The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

im not bothered either way on the arguement, but on a fresh build surely the bush would be fitted into the metal housing BEFORE it was fitted to the car? Why would you waste time doing afterwards?....

Tony

It seems two myths never go away, one - it goes in this way or that and two - the myth of BL unions. Knowing a lot of guys who worked there I do find it tragic how the same old ideas go round and round with no basis in reality.

We are veering into politics now, but Ford, Vauxhall (GM) etc had already moved away from piece work, and Longbridge had been convinced to do so for the launch of the Marina, however Triumph were one of the last to give up on piece work. I'm not laying the demise of either Triumph or BL at the door of the unions, it was a joint effort, many missed opportunities, fierce inter-marque rivalry (proven Rover V8 for the Stag as just one example). A failure to rationalise sufficiently was due to the fear of having to take on the unions due to the potential for factory closures. Then there was the government insisting on regional factories such as Speke (the most unproductive car factory in Europe, a great honour to hold). Other government interference such as the initial refusal to allow Jaguar to expand as XJ6 waiting lists grew, the constant messing around with purchase tax and deposits required for new cars as another example, the late entry into the EU making it difficult to sell into Europe, hence building the factory in Belgium to make cars from CKD kits. Then there was Donald Stokes, great salesman and worked wonders at Leyland but perhaps not the visionary for such a large organisation of disparate units thrown together that used to be bitter rivals. BL was successful, BMC wasn't and it was not a good marriage with Austin hemorrhaging cash. The highly protectionist Sir William Lyons at Jaguar, an example being the one BL marque that did not have the BL logo on the wings at his insistence. Let's move over to Ford, the strike over the Cortina MK3 made it the last unique British Ford built car as Ford (Henry Ford Jnr to be precise) then decided that they would not be held to ransom again and all models had to be able to be built in any european factory.

"The jobs of 10,000 car workers rest on a crucial vote today by strikers in the "who-turns-the-screws" dispute. The 200 strikers will be asked to consider a peace formula hammered out last week by leaders of three unions.

But if they reject the formula and decide to stay on strike mass layoffs will begin almost immediately at the giant Standard -Triumph plant in Coventry. Already - the plant is virtually at a standstill with seven of the firms eight dollar earning models idle and over 700 men laid off. The dispute concerns an inter-union wrangle over who should tighten two screws on a new dashboard for the Triumph 2000 models.

So far the job has been done by fitters in the Transport Workers union and the A.E.F. Now members of the Vehicle Builders union claim the job is theirs. They have rejected a factory demarcation committee ruling which says the same men should continue tightening the screws. The peace plan involves the strikers accepting the committee's decision until a three-man team of top union officials has visited the plant to investigate the grievance."

So a bush being fitted the wrong way could easily lead to a dispute if who tightens a screw did. Ah, this is not for a forum post, but as far as I'm concerned that period was the 'perfect storm' with the unions not just being innocent bystanders but as much to blame as the 'toff' management and the interventionist one minute hands off the next government.

Edit: Add quote from 1969 news story.

Hilarious....
So evidence of it being fitted either way from both sides of the argument...

Bit like the Brexit debate is this....
Nobody with an entrenched position they have held for years is going to loose the argument.....

Especially not to a European....

Dives for cover...

Jonners

When I got the Carledo, it had a "bush" made of body filler, so no example to go by, no shop manual (after 45 years of Triumphs, who needs one?) so I exercised logic and common sense and fitted my polybush from the inside, AND NOW I'M GOING TO FORGET IT!

Steve

Has anyone ever read Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift?

Paraphrased from Wikipedia:

The novel includes a description of an intra-Lilliputian quarrel over the practice of breaking eggs. Traditionally, Lilliputians broke boiled eggs on the larger end; a Emperor of Lilliput, had decreed that all eggs be broken on the smaller end after his son cut himself breaking the egg on the larger end. The differences between Big-Endians (those who broke their eggs at the larger end) and Little-Endians had given rise to "six rebellions... wherein one Emperor lost his life, and another his crown". The Lilliputian religion says an egg should be broken on the convenient end, which is now interpreted by the Lilliputians as the smaller end.

One final thought before I shut up on this subject.

Picture a man on the production line, he is picking up a plate in one hand and a bush in the other and slapping them together. He probably doesn't know (or care) what it is or what it does and 99% of his brain is working on where he is taking his g/f at the weekend. So if someone opens the box of plates from the wrong side, this guy will pick them up upside down, not notice and fit the bush however is easiest. Then another guy on the line will fit the plate. He only has so many seconds to do it so he's not gonna mess about with the bush if it will work either way round.

Under these circumstances you can get what we seem to have here, cars coming from the factory with the bushes fitted both ways.

Steve

Would it be helpful if I said I can see both sides of the arguement?

GTS290N wrote:Would it be helpful if I said I can see both sides of the arguement?

About as helpful as being able to spell argument!

Steve

Carledo wrote:

GTS290N wrote:Would it be helpful if I said I can see both sides of the arguement?

About as helpful as being able to spell argument!

Steve

Is there a smiley for tea bursting from mouth?