Paul Birchall

1966 Triumph Vitesse 1600 Convertible

After a few years away from classic cars (mid life crisis motorbike phase) I bought myself a Triumph Vitesse from EBay July 2008 (not the smartest of moves)

Initially the car seemed fine with only a slight cam knock. Unable to cure it, I decided to remove the engine.

This is what I found

The Car had been heat seized, all 6 pistons were U.S

I sourced a replacement engine (free of charge) which was a bonus. The engine was rust seized but with a little WD40 it freed off

I then striped the engine down for inspection. To my surprise there was little wear.

I did the standard rebuild including rings shells seals and gaskets. A lick of paint and the job was a good one.

While the engine was out I cleaned the engine bay up. Not a brilliant job but good enough for me.

I also cleaned up the floor

The end result was great, but not perfect little car.