Vitesse price

[Pete Lewis]

10 hours ago, Mabel said:

does anyone know why my windows don't go all they way down? 

yes there is a stop bracket on the door carcass  it is adjustable of sorts and may be upside down 

and the cross arms centre pivot is an eccentric post this can be rotated and you get adjustment as well 

might need sticky plasters to turn this as its not the most accessible bolt on the door 

Pete

[Wagger]

OK it's not a rotoflex Mk2, so be aware that is a swinging axle. I drove my 1600/6 for three years with no worries.

If you do drive briskly, NEVER lift off and brake going into a bend or half way round it.

You can fit a swing spring or remove (or reverse) the top leaves of the rear spring. Most of us never bother, we just stay within the capabilities of the car.

Driving my Mk1 on twisty roads recently has revealed that most drivers of 'Moderns' are slower than me on the bends. They nearly always use dual carriageways are are not used to it.

[Steve P]

When i bought my MK 1 Vitesse 2L in 1985,it had knackered shocks and a worn out spring, it used to hop across the road going round bends.

37 years later it now has a tuned 2.5 engine, converted to roto and CV shafts, big saloon gearbox and OD, Triumphtune decambered spring from the 80`s when they were in Richmond.

The car i sold to buy it was a 68 Mini Cooper ,very different handling.

Vitesse handles like a go cart now.

S

[Wagger]

3 minutes ago, Steve P said:

When i bought my MK 1 Vitesse 2L in 1985,it had knackered shocks and a worn out spring, it used to hop across the road going round bends.

37 years later it now has a tuned 2.5 engine, converted to roto and CV shafts, big saloon gearbox and OD, Triumphtune decambered spring from the 80`s when they were in Richmond.

Handles like a go cart.

S

Hope that is not like a former colleague's go kart. it was single gear two stroke. He spun 270 degrees on a bend, the egine fired up in reverse direction and off he went into the barricade at full bore. He was unhurt and thought it very amusing.

I would be very interested to see pictures or diagrams of your rear suspension, just in case of a lottery win. My roto's on the 1500 FWD would not have coped with my 2.5 litre torque.

[Steve P]

18 minutes ago, Wagger said:

My roto's on the 1500 FWD would not have coped with my 2.5 litre torque.

That`s why i converted to CV after a 3 wheels on my wagon moment in Cornwall on the RBRR in 2012.

S

[Nick Jones]

Properly set up mk2 Vitesse has very decent handling and the homicidal tendencies in awkward situations are very much reduced.

[micmak]

On 19/07/2022 at 12:07, Nick Jones said:

Properly set up mk2 Vitesse has very decent handling and the homicidal tendencies in awkward situations are very much reduced.

Thank you for chiming in with that positive comment, Nick.  I was starting to get scared by all the bad possibilities! 🤣  But I also figured that these cars were made for a reasonably long stretch.  If there was a major fear of losing them on bends or twisty roads, they would never have lasted as long was they did, and they would have gotten a really bad reputation. The only reputation I know about these cars is that they are cool cars and soo 60's-ish! 

[trigolf]

Don't forget that tyre technology has come on hugely. Early cars were fitted with cross ply tyres and lots of owners would drive on them until they were worn out, then wonder why they went backwards through a hedge!

 

[johny]

Not sure modern tyres help with this issue as if youve overcooked your speed into a bend better that the tyres slide than grip and increase the risk of tuck under....

[Paul H]

In the late 60’s I had a herald convertible and apart from 5.5 ins rims fitted a SAH shortened rear spring which gave negative camber . Seemed a simple solution to the tuck under issue at the time . 
Paul

[Wagger]

27 minutes ago, Paul H said:

In the late 60’s I had a herald convertible and apart from 5.5 ins rims fitted a SAH shortened rear spring which gave negative camber . Seemed a simple solution to the tuck under issue at the time . 
Paul

I had a Vitesse 6 with a shortened top leaf. It ran with slight negative camber and I never had problems with it. I seem to remember a strap being available back then that limited the lowest limit of the rear suspension. That, sort of, made sense. Maybe not to others.

[Gary Flinn]

43 minutes ago, Wagger said:

I had a Vitesse 6 with a shortened top leaf. It ran with slight negative camber and I never had problems with it. I seem to remember a strap being available back then that limited the lowest limit of the rear suspension. That, sort of, made sense. Maybe not to others.

The Camber Compensator was available in the 60's to try and prevent the dreaded swing axle tuck under?

Gary 

[johny]

Having flipped a MK1 Vitesse once I have no doubt I could easily do the same again with the completely standard one I have now👍 

[Pete Lewis]

i played with  de cambered , and  awful swingers  (soft and ever lowering nightmare) and ended up with  a courier spring and 1"lowering block 

which was on rails in comparison and despite all the thougths the larger antiroll bar , 

getting the correct  front /rear toe is one very important thing with any suspension changes.

Pete

 

 

[johny]

A few passengers as in Petes photo helps😁

[Pete Lewis]

thats why i ended up wit a 2000  and 4 doors we were all getting a bit of a bum squeezer getting the girls in the back seat 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

20 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

getting a bit of a bum squeezer getting the girls in the back seat 

 

Isn't that the reason we all used to get girls into the back seat?

[Pete Lewis]

not while the wifes in the front  !!!!!

Pete

[micmak]

On 22/07/2022 at 13:05, Pete Lewis said:

i played with  de cambered , and  awful swingers  (soft and ever lowering nightmare) and ended up with  a courier spring and 1"lowering block 

which was on rails in comparison and despite all the thougths the larger antiroll bar , 

getting the correct  front /rear toe is one very important thing with any suspension changes.

Pete

 

 

Car looks great, Pete.

[micmak]

Hi Folks, well after almost 6 months of frustration trying to get my garage extended in order to buy that Vitesse, finally the builders are nearly finished, and I hope to take possession of the car in the next 2 weeks or so.  This has been an unbelievable experience in which an unscrupulous builder ripped me off!   We agreed on a price to do the build, and he asked for money to buy materials.  I gave him €4½K and he ran off with the money!  The cops are currently investigating. 

Anyway, the car will soon be mine, at last.  So I need to start seriously asking questions. I hope I will not bore you all, as I have never owned a Triumph before and this whole experience will be new to me.  

First of all, I presume I’ll need a workshop manual.  Any recommendations?  Anyone got one lying around? 

I expect I will need spare items like points and a set of feeler gauges.  I have not owned a set of feeler gauges for many years, as modern cars don’t need them.  It’s a 68 Vitesse, and I have seen write ups saying that changing to electronic ignition is best.  Others say no, that all you need is a good set of points not cheapies, and you will be ok.  Any thoughts on this?  

I was thinking of a set of minilites.  Any recommendations as to where I can get a set?  Perhaps used?

The car is completely restored.  The engine is not yet run in.  It has new everything as I outlined months ago at the beginning of this thread. However, I am buying it with no warranty.  Here’s a crazy question: Is there anything in particular that I should look for before I take possession of the car -- I mean anything peculiar to Vitesses?

Here are a few more pics I took about 2 months ago when I visited the car! 

[Pimp my Vit]

http://vitessesteve.co.uk

Mick some great downloads on this site....

[Pete Lewis]

manuals    eiher haynes or an original , many on ebay or reprints from club shop

then   on line  Triumph Car Service manuals - Vitessesteve

points get good ones   suggest Distributor Doctor   

feelers  quite cheap  electronic vary from £35  to £150   some cheap work well some dont   it  i guess you get what you pay for 

can resolve spindle wear and saves checking point gap 

all the cars are reliable  and can take you many thousands of miles if maintained in a reasonable condition    just as well as when they were built 

Pete

[Pimp my Vit]

Personally I went with both electric ignition and fuel pump, I like the tick of the pump and know its working. Outriggers on the chassis are prone to rot as is the cross member at the diff end. Otherwise look out for knocks and clunks on a test drive. This is one of the easiest cars to work on as you can sit on the front wheel and tinker.

I also fitted a set of minilites, don't be put off by the purists telling you they are not standard, they are period and back in the day we all wanted a set. 

[Pete Lewis]

if you go for a wheel change  consider up the wheel studs   you can fit 7/16"unf triumph studs  or go 12mm ford/landrover  

can be a fiddle to fit but its far better than the worn out weedy 3/8unf std studs 

lots of clues on forum for this DIY job 

here is mine (now sold )  on minilites copies 

 

 

[Pimp my Vit]