Dicky Blighter Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 New wheels! Hadn't intended getting alloys and was going to have my steelies blasted and powder coated silver. However at Stoneleigh found a set of wheels that I thought looked good and at a bargain price. Set of 4 brand new 5Jx13 minilite copies with anthracite finish and polished rims, slight mismatch in colour but unless you know can't see it. £100 for the set. No centres with them so made my own as I wanted flat ones and liked the badge that was in middle of my old hub caps. And before anyone comments on them I know the tyres are cheap and nasty but they came off my old wheels and for the amount I drive the car at the moment they do the job until I can afford something better. Not to everyones taste but I like them: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Also replaced speedo cable, choke cable, rear brake pipes, rear rubber hoses with braided, fuel hose and pipe from tank to fuel pump, all brake and fuel pipe clips. Fixed problem with horn blowing fuses. Hopefully this weekend will replace all front suspension bushes, trunnions and bolts, then MOT- aiming to do that on 24th as it's the cars 40th Birthday then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexC Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Wheels look good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorbs Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Burned off a boy racer Peugeot 206 from the traffic lights, quite amusing. I was on my way to visit a mate who is looking after a 'C' reg Spitfire which is being restored as part of a charity thing. I arrived just in time to hear the Spitty run for the first time in more than 20 years. Sounded pretty smooth considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B. Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 New wheels! Hadn't intended getting alloys and was going to have my steelies blasted and powder coated silver. However at Stoneleigh found a set of wheels that I thought looked good and at a bargain price. Set of 4 brand new 5Jx13 minilite copies with anthracite finish and polished rims, slight mismatch in colour but unless you know can't see it. £100 for the set. No centres with them so made my own as I wanted flat ones and liked the badge that was in middle of my old hub caps. And before anyone comments on them I know the tyres are cheap and nasty but they came off my old wheels and for the amount I drive the car at the moment they do the job until I can afford something better. Not to everyones taste but I like them: Nice wheels - at a bargain price to! Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hopefully this weekend will replace all front suspension bushes, trunnions and bolts, then MOT- aiming to do that on 24th as it's the cars 40th Birthday then. Well that didn't go entirely to plan - got everything apart except bolt on LH vertical link that secures dust shield is seized solid so brought it into work to apply a bit of heat and hold in big vice. RH vertical link ball joint is totally knackered, sharp knock will probably knock it out of its socket so got to order replacement today. RH vertical link thread to trunnion looks very iffy and a bit corroded, snag is no-one has rh vertical links in stock and can't afford to go the trunnionless route so may have to go back on for now. Anyone got a spare one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveNotSoSideways Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Been looking at those MGF uprights again. Long way off wanting to use them though. Plan must be to use them, incl discs and brakes. Hack off the ball joint carrier casting, make a bracket that bolts onto the machined face infront of the removed casting. That bracket takes a single 1/2 rose joint thats joined to an A arm, that should sort the top. Redrill the lower lug so a bolt can run though the entire casting to use a wide spaced H lower wishbone, wide as in using the outside of the lugs of the upright, shocker can be mounted to the wishbone on another bracket, no need for radius arms. Plug the existing hole on the lug that's not level with the other, weld it closed after plug/bolt is screwed in. Use Metro shafts and Lobros/adaptors as per usual conversion. Stick with a Triumph diff. First part of this job won't involve any work on that stuff. First job is less taxing and more fun. That would be make a new "chassis" section that will house the top wishbones. A load of box section steel welded to the shock housings, as these will be retained for use with a coil-over. A forward box section coming off the shock housings will run horizontal to house wishbones then down inside the cabin after the wheel/arches/floor is sliced up neatly so they run through it to meet the chassis somewhere. Braced across. Job one completed still leaves the car useable on the standard suspension before commiting to job 2. Welder and proper gas bottle is required first, plus BMW free garage, then I can get my hands on it again in a tidy workshop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SP Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Dave,nice to see your talking positively about working on cars again(ok one car). Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Well, the Spit's just about to get woken from hibernation which started at the end of October. Got new plugs to gap and fit before spinning it up. After that and a couple of shakedown runs I've got a couple of GT's progressive front springs to fit. Then some minor niggles to to sort - got a pair of TSSC improved bonnet cones to fit to see if they can help keep the bonnet rattle-free for more than a few hundreds miles; found a small split in the soft top which can hopefully be sorted without having to cough up for a new top; suffering from very slow coolant loss which I am almost certain is down to the radiator started to get a bit tired and I'll need to use up the spare tyre I have in the garage to replace the N/S front which has picked up a couple of cuts somewhere. Then the intention is to get out there and USE the damn thing... As for the Saloon, well, lots to do there when I finally get round to pulling the finger out... :B : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 After cleaning up and having had a good look at vertical link no way was that going back on but managed to source a really good second had one from Wins with a stub axle so no ned to mess around getting that changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 What a pity, Dicky, when the Patent Anti-Corrosion Triumph System (PACTS, aka, permanent engine oil leak) has been working so well on the rest of the upright. Nice coating of oily road dirt there - never rust! Nhoj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B. Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 YUCK!! What is the service history on this link? Has it been oiled or greased? And how often? Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Since I've had the car I thought I'd been pumping oil into it - however there was a lot of grease in the trunnion when I took it apart with just a bit of oil mixed in. Seal was also very hard and suspect its been half full of water. Top ball joint was also totally shot yet felt fine if you tried to rock the wheel. In contrast the LH side is in very good condition, ball joint fine and although there is some grease in the trunnion it's mainly oil. However the link is not covered in oil and had to use heat to get the bolt out that holds steering arm to link and sandwhiches brake dust plate in. Both sides are having new ball joints, trunnions, bushes and polybushes, nuts and bolts and and new anti roll bar links. Means the old shocks and springs will now have to go back on but apart from a bit of rust which I have brushed off and painted they are in good useable condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Also made a proper spring comperssor to put it back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esxefi Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Stick with a Triumph diff. why stick with triumph diff,there's plenty of other makes out there cheap as chips which can be made to fit easily and are readily available with a wide range of ratios if you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2500 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Well, new plugs fitted and it's up and running again after the winter lay-up. Sounding nice and smooth even so I say it myself. Just one minor issue to deal with which was easily resolved by the application of some gentle encouragement to the starter motor via a 5lb lump hammer ;D Soft top re-blacked and proofed, fluids, tyres etc all checked so all ready to get going again when its taxed (Wed's the earliest I can tax it I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B. Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Haven't really done anything for ages. Car is parked far from home and awaiting spring. Though last sunday The Mad Welder and I went to collect an engine for the 2000 mk1 Estate. Picked from a departed 2000 mk2 saloon (i think). Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitmkIIICPH Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 twas indeed a MKII Saloon ( I helped dig it out of the rusting carcase) heard it running, sounded sweet ;D much better than my rebuilt one... good thing I don't rebuild engines for a living ;D(or mess with other peoples machinery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark spit Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Took mine for MOT today, pass with no advisories. Blasted about for a bit. Top fun. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 MOT today for me to and another pass with only one advisory - 'next time you bring it in take the *king hard top off' from the 6'2" 23 stone MOT tester who couldn't fit in it. ;D Hard top will come off on Friday ready for the forecast 20 deg. on Saturday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexC Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 20C? WOW we're just getting out of the negatives here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royboy66 Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Been up to my ears in house sale/moves, but Feck it! im having a Day orf !! I think a nice Birthday blast across country for a pub lunch is in order, 8) Going to aim for Ludlow ish, see where we end up ! 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyGT6 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 :DHappy Birthday Roy , hope you have a good day & enjoy your lunch. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 No photos Roy? What I'm doing with my car this week is putting it onto a trailer and taking it to a bloke I know to finish fettling it. I'm tired of the bugger, so it's time to shell out for the finishing touches methinks. * OK, I'll duck and run if I have to.....* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Cylinder Head now removed, and a new block winging it's way up to me from Birmingham. Pity I do not have an unlimited amount of money to play with, as so far I have a NOS block ad pistons, could have been fun trying to source conrods and crank as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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