Wednesday 18 March 2009

Shorrock Backfire/Safety Valve

Spotted on eBay this week -

Shorrock backfire/safety valve. New, with modified internals for improved efficiency. Correct 1" x 20tpi thread. Fits all original Shorrock manifolds. Complete with gasket. (also used on Allard Wade supercharger installations)

Buy it now : £40.00

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260378986323


Towbar

Over the years of owning Heralds and Vitesses, I've been rear ended twice. On both occasions it was at relatively low speeds, but the damage was considerable.

I fitted a Watling towbar to a previous Herald so I could fit a bike rack. Unlike some Herald towbars this one fits below the valence rather than through it.

I'm hoping the towbar will act as a deterent to anyone who tries to rearrange the rear end. The towbar is fixed to the end of the boot outriggers, through the spare wheel well, and down to the chassis cross member behind the diff.

Coupe Roof Packing Pieces

If you thought the only piece of wood on the Herald was the dashboard, think again. Wooden packing pieces were placed on the sides of the coupe roof where it bolts down just past the b-posts. For whatever reason Triumph in their wisdom made them out of chipboard that have over time expanded with damp. I've re-made the packing pieces from a piece of hardwood scavenged from the local tip.




Sunday 15 March 2009

Deal or No Deal

Meant to post this one last week, but I've only just downloaded the pics off my camera.

At Stoneleigh I was reunited with my old Vitesse MGY 989D owned by fellow Herald/Vitesse fan Richard Philpott. Richard had the Vitesse in the "Cars for Sale" section. However just as a deal look imminent, Richard had a change of heart and pulled the car from sale.

I was impressed to hear from Richard that he'd managed to trace and make contact with the original owner's family.

Thursday 12 March 2009

Engine Components

Following an engine stripdown at the end of last year, here's a few photographs of the engine components prior to rebuild. I'm sticking with the original 1147 block bored out to +40. The crankshaft has been nitrided and the entire crankshaft assembly including the lightened flywheel, clutch and 3 groove crankshaft pulley have been balanced. The con rods and have been lightened and matched with the pistons.








Roy is doing a great job on the head - although he admits there is still a little more to do.




With any luck the engine will be assembled very shortly.

Saturday 7 March 2009

TomTom Go 920T Sat Nav

Ever since I did the 10CR in 2005 with James Carruthers using a TomTom Sat Nav, I said to myself I've got to get one of those. Only problem being they were way out of my price range.


A few years on, new models have been released and the prices have come down somewhat. Today I went into my local Currys and discovered they'd slashed the price of the outgoing TomTom Go 920T model to only £179.99. For that you get -

* 4.3" wide screen.
* TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver.
* Bluetooth hands-free calling.
* UK, Republic of Ireland, Europe, USA and Canada maps.

You'll struggle to find this level of spec on the current range of sat navs for under £250, so if you're thinking of getting a sat nav, get down to Currys before they sell out!