Steering linkage removal - part 3

The replacement lower steering column arrived today at work, so I know what I will doing tonight - putting the steering back together. I ordered online Sunday it arrived first thing Tuesday excellent.

Steering linkage removal - part 2

I have attacked it with WD40, heat, big hammer and an angle grinder. The linkage just will not let go of the lower part of steering column.

Time for some time out and something to eat.

Looks like will have to either source another lower column or buy a drimel to carefully carve off the linkage.

After a good cup of tea and some surfing have decided to give in and buy a replacement lower steering column.

Newark Autojumble

I have bought a late Triumph 2500S head which is my excuse to go the Newark Autojumble today so I can pick it up. Picked up the head and looked around at the jumble. My best purchase was a section of tough foam like a judo mat which should make lieing on the garage floor more bearable. Took some pictures in the classic carpark.

Steering linkage removal

Got the linkage to let go of the rack no problem, but getting it off the lower column is proving more difficult. The linkage had been painted over with black underseal so the first job was getting that off so I could get at the bolts.

Lots of WD40 and nut splitter have got the other bolt out of the top of the linkage. I can not get the thing off the column so will have to resort to completely dismantling the steering tomorrow. Hopefully if I get the lower column clear of the car I can attack it better on the work bench.

Rear number plate light

Got a new rear light from Tim Hodgekiss http://www.vintagemotorspares.com/ last year at the NEC classic show. Unfortunately the studs were not straight. He replaced it I have just got round to trying to fit it. Thought that MOT man might want to see the reversing light working. All the other lights work.

This time I find that the studs are good and straight but too long. They are so long that the bracket that the lamp fits to will not fit back on the boot lid.

Will have to cut the studs shorter. Have got a UNF die to clean the tread up afterwards.

Steering linkage

Another item on my MOT list. I had wanted to upgrade the steering linkage and use something I had seen on Bill Davies http://www.rarebits4classics.co.uk/ website. He has not been able to supply so with time running out I picked a linkage from eBay (the Jumblemaster)

and also ordered a standard one from Canley Classics to ensure that I had something in hand.

Both arrived today at work.

Thanks Jason I can handle it

My fellow blogger Jason Chinn http://chinn.blogspot.com/ has come up with the goods. After a serious rummage he sent me a couple of door handles - and they fit. My list of jobs for the MOT is one item shorter.

Also got a handle for £3.00 from TSSC member Pete Sargent. So now I have plenty to choose from!

It does fit?

Got a new internal door handle in the post from Canley Classics. At first I thought "it does not fit." The thing looks identical to broken one but ....

The part that fits over the shaft is correct size to hold the shaft but oversize to fit through the escutcheon.

On talking to the ever helpful David Pearson it seems that the new handles are bigger and better. I will have to enlarge the hole in the escutcheon. If I bought new escutcheon as well the hole would have been bigger.

So I have little bit of fittling to do. I should be used to that by now after 16 years as a Vitesse owner.

ADU 3B - Anew Blog

Have just found this - thought you might be interested too.Blog related to the restoration of famous Works Triumph Spitfire Le Mans 1964/1965 "ADU3B"http://www.adu3b.blogspot.com/

Interior door handle

Whilst checking the car over for the forthcoming MOT I was repairing the passenger door handle so that the external button opened the door. The little screwed in bolt that contacts the internal lock mechanism had shaken loose, so I applied a bit of thread lock and screwed it back in.

On refitting the interior door handle and turning it it broke. The break is just where the holes are for the retaining pin. Does anybody know of any after market handles that would fit and look OK in my Vitesse?

new website progress

New website progress: Have got email boxes working. Have got Frontpage edited pages to show. Have got index page to display still needs some editing.

http://vitessesteve.co.uk

Derwent/Notts new year run

At rest at the start in Ripley market place.

The end of the run at Castle Donnington services.

An excellent day out. No real mistakes with the navigation. Only problem was the ford at Rufford, the car made it to dry land but all the electrics cut out. Thanks to all who stopped to help. A group push started me up hill real heros to a man!

Anybody know what happened to the Mini that had just suffered the same fate as my car and whose driver helped push me up hill to restart.

We even won a bottle of wine in the raffle at lunch.

new web site coming

Did you see that Wayne Farnworth of ComputerFix Mobile PC & Mac Repairs, Upgrades and Maintenance http://www.computerfix-mobile.co.uk was offering a special deal on the TSSC website. I won and will lauching a new website soon.

I have recently purchased a domain name and will when it is registered have it hosted at Computerfix.