70mts (the suppliers nearest available chart),

It appears my local supplier had & sold me the incorrectly labeled master cylinder the one shown above is GMC224 for the earlier Type 12 calipers not Type 14 which should be GMC220 which has a taller centrally mounted and narrower reservoir, I found the suitable GMC220 in NZ and gave up messing around with the above shallow and off center mounted big dia unit. When the replacement arrives I'll clean the above incorrect one up and try to return it or get a credit, it was fitted but not used? If that doesn't work I might try and sell the rebuilt Type 12 Calipers (great condition no rust in bores, new pistons and seals), mounting brackets, S/S braided hoses and above Master Cylinder to one of the local drum braked Herald crew! Interestingly whilst the incorrect GMC224 unit was a Coventry brand the reservoir was stamped Girling!

even after soaking the seal in oil then compressing it overnight to remove the surplus oil the felt is still very thick with the side effect of pushing the hub outwards causing the brake rotor to be off-center in the caliper gap ie pistons with possible rubbing on the caliper body or inability to fit the brake pads, all very disheartening!

The issue I had just recently when fitting new calipers to a Mk2 Spitfire which required the hubs and bearings to be serviced, the issue was the new inner felt seals I fitted the felt was too thick and had to be cut down, the inner dia of the felt was very tight on the vertical link stub shaft raised annulus, and the steel backing for the felt seal was too small on its inner dia so that it fouled the same stub axle annulus hence distorting and pushing onto the inner bearing causing it to stop it rotating on the balls. I had to trim the felt down , then enlarge the inner dia of the seal steel backing so it cleared the stub axle raised annulus, and didn't interfere with the inner bearing. Blo**y poor quality aftermarket supply!!! Remember only the bearings need packing with grease not the hub area between the bearings this is unnecessary as it holds heat into the hub!

Ref temp gauge the daughters Mk2 Spit sits around half on the gauge goes just above then elect fan cuts in and brings it back down to just around half. The Mk2 Vitesse used to hold half on the gauge then sender failed and after buying several supposed correct senders finall y got one that reads around 3/8 scale and it takes an age to get there and that came in a Smiths bubble packet with Spit and Mk2 Vitesse suitable on the back I think I now have 3 spare senders think it’s time to accept the last one as it gives a reading must try it on a hot day and see if I get above half!!!

Almost looks spring loaded so it pops back when pushed in?

On ebay at the moment is one only female or B post part of the Anti Burst catch item No 235060608936 not cheap at 25 GBP

Question we here in eastern Aus based on the International Date Line (Longitude) are around 10 hrs ahead of you in the UK yet our winter solstice ie shortest day is today June 22nd, whereas your summer solstice ie longest day was yesterday June 21st, as the solstices are based on the Earth's orbit is this 1 day difference just co-incidental and at what point in the world ie latitude and longitude would the date for the southern winter and northern summer solstice be the same. The difference in Longitude btwn UK and Aus is notionally 137 degrees (3 degrees W to 134 degrees E) not 180, and Latitude (N to S) 81 degrees, NZ which is further south still has it's winter solstice on the 22nd June. I know "a little knowledge (or nil) is a dangerous thing"! The reason for the Q was SWMBO birthday is today the 22nd & she commented she didn't know she was born on the summer solstice (she's English) I told her she wasn't as the UK solstice is the 21st, she then said why are the UK/Aus solstices a day apart!

You know there's just some jobs you wished you hadn't started, well I fitted and filled the new Coventry brand Spit Mk3 brake master cylinder BUT was very concerned re the loss of volume in the reservoir due to its slope caused by the bulkhead mounting bracket, see attached pic's. Now to put the new res volume into perspective, as shown it's holding twice the original Mk2 backward sloping reservoir (vertical), and approx 1.5 times the original Mk2 volume from the new Coventry sloping res outlet hole. The Mk2 & Mk3 master cylinders bore are the same at 5/8in, but the Mk2 Type 12SP caliper has a smaller piston at approx 42.8mm dia vs the Type 14 piston at 48mm dia, over the 4 pistons this equates to 1.26 times increased area and hence volume, assuming the piston movement is the same. As I said sometimes it's better not start these projects, to assure me the set up as shown is usable can anyone show me a picture of a Mk3 Spit with the plastic style integral reservoir showing the fluid level? I'm trying to avoid the extra work of separating the plastic res from the master cylinder and mounting it so the fluid level is horizontal so as to gain the full capacity of the reservoir, not impossible but extra work in making a mounting bracket and cost for two banjo's and 7/16in UNF Banjo bolts around $110, must be gold plated!

I have found those bearings to be a real interference fit on the shaft and the only way to separate them is using an American brand Toledo style split bearing puller that is thin enough that it's two halves or jaws can wedge in behind the bearing and then pull the bearing off using the rest of the puller, pulling against the shaft inner end, similar to what PL said. I brought a single sized expensive Toledo split puller sans the threaded puller bar and bridge, then a separate cheap set for the puller and bridge which also came with 3 multi sized jaw sets and I can't fault the comprehensive cheapie set, which cost less than $40. The Toledo one cost more than that itself!

Is it stuck on all the time or random I had trouble with the brakes on my Sprint sometimes it would vehemently pull to the left the cause was the robber brake hose to the caliper internals were failing causing a reflux valve set up ie the pressure couldn’t release

I still work in foot n inch’s then convert to mm n mts using the calculator function on me phone! Ha

If you remove the engine drain plug and nothing comes out give it a shove with a screw driver but stand to the side and wear old cloth’s rust doesn’t come out 40 years in the water industry taught me that!

And as a friend with aCoupe found you had to slam the door if the striker was seized

I use an electric fuel pump with an isolation switch on the dash First I turn the pump off spin the starter for the count of 10 then switch the electric pump on let it charge the fuel system up then switch the ign on and spin the starter. Usyally the car starts within a couple of spins no bearing rumble all sweet!

303283 on the Rimmers site is defined as the Top Casing Cover, the 3 rail Gearbox "Reverse Baulk Plate" is part No 120307 NCA as shown on the Canley Site and not listed on Rimmers but shown in schematic under Gearbox, Gear Lever & Fittings. It's the same part for ALL 3 Rail box's Spit 4, Mk2 & 3 plus early IV's, all Vitesse/GT6's and Heralds. Mick Dolphin lists the Baulk Plate 120307 for a mere 2.50GBP

A couple of master cylinders that I've had sleeved weren't S/S sleeved but used a chromed brass sleeve there've been there 20 years and no problems. Sleeving over here has got very expensive used to be around the $100 mark ie cost effective but recent quotes were $240 to $260, I brought a new County brake master for a Mk3 Spit for around $150 mark! Re rear brake slaves I got a pair of NOS Girling from Mick D for the same Spit last year, re brakes I don't compromise. esp with a single pipe system

There's been many articles re the old Triumph Engine rumble or "death rattle" on cold start up. I remember one member had an ingenious oil header tank with solenoids to fill and isolate then open up to fill the filter pre turning the starter, well I saw this old NOS item on ebay this morning item No.204363735508, uses a pump to pre pressurize the engine lube system pre firing it up. Haven't seen one before but for our Triumph worry warts or as PeteLwould say "a must have" NOT!

interesting this ring is split, my Vitesse one's are a sealed circles, has it just broken or designed to avoid having to feed wires cables through?

Suggest mount electric aerial on drivers side around 64 dad with his Merc 300SE which had an elect aerial had stopped at lights with cyclist very close on the inside think he must of had hand resting on wing, dad put radio on aerial started to go up cyclists coat sleeve fortunately he quickly moved his hand I don’t think dad saw what was happening.