Fellow Triumphites;
Have you ever looked at the commission plate, and taken the build
date on it as "gospel"? Does anyone know how many plates were made
at one time in preparation for the build queue?
I had surmised in the past that the April, 1973 build date was in
error, as the date of delivery was in July, 1973. (This was in the
UK, so there was no delay in shipping.) I had doubted that the car
was built to order and then sat for a couple of months.
Anyway, this past weekend, I had reason to remove the brakelight
switch, and the date code on the switch was 0673. I know that the
switch was original, so I now believe that the build date of the
grape is some time in late June or early July of 1973. I know, I
could spend the money and get a more exact date, and someday I
probably will.
This also brings me to my whine (whinge for our British friends).
Why is it that every time you go out to do a minor adjustment on
a LBC, a major problem arises? I wanted to tune the carbs, as it
was still running too rich on the rear carb. I started the car, and
moved it over to the center of the garage so that I could easily get
to both sides. While the car was running, I walked around the back
to get some tools, and noticed that the brake lights were still on!
I reached into the footwell, and pulled on the brake pedal, and it
was at the top of it's travel. I touched the brakelight switch, and
it didn't move. I pushed on it, and it broke. Oh, no.
I ended up temporarily bodging in a toggle switch so that I could
drive the car and have someone behind me know that the brakes were
on and I was planning on stopping. I have ordered the switch, so it
_will_ be a temporary repair.
Doug Mitchell - Honest, it does have brake lights, officer, let me
switch them on for you.
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