nelmo

I bought a lowered sump from Tiger, which has the windage tray (is that the right name?) exactly under where the Zetec dispstick enters the engine. As you push the dipstick in, it feels like it is hitting that tray and then sliding along the top of it, rather than actually going down into the oil and, in fact, when you pull the dipstick out, you can see the curve in the end of it. The result is that the oil always shows as at the top mark but I'm not sure if that's real or just the excess oil left on the tray from previously - make sense? Pic of tray is in this blog post: https://zerolifebuild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/sumptuous.html

Thanks all, I'll try taking it off and checking the seal, although I always do smear some oil on the ring before I put it on. The filter itself is the right type - it came from GBS and is the same as the first one I used. But I did put that on before the engine was in and so had much better leverage. I'm still not 100% sure it's the filter leaking but it doesn't leak when left overnight ie. when not moving, and the whole right side of the engine from the filter down has oil on it, hence my suspicions.

I seem to have a slight oil leak from the oil filter (2L Zetec) since my first oil change. I assume that tightening by hand only is still right for the Zetec or does it need a bit more than that? Is it safe to try tighten it with a tool? The filter was a shortened one from GBS, same as the first one and that had no problem. However, I may have overfilled the oil this time (not sure I trust my dipstick), so not sure if that may be a reason for the leak?

Like that - I think I read an entry of you making that, didn't I? I'm trying to do something similar as well but struggling to use Blender... I did my first long-distance trip yesterday; 325 miles in an 11-hour day, where I learnt some important lessons: 1. No roof isn't a problem in rain. 2. Non-working wipers IS a problem in rain.

Hmm, you're not the guy who was also on the Tiger forum trying to find the bloke in the V8 kit car that sprayed gravel all over your 911, are you?

Seats were a pain for me - very difficult to find any decent ones for a low price, not even on eBay. I bought a great looking pair for £250 from Bad Boy Classics (I think that was their name) which JUST fitted in my Zero GT chassis at the start of my build but by the time I'd added carpets and the seatbelt bolts, they didn't fit - sold on eBay for £35 In the end, I had to bite the bullet and get them from Intatrim for £520 for the pair - about the cheapest I could find. Sorry, not helping much... (pics in my build blog).

It is a nice little museum but I do fear for the place - we were there on a Sunday with reasonable weather but our arrival doubled (if not tripled) the number of visitors there. I really hope that was just a one-off bad day... Having said that, they've got some valuable cars in their collection - DB5, Audi Quattro, Sierra Cosworth, Ferrari 308 and some nice looking pre-war cars...

At the start of my build, I had an old mobile phone and I set it up with a time lapse app. I forgot to switch it on for the last few months but I've got the first 15 months or so. The results aren't brilliant and I seem to have set it up upside down a couple of times but good for a giggle:

I followed Richard L's blog and basically did the same as him: http://richards-gbs-zero.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/reversing-fog-lamp-modification.html Is the 2B rear panel at a steeper angle?

Huh?! Why? It's just gone through an IVA which is 10 times more detailed?

You don't need anything fancy (assuming you're using the standard block units) - just trim the case and use edge trim. More details in my blog: https://zerolifebuild.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/does-my-bum-look-big-in-these.html

To my eternal shame, I'd never heard of a Lotus 23 - that is one stunning body Good luck with the rest of the build...

Yeah, I could tell that from the rust-covered wrecks I was sent

Do GBS actually make them? Don't they just take them off a donor (if you didn't do that yourself?) and hand them over? That's what they did for my Ford driveshafts, which don't have a step in them. I'd be pretty concerned if something as important as the drive shaft was welded together in the middle, or is that common? Doesn't seem right for something that has to resist a twisting force...

Actually, I thought that as well but on the DVLA website, when I enter my V5 number, it tells me my road tax is £270. I can't actually remember if I've paid road tax for the Lexus before but it should be the same as the PHEV, I think... Maybe I haven't...

Afraid so, if I have to...

Unfortunately not - I've got a hybrid (Lexus) and tax is still £270. Even full electric cars still seem to have to pay...

Not sure I want to know more... ☺

I've got plans to make them foldable, so needs a frame... not sure if ally would be up to it. But I've got a piece that thick - I'll take another look...

Is 30mm x 3mm mild steel bar OTT for door frames? Thinner/thicker or different metal?

Ahh, that web page makes more sense than the paper I've got - I was confused why there was a table underneath the CO2 emissions table which said for 'standard cars' but that is the rate you pay for the 2nd year onwards - got it now. So that £1,200 would only only be for the 1st year, then £140 a year - not as bad as I thought, I guess....penalises anyone who buys a new car every year or 2, I suppose.

Having just registered my car with a 2L Zetec, I was annoyed to find that the road tax was £245 rather than £140 for the 'standard rate' cars - I am on the PLG tax class 11 for some reason. I was wondering if it would have been cheaper if I was taxed by CO2 emission but after looking here: http://www.nextgreencar.com/view-car/5653/ford-focus-2.0i-16v-4dr-saloon-2004-petrol-manual-5-speed/ ...it seems my 2004 engine has CO2 emissions of 205 g/km which would mean a tax rate of, get this, £1,200 I decided to shut up and sneak away...

Yeah, lots of torque and they all move fine. I'll try weaken the spring a little on the 2nd arm... Thanks Ian...

I had to get a couple of new tyres so I went to Kwik-Fit and, dear Lord, the levels of car knowledge by some people is sad. One guy came in asking how he was supposed to get his car with flat tyre to them. When it was suggested he use his spare tyre, he just looked blank. He finally decided to call the AA to put his spare on for him. Funnier was the guy who was getting new tyres and asked if the wheel balancing could be checked 'because it hadn't been done for a while' ☺. How the fitter stopped himself laughing, I don't know....

I've just fitted wipers to my screen but even with water on the screen, the motor doesn't seem to have enough power to move both blades. It worked OK when I had just the one arm on but with the 2nd one, it's not doing anything (also OK if I lift the arms up). The springs on the arms are incredibly strong so I'm not too surprised - I had a hard time pulling them back myself. Has anyone had a similar issue?