Nigel Rogers

DGAV Million thanks for the engine. No more worries about trying to fit a CVH for me Cheers Nige p.s. If anyone else is still after an engine, I think DGAV might be able to help.

Duncan, I'm interested if I can arrange transporting it. (You have a PM.) Cheers Nige

Joni Thanks, never even thought about powder coating. I'll look into it. Cheers Nige

Battery Bill Your right, but apples and oranges are both kinds of fruit!!!! Doesn't make them the same thing though! Cheers ECAM

Pete, An avdel is a type of blind rivet, see this website for good info on all types of fasteners. Cheers ECAM (Nige)

Had a look at the Lightweight in the RH Showroom when I visited last year. Got to say it looked as if it had been thrown together regardless of whether it was the prototype or not. However concept looked OK, and I can't see that a Lightweight would fall to bits if it was put together properly. Consistant edge distances, accurate rivet/fastener pitching, proper panel gapping and steer clear of the pop rivets (use avdels!) However as its a Robin Hood you might need to remake many of the panels to achieve this and it'll certainly keep you busy building for a good while! NB: When finding fault with things that are rivetted together, remember an aeroplane is only 10,000 loose rivets flying in close formation! Cheers Nige

Steve, I think your on the right track with the air leak! Cheers Nige

Hi All, Just cleaning up and painting the rear suspension bit's & fitting them to the chassis, and have started wondering what paint I can use on the springs that won't crack and flake off within 5 minutes. Any suggestions out there?. Cheers Nige

Alan, As I don't want to mount my handbrake on the tunnel top, I was thinking of mounting my handbrake at an angle like yours and using a roller and cable to operate it. But I was worried about how solid I could make it. Is your handbrake mounting totally solid? Is the handbrake bolted to the tunnel as well somehow? (can't see from the picture) Do you have any pictures of the roller mounting? Apologies for all the questions. Cheers Nige

All I can say is it has been done before, but I don't know if the car was ever finished. I think the main problem was the brake servo/master cylinder which had to be located on the left of the car. But a lot of people seem to do away with the brake servo, and there are mod's to move the pedals back, so the master cylinder could possibly be made to fit on the proper side. The exhaust exits on the left too ! As donors are getting more rare and alot of the later 1.8's had CVH engines I think this is going to be a more common issue. Especially for budget builders ! E.g. if I can't get a free pinto, my car will have to have the CVH I've got. Cheers Nige

Phil, When thinking about what air tools to buy make sure you budget for a decent airline, quick release couplings and an oiler, if you can afford it get a filter/water trap too. The coil type hoses are rubbish as the are really easy to kink and then they break or hole. Cheers Nige.

Thanks Petemate, I have decided to go this route anyway. My donor came fitted with Monroe McPherson struts which are too big to fit in the chassis except for the bits at the ends. I have cut both ends of the struts off and drilled the blank end (20mm). The two ends will bolt together with the threaded bar. Doing it this way means the threaded bar passes thro' the part of the strut where the original shaft was, which should make it stronger laterally and then I can install this arrangement in the chassis tube as you would with the McPherson. If it's not acceptable for the SVA, I will just have to get hold of an original pair of struts and fit them! Cheers

There is an earlier post (2003) about modifying the rear suspension upper spring seats using M20 threaded bar and the McPherson strut upper seats to give a fully adjustable setup for the original Sierra springs/shockers. Has anyone adopted this setup? Did it get thro' the SVA? Are there any other setups using original springs and shockers out there? Cheers

After you've bolted the fwd angle iron thro' the chasis rail, how many bolts are you using across the rest of the floor? Do you just rely on the seat mounting and handbrake (If you fit it there!) fixing bolts, or do you fit bolts in more positions? Cheers!

Have a look at the following websites, there are some good ideas as to what fasteners are available. I know they may not be that easy to get hold of in small numbers, but they may give you some new idea's. ps Roy Hopwood is in the UK (Stockport) Don't know if they are trade only though! TextronRoy Hopwood

When you say the shell is really heavy, is that with all the doors, bonnet, boot lid & everything else stripped? Does anyone have a guesstimate of how heavy a Sapphire shell is?