A day devoted to the gearbox.

Today we made an early start on a job which was unknown territory to us, removing the broken gearbox and installing the new (it's old but you know what i mean) gearbox that we previously bought on ebay. Despite taking 8 and a half hours, we only had a few major problems, which we managed to sort (eventually). One of the problems was parting the universal joint from the gearbox, which appeared to be completely wedged, and due to our lack of knowledge of removing gearbox's (this was our first time) we struggled, though eventually managed to part the two by jacking up the engine for support and simultaniously jacking the gearbox away from the propshaft (a very bodged but respectable method).

This problem came back with avengance on the refit of the new gearbox, and after finally giving up on attaching the gearbox to the universal joint we decided to tackle the easy jobs like tightening the nuts and bolts on the bell housing. Much to our surprise the earlier problem seemed to resolve itself with little effort after attaching the bell housing. Long day, but hopefully worth it, not looking forward to the test drive in the next few days...

A brief worry on the rear wheel front.

After leaving the Herald up on jacks all night i decided to put the wheel, which was now dry, back on. I lowered the jack and to our fear she didn't return to her normal position, so we spent half an hour worrying about what could have gone wrong, perhaps the shocks? We then decided to move her across the garage slightly, to aid our future endeavours with the new gearbox, and after a few minutes trying to start her in the cold (much harder than you would think, especially with a worn starter motor) she got moving, and much to our relief, the wheels sorted themselves.

A drip of paint on the wheels

For the past two days i've been giving the wheels a good rub down and paint, i've now finished 3 of 5 wheels, and the herald is starting to look very smart indeed, though taking off each wheel gives us a daunting reminder of how much work there really is to be done, some nice patches of rust are appearing from day to day. Atleast i won't be stuck for jobs!

We did however reveal a missing wheel nut on the front nearside wheel, we were lucky to get back from Nottingham to Kent without a wheel coming off. New wheel nut ordered, and the missing '1200' badge on the boot, though this will be a christmas present to me, and therefore won't make an appearance in photos for a few months yet.

Update on the gearbox; it has been bought on ebay for a very respectable £41.00 (I hope this price doesn't reflect it's condition) and should be delivered and ready to install within the next week or so.

paint in the boot

I woke up bright and early this morning to apply the first coat of Hammerite paint to the rust treated area. I did the second layer 8 hours later when I returned from university. We then tried to conquer the door problem, no success, likely to be the sagging hinge.

Started work

After a brief trip into town to collect some rust treatment and various other much needed products, we set to work on the rust inside the boot, removing loose rust with a wire brush, hoovering and then applying the rust to metal converter. The unsupported exaust pipe has now been strapped up (Whether or not the original weld had broken on the drive home, we are unsure). New bolts have been fitted into the dashboard and the glovebox (to replace missing bolts), and lastly the off-side window has a new rivet to replace the broken rivet, to allow it to open and shut more efficiently.

A daunting first drive.

After buying the Triumph Herald 1200 on ebay, a fortnight ago on the 26th of September, it was time to drive up to nottingham (a good three-hour drive) to collect her (10th October). Despite a well needed loo break the journey was relatively uneventful. We introduced ourselves to the previous owner and went through the paperwork, by this time i was anxious (and quite rightly, there were alot of firsts to happen today; first time driving a car in 9 months, first time without an instructor, first time in nottingham, first time in the Herald, first time on a motorway and lastly first time calling the recovery service!!) but ready to get going.

After an embarrassing and shakey start, which was made clear by the fear on my dad's face, who by this time had declared his need for a change of clothing, we had made progress and had made it to my auntys house on the outskirts of nottingham. We then proceeded to have lunch, or rather for my father to get drunk and ease the pain of the further 3 hours of the journey home!

On leaving the lunch venue, we cruised in the sunshine along some lovely country lanes, by this time i was much more in control of the Herald, after getting used to it the hour before. Two miles later we were greeted by an unwelcome smell of burning rubber. This smell soon disappeared (whether this was a good thing or not we were unsure, but the main thing was that the engine was still running and we were still moving!

For the next 3 hours or so the journey was uneventful, much to our surprise, but then we hit the M20 and everything went down hill (however the stretch of M20 was infact up hill! Perhaps the cause of our problem?), the speedometer drastically decreased from 60 to 50 to 40 within a matter of seconds, I think by this time we were sure that we would make it home, afterall we can't have been far off 20 miles from home. After a nice 20 minute break on the embankment of the M20 and a suspected gearbox failure, our taxi home had arrived (or rather a herald-sized taxi with a winch and a very hospitable cab!) The driver himself was a keen classic car owner and was very sympathetic towards us, which made the last 20 miles home a warm and communicative half-hour (if abit ungratified!)

After a very enjoyable yet disappointing day, We were all pleased to be home (including the herald) and a beer and pizza was the only way to celebrate surviving such an adventure. The herald now resting in the garage is awaiting a new gearbox and some TLC.