dave.vitesse Posted September 23, 2018 Report Share Posted September 23, 2018 15 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: I've replaced all the hoses and will use sealant around the o-ring, but am wondering how you fit the bypass tube AFTER the manifold is in place... I presumed the manifold dropped down onto it? You can use a small bore copper tube to wiggle the bypass tube in place from the top after the manifold is in place. It does work and means you can concentrate on getting the manifold O ring and gasket in-place when fitting the manifold. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 Thanks Dave; I'm having the manifold lightly machined by the in-laws to remove a few imperfections then it'll be time for refitting. In the meantime, the front screen / bulkhead panel cleaned up well after a good sandblast, patching, and repaint in satin black. New wipers will help at a later stage, but it's got new wheelboxes, nuts and seals. I've also removed the distributor, dismantled, cleaned and reoiled it before fitting Accuspark electronic ignition. The points looked ok but I've a new set in case this ignition doesn't work out. Last but definitely not least, since most things are off the engine block, it'll be derusted and repainted, which will really clean things up a lot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 Nice job on the lower windscreen surround Collin, that looks spot on. What colour are you going with for the block? Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted October 3, 2018 Report Share Posted October 3, 2018 While its in bits check the heater hoses where they pass into the baulkhead , just had one where the metal tube here has rotted through Seems to rust where the grotty sponge seal is in contact solved by extending the hose through to the interior covering the rusted section No idea if this is common leak Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2018 Thanks Karl; I reckon a nice matt black on the block too; it's a good contrast with the red and besides I have engine enamel in that colour! Any thoughts? (What was it originally?) Pete - I bought a full hose kit a while ago so those two rubber heater hoses are marked down for replacement; haven't checked the metal heater pipes yet but the foam on mine looks fairly grotty and certainly oily. I'd ideally like to remove the heater completely and overhaul it, as the rheostat has failed so I've only a single speed on the blower fan, but I think it's a full-dashboard-out job and at this point in time, daunting. I've a lot of wiring to sort out plus I need to replace the petrol hoses in ethanol-resistant hose, and at least one brake pipe needs remade. Once the GT6 rear halfshaft arrives I can get that car off the lift and the TR7 on, so can check the underside and start on the suspension. It'll be a new experience, lifting a Triumph and not worrying about the body lifting off the chassis... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 3, 2018 Report Share Posted October 3, 2018 Colin, I was thinking a nice gloss black as I figure a gloss finish is easier to clean the muck off that matt. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 Karl - I was going for matt as I thought it would make it easier to see wet-looking oil or water leaks, but in the end the paint decided by itself and my matt black has turned out to be more of a gloss, so that's settled then. I also discovered the hard way that if you use a powerful vacuum cleaner on the dashboard vents, the foam sound-deadening pads aren't very well held on. Up the pipe they went. I've just taken the final step and removed the entire dashboard which was surprisingly easy to do. All I have to do now is tidy everything up behind it, remove years of dust, and take the heater out to replace seals and get at the broken rheostat. Is there a modern alternative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 That's it for today and I'm totally knackered. I decided to man up and bite the bullet, so the dashboard came out surprisingly easily. No idea what all the scare stories and caveats are on the Net, only a few screws and two bolts were needed. Possibly refitting it is a different matter but in the meantime I've uncovered forty years of dust, dirt and assorted broken-off bits which will all require sorted. Next: remove the heater. No-one, and I mean NO-ONE, not even the workshop manual, told me how many bolts there are that hold it on, and it was only when I had five removed that some nice gentleman on an American forum pointed out on his thread that it's also bolted through the bulkhead. So: I removed that bolt, and after nearly an hour of removing hoses and cutting through hose clips with a Dremel I found out that it's bolted through the bulkhead TWICE, with one bolt invisible below the heater pipes. It's now removed, after dumping a pint of rusty water over my tools and the footwell. Now that it's removed, I need new seals, but hopefully not a matrix. The water coming out was amazingly rusty and this was after three or four flushes of the system, so I don't think the water was circulating through. This may point to a duff heater valve which I've heard may be unobtainable? Anyway: clean it all, replace the seals, and the faulty rheostat. Plus point: I've now got access to the entire wiring loom, so can clean and lubricate all the connections, and dose all the hidden corners of the car with Waxoyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Faulds Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 Great work Colin. Enjoying the story. Is there another obtainable heater valve you could use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 I hope you remember how it all goes back together Colin Good work though. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 Colin that block looks much nicer with a coat of satin black. At least the TR7 is new enough to have multi block connectors behind the dash unlike the the older Triumphs. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted October 11, 2018 Report Share Posted October 11, 2018 it wont be long now for a re birth ??? can we have a competition for whats left over on the refit ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 11, 2018 Report Share Posted October 11, 2018 52 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: it wont be long now for a re birth ??? can we have a competition for whats left over on the refit ??? A heater valve and two heater flap sealing pads! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 On 11/10/2018 at 13:26, Bordfunker said: A heater valve and two heater flap sealing pads! Karl Ok try this for a competition! This little black bit fell out of the heater, and try as I might, I couldn't work out where it's from... then suddenly realised about an hour later. Any guesses? Second question: why is there a blue and white wire linking my flasher unit to the brake pedal switch, with the (proper) green and white flasher unit cable hanging loose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 16, 2018 Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 Haven’t got a clue about your wiring, but the black plastic bit looks to be one of the flaps from a heating vent that allows you to direct the air. Odd that it’s just fallen out, but then it is a Triumph! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted October 16, 2018 Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 15 minutes ago, Bordfunker said: the black plastic bit looks to be one of the flaps from a heating vent that allows you to direct the air. Bah! Beat me to it. On the DPO bodge wire, where has the original brake pedal switch feed gone to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 Spot on! It's one of the plastic flaps from the dashboard vents - but it did take me a few minutes of studying the heater to work that out. As for the original brake switch feed...... aha! Some detective work required, methinks. I suspect (only noticed it a while ago so haven't started looking yet!) that the feed is OUT of the brake switch to power the flasher, although with no battery in at present I can't check to see if the brake lights flash instead of the indicators... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2018 I love a challenge. Following the original problem with the heater blower - which wasn't working - I managed to get it going on one speed by cleaning the terminals at the slider control; these use a spring-loaded brass contact to slide across each of the three bullet connectors to make a contact from a powered cable, and earths through the assembly. A quick polish with a wire-brush on a Dremel and they are as good as new, although on one speed only. The other speeds are controlled by a resistor assembly on top of the heater box, inaccessible from the front until the entire unit is removed. Once removed it was obvious that the bi-metal temperature sensor, which prevents overheating of the fan motor, was too rusted to be salvageable. Unless this works, the system will run on one speed only. So where do you get a 40-year old bi-metallic sensor? Contact the company, of course, and so I spoke to their Development Manager, Stephen Hollick. It's an OTTER G6D sensor, long unobtainable, made by Otter Controls Ltd who are still in business today. No, they didn't have any, they wouldn't make a one-off, but they had sold a batch to the Rover SD1 Owners Club a while back, as their heater uses the same system. I contacted the SD1 Owners club and a very nice gentleman called Kev Clark was happy to sell me one, and offered others from their stock to any owner with similar problems. Once this arrives it can be soldered in, and the system rebuilt. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted October 20, 2018 Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Colin, Useful info. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Heater electrics sorted, I've turned to the actual heater matrix. When I got the car, the coolant was plain water - no antifreeze at all - which has raised my suspicions as to why? Was there a lot of loss during driving, more serious cooling problems, or just a cost-cutting owner? I flushed it and added anti-freeze just in case, but then of course stripped down the system and wasted it all again. I've removed the heater unit and so back flushed the heater alone, and the photo below shows what came out of it.... This was JUST the heater matrix. I debated reusing the old one, which doesn't appear to have leaked, but if this is the colour of the water inside there may be a leak just waiting to happen, so I'm not taking any chances. The old system had two long metal pipes which push through rubber seals into the heater body, and were prone to leaks. Consequently I've gone for an uprated unit, which has metal pipes already connected to the matrix. This will allow for rubber hoses to be fitted which won't rust through, and removes the need for obtaining new seals, which aren't easily obtained. The new matrix is almost a straight fit; this is a trial fitting prior to adding new seals around the edges to make sure all the air flows through and not around. . 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 It may be cost cutting which is not a good idea on a TR7 or Stag engine. If it's leaks then the water pump is one of the problems areas. They don't always leak on tick over but will when you rev the engine. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Heater rebuild is almost complete bar the tidying of the outer case. I realised quite early on that the reference photo I was using - below - bore no resemblance to my own, as I have no valve at all - hence no worries about finding a replacement. It looks very Delaney-Gallay, although a different angle on the pipes from the Herald version. The matrix pipes shown above also exit in a totally different place to mine. I've now refitted or remade all of the inner foam seals, and cut the metal pipes to fit the rubber extension hoses for the new uprated matrix. This was one of those "no turning back now" moments but thankfully it worked. One interesting thing occurred when I was checking my reference photos (I take lots before starting anything these days, I've learned the hard way!) -- the camera flash had discoloured the colours of the wiring, and so I was confused as to whether or not green and pink went on position one, or three, of the slider control - or was it green and white? Close examination of the photo below, taken before the rebuild, revealed that each of the black plastic connectors has a code number - 13, 33 or 19. All I had to do was match the connector to the spade terminal, not the colour. Happy Days! The heater unit is now ready for refitting, which means the dashboard can go back in after tidying and cleaning of the bodywork in behind, and all of the wiring connectors. One final step was the replacement of the foam padding on the heater flap, which I had accidentally hoovered off earlier. I was able to find self-adhesive foam in a nice grey, which matches the dashboard... so only the outer foam trim to glue in place and we're good to go. Someone said recently on another forum - "Triumph designed a heater, then built a complete car around it." I now believe that's true, but as I'm now ready to refit mine, it's a major step forward and things will fly together after this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Very tidy job Colin Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Colin, lovely job on that heater rebuild. Paricularly timely given the change in the weather! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted November 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Karl, "she who may travel in it with me one day" (SWMTIIWMOD?) had a SAAB convertible which had the best heater I've ever seen / felt. The other extreme is my 1200 convertible which I tried to drive home from work on December 23rd at 3am a few years back - with the top down. I gave up after about three miles. So: my reckoning it that the heater is the heart of any convertible, and so I want this one turning out too much heat, which I can then adjust down, as opposed to too little, which I can't do anything about, other than complain. Loudly. "Is that tappet rattle? No it's my teeth chattering..." Anyway - dashboard is now back in, after THREE attempts. First, you can't fit the face vent pipes after it's been fitted, so out again. Second, you can't fit the screen vent pipes after it's been fitted, so out again. Thirdly, the face vent pipes are not the same length, so the wrong one fitted to the wrong side will push the vents out of the dashboard - so, out again. Even with it out, you need about ten arms to hold things in place whilst refitting. NOW I'm ready to start on the electrics, which require a post of their own.... AND I'VE JUST REMEMBERED... that the top screw holding the heater in place on the bulkhead was never tightened fully.The dashboard is NOT coming out again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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