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Jun 28, 2013 18:02:39 GMT
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I've been lurking on here for a while and I figure its about time I posted something. I bought my Herald a couple of months back in May after 4 months of searching - It was worth it, I even ended up with one in my favourite colour (Valencia Blue)! The paperwork with the car shows its undergone a light body-on restoration + respray in 2002, I also have MOTs back until '84 showing the 45k could (probably not) be genuine. Since owning the car I've done a few jobs here and there (learning along the way), so far: - New clutch slave & rebuilt master cylinder
- New rear shoes
- Redone (neatened) alternator conversion and fixed various lights
- Spitfire radiator fan and cooling system flush
- New heater, radiator and fuel hoses
- New silencer
Onto pictures! When I got the car it had these nice Wipac lights (which I'm rebuilding due to water damage) Unfortunately they weren't quite mounted well enough, causing the grill panel to crack a bit... So for now I'm left with this. At least the tail fins still look great. Engine bay is pretty neat now, still need to sort out the loom on the offside though... I'm yet to drive it other than moving it around so I'm looking forward to that. I do know that it needs a slight tune though as it hunts a bit at idle and even in hot weather I need the choke to start it. The plan is to insure it in the next few weeks after I'm 19 in the vain hope insurance is slightly affordable.
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,786
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Jun 28, 2013 21:22:01 GMT
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Looks like a nice clean honest little car.
Any plans, or just gonna enjoy it?
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Jun 29, 2013 13:10:55 GMT
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is it me or do heralds look angry?? grrrrrr o\=/o <------ very bad effort of a herald front end......sorry
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Jun 29, 2013 16:42:56 GMT
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Looks like a nice clean honest little car. Any plans, or just gonna enjoy it? Its pretty sound, its had some patching on the outriggers and here (rear diff mount): I'm quite limited in what I can do for insurance reasons so it'll be kept standard. That said I would like to get some Spitfire wheels for it. Being a late 13/60 it has a large crank (GK) engine, so perhaps a swap to a small crank GE engine is something I need to consider (I'm told they're far more tunable). is it me or do heralds look angry?? grrrrrr o\=/o <------ very bad effort of a herald front end......sorry They definitely look angry/mean, particularly when they're lowered. I've been picking up a few pieces for it: Earlier alloy grill (current one is late plastic type). Oil pressure gauge. -David
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Jun 29, 2013 18:35:38 GMT
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Looking good so far mate. Great to see some more Heralds on here.
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That is very nice indeed... I do like a nice Herald!
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***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
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Aug 24, 2013 14:11:53 GMT
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Thanks for the kind words. I've been driving the car for over a month now (insurance actually cost less than the car's value!). Other than a nice break down on my maiden voyage to the distant land of Asda for petrol, everything has been reasonably smooth. It's nice to have people complementing the car and talking to me about how they learnt to drive/had one as their first car when I'm filling up. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing! The break down in question was the ignition coil starting to fail, let it cool and limped home (hill starts with a misfire aren't fun). I replaced the coil with the correct Lucas one (it had a weird Delco one on), replaced the advance retard tube (no more hunting) and did a colortune. All this has really made a huge difference. Also; had the typical stromberg needle valve sticking thing too, where it decides to empty the float chamber on to the exhaust manifold. Other than that I've just been driving it around and enjoying it really. One thing that does need sorting is the clutch. When I got it the slave cylinder was leaking so I replaced it and rebuilt the master cylinder. But the biting point is still very low. I also replaced the clutch pedal after the hole for the clevis pin looked like this. This made next to no difference. I'm fairly certain there's no air in the system as it doesn't drag and the cylinder moves as soon as you start applying pressure on the pedal. Any ideas on this? I'm thinking release bearing, in which case I might as well replace the pressure plate too. Probably a job for the winter. But to end on a positive, here's the Herald at a local beauty spot. Oh and I got given, some twin SU's - in need of a rebuild and some TLC. But, I can imagine the insurance company wanting to charge me £100+ for the negligible performance gain they'll give without a 4 branch manifold. So probably something for the future. Thanks again for reading.
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I've finally tackled the clutch (on Christmas day actually...) which turned into a bit of a nightmare, it was worth it though. Since I replaced the slave cylinder the slight oil leak on the gearbox had turned nasty and dissolved the gearbox mount. Hopefully sorted that by replacing the o/p oil seal. The cause for the clutch problem seems to be a culmination of a seized release bearing carrier (it didn't swivel at all), bodged fulcrum pin (i.e. a bolt), a cracked pressure plate and a cracked + damaged flywheel. The best part of the job was when the new gearbox mount didn't line up, it transpired that for reasons unknown to me 1/4" spacers had been added to the engine mounts to make the engine sit forward. Some po's use of a nail as a split pin on the gearbox o/p flange: Pressure plate wasn't great: Same with the flywheel. In the end I borrowed the one off my GE engine I got a while back that needs rebuilding. First big job down anyway. Also got some spitfire wheels, I want them powder-coating but everywhere local wants to charge me £40 a wheel...
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May 29, 2014 12:57:42 GMT
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I'm in the same position, cheapest I have found is £50 per wheel... I've gone with the ratlook Nice Herald btw
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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May 29, 2014 13:34:13 GMT
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Nice little thread this, it feels like you'll hang on to this car for a long time!
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May 29, 2014 17:17:30 GMT
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Also got some spitfire wheels, I want them powder-coating but everywhere local wants to charge me £40 a wheel... I've encountered this recently, the price of powder coating in my area has rocketed recently... wanted to get some compomotives powder coated after blasting and one local place wanted almost £200 Think it'll just be a rattlecan job for me.
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Need to update this... Six months have passed and things have changed albeit slowly due to university. Today I got around to fitting my Spitfire wheels, managed to get them powder coated for £30 each in the end. New tyres have made a huge difference too. It got through its MOT back in May; no advisories. Admittedly, it had welding on the front O/S outrigger as well as refurbished brake callipers (scary episode in which left side locked on at 60...). Other than that I've done a few quick jobs; fitted a re-cored wide radiator, oil and filters and fitted some wing mirrors that actually match each other. Jobs lined up are replacing the N/S quarter light as current one has a broken hinge. Along with window channels as rattling windows are getting a bit annoying now. I'm also really starting to dislike the Stromberg carburettor, it won't stay in tune and I find myself adjusting the idle screw every time the weather changes. Might be switching to SU's just for reliability sake.
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triumphandy1
Part of things
1968 Triumph Herald 13/60, an ongoing project........
Posts: 72
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Jun 16, 2014 11:46:49 GMT
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Nice Herald they always look great on spitfire wheels . I'm thinking of swapping the Stromberg on mine for an SU
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Aug 10, 2016 10:22:51 GMT
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Two years later not much has changed and still managing to pass MOTs, although I only manage around 1000 miles a year. Had to do a bit of work for this MOT, replacing a front wheel bearing and seeing to the driveshaft UJs that I've been putting off for a while. Removing the old UJs wasn't too bad, even if the reliance on whacking it with a hammer seemed a bit medieval. The old UJs had well and truly had it: And replaced: While I was at it I also replaced the brake cylinders and hoses as the old ones had begun to weep: In other news, me and a friend purchased this between us the other week, it's a 1967 Herald 1200 estate. First stage is to take it back to a bare chassis, although we did get the engine started (after a mere 2-3 year lay-up) because priorities. The 1200 sounds surprisingly tame even without a silencer. Had to fettle the ignition a bit to get it going, actually idles better than my 13/60. Plans for this one are to eventually do the Mongol Rally in it (what could go wrong?) - inspired by team Should've bought a micra. So a recommission with some chassis strengthening but the body left pretty much as is.
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andy-v
Part of things
i like cookies :D
Posts: 358
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Aug 10, 2016 12:33:04 GMT
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bookmarked
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I'm a big fan of anything Triumph, & Heralds especially - having had a 13/60 estate, before I emigrated years back. Mine was a resto project, that never went anywhere ( due to said emigration). Still peeved that I had to let it go too. What really upset me was that I couldn't even give it away to the boys in the TSSC club at the time - no-one wanted it - even as a freebie !! Ended up being taken away by a local car yard 😞😞. I hope it continues to keep you happy 👍🏽👍🏽
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Quite a while since my last update, so this is going to be a long one, lots of work has been taking place on the 1200 estate. After buying the car last year me and Mike (who I'm doing the rally with) both started new jobs at opposite ends of the country so things were stagnant for a while. However, in January we started by removing the body so that the chassis work could begin. It became apparent that this car has been pieced together from a few different cars at some point in its past. Oddities included one Vitesse front upright (larger stub axle) and a Vitesse Mk 2 (3.89:1 ratio) differential. All of which ended up adding delays when parts ordered didn't fit. Unsurprisingly, the heavy underseal over all the chassis drain holes hadn't helped preserve the chassis. There were a lot of holes. In hindsight, the easier option would've been to find a better chassis. Once a multitude of new patches were added, we set about making the chassis roll again. Stiffener plates were also added to the side rails and above and below the rear outriggers attachment points. The boot outriggers, rear outriggers and side rails were already new as they had been replaced by the previous owner. I started by rebuilding the rear driveshafts with new wheel bearings, this involved the use of various puller tools and force. These pictures here are rather poor, apologies. Suffice to say, like most other things on this car the driveshafts were scrap. Galling had occurred where the needle roller bearing runs directly on the shaft (great design). So shiny new driveshafts were the order of the day, everything went together easily enough and I treated them to a lick of paint. The final task was to fit new universal joints, the flanges were scrap (oval holes from loose un-shouldered bolts). We chose to use heavy duty Freelander universal joints, these ended up being a pain to fit (rollers tumble very easily, even using the fridge trick). With the driveshafts done, back to the suspension. We luckily managed to get an uprated leaf spring from a courier van which has an extra leaf compared to the estate one. We were going to have it re-arched but decided that it was in good condition so refreshed it by adding graphite grease between the leaves and new rubber buttons. We also took the differential apart to replace the pinion seal, quarter shaft seals and bearings. With this done we built up the rear suspension with polybushes and fancy Koni shock absorbers. After assembling the suspension, we wrapped the leaf spring in denso tape to prevent dirt getting in and the grease getting out, hopefully this helps protect it during the rally. Turning our attention back to the front, we had the steering rack refurbished. Ruined our budget even more with turnnionless uprights, stub axles, Konis (again), springs, polybushes, brake discs, wheel bearings, drop links, track rod ends and ball joints. Herald front suspension does look good though, reaching the rolling stage was a relief too. Taking a dramatic turn from rolling, stopping was briefly considered. Seized Girling type 12 calipers were replaced with a pair of type 14s, rebuilt with stainless steel pistons. The actual "making it go" situation is in my hands whilst work starts on the body, but that's for the next update. We'll see how our (increasingly ambitious looking) "this summer" goal pans out. I wasn't expecting to have to replace as much as we have, but that's 50 year old cars.
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Good work - bookmarked
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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1967 and 1971 Triumph Heraldspeteh1969
@peteh1969
Club Retro Rides Member 107
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You have both made great progress with the work you have done.
If you are still having idle problems with the stromberg car you have a split diaphragm a tiny one but a split.
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Jun 29, 2017 21:02:26 GMT
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Thanks for the comments, it's starting to come together a bit more now. I actually ended up rebuilding the Stromberg with another body and it has been fine since then, I think the problem was a worn throttle spindle but it did get a new diaphragm too. The 13/60 is off the road for now as an MOT pass is unlikely, will have to wait for a while. Onward with the estate... The engine that came in the car was a mid-production 1200 unit, good for around 40hp. As it ran I was hoping for a quick strip down and refresh with new shells, rings etc. However, on inspecting the bottom end I was amazed to find that the con rods were mismatched with one being a significantly heavier (+100g) 1300 type. I don't trust anything about this car anymore... Spot the difference: Due to the suspicious condition of the original engine and the 3.89 ratio differential I decided a later 1296cc unit was a good idea. So I bought an equally questionable, semi-complete Herald engine (GE prefix, small crank) and gearbox for £20. The engine was painted in a rather unattractive red, had no push rods or rocker assembly and hadn’t run in at least 25 years (judging by the Wipac oil filter). Perfect. So I took it apart, sump full of sludge and every main bearing shell worn through to the copper. Oh and it had a spun little end bush. But at least the 1296 lets us dump the irritating Solex carb in favour of an SU (Toledo 1300 Manifold). I managed to get another “set” of con rods, which turned out to be unmatched (one 20g heavier). The engineer thinks the best course of action is to take both sets, pick the closest ones in weight, end-to-end balance and then install new bushes. After completely stripping the block and removing the awful red paint I was left with this, much easier on the eyes. I acquired a Spitfire 1500 cylinder head, US spec with unleaded inserts and deep combustion chambers (7.4:1 compression on a 1300). It’ll get a skim through to give 8:1 (vs. 8.5:1 standard), this should be a good compromise between reliability on low octane fuel and power. I lapped two of the valves so I could CC the head properly, the seats seem to clean up very well. As I mentioned before, we're using an SU HS4, a Stromberg would've been fine but I prefer SUs. Here it is sitting on the Toledo manifold, we'll probably add a heat shield too to avoid vaporisation issues - although it should be cooled pretty effectively by the fan. Triumph engines are not known for having good oiling, we're using an oil pump from a Spitfire 1500 which has a bigger rotor (more volume). You can see the difference between the standard pump rotor (left) here and the later one we're using. Last weekend I took the rocker assembly apart, refaced the rockers and fitted a new shaft. I also pieced together a distributor from a few spare ones and rebuilt our fuel pump with a new diaphragm. Aside from that I've been painting various things, but I'll spare you the details. That’s about all I can do for now as I’m waiting for the engineers to finish the block and rods. The head is finished, only needed a light recut of the seats and 0.060" skim to raise the CR. They've also reground the crank to the first undersize (-0.010"). For the block, I’m hoping it'll just need a hone. This will be the first engine I've ever rebuilt so if anyone has any advice... A few repairs have taken place on the body in the meantime, particularly around the windscreen frame, but we’re finally ready to refit the body tubs. Even though it’s not bolted down and there's no engine or gearbox, it’s good to have it looking like a car again. Once the body tubs are fitted there’s the small matter of the roof with missing C pillars.
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