ibrooks

The two belts are used on later cars with toys like leccy windows that resulted in a hefty-er alternator load. They are also used on cars with power steering (same reason - two belts so better drive). I'm also told that the bottom pulley is used on Pinto engined cars that have air-con but one belt goes around the crank, water-pump and alternator whilst the second belt runs the compressor and power-steering wasn't an option (never seen this combo myself). Peeps who race them (including Dave Walker) swear by the damping properties of the pulley to avoid breaking crankshafts due to torsional vibration - even when using only one belt. Whether we'll ever get to that sort of stress level on our engines is debatable but.... My 2.1 spent a few thousand miles in my daily driver before it was removed to go into the Hood. It had power steering and the big alternator in there so although it is now running the smaller alternator and no power-steering it's still got the damped pulley. Iain

Nope buying my own place (again) but this time mum and dad aren't planning to follow me. It's just up the hill so I'll still have the bungalow I know as the garage at my disposal (plus another single garage). Iain

I trial fitted the screen and drew around where the pillars would fall. I then fitted the mirrors as high up the triangle as possible such that the outer edges of the mirrors wouldn't over-lap the pillars. The theory was that I could either project the holes through the pillars and leave the mirrors there post SVA or I could leave the pillars un-drilled so that they would cover the holes in the bonnet if I decided to move the mirrors elsewhere. This is what I've now done - I've fitted Tiger mirrors as I didn't think the RHE ones would be visible once the doors were fitted. I don't think the RHE mirrors would be useable with a soft-top (at least the passenger side) as they don't stick out far enough from the body for you to see them past the screen pillars. I'd suggest you fit the mirrors you have in a temporary fashion that can be changed later and then go for either Tiger ones or some other motorbike mirror (Tiger mirrors are a motorbike part and there are several variations which would do the job). Iain

Looks like the dorotape outfit will sell vinyl in pretty much any length you want (1m upwards) and it's less than £2 per metre for the gloss vinyl in normal colours(the 5/7 year polymeric stuff). Or you can go to nearer £10 per metre for fancy stuff (metallics or reflective etc). For big stickers you'll also need wider transfer tape than I have at the moment. It's looks like masking tape but it's only as tacky as the stuff on a postit note - it lifts the vinyl off the backing and keeps all the seperate parts in place but then when you have applied it the transfer tape is less tacky than the vinyl so it peels away and leaves the sticker in place. The stuff I have at the moment is about 3" wide so stickers up to about 5" high are fine as you can use two overlapping strips but for something large this can be un-wieldy. Again the dorotape site lists it (application tape). The part rolls they talk about I'm assuming are the same length as the full rolls (90 odd metres) but smaller widths. I'm guessing 350mm is the stuff and obviously I'd buy it and just pass on the cost of what I'd use on anything for you (looks like it'll work out at pence per metre). I suspect that if you work on £3.50 per metre you'll easily cover the cost of materials plus the postage if I get it from Dorotape (who look to be the cheapest I've seen so-far). If you want stuff made let me know and have your designs thought about. Bear in mind that the area around and within your design is discarded so if you think about how it's layed out you can fit other designs on the same piece of vinyl. The centre of an 'O' for example may be big enough to fit another design inside. I'm about to move house so I'll hopefully have more room for the kit to be permanently useable and I'll be able to turn this sort of thing around a lot faster soon but until then it may be a week or two from design to stickers. The cutter and the computer are about the first thing I'm intending to shift and get working as it's getting annoying and cramped with them in my bedroom at the moment and I know there's a demand for Phuckawi stickers at the moment which I'm determined to have made before Stafford (which seems ages away but it's scary how fast it comes around). Iain

I'm quite impressed with all this burberry stuff - it means the interior of my '76 Mini is fashionable again My vinyl cutter is a CAMM-1 which will take vinyl from a roll up to 20" wide I think the metric stuff is a little narrower). It tends to cost me around £3 per metre but I've had trouble getting it in small quantities as the sign places locally seem to think I'm going to set up in competition. I can buy rolls of vinyl (and it's cheaper) but that gives me more than I'll use in years - I want to buy it a metre or two at a time because all I do is stuff for me and my mates. I'll have a look at that website and see what I can see. If you want stuff doing let me know and I'll investigate - it's better if you can come and get them (that way you can bring the cans of beer you'll be paying with ). Iain

Some Transits came with what they called a "spider" bell-housing which looks kind of like a spaceframe version of a bellhousing (but still cast). Far be it from me to suggest that Ford didn't know what they were doing but I too wouldn't like the idea of something getting in there. For the effort involved in a plate (it doesn't have to be a precision item after all) I'd make one to do the job properly. Iain

I've a vinyl cutter so if you can get vinyl in the colour you want you can have almost anything. No Fear in letters 20" high down the side? Iain

I'm after part of what he just got £32 for (the wheel-box from the rear wiper). Mark - any idea how much they cost you and how long ago that was? Iain

I'm rather thinking I should sell some of the spares I have and buy another two cars with the proceeds. Whenever I get parts for the Scimitar I'm wary of paying OTT for a "Scimitar" part when the same part for it's originally intended motor costs buttons but that is just silly. Scimitars have got to be about as close to a kit-car as you can get without building it yourself. The engine is a Ford V6 The gearbox is a Transit casing with Capri guts. The rear-axle is very close to the item found on Land-Rovers and certain Jags. The front suspension is Triumph. The steering rack is Rover SDi. The brakes are again Transit. The wing mirror is a Capri item. The door handles are Marina (or Discovery). The window winders are Rover (if they're electric but apparently not if they're manual). And I've seen all-sorts of other familiar bits in there as I've been doing things to it. Oh-yes it's a fibre-glass body. What I actually need is the wheel-box which has a bigger wheel than the Mini item (smaller arc). Anyone know who sells various types as all I can seem to find are the Mini ones - or people who say it's the Mini one and that I don't know what I'm on about. Do S&J have a website/catalogue? Iain

What would you pay for a Mini wiper motor from a 73 car (may have been replaced but unknown) with a short bundy tube and just one wheelbox? Check out this E-Bay item 7951282011 - when it was £4.99 I was debating it so that I wouldn't have to butcher a good Mini part for my Scimitar. But the selling price And it is two exclamation-marks but that's obviously the code for something so you only see one - these computers, they'll never catch on you know. :gdit:

It bolts on fine and will work just dandy but without the different or combined plates there is a gap where the engine meets the bell-housing (so conceivably a foreign body could enter the clutch housing ). The plate I'm talking about is the 1mm thick bit that goes between the engine and box. If you use both there's enough extra metal to cover the gap or if you place one over the other and draw round the outside (and inside) of the two you get the required shape to make a special to do the job properly. Iain

OKies chaps I'm selling a spare set of alloys that are surplus to my requirements. They are a set of four from a Capri Laser (the ones with four spokes set in a cross pattern). They are fitted with 185 tyres two of which are fancy ones with central valley pattern and seem to be very low miles and two of which are fine but odd (i.e. different from each other and the other two). The wheels are in good condition but three of them are suffering from peeling paint/laquer. The fourth is a minter which looks to have been professionally restored (or a gifted amateur). I'm looking for £20 I live in Darwen Contact me via PM if you want more details/a look/piccies. Iain

My first comment would be don't Here's why - they're horrible oil burners, the RWD variants are under-powered and it's not the easiest route. They've alloy heads (a personal pet-hate is ally lumps) Not a massive list so.... here's my insight on doing it. As mentioned the servo gets in the way of the petrol pump which sticks out of the back of the head on the drivers side. There are ways to move the servo (lotsa work - or at least messing). There are ways to ditch the servo completely (better as it's un-necessary but again can lead to lots of messing depending on how you do it). Or you could remove the pushrod and pump and blank the hole and go with a leccy pump (I'd say easier assuming it leaves enough clearance). The exhaust exits on the "wrong" side I've heard of the standard RHE Pinto one being altered or you can get your own made. Then you've got holes for it to pass through the side panels to contend with (a new one to make and possibly a redundant one to deal with). The FWD variants are much better for power and longevity but there are some additional problems. The block is slightly different so it won't "seal" to the bell-housing (you just need both sandwich plates to fill the gap (or a specially made one). The thermostat housing from a FWD will almost certainly foul the bulkhead on a Hood (again the part from a RWD should help but it might still be tight). The dizzy is driven from the wrong end of the cam (yet again the RWD components should sort this) but the RWD dizzy is electronic and doesn't have any advance mechanisms so you need to run a mapped system. The American versions of the CVH are 1900 as standard (more if you wish to over-bore) and with a decent head there's over 200bhp to be had (large pot of pennies required to get to this level). If you can overcome the problems (not massive) there's lots of potential (Ford turbo-charged it! - Rizla knows about this one). It also evolved into the Zetec. Iain

Mine locks OK but I had to insert some spacers and use longer bolts between the two parts because the end of the column stuck too far through to allow the horn-push to fit in. Iain

The 3-series has been touted as the replacement donor for quite a while in one place or the other but I've only seen one or two cars that made the switch. Most cars nowadays seem to be getting more bespoke bits rather than using so much from a donor. Things like the MK Indy have started just using the Sierra diff and other small bits and pieces rather than the whole axle so there's less call for builders to get a whole donor car. Shame in my opinion as it just drives the prices up (although it makes it easier for the builder to assemble a car to a high standard) maybe this is another reason that Richard is looking to sell-up. Iain

Just run the return pipe to the supply side of the fuel pump and see how it goes as a first hit. There could be fun and games with the pump actually drawing on the return but I suspect it'll just work. Iain

Just a thought - is your bonnet far enough back (up the length of the car)? Iain

GIVE UP BOOZE? You sure you're a Hoodie? And for your info it's not my girth that's the problem (well not for getting through the soft-top doors). I'll admit to being "economy size" as Big Jim would put it but my problem getting in and out with the top on is the tendancy to bash my head on the steering wheel in the process. Iain

Okey dokey folks I'm looking for some spanners. If any of you have them and would be willing to sell let me know failing that info on where to get them would be appreciated. What I need is a set of Imperial (AF) offset ring-spanners. Machine-Mart sell exactly what I want but in metric sizes (so do Halfords and most of the other obvious tool places). Anyone know where I can get an imperial set? If someone local (Darwen/Blackburn/Lancs) has a set I could borrow for a few days it would help but long term I could do with owning a set. Next - I would like to get a couple of coolant pipes made up in either Stainless or Ally (prefer Stainless). They are to replace the mild steel ones on my Scimitar which have suffered the ravages of time. The important one is a fairly simple affair with a single right-angle bend. I have seen the bent with swaged ends and also made from straight lengths of pipe cut at an angle and welded together. Either would be fine. Anyone know where I can get them made-up? PM me with details and any info. Thanks Iain

The rears were certainly all LSD's but I'm not certain if teh Ghia 4x4 cars had rear discs. But beware. Bearing in mind that these are all old cars now and have been through (or may still be in) a stage where they are worth peanuts be wary of one that has been messed with on the cheap. A guy I spoke to a while back bought an XR4x4 for the LSD and when he got it home he discovered that it had been replaced with a normal rear diff. He hadn't mentioned it to the seller as he didn't want to drive the price up so he's not sure if it had been a cheap repair/replacement or if the seller had robbed the LSD for profit. What it left the factory with is not necessarily what it still has. Iain

Interesting - do you have a fixed scuttle or is it still the alligator bonnet? If it's still an alligator how does it seal to the screen? Have you thought about the gullwing as per the Cyclone? where the roof and the door is are hinged at the "gutter - line" and the whole hinges from a T-bar? Makes access much easier as you have the height above the car to clamber through. Iain

There used to be a Lotus Esprit (think it was an Esprit) that regularly sat on the A666 in Darwen with either EGO 80X or a messed with EGO 130X (EGO BOX). There also used to be a Fiesta that sat on the Green Lane council estate that had the reg EAT 541T (I'll let you guys work out what that looked like at a glance). If I'd known then what I know now (and had the job I do now) I'd have left a note under the wiper offering to buy it. It probably went to the scrap-yard when it wouldn't pass the MOT any-more. I've also seen a white Passat with F11 AAT. A guy I hung around with at the time wanted to buy it for his X/19 (he should have spent the money on a welder or possibly a car made of steel rather than rust). I'm also hunting for a silver BMW 3-series with the reg N3 LEV. Scum damaged my mothers car whilst I was driving it on the M61 and wouldn't stop. He finally pulled off around Farnworth. You can all imagine how helpful plod were and without their backing the insurance company are just going to sting us for the excess. If you hear that I've ended up in court for criminal damage you know that I've found him again. Iain

Dale - if your alloy sumps are longer than that one then I'd bet a pound that they're from a Sierra Cosworth and not an Escort RS2000. It may be worth you ditching them and hunting out a real RS2000 sump if you don't want to weld a standard one. I however welded a standard sump and although I haven't covered a huge mileage with it the track that leads to my garage is pretty rough and the sump doesn't catch there. Iain

Well - I work in computers (I'm a desktop analyst dontcha know). Basically we do anything and everything at desktop/customer level - I also look after the phones at our site coz it's an old exchange and no-one else knows anything about it apart from the local BT engineer (he's building a Cobra copy). I also end up looking after most of the older kit because I know how it works (mainframe terminals, mainframe printers, VAX, Netware servers etc). Bizarrely enough I'm the youngest person from our company on our site (29). Pay - crap for what we have to do. There are too many of these adverts saying that "you too can re-train for a career in computing - no previous experience necessary" and unfortunately too many managers who don't realise that the product of those courses is rubbish. I've been told off for making contractors, who're being paid £30+ per hour, move boxes - until I demonstrated that the guy in question didn't know how to do much else (but he's still working for us ). Unfortunately these people have driven the pay down because if I demand more money they can replace me in hours - it would make the lives of the people I work with hell as a new guy wouldn't be able to do what I can but unfortunately the managers who make the decisions don't see that until it happens and then they blame everyone else. So - I'm studying at college doing an Institute of Motor Industry diploma in private and light commercial vehicles. I'm looking at making an exit to Australia and I get more points for the entry requirements as a mechanic than as a computer engineer. I'll have a qualification but no official experience (I have worked in a garage but not on a being payed to do so basis) so I'm expecting to have to start at the bottom again but hopefully I can work my way up fairly rapidly once I get my foot in the door. Previously I did just about everything at the local Asda (whilst I was at college). I was then a security guard with Group 4 and then Rentokil Security Services. Asda was rubbish as they expected you to jump for zero recognition (again you were too easy to replace). Security is great if you're part of a team of decent people but a nightmare if you're stuck with a set of lazy/difficult gits. You get loads of free time if you're on 12 hour shifts but your free when the shift pattern says so not necessarily when you want to be. Again if you're part of a decent team you can usually swap shifts to get the time you want off. The downside again is that the pay is rubbish (although I did see a security guards job advertised locally this week for pretty much the same as I get paid). Try to find something you enjoy. OK so when you HAVE to do something it can take a lot of the enjoyment out of it but would you rather be forced to do something you can enjoy or something you definitely hate. I know there are days when I don't want to go and start a job in the garage but every time I force myself to go and do it I then find myself being dragged in for my meals and then being told off for starting a power tool up after midnight. Left to my own devices I'd be out there until I started dropping off or I'd finished the job. What I'd really like to do is be part of the team on something like Salvage Squad or the yankee one (Overhaulin') or similar. Call me a softy but when they give the projects back and the owners fill up I think any amount of hard-work would have been worth it. Iain

Neither - they're plasma cut. Plasma cutters are a great toy - wish I could justify one but I'd only use it twice a year (after the initial frenzy of cutting shapes into every spare bit of metal in the garage of course).