----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Hargreave Mawson <OC@46thFoot.com>
> 'Way back in the mists of time, when I was about three years old, I fell
> in love with a car that belonged to a neighbour. It was a white or
> pale cream-coloured Herald 1200 Convertible, with red-and-cream interior
> trim.
Hi Mike,
Sorry to nit-pick, but with a 2 tone interior it's likely to ahve been a
948 rather than a 1200........
> I thought it was the prettiest car I had ever seen, and vowed
> that I would have one just like it - one day. Well, maybe that day is
> coming. It fulfils my need for a convertible. It would keep the
> family happy. It is basically a Spitfire with a bigger body and a
> smaller engine,
Well the Spitfire is essentially a shortened and rebodied Herald chassis and
twin carburettors - the engine capacity year-on-year was the same between both
vehicles - the Spitfire outlived the Herald and ultimately acquired a larger
1500 engine
> Are there any Herald 1200 Convertible owners on the list who could give
> me pointers to purchasing one of these?
I don't currently have a Convertible, but I own 9 Heralds of various flavours,
including a couple of 1200s - I have owned over 35 different Heralds (including
plenty of convertibles) so I like to think I've learnt a little about them :-)
> What to look for (and what to
> walk away from)? There seems to be very little on the Web about this
> particular model, and I want to make sure that I get the best possible
> car that I can for my money.
Rusy is your biggest worry. For a practical vehicle, avoid cars built before
June 1962 (commission number GA80000 and earlier) as they use a considerably
weaker chassis. While these early cars are what I specialise in, I know that
the chassis can fail due to stress cracking while the later ones simply rust!
Unlike the Spitfire, some body panels are in short supply. The replacement
wings for 1200s are usually mishapen at the front as they are modified (by
hand) from 13/60 pressings - original Stanpart 1200 wings are pretty scarce.
Other difficult to repair areas are the bootfloor (the replacements are hugely
expensive and absolute rubbish) and the rear wings. While the wing panels
themselves are usually quite good, the rear shell can distort through contiuous
carrying of heavy loads. making the shell a poor fit to the panel. For this
reason, avoid cars with excessive rot to the rear wings, though any competent
restorer can repair motheaten wheelarches with ease.
Underneath, pay particular attention to the chassis rails either side of
the diff. Unlike the Spitfire, water is channelled down the rear outriggers to
collect in the dipped chassis member at this point. The chassis is often
crudely repaired at this point, so look for big plates and blobby welding. The
3 otriggers on each side are connected by a flimsy siderail to which the
(cosmetic) sill is attached by screws. All of these members have a finite
lifespan and most will have been replaced. Correct replacement is difficult as
access to the top side of the chassis is almost impossible without removing the
body.
Mechanically, you are looking at a Spitfire so there's not much you won't
have already covered. The usual Solex B32 carburettor is a simple affair with
little to go wrong (other than blocked jets). The rear suspension is the swing
axle arrangement as on the early Spitfire, but it can be replaced with a swing
spring conversion (from Canley Classics) for improved handling.
> Prices seem to be very much lower than
> for the TR range, ranging from GBP1000 to GBP3500 - which is nice <g> -
> so it could just be that I could afford a car in concourse condition,
> which would be a nice change from my Spitfire (not to mention that ratty
> old Saab parked next to it)...
Would you really want to take the family out in a concourse Herald?
> On the other hand, I am a little nervous about a large family car with
> only an 1147cc engine in it. Can the Herald 1200 reach motorway
> speeds, or is it forever doomed to pootle along with a little man and a
> flag in front of it? I don't need the World's Fastest Quarter Mile
> time, or a top speed in excess of 75 mph, but crawling along at 35 is
> not my idea of fun.
The 1147 engine is a reasonable unit - I've used these cars as my only form of
transport for much of my driving life - I took an unmodified Courier Van on a
1400 mile tour of Northern Europe without problems. Theoretical maximum speed
is about 78mph - later cars claim a higher power output, but in my experience
the early cars have a nice wide cam which makes them more pleasant with less
gearchanging - sorry I can't remember the change point offhand. My old 1964
Saloon was eventually fitted with overdrive and bombed along the M40 at an
indicated 95mph, fully laden with 2 (not small) adults, camping gear and lots
of autojumble on a roofrack en-route to the TSSC International Weekend. Hills
weren't so much fun.......
> (On the gripping hand, my 1971 Sunbeam Stiletto
> used to perform like a Formula One car whilst powered by an engine you
> could have picked up with one hand...)
>
> Is there a Heralds list @autox.team.net?
No, but there is a Yahoo group here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/triumph_herald/
We have over 260 members worldwide with a friendly feel - generally a very
flame-free environment.
If you want any further information on Heralds, feel free to drop me a line. I
look after the Triumph Sports Six Club Herald 948/1200 Register, so I may be
able to point you in the direction of a suitable car,
Cheers,
Bill.
--
Rarebits4classics
.......just what you've been looking for
PO Box 1232
Calne
Wiltshire
SN11 8WA
United Kingdom
http://www.rarebits4classics.co.uk
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