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"Beans"
posts: 5603
Netherlands
joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006

More small jobs on the DHC
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Or the list of 10CR preparations slowly gets shorter. In my previous post I mentioned that there was a something wrong with the new brakes. During a very short test drive (12 kilometres over quiet rural roads) last week, the brakes behaved quite randomly. Under braking the pedal would either go almost to the floor, behave as if everything was absolutely fine, or it would be a bit spongy. And sometimes the car would pull to the left under braking. There was one clear similarity in the brakes behaviour: it was completely random. As I had bled the brakes on my own, my first thought was that there still was some air in the system. So I decided to have another go at it, time to get my assorted bleeding tools out again!



But this time I asked for some assistance. With one person putting pressure on or pumping the pedal, surely helps with getting trapped air out of the system. And as I had expected, when we came to the right hand front calliper there was some air coming out. After which the pedal’s feel did improve significantly. Result! Though I have to admit that this car still lacks the precise brake pedal feel of ‘t Kreng. But that is down to the fact that the DHC is still fitted with the standard drum brakes on the back axle, where ‘t Kreng is fitted with discs.
The syringe pictured above is normally used to empty the clutch master cylinder and re fill the clutch reservoir. This time it was used to top up the brake reservoir too. As it only needed a small amount of fluid to get it on the prescribed level using the syringe was much easier than using a full bottle!
With the bleeding completed (hopefully as I haven’t driven the car yet) I switched my attention to the back axle in general and the hand brake lever arm’s dust covers in particular.


With the rear of the car supported on axle stands it was time to get the tools out to disconnect the hand brake cable and remove the old dust covers.


Did I write dust covers? Well it is probably better to call that the remains of the dust covers, as the picture below clearly shows. They were in a pretty sorry state! Rather annoying really, bearing in mind they were only fitted last year!


But before fitting the new dust covers I first inspected and cleaned the rear brake’s system, including the handbrake cable’s forked ends and axle pivot point. Nothing wrong with the shoes and their mechanism, though the sometimes hard use of the car over the past few years, has finally managed to attack the paint on the brake shoes!


Remained the final task of fitting the new dust covers, which with the correct tools was pretty straight forward. I wonder how long these covers will last …


One final task remained. After the car’s MOT last year  I found that the fuel hose going into the fuel pump was porous, and leaking fuel as a result. As the hose between tank and solid pipe was the same age as the one that perished last year, Therefore an inspection of this hose wasn’t superfluous. I needn’t have worried, the hose still was in good condition.
And did I mention that a Defender is really suited to act as a tool and parts support 😜



 posted 13 hours ago
"vitessesteve"
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The Westgate Motor House Co Ltd of Gloucester - Triumph Car dealers 86
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Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd is the feature business of this article number 86 in my series about Triumph car dealers.
Westgate Garage, Gloucester_advert from Gloucestshire Countryside
Westgate Garage, Gloucester_advert from Gloucestshire Countryside
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street, Gloucester sold both cars and aircraft.  They were founded in 1923. In the 1930's they were selling Standard and Triumph cars in addition to cars from  Armstrong-Siddeley, Morris, Austin, MG and Dodge.

Gloucester & Cheltenham Airport

Westgate Garage_Gloucester Airport opening 1936
Westgate Garage_Gloucester Airport opening 1936
16 July 1936 saw the opening of Gloucester and Cheltenham Airport which was operated and owned by Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd.

Some old adverts

Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd - Gloucester Citizen, 17 October 1933. Triumph dealer
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd - Gloucester Citizen, 17 October 1933. Triumph dealer
Westgate Motors of Gloucester advert, Gloucester Citizen, 23-12-1949
Westgate Motors of Gloucester Christmas advert, Gloucester Citizen, 23-12-1949
Westgate Standard Vanguard. Gloucester Citizen, 22-09-1949
Westgate Standard Vanguard. Gloucester Citizen, 22-09-1949
Westgate Standard Triumph. Gloucester Citizen, 23-10-1950

Sixty for Saro

During 1968 Gloster Saro Ltd, a manufacturer of automatic vending machines, purchased a fleet of Triumph Herald 13/60 estate cars.  The cars were all fitted with radio telephones and maintenance equipment for the service engineer drivers.

New Stag for collection

This photo is said to show a Triumph Stag ready for collection from Westgate Garage in February 1978.

Show and Service Week promotion 



Staff from Standard Triumph HQ visited the business and assisted the firm with week long Show and Service promotions. These were held by the firm at their Westgate Street premises: 7 to 11 November 1959, 7 to 12 July 1963, 13 to 17 September 1965 and 6 to 10 May 1968.

Gloucester - Triumph car dealers

A list of Standard Triumph car dealers in the Gloucester area compiled from my collection of dealer directories.

April 1938 Triumph
F W Chambers & Co, Barnwood Garage.
J E Gibbs, Berkeley Road Garage, Berkeley Road

April 1951 Triumph:
Hickie & Hickie Ltd, 52-54 Southgate Street
Taylors Crypt House Motors Ltd, London Road
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street

October 1955:
Distributor
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street - 'Phone 20294 and 20295
Dealer
Brunswick Motors (C. & E. P. Brough), St. Mchael's Square - 'Phone 22976
Chambers Motors Ltd, Barnwood Garage. 'Phone 66621
Kingscote & Stephens Ltd, Standard House, 122 London Road - 'Phone 21278

August 1961, Feb 1965:
Distributor
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street - 'Phone 20294 and 20295
Dealer
Blackfriars Garage (Gloucester) Ltd, Commercial Road - 'Phone 25666
Brunswick Motors (C. & E. P. Brough),  Barton Street - 'Phone 23456
Chambers Motors Ltd, Barnwood Garage. 'Phone 66621
P & H Motors, St Oswalds Bridge Garage, Priory Road - 'Phone 24912

September 1968:
Distributor
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street - 'Phone 20294 and 20295
Dealer
Blackfriars Garage (Gloucester) Ltd, Commercial Road - 'Phone 25666
Brunswick Motors (C. & E. P. Brough),  Barton Street - 'Phone 23456
Chambers Motors Ltd, Barnwood Garage. 'Phone 66621

March 1970:
Distributor
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street - 'Phone 20294 and 20295
Dealer
Chambers Motors Ltd, Barnwood Garage. 'Phone 66621

March 1972, March 1974:
Distributor
Westgate Motor House Co (Gloucester) Ltd, Westgate Street GL1 2RS - 'Phone 20294/5

June 1984, March 1988 AustinRover:
Wicliffe Motor Co Ltd, Mercia Road, GL1 2SQ  

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about Westgate Motor House of Gloucester such as  photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

Further information and sources

Link to post about Wicliffe Motor Co Ltd of Stroud, Gloucester and Tewkesbury

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to facebook page: Triumph Car Dealers.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors .

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html

Picture credits: Westgate Garage, Gloucester_advert from Gloucestshire Countryside posted to facebook by Stroud Area Photos & Cotswold Picture Postcards; Westgate Garage_Gloucester Airport opening 1936 posted to facebook by Beemer328i ; New Stag for collection photo posted to facebook by Jane Rowley;
A blog post from vitessesteve
 posted Saturday 7:04am
"Beans"
posts: 5603
Netherlands
joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006

Another small job on the DHC
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While looking through my parts earlier this week I also stumbled across some NOS hood frame covers for the DHC (WKC3643-WKC3646) which I acquired somewhere in the past. I remember that at the time I gave it a try to fit them. But thought better of it, as it looked like the hood had to come off to change these covers. As a result of which I stored them away. And forgot about them. Till earlier this week that is when I stumbled across them again.


Although there’s hardly any visible difference, in the picture above of the old and new right hand covers, in reality the new ones look much better. Especially the sides hidden from the camera are scratched. And as by now it looked like an easy task I decided to fit the new ones (no point in storing new parts if there is a car that you can use them on! And I did have a few spare hours because I had to return from a trip with the DHC because the brakes were not what I’d call confident inspiring. More on that later!
So back to the original post, fitting the frame covers. That of course meant removing the old covers first. Although I had new plastic spreading rivets lying around somewhere (but where?) I made sure the old rivets came out undamaged, so they could be reused. And with a thin drift and a light hammer that wasn’t too difficult. All eight rivets came out fine.  I also managed not to lose any of the spreading inserts. And to aid access to the rivets I put up the hood partially.


Fitting the new covers was the proverbial “piece of cake”. But while working on the hood frame it became clear that somewhere in the not too distant future it has to come of the car for a proper clean and a new coating. Also the original straps have seen better times!



 posted Wednesday 7:02pm
"Beans"
posts: 5603
Netherlands
joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006

FHC resto nr. 79; Looming challenge
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This evening I used a visit to the shed with a friend (who was in search for some spares) to have a look at the next job scheduled for the DHC: checking and refurbishing the wiring looms. The plan has always been to use one of my later (main) looms I have lying around, mainly because they have same extra fuses thrown in for free. But while fitting the heater a few months ago I had a proper look at the bulk head of the ’76 FHC. That’s when I first noticed that a few holes in the bulk head were missing, including this one, for the gearbox loom (the rather oil and heat affected grommet pictured in ‘t Kreng’s engine bay):


For comparison this is the same area (though slightly more empty) of the ’76 FHC:


Luckily the connector is inside the cabin and there is what looks like a suitable hole nearby in the transmission tunnel to feed the wiring through. So that shouldn’t be too difficult to adapt. Wishful thinking I presume!


And comparing the two looms didn’t reveal any insurmountable problems. Only the grommet for the bulkhead passage is much smaller on the earlier loom, while the hole looks (almost) the same diameter. Well at least changing grommets shouldn’t be too difficult, especially as I plan to change all connectors outside the cabin for modern weather proof items.


And the two wiring looms I used for comparison. Both will not be used, as I have a much better one in storage somewhere 😇 First a later loom, in this case from a Solihull car:


And the original, and soon to be discarded, loom that came from the car. Though it will get a second life in something completely different:


 posted Tuesday 9:09pm
"vitessesteve"
posts: 2327
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joined on Mon 16th Oct 2006

Huxhams of Parkstone - Triumph car dealers 21B
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Huxham Ltd of Parkstone feature in this short post about a Standard Triumph car dealer in the Bournemouth area
Huxhams advert 30 April 1955
Huxhams advert 30 April 1955
In 1955 Huxhams, Pen Hill Garage, Parkstone, Dorset were agents for AC, Morgan, Morris, Riley, Rover, Standard and Triumph cars in 1955.

By 1959 Sherwood's Car Sales, 6 Rosemary Road, Parkstone were the Triumph franchise holder in Parkstone.

In 1961 I have a reference to Huxhams as having been a Land Rover dealer.  In 1963 they were still Morgan dealers.

In 1965 Huxhams are again mentioned as Standard Triumph dealers.  When did they lose the franchise?

Motorbike dealer

Huxhams advert from Blandford race program 1 August 1949
Huxhams advert from Blandford race program 1 August 1949
 Huxhams Ltd also known for being a motorbike dealer.
Huxhams Ltd advert from Ibsley race program 12 May 1951
Huxhams Ltd advert from Ibsley race program 12 May 1951

Graces Guide

Graces Guide website has digitised a copy of Who's Who in the Motor Industry 1953 from which we can see.

Huxham's Limited. Car and Motor Cycle Sales and Repair Service. Penn Hill Garage, Parkstone, Dorset. Telephone: 2. And at 149,155 Ashley Road, Parkstone, Dorset. Telephone: 532. Directors: E. P. Huxham (Governing). T. Bryant (Managing). Manager: B. Ingle-Finch (Motor Cycles). 

Rob Walkers

At some later time the Pen Hill Garage building was used by Rob Walkers sports cars business.
Rob Walkers, Huxhams Garage advert from Car August 1969
Rob Walkers, Huxhams Garage advert from Car August 1969

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about Huxhams Ltd, photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

Further information and sources

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to  Stanbourne Motor Co Ltd of Bournemouth blog post

Link to Motor Macs Ltd and Tice & Son Ltd - Bournemouth - Triumph Car Dealers 21a

Link to face book page: Triumph Car Dealers.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors .

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html

Picture credits: Huxhams advert from a race program at Ibsley dated 30 April 1955 and Huxhams advert from Blandford race program 1 August 1949  found on  https://daveriley.weebly.com/;
A blog post from vitessesteve
 posted Sat 13th Jul 2019
"Beans"
posts: 5603
Netherlands
joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006

Various small jobs on the DHC
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After the brakes and fittings were successfully sorted last week, it was time for some smaller servicing jobs. To start with the renewal of the fluid in the clutch system. Bearing in mind I had no assistance, I first emptied the reservoir on top of the clutch master cylinder with a large syringe and cleaned out all the rubber muck that had gathered there in the previous two years since I did this job. After that it was simply a case of topping up the reservoir and pump the clutch pedal till the reservoir was almost empty and then quickly close the bleed nipple. By the second time I did this, the fluid coming out was clean and without any air bubbles. Time to quickly close the bleed valve again and switch to another minor task in that same area. Check the oil filter for leaks.


During the renewal of the oil and the oil filter a few weeks ago, I encountered a small problem while removing the old filter. Trying to unscrew the filter resulted in the adapter plate turning too! Turned out that the filter seal was stronger than the adapter plate’s seal. Resulting in the plate turning underneath the mounting bolt. After unscrewing the filter less than a ¼ turn broke the seal between filter and plate. In theory this could have dislocated the seal between adapter plate and engine block. So just to be sure I fired up the engine and let it idle for a few minutes. An inspection afterwards revealed no leaks. Though the area could do with a proper clean to get rid of some older oil and road grime …
Next job was bleeding the brake system. As with the clutch system I had to perform this task without assistance. Though it is slightly more time consuming this way it all went pretty smoothly. Starting with the rear brakes, I filled the brake fluid reservoir, opened the bleeding nipple and pushed the brake pedal down  a few times to start the fluid flow. Keeping an eye on the fluid level in the reservoir, I continued until clean fluid without air bubbles was emerging from the bleed hose. The same procedure was successfully repeated with the front brakes, though I have to admit that lying alongside the car to keep an eye on the bleeding hose and pressing the clutch or brake pedal by hand is fairly hard work!


While working on my cars I usually store the various parts that are coming off in the boot. And that is when I noticed that one of the screws to fix the number plate light was missing.


Originally they are fitted using small plastic screws. As these were all badly damaged when I removed them in the context of the car’s restoration I decided to use small steel screws instead. But to prevent damage to the light armatures I didn’t tighten them down fully. In combination with a slightly worn spring clip meant one screw managed to escape. To prevent this from happening again I pinched the clips back together and decided to place small rubber O-rings under the screws’ head to prevent the armatures from cracking. Will see how it holds now.
Another fault that came to light while working on the brakes were the dust covers for the hand brake levers where they pass through the back plates.


As you can see from the picture above they were well passed their prime. Nothing to worrying were it not that these were renewed only last year. So another (be it small) job to grace the to-do-list. But not before finishing of the work by cleaning the wheels in order to get rid of some road and brake dust. Hopefully I’ll be able to take the car for a drive tomorrow!


 posted Mon 8th Jul 2019
"vitessesteve"
posts: 2327
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joined on Mon 16th Oct 2006

Swain & Jones of Farnham - Triumph Car Dealers 84A
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Swain & Jones feature in this short post about a Standard Triumph car dealers in Farnham.
Swain & Jones original 1908 premises
Swain & Jones original 1908 premises
Swain & Jones car dealership, closed its showroom in East Street, Farnham in November 2015 after  more than 100 years of trading.

Quoting from the Farnham Herald: 
Frank Swain and Jack Lewis-Jones opened the original Swain & Jones workshop at 38 East Street, on the opposite side of the road to the modern showroom, in 1908, just a decade after Farnham’s John Henry Knight invented one of Britain’s first ever motor cars.

However, after 107 years selling brands including Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Riley and most recently Jaguar, the family-run dealership will leave Farnham for good on November 20 after its 33-year relationship with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) came to an abrupt end.

Swain & Jones’ current chairman Peter Lewis-Jones, the third generation of his family to run the business, condemned JLR’s decision not to renew its fixed-term agreement at the cost of one of the UK’s longest-running car dealerships and 34 jobs as “extraordinary and disappointing”.

He said: “Only a few years ago the company was the top performing independent Jaguar retailer in the country. Sadly this has counted for nothing and the Jaguar and Land Rover franchises ceased on October 19.
The site has now been redeveloped

I have a record of  Swain & Jones being listed as a Triumph car dealer directory dated October 1955.

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about Swain & Jones or any other Farnham area Standard Triumph dealer such as photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

Further information and sources

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to post about the Tourist Trophy Garage Farnham

Link to facebook page: Triumph Car Dealers.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors .

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html

Picture credits:Swain & Jones original 1908 premises photo from Farnham Herald article 9 November 2015
A blog post from vitessesteve
 posted Mon 8th Jul 2019
"Beans"
posts: 5603
Netherlands
joined on Sun 5th Mar 2006

Brake repairs for the DHC part 6
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Or the first job in preparation for this year's edition of Club Triumph's 10 Countries Run almost finished. Last weekend I fitted the various new or reconditioned parts of the brake system to the car. The only job left was fitting new brake pipes. Though two of the four pipes could be re-used I decided to renew all four of them. And I was lucky in that I had an appointment for my work that brought me very close to C&C Parts yesterday. So I though rather convenient to spent my lunch break at their premises, to order the new brake pipes and to rectify the faulty brake master cylinder. Despite it being a rather short break, I left there with all parts needed to finish the DHC and a bit more ...



And with the weather being rather fine today it was time to get the tools out again. But before I started on the brake pipes I decided on an alignment check of the callipers. This was prompted by the fact that the discs that came of the car were clearly worn down more on the outside than on the inside. And indeed the callipers were standing a few millimetres to the outside of the disc’s centre line. Luckily C&C Parts had supplied two extra spacers just in case! So these were quickly added to top mount, between calliper and stub axle, after which the spacer already fitted between steering arm and calliper was moved to the other side of the callipers mounting lug. Still not perfect but much better compared with the old setup that has graced various cars over the past 20 odd years. The picture below gives a slightly distorted view as the camera was slightly of centre from the disc. So the offset looks far worse than it is in reality!


With the callipers sorted it was time for the final task of the day, bending and fitting the various pipes. As can be seen in one of the previous pictures I have opted for cupronickel or cunifer pipes. Corrosion free and fairly easy to bend in any desired shape! I started with the ones for the callipers, as these would take longer to bend into the desired shape because I didn’t have a template for them. The left hand side took 15 minutes the right hand side 5, so could be worse!


After that the two pipes from the brake master cylinder were the proverbial piece of cake, with most time spent on searching for the a correct round shape to match the radius for the front/inner pipe. Turned out it was staring me in the face all the time, a spray can with WD40. And of course I spent some time in getting the two pipes to run as parallel as possible 😇


Remains topping up the system and bleeding it, including flushing the clutch system. But for that I’ll have to seek some assistance. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish that somewhere early next week. And the to-do-list for the 10 CR has been slightly shortened;
  1. General check and service;
  2. Check rubber fuel lines at the back;
  3. Fit and connect GPS bracket (=dash out job);
  4. Fit PAS in combination with a quick rack (order in progress);
  5. Replace brake master and servo;
  6. Replace front discs and callipers;



 posted Wed 3rd Jul 2019
"Radders"
posts: 1637
Essex group
WEDGEWOOD BLUE 2000 Mk1 Saloon
joined on Mon 17th Nov 2008

June 29th. Triumph 2000 Register National Day.

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Another mammoth journey was on the agenda this weekend as the 2000 register were holding their national day at Warren Mill, which is near Bamburgh Castle. 
Now, as I nearly always have commitments on Sundays, I have always made the journey to these national days as a day trip no matter where they are. Watchet in Somerset, Boston in Lincolnshire and Paignton in Devon have all been completed in a day without stopping over. However, this one being 348 miles away from where was I live was certainly going to be a challenge. 
Co-driver Richard Warr arrived Friday night and we decided to give the obligatory pub visit a miss and after loading the car with tools and spares we just had a Chinese takeaway and watched a bit of TV. 
We left mine at 1am Saturday morning and planned our route of M25, M11, A14 and then the A1. The road works on the A14 were still going on and we found the road closed before we'd even got to Huntingdon. The diversion route was sign posted appallingly and I had to rely on Richard finding a route on google maps on his phone to miss out the closed section and get us back on track. 
Richard took the wheel just after Peterborough while I tried (unsuccessfully) to grab some sleep. The A1 was very dark and very boring with hardly any cars, but lots of trucks. Just before Blyth Richard was flagging, so I took the wheel again. His long journey from Warwickshire to mine on the Friday had obviously taken its toll. 
By now the sun was starting to rise so it wasn't so difficult. Richard slept all the way from Blythe to the A68 turn off at Corbridge where we completed another driver change. By now the flask of coffee I'd prepared before we left was coming in handy as well. 
Just after we swapped drivers we decided to enter the location for the national day thinking we shouldn't have that much further to go. We were quite a bit out with this one as it turns out we still had another 82 miles to cover! 
The sun was up by the time we passed the Angel of the north and the mist and fog from the night before had now disappeared. 
Around the Newcastle area we were starting to get a bit peckish and according to google the restaurant on the site didn't open until 12pm. We didn't want to get all the way there and then have to leave site again to get something to eat, so we thought we'd try and find something before we got there. 
However, once north of Newcastle things get a bit sparse and the area becomes quite remote. There doesn't even seem to be many petrol stations around let alone cafes or snack wagons. The first place we found was the Purdy lodge which was only 4 miles away from where we going to anyway. 
With the car re-fuelled and us fed we pulled into the camp site at around 8.40am. It had been a long drive through the night, but apart for the A14 diversion, things had gone well. 
The day was lovely and warm already and became quite hot as it went on. Although not as hot as it was in the south apparently. 
There were some lovely cars there and the standard as usual was very high. Richard and I were asked to judge the best performance modified, and I hope we managed to do a good job. 
It was also a great day as well for meeting friends and fellow enthusiasts and catching up with people not seen for a while. 
The journey home was going to be a long and hot one so at 2.45pm we made the decision to leave. The sat nav was predicting an eta home of 8.45pm and telling us we had 345 miles to travel, so with oil and water checked we set off. I took the first stint and my target was to the junction of the A1 and the M62. However, this was a bit ambitious and I only made it as far as Wetherby before tiredness took over. The heat was also incredible the further south we headed and it was like driving with the heater on full blast even with both front windows wide open.
Richard took over from Wetherby, but before long we were having trouble with fueling and the car came to a stop in a lay-by on the A1. The metal facet electric fuel pump was extremely hot and this was thought to be the issue. With the pump re-mounted further back and well away from the radiator, we set off again. However, 20 minutes later we had the same issue and had to stop again. The fuel pump was very hot again and so I wondered if it was overheating and cutting out.  Luckily, I always carry spares and so a brand-new Huco electric pump was fitted in place of the facet pump. I also moved the fuel pressure regulator on the other side of the engine bay to move this further back from the radiator too in case this was being affected. Before setting off we decided to let everything to cool off for a while we settled for a McDonalds meal and cold drink. The heat really was something else and I was sweating buckets just working over the engine bay. 
With dinner out of the way we set out once again and all seemed to be good, but we found out after about ten miles that it still wasn't. The hesitation started again and before long we had had to dive for the hard shoulder again. 
With nothing else left to try I by-passed the fuel pressure regulator and attached the fuel line direct from the pump to the carburettors. 
This time we had success and a trouble free run home was enjoyed. So the problem wasn't using a 52 year old car  to do a 700 mile trip, it was a reasonably modern component that couldn't survive six years! 
Our eta home had been creeping up with every breakdown and the new one after the last breakdown was now 10.25pm. We did manage to achieve this though and decided to have a quick wash and brush up and head to the pub for last orders. Luckily, the pub was open until midnight, so we had a few drinks to celebrate out long but successful (only just) day. 
It was a good test for the car as it was its first long journey since having new big end and main bearings in the new year. This car is now effectively 'Gertie the 2nd' as it has Gerties engine, differential, exhaust system, cooling system and suspension set up. It's also lined up to be next years RBRR car, so it needs to be reliable. (Gertie was suffering terminal rot and damage and had to go) 










 posted Mon 1st Jul 2019
"Radders"
posts: 1637
Essex group
WEDGEWOOD BLUE 2000 Mk1 Saloon
joined on Mon 17th Nov 2008

15th June- Triumph recovery!
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Triumph recovery was the mission planned for this weekend after good friend Dave Harvey had an issue on the Circuit Historique de Laon in France, which unfortunately resulted in accident damage and the car being left undriveable.
The insurance company and the RAC had made it perfectly clear that they weren't interested in helping with the recovery as it was an 'accident' and not a 'breakdown'. Nice! 
So, with Ferries booked and arrangements made we left my place at Leigh on Sea at 5.30am Saturday morning to catch the 8.25am Dover to Calais crossing.
The sailing was on time and the crossing was calm and the restaurant also served a good breakfast which was much needed after the early start. It was a beautiful day weather wise and the traffic was virtually non-existent. (Unlike English roads!)
We decided to punch on without stopping and made good time down to Bruyeres-et-Montberault, just south of Laon to where the car was stored. Luckily, although the car was damaged, it could still be carefully driven onto the trailer, (even with a flat tyre where the front wing had pierced it!) so loading the car onto the trailer didn't take long and we were soon on our way again with the intention of trying to catch an earlier ferry. (We'd bought a flexi-ticket for that reason) With just one quick stop for coffee we motored on and achieved our objective by managing to book onto the 5.55pm Calais crossing as opposed to our planned 6.55pm crossing.
We hadn't eaten since breakfast, so we headed for the restaurant and consumed a rather nice dinner. Again we had another nice calm crossing and the rest on the ferry was most welcoming after all the non-stop driving. 
Once we departed at Dover we made the decision to 'go for it' and make the journey up to Dave's place in Derby. That way we wouldn't have another full day the next day, plus we wouldn't have to drag the car and trailer all they way from the M25 and up the A127 to almost Southend and then drag it all the way back down to the M25 again on the Sunday. 
With only a fuel stop just outside Dover and a quick stretch of legs (and to check the straps on the trailer) at Toddington services we carried on. The rain, dark clouds, low sun and spray made visibility interesting to say the least! 
Apart from the dreaded roadworks between Bedford and Northampton the traffic was free flowing and we arrived at Dave's parents where the car was to be stored at around 10.30pm. 
Leaving my house earlier now seemed like a different day, but we were pleased with what we'd accomplished. The Mileage for the day was a tad over 600 miles. After a quick spruce up we then retired to the local pub to celebrate with a couple of well deserved beers. 
Unloading the Triumph was the first thing on the agenda Sunday morning which didn't take too long and by 10.40am I was on my way home. I had to return the trailer to Latchingdon first though. I eventually got home at 2.40pm with another 191 miles on the clock, so total mileage for weekend was 791. 
Once again the Land Rover had done me proud and she's doing well for a 22 year old. It was also satisfying to help a good friend in trouble and make sure that his car wasn't stranded on foreign shores due to the appalling attitudes of the insurance company and RAC's 'European Breakdown cover! 
Nethertheless, we still managed to have a good, if not tiring and long weekend. 




 posted Mon 1st Jul 2019
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Club Triumph Ltd. Registered in England No. 4961210 Registered Office: Suite A,10th Floor, Maple House, High Street, Potters Bar, Herts, EN6 5BS. Club Triumph is run entirely by its members for its members and does not have paid employees.

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