[TR] Blood Sacrifice to the Triumph Gods

[terryrs at comcast.net]

No, this is not about the cost of Triumph parts.

For some time, forever perhaps, I've been plagued by loud engine noise.  I assumed that because my bracket for the first alternator conversion was poorly constructed and vibrated like crazy, so that I'd ruined the bearing of the alternator I'd recently converted to, so swapped the alternator out.  

The sound persisted.  

Last night and tonight, fighting New England mosquitoes and black flies, I installed the new water pump from Moss.  I tried to source a replacement hooked vane pump from Ken Gilanders, but he informed me that the aged gentlemen who manufactured them for him had left the business and he no longer had a supplier.

Not a lot of room to on the alternator, as you all know.  Less because of the heat shield.

Started it again tonight, and with the new water pump the noise has vanished.  Maybe because the original pump bearings weren't up to standards, or because of the aforementioned heavy vibration through the belt from the bad bracket, the water pump went bad.  

The good news is, the new vitron (vitrol?) rubber grommets to seal the fuel resevoir took five minutes to install and got rid of the smell of gas that my wife, who thinks Triumphs are a return to the Dark Ages, complained incessantly about on the second trip she's ever ventured with me.  

More good news is, I didn't abruptly dump coolant onto Interstate 93.

All is well.  ...Just need wash the grease off and apply the disinfectant.  

Terry Smith, '59 TR3A
New Hampshire