Roger

Some measurements in the pictures. Plenty of room for a Spitfire tank? There is some kind of bracket or reinforcement under the deck, and I think the hole there might fit the filler neck for the spitfire tank (with some luck...)

I would fill in the hole and paint it royal blue like the rest of the car. It should of course be possible to unblock the tube, and my latest attempt was poking down the tube using a guitarr string. I don't know whats in there, but it is like someone welded a plug to the tube down there. Don't forget my paranoia that using more force will create a spark inside the tank and the tank goes bang. I HATE working with petrol tanks...

I have done some research on the internet and my conclusion is that installing a Spitfire tank in my Vitesse convertible should be fairly simple (no pictures of that installation found yet). I prefer the Spitfire design since it is such a pain to remove the Vitesse / Herald tanks (must be much easier in a Spit). I also like the wider space in the boot and on top of that I also think it looks nice to have the filler cap on the deck. It seems like almost every Spitfire part I need is available except the petrol pick up tube. I assume it would not be too complicated to manufacture this myself (?) (if I had an old one that I can copy). It would help a lot if someone on here has more details about dimensions, threads etc. Also found an interesting thread on another Triumph forum about this (link below). Apparently I'm not the only one with a blocked pich up tube. fuel tank / fuel pick up tube ? : Spitfire & GT6 Forum : The Triumph Experience

Yes, and I'm quite sure they would not mind. Insurance seems to be a complicated matter in the UK given the amount of posts here and on other forums. Classic car owners don't seem to have problems with insurance companies here on the island. I have no idea why (or maybe I'm just poorly informed and ignorant, but I haven't heard anyone complain).

I use a small local insurance company, I haven't had any problems with them and they are not too expensive either.

Found this thread but pictures not visible for me https://www.clubtriumph.co.uk/forums/topic/13320-spitfire-fuel-tank/#comment-157749

Thanks for all suggestions. Another reason for replacing the old tank with a new one is that I abolutely HATE to work with used petrol tanks. I always expect them to "go bang" any minute regardless of much much you clean and rinse them. A local guy here once started to weld a supposedly clean tank and he blew out ever single window in the bottom floor when it exploded but he survived like a miracle.

Fortunately, the DVLA classic car rules do not apply on The Åland Island. We have a bit more freedome to modify cars, and this legislation is actually in our own control (defined by the local Åland Government). Anyway, it seems to be possble without too much work involved as long as I have all the bits and bobs needed.

I noticed now that they remanufacture the tank to original specification, so that could of course also be an option. But it looks cooler to have the filler cap on the deck 🙂

Thanks Pete. I think this should not be a problem given the fact that I have a convertible, I guess a Spitfire tank is not an option on a saloon.

Hi All, I have a problem with my Vitesse petrol tank. The outlet tube (or whatever it is called...) is completely blocked. I have tried everything, including an attempt to blow compressed air into the tank. No joy, despite very high pressure. Then I looked at my Herald 13/60 tank but it requires some work (pictures). I can’t figure out how the tank is made. I can’t see any welding in the seams between the halves. How are they attached to each other? I have always wanted to replace it with a Spitfire tank. I know there are Heralds and and Vitesses that has a Spitfire tank, but I can’t find any pictures on the internet. Do anyone here have a Spitfire petrol tank in your Herald / Vitesse? Any picture on how to install it? I noticed that a TR6 tank looks similar to a Spitfire tank. Would that be a better option? (more capacity?) /Roger

Thanks for all suggestions! I found the problem. I adjusted valve clearance by the book but apparently I did not torque one of the locknuts properly. Valve No 2 had a clearance of about one centimeter, and the locknut was lying on the cylinder head. Runs smooth and quiet now (well, quiet as a Triumph engine....). I had a narrow window of opportunity to test drive without snow at the moment, it will soon get cold again. Happy days!

Just a short follw-up on my previous posts about lack of power and valve timing. The valve timing was indeed way out with lack of power as a result. And it was not one or two teeth out, it was much more than that. I estimate that the valve timing was at least 7-8 teeth wrong. I can not for my life understand that the engine even started and run at all. I took it for a short run in Mariehamn today, my son took a short video from back seat. Unfortunately there is an annoying metallic clattering from the engine, sounds like a very worn bearing. I will adjust the valves tonight but I doubt that it is the root cause. Not sure if you can hear the knocking noice from the engine, but let me know if you know what it is 🙂 434261799_7794974080513656_6942944678083847665_n.mp4

I need some advice from the brain thrust again… I noticed that new ”Stanpart” crown wheels and pinions are available. Not sure if this is a new thing or if they have been available for a long time? I have been trying to source a 3,63:1 Spitfire 1500 diff for my Vitesse in Sweden for a long time, but no joy. As some of you might know by now, shipping costs are an issue for me when buying second hand parts. It’s a long way to the Åland Island. I have two diffs in my possession. One 4,11:1 from my 1969 13/60 and one 3,89:1 in my 1966 Vitesse. Would it be possible to convert my 4,11 Herald diff to 3,63:1 by ordering the ”Stanpart” 3,63 pinion and gear? These parts are expensive, it would be frustrating to order them and later find out that they do not fit in my 13/60 differential.

Interesting subject. I have had similar problems, and those #¤%&¤# rubber slivers have often been the root cause for leaking. But not always. I must have had my carbs apart at least 50 times. I don’t ned the manual anymore. My personal opinion is that even if you assemble them 100% by the book, on top of that the moon and the stars must align, the wind must blow in the right direction and the feng-shui must be good in your garage in order to avoid leaking Strombergs. My carbs are not leaking at the moment, so I will not refurnish or change the layout of my garage, it could cause bad karma.