Jason's Blog

I had to travel up to Leicester yesterday and as that's almost driving past Canley Classic's front door I thought I'd drop in and see Dave. I used to do this very regularly but work hadn't been taking me that way recently - too many Norwich trips! I'm hoping for a change of scenery - less Norwich and more Exeter, Liverpool and a threat of India too! So anyway, knowing that I would be passing I threw in some more Lucas Injection equipement I'd found in the garage - I'd been tidying up a few days ago and it had dropped out of the bottom of a box I was moving - right onto my foot! It was a metering unit, pipes and injectors - useful stuff :-) I think I've found it all now but as I couldn't remember where this set came from there could well be more in there somewhere! As it turned out, I was late leaving Leicester and Dave was under orders to get away promptly - it was his youngest daughter's birthday afterall, so we didn't get much chance to cha...

Find Music You'll Love - Pandora One of the guys off the Club Triumph forum suggested this music website. As I was a bit bored I gave it a click and what a great resource! You just tell it a track you like and it goes off and finds some stuff you might like - and it's pretty spot on! Run it in the background like a radio station, very good.

I'll need bigger fuel capacity for the Vitesse although fuel injection should give me improved economy, and of course that's why I'm fitting it :-) The answer is either a twin tank arrangement al la works rally cars or a bespoke tank - I favour the bespoke idea. Making a tank to sit across the car behind the rear seats. However, such a tank would cost a fair amount and would have to be made up for me from scratch, I don't think I'm really up to the job. So back to twin tanks - put two Vitesse tanks in and you lose all your booot space,yes you do get huge fuel capacity, it's kinda overkill. I was chewing the fat over this with Dave Pearson - he's got experience of twin Vitesse tanks and he thinks they were a contributory factor in his 10 Countries Run drive shaft failure. wo Vitesse tanks full of fuel are heavy! So, the solution is twin Herald tanks - smaller, lighter get bigger than one Vitesse tank. We have the added bonus that the piping already in place c...

I needed an inertia cutout switch for the PI - there are original Lucas ones out there but they seem to go for silly money. As this is a safety thing - in an accident it will shut off your fuel supply - I thought I might just spash out and buy new - eBay of course! They were cheap so I bought two :-) 

I had to go up to York on Friday for a business meeting. It's a bloody long way to York, especially as the meeting was for 10am - I left in plenty of time and despite the fog I got there for 9:30. Business done I headed for home, stopping in at Canley Classics to see Dave and start the ball rolling on the Lucas PI conversion for the Vitesse. Over the years I've acquired several sets of Lucas PI kit, from all sorts of places. Some of it's good, some of it's covered in crap and hard to distinguish what it is! I really need to start with an early TR5 metering unit but I don't think there's anything close in what I have, it's mainly saloon stuff. So I asked Dave if he'd look over it all and give me some advice on what's worth keeping, what's worth selling and what's worth melting down for scrap! I'd like to make it look good as well as go good - the car is used every week so it's not going to be bling bling but I do like things to look g...

This cropped up on the Club Triumph messageboard a few days ago and I just thought it was so good that I had to propogate it - especially as I get a name check :-) 10CR Day Speechfrom Henry V by William Shakespeare (well actually by Don Cook) This weekend is called the 10CR Weekend: He that outlives this weekend, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when the weekend is named, And rouse him at the name of 10CR. He that shall live this weekend, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say 'In September is 10CR weekend: 'Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars. And say 'These wounds I had on the 10CR Weekend. 'Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages What feats he did that weekend: then shall our names. Familiar in his mouth as household words Raider the king, Bancroft and Martin, Carruthers, Gingell, Foreman, Tornado, Chinn, Hoogmans and Tomboy, Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'...

I'm sat in Norwich in a hotel bar, specially selected because there's free wireless internet here! I've had a few beers and decided- I will do the 2006 RBRR in my Vitesse. Now, having made that decision I need to find a co-driver. I now need to get some time together to sort out the fuel injection idea - I've sort of got the money (need to sell a few things on ebay - some parts, some computer kit, a kidney, you know the score) I just need some time to get the parts I have up to Canley Classics for the once over, a fettle and sort out. I also need to get over to Bill Davies's barn for a couple of Herald fuel tanks - I've decided that's the way to go. So, it'll be pretty hefty on petrol, fun and noisey but the car needs it - it did the 2004 RBRR so it can do it again!