peter_m7uk

I got an RS2000 sump from e-bay to get something a bit shallower for my 2.0 pinto engine. I assumed that you could just use the pinto oil pick-up pipe by removing the strainer, cutting the pipe and brazing it back on again, a la North West Hoodies. However, after removing the strainer and cutting the pipe a bit, I now think a special pick-up is needed for the RS2000 sump! Just to see, I went back on e-bay posing as an interested buyer and asked a couple of sellers about this exact problem. I've had 2 replies so far telling me that I can use the standard pick-up, but I reckon the distance from oil pump to the 90 degree bend is too short and the strainer will touch the bowl, meaning that the RS2000 sump can't be fitted. Anyone give me a definitive answer on this??? Cheers, Pete (PS I have my Lightweight order form and £250 deposit poised and ready to post!)

In the 2004 brochure, they had a picture of a machine testing the seat belt anchoring, with a caption saying "One of many test rigs". Richard said they were basically bending, twisting and pulling the chassis and it's mountings around and recording the results.....

I've been considering the Lightweight for months and I'm always hearing the "That ali chassis is no good, it'll fall apart in weeks" warning. But, I've seen the car twice, once at the Detling show and once in Mansfield Woodhouse and I don't think it looks too bad..... Richard Stewart reckoned that they've been carrying out extensive chassis tests and will publish the results in the 2005 RH brochure (due out in a couple of weeks). He reckons that the chassis is good and he personally has no worries about it. He also said the price is likely to go up again, so sod it, I've written the 250quid cheque and now I'm just working up the bottle to post it! Another interesting quote from Richard was that "The new owners think we're crazy for selling cheap kits and want to start selling 15grand 300bhp Caterham rivals"..... IS this the end of Robin Hood as the budget manufacturer we know and love????? :boohoo:

OK, cheers Jaffer. I'll just have to order some o' that. Pete

I was on earlier asking people about paint and got a good response on POR-15, so I bought some. Someone also told me that they were using white spirit to clean their brushes, but I've found that my brushes set solid afterwards! Anyone else had this problem, or are you all using POR-15's own thinners? Cheers, Pete

Ahh, so you reckon if I cut it up and go down to a scrap yard I may get back the cost of hiring the saw, or even a small profit?! Cheers, Pete

Anyone know why scrap merchants want £30 to take away a body shell after all the donor parts have been removed? I mean, they don't have to drain the fluids and dispose of them or the battery, the car isn't being scrapped in the eyes of the DVLA, so there's no paperwork. They're getting a bunch of metal and possibly some useable panels, so why do I have to pay? I've heard something about a disposal fee, but who collects that and why? Cheers, Peter

What does anyone reckon to using the POR15 for the first coat, then Hammerite or something cheaper over the top?

Went and got the head on Friday evening. There was rust on the camshaft lobes, so I tried to knock him down to £35 but had to settle for £40 in the end. Not a big problem, as I've got a new Kent cam for it anyway! Otherwise, it looked good although he didn't have the engine mileage details to hand unfortunately. That set me thinking, though, if you wanted to refurbish a head you'd need new cam bearings and valve guides on top of the cam, springs etc. But how do you replace valve guides, other than oversizing them?? They look VERY firmly attached to me. I'm probably not going to do this anyway, but just interested. Cheers, Pete

Woah, Jim's experience puts mine in perspective Anyway, I tracked down a head to a scrap merchant in Goring and got it for £40, so panic over. Cheers guys

Just for the record, what is the problem with Hammerite??? Pete

Hi Fred, Did you pay £30 for the bare head, or did it have valves, springs, camshaft etc? I'm just trying to figure out how much bargaining power I have. Cheers, Peter

Joel and Jaffer, Did you use the POR15 solvent as well, or will white spirit do the job? I just wonder if their solvent is nothing special, but sold more expensively under their label?! Pete

The original head was injection and I wasn't intending to port it or fit carbs, so that's ok. Just a bit peeved, cos I paid £80 for the donor Sierra and now I'm being asking £45 just for a head! :gdit: Must be very careful with that hammer in future :boohoo:

Having cracked the rear camshaft loop on my existing head, I've been offered one by a scrap merchant for £45, complete with valve gear and cover. Anyone reckon this is a good price or not??

When rebuilding a Pinto, does everyone fit new big end and main cap bolts? From Burton Power, the main cap bolts are £3.50 each and you need 10. That's not too bad, but the big end bolts are £59 for 8!! Pete

PS Anyone know how the SVA/registration/MOT is affected by having mismatching engine block and head numbers?

Thanks all for the advice, I'm looking into several leads at the minute. Still p$$$ed off with myself! :gdit:

My FR34K arrived yesterday and also contained a head gasket, camcover gasket and camshaft oil seal

Bu**er!! I decided to take my 2.0i Pinto cylinder head apart today and everything was going fine until it came to sliding the camshaft out. I tried pushing it and pulling it, but it seemed to be stuck, so I thought I'd "assist" it with a hammer. Next thing, it came loose, but I'd cracked the rear loop for supporting the camshaft, $£##! :gdit: After swearing for a bit, I looked at the Haynes manual and realised that it said "withdraw the camshaft from the rear of the head" and I was trying to get it out of the front!! :boohoo: So, read the manual, guys and gals! Now down to my question - How do I sort this out?? I suppose there are three options: 1) do nothing, 2) try to repair it, 3) look for a new cylinder head. 1) The camshaft is still supported by the front and middle loops and by the rear loop on one side. The bearing adds a bit of strength and the cam cover sits on top of the loops, so it may actually be useable, at least for a short time. I expect it will die eventually, though, and it won't be pretty! 2) So, if doing nothing is asking for trouble, I could try a repair. Anyone else done something similar and tried welding it? Presumably, the cylinder head is cast iron and reasonably weldable, but what are the potential problems with this? The other repair idea is to tap a couple of screws into the loop of metal, one each side of the crack, then attach a brace across it. Or I could do it with a couple of bolts and brace it on both sides. 3) Looking for a new 2.0 injection head will be a pain in the ar$e and the most expensive, so I consider this the last resort, unless someone on here has a spare head going at a reasonable price?! I'd be grateful for any advice, Hoodies. Cheers, Peter

Very soon I will be rebuilding my Pinto engine and of course I want it to look great. So, a few coats of paint will be in order, but I'm wondering what people have used for the job, taking into account the high operating temperature of certain parts? Is it possible to use common or garden paint from B&Q, say, to paint everything, bearing in mind the low cost/locost nature of building a Robin Hood? I suppose the block, cylinder head and sump get pretty hot, but the cam cover and intake manifold are relatively cool? The exhaust manifold will of course be scorching, so I would need special paint for that - Any recommended? Cheers Hoodies.

It's the auxiliary warning module to tell you your doors are open, it's frosty outside etc. I agree with Bloke.

Thanks all for the interesting chat, fellas. So, I've taken the plunge and ordered a Kent 2.0 Sports Injection cam kit (FR34K). £202.69 inc VAT and P&P from RallyDesign, not bad. When I get it up and running, I'll come back to this one. I'm intrigued by increasing the fuel pressure to avoid running lean at high engine speed and airflow rates, but I may have to get on a rolling road to tune up a replacement regulator valve. Peter

Just ordered an FR34K from RallyDesign. Fingers crossed for goodies!!!! Peter

Well, it seems that Phil Slater and Iain Brooks think that the Kent cam is fine. Simon Cooper waffles on about the idle, but I bet he's never tried that cam in that engine before. My conclusion is that the new injection cam will actually be fine and there's a lot of speculation in some of these threads! My other problem is that Piper do a Fast Road Injection camshaft for the 2.0 Pinto, so what is that one like? It has less lift but longer timing and the power band is 2000 to 6500 rather than 1000 to 6250 on the Kent cam. It also seems to be slightly cheaper 8-D This needs further investigation... Cheers, Pete