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** ON TO THE NEXT BIT ** Nose to Tail - 1972 Spitfire MkIV restoration upgrades!!


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If it annoys you, just write on each letter 'not at number **' (insert your house number), take them out for a ride in the Triumph and put them in the nearest postbox. Keep on dong this for a few days and it won't take long for someone to get the message.

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BLADE FUSE BOX - I like the idea of the blade fuse box upgrade mentioned in the 'electric fuel pump' thread. I know that many of you have fitted extra fuse systems. Can anyone give me a step by step guide to fitting one (or two) please and the best way to pick up the various leads from the loom along with the most popular 'groups', lights, ignition, radio etc etc.

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The approach I used when upgrading to Blade Fuse boxes on my Vitesse Mk2 was to initially add relays , Main Beam , Dip, Spots, Heater , Horn then to add the fuse boxes . It did take some time as ive never attempted anything like this before  - So far electrics have behaved with no issues . I also understand my car electrics a lot better now and better placed should electrical issues occur . I did use Thin wire with all additional cabling and this allowed for neater clipping to existing loom and retaping of the loom 

Heres a pic of my 2 fusebox layouts - 

986938350_FuseLayout.jpg.4b61152a1faee622dfc8d7742c5ec237.jpg

Heres a pic of the relay location 

dynamator.thumb.jpg.30c12fcae0de999fcff926485a14ec1b.jpg

The best advice I would give is to add a battery isolator and add an inline fuse using 10amp blade - When you are testing your electrics remove the main switch so you have a 10 amp fuse when testing plus of course a multi meter is essential 

isolator.thumb.jpg.96ac1ccbcd4cb1388ddcf73517a9c4ab.jpg

In line fuse 

1463470023_fuseholder.png.3a6bbb2895c854c80030652c86575b06.png

Pic shows isolator with in line blade fuse 

158804922_FuseBox1.thumb.jpg.c51b2e10c72455e8fb66214d299169dd.jpg

 

Hope this helps 

Paul 

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Thank Doug/Paul. I knew someone would guide me through it. I have seen several posts about upgrading relays and fuses over the time I have been on the forum but never thought it was worthwhile. However after seeing the details of the fire in the Courier and then the mention of the blade switch box in the 'electric fuel pump' thread, made me think that lifting the load on the three fuses might just be a good idea.

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The no fuse in the lighting circuit was a pre-war idea. The thinking being that if it fails, not blows, you lose your Headlights. Fuses were considered to be unreliable and the risk of a fuse failing was considered greater that a short in the lighting system. 

I would have through the impact of an electrical fire was greater that a fuse failing, especially if you had a fuse in each Headlight circuit. You would at least still have one Headlight. 

Dave

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I spent an interesting 15 minutes this evening changing my water temperature sensor which I got recently from Rimmers as my temp gauge is reading low. It is showing about 25% but at lest it appears to be a regular reading. I thought that a new sensor might give a better reading. So took out the old one which was covered in 40 odd years of crud and after a quick visual check that I had been sent the correct one started to screw it in. A bit tight but in it went until about 1/8 inch from the end when it tightened up, made an appalling graunching noise and stuck. Worry set in and I tried to get it out. The spanner rounded off the hex nut section which just appeared to break up into a sort of metal crystal dust. Finally extracted it with a mole wrench. Same length as the original.. all looked the same. Needless to say, now totally useless. Before I whinge at Rimmers, does anyne have any ideas what I did wrong? Cleaned up the old one and put it back in without problems. Wrong unit, rubbish part, ham fisted mechanic??? Has anyone else had a similar problem?

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Probably the usual crap parts, ordered a speedo cable from Rimmers earlier in the year would not screw fully on. Spoke to a very helpful person at Rimmers who said he would check another cable and send it out to me, second cable fitted perfectly and was send FOC no request for return of faulty cable.

No connection to Rimmers.

Regards

Paul

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Pete -  No makers name or packaging or part. Just in a generic Rimmers bag. It is a GTR108, which the books say is correct for the herald 13/60 engine in my Spit. Rimmers are sending me a replacement FOC. I'll see how I get on with that. I just hope that I haven't damaged the housing.

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Thanks Pete, but I would have thought that running the old unit in a out a few times should have cleaned the thread. Suppose that if the new unit is slightly over length  (not measured it) it might foul in gunge at the back, but, on reflection, it gave the impression of a metric threaded equivalent in an imperial hole. Will see what the replacement is like.

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That sounds as though the thread on the new sensor was ever so slightly too wide or as you say an incorrect thread. It may have been an incorrect TPI, although less so as you appear to have got a lot of the sensor screwed in.

I'd place money on the fact that the Rimmer sensor fits their sensor housing perfectly, but your original sensor would probably not be a perfect tight fit. If both sensors are the same length then the width is the issue.

Always wiser after the event, but I would certainly have run a tap down the original thread to ensure it was even and that no thread damage had occurred when the initial sensor was fitted, which is very possible. 

I had exactly the same issue when replacing a radius arm - for some reason the thread would not take a new arm, cleaned it with the correct tap and it then fitted perfectly.

The obvious answer to any new parts from Rimmer is to go to Canley Classics first !!!

 

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trouble is many source from each other , i asked dave why his wiper rack was more , was it better , no it comes from RB 

you cant win , its the trades biggest problem people want cheap and not pay for the real quality  needed to work

you get what they can rip you off for     often said  ....' there's no F in Quality

 

Pete

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When the replacement arrives I will put a micrometer on it. Sadly I dont have a set of imperial taps so will have to settle for carefully running a 5/8th unf (thanks Pete L) bolt down the threads for the time being. Thankfully the oil pressure sensor and pressure relief valve which came on the same order appear to be ok. I would love to know what the acceptable parts failure rate is for a large spares house like Rimmers.

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53 minutes ago, Badwolf said:

Sadly I dont have a set of imperial taps so will have to settle for carefully running a 5/8th unf (thanks Pete L) bolt down the threads for the time being.

That will not do much and certainly will not correct misaligned threads - a taper tap is the only option.

However, your goal is to confirm that a 5/8"UNF thread will run the full length, if that starts to tighten for any reason select reverse gear and do not proceed further.

If that is the case then you will most certainly be looking at a taper tap for thread recovery.

Hopefully none of the above will be required, but worth bearing in mind.

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I bought 2 GTR108 senders last year when trying to resolve an odd temperature indication - one from eBay and the other from Canleys. Both gave the same readings - 1 had a red plastic isolator (think it was the Canleys one) and the other a black isolator. Both had the same thread, but whilst the black isolator one was the same hex to screw it in (my Whitworth spanner fitted perfectly!), the Canley sender required a smaller spanner. 

The moral of the story is that there is more than one supplier out there and the senders do vary in sizing.

Rimmers do occasionally have thread issues - I bought some polyurethane bonnet cones which had a metric thread and wouldn't screw into the captive plates. They refunded them.

Gully

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Firstly - Thank you to all of you who have shown an interest and offered advice about my temperature sender problem.

Secondly - The replacement arrived today and I have spent sometime having a good look at it and making careful measurements before attempting to fit it.  On careful scrutiny of the first unit received, I noticed that the leading threads are damaged which it probably what caused it to stick. Most importantly, the 'across flats' measurement for the spanner to send it home is 18.14mm. One of my 18mm spanners was just a 'push fit'. 18.14mm equates to 11.42/16ths, my 11/16th spanners were all too small and (in my kit) the next size up 3/4 is too big, although it will turn the unit (I don't have a 23/32 spanner), if resistance is felt or the nut/fittings needs a little persuasion a 3/4 will round off the nut section, especially if the quality of the metal is suspect (brass... maybe, maybe not!!)

Anyway, I carefully sent the sender home with the aid of the lightest smear of copper-slip to ease its passage and all is now well.  Anyone reading this in the future please note that because an 11/16th spanner is too small and a 3/4 appears to be OK don't be tempted to use the 3/4, use a good adjustable, to be on the safe side or find a 23/32. By the way, the replacement AF measurement does actually match the unit fitted, whether that is an original... who knows.

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