The embarrassing Herald restoration thread - now the fiddly bits

[Josef]

I found silicone bathroom sealant filling holes on my Spitfire. Clearly there’s multiple people who had the same brilliant idea…

[PeteH]

Certainly not unusual to find similar product, sealing windscreens. And definitely area`s on Caravan`s and Camper Van`s!!.

Pete

[wimpus]

A guy asked me to weld his Stag.

Many holes in floor and sills where filled with black silicone and then a good layer of underseal over it... I gave up.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, it's been a while, no idea if I'm punch-bored or counter-sunk these days; too much going on with ill relatives and general DIY. The days are flying by, lots of hospital trips and long waits in tiled waiting rooms. I get home late at night and it's out to the garage, little jobs here and there to keep my hand in, but things are progressing slowly. I've finished what little painting I can do - it's probably for the best that I nip out, a quick spray of primer or top coat, then see it again two days later when it's hardened so it gets another light dusting of a coat. No danger of sags or runs!

                                                                               

All silicone sealer gone, and all that horrible black paint and Waxoyl removed completely. I can now refit the door, safe in the knowledge that the door gap won't be highlighted any more by the dark paint in behind. The really important bits - boot lid, boot lid frame and both sills - have gone off to the professionals for a proper coat. I called in with the upholsterer yesterday, he's still not finished the dashboard surround but I gave him the rear seat to fit the new covers to. That will definitely be the finishing touch for this winter's restoration. 

I've been working mostly on the dashboard, which is a Vitesse dashboard to allow extra instruments. It was badly cracked so all varnish has been removed and imperfections filled in and sanded down, so we're just waiting for the veneer. The WoodVeneerHub let me down repeatedly, eventually claiming that their 'machines are not set up to post to Northern Ireland'. No-one in the office can lick a stamp any more? In the end I went to eBay and found a company in Ongar, Essex who are more than happy to sell and deliver.

I've gone for two different veneers; Cerejeira veneer (left below) and European Walnut (right), both A-grade natural wood. 

                                                 

Assuming I've gone for the correct size (and one of those is right on the limit; the dashboard is 108cm and the veneer is 1080mm) I'll see how it turns out. The dashboard itself has been drilled for the additional switches and is ready for the veneer, maybe a little bit more sanding required to remove old marks and the pattern of the old veneer if it may show through but it's as smooth as I can make it.

                                                  

The plan is to use the original speedo, now cleaned and refurbished, plus the three-gauge clock I bought earlier and which includes the oil pressure gauge. The two smaller gauges are now voltmeter (I've choice of two, either the Smiths voltmeter or a Battery Condition gauge which has a coloured face. Full beam and indicator warning lamps have been moved to the centre, the wiper switch is original but I'm fitting an electric washer pump so needed a switch for that, and the hole for the indicator jewel is as good as any. This just leaves the heater blower switch. I intended originally to fit smaller switches, as per the original heater blower switch, but they were too short to fit through the wooden dashboard without routing out the wood behind and making it too thin. I ended up deciding on period Lucas pull switches, which are conveniently marked 'W' for washer and 'H' for heater. The Herald chrome bezels fit perfectly so they'll fit in with the other instruments.

                                                                         

So: the almost final (unveneered) look. I never liked the austere minimal look of the later Heralds so this is my compromise between the more 'populated' look of the early cars, and the late. For populated read 'cluttered'?

              

I like the little 2" rev counter; the challenge is a) to get it wired in and b) to get it working. I've no wiring diagram so need a bit of research. I also wasn't happy with the colour of the needle in my voltmeter; it had originally been red, but faded badly in places and I wanted it white to match the other gauges. I know from past experience how fragile these needles are, and how if they're damaged they never work properly again. I packed this one out with cardboard then very carefully dusted it lightly with white paint. It looks ok and most importantly still works.

                                                 

If the veneering process works anyway well, I've another few dashboards to play with from various models, so might just experiment with other veneers and see what is nice and hopefully not what isn't. I bought two dashboards off eBay earlier in the week along with an immaculate padded dashboard surround so have a few spares again especially if the upholsterer makes a hoo-hah of mine. He won't but it helps to plan ahead. You can see what I mean by 'austere' when you look at that lower dash, a lot of bare wood and flat spaces. Even the ignition key had by this time been moved to the steering column. A lot there to play with, if you were inclined...

                                         

One interesting thing I've discovered; those strange looking door hinges, with the Allen-headed bolt and nut instead of a pin, are marked Stanpart. Sadly this means, going by the large bead of weld, that the PO has made up his own hinges from Herald hinges plus the centre hinge-mechanism of another unknown brand. Well, they work so I'm not going to fix them bar a bit of a tidy up. It seems the man didn't own a grinder to tidy up his welds, nor the cash to just buy new hinges...

                       

Anyway it's now Sunday lunchtime, or near enough, I'm off on a mercy run and won't get home till late evening. I wonder if the neighbours mind a bit of sanding at 11pm?

[rlubikey]

On 05/03/2023 at 11:40, Colin Lindsay said:

I like the little 2" rev counter

I like your little rev counter too Colin. It's not like the one you had before. Do you know what it's off or where I could get one?

Cheers, Richard

[Chris A]

Hi colin, as you are working on the dash & instruments maybe you can help me out with some info.

The knurled nuts that hold the 13/60 speedometer in place - do you have a part number for them b or by any chance are they the same as HMP290046 used on certain TRs? I suspect not. You don't need to know why I am trying to find one, you can probably guess 😨

[Colin Lindsay]

4 hours ago, Chris A said:

Hi colin, as you are working on the dash & instruments maybe you can help me out with some info.

The knurled nuts that hold the 13/60 speedometer in place - do you have a part number for them b or by any chance are they the same as HMP290046 used on certain TRs? I suspect not. You don't need to know why I am trying to find one, you can probably guess 😨

Oh Lord here we go again!! How to make Lindsay make a drama out of a simple crisis. I nipped out to the garage and found my 13/60 speedo - no nuts on it. I've a compartment full of them in a plastic tray so tried half a dozen - they wouldn't fit. There are differing sizes, large and small, but these looked approximately correct, but would not turn more than two turns or so. I tried them on other gauges, they turned all the way down. Eventually I found two thicker, smaller knurled nuts and they fitted perfectly. So: two different sizes of threaded rod to screw them onto. It seems the bigger gauges use a heavier threaded fixing rod, so need the nut with the larger centre.

An eBay search for 'Smiths gauges knurled nuts' brought up seven sellers, all about £3.99 for a pair. However are they correct for your gauge? An online search also revealed others having the same problem, but they agree on the 3BA thread:

TRIUMPH AND OTHER BRITISH CARS-- SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER THREADED NUT TO RETAIN GAUGES TO THE BACK OF THE DASH BOARD. 
Specifically the knurled nuts that attach Triumph instruments are a #3 BA tap and die. I needed one of these special knurled nuts to attach the speedometer to my dash. This is not an easy nut to find and the threads are quite special. I looked though my inventory of special taps and found the correct tap and test fitted one of my original nuts and the fit is perfect as it should be. I looked up online and found that this special tap was used on many British sports cars in the early vintages. I decided to make up a small batch to have in my spare parts box. I would suggest not trying to force a different thread on, it really screws up the threaded stud. You might get away with it, didn't work for me. 

BA (British Association) Thread Data 
This thread has been around for a long time. It was first formulated in 1884 and was standardized in 1903. Mainly found in electrical fittings and accessories, it has been replaced by ISO metric over the years, 
Angle of thread = 47. 5 degrees, rounded at top and bottom. 
This thread was used for small diameter threads (below 0.25 inches diameter). The thread has radiused roots and crests and has a flank angle of 47½°. The thread size varies from BA number 23 (0.33 mm diameter with a pitch of 0.09 mm) to BA number 0 (6mm diameter with a pitch of 1 mm). Relative to the Whitworth thread the depth of the BA thread is smaller size for size. The thread form is now redundant and has been replaced by Unified and Metric threads. 

3 BA 0.1610 inch 34.8 tpi 0.0287 inch 0.1266 inch Number drill 29 
3.4 mm 
0.1339 inch 

British Association threads were a metric thread system devised for small screws. Originally included even smaller sizes intended for use in watchmaking but these have been superceded by specialist horological thread series. Not metric like you might expect, but with diameters determined by a factor proportional to a power of the logarithm to the base 10 of the thread pitch in millimetres. 
British Association (BA) 47-1/2 degree thread angle. This is a metric thread system devised by the British for small screws used in components like speedos. 
You'll find lots of BA threads on any British car, but only for fasteners smaller than 1/4".

The photo I took shows the larger, older type that fits everything else on the left - fits all my odd, non-Triumph gauges too - against the smaller, but larger-diameter hole version for the 13/60; you can see the difference in the centre hole even in that photo, so they're not all 3BA. It seems the larger gauges used a heavier securing rod / post, the larger diameter centre hole fits my 1200 speedo as well.

Anyway after all that totally unnecessary palaver I went to Paddock's site and they just list them as 'nuts for large gauges.'  

https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/instrument-securing-nut-large-gauges-2

[Chris A]

Thanks for all that, I'm glad it wasn't a difficult question 😁.

The one I've found so far is the larger diameter version I'm fairly sure. I did look at various suppliers sites, including Paddocks, but clearly l didn't use the correct description 🙄. I'll do more research tomorrow based on the part number listed by Paddocks.

Thanks again Colin.

[Peter Truman]

It’s like the rose nuts holding the switch’s to the dash threads appear to of different fathers and mothers all over the place!

[Chris A]

Thanks to Colin's help and a the part number 17H1304 I entered that into my (currently) favourite French supplier and BINGO! in stock at 1€84 each. Interestingly it had exactly the same description and list of cars that use it as the other reference I had (HMP290046). Hummm....

So I entered 17H1304 on Rimmers page and got "This part has been superseded Use HMP290046". My French supplier says it is for a 4mm 'tige' (rod).

The description on the French site is: ECROU/MOLETTE DE JAUGE SMITHS (LARGE)

I took this meaning the nut was large not for large dials . . .

Slight blond moment I guess on my part. 🙃

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, I'll not post photos... just yet.

Scratch the European Walnut veneer. It was too light anyway.    Now for the Cerejeira. Second time lucky?

You learn as you go along... especially that it's fun until the scalpel slips. NEXT!

 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

Saturday morning update, waiting to head off for another hospital visit with relatives.

I made a slight hash of the first veneer, but learned - very quickly.

Glue it down well and use plenty of weight or clamps, otherwise you'll get ripples. Make sure the edges are glued right out to the edge.

Logic tells you to trim from the front, where you're cutting into the veneer and the pressure is downwards against the backing wood. Cut from behind, you push the veneer outwards and up off the wood. HOWEVER: you can't see where to cut from the front. This is where I made a mistake - if you cut from behind put the dash on a clean solid surface with no give. I padded it out with newspaper to avoid damage, this flexed, and the veneer split and chipped. Cut from behind with a very sharp scalpel, and press down on the wood to keep the veneer flat to stop it flexing especially over the larger holes and cutouts. 

I used Cerejeira veneer the second time, a mid-shade that darkens down quite well with varnish. That's it to the top of the photo, covering the damaged Walnut Veneer that was discarded.

                            

Trimming the edges requires a lot of patience, the veneer will split especially if you're cutting along the grain. The edges will chip too, just a momentary second of too much pressure or the wrong angle will splinter the edges. Take it slow and very carefully. Once the main part of the gauge apertures have been cut out the edges can be carefully trimmed. I'm pleased that the important large section for the glovebox door also came out in one piece and undamaged, as the grain pattern should continue right along the length of the dashboard.

             

             

The biggest problem is drilling the very small holes, the ones for the 'Herald' badge above the ashtray, and the six mounting screw holes around the edge which really require chamfering for the cup washers. You can't see them from the front, and drilling from the rear will splinter the veneer. I managed to do it eventually, very carefully but still ended up with one or two raised bits that were pressed back into place and reglued using a dot of glue on a cocktail stick. 

After that, le veneer. I decided on a satin finish, high gloss doesn't appeal, so it's just a standard satin varnish that I had in the cupboard. I was quite surprised at the way it soaked into the veneer, but this is all to the good and will prevent the veneer cracking so easily. Perhaps I should have stained first, just one coat, then trimmed or sanded the edges? I'm going to try another spare dash after this, where there's no urgency to get it completed, and see how a little experimentation works. The first coat just makes it look like wet wood; more coats will improve the finish.

                                                                  

 

                                                                  

Final piece is the ashtray, which was amazingly simple and I just trimmed the veneer with scissors, glued it in place, then sanded the edges when dry. First coat just on and settling in. The dashboard is now on one of the garage radiators (which I've turned on despite the arguments of 'Er Indoors who likes me to work in an icebox so that I'll appreciate the house when I come back in....) as it's too cold and taking ages to dry otherwise. Should be ready for a light rub down and second coat tomorrow.

                                                                   

I have plans for that central front area, which will certainly not be an ashtray. I'm installing a fuse box - just worked out how to do it, at long last - and that rectangular slot in the front lends itself to one of the modern USB and 12v charging panels you can buy online.

                                                                                                     

This one will sit in the middle of the slot, attached to a modified ashtray frame in behind (I need it for the reinforcing for the heater cables) which will allow it to fit, slightly recessed. I'll attach magnetic strips to the ashtray cover so that it will look totally original from the front, but the cover can just be removed to allow access to the sockets behind, and clip straight on afterwards. That's the theory, it'll be interesting to see how things go in reality.

Bootlid, sills, and bootlid frame are at the sprayers, rear seat and dashboard surround are at the upholsterers, and I've heard no word since. Not surprising as I'm running about in all directions at present but at least carrying my phone at all times, waiting for bad news. That's life. 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Colin Lindsay

[Pete Lewis]

so will we see you in the Repair Shop on TV   ???

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said:

so will we see you in the Repair Shop on TV   ???

Pete

Only if make another bish of it. THEN I'll let the experts do it.

[Colin Lindsay]

Well, the dash is about 95% complete. A few rough edges to tidy up - literally - but it's a good first attempt and quite a nice shade. I used four coats of satin varnish; the first two at least just disappeared into the veneer and might as well not even be there. It takes you to reach saturation point before the varnish becomes visible - I tried one coat of gloss on the top but again it made no difference at all so this is the finished hue.

                          

I think that's pretty good!! The pattern in the veneer not only continues across the glovebox door  but also across the ashtray, which given that the ashtray fascia is larger than the cutout wasn't an easy job.

                          

I've chipped a few bits and cracked a few bits, mostly in trial fitting the cables and other components, but this will be addressed with a final sand down of edges and front, and one last coat of varnish. I made one serious hoo-hah, trial fitting the glovebox hinges, and used screws that were too long. They poked two dimples in the veneer from behind... but pressed flat you'd hardly notice them now. There's one chip to the side of the ashtray - hidden by the lid - and another to the edge of the gauge hole which is also hidden by the chrome ring. I think I got away lightly! All in all a rewarding and interesting experience and I've already learned so much for the next attempt.

I've commenced the rewiring for the relocated and mostly older switches, so a lot of spade terminal removal and tidying cables for screw fittings. I've connected the fuse box, just no idea of where to site it where it's hidden but accessible. I've used original Lucas cable in the same size as would have originally powered the car, and covered the bolt with a snazzy little rubber boot.

                                                                             

The replacement for the ashtray has also arrived, and it's better than I had hoped. 2 x USB and one 12v power socket for £7. The best thing about it is that it's all screwed together, so can be broken down into individual components. This means I can experiment with looks; the back panel is too big for the ashtray aperture, but with judicious metalwork and a little bit of plastic cutting I've managed to get it to sit where I want it.

                                                                      

                                                                      

The ashtray lid will be attached by magnetic strips, the metal strips they stick to are yet to be fitted on either side of the socket panel, but I don't like the finish as it currently is. I think a thin metal panel cut to fit then veneered, will look much better. I still think it will be great when finished and will of course look totally original from the front. If the upholsterer would return the refurbished dashboard surround I could get much further on. I still have the chassis Waxoyling to do, which for some reason I'm putting off... but as the replacement sills haven't arrived back from the sprayer there's no real incentive. I'll get there, but at my own pace I suppose.

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Colin Lindsay
automatic spellchecker...

[Colin Lindsay]

On 06/03/2023 at 14:41, rlubikey said:

I like your little rev counter too Colin. It's not like the one you had before. Do you know what it's off or where I could get one?

Cheers, Richard 

Apologies, Richard, I meant to reply earlier but things got in the way, and I was waiting on yet another option on rev counters. I have those two classic rev counters, both eBay purchases (I just searched for 52mmm / 2 inch rev counters / tachos and both those came up over the years, less than a fiver each)

Problem is that I found the Checkman version has that large cowl to shade the dial, which doesn't suit the rest of the gauges and can't be replaced due to the glass being domed, while that little Yazaki version has no fitting instructions and may even be positive earth. I'll play with it later once the car is running again.

In the meantime, this other modern version came up during a search; I watched it for a while then the seller made me an offer of £30 all in. 

                                                             

The great thing about this one is that it's easy to connect, switchable between 4, 6 and 8 cylinders, and also uses a 'normal' light bulb so no overbright LED glare to outshine the other gauges.

                                                              

Now: the eagle-eyed may already have observed that it's got a plain black bezel; but amazingly the chrome bezel from one of our more traditional small gauges fits over the top of that. All I had to do was remove the black paint from the older bezel with paint stripper, polish it back to shiny chrome, and glue it on over the top. Looks good and is a perfect match!

                                                                                     

It's the lazy man's option but simplest solution for me at present, and even a very close inspection won't really reveal that it's not period. I'll clean off those little threads of excess glue from the glass once fully dry, but otherwise it's a very simple rev counter and I can't see my Herald reaching more than 6000 rpm. Another little job done!

[rlubikey]

2 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Now: the eagle-eyed may already have observed that it's got a plain black bezel; but amazingly the chrome bezel from one of our more traditional small gauges fits over the top of that. All I had to do was remove the black paint from the older bezel with paint stripper, polish it back to shiny chrome, and glue it on over the top. Looks good and is a perfect match!

A brilliant bit of bodging adapting Colin. And I've now found them on Ebay, thank you.

I'm thinking of a couple of extra gauges on my Atlas (when I finally finish the restoration) and an analogue tacho in 2" format was the problem.

Cheers, Richard

[Colin Lindsay]

A quick update while I'm still able; the body parts - two sills, bootlid and support frame - have arrived back from the sprayer and are looking great. Only problem will be fitting them without removing paint! Easier said than done... try balancing an entire sill along the length of the Herald, adjusting as required fore or aft, screwing on one end then keeping it from creasing or bending under its' own weight, or chipping paint off, while you get the other end fixed in place. I wonder how many self-tappers I'll drop in the process?

                                                                                

Easiest step was fitting the bootlid, but still scary. Yes, I could set it in place on a new bootlid seal, and it looked great. However, lifting it sufficiently to get hinges bolted into place was a bit of a nightmare, as it had a tendency to slide about. It's quite a big bit of metal. I was able to support it on one shoulder by reaching in under and fitting the washers, spring washers and nuts - which frequently dropped down into the boot - but then the dreaded rubbish quality boot hinges showed their mettle. These are rubbish, pure and simple. The rising studs are often off-centre and angled, and they are screwed into cheese so fall out at the slightest tension. 

 

The rubbish quality variety have cadmium-plated gold-coloured studs, all the same length, and they just pull out of the hinge straightaway. If you can, go for the versions with two different lengths of stud, which are silver coloured and have an Allen-key fixing in the end. Far far superior, but I've had both types for so long now I can't remember where the poor quality version came from originally. Thankfully I had a spare set on the shelf and these were a vast improvement. Once one hinge was loosely attached the danger of the bootlid falling off was reduced, and so the second line was easier - or would have been provided I had fitted the correct side. They are handed, the hole for the hinge pin goes on the inside, and I tried to get away with replacing only one, but in the end I replaced both poor quality hinges for the better versions. Boot lid now in place, awaiting fettling and fixings. 

                                   

I just had to give the Herald its' identity, though. Nothing worse than an unknown Triumph. The badge is fixed on with star lock washers and the number plate with plastic bolts. If only the upholsterer would start the dashboard surround; I called with him on Tuesday and he hasn't started it yet. That's almost three weeks now. I can't fit the surround, so no dash and therefore no instruments, can't adjust the loom until I see what length of cable is required, so can't get the engine running and fine tune that with regards to my oil pressure and rev counter gauges.

It's always something simple holds everything else up, but for once it's not me. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Colin Lindsay
BOOTLID, spellchecker, BOOTLID. NOT BOTTLED.

[NonMember]

1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Easiest step was fitting the bootlid, but still scary. Yes, I could set it in place on a new bootlid seal, and it looked great. However, lifting it sufficiently to get hinges bolted into place was a bit of a nightmare, as it had a tendency to slide about.

Very true. When I fitted my Spitfire's boot lid, the fuel tank was not present, so I could place it in situ then reach through from the cabin to fit the hinge nuts. Not so easy on a Herald.

[Peter Truman]

On both the Spitfire and Vitesse with the aftermarket new hinges the hinge pin tended to walkout with use, obviously the spline on the end of the pin that holds it in place isn't tight enough, it's been ok for several years now after applying superglue to the spline & tapping it in to hold the pin in place.

[Colin Lindsay]

Haven't been doing much recently due to family pressures, and at present am waiting on a CT scan which has now been postponed five hours to 3pm so ended up driving home and will bring Father-in-Law back in the afternoon. That gives me a bit of 'useless' free time, too dressed up to go near the garage and get covered in oil, and not wanting to end up full of thorns by gardening. A bit of a sad morning too, just found out that a former work colleague and a great mate died unexpectedly in the Himalayas. 

http://noelhanna.com

It really does put life into perspective. Not just the fact that you can be gone at any time, but also the fact that my most recent achievement has been drilling and tapping small bits of metal and his was climbing yet another mountain. He'll be missed.

The great thing about not much free time is that things can be left to dry properly, or settle. I nip into the garage, do a small job, then pick it up again a week or so later and the paint has dried. I recently sandblasted and painted the rear seat frame, so by the time I actually got round to refitting it to the hardboard backing, it was well dried. I'm fitting this backboard by trial and error; at present it's cut to shape to an original spare. Once I get it roughly into place it can be trimmed to fit properly, then repainted.

                                      

As you can see it was originally earmarked for a boot board, but needs must. I've also decided that the rear seat belts are coming out, I'll not need them and the original board was actually trimmed to fit above them. Once the board is properly shaped and seated I'll add the metal side edges - I'm using aluminium - and repaint; then the horsehair can be glued in place and finally the backing cover in light tan.

My upholsterer has finally come up with the goods and I must admit I'm happy so far.

                                     

I'm not going misty-eyed over it, the 'soft-focus' look is actually gained by a greasy fingerprint on the camera lens, but otherwise it's darker than it looks and perfect. That's one of Newtown Commercial's products and once he had replaced the foam with proper modern replacement it fitted my frame very well. Another little job done.

He also did a lovely job on recovering the dashboard surround. My original was faded and torn in places, so he supplied the vinyl covering and replicated the original stitching for £45.                                          

That's a huge leap forward for my car; I was held back by not being able to fit the dashboard, connect up the new clocks, or amend the loom to take replaced switches. I can do that in the late evenings when all the day-to-day running about is over, so that with the electrics now connected through the new fuse box I can play about with the gauges and get the engine running again. I did ask him to omit the ashtray from the top as I'd no need for one, but interestingly too he's omitted the hole for the dashboard courtesy light as well.

                                          

Do I need one, or should I re-route the cables and have one in the footwell? Decisions...

The rear of the car is now almost complete, bar adding a replacement fuel hose to the top of the tank, wiring up the numberplate illumination, and adjusting the fit of the rear overriders by a bit of judicious shimming. Oh, and replace that boot seal too. All I need to do is to have the front of the car to match, which needs a bit more work. Ok, a lot more work.

                             

One of the current jobs involves the fitting of the hood catches along the top of the screen surround. Mister Ham Fist, the previous owner, decided that the best way to fit a captive nut in behind was to cut a large section out by not very judicious use of a grinder, slide the bar in, and bend the edges back over again. I've undone what I can; removed the old and inadequate captive bar, and redialed and tapped a much larger heavier version. Did you know that the recommended drill for a 3/16 tap is 4.1mm? I had to scrounge one, promptly lost it, then found it again only after I'd bought a replacement. You can tell a professional drill bit by the fact that it cuts through, slowly and steadily, no burning and no useless spinning. A real pleasure to watch. I've now replaced my captive nut bar inside the screen surround and the rest will be up to my bodyworkers to weld, tidy and repaint what remains. 

                                

Ignore the mis-matched screws, they're only there to stop the bar falling down inside the screen surround and will be replaced once the work is done. The slotted one is actually from my inner door handles so is ear-marked already. 

So: progress of sorts;  the plan to get the Herald back on the road by end of April is slipping away, but I can always aim for end of May. The donkeywork is almost done.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Colin Lindsay
Spellchecker thinking it knows best, yet again...

[Colin Lindsay]

It's been a while.... short of free time as usual, too much gardening, running about after ill relatives, and trying to stop the father-in-law from ending up in hospital yet again. How can a practically immobile man of 82 fall out of the roofspace carrying a tub of grease? We made him promise not to go near his garage ever again and hung the key on a wall; by 10am the next day he was on the phone claiming that the key didn't work. Of course it didn't - we don't trust him that much.

I made a start on rewiring the Herald, which is straight-forward but I'm matching each colour with the original, taken from an old loom, so that cables moved right across the dashboard from right to left can still be easily identified at the business end. Green and black for the wipers, red and white for the illumination, and of course the heater motor was wired in white / brown at one end, and pink / white at the other, so makes no sense at all. I also seem to have about six feet of another brown / white wire which I suspect is the door courtesy switch.

In any event I managed to get it all done...

                                

Well, most of it. The red and black wires are rev counter, and the other two are the heater and courtesy light switch - I hope. I'm actually moving the courtesy light from top centre of the dash to passenger footwell - you can see the extended wiring hanging down above the LED inspection lamp. I'm now looking for a good solid glass / chrome unit that won't be damaged if accidentally kicked. 

Me being me I can't do things right first time; having all that in place and wired in, I found I'd forgotten the screen demister vent on the driver's side. This cannot be fitted afterwards as the support for the steering column is in the way. Out came a lot of the completed work, and the vent was replaced. Back to rewiring the gauges, and I found that I'd bolted up the steering column again but not through the holes in the support; just round it - I was working upside down and mostly by feel. Another step to redo properly. Got there in the end, though. 

I've also decided to replace the ashtray as in the earlier cars; this being a later version it had the ashtray on top, I've had that covered over, but the original plan was to have a USB socket in behind a false ashtray cover. This didn't pan out; I just couldn't get it to look like anything at all. The sockets were fine, but the panel they were mounted to looked terrible, very home-made and ham-fisted. I'll try again later but for now, it's ashtray. 

One other major problem is that I've used a different dashboard surround with the dashboard, I've used a 13/60 surround with a Vitesse dashboard, so the features in behind don't line up or match, and the front face is not flat but shaped. In the area of the ashtray it drops back by almost an inch. This may be due to the fact that the ashtray support bracket goes between the dashboard wood and the fibreboard backing, with the cables slotted through, but I'm fitting it from behind the entire unit - it's an afterthought and the dash is not coming off again. Consequently that also means that the standard cables for the heater are too short at the threaded section; they won't protrude sufficient thread out of the dashboard for the bezel to be tightened on.

                                     

You can see how much of a gap there is, to the right of the ashtray below the battery condition gauge. The intention here is to use a pair of cables I've found, with longer threaded sections:

                                     

The bottom one has twice the thread of the top, but they're not graded pull-action, so it's in / out by feel only and not segments. I can live with that, being a convertible... plus they'll look original which is the main point. Period maybe rather than original but you know what I mean.

One small point the eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted; there's an inch-wide rubber grommet in the lower right of the dashboard. This was a slight error on my part.... I allocated all of the holes already in the dash for this or that control, and cleverly moved the wipers to top left, whilst using what had been an existing hole for the wiper switch as the position for the electric screenwash switch, but completely forgot the large hole for the screenwash pump. Still, it gives me something to play with. I may yet locate a suitable accessory.

Next job is to have the rear seat back recovered; veneer the wooden door cappings to match the dashboard, and fix the passenger door window-winding mechanism; and refit the new sills. Might be fun for a one-man-band. 

I'm aiming for a show on 6th June. It's a bit later than the intended end of April but then I suppose other things got in the way. Here's hoping for an Indian summer!

                                     

[Josef]

All looks very neat Colin! I had a similar wonder about the heater blower wire colour recently. I also noticed that it’s not actually given a colour code on the factory WSM diagram. I assume this is cause Smiths and Delaney supplied whatever they supplied, I have several different blowers of both types with original misc wire colours attached. I also was confused as to why the blower wiring wasn’t actually part of the loom (thought I’d messed up and removed a wire when repairing and rewrapping it), but then remembered the heater was optional so it kinda made sense.

[Colin Lindsay]

Things are going swimmingly at present; long days spent in X-ray theatres and Surgeries with relatives and spare hours spent in garagey therapy. I got home late last night, thought 'What the H***' and connected my fusebox to the ignition switch. Nothing went bang; not least because the battery was still on the floor. In lieu of 5amp fuses - must buy some - I'm using 7.5 amp with 20 for the ignition and white circuits. 

                                                             

The fusebox is out of sight but easily accessible from the passenger footwell. Next step: try some power. I connected the battery, teeth clenched and terminal held at arms length...

The lights came on. More importantly nothing went bang or released any smoke. Disconnect battery, inspect master light switch. I wasn't happy with the action, it felt too vague to be clicking on and off. I replaced it from spares. This one worked: lights went off. If anything it worked too well: lights went off, smoke comes out of switch. Try again. Third switch did the trick. Battery connected, lights stayed off, came on when pulled, blue light came on for main beam. Turned off the garage lights and checked the gauge lights:

                                                            

Even the footwell courtesy light is working. Job well done so far. Disconnect the battery, replace a few more accessory cables on the fuse box, and replace battery terminals. I use quick-release terminals, good job too.

Next step is to turn the ignition key. Bingo - ignition and oil warning lights come on, indicator works. Wipers work, heater blower works, battery gauge shows current. Happy days!

                               

Home today at 6pm time for the next step. Screen washers. I've fitted a new pump, new pipes in silicone rubber, and a period pull-switch on the right that says 'W'. Give it a pull:

 

THAT SHE BLOWS!! Triumph never got a result like that. I've no idea of where the screenwash went but it pattered down for quite a while. Another success.

Next job is fitting the ashtray. I've put that off because the wiring needs to be accessible from underneath and the large metal tray would impede access. It fitted quite easily and my improvised extended heater cables also fitted first time, looking perfectly period. Exactly as required. Slide in the tray with reveneered front panel and it looks superb.

                                

Only problem this time: everything works bar the footwell courtesy lamp. Maybe it was knocked off at the switch by my latest manoeuvres in the footwell. I tried the slide switch and oops..... FIRE. The thing just burst into flames. The contacts melted and the plastic runner for the metal switch assembly went on fire. I pulled the battery terminals off but the flames continued so out with the cutters and snipped it off at the connections. No idea why but it's made me paranoid. The metal ashtray may have shorted something, or even the heater cables, but upside-down inspection with a torch revealed nothing touching. It's got me both mystified and paranoid. The cables were different to the Triumph versions but it stands to reason that the power comes in one end, and either the lamp switch, or the door switches earth the circuit. This circuit is permanently live (purple and white cable) so I'm not happy about having one that by-passes the fuse box and goes on fire. 

At least it didn't melt my new carpets.

                                                           

You can see the melted bit above the bulb where the metal slide has sunk into the plastic. Filed under bin for now; remind me not to buy any more of those lamps. I'll be paranoid for the next while until I'm sure the cause has been dealt with. Maybe I should turn the screen washers round, just in case?

[Peter Truman]

Should qualify laugh is to the inbuilt fire suppressant not the cause of the problem sympathies for that!