kevin the chicken

That is a big bummer. Dan is probably right at least you would know that everything was as good as it could be if you started from scratch. Plus you would have one to copy. It would take you a lot more time than it would take Dan though if you are not a sparky by trade. At least you saved the car and maybe apart from the loom things aren't too bad. Just at the time of year when you should be driving not fixing it. I feel for you, good luck.

Most of the ones I've seen have been denso ones. They are used a lot on small agricultural tractors and mini diggers and similar. When my dicky one finally gives up the ghost I am going to fit one on my car. Makes the engine bay look a little less crowded as well as a little bit less weight for the engine to turn and carry. Presumably most of them would have enough output for our sort of cars just as Jim says a matter of finding one with the right connections.

Yes please dave. Didn't make it last year because of knackered engine but think I should be OK this year as everything is nearly sorted.

You can test the thermostat quite easily once it is out. Put it into a Pyrex jug and fill with boiling water. If it is any good you will see it open. If it doesn't chuck it, they are not expensive.

Those old locks are easy to bypass. We have a lock snapper kit on the fire engine and it is the work of seconds to prise off the cover, snap the lock and push the middle out. The new ones you can still break them off but you can't remove the middle piece. I would disagree about the upvc doors to some extent though as if they are properly installed, the ones without the panels are hard to break down quietly and thats important because the scroats don't want to make a noise. They like a quick shove and in with no noise. At the end of the day glass is easy to break but noisy and everybody has windows no matter how good their locks. Our post office nearly lost its atm this morning, as you say if they want it they will get it especially if they have a John deere telehandler.

Not greyhounds though. Big enough to spread themselves over a 3 seat sofa but too lazy to get to the back door. Seriously though I have now got a lurcher puppy and she has a big bark even though she is still small. As a postman I am always wary of houses where there are dogs but unfortunately a lot of people put up signs saying beware of dog whether they have one or not but it is another albeit small layer of security.

Must read posts more carefully. Somebody has done all the hard work for You! I think there are lots of people who have made boot covers and lids, have a search on the forum. Moving a front wheel arch should be easy.

Looking at probably three cameras as the other side is boxed in by the neighbours and they have cameras. If I am going to put them up then they might as well be of a reasonable quality. I am going to put security lights up too which may act as a visual deterrent. When I get a new gate put up that should make it harder to get around the rear of the house so hopefully that should deter anybody looking for easy pickings and make them try elsewhere. The thing that has brought this about is that my neighbour who is 80 odd years old had three masked men break in on Thursday night while he was in bed, get him up and show them where his money and gold was. They only got away with 80 pound cash and some rings but they trashed his house. The house the other side had a similar incident about 3 years ago. They are elderly too. Both houses have doors out of sight of the road. Mine is not and I have good doors at the back too but I want do everything I can.

If you have no mechanical knowledge have you considered buying one already registered and adapting it to your needs? It may be that if you buy a partly finished one and struggle with getting it done you may end up losing interest and end up selling it, after all ask yourself why a partly finished one is up for sale. Lots of cars come up for sale as unfinished projects. Nothing wrong with the cars though, go and look at Richards there won't be much he can't tell about them. If you buy a finished car you could drive it the next time you are off shift and mend it the next time. Just kidding. Keep us updated.

Hi, Thinking of fitting a home cctv setup at home but not really sure what I need or where to look. Anybody else fitted Any?

I agree, love him or loathe him you have to admit he's got some b***s to stand up in front of that partisan lot and tell them what's what. Personally I think he may go down as one of the most influential political figures ever. Go boy give them hell

Sorry to hear you are still having no luck. Is there not some kind of race engineer near You? The redtop is still quite commonly used in motorsport applications, not just vauxhall cars so that may be your best bet. I am still struggling to get mine running after an engine change and if a new coil expected to arrive tomorrow doesn't solve the problem this is what I will end up resorting to. If you tell me whereabouts you are i can ask him if he could recommend anybody near you, he travels around quite a lot and may know somebody nearby. Otherwise it may be a case of putting it on a trailer and munching some miles. I have a similar setup as the one bob tucker described in an earlier post. It is fairly simple and up until my engine change worked well. The distributor is the hard to find item but they do come up on eBay. The rest of the system is cheap to to change, cap a tenner, rotor arm 7 quid, ignition module less than thirty quid and now bob and I have swapped info to locate an alternative coil that has cost less than thirty quid. It all adds up but it is just a case of unplugging and then fitting the new item.

Put the vaseline on the car, not yourself. If it's ticking could it not be a failed solenoid. Or has somebody already said that. Or am I talking out of my porthole again.

It's there but you just can't find it. Generally if it's soft ie hose then it's measured by inside diameter and if it's hard then it's outside diameter. You probably know this anyway. Where are you looking, I find I can find most of what I need on eBay. I don't always buy it from there but it's a good place to get the information from.

Good excuse. Triggering of article 50

Sick of you. Nope glad to hear something is going well. Persistence pays off. I must try it some time.

Very clever stuff. Electrics and electronics are a mystery to me I'm afraid. I am sure there will be somebody interested to help you test out there.

I guess it will be a sierra one. If it was me I would look at the engine number and then Google it to find what year it was then buy the manual accordingly. Plenty of second hand ones on eBay when I last looked. I don't suppose there are great differences between different years but it's best to get as close as you can.

You might be able to make it more accurate by bending the metal rod the float is on. They are not very good but if you put for instance a quarter of a tank in and fettle it so that is accurate then at least you know when to think about filling up. Thats what I did, bend it put it back in, turn ignition on, take it out bend it again. Just trial and error.

I haven't used the dynax stuff but waxoyl is messy but effective. You can get it really warm so that it is very liquid and then fill cavities right up and then let it drain out and catch the excess. That way you know all the internal surfaces have been coated. It's not that expensive and the last time I bought some it came with an applicator pump thing. It does however weep out of the holes on warm days until all the excess has gone.

No, that's where I get my clothes from. Surprisingly enough I still seem to have a good spark although I think the battery has had it. I thought it was on the way out but it should be easy enough to get a replacement.

It's not a points dizzy. I am going to try it later. I think the coil is off an astra or maybe a cavalier. I tried to find another cap for the dizzy but had no luck until I took it to a motor factors in Peterborough, I suppose I will have to do the same with the coil if it's knackered but that won't be until my day off which is a week tomorrow. Thats the trouble with living here there's no shops only estate agents and charity shops.

I finally deemed it warm enough to come out of hibernation and go into the garage and now wish I hadn't. Went to the car and found it have left the ignition switched on for couple of days. What are the chances of my coil surviving That? I did try to get a spare one using the numbers off it over the winter but was unable to get a replacement so may need to find an alternative.

I'm the same stu. I was thinking what is wrong with a mechanical one. Less than a tenner when I replaced mine.

I actually watched top gear last night and they put a car through a high power manure spreader. Made quite a tidy job of it too.