Longboarder

Yeah. They come from the factory set for four cylinders but can be very simply reset for 2, 6, or 8. The max rev limit you can set with a V8 is 10,000. Hmmm! Nigel

Joel trying to think through the possible fault is v. diff. without the car and I can't work out a logical fault in fuse 7 circuits. I now doubt that it is the dim/dip relays as they are powered when the sides are on but the heads switch them out of circuit. It may be some odd reverse feed going on. Logicaly the fault occured when you changed the wiring to remove the donor panel and fit separate instruments. You now feel that all circuits are back to how they were. Are you confident that you have attended to each wire you moved and that they are back where they should be. If so something you moved has fried a component, switch,relay,fuse or wire which is causing the overload in 7, possibly by short or by setting up an errant circuit. You have tried swopping column switches. Did you swop both? Get a new multimeter. Make up two leads with female connectors on the ends and connect to the battery out of the car and remove and test all the relays to ensure they do what the pictures say they should. Can you check ALL the fuses in the fuse box for continuity and check them electricaly not just by eye. Nigel

How long did the repairs to the garage roof take?! Nigel

Yes. Nigel

If you switch to a non pressurised overflow bottle and get it all airtight then the system is self bleeding and as long as you keep an eye on the water level in the bottle you shouldn't need to top up the rad. Once set up you should check the rad level occaisonaly to confirm its all working OK. Mine recently stopped working and it was air leaking in through the big rivet in the centre of the cap which now sports a big blob of araldite to seal it and all is well once again! Another thought that occurs is that if the rad is moved to the nosecone then because of the geometry of the top hose take off, the top of the radiator gets less efficient at self bleeding as it is tilted backward and some air will gather. May not make any difference if the rad is upright enough but why not turn it round so the takeoffs face forward and then it self bleeds again? Plumbing challenge I realise or is that what everyone has done or doesn't it matter in practice. Nigel

On a 4 cylinder engine you can set for a rev limit anywhere from 3000 for aging early beetles to 20,000. (you wish!) There are two buttons on the unit and two LED's. To set revs switch on ignition but don't start the engine. This next bits difficult! Press both buttons at the same time. The two little lights flash to tell you ready and one button is marked + and one - and each time you press either the rev limit changes by increments of 100 and its led flashes in case you're not sure if you've pressed the button properly. Comes set to 6000 and if you lose your place you switch of and switch on the ignition while also holding the minus button down and it resets to 6000. They don't come any easier to fit or set than that!! Nigel

WARNING! DANGER OF SERIOUS ADDICTION PROBLEM! I used Premier Wiring Systems for my build. Excellent value and quality but you will need about three hours spare to read their catalogue and you won't be able to stop. Its full of stuff you didn't know existed but keep on thinking during your build, 'I wish someone made a widgit to do such and such' or ' I'm sure I've seen something like that somewhere' and there it is in the catalogue. Eureka. Alladins cave. Nigel

Castor/camber guages are precision bits of kit which is why they are expensive. Many garages have them but don't have anyone who can properly use them. Some tyre fitters know what they are doing but not all. I should ask around the local rally boys or racers and see who they use for suspension setup and go there. Very difficult to make up a home guage that would be accurate to a degree or so. Most guages rely on puting the wheels on turn plates and measuring the change in spirit level bubbles when the wheels are turned 20 degrees about the straight ahead position. The guage cleverly converts this into castor degrees and king pin inclination. Nigel

If you want to get rid of your pressurised header you can remove it and blank off the top hose junction. Discard the rad blanking cap but pinch its big rubber seal. Cut out the centre and use it with the header tanks pressure cap on the rad to ensure a good seal. Then open up the rad overflow pipe and connect up an overflow bottle. Should be translucent so you can check the water level. Fill from the rad cap. (You can't run both systems together. Not sure why you would want to.) Nigel

Yes, partly true but many run fine. Some run a bit hot and a few even boil in traffic in summer but they are all curable. First thing to do is get the timing correct and make sure the carb is not running weak, no air filter, partialy blocked jets etc, viscous fan working, hoses good. Take off the hoses and look down them. Flush the rad. Check the thermostat is ok by cooking it on the stove and make sure its fitted the right way round in the housing. Refill the cooling system and bleed it. Make sure you've got an overflow tank as elswhere on this board. If still hot but doesn't boil change temp sensor and make sure it matches year, engine & guage. Reading might just be incorrect. If still hot make intake ducting so air goes through the rad and shroud for fan so it actualy pulls air through the rad and not engine bay air in from the sides. If still hot fit electric fan on back of rad if there's room and/or move rad and electric fan into nose cone. Some additives such as antifreeze/corrosion inhibitors or water wetter and similar can improve things but I don't know how that works. Nigel

No. It can be low down. As long as the tube is underwater and there are no air leaks it sucks back water fine. Just need to get a big rubber seal for the sierra rad cap. Nigel

Most scrappys down here (Plymouth) have half a dozen type nine boxes in stock. Main problem with reconditioning the box is the bits can cost as much as a recon box as its very hard to judge whats worn but reusable and whats no good. Nigel

If your going to buy an alternator from a scrappy or recon I would recommend the Bedford Rascal one. You have to mod a bracket but its quite small. Nigel

Rally design at www.raldes.co.uk. 56.70 + vat Basic Omex Clubman rev limiter. 75.40 + vat with single big change light. The basic rev limiter has three wires. Coil pos, coil neg and earth. The box has a bit of double side sticky on it and I've put mine under the dash in the passassenger footwell. The wires reach easily to the coil from there. It must be the simplest job ever!! If you have a change light its on the end of a bit of wire. No connection to make. I've just drilled a hole above the steering column shroud and stuck it in! Didn't even remove the dash trim. Looks perfect. Adjusts with the ignition on but the engine not running by pressing buttons. If you can count to ten you can do it. Nigel

And the cap when water is flowing back into the rad. Nigel

This shows a basic arrangement. Nigel

Just a thought. Is the alternator an early 10 or 11AC. If so it needs an external voltage regulator and relay. Much easier in that case to get an ACR or newer alternator that is more powerfull and uses the standard three pin plug. Nigel

Just fitted an Omex Speed System limiter and change light following Pauls flywheel bolt munching experience two weeks ago. From Rally design. Beautiful. Big red light is dead impressive but difficult to see throught the red mist. Scares the s**t out of you at night though! But I've set the limit to 6700 and the soft cut starts at 6500. Realy smooth and you hear it rather than feel it and know that its time to change gear. I would advise get the basic one. The shift light isn't needed. (Another £15 wasted) Nigel

You need to arrange a simple container which can be as basic as a coke bottle. Take the radiator overflow hose into it and nearly to the bottom. Add a little water so the end of the overflow hose is submerged. You may have to change the rad cap to one with a rubber seal for the top of the rad filler neck as well as the pressure spring/seal/valve in it. Then as your engine gets hot, water is pushed into the tank. As it cools it is sucked back keeping the rad filled at all times. If this doesnt work its almost certainly failure to seal round the rim of the rad filler neck. Nigel

Don't run your alternator unplugged to measure voltages. It can blow it. There will be very little output if the blue wire from the warning lamp is not connected as this provides the field current to excite the rotating windings. Connect it all up, clean all electrical contacts and correctly tension the fan belt!!! Make sure the battery is fully charged, start and run at fast idle for 5 minutes and test voltage across the battery terminals again. Nigel

Wierd, Bruce. Just wierd. That mobile guy must have the electrical equivalent of green fingers! Nigel

Your two reds combine (or you may just have one fatter red)and go to the big bolt. The skinny blue goes to a connector labeled D, 61 or L. You might just possibly have a blue/white wire and this is 6v feed to the electric choke. Not sure where you connect this if you've got it. Perhaps fit a manual choke? Nigel

I don't think its lack of interest. I think Joel answered your question first time round. The only reason to use water based is if legislation forces you to. The most difficult to use. Most commercial painters are using isocyanates because its the easiest to get a brilliant finish and they can afford the safety stuff. Many restorers use celly for authentic look and most amateurs do as its the most practical. Nigel

I have twin 40DHLA's on my car. They are good for up to 150bhp or so. There is a fair bit of work and expense in fitting them. Look at Engine page 2. Modified engine and fuel pumps....... on this board. 38 DGAS is just about as good and much easier. (but I love my 40s) Nigel

Yes. 87 onward.Unlikely to be the panel/switch illumination circuit or the column switch. Have you wired in all the dimdip stuff. If you have do your headlights run to earth or a brown/green wire back into the loom. Favourite is still identifying the relays 34 & 35 (Diag 2. Ext Lights Chap 13-page 40 in Haynes) and the grey/yellow wire connecting them, testing them looking for a short to ground. Nigel