Bill's blog

2012-01-24T21:28:00.002Z

Having submitted the artwork shortly before Christmas, I've just received the finished instrument column decals from the printers. I think this is the first time anyone's made these for the 948s and other Heralds with the grey switchgear, I've certainly not seen any in the time I've been working with Triumphs!

I've tried to cover all the major types used by Triumph - Spitfires, Heralds (Grey and Black backgrounds), TRs, GT6s, in RHD and LHD form.

These are all printed as pairs, so no mis-matches on colours.

Anyone who's ever built model kits will be familiar with the way these work. Half a minute or so in lukewarm water, and the decal is ready to slide off it's backing into place on the cowl.

I'll have these listed on the website by the end of the week, I'm just waiting on a delivery of glassine envelopes so I can package them safely.

2011-12-13T07:50:00.002Z

I first looked at doing instrument column decals a few years ago. Those which are currently made seem to be randomly done as waterslide transfers (correct) or sticky backed labels (wrong). The chance of getting a matched pair is pretty remote for most applications!

I've now decided to resurrect this project, and I've completed artwork for all righthand drive Herald and Vitesse variants, including several variants in grey for the early cars. I've included some Spitfire decals as they're another model I have regular access to

The artwork goes to the printers this week, unfortunately I've not been able to get good images for any lefthand drive applications. If anyone can get me good hi-res images of original decals for any other variants, I'll add them onto this order. It's being done as a one-off print run though, so time is tight.

Other people's stuff....

2011-11-17T23:57:00.006Z

I've made a start, together with Paul Cull, to sort out Shaun Ogbourne's cars and Triumph parts. We've set up an ebay account, triumph_stuff to deal with some of this.

We've no financial interest in this. We're Triumph enthusiasts and friends of Shaun's family, and we'd like to see these put to use, rather than left to gather dust, or scrapped.

Shaun's 1970 Herald 1200 Saloon's the first to go on ebay. It's very much a project, but has overdrive and will hopefully generate some interest.

Decisions, decisions......

2011-06-17T10:43:00.002+01:00

I keep looking at the collection of old stock Stanpart Herald and Vitesse panels I have stored. Am I really going to need three pairs rear wings? Or floorpans? Or a bonnet?

I may pack some of it in the van for the TSSC's Stafford show in August.

A Stroke of Luck!

2011-04-18T14:10:00.003+01:00

Having produced the deeper spring access covers for the Herald and Vitesse, it was always my plan to produce a similar part for the Spitfire and GT6.

When checking against my Spitfire this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Herald cover is a perfect fit.

Where the late Spitfire cover differs is that the back edge is located by a lip, so only two screws are used. Fortunately, the holes for the rearmost screws are still present in the floor, so the spring cover is a straight swap, with just an additional couple of screws and spire clips needed to hold it in place.

Can you tell what it is yet?

2011-04-16T16:09:00.010+01:00

Since last month's Stoneleigh Triumph Show, I've been concentrating my efforts on Vacuum-Formed plastic projects. The process involves heating a sheet of plastic, ABS in this case, then drawing it over a mould and evacuating the air beneath so the objects shape is taken by the softened plastic.

The enlarged spring access panel for the Herald and Vitesse has been in the works for some time. These are needed to increase clearance above the spring mounting studs, an important consideration when a spacer block is used to lower the rear suspension.

I was a little over enthusiastic in promising these last year, but my inexperience with the manufacturing process led to substantial delays while I learnt the craft. Nevertheless, they've finally reached production, with the first batch ready to ship next week.

The next parts will be less obvious as the pictures show the patterns for the moulds, rather than finished products.

Once more, these are intended for the Herald and Vitesse, though they may find uses in other classics.

It shouldn't look like that!

2011-03-02T23:50:00.004Z

Interesting stuff this polyurethane rubber. Of course it's not really rubber at all, but a man-made polymer, but lets call it rubber just like everyone else does, to save any confusion.

Having got myself back up to working speed following the surgery on my hands, it's time to make some new products, and I thought these would be straightforward - wrong!

In case you don't recognise this, it's a height adjusting block for the Herald or Vitesse drivers seat. It shouldn't have that bubbly surface, but at least it's better than it's friends which you can see in the background....

I'm till hoping to get a handful of these done in time for the Stoneleigh Triumph show, there don't seem to be enough hours in the day though.

2011-02-09T11:52:00.002Z

Thanks to everyone for the messages of encouragement following my recent surgery.

Truth be told, my hands now work pretty well in most respects, except my grip is limited, while lifting heavy items simply isn't possible.

I'm planning to formally return to work next week, at least as far as moulding products and shipping small orders is concerned. Some things will rely on the assistance of others though, so it will be a slow return to normality.

Going under the knife

2010-12-08T12:58:00.003Z

Having suffered with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for the past ten years, I am about to undergo surgery to correct the problem. The procedures should be straightforward, with an operation on each hand in turn, leaving a fortnight between. During recovery though, I will be quite limited in what work I'm able to do, so I have arranged for the surgery to take place around the Christmas holiday period.

The first operation is on December 22nd, all being well I will have reached some level of normality by mid January 2011. I will not have full strngth in my hands for some time though, so there is likely to be some disruption to work until March 2011.

Rarebits will be closed for business from December 21st, I will post updates for when business resumes.

A new arrival!

2010-11-29T12:21:00.004Z

It's been at least a year since I've bought a Herald. In fact I've been quite reserved of late,one Herald sold, another dismantled (it pretty much fell apart of it's own accord!) and our Rover 620 has also been pensioned off.

It couldn't go on forever though, and last night I found space in the barn for my latest Herald, another 'S'. That's the bargain basement model introduced at the end of 948 production in 1961, to run alongside the new 1200 model. They never really caught on, and Standard-Triumph were still selling cars from that first batch made in 1961 well into 1963!

Actually finding that space int he barn was another matter though. I've always beena complete hoarder, and as Rarebits' business has concentrated more and more on making new parts, the used parts have been pretty much left taking up space in the barn - out of sight, out of mind!

While those bodyshells and bulkheads that I wanted to part with have now gone, I'm left with trim, doors and bucketloads of mechanicals, nearly all of it relating to 948s and early 1200s. Just what am I ever likely to do with 20 bootlids????

Time perhaps for a clearout, an open day and rummage sale maybe? Who knows, but I'll probably wait until the weather's a little more pleasant.....

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

2010-10-13T16:06:00.003+01:00

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....

It's been a busy few months!

2010-10-04T11:40:00.003+01:00

This year's seen us seriously step up the design and manufature of new seals. Each one's presented some new challenge, I suppose if the processes were straightforward everyone would be doing it!

Latest addition is the numberplate lamp seal for the Herald Estate, and all Vitesses. It looks superficaially simple, and with steel tolling and injection moulding I've no doubt it would be. But casting in polyurethane rubber has been an interesting process, which has taken some time to get right.

Over the winter I am working on new gearknobs for the Herald 948 in white, and the matching black type used on the earliest Herald 1200s.

Beaulieu Spring Autojumble - we've moved!

2010-05-12T22:11:00.002+01:00

On Friday we're decamping to Beaulieu for the Spring Autojumble.

Having been down the far end of the Red field on stands 410 and 411 for the past five years, this year we've moved further up the field. This year we're on stands R190 and R191, this time in the first section of the Red field, on the far left after you come in through the main entrance.

If my scanner co-operates, I'll put up a map tomorrow.

Stoneleigh approaches!

2010-02-25T16:29:00.003Z

March 7th will see us back at Stoneleigh for the Triumph Spares day. This was the first event Rarebits ever traded at in 2002, we've been there every year since! Something of an anniversary then, eight years since I left the real world and set up on my own.......

With the van going in for it's MOT tomorrow, I've had a few things to deal with. Work on new products continues though, with the following all expected to be complete in the next few weeks:

Numberplate lamp cowling seal for Vitesse & Herald Estate (705211)
Rear roof pillar seals for Herald Estate & Courier (609837 & 609838)
Quarterlight top corner cover for GT6, Herald & Vitesse (574100)
Spring access panel, increased clearance for spring spacer, Herald & Vitesse
Replica radio console for Herald & Vitesse

Some of these should be available in time for Stoneleigh.

Patternmaking

2010-01-21T18:08:00.005Z

As promised, here are some pictures of our latest new part to reach production.

Not the most glamorous of products, this is the gasket for the numberplate lamp on the Herald 13/60, part number 621264. The grey one is the handmade pattern, from which the others are moulded.

These are made in a durable polyurethane rubber, and are arguably more nicely made than the obsolete originals! They will be available from stock from Monday, January 25th.

Meanwhile, work continues on other projects. Here's an image of some work in progress. If you don't recognise what it is, you probably don't own a Herald Estate or Courier Van......

About time too!

2010-01-20T18:10:00.002Z

OK, so I was never any good at keeping a diary either! It's been far too long since I gave any kind of update on what's been going on.

To be honest, there's not been much interesting stuff to report. When I established Rarebits, I had great visions of making bespoke parts in-house, but the reality never quite worked out like that. Making parts takes time, and while you're putting time into R&D, you're not making any money to live on! So the mundane trade of run of the mill Triumph parts took precedence, with in-house design very much on the back burner.

Last year I made the decision to get back to basics, and remember why I got into this business. With the winter being the quietest time of year, I have thrown myself into pattern making, mainly relating to obsolete plastic and rubber mouldings. I've also needed to experiment with moulding methods and materials, so it's been a very industrious period for me. I'm beginning to see results from my work, with the first new product in some time going into production today.

More updates in a couple of days, when I can show you the fruits of my labour.

Cheers,
Bill.

Bonnet centre trim clips for Herald and Vitesse!

2008-04-18T10:57:00.003+01:00

We've been trying to get these made ever since setting up Rarebits. At last we've taken a delivery of a substantial quantity of these, and they are very good indeed!

There have been some odd alternatives available on occasion, including reproductions done in mild steel. Our new ones are made from proper spring steel, just like the originals.

At £2.50 per set of 5 they even cost less than any of those alternatives which have been sporadically available. Here's one of the new ones next to an original, still attached to a Herald bonnet.

Classic Cars For Sale - April 2008

2008-03-05T15:01:00.002Z

Well I can't blame anyone but myself for this one.
I placed an advert on page 135 of this magazine, with the wrong price stated for our 471C oil filter conversion kit. The correct price is £32.50, as stated in all our other literature.
Sorry for any confusion.

Good work fella!

2008-01-21T10:54:00.000Z

I've just received the first production batch of oil filter adaptors, part number 471C, to fit Heralds and other Standard-Triumphs with the 948 and 803cc engine. There's more detail in my earlier post, but to summarise, these will allow the smaller engines to use the readily available GFE150 filter, in place of the rare and expensive Crosland 471 or AC SA filters.

I'm delighted with these, the production part has a nice radiused edge where the prototype had a square cross-section.

All customers who've pre-ordered will get theirs sent out this week, with stock available for regular mail order and show sales.

As you'll gather, I'm very pleased with the work done by this machine shop. There will be more to come from the same source through 2008.

Electric Washer Conversion for my Herald

2007-12-20T11:35:00.001Z

I should soon have one of my Herald 948s back on the road. This one hasn't been in use for some time, and always had trouble with the screen washers.

The car hasn't been on the road for a few years, the washer system was substantially rebuilt but was always slow to prime after standing for any length of time. Having been idle for a few years, I can feel pressure but there is no movement of water, I suspect the non-return valves in the jets have become stuck in the open position.

The first picture shows the original type installation, albeit with a non-original knob on the pump.

I've never been too happy about fitting a modern replacement electric screen washer system, so I used some spare components to produce my own drop-in replacement.

The switch mounting bracket is an original one, albeit turned 180 degrees. The mounting hole has been opened out to fit a momentary contact switch. The switch itself is one commonly used as a button starter - well over-spec for driving a washer pump! I would prefer something which more closely resembles the original plunger arrangement, but I've not found anything through my suppliers yet. When I find something more appropriate I will replace the bracket with another original one, turned back to it's correct orientation.

The washer pump is currently mounted on a hand-cut piece of flat aluminium sheet. That's not pretty, but it will mount using the same holes as the switch bracket, placing the pump out of sight behind the dashboard.

The ground connection to the pump is made with a ring terminal to the bracket mounting screw, which locates to the lower dashboard's metal rail - a good ground point!

The live feed uses a piggyback connector from the heater blower switch. I need to check the current rating on the switch feed before installing the assembly.

At the moment it's snowing, and the car which is receiving the pump conversion lives about four miles from here along a single track road! When I get the kit installed I'll post an update.

Herald 948 Oil Filter Conversion

2007-12-11T13:53:00.001Z

I've had this project on the back burner for a while. With the original bypass filters for the 803 and 948cc Standard-Triumph engines selling at upwards of £20 - IF you can find them at all - I needed to design an adaptor to accept a more readily available oil filter.

The same filter is also in demand for some Stuart-Turner small marine engines, so we have some competition in finding them!

Oil filtration on the 803 and 948cc engine is implemented as a bypass system. This means that a small quantity of oil is diverted through the filter as it is pumped around the engine. By comparison, the 1147cc and larger engines in this family have a full-flow filtration system, so ALL of the oil passes through the filter as it is pumped.

The full flow filtration system is obviously better, but changing this really isn't an option here. The best we can do is make use of the latter system's readily available filter.

After a few months of stop-start activity, I now have a working product.

With the prototype adaptor now fully tested on one of my own Herald 948s, I have commissioned a batch of adaptors for sale. These will be available during the first week in January.

The adaptor has a retail price of £32.50, however I am accepting pre-orders paid through Paypal before December 24th, at £28.00 each, plus carriage. Carriage is £3.00 in the UK, £6.50 overseas.

Please contact me for ordering details.

A modern Triumph!

2007-12-10T10:57:00.000Z

Well everything's relative! I can't say I was looking for a Spitfire 1500, my own tastes lean more towards the earlier roundtail Spitfires, so this is a modern car in my world.
Nevertheless, I found myself enquiring about this one, after it was mentioned on one of the mailing lists I subscribe to. Sometimes you get a gut feeling about a car, and this one turned out good.

Having spent 14 years in a nice dry garage, the tyres even hold air. The mechanical condition is unknown, the rockers are completely dry so I have not tried turning the engine yet. The car has been well looked after and shouldn't need any structural repairs before returning to the road. An overhaul of the braking system looks like the most complicated work needed, so hardly rocket science. Nevertheless I won't get too excited in case that engine needs serious work.

Fibreboard Fun!

2006-12-09T22:11:00.000Z

Owners of late Heralds don't have nearly as much fun as those of us with the early types. True, all Herald dashboards are made of substantially the same pressed fibreboard material. What's different with the early ones is that there's no vinyl covering, just a thick coat of "Portafleck" paint, a black finish with grey flecks in it. This means that any water getting gathering on top of the dashbard makes it warp, and ultimately decay.
I've planned in my mind how to fix these dashboards properly for some time, but there's always been a long list of other things to be done. Then along comes a paying customer who needs his dashboard repaired, so time to put the ideas into practice.
First job was to strip all the paint off the dashboard to see exactly what I was working with. Stupidly, I didn't take any photographs at this stage, possibly because I had doubts in my own mind that any of this was going to work! Initial surface removal was done with Nitromors stripper for wood, however I had to tread carefully for fear of the paint stripper soaking into the fibreboard beneath the paint. Most of the work was done the painfully slow way, with sandpaper and a delicate touch. Interestingly, sanding revealed what appeared to be body filler in the corners. This appears to be part of the original construction, though I find it hard to believe.
To remove the warpage, I reasoned that locally wetting the board with warm water would soften it, so this is what I did. Adding a drop of washing up liquid breaks the surface tension, helping the water to penetrate the board. Once I was happy that the board was sufficiently pliable, I clamped the affected area between two strips of thin plywod to hold it in shape while the board dried in it's new (old!) form. So far so good, several minor bulges have already been taken care of, in the pictures I am dealing with a substantial dip in the top surface.
There are a number of small angled blocks of wood which are intended to prevent the lipped edge of the dashboard from collapsing. In practice, these only support the immediate areas where they are located, so big dips form between these areas. I will be adding extra blocks to maintain the correct shape once I am happy with the profile.
Once this stage is complete, I need to restore the damaged areas along the back edge where the dashboard meets the bulkhead. Screws have been pulled through some of their fixing holes here, while the areas around the demister vents have been quite badly torn. I have made some preliminary repairs to restore the structure using nothing more exotic than PVA glue, however I have a more unusual approach in mind to regain strength in these areas.
Cheers,
Bill.

Progress at last!

2006-11-30T23:42:00.000Z

Since setting up Rarebits nearly five years ago it's frightening how little time I get to spend working with my own cars. My enigmatic Indian built Standard Herald MkIII Companion hasn't turned a wheel in the UK since being brought here four years ago. Even worse, my fully roadworthy 1959 Herald Saloon has been parked next to it at the back of the barn for nearly two years!
Over the last week I've finally managed to devote some time to my own collection. It's taken a couple of days to get as far as opening the bonnet on my 948. With a freshly charged battery, the engine was soon running fairly well, though some fresh fuel will get things a little smoother. I soon remembered the glowing ignition light which I was about to investigate back in 2004! Looks like this time it might actually be the regulator box. These rarely fail, but are often changed when they need nothing more than some careful adjustment. This one appears to have genuinely expired, so I'll break out a new one from stock and see what happens.

It's all a bit dark in the barn, so I didn't get any new photos. This one was taken about four years ago, shortly after seeing daylight for the first time in 20+ years.
If the weather is good at the weekend I will roll her out and treat her to a wash. I probably won't bother with an MOT until spring, 948 driving doesn't really appeal during the winter months.

With the 948 being accessible, I also managed to take a god look at the Companion. There are several flat tyres, so I'll swap her onto some UK spec wheels to get her mobile. Over winter I would finally like to get this one running, another MOT to arrange for the spring maybe?
Cheers,
Bill.

STAB - a grand day out!

2006-04-27T22:17:00.000+01:00

As promised, we all trundled off to Brooklands on "Drive-it Day", and a jolly good time was had by all. I set off in the Transit at the crack of dawn to reach Brooklands by 7:30am. By the time I got there it was raining, and that only got worse by the time the Triumph drivers started to arrive. Nevertheless, arrive they did, in their hundreds! I don't know how many were counted through the gates, but the turnout was excellent. With some long established Triumph shows now in decline, it was really exciting to see a new event flourish. Every space seemed to be filled with Triumphs, even much of the famous banked circuit.

Back to reality with a bump though, MOT time on the Acclaim. Time spent rebuilding the headlight flasher switch was well worthwhile, as was that spent tuning the engine. The carbs were set-up from first principles, and the timing was found to be about 20 degrees advanced! Everything now works well, however I still left the garage with a fail sheet. The back edges of both sills holed with a gentle tap, and a vibration I was feeling from the front turned out to be a badly bulged tyre, rather than the lost weight I had assumed. Both faults annoying as I could (and should) have spotted and fixed them first....never assume anything!
Rather than bring the car home, I left it for the garage to sort out - it's less hassle, and at least I don't have to pay for the re-test that way. I was also advised on the condition of my headlamp reflectors, both a bit dull. I've just found out that these are the same as those on a Bedford Rascal, so there shouldn't be any problem finding good ones.
Cheers,
Bill.

April 23rd - Enjoy your Triumph!

2006-03-31T22:09:00.000+01:00

April 23rd has been declared Drive It Day by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, the organisation which exists to uphold our freedom to drive our classics.
April 23rd is also the date of the STAB event - Standard Triumph At Brooklands. As a Triumph Forum event, this should be an excellent gathering for Triumphs of all types. I'll be going along, sadly without a Triumph, but with a Transit Van full of bits for them instead. Never mind, my wife Karen will be coming, probably in her 2000, so at least one of the Rarebits fleet will be flying the flag!
See you there,
Bill.

2006-03-30T14:36:00.000+01:00

I've thought about putting a blog together for some time, there's always been something more pressing to do though. The last week has seen me grounded with a rather nasty illness. I won't go into the gory details, but I've ended up with time on my hands, but little chance of escaping the house to work on any of my cars. Ho-hum.
So what am I up to? Just before getting ill, I acquired a Triumph Acclaim HLS. I've thought about getting one of these for a while now, so the sudden need for a replacement "modern" car (well, everything's relative!) saw this one join the fleet. It's in the traditional Acclaim colour of "Hearing-aid Beige". It coped well with the journey back from Birmingham and is actually quite nice to drive. It will certainly be more economical than the Mk1 Triumph 2000 which otherwise serves as daily transport!
So a quick learning curve on Honda & Triumph's finest. First thing to deal with is a reluctant starter, the engine turns hesitantly but will start easily. It's not the battery, intially cleaning up the feed and ground cables hasn't sorted the problem. Those wires look really flimsy compared to the older Triumphs I'm used to, so I will make some new ones of slightly heavier gauge. I wonder if there's a market for these?
Other issues to deal with are a blowing exhaust downpipe gasket, complicated by some studs already having been broken and replaced with bolts by a previous owner. Not rocket science, but I will be methodical as the manifiold will inevitably need to come off for re-studding. I wonder what else will break when that comes off? There's also the broken headlight switch to replace, I currently have only dipped beam.
All good fun, but very frustrating that I can't get on with it.....