Cheers mate, overdrive makes the world of difference. Instead of having the engine scream at speed, it now sings, which is much kinder to it. So I'm over the moon it now works 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics The back axle has lower gearing on overdrive cars so you will miss it if tho overdrive isn’t working. Cars built as 4 speeds have overall gearing adjusted to suit and are perfectly usable, my Dolomite 1850 was fine.
Cheers Elin, it's good to finally have the overdrive working after converting it 6 months ago from non overdrive to overdrive. The difference in the driving experience is night and day 👍
Great video Steve, glad you finally got it sorted. You and Phil make a good double act, brilliant banter. As for best upgrade, fitting my phoenix big bore exhaust in place of the wheel barrow type, which I modified to fit a different brand stainless manifold that was already fitted. Closely followed by un modifying, the super wide (205's) low profiles back to the 165's on stock wheels, car (TR6) sits and drives so much better. 👍
That'll make 3 of use on original 165 15 tires. Personally I think it's the best way to go. Visually 195s look great, but they do make the steering heavy. And a phoenix big bore exhaust, now they sound awesome 👍
Hey Steve I bought my 72 GT6 new. It had rotoflex couplings. The biggest upgrade for me was installing the CV Joint conversion offered by Canley Classics.
Hi Steve, another great video. Answering your question, living in London the best upgrade was the install of the electric fan to keep things cool. People remove the thermostat which is not ideal. One additional improvement, this year added a rocker feed pipe to get the oil to the rockers quicker. Not seeing the oil reaching the rockers through the pin holes when removing the rocker cover cap after a minute was always a concern. This is now not the case and will hopefully make the rockers wear better.
This is something I'm planning on doing with my Spitfire, fitting an electric fan. I think it's one of the best upgrades you can do with any classic car. They just don't get on well with modern traffic, and an electric fan just keep things that little bit cooler under the bonnet for modern driving conditions 👍
Good video best upgrade to driving experience got to be tourist trophy exhaust and brake servo to my mga best visual upgrade wire wheels keep the vids coming
Cheers Ian, the tourist trophy exhaust are great on MGA's. I have a set of wires for my TR6, although I haven't fitted them in years, they do look good though 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics wires are nice but an absolute bugger to clean just been out for a decent drive put her away and got coolant on floor leaking from bottom of water pump 🤦♂️do you think k seal might work .? Leaks not bad but a leaks a leak
K seal is a temporary repair, you really need to find the route cause of the leak. If it's the seal or the water pump itself. I'm not keen on using K seal unless I'm stuck with no other option in the middle of nowhere to get me home. K seal does work, but it can clog up water ways. As your MGA is a pleasure car, and not used daily, why do temporary repair on it? Much better to locate the cause of the leak and fix it 👍
Great video, I was sceptical of the Hayne's manual's claim that the gearbox would come out that way :) - though I had a 1500 so it had a bigger box. The single biggest improvement I've achieved was getting a decent tune up on my first car, but it was really ratty when I bought it. Electronic ignition was probably the best actual upgrade on the Spit. For my MGB GT I fitted polybushes, thicker ARB and cambered wishbones, it transformed the handling. The most important upgrade I want to achieve: figure out and fix the sodding squeak coming from the back when I go on uneven road!
I know what you mean, when my dad first introduce me to how Triumphs came apart some 20 odd years ago, I thought it was odd taking the seats and most of the interior out just to do a clutch, but that's how it's done. Electronic ignition is a great upgrade, just fit and forget, and that's what I like about it. As for the poly bushes, brilliant upgrade! When I did my TR6 over the course of a weekend several years back, I remember saying to myself, who this has got handling. At the time I was use to it wondering around. How much of a different poly bushes make are night and day. Now I tend to fit SuperPro poly bushes to any classic 👍
Good stuff Steve and your apprentice is really quite handy !😂😂 Do you intend to recondition the old unit or does the expense prohibit it ? As for any upgrades l'll be quite content just to see one of mine driving !!! Thanks Steve. It's cold down in Devon but lovely out of the wind !
Cheers John, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it just yet. It'll probably go on the spares junk pile and be left there for years on end. You'll get there with your TR6 soon mate, just keep chipping away at it 👍
I'm curious now......Does the Spitfire use a different rear gear ratio with overdrive equipped cars ? ......I've been driving the same TR3A now for 52 years....The non-overdrive cars had a 3:73 rear gear ratio , and the overdrive cars where 4:11 ....I replaced my differential years ago with the unit from my overdrive TR (I had two at the time) ...I have since had to buy a 3:73 gear set to get back to 'normal'.....I haven't done the installation as I found my speedometer , although still reading incorrect, now almost matches the metric system (I'm in Canada)....I don't do a lot of highway driving anymore (I've driven across Canada), so I put up with the 4:11 gears.....The speedometer is different in OD cars as well due to the different rear gear ratios....Overdrive TR3s will put about 30% more wear on the power train when not using overdrive due to 4:11 gears, so oil changes are more critical (something to consider if buying a TR3 or TR4)...........................John (west coast,Can.)..... Oh, the best upgrades done to my TR3A would be radial tires on solid rims instead of 48 spokers, and modern hi-torque starter....I did have Cibie 'concave' headlights years ago but the reflectors rusted out...
Ok, this is a bit of a long question, and one I can only answer with the knowlege I have. So for example on a TR6 the UK and European cars had a 3.45:1 diff, regardless of being fitted with overdrive or not. In the North American cars which we're mostly built for the US market without overdrives and were fitted with diffs with 3.7:1 ratios. This is to lower the engine rpm at higher speeds due to not having overdrives. But what you also have to factor in, the US and Canida legal speed limits are lower than the UK's 70mph. With a Spitfire it depends on which mark for the ratio, but the diff ratios we're the same for all markets regardless of overdrive or none over drive except Swiss. So mk1-3 Spitfires had 4.11:1 ratio regardless of being overdrive or not, except Swiss, Mk4 was 3.89:1 and 1500 was 3.63:1
@@SteveDentonClassics ...I guess the cars I'm talking about pre-date the cars you have better knowledge of....In earlier days ('50s&'60s) speed limits weren't an issue, so, I assume TR3's and 4's had different parameters to work with....The OD cars would've been slightly more costly to produce with different gear ratios AND different speedometers to match....
Yes, my technical knowledge on TR2-3 is limited as I tend to stick to working on the era of cars I enjoy with TR4's up until the last TR6 so 60's and early 70s stuff. Although I have been known to do a few jobs to the 2 and 3s. I rebuilt a TR2 engine at work only a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed doing it. As they say every day is a school day, and I'm always happy to learn more
It would have been nice if you'd gone over the wiring for a conversion like this. You didn't go over it in the last video and now you've not done it again. Would you please explain the wiring necessary to do this conversion? Thanks
Hi George, many apologies, I didn't want to show the wiring at the time of making the video as it was just linked up direct to the battery to prove it all worked, and I didn't want to show this on camera, as it would be wrong. The correct way for the wiring on a D type overdrive conversion on a Spitfire needs to have a relay fitted in the loom. So to wire up you need a good battery feed to the relay (ideally add an inline fuse to this) and this is wired into C1 terminal on the relay. Then the other feed, should be from the fuse box on the ignition switched side and goes to W1 on the relay. Then C2 wire from the relay heads down to the solonoid. And W2 on the relay heads up to the overdrive switch in the cockpit, then back down to the gearbox, onto the inhibitor switch, then to earth on the gearbox. I've added a link to the Triumph Experience page which shows you the wiring diagram for a Herald, however, its the same for a Spitfire, hope this helps www.triumphexp.com/forum/herald-and-vitesse-forum.23/d-type-overdrive-wiring-schematic.1508604/
A good upgrade for that car would be to fit a Mk4 / 1500 swing-spring to the rear... I did that on my Vitesse 1600 (with an extra leaf from the Vitesse added).
I've never tried it that way before, just either out the way I did it, or out with the engine. I might give the way your suggesting a go on the next one I do 👍
Cheers mate, the wheel are very much marmite. Your either going to love them or hate them, but they left the factory with them on, so they are there to stay 👍
Nicely done Steve. I'd have to say adding overdrive to my Spitfire was the best upgrade I've made. I also added reclining seats which is a bonus 😎
Cheers mate, overdrive makes the world of difference. Instead of having the engine scream at speed, it now sings, which is much kinder to it. So I'm over the moon it now works 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics The back axle has lower gearing on overdrive cars so you will miss it if tho overdrive isn’t working. Cars built as 4 speeds have overall gearing adjusted to suit and are perfectly usable, my Dolomite 1850 was fine.
Great result Steve. Good to have a friend to help you too!
Cheers Elin, it's good to finally have the overdrive working after converting it 6 months ago from non overdrive to overdrive. The difference in the driving experience is night and day 👍
Great video Steve, glad you finally got it sorted. You and Phil make a good double act, brilliant banter. As for best upgrade, fitting my phoenix big bore exhaust in place of the wheel barrow type, which I modified to fit a different brand stainless manifold that was already fitted. Closely followed by un modifying, the super wide (205's) low profiles back to the 165's on stock wheels, car (TR6) sits and drives so much better. 👍
I went back to 165s on my TR6 too-best handling ever!
That'll make 3 of use on original 165 15 tires. Personally I think it's the best way to go. Visually 195s look great, but they do make the steering heavy. And a phoenix big bore exhaust, now they sound awesome 👍
Hey Steve I bought my 72 GT6 new. It had rotoflex couplings. The biggest upgrade for me was installing the CV Joint conversion offered by Canley Classics.
The CV joint conversion is a brilliant upgrade over the original rotoflex joints. Nice one chap 👍
Hi Steve, another great video. Answering your question, living in London the best upgrade was the install of the electric fan to keep things cool. People remove the thermostat which is not ideal. One additional improvement, this year added a rocker feed pipe to get the oil to the rockers quicker. Not seeing the oil reaching the rockers through the pin holes when removing the rocker cover cap after a minute was always a concern. This is now not the case and will hopefully make the rockers wear better.
This is something I'm planning on doing with my Spitfire, fitting an electric fan. I think it's one of the best upgrades you can do with any classic car. They just don't get on well with modern traffic, and an electric fan just keep things that little bit cooler under the bonnet for modern driving conditions 👍
Great video 👍
Cheers Russ, glad you enjoyed it 👍
Good video best upgrade to driving experience got to be tourist trophy exhaust and brake servo to my mga best visual upgrade wire wheels keep the vids coming
Cheers Ian, the tourist trophy exhaust are great on MGA's. I have a set of wires for my TR6, although I haven't fitted them in years, they do look good though 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics wires are nice but an absolute bugger to clean just been out for a decent drive put her away and got coolant on floor leaking from bottom of water pump 🤦♂️do you think k seal might work .? Leaks not bad but a leaks a leak
K seal is a temporary repair, you really need to find the route cause of the leak. If it's the seal or the water pump itself. I'm not keen on using K seal unless I'm stuck with no other option in the middle of nowhere to get me home. K seal does work, but it can clog up water ways. As your MGA is a pleasure car, and not used daily, why do temporary repair on it? Much better to locate the cause of the leak and fix it 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics 👍
Great video, I was sceptical of the Hayne's manual's claim that the gearbox would come out that way :) - though I had a 1500 so it had a bigger box.
The single biggest improvement I've achieved was getting a decent tune up on my first car, but it was really ratty when I bought it. Electronic ignition was probably the best actual upgrade on the Spit. For my MGB GT I fitted polybushes, thicker ARB and cambered wishbones, it transformed the handling. The most important upgrade I want to achieve: figure out and fix the sodding squeak coming from the back when I go on uneven road!
I know what you mean, when my dad first introduce me to how Triumphs came apart some 20 odd years ago, I thought it was odd taking the seats and most of the interior out just to do a clutch, but that's how it's done.
Electronic ignition is a great upgrade, just fit and forget, and that's what I like about it. As for the poly bushes, brilliant upgrade! When I did my TR6 over the course of a weekend several years back, I remember saying to myself, who this has got handling. At the time I was use to it wondering around. How much of a different poly bushes make are night and day. Now I tend to fit SuperPro poly bushes to any classic 👍
Good stuff Steve and your apprentice is really quite handy !😂😂 Do you intend to recondition the old unit or does the expense prohibit it ? As for any upgrades l'll be quite content just to see one of mine driving !!! Thanks Steve. It's cold down in Devon but lovely out of the wind !
Cheers John, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it just yet. It'll probably go on the spares junk pile and be left there for years on end. You'll get there with your TR6 soon mate, just keep chipping away at it 👍
Added a remote brake servo to my 1977 Spitfire 1500. Made the world of difference to the driving experience.
There a good little devise them remote servos, just gives you more confidence in the brakes 👍
I'm curious now......Does the Spitfire use a different rear gear ratio with overdrive equipped cars ? ......I've been driving the same TR3A now for 52 years....The non-overdrive cars had a 3:73 rear gear ratio , and the overdrive cars where 4:11 ....I replaced my differential years ago with the unit from my overdrive TR (I had two at the time) ...I have since had to buy a 3:73 gear set to get back to 'normal'.....I haven't done the installation as I found my speedometer , although still reading incorrect, now almost matches the metric system (I'm in Canada)....I don't do a lot of highway driving anymore (I've driven across Canada), so I put up with the 4:11 gears.....The speedometer is different in OD cars as well due to the different rear gear ratios....Overdrive TR3s will put about 30% more wear on the power train when not using overdrive due to 4:11 gears, so oil changes are more critical (something to consider if buying a TR3 or TR4)...........................John (west coast,Can.)..... Oh, the best upgrades done to my TR3A would be radial tires on solid rims instead of 48 spokers, and modern hi-torque starter....I did have Cibie 'concave' headlights years ago but the reflectors rusted out...
Ok, this is a bit of a long question, and one I can only answer with the knowlege I have. So for example on a TR6 the UK and European cars had a 3.45:1 diff, regardless of being fitted with overdrive or not. In the North American cars which we're mostly built for the US market without overdrives and were fitted with diffs with 3.7:1 ratios. This is to lower the engine rpm at higher speeds due to not having overdrives. But what you also have to factor in, the US and Canida legal speed limits are lower than the UK's 70mph. With a Spitfire it depends on which mark for the ratio, but the diff ratios we're the same for all markets regardless of overdrive or none over drive except Swiss. So mk1-3 Spitfires had 4.11:1 ratio regardless of being overdrive or not, except Swiss, Mk4 was 3.89:1 and 1500 was 3.63:1
@@SteveDentonClassics ...I guess the cars I'm talking about pre-date the cars you have better knowledge of....In earlier days ('50s&'60s) speed limits weren't an issue, so, I assume TR3's and 4's had different parameters to work with....The OD cars would've been slightly more costly to produce with different gear ratios AND different speedometers to match....
Yes, my technical knowledge on TR2-3 is limited as I tend to stick to working on the era of cars I enjoy with TR4's up until the last TR6 so 60's and early 70s stuff. Although I have been known to do a few jobs to the 2 and 3s. I rebuilt a TR2 engine at work only a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed doing it. As they say every day is a school day, and I'm always happy to learn more
It would have been nice if you'd gone over the wiring for a conversion like this. You didn't go over it in the last video and now you've not done it again. Would you please explain the wiring necessary to do this conversion? Thanks
Hi George, many apologies, I didn't want to show the wiring at the time of making the video as it was just linked up direct to the battery to prove it all worked, and I didn't want to show this on camera, as it would be wrong. The correct way for the wiring on a D type overdrive conversion on a Spitfire needs to have a relay fitted in the loom. So to wire up you need a good battery feed to the relay (ideally add an inline fuse to this) and this is wired into C1 terminal on the relay. Then the other feed, should be from the fuse box on the ignition switched side and goes to W1 on the relay. Then C2 wire from the relay heads down to the solonoid. And W2 on the relay heads up to the overdrive switch in the cockpit, then back down to the gearbox, onto the inhibitor switch, then to earth on the gearbox. I've added a link to the Triumph Experience page which shows you the wiring diagram for a Herald, however, its the same for a Spitfire, hope this helps www.triumphexp.com/forum/herald-and-vitesse-forum.23/d-type-overdrive-wiring-schematic.1508604/
@@SteveDentonClassics Wow! Thanks so much. Cheers!
A good upgrade for that car would be to fit a Mk4 / 1500 swing-spring to the rear... I did that on my Vitesse 1600 (with an extra leaf from the Vitesse added).
Yeah, the 1500 swing spring is really good upgrade, and one I may well do, along with a thicker front anti roll bar. All in good time though 👍
The best upgrade to my Spittie was electronic ignition.
Good upgrade!! No more messing about with points, just turn the keys and go 👍
Best improvement on my Tr6 was getting the fuel injection system running correct & electronic ignition
The bumblebee has to be one of the finest TR6's I've ever driven. It's a real credit to you John 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics Thanks for that Steve. Are you sue you were driving my car?
The transmission goes out though the bottom so much easier!
I've never tried it that way before, just either out the way I did it, or out with the engine. I might give the way your suggesting a go on the next one I do 👍
Yes a number of times, however I'm always open to new suggestions and ideas 👍
No it doesn’t only from inside chassis is in the way
great channel but those wheels are bloody awful mate
Cheers mate, the wheel are very much marmite. Your either going to love them or hate them, but they left the factory with them on, so they are there to stay 👍
@@SteveDentonClassics good man - I can respect that