ibrooks

The smaller capacities are generally better on head gaskets as they're dry liners. As the capacity gets to 1.6 they're 'semi-dry liners' (christened damp liners) and finally at 1.8 they're wet liners. Wet liners are harder on head-gaskets. Supposedly the gaskets have been modified to prevent the oil and waterways from being compromised. The head-bolts are still a bad idea being so long as they tend to twist rather than torque properly. On race engines they apparently remove the threads from the block and use nuts on the bottom of longer bolts (less tendancy for the bolts to twist whilst tightening). Having said that power-to-weight wise they are very good. Ford only cought up when the Zetec first appeared in the Puma but all in it's a better engine. Iain

I eventually went with the standard RHE (well it was RHE when I got mine) setup and had no probs at SVA. However I did investigate the handle from a Jag XJ6. Jag mount the handbrake in pretty much the same place as RH but use a longer handle with an upwards and outwards crank. Unfortunately they put them on the drivers side of the tunnel so we'd need the handles from a LHD Jag. Just a thought. Iain

I've had a couple of Rover (Buick) V8's and I'm sorry to say but I found them fragile great when they're running right but easy to break - I'm just not a fan of ally engines. Yes they're light but for long term reliability they're poo. I'd rather stick with my Pinto, Essex and A-Series and just accelerate up to a lower top-end. I was also a fan of the 8v Vauxhall lumps in Astra's just hope they didn't spoil them by using ally for the 16v heads - Jim?

And another common gotcha is that the front calipers will fit on the wrong sides and look just fine - but the bleed nipples will then be at the bottom so they'll never bleed properly. Iain

And it's got the same number of valves as Guy's had.

Steal the brake compensating valves with and the T-pieces they're screwed into they make a good substitute for the Sierra inertia valve and give the correct readings for an SVA tester who won't do a dynamic test. If you've also taken the T-Piece they are nearly the same length and have the same fittings on each end too. Iain

My Tungsten E came with Real-One on the software/drivers disc - works just dandy and since it's specifically for the Palm it's small by design. Iain

I got my Smiths (Caerbont Automotive International - CAI) Telemetrix gauges from Europa but that was some time ago and I suspect there are cheaper sources nowadays. www.greengauges have a nifty feature where you can pick and choose colours and styles for dials, bezels and pointers. Iain

The camera should be un-necessary - the Capri and Cortina both had live rear-axles (the diff is in a case which runs the width of the car and the rear-wheels hang from the ends of it). The whole lot moves with the suspension. The Sierra's all had independant rear suspension - the diff is bolted to the body and the drive-shafts are exposed. The drive-shafts have flexible joints at each end and the wheels hang from semi-trailing arms which move independantly from each-other. I doubt it's Capri based but just possibly Cortina (still doubtfull though). Brakes - there's very little in the way of a hard-and-fast rule to tell what they came from. Earlier smaller engined cars tended to have smaller brakes. My 1.6 donor had the same rear-brakes as my 2.0i daily driver but Mitch's later 1.6 donor has the smaller brakes. If the donor really was a 1.8 then you're into even less certain territory as they were a mish-mash car (the engine was a mixture of 1.6 and 2.0 bores/strokes to take advantage of tax brackets in certain countries). Ford wouldn't slow down production if they didn't have a stock of the 'correct' parts so long as they had something that would fit instead. Later on they tended to standardize across the range but as per Mitch's car you can guarantee nothing. Engines - the Pinto is the same basic engine in lord-knows how many different cars (and it even forms the basis of the Sierra and Escort Cosworth lumps). If it's a 1.8 then it's almost certainly a Sierra lump as I don't think the 1.8 found it's way into and English Capri's or Cortina's. Have fun. Iain

If you've changed the light for an LED then yes you'll affect the light's operation but not the charging circuit itself. The light is attached at one side to the battery and at the other to the alternator. The voltage difference between the two is what makes the light glow. An LED (or any other diode) will only flow voltage above 0.6v (until you get into the exotic stuff). That should be what's giving the strange indication. So long as it's actually charging leave it alone or change back to a normal bulb (or fit a voltmeter and ammeter to tell you exactly what's going on). If going the extra gauges route learn how to interpret their readings though or it's a waste of effort. Iain

It was tried (I believe) on the first Phuckawi Tribe Wales trip and we were told that we'd be charged just like everyone else. Iain

Is he allowed to leave us all hanging like that? Come on Jim - out with it.

Do your shocks still lean in towards the centre of the car? I used shorter coil-overs and brought them vertical with new upper mounts (and suitable re-inforcing of the boot floor. I then wound the seats of the coil-overs right off and left the original springs in place. The idea was that I could soften it off by removing the Cortina springs and winding the coilovers up a little or stiffen it up by leaving the Cortina springs in place and winding up the coilovers. As it happened it was about right when two up but possibly a little firm when on my own. My springs were 220lb and from GTS Tuning. He does "standard" packages for Locosts and my coilovers were a pair of the rear springs on a pair of the front shocks. I think Iain

A guy cut me up at some traffic lights last night so as he went through a camera a couple of miles on I flashed the main-beams twice. The affect was amazing - he slammed on the brakes, despite the fact that he wasn't doing over 30, and did 28mph for the next few miles even though there were other cars between us by then. Hopefully he's worrying about a speeding ticket and it spoils his festive period - I know it's petty and childish but hey it's payback and he's was driving like an idiot so he deserves it. Iain

Tony - a CB licence is £15 per year and the issuing body is now Offcom. Offcom took over as regulating body at the beginning of the year which is why the planned de-regulation never happened in July after-all. Mitch - they probably wouldn't care unless someone was to complain. Since we use them mobile we would be very difficult to catch because they couldn't triangulate on us unless we stop and broadcast for a while. But.... a 2 metre aerial on the back of the car is kind of hard to miss. I'm going to renew my licence because like Jim says if they want to get difficult they could theoretically enter my home and remove all equipment capable not only of broadcasting but also of receiving radio transmissions - so potentially no more telly Also it would be suspicious if I didn't renew but I was still driving cars with honking big aerials on the back (we also plan to use them with the Mini club). The choice is yours guys. Iain

Well folks - after receiving a renewal notice for my licence I did some digging and it appears that the licence was never abolished in July after-all. Apparently with the change over to Offcom as the regulating body the planned changes never occured. This means that the UK40 channels are still going to be legal "for the useable life of the equipment" rather than the previous "until 2010" and that if you're operating without a license you're illegal. We might have known it was too good to be true - I mean they were going to lose some revenue for which they don't actually have to do any work and they were going to ditch another form-filling exercise. Looks like it's not just my RHOCaR membership I need to get in the post (although the RHOCaR membership is obviously by far the better value and more important). Iain

Steady on there we want him to get better not to frighten him off Good to hear he's on the mend at least and hope to meet you both at some point in the new year. and "you all have the most basic bloody minded determination to overcome anything" I like that one and it can certainly be attached to a good few of the Hoodies I've met Iain

The best prices I've had recently have come from confused.com. Even beat the 'specialists' when I came to insure the Scimitar. Iain

If the speedo doesn't return then it's not the cable - it's something inside the gauge. My Sierra ended up with a white-dial kit from Lockwood because it had the sae symptoms when I got it. The 'paint' of the original numbers had started to peel and was obstructing the needle. I looked at several scrap-yard sets but they all looked the same (or at least starting to head that way). Iain

Haven't read the NW site as I'd already done mine by the time jim wote it but. By the time I got to fitting the sides the floor had already been fastened in. I left the floor flat, removed the self tappers and slid the side between it and the chassis tube. I could then project the holes through the floor onto the side panel. I then removed the whole lot, drilled the sides and bent the floor round the chassis (should't make much difference whether it's cut off or not). The sides then went back on and all the holes lined up through both panels and into the chassis. Of course in my case it all had to come off again later for painting. This just seemed to be the way to do it with minimum gesswork when wielding the drill. Iain

There is definitely something on the stainless. If you get it hot you'll see it turn brown and bubble. Iain

Wotcher folks. The bits in question are in the form of a 1.6 Pinto engine. It's oily and ex-taxi so probably galactic mileage but it runs fine and happily got my 2B through SVA. It's covered 0 miles since and I'm robbing the intake manifold and thermostat housing but the rest is there. I've also got a spare rocker cover. This one is from a Capri so it has the larger 'dent' formed into it's side to acomodate the carb/air-filter (can make fitting a DGAS or DGAV easier - or at least adjusting them afterwards easier). Standard painted black but in good useable condition. These have to be collected and by the end of the week or they will be robbed of small easily storable bits and ditched. So for smaller bits I could remove and store for a week or two but within reason only. I don't want anything for any of it but Heather Ale is rather nice PM me and I'll pass on a mobile number. Iain

Joel, You got a fixed scuttle? If not what are you doing to solve the fact that the windscreen moves when you open the bonnet? Or are you just going to remove the top when you open it? Either way how are you fastening it round the screen? Iain

Must resist...... must try to resist....... Sorry can't - with a paint brush. Feel better now I've got that out. I've just done the two from the Essex with a brush and some engine laquer (£3.summat from the local motor place). They look rather good. I just took care to try not to get any on the faces where gaskets went and once it was dry I carefully scraped the inevitable stuff off with a big flat screwdriver. Iain

Odd - never heard that one and can't see how they'd do it in law as you can't show preference to a manufacturer. Having said that I could quite beleive that a Land-Rover is both strong enough and has the brakes to do it safely. My '69 airportable could quite easily lock all four wheels on dry tarmac (drums all round and same size front and rear) later ones had bigger brakes. I suspect you'd be testing the limits of the A-frame before you tested a pair of Land-Rovers. Iain