Paddocks to the rescue

Sat.30.09.06. I had made an early start arriving at Triumph Nuts around 9.00am to find Steve half asleep, disorientated, definitely caught cold by my surprise visit.  

He suggested that I leave the half shafts so that we could ‘divvy up’ on Tuesday when I return to pick them up. Suspecting his reluctance to part with any cash I managed to squeeze a couple of ‘U’ bolts plus an anti-roll bar for £12.00, as security against my missing £50.00. Luckily, I remembered that we could do with a Mk1V prop shaft if the overdrive gearbox is fitted. The flange at the gearbox end of the prop must be changed. The main output shaft of the 1360 gearbox has a square type Hardy Spicer. The overdrive flange of the Mk1V Spitfire is a much larger rounded unit, which obviously must match the prop. This is not, as such, a predicament, having moved the engine further back the prop must be shortened and balanced to accommodate this alteration; the extra work of welding a new flange is minimal. Steve had earlier agreed to donate the correct Hardy Spicer because without it the box is useless, he is also, as a result down £250.00: I don’t think even for brainless Steve it was such a difficult decision to make.   

More importantly, I had made a tentative Saturday morning rendezvous with Max of Totally Triumph who was situated only 10 minutes away from ‘Nutty’ at High Lea on the Macclesfield road. I had been given detailed directions by Max but as expected became lost in the many petite country roads of the area. 

After several calls for directions I found myself trundling up a farm track to Max’s base. Initially the yard with the outlying barn areas looked promising with up to 20 cars neatly arranged in a semi-circular formation bordering the main workshop and store area. This was undeniably the most ordered, tidy, business like environment that I had discovered throughout this Triumph adventure, nirvana perhaps? I groped nervously for my list: I was still quite excited by the extensive store areas, the half decent cars on ‘proper’ ramps and the ‘real’ spray booth. A new list had to be compiled in the Oak the night before as I had lost the earlier version. Jo was the scribe as Chris dictated and I chipped in with what I could remember from the original.

·        1963 Spitfire bucket seats and runners. Don’t get the seats if there are no runners!

·        Steering rack ‘U’ bolt clamps. Make sure that they are 40 years old English quality!

·        Rev counter, oil pressure, water temperature, amps and volt metre clocks.  

·        LHD. wiring loom for an overdrive box. Spitfire Mk1V, with the overdrive on the gear lever.

·        Electronic rev counter or manual depending upon changing the dizzy. Cable rev counter compatibility?

·        Twin one and half inch SU’s; cylinder head valve size rubber sheaths?

·        Cam shaft re-profiled with spigot locating flange tensioner.

·        Anti-roll bar nose ring clamp mounting with black bush link grommet.

·        Stub axle vertical self lubricating silicone ‘o’ ring with shield connection, female.

·        Wishbone multifunctional strut cap bush bearing with brass tongue rivet, left hand.

At this point Jo became a touch suspicious of grommets, spigots but in particular a black bush, flatly refusing to add anything else to the list; the ‘slip ringpiece insulating escutcheon locking braided fishnet hose cover’ was not included.