BUYING A TRIUMPH HERALD

HOW’S THE DASH LOOKING?

The trim shouldn’t pose any problems – it’s hard-wearing and quality repro stuff is available from Newton Commercial. Some bits for early cars, including rubber mats and dash surrounds, are impossible to source, but seat covers and carpets are available for most models. Dashboards and their surrounds can fade, while holes are often cut for extra instruments or radios; the normal solution is to replace the wooden dash altogether. They’re available new or used, but transferring the switchgear and instruments is an involved job. The electrics shouldn’t pose any issues because although there’s a good chance of an electrical glitch cropping up, it’s usually only down to a poor earth.

LISTEN FOR ENGINE RATTLES

Early cars had a 948cc engine while 1147cc and 1296cc units followed. Rattling at start up signifies worn big ends, necessitating a bottom-end re-build; it’s a big job but can be done at home. These engines will clock up 100,000 miles, so the first sign of wear is usually a chattering top end because of erosion of the rocker shaft and rockers. The engine will go on for miles but it’s always best to budget for a top-end re-build. The 1296cc engine can suffer from worn thrust washers, given away by excessive fore-aft movement of the crankshaft. Any discernible movement in the front pulley means that the crankshaft and block could be wrecked if the thrust washers fall out.

INSPECT IT UNDERNEATH

The bodywork is essentially cosmetic so even really tatty examples can be safe and strong if the chassis is sound. But the main chassis rails can rot below the differential – the outriggers that sit behind the screw-on sills might also be history. Watch out for tacked-on outriggers – it’s tricky to replace these properly without removing the bodyshell. Check for the holes in the floorpans, too.