About a year ago (Could it have been longer?), Brian Dougherty (rhitee93) was kind enough to make a set of Teflon "Button" bushings for my transverse leaf spring.

Some time ago I rebuilt the right rear wheel bearings and had a look at the spring, noticing that the leaves were quite compressed and seemed to have mashed the OE rubber bushes.

Well the other day I decided it was time to remove the spring and refresh the bushings with those that Brian made for me. I never really had a complaint about the ride but did notice that the rear end ride height was low.

Removing the rear spring was much easier than I imagined (This was the only thing holding me back all this time) and I was glad for advice from Eric Kieboom & Jacob Poortstra's excellent site:
http://www.triumphspitfire.nl/rearspringpads.html
and BPNW's YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BPNorthwest#p/u/2/4E5rb2shsKc

From start to finish was about four hours, including paint time.
The rubber bushings had completely deteriorated, leaving only a rusty reddish dust where they should have been. I brushed each leaf on a brass wire wheel to remove rush and prepare for paint, using a good primer and a semi-gloss black finish coat. Silicone grease was liberally applied to the "buttons" to hold them in place during assembly as well as to provide lubrication (redundant, I know) between the leaves. I also applied silicone grease to the rubber buffer in the "top hat" where it contacts the top leaf.

All I can say is "WOW!" I wish I had done this sooner. I didn't realize how bad the ride was until I went for a spin with the new Teflon bushings in place. The ride is much more comfortable and the rear end seems planted more firmly.

Thanks again, Brian!

With the car completely apart, I decided to add an oil pressure gauge so that I might keep an eye on that critical function. James Paddock, Ltd. in the UK had the best price on a mechanical Smiths gauge kit (about $75 US) so I added that to an order I placed.

The kit included the gauge, capillary tubing, and a "Tee" adapter. The brass Tee simply screwed into the block where the OE sender for the idiot light installs and provides a threaded hole for both the sender and the hose that goes to the gauge.

I removed the center dash panel, and, after measuring the center point to drill, created a pilot hole. Then, with a 2" hole saw from Home Depot, I cut a hole between the Gas and Temp gauges. In order not to mar the finish of my bird's eye maple veneer (see my "how-to" article http://www.triumphexperience.com/article/new-wood-dash-veneer.html )
I masked the face of the veneer with 3M blue painter's tape.

Installation was simply a matter of connecting the capillary to the gauge and pressing the gauge through the wood. The bracket holds the gauge firmly from behind.

The Smiths gauge, though pointing 'downward', matches the look of the OE gauges and looks as though it belongs there. I had to move the headlight switch up above the gauges (I could have mounted it anywhere, I suppose), and I simply marked the hole and cut it open, first with pilot holes made with a drill bit, then expanded it with a scroll saw.

I realized that with the head still off, I have an opportunity to align the cam and crank very simply. This has been a quandary, since replacement sprockets (manufactured by County and sold everywhere.) have no timing marks.

By temporarily fitting the timing cover and sliding on the timing pulley, I can "dial in" the crankshaft to 0 degrees @ TDC, visually checking the timing mark on the pulley with the timing arrow on the cover.

Rotating the cam to between the lobes on cylinder #1 (As per the Bentley manual) puts both closed, so I then installed the head. Checking the valves with pushrods in place, I was still on the money, so I removed the cover and pulley and installed the new duplex chain.

Since I can't leave well enough alone, I decided to make a new, larger (Bigger is better, right?) heat shield for my carbs.

The previous shield was probably sufficient, but I wanted to extend the shield forward for more protection against hot radiator fan 'wash'. For the original shield, I had used thin poster board to make a template by pressing against the intake manifold and cutting out the holes.

Always wear eye and ear protection when working with power tools and sheet metal. As well, I wear heavy gloves to protect against sharp edges.

This time, I merely used the previously made shield as the template and made the required openings as small as possible. Some of the 'extra' holes are necessary to allow the linkages and bellcranks to rotate freely. These were cut out with a hand-held scroll saw. The carburetor throat holes were cut with a 1-1/2" hole saw in my hand drill.

The aluminum used for this shield is much thicker than the sheet metal I used for the radiator shroud and consequently was far more difficult to work with. I was fortunate to have a friend, who does a great deal of automotive fabrication, give me a generous sheet of this to work with. I couldn't find it this thick at any home improvement store. It's about 1/8" thick and very sturdy.

Using the same basic technique of clamping to a table with a 2x4 and furniture clamps, I bent it by 'hand' (read: grunt) along the lines I scribed with a Dremel tool. This gave me very rounded edges, so I used a 'dead-head' hammer against a small piece of 2x4 to pound it to the right angle "L" shape I wanted.
We'll have to see how well it fits on the engine when it's all in the car...

Wish me luck!

I bought some thin aluminum sheet at Home Depot and used the original cardboard as a template. Looking back, I should have used card stock or poster board to make a template, since the OE shroud leaves a lot of gaps for air to escape.
Always wear eye and ear protection when working with power tools and sheet metal. As well, I wear heavy gloves to protect against sharp edges.

I drilled out the rivets on the OE shroud and laid it on the aluminum sheet to mark out my shape. After cutting with a metal cutting blade in my Skil saw, the edges were de-burred with a Stanley Shur-Form. I then marked and scribed the lines for folding. In order to give it some structural strength, I also scribed a pair of lines in the top center running from the center forward, This is to help prevent rattling and 'drumming'.

Clamping with furniture clamps to a portable work table, I used a 2x4 against the scribe marks and simply bent the metal to the shape I had scribed.

Two holes were drilled on each side to bolt it to the radiator brackets. While at Home Depot, I found a 3" dia. plumbing fixture, probably intended for a toilet drain. It has a 45 degree bend with a stainless steel collar. This will work to direct 'cold' air towards the carbs, rather than have them suck in hot air underhood. After test-fitting to the mounted shroud,, I bolted it on and cut a hole in the shroud with a Dremel. I think it'll clear the hood pivots and help with air intake.

It's been a while since I last made an entry. Life is often more complicated than you expect. Or want.

The machine shop (Ewing Machine in Snellville) did exemplary work, boring and honing the cylinders out .020. They rebuilt the rods and attached the pistons. The crank was micro-polished and the block align bored, and all rotating parts balanced. The head was checked and new, hardened exhaust seats were installed along with new valves and a 3-angle grind. He center bored the existing valve guides and installed bronze sleeves. He prefers this method to bronze guides and it was cheaper...

One of my complications has been the pistons. I ordered new .020 over pistons from James Paddock, Ltd. in the UK. Excellent prices and excellent service. Unfortunately, through a warehouse error, the wrong pistons were sent. I didn't notice; since I didn't compare the new with the old, or it would've been immediately obvious. It makes me feel a little better that my machinist didn't notice, either.

Apparently I was sent a set of TR6 pistons, which are the same diameter, yet shorter. Most importantly, the wrist pin (gudgeon) is in a different location, further up the head of the piston to accommodate the longer throw of the 2.5L engine.

Paddock immediately sent a no-charge replacement set with profuse apologies (who does that any more?) and I was able to install them with no problem.

Back in January, I had taken advantage of VB's sale and bought new TR6 double tooth timing sprockets for the cam and crank. Neither have timing marks to properly align them. A phone call (and an answer a week later)revealed that VB does not sell sprockets with timing marks... Neither does Paddock or BPNW. BPNW (British Parts Northwest) does, however, have someone who understands what they sell, and he advised me to make sure the keyway on the crank was facing up (#1 piston at TDC) and copy the scribed line from my old cam sprocket and I should be fine.

Should be.

That's the part that has me nervous. So, now I have it all installed and ready to go. Now I come to realize that the sealed Payen bottom end gasket set I bought from Paddock (and presumably it would be the same anywhere else) does NOT include front and rear crankshaft oil seals. Since I am done with VB, I ordered from the Roadster Factory, which had them is stock and will hopefully have them delivered by this weekend.

In the mean time, I'm making an aluminum sheet radiator intake cowl and a new carb heat shield. More on those later.