Practically Classics Forum

Hi .New to this forum but have just bought Mk1 Vitesse Convertible.
Car comes as a rolling chassis and bonnet and rear tub.[Bulkhead reconditioned and fitted]
PLUS boxes of body parts.I am assured that all is there.
My problem is that I am fine with the rebuild but ask the forum which is the best book to get hold of
to show me diagrams of what goes where?

Who is the best supplier of body repair panels? Quality and price wise?

Thanks in anticipation.
Jon P.

hello John,

I am also new to this forum (first post) and also own a Triumph Vitesse 2 litre Mk1, mines a Saloon version.

Having just got it on the road after restoring it for the past year, The Haynes manual for the Triumph Vitesse and GT6 help me through my restoration.

Regading the panels, i made all my own repair sections and panel, so i didnt need to buy any. However i've heard some fantastic reviews about TD Fitchet, they use all the original tooling from the factory in conventry from where our cars where built. Having used them for a few bits and pieces i needed they where great. they have a very old fashioned style of functioning there, know website or email. I really could have got my car finished if it wasnt for Canley classics, There one of the leading specialist for our cars, they usually have the cheap prices and have heard they do good quality panels to. However, I like James paddock, as he's always got the most cost effective prices.

here are the contacts for them;
- TD Fitchett,
Address:
Station Hill
Redland Industrial Estate
Telford
TF2 9JX
Telephone:
01952 620434

- canleys = http://www.canleyclassics.com/?xhtml=xh ... mepage.xsl
- Paddocks = http://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/
and also they this guy for suspension parts and rubbers, Nice guy and cheap;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/jumblemaster/ ... ksid=p3686

Hope this helped mate, Regards Jordan

Hello, welcome to the world of rust!

There's only one choice for a book, the proper factory workshop manual. Still available as a reprint, it has all the info you'll need. There's also this- http://www.vitessesteve.co.uk/Other-manuals.htm........click on the service training notes and you'll find it most useful when you're fitting up the body and hood. Regarding panels ,I've found that it's easiest if you try and salvage as much of what's there as you can and repair rather than replace, because wherever you get panels from they'll need adjustment and fettling.

Nice to hear of some other Vitesse owners. I have a Mk2 saloon that I restored about twelve years ago in a very DIY fashion, used for a few years then laid up needing major chassis work. I'll get back to it one day...
Not sure if they're still going, but my repair panels came from SW Classics (Stan Walters) and were excellent.
I bought quite a bit of stuff from Fitchetts, but only when I could get to their shop. I didn't like them for mail order as they were slow and not especially good on the phone (might have improved by now).
Anglian Triumph were also excellent and very helpful.
Canley Classics were the real masters, a fount of knowledge and always willing to help.
The only supplier I had a bad experience with started with Q...

One bit of obvious advice I should have taken myself, is to get the chassis 100% perfect before starting anything else. Mine rusted badly on the inner sides of the main rails where it narrows for the diff - very hard to access to repair once the body is in place. It had also suffered accident damage to the front and was distorted enough make the usual Triumph panel gaps even worse. I'd thoroughly recommend getting hold of the correct measurements/blueprints and checking the dimensions before it's too late. I'd also seriously consider stripping it down and getting it galvanised.

Willy Eckerslyke, on Fitchetts, wrote:I didn't like them for mail order as they were slow and not especially good on the phone (might have improved by now).

Define "improved?" Their rather forthright telephone answering bloke is a mine of information and even if his rather blunt tone isn't to everyone's taste, at least he doesn't bullsh*t punters.
Besides; anything that prevents those Rimmers from monopolising the supply of such bits can only be a good thing.

Thanks to those who replied with VERY useful information.I now feel as though there are others out there who have gone through what I am starting on.Friendly relpies always help. J.P.

Good luck with it - here's my mk1 1600 outside the last bit of the factory left. This was taken a few years ago mind (the paintwork is awful now)...


Susan at the last remaining vestiges of the Triumph Factory by bloke, on Flickr

And for a bit more inspiration here's mine in a totally non-factory colour and on late GT6 optional 5.5J steels. I did the paint with my ancient 1.5hp Sip compressor and a £25 spraygun, so you don't need to fork out huge sums on gearto get a passable result.......it's all in the elbow grease!

Well thats a bit weird- photobuckets been messed with recently but I didn't know it'd taken to chopping the pics off I'll try and fix it but do't hold your breath lol!

Assuming that the picture of the Vitesse (Brooklands? Suits it, IMHO) finishes a few inches - in real life - in front of the car, it's all visible for users who select the subsilver2 forum theme, the default theme, however, does chop pictures to 640 pixels across regardless of their original resolution.