Al Milton

What a good spot for you Al - I wonder if this was a contributing cause with the emissions problems for all of the Rover engine 'Specs? As a simple semi permanent fix, if you don't have access to a welder, could you get a 'plug' to match the ID of the exhaust, or slightly smaller? You could secure semi permanently with a domed headed bolt & nut through the exhaust & 'plug'. A glug of exhaust sealant around the plug should help as well. Just a thought Cheers Al

The ultra flexi hose is good (FFF51). It really is super flexi (you have to be a bit forceful with a tight radius) & will be easier than a repair job

Bin the monstrosity supplied and fit the smaller one as shown in Al Richey's picture. (Available from CBS~£17) Takes up less room & is a lot easier to fit. I mounted mine on the offside chassis rail - you will have far more options to suit your preference.

Hope you had a great day Sir. Many happy returns

WOW spine tingling!!!!! Hope you got plenty of piccies Bob - this is one event that will probably never be repeated! Did you have plenty of tissues?

I think my lack of a barnet may give the game away Bob, thanks for the offer though!! Saw it on the news, it must of been an awesome sight and sound

:clapping: :clapping: John, congratulations to you both It was a pleasure to drink your tea & eat your biccies Looking forward to the run out :clapping: :clapping:

Is that a nice use alternative of Worcester Valve handles?

Will have to check the diary, but tentatively yes. Unless Operation Stack is in place because it will be practically impossible to get from our side of Kent to the other (or vice versa)........

Sooooooo jealous Bob. Do you have room for a stowaway???? You very fortunate young man indeed

For specialists though, it might be worth adding DO NOT USE KWIK FIT There are enough horror stories about them on here. The only thing they are good for is putting their logo above the fireplace to keep the kids away from the fire

Bob, I still have nightmares hearing Nick (Shaft) hideously incessant cackle watching me trying to get in mine with the hood & doors on! Being an athlete I hadn't had time to limber up

I think the Vulcan is being retired because her hours are up on the airframe. That being said, I think there should be Heritage Lottery Funding for this iconic and totally awesome aircraft, always a head turner. As is the Spitfire, of which we had a spontaneous 15 minute display over Ramsgate yesterday at noon in glorious sunshine. I just love the sound of the Merlin engine We have loads of engineering history to be proud about so we should preserve it & use it, not consign it to a museum

Hi Mate, It's pretty straightforward. From your local scrappy, get the Mark 1 Focus column switch assembly (ask for the multi plugs as well as about 10 inches of wiring from the loom to the multi plugs). This will allow you to simply connect the column switch functions to you cars wiring loom very easily. The whole assembly clicks into place on the column, there are a couple of bits that will require removing from the central switch 'boss', but 30 secs with a hacksaw soon has that sorted. There is a bit of fiddling with the column shroud, it's easier to get a Focus or Mondeo shroud and adjust it to fit your car. There is a bit of fettling required, but nothing too major. Hope this helps Al I think they do look better than the Rover bodged column switches that were originally supplied with the 'Spec!

Not only do we have RHOCaR pony express, we now have RHOCabs Flippin brilliant club :clapping:

Simple thing to do is remove the spare wheel & threaded rods protruding from the rear panel. Using hot melt glue, fix the number plate light over the holes in the back panel. (Great idea Phil) Went straight through IVA & number plate lamp is easily removed afterwards allowing it to be positioned to suit. Oh, and you can re-fit the spare

If memory serves me Ken, the top mounting (to the rear beam) on the 7" diff isn't threaded, there is one 7.5" long bolt. Which obviously is too short when used with the rear beam from a 7.5" diff. We had a short length of 316 stainless bar at work which I had machined down to size and then threaded it either end. New nyloc either end, job done (after some effing with getting the ruddy spacers aligned - but nothing some grease on the washers didn't sort out eventually!!

Your MX5 Bob , surely it's Mrs Tuckers and you are just the maintainer & cleaner When you're not at the Salon of course :D

Ken, Yes, the 7" diff can be fitted to replace the 71/2" diff by using spacer washers to pack out the difference. This is what I did when I fitted my LSD to replace the open diff. The only problem you may experience is with the top mounting bolts. I think the 71/2" diff has threaded holes to take a bolt each side, whereas the 7" diff uses one long bolt across the diff, (well mine did anyway!). It's a bit of a fiddly bugger getting the spacers in the correct position, but if you have the beam etc off the car to fit as one unit, it should be a darn sight easier. If you need a bit of extra grunt or spare hands, just shout. Cheers Al

Car Builder Solutions have a universal expansion bottle, it's under £17 inc VAT Would post a link, but having some internet problems at the moment

We went to Cheddar Gorge a few years ago & planned on staying the day. We were there about 45mins, got totally peed off with the arrogance of the said cyclists

Could you imagine the fuss these days if this was to their advertising campaign?? Funny as a funny thing though

Happy endings are always the best :clapping:

Jelleyhead, You may have a problem I had. If you have a pressure cap on your rad and a pressure cap on your header tank (bottle), you potentially have 2 routes for air to be drawn back into your cooling system as the coolant cools down, which will subsequently cause your engine to dump coolant when it warms up. If your rad has an overflow hose, tee this into the overflow from your bottle, (ensure it is air tight!!). As your coolant expands, it can only flow into your bottle, and as it cools the coolant can only be drawn from the bottle (there's only one route in & out). You'll have to make sure you have bled the system properly and previously mentioned, don't overfill your bottle - leave plenty of room for coolant expansion. I've had this set up on mine for over a year now - no overheating or coolant loss (or even expansion), even when hooning around on very hot days. Engine is a 2 litre Zetec Hope this helps Al

Glad to hear you have this sorted Ken.