Pete Lewis Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagger Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagger Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 19, 2022 Report Share Posted July 19, 2022 Properly set up mk2 Vitesse has very decent handling and the homicidal tendencies in awkward situations are very much reduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micmak Posted July 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigolf Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagger Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFL Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 A few passengers as in Petes photo helps😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 not while the wifes in the front !!!!! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micmak Posted July 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micmak Posted January 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimp my Vit Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 http://vitessesteve.co.uk Mick some great downloads on this site.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimp my Vit Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimp my Vit Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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