4    The Black Sierra 2.9i 4x4 Ghia RS estate has now covered 138k miles and is getting a bit tired although goes like hell. Chris having        the  starter fall off and shorting out the new battery nearly causing a fire, and sucking up several cylinders full of water in the recent floods did not help, but an £80 visit to a main dealer got the control module software unglitched and running really well.. Up for sale at £1250 now we have the green one.

7    Spitfire MKIII modified 1300cc classic racer/hillclimber. This twin 40 Webbered 115bhp/110ft/lb engined 580Kg road rocket is running well now into its 4^th season. It munched two GT6 gearboxes this last year, having now cured the habit of exploding clutch friction plates by fitting an AP competition clutch . The torque is sufficient to force the main/input shaft assembly away from the laygear snapping the mainshaft nose off at the little caged roller in the input gear. Cure- dunno. I tried softening the mainshaft, boring out and fitting a Loctited 2.000" x 0.500 "hardened stub shaft This seems to be lasting but on stripping down in November I noticed that the mainshaft had started to split /spread where the stubshaft was fitted. Temp cure has been to fit a std Mkiv box, (but 1^st is far to low) while I save up for another visit to Max's. . The injection system fitted in 1999 really developed some power but hot starting and mixture problems as yet unresolved made us put the twin 40 Webbers back

 

top left engine bay with Bosch injection system (Ford XR3i), metering unit forward of the radiator, did give some overheating problems at full power, even with the plastic and alloy Renault 5 rad with big pusher fan. bottom engine bay with twin 40DCOE refitted and modified Sprint airbox, here fitted with a smaller but more effective pusher fan. top right  Peter trying to pull off the Yok AO's off the wheel rims at Fallow Bend, Loton Park

Pictured here at Prescott Hill Climb 2000

8      1959 Triumph Midge. I did well in this old "box of bits" last season coming 2nd in the classic sportscar class at Loton Park classic meeting. Mods for this season is a Mkii GT6 g/box with an early Herald alloy bellhousing. (save 8Kg), a TT tubular steel multibranch manifold.  Chris & I visiting last July's TSSC International bootsale picked up a pair of 1.25 SU's and, separately, a Spit MKII twin inlet manifold real cheap. These are now cleaned, re-jetted, needled, springed and ready to fit. First outing club practice day in March. I have also got to get the wiring and lighting finished ready for an MOT and getting it licensed for the road.  Long term possibility is the fitting of a race modified FD engine or even a 6 cyl. Experience of the MK3 shows more than 100bhp is very difficult to tame in a small Triumph chassis. Several people have asked about its history.  It was a 1959 herald 1200 that was stripped and built into a "MIDGE" design published and made available in the late 1960's early 1970's. It has the engine moved back a foot, a Mini radiator and a ply and hardwood body structure skinned with 16swg aluminium sheet. I bought it after being stored for 10/15years in a proverbial barn. It cost me the price of a box of spares for which I bought it for. However after cleaning and partially dismantling we discovered that all the mechanics had been totally rebuilt and painted, too good to scrap. So it has been finished as a sports racer to have some fun in.

Here is the Rover 414SLI, pretty plain really but has a 100bhp 1.4 K series  fuel injected twincam and really goes well, and at around 40mpg.  Not too many blemishes which Chris has now sorted out. Interesting story.  We had a phone call from an old Uni friend and her husband who were emigrating back to East Canada having worked in Askeaton (west Ireland) for about a year. This was their car and as the local garage only offered them scrap value for it, we went over for the weekend to say cherio and to stop it being pushed into the Shannon. It drove back ok so now Chris using it until he has finished being a student. Thanks to Alison and Jim

 

Delyth's Beetle Cabriolet. Out of  the garage with its 3rd engine now fitted Having upped the power/torque with a GCC 1600cc conversion and twin choke progressive Webber, it was a mistake to put a 1300 clutch back. This had been slipping and had blued both the flywheel and the pressure plate. The friction plate was in shreds and stunk after only 1500 miles. A much bigger 1600 clutch/flywheel now awaits fitting. The major blow up was the new crank welding itself to a conrod. I tried to inspect the bearing shells but could not find them. It had got so hot that the camshaft shells had picked up. A 50% bigger iron oil pump, an extended sump and oil filler extension should assist this 21yr old girl's classic motor to survive a bit longer. We think that the fan belt was slipping and she ran out of oil while Running up the M6. Presently sorting the lights out, fitting a new battery, getting an MOT and servicing it ready for Easter. I expect Alex will want to drive it as well! All seems to be sorted ok now, several trips to Birmingham uneventful except for a plug lead falling out of the dizzy cap this weekend. At long last Delyth can now use her convertible in the weather/time of year it was designed for.

 

Nerys's Herald 13/60 convertible. Just had a big service cheque thrown at it now that it has been on Jersey for over a year. An ideal car for the island. The chap with the classic garage in St Hellier has now fitted a decent ragtop. It is a pity it has to stand outside in all weathers, the red paint pigment is suffering and really needs a severe "T cutting. It seems Nigel will be driving it this summer. Seen here on display at the TSSC show at Stafford

Allegro 1500 Estate. This has gone to the great scrapyard in the sky after a certain daughter and two friends helping her tried to rear bump start the motor but did not see a lamp post, and nearly tore the open door off.

Herald estate no 2 tidied up, serviced, and driven by Chris straight down to Weymouth and on to Jersey by Condor Ferry. New owners are very pleased with the Classic Shopping Trolley, and Nerys now has a shiny new scooter to get to work..
	Herald estate no 1 now sliced up, bits in the store, body to Max to build a Herald pickup project. Chassis now will form the front half of the 6 cyl sports racer project

 

4. .

2500 PI carb converted estate. Looking nice here with only 70K miles on the clock when pic taken in 1987. Served us well until it dropped a rod on the Perth to Glasgow motorway in 1992. Ironically this was the only  Triumph car that I did not rebuild the engine before  using it

2500 PI estate Laid up for 10 years, slowly rusting away, pity we did not have the restoration facilities when, in 1989 this car provided us with a 2500 mile motoring holiday in France and southern Spain

5. This year (2000) both Triumph 2.5 PI estates now on the store shelves, as are a couple of Dolomites (sprint and 1300). Also cut up was a V6 Renault 25, Bosch FI engine & transaxle destined for the Hillclimber in a future year.

 

  

Racing 2500cc Triple Webber Vitesse MKI now gone back to Max after a disappointing but sorting out season in 1999,  including a careful engine rebuild.  Subsequently in the hands of Richard Lightfoot, it won the 2000 Classic Saloon Class of the Midland Hill Climb Championship.

 

Engines-----several performance engines put together this year, and not just for track cars. This one, a Spitfire 1600cc high torque unit now covering many continental autobahn journeys at normal speeds. It has around 100bhp and 100Ft/lb. It uses a lightened and balanced crank and flywheel assembly, Special pistons, a Piper 289 degree cam, lightened followers and pushrods, a roller rocker set, unleaded ported stage II head with TT performance low profile valves. The 1.5" twin SU's have been fitted with new needles, jets and springs to suit. A tubular manifold and sports system, and an electronic ignition complete the modifications. The whole engine has been powdercoated and turned out in a special concours condition .. Here pictured running on a test stand at the Dutch ISW last September

		Top left to right.  Head with bronze guides fitted Head with exhaust unleaded insets, face skimmed 0.080" for 9:1 compression Block ready for head, bottom end rebuilt some 12K miles ago Bottom Close up of chamber showing exhaust insert Finished engine? this is a gearbox, where's it gone ( these are all of an engine done this week, taken with a digital camera.)

Biographical Information

 

Peter started in 1964 with an ex-Rupert Davies ("Maigret") 1934 BMW type 315 4 seater sports Cabriolet , sadly to be stored 1970 to 74 and then sold needing a new hood for £150 . In 1967 a new TR5 was ordered but got fed up waiting as they were all going to the States. Cancelled in view of an expected TR6 introduction soon, and ordered a new MGBGT instead.  Waited 6 moths and again got fed up so cancelled and went out and bought a 6 month old MGB open sports, gunmetal in colour, wire wheels, overdrive. It had a rattly engine so was very cheap. Rebuilt the engine (out of guarantee by then ) with a Bill Nicholson cam and also rebuilt the g/box with a works CR set. Lowered the springs, decent shocks and a sports full flow exhaust .  This all lasted over 100K miles until the E type in 1970.  During this time helped with a 105e Anglia 1600 upgrade to circuit race spec.   This was a picture published by the Shropshire Star, taken at the summer Classic Hill Climb at Loton Park.

Then came the 15 yr domestic phase with more Volvo 145's ,245's, Audi 100 D Avants, a Pug 405D, Simca 1300's and a VW Camper

In 1992, when Chris was aged 15, we had an argument over the proposed purchase of a £500 mountain bike. I passed a rhetorical remark "why don't you put the money towards a little do-it-up-yourself sportscar for when you are 17. SILENCE. 6 months later we had a mobile scrap heap Triumph Spitfire MkIV which Chris managed to totally strip and reduce it to a pile of individual parts and fasteners in a single weekend. I did ask if he could put it back together, to which he replied " I thought you were the expert Dad, and knew all about it." So we got a Haynes the next weekend and joined the TSSC a year later.

 

We went to the 1994 Le Mans weekend in it, ( pictured here at CAEN ferry port.) The Footman James Retro Runs, and many motorsport events , and many Le Mans.We did a hill climb at Loton and realised we were going to wreck this rather smart car if we were not careful. The result was a visit to Max and got a Mkiii with no wheels or roof. We set about building this up to use for hillclimbs and sprints. I originally fitted it with a 1500 engine for better touring, but the insurance company wanted over £1000 to cover Chris aged 17 years, so we found and rebuilt a 1300 FD engine which is still giving sparkling performance 54000 miles later. Last year Chris  and his college mate Dan, toured N Italy, France, Alps, nearly  3000 miles, and apart from burnt disc pads, ran faultlessly.

 

Chris had helped me build our house over the last 8 years, so the Mkiv was in some part a big thankyou

Chris's involvement in all our mechanical, electrical and auto activities has fired an interest that had led him through a BTEC OND in engineering, to now, the final year of a B.Eng in automotive engineering at Coventry University.. He had a year placement at Aston Martin Cars last year (2000) and is currently now undertaking a final year project for them. A prototype rear transmission on a stand with  having some  bespoke attachments fitted, is presently in the workshop..

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Personal Interests

 

Also interested in model engineering being a founder member of the Mid Wales Model Engineering Society.  Have built a 3.5" gauge 1935 Stanier Class 4 2-6-0 loco. here seen running at Cardiff MES track  Have under construction a 5" gauge North Indian Railways 2-8-4T Hunslet narrow gauge prototype, boiler and frames/running gear finished, cylinders and motionwork being fabricated.  Nearly finished is a 3F 0-6-0T 5" gauge standard type loco, running under air, finished boiler , now working on the platework and details.  A second 5" loco based on the tank but extended to a 2-6-0 tender goods being constructed in parallel as all parts made for the tank are duplicated at the same time for the 2nd loco.( everything doubled up.)

Chris has made a 3.5" 0-4-0ST based on a LBSC design. He started when 8 yrs old and had to stand on a box to reach the lathe and milling machine controls. He submitted it in a national "ME" magazine live steam competition and gained a VHC award against experienced mature engineers. Here Chris aged 13 seen running with young sister on the back at the Mid Wales MES ground level track in the Dolerw Park, Newtown

  

Family interests include the occasional breeding and regular national showing of our two Keeshonds , "CHLOE" & "DAN" and our Klein German Spitz "MONTY".

 

 

  

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More thunderstorms 10th may and I forgot to disconnect the modem again, ZAP!!!!!!. Another £40 for a 4th replacement in 5 years. Yes we do have protection plugs and adapters but we do have a 4 mile length of overhead telephone wire and overhead 240 volt nains.

Nice odometer counter taken from a Spitfire III dashboard

Last up date 12 May 2001