The embarrassing Herald restoration thread - now the fiddly bits

[Badwolf]

Fuzz is ssoooo cute. Mini wolf is asleep here after a tiring day looking for keyhole plates!!

[Pete Lewis]

how much oil escapes a Jtype  is obviously depenant on longitude and latitude 

dont we have a  Pets section yet ????

looks more a Sooty than Fuzz

Pete

[Peter Truman]

Ref fitting the original tunnel up behind the heater distribution box was the problem the extra fibre glass strengthening or extra thick seal or both?

My aftermarket ex UK fibre glass gearbox cover fits OK up there BUT the floor flange was terrible needed major surgery, often wondered how the poly covers fitted up behind the heater distribution box because the one's I've seen are quite thick/meaty! Asking because I'm thinking of replacing my f/g one with Poly, there's a couple surprisingly available locally.

[Josef]

My Spitfire and Herald ABS tunnel covers have both fitted very easily. The Herald one needed surgery to move the hole for the gearstick, but otherwise they both ‘just worked’. I’ve been quite surprised to see the trouble people have reported with them!

[Badwolf]

15 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

...dont we have a  Pets section yet ????

We do now....

https://forum.tssc.org.uk/topic/10286-triumphant-pets/

[AlanT]

On 28/06/2022 at 19:39, Colin Lindsay said:

That worked! Piston now out, o-rings a bit grotty so will replace those.

Once I freed this one up I bench tested it; the piston moves about 1 mm if even that. Just the slightest movement. I've cleaned up the metal bits, the insides do rattle considerably once the piston is out, and I've dosed it with contact cleaner to clean up the insides. I'll replace the o-rings, but no-one sells the circlip. Any idea of what size it is, before I go camp the Motorfactors tomorrow? I'll need more than one as the intention is to refurbish both.

THIS however has me slightly worried... a great site called Overdrive Spares, apologies for the small photo... 'non-return valve and ball'. BALL? Is that the circular plate from the end, where the circlip sits, and was the ball that little metal tinkly noise I heard when it came apart? Oh Lord... off for a quick and desperate search...

Actually I don't think it is, according to this excellent guide that I've just found:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c6dec53b10f25d4edf0b3f7/t/5d0196463994c400012c8af6/1560385096364/J+Type+Overdrive+Part+I.pdf

Hi,

PM me if you’d like me to send you a set of correct o rings (free). I’ve just done this job and mine is now perfect. Had to buy in sets of ten! 
Alan

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, AlanT said:

Hi,

PM me if you’d like me to send you a set of correct o rings (free). I’ve just done this job and mine is now perfect. Had to buy in sets of ten! 
Alan

I will! No matter how 'close' I can get things I like the correct items for peace of mind. Definitely not a bodger!

On 01/07/2022 at 22:58, Peter Truman said:

Ref fitting the original tunnel up behind the heater distribution box was the problem the extra fibre glass strengthening or extra thick seal or both?

I think the problem is just the lack of room. The fibreglass tunnel that I refurbished would not fit at all - too thick. When I inspected the one that came off - it had been 'modified' by crumpling the driver's side inwards to fit the profile of the early bulkhead - the top had been badly mangled too; see photo on left below. It appears to have been crushed down, and not slid in behind the heater. When I removed the old one I used as a stop-gap it too had damage to the top edge; photo on right below, yet it had fitted first time and I'd have been happy to leave it had the overdrive and speedo drive not necessitated removal. Nothing ever goes back the same way a second time.

  

There is an incredibly thin gap between heater flaps and bulkhead. The obvious thing to do is to replace the tunnel first, and get a good tight seal around the bulkhead, then replace the heater flap assembly. Unfortunately the problem is that the flap box is too deep, as it fits into the rectangular cut-out on the bulkhead and moves slightly upwards when in place. There's just no room to side it along with the tunnel fitted, and when I tried gentle persuasion it bent the last box, which is thin metal, so that the flap would not move. The screws from the actual heater box also get in the way. If I try to fit the tunnel it catches on the flap box, as it cannot reach the vertical angle for fitting and has to be slid in so as to go under the box then up; by this time it's distorting and bending and the seals are being torn off. The plan is to wait for the new tunnel to arrive, fit and seal that, then remove the heater box, slide the flap assembly into place, drop the heater down on top, fit as required and tighten the bolts. That's the theory and it will probably not work in practice. Thankfully I have some spare flap assemblies, but not so many that I can afford to wreck them all!

One other thing I've noticed, given that in order to get the correct bulkhead profile I've had to buy a Spitfire tunnel cover - it seems to have three screw holes per side where the Herald has four. If that's the case then all I can do is to take the path of least resistance - either drill the cover out for four holes, or drill the floor for three. I'll wait and see how the cover is made before deciding. 

This NOT a problem I've had with any other car, either GT6 or Herald, so it's the early bulkhead that is fouling things up, but I'll get there. 

[Badwolf]

Colin - Sorry to hear all of that, and I though that I had problems.

[Colin Lindsay]

20 hours ago, Badwolf said:

Colin - Sorry to hear all of that, and I though that I had problems.

I love the challenge. Some guy in the Triumph works made this many years ago, and if he did it, I can do it, and properly too. I could bodge it and say nothing but there wouldn't be any fun in that!

When it works, and fits correctly, it's the greatest feeling in the world.

[Colin Lindsay]

Latest update with the 13/60 is a bit of progress... we hope. I'm committing the elementary, basic, cardinal sin of rebuilding everything without testing, so the overdrive solenoid has been refurbished, the speedo angle drive has been replaced, the speedo cable has been replaced, and the overdrive wiring tidied up... but none of it actually roadtested. If it fails, I've no-one to blame but myself, but the reason being that the driver's seat can't be fitted until the carpet is in place, and the carpet can't be replaced until the tunnel cover is in place... you get the idea.

Good news is that the new tunnel cover has arrived from Paddocks.. and it fits, Dandini, it fits!

                                                                           

First test of the Spitfire cover in a Herald is that it's long enough, the gearlever comes out in the right place, and the holes along the sides more or less line up. The main - and most important - part is that it suits the profile of the driver's side of the bulkhead, which the 'proper' Herald cover does not.

  

Trial-fitted to a bare later bulkhead it sits in all the right places but you can see how it differs from the later Herald profile by leaving a huge gap in the driver's footwell. If you think of this in the reverse manner, where the bulkhead goes straight down and the tunnel cover curves out to that profile on the left above, that's quite a gap in behind to overcome by seals or other ingenuity, which I tried with shaped wooden blocks and a fibreglass coating. It was always going to be a botch, though. Still better than the PO's attempt to hammer and therefore crumple it into shape. The photo on the right above shows how both cover and metal now match perfectly, so we're happy. Another bonus is the larger gap to the left of the clutch pedal, so I'll have more room to rest size eleven feet. This will be insulated and sealed this evening, and allowing time for glue etc to set should be fitted by this time tomorrow. Thanks to all who gave very appreciated advice.

The only fly in the otherwise pristine ointment is that the tunnel cover will not fit with the heater flap box in place. The earlier covers didn't fit, either, but this one is the same and that's without the seal fitted in behind. There is just not enough room for the cover to slide forwards and tilt at the same time. I've checked myriads of times but there is no obstruction, just limited space.

                                                                                

Ignore the red wire, that's the overdrive and will shortly be routed up out of sight and danger. I'm going to try to fit the air distributor after all is fitted and sealed in place (note too there's a centre hole, albeit blanked off here, for an additional screw on the bulkhead.)

The air flap assembly / distributor fits up inside the bulkhead, and the heater comes down over / inside it. The box therefore has to be slid sideways into the already small gap, across the top of the tunnel, and then upwards into the rectangular hole. Space is incredibly limited and whilst trying this before I bent one of the boxes so that the flaps would not move. Easy to do as they're only thin metal, but very difficult to undo, even with the assembly off the car again. Thankfully I have spares. It's going to be an interesting process, during which no doubt the cat will run for cover or at least cover its' ears.

In the meantime with nothing else to do I refurbished a set of type 12 calipers for a friend; he declined the offer of type 14s preferring to stick to originality, but they turned out very well. He also knows a local man who can refurbish broken angle drives so two of mine went off with him; it'll be nice to have spares.

                                                           

One other small detail is the choice of a replacement steering wheel. The standard size is just too big but I've ruled out lowering the seat as I like the driving position. I need a smaller wheel, such as a Vitesse version, but few and far between for sale - two have gone in the past fortnight without lasting the full seven days on eBay but without any bids either. Fourteen inch and semi dished at least would suit. On the other extreme I'm still debating having a boss made for this offering:

                                                                                          

It's quite deep-dished but subtly so. Plus: it's wooden. It would certainly clear my legs, and ease the angle of my arms when driving, but there's no boss or at least none suitable among my spares. I may have to run one up on a lathe. I have a few 13" versions but too small, and I don't think they suit the Herald. A Vitesse wheel would be great but none on sale at present. I'll just have to wait; one may turn up at Stafford.

Last but not least, the replacement bonnet tube has been sprayed - what else are greenhouses for, this weather? - so once the car is back on the road I'll turn my attention to sorting out the door shuts. The doors still foul the bonnet on opening, so I'm pinning all my hopes on replacing the tube yet again. I suppose if I do it often enough I'll arrive at a solution eventually.

                                                                                        

That's it for now; off to the garage again to try that tunnel cover.

[Josef]

Excellent! I’m glad the tunnel fits, it made sense that it should, but sense and the British motor industry don’t always go together

[Colin Lindsay]

Latest update: it's 20.55 hours, my arm is bleeding, I'm running with sweat as it's so flaming clammy, but tired and very happy.

Everything fitted first time. Gearbox tunnel lined up, all the screws went home. Even the heater flap box which had loads of room. 

I'm quitting on a high. As they used to say in Bagpuss: there we must leave them. (Was it Bagpuss?) Carpet half fitted, tools everywhere, garage in a mess, no idea how I cut my arm but hey - it's SMIRNFF time! I'm celebrating.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well I was 50% right. The speedometer works, how accurately is at present anyone's guess but the needle is steady with no wavering. We hit the dizzy heights of 60mph on a 10 mile run earlier which was actually recorded as a 10.4 mile distance on the odometer, so that's working as well. The cornering was causing a bit of a frown; maybe a bit vague and indecisive, so I headed across to a local Tyre Depot to have the tracking sorted. (Sorry - front wheel alignment as the girl behind the counter corrected me.)

                                                                            

We were slightly out, 3 on one side and 7 on the other. Don't ask me what we were 'out' exactly, it could have been inches, mm, degrees or light years but in any case the mechanic's little face lit up when he found that he could adjust the steering from above, rather than from underneath. All done in ten minutes, allowing time for a bald heavily tattooed biker to bend my ear about the Herald: good looking car, must have been luxury in its' day, then as the song goes, "and then he went and spoiled it all by saying something stupid like...": "it wouldn't be very fast. I'd rather have my bike." I told him that no-one had ever fallen off a Triumph Herald, and beat a hasty retreat. The girl in the office let me off the VAT, too. Must be the grey hair. I got it cut last Friday and they charged me pensioner's rates. Must be the Triumph Herald.

So: a test drive on the way home and maybe it's my imagination but the steering and handling was vastly improved. Less wandery and certainly less inclined to gently fight the steering wheel. One thing I did notice was the same strange forward jerk that I'd noticed before. Move off from a junction on 1st, go for second, the car moves on then there's a jerk, almost as if someone is pushing the car from behind - it surges forward, then suddenly reverts to normal acceleration. It feels like the overdrive coming on, which it shouldn't, not in 2nd anyway. I've no idea what the cause is, unless it's something to do with the sliding propshaft joint... must look into that.

In any case the overdrive won't come on. At all. I suppose it was too much to expect a working speedo and overdrive, both. I'll run a few electrical tests later on but if it's not electrical then you can fix it with a hammer. Unfortunately the part which would benefit from said hammer is now in behind the gearbox tunnel cover, which fitted perfectly first time, is insulated, sealed and covered, and is not coming out until next winter. I'll just make do with four gears which is the way nature intended.

The cover did fit perfectly and has given me more room to the clutch side, so I can rest my foot there. There's a possibility I might even bend that pedal outwards so that my legs will clear the steering wheel.

                                                                           

There's a lot to be said for the early cars in that they're simpler, and certainly roomier than other models. I still cannot get used to getting under the Herald dashboard and working in clear space where before, on the GT6, everything was done by mirrors or in braille. As you can see I had plenty of carpet for a nice profile down the tunnel side, but at the rear, the sharper top corner of the Spitfire tunnel cover has left me with a bit of excess carpet that doesn't know where to go.

                                

I've smoothed it as much as I can and hopefully it'll behave itself, especially once a bit of heat rises and it softens. Overall though I'm happy with the result. The gearstick came out in the proper place, and that's a bit bonus these days.

On the subject of the aforementioned steering wheel, I've trial fitted two possible contenders but like the current applicants for Boris' job, they're a bit unsuitable if not totally ridiculous. Well, it was just a thought. 

  

The wooden wheel is possible.... that's all I'll commit to... but it needs a boss and a horn-push holder. I need to feel what it's like to actually drive with it. The other... no. It's just wrong. There is, somewhere in the wide wide world, a car on which it would look good, but my Herald isn't it. Back to the original, no matter what it does to my legs. 

In another half hour or so I'm going to retry fitting the bonnet. The first step in fixing a problem is identifying the problem, and so far I haven't. If at first you don't succeed... kill the spider. Or as Homer Simpson would say: hide all the evidence that you ever tried. I like him.

[DVD3500]

There are free smart phone apps that use GPS to determine speed. I have found them very accurate.

[Pete Lewis]

one thing about steering wheels is as the  pinkies get older those with a slim rim need a glove fitted to aid  the grip 

we have all gone soft on a modern easy grip wheel rim 

the Vit6 had a Les Leston   that needed some gripping 

Pete

 

[Colin Lindsay]

Ok here we are, Monday... and actually blistering hot for once. I went on the last TSSC run in the Freelander - well, it did rain, but 'er Indoors thought it would be cold and I didn't like the door gaps. The doors are still fouling the front wings as they open and the edges are getting very tatty.

Today therefore was the day to sort it all out. Bonnet off, replace the support tube, bolt all back on and away we go. Is that two out of three or three out of four?

Bonnet came off, usual one-man job of hoist and old quilt on the floor.

                                

No problems and most importantly no damage. Once off I removed the current support tube and compared with the original. The replacement was a 1200 version that I had cleaned up, but when it wouldn't gap properly I decided on refitting the original, more in hope than anything else, but it had excellent gaps originally. There is a decided difference in profile, too. See the difference in the angle of the bends?

                                                                                    

1200 is to the right, original 13/60 to the left. Translate that to the car and the one on the left will fit slightly higher at the front, so as it's shorter will the bonnet actually sit higher from the word go, or require more raising?... but also slightly further towards the rear, thereby pulling the position forward so the bonnet will need to come back further on this one than on the 1200 version. I'll know when it's fitted. As the tube was hitting the front crossmember, therefore stopping it from raising any further, if it sits further backwards then it should clear the tube and be able to rise the necessary amount without fouling. That was the theory, anyway.

Bonnet cleaned up (petrol... hang the expense!!) That's old Waxoyl all over it and a nightmare to remove. The tube was set  in place and lightly bolted down until the fittings were all sorted, then tightened up. There's not much movement here, I had hoped perhaps for half an inch of possible adjustment, but no. 

                                                                                      

Next step is to refit the bonnet. Once again, one man and his hoist, carefully raise and lower the bonnet into place making sure the tubes are under the chassis and the nice white paint along the lower front edge doesn't make contact with the chassis overrider mountings. A quick inspections of the mounting links, finger tight and check the fit...

                                                                                     

Nope. Try again.... but here we encountered exactly the same problem as before. The bonnet needs to come up at the rear and 'tilt' to square up the gaps and make them parallel, but there's just no movement. The bonnet tube is tight to the underside of the chassis front tube again and cannot go up. This is back to the same problem we had originally last winter: no room to move in the desired direction and no reason why not. It's sitting with the top of the tube tight to the chassis, the two ends are pressed against the cross tube, and there's not even a quarter inch of movement. It's just solid.

   

Exactly the same on both sides now. The bonnet will not raise at the front so the lower half of the gap will not widen, and of course the doors are bending the wings every time they open. If I pull the bonnet forward on the adjusters the entire gap widens, top and bottom. I really am tearing what hair I have, out. To make matters worse, it gets worse when the catches are clipped down - there's a huge inward gap at the front edge of the door. Final straw was looking in through the grille aperture and seeing the bonnet actually resting on the radiator filler cap, with resultant paint damage. Down tools, and inside for a break.

  

I'll go back out in an hour - choccy biscuits and a good book for now - and remove the bonnet yet again. The bonnet actually slides sideways, which seems strange - if I push the top corner of the passenger side, near the screen, the other side moves out and away, and stays there until pushed back in again. What's it moving on? No idea. This car has me totally confused. Still, tomorrow is another day, as someone once said. Next show is 6th August, and I'm bound to have something improved by then at least. 

Kettles boiled so I'm off to cool down, in all senses of the word. M&S choccy biscuits.... what's not to like?

EDIT: SOMEONE HAS ALREADY EATEN THE BISCUITS. Darling daughter has beat a hasty retreat to her boyfriend's.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, another marathon day yesterday and no further on, bar that we've lost more paint from the front edge of the bonnet, just around where it goes up and around the overrider. I thought I had actually cured the problem and got sooooo close, but this morning it's back almost to where it was before.

I removed the bonnet - again - and replaced the support tube - again. This time I found that although the tube may appear to be in position, there is actually quite a lot of movement, in particular fore and aft. Consequently I bolted the bonnet tube to the wheel arches only; refitted the bonnet, put two huge blocks of wood under the front sidelight area and closed the bonnet. The bonnet closed but rose at the front by quite a distance; even when I was happy that it was at the required height above the front tube, the arms of the support tube were a good inch below the tube on the underside. Loads of room for manoeuvre!! I then gapped the rear edges, tightened all up, opened the bonnet... and it slid forward again, resting on the overrider brackets and removing a lot of paint. I had tightened the bolts fully but on rechecking some were finger loose. The clamps may have settled or adjusted. In any case I regapped, same as before, tightened all bolts to gorilla tight, and left things for the night.

Went out this morning, opened the bonnet to check, and refit the stays, closed it again, and we're back to the same skew-wiff angle as before.

                                                                            

Needs raised at the front, but it repeatedly settles back to this position, which the door hits when opening. I think I'm going to give up, leave it as it is, drive for the summer no matter how poor it looks and how it reflects on Triumphs generally (the wags will have a field day about poor door gaps and build quality) and then look at a bonnet rebuild over the winter. The wheelarches are hitting off the bulkhead, and may have been incorrectly welded in place by a PO - he knew how to overcome the bodge, but I just can't work it out. I can do no more.

One thing that has caused a lot of head scratching is the bonnet catch on the driver's side. It's not even close any more, yet was when purchased.

 

Left hand photo shows the bonnet at rest; right-hand is when I press inwards to align the wing and door. We're not even close. Anyone have any experience of successfully shimming these out? Especially so far?

I'm getting ahead of myself otherwise, having managed to buy not one but two replacement steering wheels online. There's a Vitesse wheel winging its' way to me at present, on which I made an offer which the seller declined (or rather ignored) and which I then won with a bid that was £10 less. It may be the easiest option for the Herald, being a straight fit, but at present I've got this very nice wooden Mountney wheel which suits the dashboard admirably but has no horn push. I can make one, very easily, so might just spend an hour or two on something other than endless gap adjustment. It'll be more accurately centred when finished, don't worry.

  

The other 'getting ahead of myself' step is the purchase of a modern wind deflector for the Herald... it's from an Audi S3 and I reckon it can be adapted for the Herald without too much palaver.  I might need to make up a few brackets and add a few poppers so that I can hide most of it under the tan hood bag, but for £50 it was worth a punt.

I reckon that as long as it fits between the wings, and it should, then there's enough to attach it to the car, so that it looks professional, complementary, and functional... I'll update once it arrives. I'm going back to grass cutting now and once I've burned off a few calories, back to the garage and those gaps again.

 

 

[Badwolf]

Colin - Stupid ideas time.  The next time you take off the bonnet, take off the tubes, get an old quilt, horse blanket, any sort of protection, over the engine and put the bonnet back on top of it. Then you can move the thing around, lift it here and there, up, down, front back, and see if there is ANY position where it might just fit decently, without being hampered by the tubes, hinges etc. Then you will have a better idea as to whether it will ever fit how you want it to. As I said, stupid ideas time!!

[Gary Flinn]

Colin

I feel your pain😞

What about this for solving the problem from a post by Paul on here at the moment?

NOS Vitesse Bonnet on EBay 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185504268809?

Currently £350 . What’s it going to sell for ? 
Paul 

I'm afraid if the Car/Bonnets been involved in an accident you've not got much chance of getting it to fit correctly without major surgery?

You said in a previous post that you have made up longer bonnet adjustment brackets at the front, the ones that mount to the Over-rider brackets, how much longer are they?

I made some up in Stainless steel ones for my car about an inch longer with longer slots too, this may enable you to raise the height at the front to twist the bonnet to get the rear wing edges parallel with the doors?

Gary 

 

[Josef]

Might be a bit drastic, but could give you some idea of what needs to be blamed. Since you do have 1200 bonnets available, is it possible to fit one of those and see if it can sit right? (I don’t know myself how interchangeable the bonnets are). Should tell you if it’s bonnet or chassis though. 
 

I do think drive it while the weather is not miserable is the right move though personally. 

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, Badwolf said:

Colin - Stupid ideas time.  The next time you take off the bonnet, take off the tubes, get an old quilt, horse blanket, any sort of protection, over the engine and put the bonnet back on top of it. Then you can move the thing around, lift it here and there, up, down, front back, and see if there is ANY position where it might just fit decently, without being hampered by the tubes, hinges etc. Then you will have a better idea as to whether it will ever fit how you want it to. As I said, stupid ideas time!!

Not stupid but the way I've always fitted a bonnet!! Throw an old quilt over the engine, rest the bonnet on it, adjust it about until it's got good parallel gaps and only then fit the brackets. 

The problem with this one is that I gap it perfectly, which lasts only until it's actually opened, then it appears to slide or move and go way out of line. I've never had this with any Herald - they usually fit first time with just a bit of fettling. 

I'll just work out how to get the bonnet catch to reach, and hold the bonnet down, then it's back on the road until Winter. For the price of that bonnet I could have bought another Herald... or two... 

[Paul H]

18 hours ago, Gary Flinn said:

Colin

I feel your pain😞

What about this for solving the problem from a post by Paul on here at the moment?

NOS Vitesse Bonnet on EBay 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185504268809?

Currently £350 . What’s it going to sell for ? 
Paul 

I'm afraid if the Car/Bonnets been involved in an accident you've not got much chance of getting it to fit correctly without major surgery?

You said in a previous post that you have made up longer bonnet adjustment brackets at the front, the ones that mount to the Over-rider brackets, how much longer are they?

I made some up in Stainless steel ones for my car about an inch longer with longer slots too, this may enable you to raise the height at the front to twist the bonnet to get the rear wing edges parallel with the doors?

Gary 

 

Currently £575 

Paul

[Colin Lindsay]

 

As things have more or less stalled with the 13/60 convertible I've gone back to the 1200 Estate, which has been sitting unloved in the garage. If you remember from the last post on that car, the engine was leaking coolant between the head and the block in large quantities, so I was unsure if the head was warped, the block was uneven, or the head gasket was just rubbish. I stripped it all down and couldn't see any visible faults, so decided to try a replacement gasket. The gasket was from a sealed pack, and strange (to me) in that one side was grey gasket-like material but the other was flat shiny silver metal. On it went, in any case, and in the lack of any advice, metal side down. Head on, tightened down, waterpump housing back on, all pipes connected, radiator cable-tied in place and refilled. success? Three days now and no coolant leaks along the edge of the head. One slight drip from the radiator drain tap but if that's all, I'm happy. That now puts us well back on track for completing the Estate.

  

The other issue from the underside - literally - is the quantity of oil from the gearbox drain plug. It's literally a lake! Bear in mind this is a static car that has not been started since the gearbox was refitted, but over a month there's a pool maybe 6 inches across. I was loath to blame the drain plug, being just the lowest point of the box to which oil will naturally run, but it seems this really is the culprit and is not sealing. I therefore drained the box, removed this plug, cleaned everything up and inspected for cracks or other damage, and refitted the standard tapered metal plug. Once I refill the box later this evening I'll know if it has cured the leak.

I've also had a rather worrying grinding noise from somewhere towards the rear when the Estate is rolled about, so put it up on the ramp yesterday to check. On rotating the wheels I got this:

 

The propshaft is moving up and down, which would make for an interesting driving experience. I've removed it but in the interests of peace of mind I'm replacing with a solid version that's already been refurbished. I can always inspect it later to see if it's actual damage or just misalignment. 

Back to the engine again and the head is on, the rockers have been refitted, all torqued up and the fuel pipe fitted. This is 3/8 Kunifer which shaped quite well. 

I'll not be keeping that distributor in fact I've no idea why it was refitted - probably just to keep things from falling down inside the engine. I have a new SimonBBC red version with electronic ignition and I'll use that one instead. This one would require a substantial overhaul before it was fit for use, so as the other is already on the shelf, I might as well.

All else is done, bar bleeding the clutch - I refitted the alternator as well and the sump is already full of oil. Allowing for the rewiring of the dashboard and the tidying of any stray electrics there's a very good chance this engine will fire up before much longer. 19 years... it's slightly overdue a startup.

 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

What's the best way to attract a woman? Talk to a different one. Unless of course you're married in which case it's a certain Death sentence. You can't even smile at a waitress in a cafe without the risk of wearing your cappuccino.

Same thing with Triumphs. What was the best way to get the 13/60 convertible to behave? Start on the 1200 Estate.

Helped of course by a great mate Desi O'Neill who called with me on Monday evening after an SOS, we gave the 13/60 a once-over. A second pair of eyes certainly helps.

"That's bent. That's bent. That's been twisted. That needs hammered out." I gave him a hammer - in fact two, one for bodywork and a bigger one for serious bodywork - and stood back. It seems the body shop that repaired the bonnet, unfamiliar with Heralds, have either tried to open the bonnet by bending the lower wings outwards to clear some kind of imaginary catch, or else set the removed bonnet down on the wings. Either way, they were both bent outwards. This explained why the bonnet catches were so far off. It also appears the PO has bent the sides of the bulkhead inwards, so that the car had originally required shims on the bonnet catches in any case.

The poor man arrived about 6.30pm and we were clearing up at around 11pm, but what a result. Not only do the bonnet catches work but the doors are clearing the lower wings and the gaps are great. Not perfect - the driver's side is slightly big, but won't go any further backwards as the top panel is hitting the bulkhead. 

  

I may look at the door and see what adjustment there is, there, but that's for next winter. At present I'm very happy.

By next morning the bonnet was adjusted and the valence and overriders were going on. There's a slight problem at the driver's side overrider; it's off centre so is very close to the paintwork, which incidentally has been shredded already. That's also part of next winter's layup work.

  

As of this morning I've refitted the interior trim, the bonnet centre trim (with those strange spring clips that I've never seen before) and rewired the lights before refitting the grille. One small piece of interior trim to go, and we're back on the road. eBay has come up trumps this week, a lot of good parts at a good price including this nice Vitesse wheel that I can actually get my legs under.

                                                                                                   

I need some kind of padded cover for it; the Herald has one but I need to find the maker so that I can track down an NOS version online. The current rim is thin, easily enough gripped but still too smooth for my liking. In any case another half hour's work and we're back on the road, to stay there - calamity excepting - until Winter.

The estate of course is now cracking on, leak free from both gearbox and radiator, and the bonnet will be refitted before the weekend. Fingers crossed, it'll be a simple job.

Thankfully I can actually get work done in the garage, here at the computer it's proving difficult due to my fingers being shredded everytime they move and my cables all being eaten. When I stop, I get a disapproving look. "Where did you go? I was having fun there..."

Don't ya just love them?

                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chris A]

47 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

"That's bent. That's bent. That's been twisted. That needs hammered out." I gave him a hammer - in fact two, one for bodywork and a bigger one for serious bodywork - and stood back.

Straight forward 'fine tuning' easy when you use the right hammers. Good to read you got it sorted.