Jason's Blog

I made a schoolboy error last night, I was driving up to Newcastle from Reading for work - I'd dropped off at Cheltenham to see my Gran who's in hospital there following a fall. I was on my way to buy Dave Pearson a pint and needed to fill up with diesel. I pulled up and selected the nozzle, I remember looking at the pump and thinking "Not the premium stuff, the cheapo stuff will do" as I was filling up the pump cut out a couple of times then my phone rang. I needed to take the call so I put the nozzle aside and went into the shop, took my call and paid for the twenty quid of fuel, jumped back in the car and called Dave to tell hime I was on my way. The car then seemed to missfire but ran OK, it didn't feel right, crappy fuel perhaps I thought. I saw a BP station and as I still needed a tankful I pulled in, filled up with diesel, bought some food and jumped back in the car, it turned over but wouldn't start. It then hit me, the first fuel I had put in was pet...

I am selling off a collection of old car mags, when I get a bit bored I go through a pile, see what I want to keep and list the rest on eBay. I can't bring myself to chuck them and I've tried to get the kids involved in listing them on eBay but they just can't be bothered. So I'm doing it! Anyway - I was thumbing through Classic & Sportscar, September 1989 when what do I see? John Wolley on full chat in 6003VC on the Pirelli Marathon. This Vitesse is a car now in the collection of Canley Classics' "full time Triumph enthusiast" Dave Pearson - so here you are Dave, I'll bring the mag up for you when I am next passing.

I bought some braided hose and fittings to remake the clutch master to slave pipe - I've never liked it in solid pipe and having seen a few in flexi pipe I though - "I'll have some of that". So I satrted shopping around a bit and got totally confused with pipe sizse (thanks to Dave Powel for the tutorial, much appreciated). Anyway, I found what I needed at www.rallydesign.co.uk and put in an order - I was impressed with their prices but not their postage costs which I thought where expensive - but hey! You pays yer money you takes yer choice. So the package arrived and a neighbour signs for it - she brings it over that afternoon and I unpack - bummer, the pipe is damaged, looks like someone has dropped something on it and crushed it - as it was coiled up it's put a nice pinch in the pipe every 8 inches or so. No good - so I emailed them and got an auto reply saying emails might not be responded to immediately - so I called them. Explained the situation to a cha...

Two plastic ones to be precise - thanks to Paul Bodium and Andy Cook for throwing some fans my way. They look the same but they aren't so I wonder which one is identical??!!? I've just been given a new project at work so I'd better finish the DIY and get back to work - well after I've been out in the garage to sort out the little job under the Vitesse hood!

Well there I was just browsing through a couple of old car mags I'd bought on eBay. I was a little disappointed in the one I had in my hand, it didn't have the information in I was looking for so I flicked to the classifieds, you often see interesting things back there and true enough, there it was, somthing indeed very interesting - an advert for XJB392H. If you click on the picture it should open up to a full size image for you, in case you can't read it it says "World-Cup Rally Triumph 2.5 PI Saloon, April 1970. This actual car was driven into 4th place in teh gruelling World Cup Rally by Paddy Hopkirk, Tony Nash and Nevilel Johnston. This car was prepared by British Leyland Special Tuning Division at a cost exceeding £6,000. Modifications are far too numerous to list, but include group 5 tuned TR6 engine, developing 200 bhp, 4 speed close ratio gear-box with overdrive on all 4 gears. Limited slip diff. 6 1/2 J Minilite wheels, 4 Bendix fuel pumps, aluminium body pa...