dandan62

I think its time for a new clutch. It has started slipping on hills and hard right foot. I`m not up to the job as its engine/gearbox out I believe. I`m a tinkerer not a major mechanic. Obviously I need to keep costs down as much as possible so I will source the parts before handing it over to a garage. Does anybody know the size for this car. There are several variants. 1600 Pinto from a 1985 Sierra with 5 speed box. It is the long stroke engine. I only know this because only the longer cambelt cover fits it. The Haynes manual gives 190mm or 215mm (for later models). Does anybody know of a kit car friendly garage in West Sussex, near Arundel? I think my local will be up to it but there may be a lot of scratching of heads and talk of big bills! And I know this an impossible question but what sort of bill should I expect? I can see various kits on ebay at around £60 for friction, cover and bearing but how many hours in the hands of an expert? By the way I have ruled out a badly adjusted cable I think. With peddle against end stop I can pull the cable from the bulkhead about 10mm. I think this is right? All help appreciated! David

Will do. I have a few jobs to do on the front anyway. New top strut bushes for starters. Maybe replace the stiff springs with softer ones. Thanks all. I think that answers my question.

Thanks for that suggestion. I am hoping someone will know what the clearance is between the outer tube and inner shaft.

Thanks for the info. All useful stuff. I'll take it carefully with the tap.

I am about to fit grease nipples to my mk 2 s7. Standard modification I believe to keep the bush lubricated. Before I drill blindly into it with my tapping bit can anybody tell me what is inside in case I drill too far. My bit has about 8mm of plain bit before the tap thread starts. Is this too long? Cheers all. David

Just to tidy this thread up and impart some possible useful knowledge, the wavey speedo turned out to be a sticking odometer mechanism. I thought it felt a little uneven when turning by hand. A fiddle with the mechanism and a satisfying click as it went back into place and the thing works smooth as anything now! No drilling to replace the cable thankfully. I have a nice spare cluster now as well. Always useful and managed to harvest new bulbs. Thanks for all the other offers.

New fan received and fitted. Thanks for everybodies help.

Thanks for all the help. I have a new cluster on the way and will try all the tricks suggested.

Many thanks for the help. Yes I may well end up following that route. I thought I would try the easy option first. The speedo does run steady sometimes but the odo does not change so I was going for the new cluster first. I will keep an eye on ebay. Meantime its the phone app that keeps me under the speed limit!

My Rh came with the usual missing timing cover which I would like to replace. I bought one off ebay which seems too short and will not fit. I am pretty sure that this is because its the LS engine. Does this make sense anybody? If anybody has one and has no need for it I would be interested. Also my speedo is playing up. Waving needle and odometer not working. The speedo spindle feels uneven and the cable seems ok and would be a nightmare to replace as it disappears up the tunnel. So a discarded 1985 Sierra 1.6 cluster would be dead handy. Any offers?

Headlights are great. Thanks very much!

Thanks everyone. Yes valve clearances all done but still sounds a bit tappetty. Typo as it was number 3 at 190. Didn't do it with wide open throttle though. Sounds like not much to worry about as there's no smoke. Cheers all. Loving this club! Coming to Stoneliegh so see you there.

I have just done a compression test and cylinders 1,2,4 are all around 170. Number 4 is 190. Do I need to worry? Car is new to me so I don't have much history and don't think its ever had a rebuild and not much clue on the mileage. It's the 1.6 so lacks some uummph but seems to run ok. Not too worried about that for now as my son will be driving it soon!

Thanks for the offer. If I'm still in need in a few months I'll be in touch.

I may well give in to the inevitable but if there is a decent one going begging for a few quid I will give it a go.

My recently purchased RH with 1600 pinto has a fixed fan on it. It is robbing me of a few hp I think. The previous owner replaced the original viscous one when he was having overheating problems. I have sorted that with a nice new alloy rad so have plenty of cooling. I know I could go down the electric route but simple is best in my opinion. So if anybody has an old viscous one lying about I would be interested.

Thanks for that. I have posted details of the car already but nobody has recognized it yet. B880 RFD Sierra based. That`s a really kind offer to take a look considering you are so far away. I love this club already! David

Hi everybody. I am a new owner of an RH S7 Sierra based. This is my first venture into the kit car world. My car is MOT`d , runs well but needs some tidying up. Basically I would love an experienced owner who lives not too far away who would be happy to meet for a pint, on me of course, and have a general look over it. I would hope to not receive not too many sharp intakes of breath at its problems, if it has any! There seems to be a gap in owners around here but I understand there is a group somewhere around Leatherhead maybe. Closer would be brilliant. Thanks in advance. David Pulborough area, West Sussex

Many thanks. A local glazier it is then. Simpler than I thought! It seems the previous owner had put some new screws in for the roof poppers. One was too long and was putting a strain on the glass. I was going slowly and it went when I hit a bump. Glad to be replacing it with laminated anyway.

Does anybody know where I can get a replacement windcreen for my S7. Shattered this morning. I am insured with Footman James and havent asked them yet as I have cover, but I assume they use Autoglass or someone similar who will have trouble.

Thanks very much guys. I'll have a look.

I bought from a guy near Dorchester. Previous owner was in Tulse Hill, London SW2

I recently bought this S7. Last guy had it for 10 years and it needs a lot of tlc, although it is MOT`d. Very little paperwork with it apart from MOT certificates. It has a 1600 Pinto with no mods, as far as I know! 1985 Sierra donor but correctly registered as Robin Hood. I would love to hear from anybody who recognizes it to fill in some history maybe? Reg is B880 RFD. Happy New year!

Just joined and am searching for my first Robin Hood. Just looked at a 2b plus. Sorry for such a basic question but what is the difference to a standard 2b.