Felly Fav and Trum. **New Carpets**

[Yoss]

44 minutes ago, grogee said:

Red hot Favorit action there Yoss, well done. I once spilled a whole container of used oil on my drive, after the wind got under the cardboard I was using to "protect" the drive. 

The stain is still there. I've sold the house now so meh. 

Have you noticed any more oopmh from the shiny new cylinder head or is it business as usual? I always think these things are going to make a massive difference (eg cleaning out the inlet manifold on a diesel) and I can never tell the difference. 

I once forgot to put the sump plug back in one of my Landcrabs and poured five litres of new oil in and straight out of the bottom again which is worse than spilling used oil. This is when I still lived at home so it was in a council car park. I tried hiding it by always parking in that spot but it was quite obvious. 

 

And no  I haven't noticed any real difference in power but I haven't really tried yet as I'm sort of running it in so trying to keep it below 3k rpm. It's a Pierburg twin choke carb (it's actually a Jikov licence built version of the Pierburg. Makes no real difference but knowing it was made in Czechoslovakia makes me feel better). When you really put your foot down the vacuum opens the second throttle and you can feel it pick up and go. That's the bit I've been trying not to use. 

It goes well enough. Being only 850kg helps. 

[Yoss]

A little job this afternoon but one that I think makes a big difference. 

Before. 

After. 

I'd been running around without rear mudflaps for ages. I had picked out the Škoda lettering in white pretty soon after I got it which was eight years ago now but they had started flaking quite a bit.

Then I bought the new bumper a couple of years ago and decided to re do the Škoda lettering before I put the new bumper on. Then of course it sat in the loft for two years as I kept not quite getting round to it. This time I have rubbed down the surface of the lettering and given them a coat of matt white and a couple of gloss so we'll see if they last any longer. I think it transforms the back end. 

I also blacked up the ball hitch cover which was looking decidedly grey against the new bumper. 

Before. 

After. 

[Yoss]

I'm always having trouble with the horn in the Triumph. If I haven't used the car for a few weeks the horn never works. It usually comes back to life with a bit of use but refused to last time I took it out so I thought I'd better have a look. The car doesn't need an MOT but it does need to be roadworthy if I get stopped so it needed sorting. 

The car has an aftermarket Mountney steering wheel which has been on the car nearly as long as I've owned it, which is now more than half its life. The horn push I found separately at an autojumble and took a little modification to fit and work so I always suspect this first. 

But it was not the case this time. I took the cowling off the column and found this purple and black wire. 

So down to the horns. This one is quite accessible, the other one is under the battery so it isn't. One purple wire, one purple and black. So I added another long wire, the blue one in this picture, to the purple and black with a bare end and started touching bits of bodywork. 

And sure enough the horn squawked away. I hadn't heard them for so long it gave me quite a start. I should add at this point I had checked the wiring diagram and it said the purple and black went to earth, so this is exactly what is supposed to happen but it still gave me a fright when it actually did. So I ran the wire to the tip of the steering colomn with the horn push removed and there was nothing. Which led me to think the steering column wasn't earthing properly. 

There is a sort of double UJ between the column and rack with three pinch bolts holding it in place. I had previously fitted an extra wire between two of them and this had broken so I immediately assumed this was the problem. They aren't that easy to access with everything else in place, the bottom one has to be done from underneath by feel but I got there. 

This was taken half way through. 

But after refitting it still didn't work so back out with the long wire and I found it worked when I touched the new wire but at no point above it. So in the picture above you can see a splined section between the two UJs. Well obviously they have got rusty and grotty and are obviously the culprit. 

So to do the job properly would mean taking the UJs out separating them and cleaning splines up  and reassembling which would require removing the steering column which sound like a whole heap of hassle. Actually removing the column is piss easy. As it has an adjustable steering column you just have to unscrew the big clamp at the top and push the bolt out then pull the wheel towards you and keep pulling and it just pops out. But getting it back in on your own is whole different kettle of fish because the UJs just fold up when you put any pressure on them. 

So my solution was a second wire between the top two pinch bolts. Like this. 

So then all I had to do to test it was put a wire between the tip of the column and this brass ring. 

Success. But whilst the wheel was off I thought I'd clean all the contacts up. Like I say it's a bit non standard. 

Firstly we drilled a small hole in the boss. 

To put this brass plunger through. This is from the original Triumph bus sized steering wheel. 

 

Like so. The end of this was particularly grotty and benefitted from a good clean. 

Then soldered an admittedly oversized brass plate on the back of the button for the plunger to contact. 

 

Then if you open the button up you can see the current was supposed to go through the two springs to the button at the top but contact wasn't great so an extra wire was soldered  direct from the flat spring to the button. 

The flat spring clips in to the boss and thus to earth. When you press the button the sort of nipple thing touches the brass rivety thing and completes the circuit. 

So I now have a working horn. Whether it still works next time I take it out is anyone's guess though. 

 

[Yoss]

A fairly simple job on the Favorit but one that seems to have taken about two months. 

I always check my levels before any longish journeys and on one of these occasions I noticed the washer bottle was at a funny angle. Turned out that a metal bracket that is welded to the chassis rail had dissolved. 

I pulled this out. 

 

If I put it back in I found it locked quite neatly in place. Like so. 

 

So my first thought was to try some steel epoxy resin. It might have worked but only had this much left in stock. 

 

Which did lock it back in place 

But as soon as I put any pressure on it (the washer bottle is quite a tight fit) it just broke the rust in a different place. 

So as I needed the car the next day I went for a, sturdier solution. 

I mean it is three bungee straps, I'm not messing about here. 

Now it's quite a simple shaped bracket but to do the job properly it needs to be welded on and I can't weld. I know somebody who can but to get good access would need to remove all the wiring and the headlight and probably some other stuff. And I'm very much of the school of thought of why do it properly when you can bodge it. Especially if it is a quality bodge that will last just as long as the original. 

Here's somebody who did it properly. Making the bracket bigger at the same time. 

But that's not for me. 

Firstly the bit of inner wing by the bracket was a bit grotty so I rubbed it down as best I could, treated it with rust converter then primed and painted it. 

I had checked underneath and the inner wing is perfect, it is just surface rust on top. It obviously stayed wet longer in the V formed by the bracket and the inner wing. 

So my plan was to make a new bracket that folded under the washer bottle and attach it with a couple of small bolts on the large flat surface of the inner wing. 

I cut a template from the rusty stump of the original bracket and transferred that to another piece of metal. 

Test fitting with a spare washer bottle. Note genuine Tesla washer pumps. 

I then primed it with both zinc based Bonda Primer and grey primer and a couple of coats of Adriatic blue. 

More test fitting. 

At this point a friend suggested just sticking it on with Tigerseal. I though why not. I'd already drilled a couple of holes in it but they could give the seal extra purchase and if the seal didn't work on its own it would help hold it in place while I drilled the holes in the wing itself. 

So I marked the desired position with a pen. 

 

Then Tigerseal. 

 

And stuck it on. 

 

Left it overnight and it was still there in the morning. I put my hand under the curved part of the bracket and pulled up. Then I tried a bit harder and used all my strength until I was actually raising the car on its suspension. Well that's good stuff then. God only knows how it works. 

So now I have a properly fixed washer bottle at last. 

 

Et voila

 

The only thing that has upset me about this is that the piece of metal used to make the bracket came from my friends daughters Polo when they cut the roof out to put a sunroof in. I have always been happy to tell anybody who will listen that this is a proper Škoda and there's no Volkswagen in it. We'll there is now. 

[Yoss]

Another simple job that had been bugging me for ages that I kept never getting round to. 

The Triumph had a slow puncture on the  n/s/r and as I don't use it that often I was having to pump it up every time I got it out. I could use it for a few weeks, like when I was rebuilding Favorits engine, and it would be fine but park it in the garage for two weeks and it would be flat. 

It's a common thing with Dolomite Sprint wheels being alloys and all 50 years old now. They corrode inside and start leaking. My normal course of action is to take it to my local tyre place who take the tyre off, clean the rim up and put it back on again. Then it's usually fine for a couple of years before it starts leaking again. 

First problem is that it's on the nearside which is usually parked against the wall in the garage. So I had to move it over very carefully and climb out the passenger side which is fortunately quite easy  in a FWD Triumph. 

Alternatively I could tidy up the garage but that's realistically never going to happen so we'll do it this way. Anyway plenty of room now. 

 

On arrival at Flintstone Tyres (yes they really are called that) after the chap had removed the tyre he said why don't you take it away and paint it and bring it back before I refit the tyre. This made perfect sense as the wheels were painted inside originally anyway but it all flakes off over the years. He even cleaned it all up for me with his wire wheel whilst he had it on his machine and refused any payment until I came back. 

I forgot to take the first picture but basically all the red oxide bits you can see here were bare aluminum. 

 

Shiny. Seems a shame to cover it up. I also took this opportunity to re polish it. You have to do it every couple of years as they are bare aluminium. No lacquer here which is actually a good thing as that means no lacquer peel. 

 

Once I got it back I cleaned up the black sections with a bit of detailer. 

But then of course it showed up the other wheels so I have to do them as well. 

I've only done the n/s/f so far as it's on the same side. After all you can't see both sides at the same time, and I need to move the car back over but I will do them once I have. 

Before 

After. 

 

[grogee]

On 20/05/2025 at 17:53, Yoss said:

I also blacked up

You're not supposed to do that any more. 

[Yoss]

44 minutes ago, grogee said:

You're not supposed to do that any more. 

It's still 1992 where I live, it's still just about acceptable here. 

[grogee]

3 minutes ago, Yoss said:

It's still 1992 where I live, it's still just about acceptable here. 

Humanity's greatest decade. 

[Yoss]

I did something stupid yesterday. Approaching a three lane set of traffic lights and thought I could creep up the inside lane before there was enough room and clipped wing mirrors with the car alongside. Only at walking pace but Favorit mirrors are special. 

They were designed to fold in just like all other mirrors. But that was thirty years ago and the spindle thing around which they pivot is made from two different metals which fuse together over time and become one. So I don't think there's a Favorit mirror in the world that still pivots. 

So obviously even at that speed it just broke. My first thought was that I could mould some steel epoxy putty around the break but when I took the glass out I found this. 

The casting has cracked right the way through just above the pivot. I don't think any putty will hold that.

I have some Felicia mirrors upstairs which I know are a straight swap, despite being a different shape, as I've seen them on other people's cars. I thought that would do until I could sort a replacement but there was one problem. 

They are electric and the plug doesn't fit through the hole in the door. I didn't want to cut it off as I might get another Felicia one day. 

I started perusing ebay and there are a few on there but not at what I considered a reasonable price. I was thinking about £20. One clown wanted £99! This is particularly ridiculous as my usual Škoda spares supplier in Plzeň has brand new ones for £26. Only trouble is they are made in China and don't have the Škoda logo embossed in them. They obviously weren't allowed to use it, but it is good news that they are remanufacturing them. 

These ones probably still pivot too! 

So for now I'm going for the classic gaffer tape repair whilst I consider my options. 

I could have at least used black gaffer tape but I didn't have any and thought sod it, I'm going to embrace the shoddyness and have a nice contrasting silver. 

[wesacosa]

5 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I did something stupid yesterday. Approaching a three lane set of traffic lights and thought I could creep up the inside lane before there was enough room and clipped wing mirrors with the car alongside. Only at walking pace but Favorit mirrors are special. 

They were designed to fold in just like all other mirrors. But that was thirty years ago and the spindle thing around which they pivot is made from two different metals which fuse together over time and become one. So I don't think there's a Favorit mirror in the world that still pivots. 

So obviously even at that speed it just broke. My first thought was that I could mould some steel epoxy putty around the break but when I took the glass out I found this. 

The casting has cracked right the way through just above the pivot. I don't think any putty will hold that.

I have some Felicia mirrors upstairs which I know are a straight swap, despite being a different shape, as I've seen them on other people's cars. I thought that would do until I could sort a replacement but there was one problem. 

They are electric and the plug doesn't fit through the hole in the door. I didn't want to cut it off as I might get another Felicia one day. 

I started perusing ebay and there are a few on there but not at what I considered a reasonable price. I was thinking about £20. One clown wanted £99! This is particularly ridiculous as my usual Škoda spares supplier in Plzeň has brand new ones for £26. Only trouble is they are made in China and don't have the Škoda logo embossed in them. They obviously weren't allowed to use it, but it is good news that they are remanufacturing them. 

These ones probably still pivot too! 

So for now I'm going for the classic gaffer tape repair whilst I consider my options. 

I could have at least used black gaffer tape but I didn't have any and thought sod it, I'm going to embrace the shoddyness and have a nice contrasting silver. 

I have a pair of non electric Felica mirrors in the garage you can have for the cost of postage, or if your passing through SE London anytime soon you're welcome to pick up 

[Yoss]

Thanks, I'll bear it in mind. I don't think it's worth posting them but the next time we both go to the same meeting, or as you say if I'm going your way I'd be happy to take them off your hands but the gaffer tape is doing its job now so I'll leave it at that. 

Funnily enough Mrs Yoss's parents used to live in Swanley and we went there several times a year but they moved to the arse end of Norfolk and so we try to avoid going there at all as it takes about five hours. 

[wesacosa]

4 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Thanks, I'll bear it in mind. I don't think it's worth posting them but the next time we both go to the same meeting, or as you say if I'm going your way I'd be happy to take them off your hands but the gaffer tape is doing its job now so I'll leave it at that. 

Funnily enough Mrs Yoss's parents used to live in Swanley and we went there several times a year but they moved to the arse end of Norfolk and so we try to avoid going there at all as it takes about five hours. 

ok fair enough.  They've been on the shelf in my garage since 2019 so I'm sure they'll still be there if and when you need them!

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Yoss said:

I don't think it's worth posting them

,,,said the postie 😀

[Yoss]

6 hours ago, High Jetter said:

,,,said the postie 😀

So I should know! 

[IronStar]

They are available from breakers here, Skoda logo on them and all, if you want to go original. 

[Yoss]

Had a little problem with the Škoda recently in that it wouldn't idle. Just cut out every time you backed off the throttle. Unfortunately it was being driven by Mrs Yoss when it happened so she now doesn't trust it. 

Had all the signs of an air leak or crap in the carb. So I put it in the garage and got the Triumph out for front line duties. 

I have in my stores a solid carb mount as the rubber ones are known to crack and let air in. The rubber one on the car looked okay but I thought I'd try this solid one anyway 

This is the old rubber one. It has a few small cracks on the outside but looks perfect inside. 

And to be honest a couple of the mounting screws were a bit loose and it's possible all I needed to do was tighten them up but I was committed to the solid mount by now. 

It starts with a metal plate. 

To which a plastic piece is added. 

And the carb is plonked on top. I don't know if there are any downsides to a solid mount. I mean Škoda/VW etc must have used a rubber mount for a reason. We shall see I guess. I also chucked a load of Redex down the carb in case there was any crap in it. I had it in the garage all week and it seemed to be working fine but I couldn't be bothered to get it out as it involves moving two other cars and three wheelie bins. And besides I was enjoying using the Triumph. 

But I got round to it today. Took it for a 45 minute drive and it seems fine so I have put the Triumph away again. 

I have to say the Triumph doesn't get used as much as it should mainly due to laziness and the above mentioned process of extracting it from the garage. Then I get in it and realise I forgot how good it is to drive. Not just by the standards of the day but even compared to modern stuff. It has been a little bit breathed on so the throttle response is instant and the exhaust note encourages more revs. But the steering despite being unpowered is quick and responsive. Plus it handles beautifully and is genuinely comfortable. I really should use it more. 

Then there is the matter of the indicators. It's strange how I can not use it for months then get in  and be completely at home with having indicators on the right and not have to think about it at all. But then I get back in the Škoda after just a week and keep forgetting they are on the left. I can only conclude that the indicators should be on the right by law. It is the natural place for them. It makes far more sense as you can change gear and indicate at the same time which is particularly useful on roundabouts.

I think we only have them on the left now because most modern cars are designed to be primarily left hand drive and so for RHD they just transfer the whole column from one side to the other without touching the switchgear. Thinking back, all my old Leyland stuff had indicators on the right stalk so it is obviously the right place to be. 

 

 

[Matty]

I just bloody love that Triumph.

[Yoss]

7 minutes ago, Matty said:

I just bloody love that Triumph.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but a very long time ago so for new readers, it is a little non standard. The engine is balanced with a lightened flywheel so it is really happy revving. It is a 1300 TC so it has the Spitfire spec engine meaning peak power is at 6000rpm and torque at 5000rpm so you want it to be a happy revver . 

It has the gearbox from a 1500 FWD which is marginally higher geared but more importantly has the uprated input shaft. 

The front suspension is both height and stiffness adjustable. This was a kit for the Dolomite. The front suspension is similar to the Dolomite so it's a straight swap. 

The rear suspension is totally different to the Dolomite, it's aluminium semi trailing arms a bit like a Triumph 2000 but without the drive shafts. All I could do with this was fit those rubber coils that people use when towing caravans to restrict spring movement but it seems to work well enough. And the springs have settled over the years so it looks OK. 

And the most  visually obvious thing is the Dolly Sprint wheels. The offset on these (and even the steel wheels for the RWD saloons) was far greater than the FWDs so they fill the arches nicely. So much so that I have had to fold the rear  arches in a bit but I think they look good. 

Also have a 13" Mountney steering wheel which combined with the Sprint wheels makes parallel parking an Olympic sport but it's fine once you're moving. 

And Dolomite front seats which are of a similar look but taller with headrests and recline properly. The original seats tilt and rise, they have three separate positions front and rear but don't recline. 

All makes for a comfortable, if noisy, cruiser that easily keeps up with modern traffic. 

I've owned it 31 years and will probably be buried in it. 

[dozeydustman]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

indicators on the right stalk so it is obviously the right place to be. 

Most, if not all, JDM & Oceana cars are indicators right because RHD. Rootes was the oddball over here with some Sunbeams being indicators left and others indicators right; once the Mk3 Tincorna was facelifted with the ugly square headlamps most UK market motors were indicators left.

[Matty]

45 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but a very long time ago so for new readers, it is a little non standard. The engine is balanced with a lightened flywheel so it is really happy revving. It is a 1300 TC so it has the Spitfire spec engine meaning peak power is at 6000rpm and torque at 5000rpm so you want it to be a happy revver . 

It has the gearbox from a 1500 FWD which is marginally higher geared but more importantly has the uprated input shaft. 

The front suspension is both height and stiffness adjustable. This was a kit for the Dolomite. The front suspension is similar to the Dolomite so it's a straight swap. 

The rear suspension is totally different to the Dolomite, it's aluminium semi trailing arms a bit like a Triumph 2000 but without the drive shafts. All I could do with this was fit those rubber coils that people use when towing caravans to restrict spring movement but it seems to work well enough. And the springs have settled over the years so it looks OK. 

And the most  visually obvious thing is the Dolly Sprint wheels. The offset on these (and even the steel wheels for the RWD saloons) was far greater than the FWDs so they fill the arches nicely. So much so that I have had to fold the rear  arches in a bit but I think they look good. 

Also have a 13" Mountney steering wheel which combined with the Sprint wheels makes parallel parking an Olympic sport but it's fine once you're moving. 

And Dolomite front seats which are of a similar look but taller with headrests and recline properly. The original seats tilt and rise, they have three separate positions front and rear but don't recline. 

All makes for a comfortable, if noisy, cruiser that easily keeps up with modern traffic. 

I've owned it 31 years and will probably be buried in it. 

My dads mk3 spitfire has (obviously) that small journal crank 1300 in it. His is bone stock standard. Ive a 1275 a series ive built. Its 1310cc with a fast road cam, lightened and balanced crank, balanced fly wheel etc etc. Its a fair bit more powerful than Dads, but everytime i borrow his i cant get my head around how smooth and happy to rev that SC engine is. Especially compared to the rough uncouth thing an A series is.

I drove my Uncles Standard Ten with the 950 in last weekend. Again smooth as silk and happy to spin.

Just a good engine.

[Yoss]

14 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

Most, if not all, JDM & Oceana cars are indicators right because RHD. Rootes was the oddball over here with some Sunbeams being indicators left and others indicators right; once the Mk3 Tincorna was facelifted with the ugly square headlamps most UK market motors were indicators left.

When was that 1975/76? I was fairly sure the Dolomite made it to 1981 with indicators on the right. I had a V reg Dolomite SE. But with the memory not being what it was I decided to do a little Google. I was right but what I also found was that on LHD examples they actually swapped the stalks round. 

So then I checked a couple of other Leyland cars, Landcrab and Allegro and they did it too proving beyond all doubt that the indicators should be on the opposite side to the gearstick. I don't know if any other manufacturers did this at the time. Or is it just another of the many reasons why Leyland went bust?

[Matty]

Yet my 67 Austin has the indicators on the left like modern convention. My Dads 67 Spit has them on the right. Might be wrong here but maybe manufacturers just stuck them where there was space acoording to what else they wanted to hang on the steering column?

[Yoss]

50 minutes ago, Matty said:

Yet my 67 Austin has the indicators on the left like modern convention. My Dads 67 Spit has them on the right. Might be wrong here but maybe manufacturers just stuck them where there was space acoording to what else they wanted to hang on the steering column?

Oh okay, that throws my theory out the window then. What Austin is it? I used to collect Landcrabs which are from that era and they were on the right. 

[LightBulbFun]

32 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Oh okay, that throws my theory out the window then. What Austin is it? I used to collect Landcrabs which are from that era and they were on the right. 

well for what its worth the VDP is Indicators right, took just a touch of getting used to, but now its second nature

as is said, I am under the impression this is proper way it should be, and the only reason we have indicators left at all is because all of our cars come from Europe, why bother making a whole new indicator stalk assembly for a reletively small/niche market, same way the bonnet release is always on the wrong side as well!

 

 

REV is user selectable  you could have it on the left

or the right!

or you could even fit 2 indicator stalks if you wanted to for some reason.... (are there any other cars you can *choose* your indicator stalk positioning? )  

[grogee]

Something similar is happening with modernz and the gear selector. 

It seems to be migrating from the centre console up to the column (again) on the rhs, which has forced the wipers to move somewhere else. 

Then you add in touchscreen controls and multifunctional steering wheel switches and the befuddlement is complete. 

I drove a Volvo EX30 for an hour and couldn't find the rear wiper or demister. 

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Yoss said:

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but a very long time ago so for new readers, it is a little non standard. The engine is balanced with a lightened flywheel so it is really happy revving. It is a 1300 TC so it has the Spitfire spec engine meaning peak power is at 6000rpm and torque at 5000rpm so you want it to be a happy revver . 

It has the gearbox from a 1500 FWD which is marginally higher geared but more importantly has the uprated input shaft. 

The front suspension is both height and stiffness adjustable. This was a kit for the Dolomite. The front suspension is similar to the Dolomite so it's a straight swap. 

The rear suspension is totally different to the Dolomite, it's aluminium semi trailing arms a bit like a Triumph 2000 but without the drive shafts. All I could do with this was fit those rubber coils that people use when towing caravans to restrict spring movement but it seems to work well enough. And the springs have settled over the years so it looks OK. 

And the most  visually obvious thing is the Dolly Sprint wheels. The offset on these (and even the steel wheels for the RWD saloons) was far greater than the FWDs so they fill the arches nicely. So much so that I have had to fold the rear  arches in a bit but I think they look good. 

Also have a 13" Mountney steering wheel which combined with the Sprint wheels makes parallel parking an Olympic sport but it's fine once you're moving. 

And Dolomite front seats which are of a similar look but taller with headrests and recline properly. The original seats tilt and rise, they have three separate positions front and rear but don't recline. 

All makes for a comfortable, if noisy, cruiser that easily keeps up with modern traffic. 

I've owned it 31 years and will probably be buried in it. 

Peak smoll Triumph. I had several BITD, 1300 FWD, TC, 1500 RWD, loved them. Would daily another.

[Yoss]

16 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

well for what its worth the VDP is Indicators right, took just a touch of getting used to, but now its second nature

as is said, I am under the impression this is proper way it should be, and the only reason we have indicators left at all is because all of our cars come from Europe, why bother making a whole new indicator stalk assembly for a reletively small/niche market, same way the bonnet release is always on the wrong side as well!

 

 

REV is user selectable  you could have it on the left

or the right!

or you could even fit 2 indicator stalks if you wanted to for some reason.... (are there any other cars you can *choose* your indicator stalk positioning? )  

It looks like both your cars have the same indicator stalk. The Invacar one is straight out of the Leyland parts bin. 

16 minutes ago, grogee said:

Something similar is happening with modernz and the gear selector. 

It seems to be migrating from the centre console up to the column (again) on the rhs, which has forced the wipers to move somewhere else. 

Then you add in touchscreen controls and multifunctional steering wheel switches and the befuddlement is complete. 

I drove a Volvo EX30 for an hour and couldn't find the rear wiper or demister. 

Bringing it back to Landcrabs again, the autos had their selector on the dash on the right hand side. Combined with umbrella handle handbrake on the earlier cars left the floor completely clear. I had a Wolseley 18/85 auto with optional power steering. You could drive it with just your right hand and foot, leaving your left side free to lean on the armrest or eat pies or pretty much anything. 

9 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Peak smoll Triumph. I had several BITD, 1300 FWD, TC, 1500 RWD, loved them. Would daily another.

Do it. 

[dozeydustman]

8 hours ago, Yoss said:

When was that 1975/76?

Cortina 3 was facelifted 1973

Early:

Facelift

 

I think by 1980 nearly all BL chod was indicators left, the Ambassador and Ital were, ISTR the last of the Allegros, Princesses and Maxis were as well.

I do know from your LHd Triumph picture the column stalks are ‘Plug n play’, so if you have indicators right, the switch assembly dies and all that is available is indicators left version it’s a straight swap.

Try a Mk1 Leyland National - indicators and gearstick right!

[IronStar]

LHD driver chiming in, I found it confusing when I first drove RHD car that indicators are on the left. As @Yoss said, can’t shift gears and indicate, so indicating took slightly more planning. Needed a few minutes for mental shift to that. 
Never thought they switched it 50(!) odd years ago. 

My 79 LHD Mini has them on the left. Looks like the same stalk as in LHD Dolomite pictured above. 

[EightMegs]

My 1991 Toyota Carina has it on the right, as did the '94 Starlet in my PFP and that dreadful '06 Hyundai Getz I had a few months ago, but my mk1 Yaris has it on the left. I think the Japanese and Korean marques clung on to the right-hand indicator stalks longer than European ones did.