A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

The internet's a wonderful thing, however it can so often be a source of frustration.

With a few moments free this afternoon, I had a browse around some Triumph related websites and forums. I used to spend a lot of time contributing to the knowledge pool, but a few years ago I cut back on my club memberships, and many of the club forums don't welcome input from outsiders. That's all well and good, until you see some of the misinformation that goes unchecked.

Today I have read that the siderails on a Herald chassis shouldn't be welded to the outriggers. Really? That's news to me, though it's long been a common quick-fix for them to be left unwelded, when replaced on the cheap.

Another thread discussing seatbelts had several well intentioned posts, yet no-one could tell the original poster how belts should be correctly fitted to an early Herald Saloon. The early 1200 Convertible's mountings aren't the same, and the single 7/16 UNF bolts didn't come in until much later. Hopefully the OP has found out the answers elsewhere, before ending up with some complete lashup of a belt system.

A few years back I ended up in an online argument, where one contributor was telling others that late Spitfires had thicker halfshafts than the early cars. I was of course shot down for disagreeing with him, until he failed to explain how the same bearings were used throughout, on two supposedly different shaft diameters. He'd become confused about the late Spitfire's longer shafts, but gently suggesting this got me nowhere.

I think I'll avoid reading forums where I can't contribute for a while, it's not good for my blood pressure....