nelmo

Yeah, he definitely didn't choose that photo for the polish on my car (there is none!) - I'm guessing the title on the picture links to the 'GBS Zero' sticker on the back of my car? And the clock tower looks good...

Anyone got the CKC magazine? On page 14, they have an article on Stoneleigh, with a photo of our stand front and centre AND (obviously more importantly), my car right slap bang in the middle! This is about as famous as I get...

If it hasn't had the SVA, it won't have a log book, no?

Can't see how you can blame the organisers, the show hasn't changed for years. What do you want to see differently - dancing bears? It's not their fault if the industry isn't doing very well and there are simply less companies in business. Basically, it's the only show solely for kit cars and that alone should make it worth the effort to support it.

Is this a test for Alzheimers? Yes, I remember it - am I safe?

Looks like a good show but it is just normal cars and there are loads of shows like that - Stoneleigh is kits specifically, with all the manufacturers in one place and kit-related stalls etc. You just don't get that anywhere else. Also, by going you are supporting the kit car industry - isn't that worth it? Not to sure what you mean by 'I can't justify the money' - go to Stoneleigh in your kit and it's free entry, so saves you £10 straight away . And it's a great excuse to take your kit out for a drive (there's some great roads in that area) - not much fun driving 10 minutes down the road, is there? Basically, win-win all round IMO.

Sadly, my wife was not understanding and still is not... You do know that you don't have to have the windscreen on for IVA? Makes it much simpler if you can leave it off (most of us do)...no sharp edge problems, demister checks, motor speeds etc.

Anyone got one for sale, for a 2L 2004 Zetec black top?

Great blog Keith - blog writing is a dying art sadly (and yes, I read almost all of yours - I expect you to read mine now ). Never seen a Burton before - good looking car and love the characteristic 2CV front wheels almost parallel to the floor at lock Good luck for IVA...

Emerald ECU but not professionally mapped - but it runs closed loop with the wideband lambda sensor, which maybe is why it's never been a problem?

Really? Balls, I've never had one of those...what is it supposed to do?

Que? - no fuel pressure gauge, if that's what you mean?

My Zetec is FI, no carbs...

AA guy fitted 4 new plugs. New leads on order but AA guy did fit 2 new ones (all he had) and tested the other 2 and said they were OK.

I've got an LP filter before the swirl pot (and it's clear) - shouldn't get any crud after that? Fuel lines are R9 which I believe are Gillette (the best a man can get ).... If injectors were blocked, wouldn't it run crud all the time? Or not even start? Idle is smooth as ever.... BTW, is that NGK coil pack ok? Or is Delphi (OEM?) much better?

Hi, had a breakdown over the weekend - driving along, engine started misfiring just a little but soon degenerated into power loss and major kangarooing down the road. I called the AA and the guy who came out was an ex-Ford mechanic, so knew his onions ( I run a Zetec with FI and no other fancy bits). However, he spent 3 hours and couldn't fix it (although it was good enough to get me home). He swapped out the coil pack, 2 of the 4 HT leads (all he had in the van) and the spark plugs which improved it but misfire still there. To be accurate, idle seems fine and gentle acceleration is OK but sudden or hard acceleration really shows up the misfire. An old thread on here for someone who had the same problem was eventually traced to his HP fuel filter being blocked but I don't have one. Initially, I'm getting a replacement set of HT leads and a new coil pack - I didn't keep the one the AA guy had because he wanted £60 for it, which seemed steep and it didn't fix the problem. However, found an NGK part (his was Delphi) for half that price - is it ok? https://www.burtonpower.com/weber-4-cyl-coil-pack-ford-zetec-e-se-1998-wic141.html Thought at that price, a new one is worth another shot... After that, any other suggestions? To clarify, 2L Zetec, FI, external swirl pot, plenum only. I'm concerned it may be electrical - on my way home, at a constant 60mph, all was fine until I went through a hefty pothole and suddenly the misfire was back with a vengance - felt more like the entire engine was switching off rather than just 1 cylinder. Got off the motorway (2am, no traffic, luckily) and nursed it down the road - lots of revs, feathering the clutch and then it just suddenly went away and back to 'normal' - gentle acceleration OK. Did the initial pothole loosen a weak connection and the violent shuddering of the engine 'loosened' it back to working, if you know what I mean?

Sorry, yeah, I always forget the details...2L Zetec with FI. Looked around the diff area with the engine running and all looks fine - no leak, no signs of an old leak, all pipes and joins dry and no obvious smell after the engines been run for a while. Now, I did notice the HP fuel lines seem to have some slight cracks in them on a couple of the bends (FFS, 2 years old and R9 lines!! ) but there's no obvious leak or smell from them? I guess the smell could build up from them while the car is still maybe?

I definitely used those metal inserts but I must admit, I haven't checked the pipes round the diff as much as I could. But if it was a proper leak, I assumed I'd smell petrol all the time, even when I first opened the garage door?

I use my kit a lot, normally commuting to work most days. However, I find if I leave it for a week or more, when I next start up, there is a very strong petrol smell for the first 5 minutes of my journey. I can't see any leaks, all my fuel lines are pretty new and are RJ9 (sorry, can't remember the exact code but the latest stuff). Smelling my oil cap, it does smell a bit petrolly but not sure if it's exceptional. Any ideas?

Hmm, no link on there to their forum, which is sad and a serious oversight IMHO - the forum was invaluable to me when I was building and a USP of GBS. Sadly, it has been useless since Simon stopped working at GBS. He popped on their for a while afterwards but it has pretty much died a death. Just having to rely on phone support when building would be a real pain. I was speaking to Richard at Stoneleigh and he was saying that lots of their new buyers (mainly from the US) want the entire kit in one crate and are happy to pay more - many are buying all the blingy ATR stuff they sell and are paying £30k+ . So expect that Auriga (great name) to be expensive. I think GBS have a rosy looking future (in the US at least).

The Rainex never worked for me, I think because it's designed to allow water to slide off with the airflow but our screens are flat, so you don't get any airflow pushing the water off (well, I dont). The easiest way to swap the wipers over is just to buy new arms that face the other way - that's what I did . You will need 'right park' arms: https://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/stainless-steel-adjustable-right-park-wiper-arm

I hope I haven't put you off . When I built mine, I was also a complete novice - try reading the first few entries of my build blog (link in my sig below) and I've also got a page on there entitled 'So you want to build a kit car' which you may find useful.

Hi, do you not still have the magazine? There are 2 possible meets although i have no idea if they still actually happen: 1st Wed of every month, Helsby Arms, Helsby, WA6 0JE (however, can't see that pub on Google Maps any more, maybe the Hornsmill? ). You could try call Stephen Percival (07880 538343) who is down as the organiser? 2nd to last Sunday of the month, Phantom Winger, Broughton, Preston, PR3 5JE (no contact details). Hope that helps.

Never heard of anyone using that engine which means you will be breaking new ground and have very few people to help you. If you were more experienced, I'm sure you'd be okay but as a novice, stick with the MX5 route. Lots of people have used them , nice and cheap (I can imagine the price of MB spares) and you'll have loads of people able to help when you need it. Trying to squeeze the supercharger in would be a nightmare for starters Also, don't discount the Ford route - you don't need to buy a donor, you can just buy the bits you need. Lots of Zetec engines, MT75 gearboxes, suspension parts etc available on eBay or from GBS if you've got enough cash. Even more people with Fords so lots of help and they are arguably simpler engines - the MX5 had loads of variants, some with VVT, some without, 1.6 to 2.0l engines - very confusing

Hi Mike, sorry to hear you had problems - is it just as simple as gravel or something in the bell housing? I remember you said you don't have a dirt shield between engine and gearbox (like me), so maybe just got some crud in there? Otherwise, that's about the limit of my knowledge