michaelfinnis

Only just read this thread, but I’m intrigued by the said bracket. I’ve read elsewhere that it’s to stop the engine moving forward, but why would Triumph be so bothered about that? Also, logically the larger end would surely face rearward, not forwards in that case. A safety device to stop the steering column moving back would make more sense to me, but then why only on the left side? Only required for the American market due to stricter safety regulations there maybe? Mike.

3/8 UNF nut and bolt, 26-34lb/ft. Described as ‘inner driven flange to outer axle’ in the manual, not terribly clear. Mike

The headlight power supply passes from the switch to the lamp and then to earth. If the lamp was flashing it can’t be because the lighting cable in the dash area was shorting to earth, but was shorting to a power supply, ie an adjacent live cable. Mike.

Blue antifreeze concentrate is about £6 a litre. Why spend so much effort trying to find an alternative which may or may not be good for your engine when purpose designed coolant is so cheap and readily available? Mike.

Further to the above, the pure glycol coolant was also flammable, not ideal in combat.

Following quote is from the book ‘The Merlin in Perspectve’ about the Rolls Royce Merlin engine as used in the Spitfire and many other aircraft. Seems relevant. Cooling systems Early Merlins used 100 per cent ethylene glycol cooling which allowed 135° coolant temperature, but with the advent of the Merlin XII a major move was made to pressure water cooling using 30 per cent glycol as anti-freeze. The advantages of water as a cooling medium are considerable. With 135°C coolant temperature the mixture at 15 lb per square inch reduces the cylinder head metal temperature by some 3

Seems a bit excessive to change every service. Workshop manual says clean with petrol. Mike

I believe the main benefit is a lighter wallet so that you go faster. Mike

The Bentley reprint of the BL workshop manual printed 1972 also quotes 1 deg. negative, +/- 1/2 deg. which seems to be the consensus. However, there is no procedure in the manual for adjusting the camber. I realise camber can be altered by turning the trailing arm brackets upside down, or by swapping the different bracket types around, but that is not described in the Triumph manual. So was camber considered non-adjustable? The different brackets are specific to model year according to the parts list.That raises the question of whether camber is the same for early and late cars. Roger W

What on earth are you guys doing with the stuff? A can lasts me ages. Mike

Agreed, but you still have to source them, and who would decide which are quality and which are not? I can see another forum trail about the quality or otherwise of register supplied parts resulting. My local group has negotiated a useful discount with one of the big suppliers who happen to be local to us. I don’t know if other groups do something similar, but that might be a more useful and practical help. Mike.

Haven’t driven one on the track, but you would have to an idiot to lose a boxster on normal roads unless it was icy or something. They really do corner as if on rails. I have driven an ordinary car on a skid pan with the electronic aids both on and off (really off, the normal switch degrades but doesn’t totally turn them off), that was quite educational. Mike.

An original drive shaft in good condition is perfectly adequate, and u/j’s are cheap to replace. Don’t forget the sliding splines can also wear, which would require a replacement drive shaft. The c.v. set up may be a little smoother, but if you want to drive a modern car buy an MX5! They are also a lot more expensive, your choice at the end of the day. Mike

Where would the register source them from though? There are only a limited number of manufacturers making these things, most of the commercial sellers are getting such items from the same suppliers. Also, whilst there are some second rate spares out there I think it is a little unfair to tar all with the same brush. The popular big suppliers have been fine in my experience. Mike.

In theory the mu should be set up on the bench, using a flow test rig. The triumph workshop manual actually cautions that the adjustments should not be touched. On the other hand, logically you would think that although the bench rig gives the correct basic settings the mixture would ideally be tweaked to suit each individual engine?