Triumphs ‘R’ Us
Good progress has been made on the 2000 recently. I successfully replaced the trailing arm bushes with some excellent Superpro polyurethane versions ( www.superpro.eu.com). The job was a simple one, aided by a guide I found online, written by Triumph 2000/2.5/2500 Register Chairman Alan Chatterton. After removing the wheel, unbolting the hub and withdrawing the driveshaft, the trailing arms were supported on a transmission jack and unbolted. With the arms on the bench, the task of removing the bushes could begin. First, ‘Workshop Matt’ and I constructed a bush puller, comprising a socket smaller than the outside diameter of the bush and a piece of tube with an internal diameter of more than the bush, but less than the casting of the arm. A long bolt and some washers completed the crack kit we needed for the job. As the nut was tightened, the bush was pulled from left to right, helped along its way with a dash of maintenance fluid. It really was as simple as that.
Fitting up the new bushes was an easy reversal of the same process, while making sure the bushes seated squarely within the arm and finished up with both ridges on each end exposed and sitting straight. The arms took a bit of easing into the shackles when they were fitted back up, but a spot of persuasion soon had them back in place, although I made sure to use a rubber mallet, in deference to the potential fragility of the aged aluminium. In fact the only problem I encountered that day was when I came to refit the road wheels, and managed to snap a wheel stud. That’s a job for next month, then…
While the arms were out I also replaced the tired rear springs with some uprated versions from Chris Witor. The PFLR 575 springs I plumped for have the same number of coils as the originals, but are 5/16in shorter
The Spit’ also made me hanker after another Triumph convertible
and also much more heavy duty – rated at 575lb rather than 278lb. I’ve found that when the car is fully loaded during touring events, it adopts a compressed, ‘tail down’ stance. This does nothing for the ride quality, but I’ve heard good things about the 575s in that regard. I’ll report back on them in due course. I’ve again entered the Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run for 2014, so the heavy duty springs should be ideally suited.
I’ve also spent some time helping my old friend Chris Hayden get his Spitfire 1500 up and running again. The car had failed to proceed more than a year previously and lain dormant in his garage ever since then – it was about time something was done. We set about methodically working through the nonstarting ‘hit list’. After charging the battery and putting a gallon of fresh petrol in the tank, we first checked whether the fuel was reaching the carbs. It was, so we filled up the float bowls and tried to start the engine. No such luck. I also reset the jet heights, as they’d been mucked about with by a well-meaning friend, without success.
All the spark plugs were examined and gapped correctly, and we had ignition, but the car still refused to start. Long story short, it transpired that the aforementioned friend had also fiddled with the timing and managed to get it way, way out. Once we’d timed the engine statically, the 1500 burst into life, but will still need some fettling to give its best. Refurbishment of the carbs will help matters, with a rebuild kit from SU carb guru Andrew Turner ready to be deployed. Playing with the Spit’ also made me hanker after another Triumph convertible, leading to some ill advised Internet searches. “Danger, Will Robinson!” I’ve resisted so far, but how much longer can my (wavering) resolve hold?