Break Down Story Number 10.

The Broken Diff.

During 1990/1 I was at home in Grafton (Tucabia), unemployed but the Dolly had broken down, so I borrowed the Old Mans Triumph 2.5 MK II S. I was on my way to Sydney for a job interview when about 35 km’s outside Kempsey there was a large ‘BANG’ from the rear of the car. I pulled over and had a look, but there was nothing overly wrong. I decided to try to get back to Kempsey.

Driving slowly in second gear all the way with the car going ‘bang, bang, every few metres, I made it. I parked the car on the side of the road about a block outside the shopping centre, jacked it up and found the tail shaft was just about to fall out as the universal joint was well passed its use by date.

I walked down town looking for a spare parts shop and found Repco, where I bought a universal joint and a vice. The vice I reasoned could be a birthday present for the Old Man.

The tail shaft came off easily and fitting the universal went well. I felt very confident that I had fixed it so I loaded every thing back into the car and drove off only to discover that the universal was not the problem. I jacked it up again and turned the rear wheel and I could hear the diff, well I thought, I need a new diff.

I rang the Old Man and he purchased a diff from a fellow Triumph enthusiast, and would drive up the next day. I would have to stay at a Motel in Kempsey.

The next day I hired some axle stands and jacked the car up on a vacant lot near the motel and got as much pulled apart as I could before the Old Man arrived.

We changed the diff and left Kempsey at about one o’clock. So ended another break down adventure.

Jim Pope