Project Rusty Triumphs in Scotland - Brakes and holidays - 16/05/26

[GeorgeB]

I drove my 1300 and 1500 engined Herald at max revs all the time.

Seemed to last Ok.

 

[GingerNuttz]

You can also machine the big journals to small journals and using a tr piston you get a 1700cc spitfire lump.  

There's tons of info about these engines and how bad the oil system is but the big journal 1300 and 1500 are the worst of the bunch for the mains and ends getting tore apart.

I know that going from 4 grand to 5 grand is a 25% increase in the load on the crank in these engines, it's a massive diff in wear. From 4500 rpm to 6K in the 1500/1300 is a 78% increase in load so keep em under 4K.

[GingerNuttz]

1 minute ago, GeorgeB said:

I drove my 1300 and 1500 engined Herald at max revs all the time.

Seemed to last Ok.

 

I'm not saying none survive the abuse because they obviously did. 

The engines have got older and tolerances have changed, parts have got shit in quality so it's either run em at high revs and strip it yearly or run em under 4K and get a couple of years from a set of shells.

[Matty]

30 minutes ago, GingerNuttz said:

The small journal does have the same issues but there's less stress on the crank bearings so it can rev a bit higher, 7 grand I think but some have got em up to 9K rpm.

Fuck me no. I was thinking more 4 and a half. 3 quarters at a push 🤣

[SiC]

My 1500 Spitfire sounds pretty awful above 4k and quite a lot of vibration from the lump - rarely do I go that high. I can mentally see the crank wobbling around in that cases at those revs. Tbh it's a torquey lump and there isn't a whole lot extra power above that rpm anyway. Helps that I have overdrive too. 

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, GingerNuttz said:

The small journal does have the same issues but there's less stress on the crank bearings so it can rev a bit higher, 7 grand I think but some have got em up to 9K rpm.

Which is just as well seeing as my gearbox is only about 16mph/1000rpm. If I were to stick to 4k I wouldn't get past 65mph and I can assure you I do. To be honest it feels like it's only just getting started at that speed. It helps that I've had it all balanced and the flywheel lightened. And yes I've had to rebuild it a couple of times but over thirty years that doesn't seem excessive. 

[GingerNuttz]

19 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Which is just as well seeing as my gearbox is only about 16mph/1000rpm. If I were to stick to 4k I wouldn't get past 65mph and I can assure you I do. To be honest it feels like it's only just getting started at that speed. It helps that I've had it all balanced and the flywheel lightened. And yes I've had to rebuild it a couple of times but over thirty years that doesn't seem excessive. 

I've had a pile of work done to mine too and the cam says power is from 3500-8K but they won't have much to give over 6K.

They take superchargers quite well since they built factory 1100cc supercharged cars.

 

 

 

 

[Yoss]

9 minutes ago, GingerNuttz said:

I've had a pile of work done to mine too and the cam says power is from 3500-8K but they won't have much to give over 6K.

They take superchargers quite well since they built factory 1100cc supercharged cars.

 

 

 

 

I don't think you can fit a supercharger to mine as there's a big starter ring on the front of the engine. But that's probably just as well as I don't think the rest of the FWD set up would last very long with one fitted. 

[captain_70s]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

To be honest it feels like it's only just getting started at that speed. 

The Dolly sits happier at 70mph than 60mph, closer to being in the peak power band. But aye, the gearing means 4k is 62mph.

I think the main issue is something in the way the oil passages work, that the big end bearings are last in the chain and even with good oil pressure can get oil starved?

Ironically the slant-4 has a pretty robust bottom end, made up for by a crap water pump design and a tendency to warp cylinder heads...

The real solution is to fix this small jounal engine with out of spec end float:

Instead of running the engine that was rusty internally when I got it...

Today I was back on the Volvo's brakes. Due to various reasons it took ages to get the parts required.

One caliper rebuilt.

New flexis fitted.

Ran out of grease halfway through caliper no.2. Bugger.

I really need the car for going on holiday on Friday evening. I'm away working in Hull Monday to Thursday...

[captain_70s]

On 08/05/2026 at 19:56, danthecapriman said:

Well done @captain_70s 👍

I really really really wish I had your get up & go to do stuff. I just can’t be bothered even driving my cars let alone working on them.

Motivation comes in bursts and depends on quantity of functional cars.

A turn in the weather coupled with 0/4 cars being usable has driven me to do stuff. I did jack shit all winter!

[Matty]

Was amazed at how smooth and rev happy the small journal SC is compared with a 1275 A series.

[Supernaut]

I'm just dropping in to laugh at the idea of Captain 70s staying under 4 grand in the Triumph.

I still remember following you along the motorway in my BMW thinking "ah this'll be easy" then I had to hit an indicated 80mph in my car just to keep you in sight!

I also marvelled at how fast it must have been spinning on those tiny wheels with no overdrive, as I sat there at 3 grand in the spaceship-geared BMW.

[captain_70s]

2 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I'm just dropping in to laugh at the idea of Captain 70s staying under 4 grand in the Triumph.

I still remember following you along the motorway in my BMW thinking "ah this'll be easy" then I had to hit an indicated 80mph in my car just to keep you in sight!

I also marvelled at how fast it must have been spinning on those tiny wheels with no overdrive, as I sat there at 3 grand in the spaceship-geared BMW.

As I recall this was about 5 mins before it overheated, shat its head gasket and launched the crank pulley nut into a truck stop parking area.

Frankly, I've no idea why...

(80mph is around 5,200rpm. No rev counter, no oil pressure gauge, no problems...)

[JMotor]

I can still remember last year on the Twixfest trip around Kielder, of having to put my foot down MORE to keep pace as @captain_70s was tearing off at some decent rate of knots in the Dolly.

Every rippum was for sure utilised that day! 🤣

[captain_70s]

On 10/05/2026 at 22:53, captain_70s said:

I really need the car for going on holiday on Friday evening. I'm away working in Hull Monday to Thursday...

As is traditional the job in Hull was an arse, got home at 8pm on Thurs night and spent Friday morning doing paperwork while the van got a new windscreen fitted.

Post work I was back in the garage and found that I'd actually done the good caliper first...

I'd had success with the last caliper popping one piston out and blocking that cylinder with a bit of 1.2mm plate steel held in place with a G clamp.

This was not working here. The plate was bending and spewing grease everywhere. Tried pushing the remaining piston back in, the G clamp was going to give before the piston.

Refitted the previously removed piston and found a bit of thick steel to hold it in place in the form of a Dolomite timing gear...

This worked.

Pistons out, calipers split (no rounded Torx this time), bores honed, everything cleaned, new seals and a splash of paint.

Assembled. (Spot the obvious mistake I had to rectify...)

I feel like the calipers/flexis had to come off and back on again a million times as I kept muddling bits up.

Roped Fiancée_70s into pedal pushing and bled the brakes. 8 nipples in this system...

Car back on the ground, boot emptied and tools packed up around 10:30pm. I'd yet to pack or shower and two cars were in the way of the 145 so we elected to leave early Sat morning.

A 1.5hrs drive the following day saw us at my parent's place for house/dog sitting.

A few issues. Made it a quarter of a mile before a horrendous noise alerted me to the fact I'd failed to tighten the NSR wheel nuts. A loose connection caused a charging system failure a couple of miles from our destination which was rectified.

I'd love to say the car drives better, but it is still largely the same. The rear brakes drag a bit at low speeds but nothing is getting hot anymore. It still generally pulls to the left and jerks left under braking.

60mph is a good cruising speed, any faster feels like you're pushing it quite hard and it is possibly louder in the cabin than the Doloshite. The exhaust still leaks, I may have to be arsed welding it.

That could be an issue though as the car reeks of petrol and I've yet to find why...

Anyhow. Holiday now. Shall try and arrange a new set of tyres locally.

 

[captain_70s]

Halfway through holidays, sitrep.

Car running smoothly, but flat as arses. Will reconnect the vac advance when I remember... It does actually pick up decently if you floor it, so it may just be the autobox taking all the performance out back and shooting it in the back of the head...

Fuel gauge has left the chat. Mostly. It'll sometimes read 1/4 or 1/2 for a bit before dropping off the scale again. 

Rear brakes now seizing on and sound awful. Seems to be stiff pistons rather than the handbrake drum/shoe arrangement.

Exhaust bodge is largely unsuccessful. Obnoxiously loud around town.

Couldn't get the right tyres locally, will have to wait till I'm back in civilisation.

Handles like a ship in a storm on the twisties. The car wanders and bump steers alot, you can't let your concentration lapse for a second. When you turn into a corner there is a second of delay before the rear decides to follow at which point it feels like the car is going to launch itself sideways. This very well could be due to the tyres,the Doloshite was also a ponderous piece of shit on its ancient tyres...

Car still pulls go the left, although not as bad as it did with seized front brakes... Could be an alignment issue, could also explain wandery handling.

The steering is actually fairly precise considering it is a steering box with a massive steering wheel. I didn't find anything loose when doing the brakes.

Fixed the front right radio speaker, the wires had tangled in the window winder mechanism...

Managed to utilise the sun roof a few times.

Used it for dog haulage.

Very much an old barge of a car, tooks tiny agains the pickup trucks and SUVs that make up a lot of local traffic though! Passers by seem to like it, I suspect we've ended up in a few folk's holiday photos!