ibrooks

There are loads of plans out there on the web. On the homemade front I've seen people using A metal cupboard with a couple of heat guns (hot air paint stripping type things) ducted into it. A bigger metal box with a false floor with a bunch of 1" holes drilled in it and a space-heater ducted into the cavity under the floor. You also get the more serious home users who build a double skinned metal box with rock-wool between the skins and the elements/stat from a domestic oven. You can make the resulting oven quite a bit bigger than the original that you yoink the element from as even a domestic oven element has capacity to get the oven well above the required temp so it has no problems getting a significantly bigger volume up to "just" 170deg. You get all sorts of variations depending on what size/shape of things are going into it and heat distribution within the oven. Obviously the usual riders around messing with electrickery apply if you want to take it this far. Iain

Careful - to avoid the "new" car having to go through IVA you need to qualify under the points system that it's the same car as the original but re-built. So many points for the brakes, so many for the steering, so many for the engine, so many for the transmission etc. The points are loaded in such a way that a replacement chassis/body needs almost everything else to be from the original. Chances are that as well as an MOT the car will have to go through a VIC - my mate has just had this on a Xantia that was written off over two years ago for a minor bump (wing, headlight and bumper put it beyond economical repair). The previous owner, his dad, "just had to MOT it" to put it back on the road and it's been through another two since but this time around they refused to let him re-tax it until it had gone through a VIC (at his expense and hassle - could have been popular if it had been sold to joe-public). You've had enough trouble already - don't store more up of your own making. Iain

Yep Frost are your guys. They can be pricey on stuff but they do carry some obscure stuff you don't find elsewhere. They carry some standard colours or will match a sample you can send. I've used the vinyl paint to do the rear seat of my Mini which has been fine but admittedly doesn't often have anyone sat on it. I also used it to re-colour a pair of headrests on my Scimitar. You need a special cleaner and then solvent wipe to prepare the surface and then just spray it on. http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?pro...ctName=Interior Coat (400ml)&catID=21&frostCat=Interior Trim&frostSubCat=&subCatID= 400ml is an aerosol but the 1 litre can is for use in a spray gun - it's not immediately clear on the website and I made the mistake thinking it was just a bigger aerosol. Fortunately I've got a compressor and spraying gear. Iain

Sound like it's time for them to take their pants down and bend over. I'd even suggest that there's a case to answer for the highways agency - they should have checked that the gas board had sorted it and if not they should have rectified it and taken steps to recover their costs for doing so from the gas board. Iain

Problem with claiming from the gas company is that it's all covered by weasel phrases. Unless you can prove it was like that when they installed it they can claim that something has been done to it since and they didn't know about it. If they didn't know about the problem then they can't reasonably be expected to sort it or take the blame for damage caused. The only alternative in your favour is if they have previously been informed of the problem but haven't fixed it in a "reasonable" amount of time. Ideally you need to find someone that has reported it as a problem to the gas board/council and has proof that they did it. Failing that you need to be able to prove that it was installed badly. I would have thought your insurance would cover it and whilst it might not technically have been your fault, unless they can claim the money back from someone else it will be a claim against you. It's just the word "fault" that's a bit of a misnomer in this case. Iain

Arthur doesn't tend to do a lot of brass stuff - he stocks a lot more Stainless or Aluminium. Sorry - couldn't resist I'd be going down the lump of brass plate and a hacksaw route. Iain

I'd be more inclined to suggest that the problem was fuel vapourisation than a problem with the pump itself. I certainly get it on the GTM if I end up sat in a queue. Underbonnet temps rise until the fuel in the lines vapourises and the pump then has gas rather than liquid in it. The only option is to let it all cool down for about ten minutes and then re-prime the pump (liquid pumps aren't generally good at self priming) and off you go again. One option I've looked at is a leccy fuel pump from a carbed car near the tank to use as a primary lift pump. Should prevent it happening by keeping a little positive pressure in the line behind the mechanical pump. I haven't thought about it to the nth degree as I'm planning to fit a twin-cam head and run throttle bodies which will elminiate the problem by having a high pressure pump outside the engine bay. Iain

A Q just means there is some question over the origins and this is where things can get difficult. As already mentioned - once it's got a Q it's there forever so it limits your options from the word go. Some insurance companies don't like them and will either refuse to quote or load your policy. There are unfortunately a number of MOT testers out there who suffer from B&E syndrome and still think that a Q means a car must meet current emissions standards. That means the goalposts move year on year and if you have an older engine fitted then you've little chance of passing. The computerised system should solve this as it is supposed to tell them which test to apply when they enter the reg no. on the computer but you still get the odd one and it's just hassle you can do without at a traumatic time. If all else is equal between two cars but one isn't a Q then it will sell more easily and for a better price (justified or not people don't like them). My GTM has a Q plate and whilst it's not caused me problems so far I wish it had been registered with an age related plate. I would have liked to be able to put a plate on it which relates to it's age and manufacture (I did price up Hxx GTM plates and would have had one if I could). I'm going to do all I can to ensure that the SPD gets an age related plate so that I then have the option of putting a C or D prefixed plate on it and making it look more like the "correct" age for the car it's a replica of. Regarding "normal" plates that you can't replace. I assume this is referring to non-transferable plates. These tend to be vehicles where the original plate has been removed and the DVLA have issued the next age related plate they had to the car. The registration number then issued is non-transferable but it can be removed and another plate put on the car - it's just that the non-transferable plate cannot be taken elsewhere and if the personal plate is ever removed again the non-transferable number goes back on the car. This came about when older plates became valuable (three letters and three numbers usually) to disguise the age of a car. Some dealers got an old car and sold the plate, applied to DVLA for a replacement age related plate for the car, which they then sold..... A friend of a friend has made himself a millionaire buying and selling number plates and he said this was a nice little earner until the government cottoned on to what was happening. He also used to have a Reliant Robin (or maybe Rialto) that he used to get plates between motorbikes and cars (you couldn't transfer a plate from a bike to a car and vice-versa but a three-wheeler is a grey area) think this one has been relaxed since. Iain

Did you get sorted Tony? There's a van popped up on Minifinity that's in Blackpool. Fairly pricey again because there's not that much needed by the looks of it. Iain

Thanks dude - part no 264 is just a conventional belt and not what I'm after but they do seem to have an equivalent of of the Corbeau one I'm after (part no 700). Problem is NINETY SIX AND A HALF QUID EACH!!!!!! I'll keep looking and see about getting a set of the Corbeau ones imported and see how they compare once the postage is added. Failing that I have a mate who can get these thngs made up but I suspect that isn't going to be cheap and he would only be using a normal retractor mechanism whereas I like the idea of being able to lock it manually on the Corbeau ones. Iain

To be honest you need to at least skim the whole thing. None of it applies specifically to kit-cars or doesn't apply to kit-cars. The whole lot applies to any car. The only points where you can disregard chunks of it is where it talks about stuff that your car doesn't have (doors etc.). Most of it is common sense but it's not that hard to read through if you go systematically. Iain

Much apreciated - thanks dude. Techmage - that's an American site so it's entirely possible that they aren't approved for road use over there. Fortunately it's one of the places where our regulations aren't as daft as most of the rest of the world yet. Whilst the tester will look for approval markings it's only because if he sees one he can simply count it as a "tick in the box" if they are there. If there aren't any markings he has a list of characteristics that a component must have and so long as it does meet those requirements then it will pass. Iain

Anyone know where I can get hold of a set of these in the UK? http://www.corbeau.com/products/harness_be..._harness_belts/ I've spoken to Corbeau in this country and they simply told me that they don't manufacture them - despite some fairly compelling evidence in that link that says otherwise. Iain

Not a great attitude in my opinion - surely the best way to ensure the industry continues and grows is to get more people into the hobby and "discouraging" them from taking part in the social side of it doesn't strike me as a good way of doing that. Iain

Please steer well clear of those spacers in the link - they are downright lethal. They are quite common in the Mini world and I've seen several cases where the studs have snapped. I think they even come with a warning that they shouldn't be used on the driven wheels and I will admit that all the failures I've seen have been on the fronts of the Mini. Iain

So what's the name of the company? I likes the sound of that price. Iain

The 7 inch lights are the same units that were fitted to about a hundred different vehicles at one time or another so there are quite a few variations. The best bet is probably to look at the Mini suppliers as that's where the biggest call for non-standard parts probably is. If you currently have sealed beam units a straight swap to halogens is a good upgrade - several to choose from but make sure you get a UK set of lenses as I've seen people selling European ones cheap and the buyers wonder why the cars coming the other way keep flashing them (they assume it's because of their new bright lights) until the MOT man explains that he's failing their car because the beam pattern is to the wrong side. "Angel Eyes" are certainly available but again watch out for the beam pattern. They are a relatively low volume item so quite a few of the manufacturers kept costs down by not tooling up for both left and right dipping lenses - they made one lense pattern that dips straight down and sell it worldwide. Strictly speaking they aren't legal for road use but here in the real world lots of people are using them with no problems either on the road or at MOT time. You can also get a HID conversion to just replace the bulb (it also has a power supply box that you would need to mount inside the body so a bit more complicated than just replacing a bulb). There are also the usual collection of ice, pale blue and whatever the latest go faster fad is bulbs that can just replace the normal Halogen ones. Iain

Or this one? http://www.edisposals.com/ Iain

The brake test at SVA involved an aparatus where the tester wears a piston on his foot which is connected to a pressure gauge in his hand so they are looking at both braking effort and pedal effort. I assume IVA is going to be similar in this respect - reading the current manual it sounds like it. I also appear to have a get-out clause as it states that they mustn't test it on the rolloer if more than one axle is permanently driven and since mine is using the Sierra four wheel drive system they are. Anyone got a Tapley meter I can borrow when the time comes. Iain

Where are you? I've a 1.6 head sat on the floor waiting for the scrap metal man to come and take away. As far as I'm aware it was a good one and was only replaced when a 2.0 engine was fitted. I only want the block as a size/space template so if you can come and get the head it's yours. Iain

Up until the "make your own up" that's pretty much what I had to do. I was told by the VRO that I MUST NOT make my own up so I filled in the docs saying where all the bits came from and then took it to them for an inspection after which they sent a letter telling me the chassis number AND the reg number that had been allocated. As far as you are concerned you've got it in black and white that you can make your own number up so go for it but make sure you keep that letter safe. Iain

My 2B failed it's first test on "Too much rear braking effort". I pointed out that it had the Sierra deceleration valve fitted and that I thought he should have driven it as it would never do anything on the rollers but he said no. Since the failure list was so small I just took it on the chin and decided not to wind him up by beating him over the head with the rulebook. I ended up with the pressure limiting valve from a Rover Metro instead which did the trick. It had the donor brakes complete so 240mm vented discs up front and whatever drums '87 1.6 Sierras got at the rear. The Sierra valve is mounted pointing "North-South" in the car and with the front end pointing slightly upwards. As people have mentioned the control is given by a ball moving forwards as the car decelerates. Obviously the degree to which the valve points upwards has an affect on the movement of the ball and therefore the characteristics of the valve. To an extent this means we can change it's performance by altering it's angle to the horizontal which allows us to account for the difference in weight in a lighter car (point it vertically upwards and it'll do nothing but point it horizontally and it'll work almost all the time). There is a spring in front of the ball so in theory the range of adjustment between "on all the time" and "off all the time" is from slightly downwards pointing to almost vertical with everything between giving a varying degree of effect to varying degrees of deceleration. This is one of the worries I've got with the SPD200 as I can't fit the Sierra master cylinder in so I've got to go with twin masters and a balance bar of some sort on the pedal. I've modified the Sierra pedal box to do the job and work the masters but has anyone seen a clever way of setting brake balance within the IVA regs? Unfortunately it's a different wheelbase and weight to a Hood so I'm likely to need somewhat different requirements to most people here. I'm also interested in good ways of actually measuring the brake performance before the test as I'd like to be able to do my tweaking before the test as I'm less willing to go into a test costing as much as IVA with a view that it might fail but at least I'll get a list of what I still need to do. Iain

Quite possibly spotted this thread and wanted to disassociate it from our comments/speculations. Likely to be advertised elsewhere or waiting for the discussion to die down and then it'll re-appear. Or some poor mug's bought it Iain

When the seller answers a question they can choose whether or not to make it visible to the the rest of the world. I suspect in this case that'll never happen as the seller won't want the questions or answers to put off potential buyers who don't know what they are getting themselves into. Iain

Bull - it's a Robin Hood that he hasn't submitted for the correct tests to get it registered properly. It'll be the bane of someone's life when the problem comes to light. Iain