My 'new' 1967 Triumph Herald 1200

And the good news is... I FINALLY passed my driving test! :mouse:

But now I have a technical question.

* snip * Tech stuff that Spectre has dealt with already.

FTFY

Congratulations! See, I knew you?d get there one day. :thumbsup:
 
Pain in the arse, but my mate had a P4 he took the distributor cap off and walked off the the arm in his pocket. Good temporary measure for parking in high risk areas on a car of that vintage.

I can believe that if it anything like the MGB I worked on. "Yes let's put the distributer right down here where it is hard to reach." Of course these are the same people who made it so you had to lift the car to find the cylinder position marks.
 
Thank you for the advice, Spectre - I'd pretty much decided I was going to try the additive and see how it went, so now I feel a lot happier that I'm not going to cause big problems if I do that! We did get quite het up about the change over here all those years ago, but as you say, our stuff tends to be a a little temperamental, so that's probably why.

And thank you Heathrow! I've done OK, I think, given that I couldn't cope with being behind the wheel seven months ago - and my instructor turned up to the lesson before my test with a bloody 3 door Peugeot 207, the 5 door Corsa I was used to having had a catastrophic engine failure of some kind, so I ended up taking my test in an unfamiliar car. But it's done now - at bloody last :D, and indeed :mouse:
 
So, did you already upgrade the ignition? :D

Not yet. I've got a few bits and pieces that don't quite work as well as they should that I want to attend to first, but there are a few upgrades I'd like to do when the car is a bit more how I'd like it. It does sound like a good idea, though I haven't had a chance to do much with it at all over the last couple of months because of the weather. Still, hopefully it will stop with the damn snow soon (we've got more forecast for this week, oh joy) and I can get the covers off and start planning :)
 
I would suggest you move it up close to the top of the list. The Lucas points-and-condenser ignition is known to do such wonderful things like quit on damp days or on any day with a Y in the name. Keeping the stock ignition is guaranteed to make your life miserable.

That said, I suspect your pinging is probably due do a worn distributor, specifically old springs, if you can't adjust it out properly.
 
Another benefit to the Pertronix system is that it is easier to install than points.
 
Actually I'd say it might be better to just replace any Lucas electrics, but that might just be me... :)
 
Actually I'd say it might be better to just replace any Lucas electrics, but that might just be me... :)

I don't think Wyvern is quite up to that just yet (though she seems a bright enough lady - so she may eventually be) and having a workshop do the job would cost megabucks.

And, as strange as it may seem, some Lucas stuff doesn't need to be replaced as wonder of wonders, they actually worked. Rare, I know, but it did happen.

However, none of it was ignition-related so all that needs to go.
 
I have an original Lucas fuse in my MG. Still working after a million years. Pretty good considering there is Lucas stuff at either end.
 
It's one of the few things Lucas made that didn't blow. :D
 
I have an original Lucas fuse in my MG. Still working after a million years. Pretty good considering there is Lucas stuff at either end.

Well, you see, a fuse is SUPPOSED to fail. This indicates to me that your fuse has likely failed at failing.
 
Well, you see, a fuse is SUPPOSED to fail. This indicates to me that your fuse has likely failed at failing.

Ah yes that makes sense.
 
The weird thing is that I've had it since the end of August or whatever and it has never yet failed to start (until yesterday, and that's because the battery is flat as a pancake). What I do need to figure out is where the lights for the dials connect up, because I can't see a bloody thing in the dark Turns out I just need to pull the light switch out a bit further... I know the speedo isn't exactly the most brilliantly accurate in the world (it seems to be a bit ambitious, which I suppose in these days of speed cameras everywhere is better than it being the other way), but it would be useful to see it if I'm driving in the dark. It's a minor niggle I know, and one that can be temporarily addressed with a torch, but it would be helpful. I think I want to sort out the weep in the brakes too - it's not a major weep, but I think stopping is quite useful. Another job on the list is having the front brakes converted to discs. I'd quite like not to run up someone's trumpet when I need to stop. There are a few little non-mechanical jobs I want to do too - the rubber seals around the windows and roof are perished, but that won't take too long. I'm just hoping for some good weather so I can have a proper look at things, because the engine rebuild took so long the weather had turned by the time I got it home. I wish I had a garage... (I do keep it under a heavy duty all weather cover though).

Spectre's quite right - I'm not quite up to stripping out all the electrics just yet! I'm actually a bit nervous of doing the bearings myself because, well, if it goes wrong it'll be a bit disastrous (Heralds apparently had a reputation for the front wheels falling off...) but nobody I know knows anything about this kind of thing apart from my mate's dad, who worked for Ford in the 60s and 70s and still has all his tools - just as well, because I need to get a decent set of spanners in imperial sizes - but is in his 80s and a bit forgetful. Haynes use the word 'simply' rather too often for my liking, and having used Haynes to dismantle the back end of my boyfriend's motorbike many years ago, their interpretation of 'simply' and mine differ a bit :lol:
 
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Yeah, I would get the brakes fixed NOW - they're not supposed to leak AT ALL and if they're leaking, that means moisture is getting in and contaminating the brake fluid. That's not minor, that can be a fatal showstopper - for you. As in, you die or kill someone else.

Also, I believe you will find that the Herald isn't Imperial or SAE, but Whitworth. As mentioned elsewhere, Haynes is best used as jack padding or kindling; locate a factory manual instead. At least you have the advantage of being British and thereby have no need of a British-to-Common-English translation manual....
 
Yeah, I would get the brakes fixed NOW - they're not supposed to leak AT ALL and if they're leaking, that means moisture is getting in and contaminating the brake fluid. That's not minor, that can be a fatal showstopper - for you. As in, you die or kill someone else.

Right with you there. I've just taken it out for a run on my own for the first time and the brakes are, to put it bluntly, fucking awful. The garage that did the service said it wasn't urgent, but I beg to differ. It's much worse than I expected, so that's just moved to the very top of the list along with the dodgy wheel bearing.

And I'm going to find a different garage, because the one I used is clearly a bit lax.
 
Right with you there. I've just taken it out for a run on my own for the first time and the brakes are, to put it bluntly, fucking awful.

You have to keep in mind that compared to a new-ish driving school car, the brakes in a 40+ year old classic are rubbish even when in top nick. When i switch from a modern car to the Kadett or vice versa, i'm in for a surprise every time.
 
If you have to replace the wheel bearings and service the brakes anyway, it's probably just a good idea to go ahead and swap out the drums for discs anyway, as you are already going to have to do 3/4 of the labor anyway. Might as well put a decent brake system in.
 
You have to keep in mind that compared to a new-ish driving school car, the brakes in a 40+ year old classic are rubbish even when in top nick. When i switch from a modern car to the Kadett or vice versa, i'm in for a surprise every time.

I realise that, but they really don't feel right, and I don't mean in the sense of them not feeling like new brakes, I mean they barely feel like they're stopping the car. It's quite hard to describe but there's no harm in having them serviced, if only to give me a bit more confidence in them.

If you have to replace the wheel bearings and service the brakes anyway, it's probably just a good idea to go ahead and swap out the drums for discs anyway, as you are already going to have to do 3/4 of the labor anyway. Might as well put a decent brake system in.

That was exactly what I was thinking. As the wheels and brakes are going to be in pieces, may as well get it done and save myself another bill later on. But I'm buggered if I'm letting the same garage do it. Apart from anything else, I'd really not like my car to be off the road for another two months!
 
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