peter_m7uk

Not sure if you're being sarcastic, given some of the controversy over SVA ?!! But I think it is a great car, once you've got over that hurdle and on to the road. Not that mine is on the road yet, but I can see the potential Pete

Gents, I guess this is a tricky one, but I managed to strip the left-handed thread on my rivnut tool 6mm mandrel. Seems a waste to buy a completely new rivnutter for the sake of a thread, but I would imagine a left-handed tap and die is not so common! Can anyone help?! Cheers, Pete

Graham, Well, a lot of 2Bs go for £4500 to £5000. But the Lightweight is better-looking, lighter and faster, so add a decent premium on to that Pete PS My 300th post

Hi Bernie, Thanks for the reply Sounds like the likely explanation, just hope I can tap it flat without bending the rest of the lip Pete

Just looking at my collection of sumps and I have a query... I've got an original sump from the 2.0 pinto, plus an RS2000 ali sump, plus a shortened sump acquired from e-bay. My concern is about the mating face on the shortened sump, which I intended to bolt on shortly. It has raised areas on the face where the bolt holes are, whereas the RS2000 sump is completely flat and the original sump is flat with grooves between the bolt holes (the shortened sump also has these grooves). Anyone else got a sump with bumps on the face at the bolt holes? The bumps are all the same height, so it does seem deliberate, but I was expecting a flat mating face. Just want to check that this is normal and I haven't bought something dodgy! Cheers, Pete

Thanks for all the replies, gents Although I like to do things "properly", enough of you are in support of washers, that I think I may give it a try. I probably could get some wedges done at Ricardo, Adam, but it normally requires a certain amount of begging and a long wait from our lads even if they're prepared to set up a program to mill the spacer down. Hard to resist a couple of 2mm thick washers doing the same job! Cheers, Pete

Thanks for the replies, LW gang. I'm pretty sure it's a slight misalignment of the box sections that hold the wishbones, as the right hand wheel is in at the top, the left hand is out at the top and the two are linked via the box section. Probably just got it out by a mm or two when I constructed the back end. As for correcting it, I'm not sure about having a a small amount taken off the spacer, as I think it would need high precision machining to get such a tiny angle onto the surface? Not sure where to go for that round here and they might say it's not worth their while or ask for a fortune, but I could look into it. What did you use for shims, Simon, and where did you get them? Hope you're both still enjoying your cars? Maybe one day I'll join you! Split up with my girlfriend not long ago, so I finally have loads of spare time Pete

Hey chaps, Was just measuring wheel camber on my Lightweight today and came out with the following values: Front right -1.32deg Front left -0.72deg Rear right -0.72deg Rear left +0.93deg So they are all close to the recommended (from what I can gather) 1deg camber, but the rear left is positive! Will this bug*er up the handling and if so, in what way?? There's no way to adjust rear camber on the Lightweight, so it would have to be done with shims - Anyone know where I can get a -1.65deg shim to bring the rear left to the same as the rear right?? While I'm on, I reckon I can adjust the fronts by about 0.4 deg for each turn of the top balljoint. Will the 0.6deg difference betwern the fronts be noticeable when driving? If I adjust, should I go for -0.92deg on the front right and keep -0.72 on the left, or go to 1.12deg on the left and keep -1.32deg on the right? This is for mainly road use with the odd track day, before anyone suggests crazy -10deg race settings ;D Cheers, Pete

Hi Ben, Thanks for the reply. I'm afraid I've already tried a few bottles of injector cleaner, also swapping injectors between cylinders as I mentioned in the first post. But the problem stays on cylinder 4, so it suggests that the injector isn't the problem. Interesting to hear that you also had misfire problems on a similar model. Maybe I should spray contact cleaner on all connections and see if I can get hold of a compression tester, just to rule that out. My MOT is due in a month, so getting a bit concerned! Pete

Hullo chaps, Been having an irritating misfire problem for a while and wondering if anyone had seen something similar? It started a few months back when my Polo engine started misfiring under load, so I ended up renewing the plugs, leads, coil pack, air filter and fuel filter, which greatly improved matters, but I now still have a problem with cylinder 4 (according to diagnostics tool). I swapped over the injectors for cylinders 3 and 4 to see if I had a dodgy injector, but the problem remained in cylinder 4, so I think I've ruled out problems with spark and fuel. The car has only done 66,000 miles, so I'd be surprised to see any compression problems. The oil and coolant are not contaminated, so the head gasket must be fine. The problem is also intermittent, so I wouldn't imagine that it's a worn cylinder, although it does seem more common for a cold engine. Other than a dodgy loom or ECU, I can't think what else could be causing it!! I've cleared the fault in the ECU memory several times and even disconnected the battery for a fortnight while I was on holiday, but still no joy. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Pete

Hi Doug, Sorry, hadn't checked this part of the forum for a little while, so missed your message. I've tended to select the best photos to stick on that website, although I've got lots more. Haven't made so much progress recently due to girlfriend trouble and house move but if there's anything in particular you want to see, I could check if I've got a photo or take one. Cheers, Pete

Great stuff, lads! Good to see another Lightweight (nearly) on the road. Any comments at all from the examiner on the model, or on the construction?? Pete

I noticed this on the BBC website front page. First time I've heard any concerns over those amphibious vehicles. Having said that, if Dutton's quality control is anything like certain manufacturers, I'd probably rather go in the Titanic! Pete

Tom, As far as I'm aware, the Zeemerides *are* Mini shocks, but they've been modified by Robin Hood. Should be easy to get hold of those bushes Pete

Interesting I took my gear lever off recently to convert it to a Rally Design quickshift and there was no sign of that black plastic thingy. My kit isn't driveable yet, but I don't remember any problems with any of the gears on the donor Sierra. I suppose the stick was a bit wobbly, but I just assumed it was like that on an old car. Strange that some think it's necessary, but some of us aren't having any bother. Think I'll order one anyway and see if my selector stiffens up Pete

No, but you put me on the trail with that suggestion! I found this for a Ford Orion/Escort 1.8 diesel with part number 92AB 8005 BC (search was 92 8005 BC). I don't know why the leading "AM" is missing, but it looks very very similar to mine. I'd have to take measurements to be 100% certain, but I think that is the one. Seems to be worth a similar amount to the Seat one, so I think that solves the problem. Anyone got a leaky Ford diesel radiator to replace? Thanks a lot, Steve

Hi Graham, Yeah, I'd forgotten that you put two fans on your Lightweight! Do you still have the two fan arrangement since you turned the blades to blow instead of suck? Seems like an easy mod, so I'll be doing that Don't you think the LW nose area is a bit poorly designed for cooling as well?! It's all a bit cramped and the air can't flow over the radiator so well. I was actually thinking it might be possible to go with that small Seat radiator and put it right at the very front, then stick the fan behind it in the small gap where the radiator normally sits (suppose I would need the sucker fan then). If it would fit then, although the rad is small, it would get really good airflow to it. All extra expense, though, so I'd want to sell the supplied rad - Any idea what it's from?? It says Visteon and gives part number AM92AB 8005 BC, but I can't find it on the net. I would imagine I haven't much chance of selling it on e-bay if I can't say what it's going to fit! Problems, problems... See you at Detling? Pete

Sorry, just getting back to this matter again. Comparing the Seat radiator from the NW site link to this one from e-bay, they look identical. My main reservation (apart from the £85 price) is that it's for an 850-900cc car. Surely that isn't enough to cool a 2.0 engine?? I'm speaking from a position of no experience, but can you really get away with that? I do like the idea of having a built-in fan switch boss and being able to use an overflow tank instead of a complete circuit of coolant, but I'm a bit wary about making this mod. Anyone know Steve Johnston, what size his engine is and whether he's had any problems? Looks like he's got a Pinto, so it could be 1.6, but will it handle my 2.0 Efi with uprated cam?? Pete

Sorry, was just replying to the ABS discussion If this is the end of SVA, I'd better get a move on with my Lightweight! The testers might be worried about my car under the current system, so if it tightens up, I may be really struggling Hope the prats at the DVLA come to their senses over your application, Graham Is DanDan's car also a LW Mk2? Maybe they think that the Mk2 is a new design altogether??? Pete

But what if you're going up a steep hill in the Mondeo? In that case, a Mondeo could stop faster than a Hood, so the system must be robust to this. Even if the system does think that all 4 wheels are locked, the nasty shock would just be that the ABS operates, so I can't see weight being any problem. Also, most ABS systems apply individual brakes, as the wheels tend not to lock at the same time. The ABS software looks for sudden differences in wheel speeds, which is independent of vehicle weight, and relieves braking from the suddenly decelerating wheel. ABS is pretty simple, so it's not the complexity that should bother kit car builders, just the added expense and hassle of extra sensors and brake actuators. If the ABS system was to come with the donor car, then the expense is minimal. I would still oppose a rule change to mandatory ABS on principle, but I think if the rule did come in it wouldn't be so bad. Peter

Hi Andy, Thanks for the reply. Any chance you could tell me the dimensions and number of cores for that rad, or is it well buried in the nose cone?! Pete

Hi Dan, The supplied radiator for the Lightweight is long and narrow to fit into the nose area and I think it probably has more surface area than the Cortina one - I haven't heard gdc or diyer complain about overheating. I like the look of the Seat radiator, but would be slightly concerned about the width. It doesn't look wide, but the space in the LW nose is pretty narrow. Who in RHOCAR has one, so I can ask them to measure it and tell me how many cores?? I think I can see the boss at the bottom rear of the rad (there's a brown wire, anyway!) - Does the switch come with the radiator for £45? Seems good value! Pete

Alright fellas, I went for a Ford Focus 2.0 Zetec filter in the end. It's about the same size as the Vauxhall one, but doesn't have a bead at the end of the tails. I'd never get a 6mm ID hose over that. Pete

The standard Sierra Efi filter is a bit of a lump with hard-to-source banjo fittings, so I thought I'd replace it with something a bit smaller and with push fittings for the 6mm ID fuel hose. I spotted this on e-bay and thought it would do the job (suitable for other 2.0i petrol engines). Anyone else done the same? Peter

Thanks for all the advice. Top hose it is!