Since getting the exhaust sorted it's been a lot more fun driving Tango-BOB. Fortunately Ella is pleased with the noise. I walk to work every day so there's not that much of a need to drive - it's mainly trips to the shops, football training, etc. So recently I've made excuses to take little trips up the nearby "mountains" whenever possible.
I haven't really gone anywhere with any 'serious' issues. I had a bit of concern about a noise coming from the rear end of the car ... have you ever lost a socket after re-greasing splines? Well it seems leaving it inside the brake drum doesn't cause damage as such! Possibly as a result the ratchet on the brake's self-adjusting mechanism was all over the shop, so I've done a little straightening out and now have the best operating rear brakes and handbrake since purchasing the car. Brisbane's hilly and it's nice to stay still when sitting at traffic lights!
Next up is a trip up to Bundaberg to strip down the spares car and box up the parts I want to keep - it's time to take it off the in-laws hands. Then I'll need to arrange getting rid of all the bits that I don't want. It sounds awful, but the bodywork is next to useless and too big to store so it will probably go back to the scrapyard ... unless someone shows some interest. A lot of other things will need to go on ebay I suppose...
Monday, May 29, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
Brmm brmmm!
BOB is getting better and better as time goes on. Now it even sounds good!
Saturday morning saw me out to the exhaust place with the intention of getting the Chris Witor system fitted and a downpipe made up and fitted too. Having booked in with the workshop with this intention I assumed it wouldn't be a problem ...
It turned out there was a broken stud on the manifold to downpipe join. I'd noticed this previously but naively assumed it would be easy for a professional custom exhaust specialists to drill out ... If only. It seems that they use a special person to do this and he doesn't work on Saturdays, so instead they just bolted the Witor sections that Andy provided on to the dodgy downpipe that i'd wanted changing in the first place. The downpipe can wait. To give them their dues, the system has been fitted nice and high so plenty of ground clearance.
Verdict:
Not as loud as I remember the Big Red Bus sounding, although I haven't got the manifold and engine mod's of course. Still, when wound up it sounds very good ... so it's tricky to not drive around in high gears all the time like a boy-racer (or Bevan as they call them here). Mr Bancroft knows what I mean ;-)
Although the manifold hasn't been changed, it certainly seems more responsive - removing two out of three constrictions makes a definite difference.
Next up:
Investigate the ticking noise - occurs on right-hand bends ... UJ on the Left-hand driveshaft?
Brakes - fit some stainless braided hoses and reconditioned calipers with Green Stuff pads (from the spares car).
Get the speedo sorted.
Saturday morning saw me out to the exhaust place with the intention of getting the Chris Witor system fitted and a downpipe made up and fitted too. Having booked in with the workshop with this intention I assumed it wouldn't be a problem ...
It turned out there was a broken stud on the manifold to downpipe join. I'd noticed this previously but naively assumed it would be easy for a professional custom exhaust specialists to drill out ... If only. It seems that they use a special person to do this and he doesn't work on Saturdays, so instead they just bolted the Witor sections that Andy provided on to the dodgy downpipe that i'd wanted changing in the first place. The downpipe can wait. To give them their dues, the system has been fitted nice and high so plenty of ground clearance.
Verdict:
Not as loud as I remember the Big Red Bus sounding, although I haven't got the manifold and engine mod's of course. Still, when wound up it sounds very good ... so it's tricky to not drive around in high gears all the time like a boy-racer (or Bevan as they call them here). Mr Bancroft knows what I mean ;-)
Although the manifold hasn't been changed, it certainly seems more responsive - removing two out of three constrictions makes a definite difference.
Next up:
Investigate the ticking noise - occurs on right-hand bends ... UJ on the Left-hand driveshaft?
Brakes - fit some stainless braided hoses and reconditioned calipers with Green Stuff pads (from the spares car).
Get the speedo sorted.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The Triumph Fraternity
There have been some little trips round and about since Easter, but nothing too significant.
The West of Brisbane is one HUGE forest reserve which Ella and I do a fair amount of walking in. The bonus is that the access road is Mount Nebo road - one of the best roads in the area. The approach is marked with a "bendy roads for the next 33km" sign! On any given weekend there are lots of cars and bikes there, but sometimes you get a stretch to yourself and can 'enjoy' it ;-)
The other week we were coming back to Brisbane and as we came squealing around a corner we saw a couple of blokes scratching their heads and looking down into the forest ... presumably trying to figure out how they were going to get their motorbike back up to the road!
No actual action on the car as such, but some progress nonetheless. I finally cleaned all the accumulated dust and dirt from the Easter trip - it actually caked the floor where I washed the car and there are tyre tracks in the silt now! I've done some spline greasing on the drive shafts and other bitty things. Now there's a bit more point to driving, seeing as the carb's are good, it's hard to keep the revs down and the needle keeps bouncing up around the 5k mark.
I investigated the blowing exhaust and found that it was blowing at a seam where it had been hastily patched up. I took it to get fixed and the guy who welded the hole up reckoned it was paper thin. I decided to look at getting a custom one built up (rather than get a mortgage out for a Chris Witor system and postage)and asked some advice on my second home ... the Club Triumph forum . It's a superb resource, with loads of friendly, rather Triumph-mad people from all over the world ready to lend a word of advice ... or 'support'. Anyway, Andy Thompson, a self-confessed Triumphaholic from Western Australia, stepped up and offered me his old racing Mk2's exhaust system! Superb - thanks Andy.
I've yet to see it, but it's apparently a bit rough around the edges (who cares it's costing peanuts compared to a new one!). Can't wait to get it on the car. Then the plan is to drive over to Western Australia (a few thousand miles) at some point to celebrate!
The West of Brisbane is one HUGE forest reserve which Ella and I do a fair amount of walking in. The bonus is that the access road is Mount Nebo road - one of the best roads in the area. The approach is marked with a "bendy roads for the next 33km" sign! On any given weekend there are lots of cars and bikes there, but sometimes you get a stretch to yourself and can 'enjoy' it ;-)
The other week we were coming back to Brisbane and as we came squealing around a corner we saw a couple of blokes scratching their heads and looking down into the forest ... presumably trying to figure out how they were going to get their motorbike back up to the road!
No actual action on the car as such, but some progress nonetheless. I finally cleaned all the accumulated dust and dirt from the Easter trip - it actually caked the floor where I washed the car and there are tyre tracks in the silt now! I've done some spline greasing on the drive shafts and other bitty things. Now there's a bit more point to driving, seeing as the carb's are good, it's hard to keep the revs down and the needle keeps bouncing up around the 5k mark.
I investigated the blowing exhaust and found that it was blowing at a seam where it had been hastily patched up. I took it to get fixed and the guy who welded the hole up reckoned it was paper thin. I decided to look at getting a custom one built up (rather than get a mortgage out for a Chris Witor system and postage)and asked some advice on my second home ... the Club Triumph forum . It's a superb resource, with loads of friendly, rather Triumph-mad people from all over the world ready to lend a word of advice ... or 'support'. Anyway, Andy Thompson, a self-confessed Triumphaholic from Western Australia, stepped up and offered me his old racing Mk2's exhaust system! Superb - thanks Andy.
I've yet to see it, but it's apparently a bit rough around the edges (who cares it's costing peanuts compared to a new one!). Can't wait to get it on the car. Then the plan is to drive over to Western Australia (a few thousand miles) at some point to celebrate!
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