The embarrassing Herald restoration thread - now the fiddly bits

[Pete Lewis]

wont be the first time i have screwed a threaded hose fir tree into the pump and run fuel hose up to the carbs 

Pete

[Morgana]

On 27/12/2023 at 21:47, Peter Truman said:

I've had the brass olives swage into the pipe so they can turn on the pipe but not come off, the result is a leak past the olive to pipe joint, my solution was to solder the olive onto the pipe

I think this is exactly what's happened with my carburettor joint. The pipe is visible as a tiny lip just after the olive, which can't slide off, so getting a seal into the alloy carburettor housing with the male pipe nut is very difficult.

[Colin Lindsay]

I had to re-read this thread to find out what my last post was.... time flies!! In particular I've done nothing but strip out three rooms in my house for re-insulation and replastering, so am sleeping in a box-room the size of a Herald boot, the house is full of dust and every other room is full of the furniture that came from the first three, so no room to swing the proverbial. Who, incidentally, are getting very distressed that their usual sleeping places are on hold. 

In the garage I've stripped down the Z3 to less bits than before, especially the exhaust which has gone for re-catting. There's a horrendous rattle from the exhaust which wasn't cured by a new silencer, and turned out to be a support inside the CAT which falls off and rattles, and was a recall in the USA, but not here. It's gone to a mate to be cut open and rewelded. I've replaced the fuel tank straps, front brake discs and pads, bled the system, cleaned up the boot floor and still have front struts to replace. So: the Heralds have been ignored except from necessity, where the 13/60 died after being driven out of the garage to make room. I have absolutely no room in the garage at all, having the Z3, three Heralds, two body tubs and now two bulkheads stored around the floor. I got these from a mate's shed clearout and they're too good to dump, but are seriously getting in my way.

                                

I have a path wending through all the stuff to get to the bench or the lift, and bang off numerous thingies in the process. So: when I needed to drop the roofspace ladder to find Spitfire wheels, the Herald had to move outside. It moved out, and then died. Nothing at all, engine turned, but just no ignition. Fuel filter looked suspiciously empty despite a quarter-full tank, so first choice of culprit was the replacement fuel pump.

This was a 'NOS' Herald pump salted away for some time, but whilst it fitted ok I noticed that a) the lever was very stiff, taking a little bit more hand pressure to pump than I was used to, and b) it took a little bit of screwing down to get it to the block. I put that down to new springs. Funnily enough it ran perfectly on the test drive a few weeks ago. Off it came and...oops. Thankfully that bit fell out, and not in.

     

I stripped the pump down but can see no reason for any break or malfunction, it's all very clean and the only thing I can think of is that there was either a problem before it fitted, due to some misalignment or other, or the lever was incorrect. It's not a 'spacer' pump and matches the profile of my other pumps, but it was still very stiff to operate. I'll try to source another lever and see what happens. In the meantime I have a few spares so on went a different variety, this one was very easy to pump and worked first time. Thank goodness as the Herald almost killed me when pushing it back into the garage - it's slightly uphill. Much easier to drive it in.

The poor Estate has been shelved yet again. I just don't know why I can't find the inclination to get it finished and on the road. No real action on the local club scene, no local shows that aren't 99% modern cars or plastic fantastics from the 2000s, I just feel very sidelined and no-one is interested. I've replaced most of the carpets and nearly all the seats, but am held up by the door seals as I need to replace the roof first to cut them to length, and the headlining isn't finished yet plus I need to make my own C-post seals. I also need seatbelts but QuickfitSBS are not playing ball. I actually sat in it the other day... sad, but first time in 20 years!

                                     

Can't fit the driver's seat yet for a real 'vroom vroom' experience. I think I'm actually scared to start the engine in case something goes bang after the rebuild, and it all has to come out again. More likely the gearbox will rattle or go bang, as I 'sort of' rebuilt it with new bearings and seals and got the rear case back on with a little bit of light percussion... so am guilty that that may have damaged something. I'll have to find out, sooner or later.

Researching things for books recently; I found out that when Triumph were talking about outsourcing Herald production ie CKD cars, they were concerned that poor workmanship would reflect badly on the parent company and so affect Herald sales.

In 1960 they sent Jack Brabham across to Belfast, where he roadtested 10 Heralds picked from the production line on the Dundrod Racing Circuit. He gave them a thorough testing and was pleased to announce that he found them no different to the mainland-assembled models. All systems go for CKD then. This photo appeared in the local paper of April 1960:

                                                                       

It cost me about £15 for access but some of the local papers of the time are fascinating, with many having coverage of the Herald launch and launch events. This one is particularly relevant tonight; the new soon-to-be-released Herald at the gates of Stormont, the seat of Ulster Government, which is being dusted down after a few years holiday for the members.

                                                  

A great resource for an evening's nostalgia. All the more reason to keep some of the local cars on the road, I suppose. They never built any of the plastic fantastics over here; bar the De Lorean I suppose, but we all know how that turned out...

 

 

 

Edited January 31 by Colin Lindsay
locating disappearing photos!

[Josef]

Well I know everyone here would be thrilled to see the estate on the road again (for you and the car!) even if we might not see it in person. 

I’ve used Safety Belt Services of Bedford before, they were slightly more expensive than Quickfit, but the latter gave me over the phone without VAT and didn’t indicate that this was the case at all… So the difference in the end wasn’t huge.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, updates are like buses. Nothing for ages, then two at once.

The Z3 is in bits on the ramp, the Freelander is getting brake pads locally as I'm too lazy to do it myself, and my daughter's car is at her work. So: I'm stuck at home unless I use the Herald.

I drove it out of the garage this morning, ran the engine for less than 30 seconds, and drove back in again. Then it sat until lunchtime when I thought I'd check the replacement fuel pump.

It's a disaster. Fuel is running out of the same connector yet again, the outlet by the AC lettering, despite me replacing the pump and using a complete brand new length of fuel pipe to make an entirely new feed to the carbs. This is new pipe, a new olive and a new screw-in connector and the threads on the pump have been recut, so it should be a tight seal. 

                                                            

I just don't get how they're not sealing, unless the fuel pipe ends that I bought a while back are not suitable for our cars or are the wrong profile and so won't seal. That's this evening's work sorted now, replace the pump yet again and check the fittings.

I've also got an amazing oil leak under the car - this was less than a minute's running this morning:

        

  

I've cleaned the sump, flattened the dimples off the outer edge and used a new gasket, plus a bit of engine sealer where required, and it still leaks like this. I can't get it up on the ramp at present either to inspect closely but a good photograph taken just now appears to show leaks from the plug:

                              

I'll drain the oil - very clean it is, too, after a recent change - and try a different plug in the hopes of success. I hope it's not the brazing around the aperture, but I also know that it will drip from the lowest point so while I can't see any other trails, certainly none of this quantity, I'll keep looking just in case.

Nothing else to do, can't leave the house. No car.

 

Edited February 1 by Colin Lindsay

[Pete Lewis]

OH !!    Colin.......Hmmmm     Happy new year  might help !!!

Pete

[Peter Truman]

1 minute ago, Peter Truman said:

Colin just having the same problem with the daughters Spit I fitted a new aftermarket magnetic sump plug a couple of years ago and I've always had a bottom end oil leak but thought it was the rear main, BUT whilst it's been resident with me pending heading north I changed the oil refilled to find clean new oil in the drip tray, like yours the plug is all shiny with sharp threads.

No amount of tightening the plug would seal it so I refitted an old plug I had the choice of 5?, I also brought and smeared Permatex High Performance Thread Sealant (white & gooey) for good measure, it's now all sealed. I wonder if the new aftermarket all shiny steel rather than iron sump plugs tapered threads aren't quite cut right?   

I did remove the magnetic probe from the new sump plug and pushed it into the old plug after drilling the end with a real interference fit!

Ref  your fuel pump arm breaking off had a similar issue with the Vitesse but my problem was I fitted the arm under the cam lobe, the arm is still in the sump somewhere it'll stay there in the goo! It was the bent profile arm rather than the laminated or forged/cast type.

 

[Colin Lindsay]

Sounds interesting, Peter! As usual I believed I was doing the right thing with a new sump plug, trusting in the manufacturer to do it right. I may fit an old one, plenty of those on the shelf.

I may have cured the fuel leak - yet another pump seems to have done the trick. I suspect it's the olive, it's not seating in the pipe body on certain models of pump. I experimented with a short length of pipe and an olive on the bench and noticed that some filled the hole beyond the threaded section completely while others appeared to leave a gap. Wear in the pump, or manufacture? Either way I'll check the profile of the next olive I fit very carefully before committing it to the finished pipe as if the pump body can't be altered a better profile of olive can at least be found. 

[PeteH]

Colin, Re your issue with Fuel pipe and olive connections.

Too much pipe beyond the olive can cause the olive not to fully seal? The depth of the hole in the pump is very dependant upon the quality of the person who set the depth, when the pump was manufactured. Much of the machining, would have been carried out by "semi-skilled" operatives, who`s machines where set up by "skilled operatives. Even changing a drill or tap could make a change. Another issue I alluded too earlier, is the fact that some pipe suppliers, retail metric pipe as imperial, the diferences are small but can prevent a proper seal if the olives are not matched. Something I re-discovered last week on "plum" when I re-made the section of fuel pipe from the tank under the floor to connect to the main run. The (steel) pipe I had from circa 1980, was as expected imperial sized, but unexpectedly the pipe on "plum" turned out to be metric. As I was replacing the  hose connection with a "proper" "enots" coupling, I had one hell of a job rummaging through my pipe fittings to find suitably sized olives. It is sealing, under pressure test. (fingers crossed). But the tank has yet to go back and be filled (again fingers crossed). I do have some petrol resistant sealing tape, if I get desperate, something that will have my old instructor spinning in the grave!!!, but at least he`s not around to clip my ear!!.

Pete

[Peter Truman]

31 minutes ago, PeteH said:I do have some petrol resistant sealing tape, if I get desperate, something that will have my old instructor spinning in the grave!!!, but at least he`s not around to clip my ear!!.

Pete

A bodge I have used several times is to solder the olive onto the pipe it’s fixed any fuel leaks I’ve had as said by others watch for the pipe being too long into the fuel pump body

[68vitesse]

On my Vitesse I've put a small o ring on the pipe, pump side of the olive, which has always worked tor me.

Regards

Paul

[Colin Lindsay]

3 hours ago, PeteH said:

Colin, Re your issue with Fuel pipe and olive connections.

Too much pipe beyond the olive can cause the olive not to fully seal?

That's true; I also believed that too much pipe would be too close to the rear of the aperture in the pump and so may restrict the flow. I've about 2mm pipe beyond the olive here and reckon that's fine. One thing I had also thought of was flaring the pipe slightly - very slightly - so that the olive can't slip off the end nor can the pipe pull out, but the fitting will draw the pipe in as it tightens the olive into place. I'll leave things as they are and monitor. (and will fix the oil leak too.) 

BMW exhaust just back from a mates, will have that fitted by late afternoon so may get it off the ramps by Monday, and sadly the Herald back on them to get that leak fixed. 

[Colin Lindsay]

BMW exhaust just refitted - no difference. I reckon the mate pulled the wool over my eyes this morning. "We didn't split the welds, we have a machine that fits inside the pipe and widens out so it's all cleaned out inside." Round spherical objects. It's lain about his workshop untouched until I collected it. At least he didn't simply stick a brush shaft into the CAT and wiggle that about to cure the rattles. In any case bled the new brake system, wheels back on, and rattly car out of the garage. Now the Herald can go back on the ramp and the sump fixed as required.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, not much going on in the garage. I watched Bangers & Cash this morning, they were working on a Triumph MZ motorbike. On the wall they had this poster:

                                                                   

Everyone here is into bikes and tractors, no interest in Triumphs. It's like a leper colony. I even have mates turning up in Hyundais. They walk past the Heralds, study the Z3, then go off to the kitchen and hash about Yamahas and Suzukis and what exotic tours they're going off on later. Doesn't give me much enthusiasm for going near the garage; plus the fact that the plasterers, painters, plumbers and digger drivers have now left the house and everything is covered in mud, dust and grime, so I've rediscovered the joys of DIY again. Still can't get enthusiastic about new curtains though - Triumphs have Signal Red, end of. Curtains have 30,000 shades of red and they all look alike, but they must be debated endlessly and compared in different lights. Yawn.

In any case I have managed to slip away for a few small tasks, most notably the source of the oil leak previously mentioned - not sure if located, or not - and an unexpected water leak from the block of the 13/60.

The block was refurbished in 2022 and loads of new bits added, including a brand new brass drain tap. This, like all things these days, has proved its' mettle by failing after two years. The system is simple, a brass cone held in place by the tension of a metal spring. Spring rusts amazingly easily, spring loses the tension, water leaks. Easiest option was to replace it with a brass drain plug; an amazing variation in online prices though: £18 from one supplier, £14 from another, and good old James Paddock at £4. Problem solved.

                  

I've already done that on the estate, but Paddocks had no more stock so the 1200 convertible will have to wait until one reappears. I also went in search of the oil leak, that puddle of oil which appears after every short period of engine running from who-knows-where. As we discussed earlier I suspected the drain tap - Pete H reckoned the threads - so I removed it and found that the sump threads were clear and sharp too. I replaced the sump plug but this one seemed to go in much further before tightening fully... or was it my Gorilla hands this time? I haven't really run the engine much since the plug replacement but will monitor carefully, especially with the price of good oil. 

                                                                                  

Speaking of prices, I was able to buy a pair of Herald sills online at a bargain fee, required since I poached the 1200 convertible ones for the 13/60. I was intending to travel across to Chic Doig at some future stage when in that area and save postage, but these came up quite cheaply and certainly much less than a ferry ticket. They're old and seem to have been stored underwater, one being good and one quite crusty, but they're both useable. Salted away against the day.

                                  

Final job of the month was the examination of a Spitfire gearbox I 'inherited' recently. A little bit scabby on the outside, it turned out to be mostly surface grime and dust although the top remote casing was badly corroded. It has responded well to a good cleaning and fresh oil, but I think the reverse gear has some chipping to the teeth. I think there's a spare gear in the roofspace, will check tomorrow.

            

I'll store it away in case it's ever required. I think I have four others, anyway... but this one has reverse lights and four synchros, so could potentially be a Herald upgrade some day.

Finally, the builders digging drains to the rear of the house found an ancient artifact, and asked me if it was anything important... you could say that I suppose, but only to me. Won't fit on a bike, so no-one else would be interested. Must be old, though - modern ones would have dissolved by now.

                                                                              

 

 

[Peter Truman]

1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

 

The block was refurbished in 2022 and loads of new bits added, including a brand new brass drain tap. This, like all things these days, has proved its' mettle by failing after two years. The system is simple, a brass cone held in place by the tension of a metal spring. Spring rusts amazingly easily, spring loses the tension, water leaks. Easiest option was to replace it with a brass drain plug; an amazing variation in online prices though: £18 from one supplier, £14 from another, and good old James Paddock at £4. Problem solved.

                  

I've already done that on the estate, but Paddocks had no more stock so the 1200 convertible will have to wait until one reappears. I also went in search of the oil leak, that puddle of oil which appears after every short period of engine running from who-knows-where. As we discussed earlier I suspected the drain tap - Pete H reckoned the threads - so I removed it and found that the sump threads were clear and sharp too. I replaced the sump plug but this one seemed to go in much further before tightening fully... or was it my Gorilla hands this time? I haven't really run the engine much since the plug replacement but will monitor carefully, especially with the price of good oil. 

                                                                                  

 

Re drain plug I had the same problem but I recoed the tap with a small brass spring I found in my jars of spares all OK now,

Re drain plug the Spit had the same problem ith an aftermarket magnetic plug so reverted back to an original with a smear of Permatite thread seal not thread lock all good now!

The aftermarket thread as yours seemed to go in deeper and the thread cut was very sharp!

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, still not much on-going in the garage; (Not on the Heralds anyway, replaced the exhaust on the BMW, undersealed the Freelander and Fiesta both with oil changes on both as well) but in true Lindsay style I've gone backwards a bit, but hopefully not too much. 

The gearbox was refurbished by me a few years back; new bearings, seals and gaskets but all looking ok visually, so left alone. Now: on replacing the rear extension I couldn't get it to meet the main casing, there being a quarter-inch gap that would not close up. If I used force, it pushed the rear seal out of the end again. Eventually by dint of slightly different force I got it to fit but the front bearing was now sitting proud of the casing. A few gentle taps of a mallet got that back in... as for the cause: no idea. As for any damage caused inside... well only a running gearbox will tell for sure, and this gearbox has not run. I may be overthinking it a bit, there may be no problem, but only driving will tell. Thus the intention was to get the Herald running and to test the gearbox before the interior trim was replaced.

Photos in the last post show the carpet loosely fitted over a loosely fitted tunnel cover; sadly I got carried away and fitted the tunnel cover permanently, followed by the remains of the carpet.

                               

This is a plastic-type cover, very well made and heavily insulated underneath. Fitted first time, too, no faffing about lining holes up. The gearlever gaiter is new too. Once that went in, back goes the carpet, and then the footwell carpets which are held in place by the front seat-rail bolts and the accelerator pedal. Again I was surprised at how easily the carpet fitted, (once I had realised I was fitting it back to front and the round hole was actually for the steering column) but it's a good carpet from Coverdale so eventually only slight trimming will be needed round the outer edges at the carpet strips and door seals.  

After that, a few ancillaries required fixing and fettling - I secured the fuse box in place, cleaned up various cables, and even managed to find the bracket for the trip-meter reset cable, which sadly screwed into place at an angle and despite the fact that no-one will ever see it, I know it's there.

                              

The long trim under the dash was also fitted and again amazingly fitted quite easily. I still cannot resist playing with the screenwashers, the only part that works with no battery fitted, and it's childish but fun, even if it does spray the back seat due to no screen actually being fitted.

The dashboard is now complete, and I must admit it all looks so clean and new, with the 'correct' estate speedometer fitted and cleaned.

  

Next logical step was to fit the final seat, the driver's seat. It's been stored for some years and sadly has not stored well - part of it appears to have been in bright sunlight so there is a faded strip across the front edge, and a tear to the rear which I'll have professionally repaired very soon as a stop-gap to recovering in the future. Fitting is not as easy as it would seem: the steering wheel gets in the way, and the door aperture was never designed for broad shoulders squeezed in sideways. The seat repeatedly fell down, squashing my ear quite painfully or crushing my fingers - it should be a two-man job, but not in my house. Eventually I got it fitted - let's have a trial sit-down. Couldn't get my legs under the steering wheel, and when I did the seat suddenly collapsed backwards. I found this somewhat odd, as if the seat has slipped off the base rails onto the floor - and I was right. It had. This means it must be at an angle to the base...

                      

The photo shows just how much the driver's seat is out of line towards the B-post, and the big gap at the handbrake. I think there's a possibility that I've fitted the seats on the wrong side, but I don't know how much difference that would make. The seats are meant to be angled, so they tilt inwards when raised, but that's a bit extreme. I'll have to explore a bit more.

I need to buy seatbelts - QuickfitSBS are not playing ball with on-line ordering, so I'll have to try to explain which clips and brackets I require on which material, and there are two sets needed, one for the 13/60 in tan, with both having different fixings. I don't want them mixed up, or incorrectly made. I also need to make C-post seals, as original versions will not fit - the donor roof came from a 13/60 Estate back in the late 1990s, and the C-posts were badly rotted. I had them rebuilt, but the welder made them slightly too broad on the inner face; a nice, professional job but about 2mm too deep. I have three original NOS gaskets and they won't seat properly. If I can find rubber sheet of the correct thickness I'll make my own. 

                                                                          

                                 

That's all that's stopping me from refitting the roof and glass, bar having the interior complete so I don't have to squeeze inside under a roof for any other fiddly jobs. I bought estate side glass seals many years ago, here's hoping they're still fit to be used. 

I also made the mistake of watching 'Dream Car Fixers' last week, they replaced a Herald hood. I've both a mohair and a PVC hood stored away in boxes. How difficult can it be??? I'm tempted...

Edited March 30 by Colin Lindsay

[PeteH]

13 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

PVC hood stored away in boxes. How difficult can it be??? I'm tempted...

Make sure you pick either a nice "hot" day or you have a decent heater to hand. I fitted a PVC hood to Plum last Backend, Don, I think, via Club Shop. The wrinkles are visible, not execesivly, but now it`s all stuck down, Spray contact adhesive, It`s going to be a real contest to correct. My hope is that it will spend most of it`s time Stowed!. 🤞

Your "anchient artifact" looks suspiciously like the anti vibration mountings that existed on our equally "anchient" and second hand, Twin tub washing machine, circa 1965, which was "done to death" washing terry nappies for twin babies. That was some learning curve too!!.

Pete.

Edited March 31 by PeteH

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, PeteH said:

Make sure you pick either a nice "hot" day or you have a decent heater to hand. I fitted a PVC hood to Plum last Backend, Don, I think, via Club Shop. The wrinkles are visible, not execesivly, but now it`s all stuck down, Spray contact adhesive, It`s going to be a real contest to correct. My hope is that it will spend most of it`s time Stowed!. 🤞

Dream Car Fixers fitted theirs surprisingly easily (well edited, maybe??) but what surprised me was that they used Impact Adhesive to stick the front to the header rail, then announced they'd return next morning to further tension the material. I thought that once attached it could not be repositioned after so long a time? They also didn't show the fitting of the material around the side seals over the door glass but if I inspect the old hood as it's removed I may be able to replicate the fitting. Thankfully I have a spare hood still on an old frame so have two to use as reference as well as pilfering any parts that might be needed.

The PVC hood is for the 'everyday' 13/60, the mohair will be kept for the 1200 convertible as more deserving of the better quality. 

[PeteH]

9 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Dream Car Fixers fitted theirs surprisingly easily (well edited, maybe??) but what surprised me was that they used Impact Adhesive to stick the front to the header rail, then announced they'd return next morning to further tension the material. I thought that once attached it could not be repositioned after so long a time? They also didn't show the fitting of the material around the side seals over the door glass but if I inspect the old hood as it's removed I may be able to replicate the fitting. Thankfully I have a spare hood still on an old frame so have two to use as reference as well as pilfering any parts that might be needed.

The PVC hood is for the 'everyday' 13/60, the mohair will be kept for the 1200 convertible as more deserving of the better quality. 

Double check the Frame to head rail attachement, they have a tendency to fracture.

Pete

[Peter Truman]

Ditto and welding any crack in the bracket/arm insitu to the header is difficult due to access issues, as the bracket is rivited to the header and has two anchor arms into the header, been there done that! 

[Colin Lindsay]

The 1200 Estate has been getting all the attention this week, although the 13/60 petrol cap did decide to stay locked on and wouldn't budge earlier. Yes, it's that time of year again, the grass needs cut, the rain stopped for a morning, and the lawnmower had no fuel. Let's steal some from the Herald. Herald of course wasn't having any of it - or giving any of it - so the cap refused to budge. I tried a few manoeuvres and contortions to no avail, eventually having to overtighten the cap so that it popped off in the wrong direction. Nothing appears damaged, it went back on again and locks as it should. Just one of those days when it doesn't want to play.

                                                                            

I'm getting to that dramatic moment where the interior of the 1200 Estate is finished - not to a high standard in places, I must admit, as the wheelarch covers are woefully full of wrinkles and the seats really need recovering, but I did fix the front seat problem by swapping the seats over on the bases and they now seat almost perfectly on the rails. I had forgotten the amount of legroom there is in anything other than the convertible, and can actually get my legs under the steering wheel. I finished the carpet fitting and attached the long trim under the dashboard, which really does make a difference. I'm waiting on gasket material for the C-posts; I got a pad of 1.25mm rubber but despite being perfect in all other respects it's too thin, so am waiting for two more of 2mm and 3mm to see which is best. 

One major outstanding job was the finishing of the passenger door. It was stripped out completely for reskinning and painting many years ago, and never properly rebuilt. I don't like working on door interiors, it's painful and at the time of typing am wearing a latex glove on one hand to keep the plasters on and the blood off the keys while my wrist looks like a failed suicide attempt. I removed everything from the door - it's much easier to fit the two top trims with no glass at all. I was pleasantly surprised that I got the clips in place and the trims fitted as well as I've ever done it, first time.

                                                                          

The glass went back in - had to remove the door stiffener which I had left in place - then the quarterlight assembly which was loosely tightened. One big problem which became apparent soon after was that I had rebuilt the glass with restored runners, new rubber seal, and a new plastic water shield in heavy plastic. Unfortunately I had attached the plastic sheeting to the inside, not the outside, so the winding mechanism couldn't reach the runners. I had to cut two horizontal slots with a scalpel and hope that it wouldn't foul the mechanism, but happily it doesn't. 

Next job was finding a rear glass channel; I had two in a dark corner of the garage but both badly worn. Many years ago I bought channel rubber material, and have enough left for about four doors, just in case.

First step is to clean all of the old material plus sealant out of the channel, then position the new channel in the metal outer.

                   

It needs to be fed into place, carefully and with loads of patience as it will fight the whole time and try to spring out again. Once actually squeezed into place it does stay put, though. Working down the entire length, it does eventually all squeeze in and stay in place. I then left it overnight to conform to shape before removing again and this time using glue. Leaving it to settle means it doesn't fight as hard when glued down so is less messy. Once the glue has gone off slightly the rubber can be finally positioned, I have tried a suitably sized Allen key before now but then found that the rectangular bar from a house door handle is the perfect width and profile to fit into the channel and be pressed fully inwards with a vice. 

              

Left to dry, it fitted first time and the glass was tensioned with the wire strip around the two channels before all was tightened up. The wire strip clips to the door frame with a metal clip and this has very sharp edges, which I found out soon enough right across the side of my hand and quite deep. 

After suitable bandaging, the door was more or less finished bar the remote door lock lever, which has lost its' circlip and which said circlip is currently NLA. I know I have at least one, but where... but that's the door complete otherwise. I even refitted new grommets to cover the screw heads.

                                                                              

Last job on the interior, bar the door seals and carpet edge strips, will be to fit this nice period radio console and radio. It's been in my garage many years, so I'll mess about with it over the next few days and get it fitted before the roof goes on and I lose the freedom of standing up in the interior. 

                                                 

I actually have both fitting instructions and fitting kit, which is rare for me, so all being well it will be a simple job. After that roof, glass, rear hatch, chrome trims... and startup. Which I'm dreading. I think if I attach the battery and it goes bang, I'll happily sigh:" Told you so!" and leave it for another ten years.

 

Edited April 10 by Colin Lindsay

[Gary Flinn]

You've been very busy Colin, great work.

I too dread working on the inside of the doors on a Herald/Vitesse, too many fiddly clips and sharp edges, fitting the round clips that retain the window channels to the winding mechanism is a fiddly job, there must be a knack to it but I've never mastered it yet.

Think positive, it will start first time, prime the fuel pump and make sure you have a spark and away she will go🙂

Regards

Gary

[Pete Lewis]

agree most door innards need kevlar gloves to avoid blood shed

the rods and crapy plastic connectors springs and god knows what in a spitty/GT6 door 

need a masters degree in self presevation  

one thinks some designs started as a typewriter 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, as Didier Bezace said: "Cherche on va trouve" which I think is a colloquial version of "Cherchez et vous trouveras" but I may be seriously mis-quoting him. French these days seems to bear absolutely no relation to what I was taught at school. In any case he was almost correct; I did search and found not the shiny cadmium clip I was looking for but a good original replacement, which probably fits better too. Next step, door trim.

                                                          

Anyway now I'm on a roll it was churlish not to go ahead and finish it. Sort of a 'closed door' kind of thing for a full stop to this side. It's been there on the 'to-do' list for so long that it's almost an anti-climax to actually have it finished; that said I'm waiting on the clips that Gary mentions popping off inside the door and going awol, so everything has to come off again. The trim responded very well to upholstery cleaner, so the decades of storage have not caused any lasting harm, and went on almost first time, just a few clips to be repositioned. Winder and door handle too, although with the door handle there are two possible positions, and the window winder only one. I would have thought it should be the other way round as the window can be adjusted, but not the door catch? I only dropped the securing pin once, too, but spent half an hour looking for it.

                     

Incidentally what I thought was fading across the front of that seat is white paint overspray, and comes off with petrol; indeed a lot of dirt also comes off but it does soften the vynide a bit much for safety's sake. I'll try white spirit later. All that remains now is the (hopefully) final touch for this door - the small steel trim piece under the quarterlight. 

These are absolute hen's teeth, and many owners just use a piece of plain metal dowel, or else cut the fur trim so that the furry bit stops with the glass but the shiny metal bit continues on right along the door. That does work, but a few years back three of these trims came up on eBay and cost me £12. 

              

It's interesting to note they are Unipart, not Stanpart, part number 613343, and dated 1985, long after Herald production had ended. I wonder if they were used on any other model or car of the period? A few years back when restoring the TR7 I found that some parts were used on Rovers and so still available, but these don't seem to be anywhere that I've found so far. However: they may as well be on a Herald as on the shelf, so here they go. 

              

I think a few dots of sealer will keep that in place, no need for paint-eating clips of anything more drastic. I think that quarterlight catch is due for a change, too; it's sixty years old after all. I know there are still NOS ones out there, must go search. Coffee time!

 

Edited April 12 by Colin Lindsay

[Josef]

I had a NOS rear overrider in a Leyland box with a 1981 pick date. I’ve also got some Rover branded Spitfire sills stickered with the green and blue striped logo, and the one I fitted on my Spitfire passenger side had a Rover ship hologram logo so that must be mid to late 90s. So clearly new parts were being produced for some time after the small chassis Triumphs had ceased production, and ten to fifteen years was the expected lifetime of the cars so it’s reasonable to expect the manufacturer to keep producing a full range of spares for that sort of time period.

Anyway, NOS nerdery aside, great to see the progress Colin!