Grim

sounds like a plan, will dig them out in time for next month's meet

individual spades, so i haven't really got a clue what goes where. I took a look some time ago and decided to live with my electrical foible (operating rear washer causes front wiper fuse to blow)

escort i believe, same as mine.

Nick, i think i've got some 325 rears spare, i swapped out to 350. Still ground out with 350s, and the arse is up as fairly high

did this bolt not turn further when you tightened the rest?

I don't think there are any shortcuts available. Accept your losses and get the head off again and check everything out, otherwise it'll bite you in the arse later.

first weds of each month

headlights: Are you running sealed beams? if so, they're dim - replace with h4 assembly. If h4 bulb: check wiring to bulb - a common mistake is to wire the two H4 filaments in series. Fog: check what relay pin positions you have - there are two layouts of pins, if you have the wrong relay the light will work for a short period before the relay burns out. Voltage drop may be due to incorrectly wired relay

a zetec swap is vastly more complicated and expensive than getting a pinto running. Even a similar donor car may not give you a suitable exhaust, you'll still need to replace you brake master cylinder with a non-servoed version / replace pedal box, fabricate engine mounts, find a suitable clutch / release bearing, along with points above. Personally i'd fix the new pinto and get it working. There's no magic to it, you just have to think through your problems and solve them. We're here to help. Overheating can only be due to a certain number of issues, it's a matter of discerning which is the cause. New valves / regrind wont break the bank - i worry that if you don't have the heart to fix the current problems, you'll not finish the zetec conversion either.

a buzzing flasher relay can be a short to earth (frequency of flash is dependant on the resistance of the circuit, so a short makes it switch on and off very quickly).

I'm happy to announce that in march there will be a new club member! Andy & Clare

Hi Ali, Welcome! Feel free to come along to the south yorkshire meets, which are the 1st weds of each month (so unfortunately you missed last night's). Details posted in the events section. Andy

this was common pre-sva, but it is not correct. There was a post-sva amnesty for cars registered like this to have the manufacturer updated to the correct information, but that was long ago now. I'd give this car a miss. It's unlucky for the seller that they did not get the DVLA's mistake changed, but to be compliant with the law it technically now needs an IVA.

We'll continue to meet at the new venue: Monk's Bridge Farm Nobel Way, Dinnington, S25 3QB Coming eastbound from the M1 J31, take a left at the roundabout by the red lion and proceed for nearly 2 miles, and Monk's bridge is the 4th exit off the next roundabout. https://goo.gl/maps/TcekDG8AHPQ2 Usual time of 7:30 on weds 7th August. Andy

Useful

alan, if you have the standard light units, take the lens cover off and see how dirty / corroded the internal reflectors are. Mine used to leak and deteriorated. LED is an option, but light units that don't leak might also help!

No idea on part no, i took it to a refurb place to have them changed

Spare shaft here, can bring to nat meet. Slight surface corrosion but would clean up fine. Used, ujs replaced by myself at some point. Swapped out to try and diagnose a vibration, but no fault found.

bear in mind the tyre speed rating is defined as the tyre being able to withstand the rated speed for 10 minutes. Best to err on the side of caution!

these bonnet catches latch nicely and are good quality: http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/latching-stainless-steel-over-centre-fasteners

how long from startup to hitting the red?

i have exactly the same issue. I have changed engine, gearbox, propshaft, differential, and cv joints, and the only thing that has changed is the intensity of the vibration and a slight change in the speed at which it occurs. I suspect it is due to propshaft angles being mismatched, causing a cyclic loading on the driveline. Play in different components such as UJs / diff / CVs does allow slack in the drivetrain at low load, so if you remove enough slack you may have removed the symptom, but maybe not the cause. This is all a bit of conjecture as i have not yet fixed it, or been able to think of a straightforward method of measuring it. I was planning on changing the height of the engine mounts, as that's the only thing i think has changed in the approximate time period of the noise appearing.

I think this car can live again. The diff mounting point is a fairly weak part of the chassis, so maybe the damage does not extend beyond the angle iron section, which could be cut out and replaced. The spare wheel carrier could be cut off for a quick fix? edit: Your diff mounting section looks different to mine

possibly sparks? overheating coil?

Andrew Wilkinson +1 Form sent via email