ibrooks

Dave Tomlinson's 2B passed SVA with the RHE mirrors and then so did mine (with the same mirrors). If you want them (I'm fitting Tiger ones now the screen is going on) they're yours for the cost of postage. I never intended them to be permanet so I mounted them so that the holes were under the screen's pillars when I fitted it. This means that the passenger mirror is a little low - usable and it satisfied the tester but could be better if it was to be permanent and mounted higher but then the mounting holes wouldn't both fall on the pillar. C'mon lets see how many times these mirrors can go through SVA Iain

If you get a non-paying bidder on EBay then you report them and you don't get charged the comission and you can re-list the same advert for free so as long as you'r prepared to try again non-paying bidders aren't a problem. If they appear and try to haggle then give them two options go away and report them as a non-paying bidder or pay the agreed price. As for when to sell I don't think this time of year is a good time as prices seem to go down, I've been looking at Robin Hood prices on EBay as I'm selling one myself - I'm not getting much interest but that's probably down to my brutally honest advert. My S7 sounds rough from my description but it's not. I've seen much worse cars that sounded better due to creative descriptions or simple omissions. I purposely won't sting anyone because I wouldn't feel right about it. If it doesn't reach it's reserve this time around then I'll just do the little jobs it wants in my spare time over winter and try to sell it in the spring. It's taxed, MOT'd and insured till next August so all it's costing me till then is room and petrol when I take it out. Iain

Yep - the shaft has to come out so you'll need to completely dismantle the front suspension. If you can get hold of an old pair of shafts from somewhere then you can get them done and just swap in a day rather than having the car off the road whilst the work is done. Anyone ditched the pillars and got the old ones kicking around spare? Or anyone building a Hood and don't need the McPherson struts from the Sierra? Iain

The Puregrot offset is the same as the RWD Ford. The Sierra got (bizarrely) the FWD offset. The RHE supplied alloys I beleive were the RWD offset. If you've got these already and a spacer as well then I'd be very wary of adding even more spacing. Just imagine how much further you're hanging the weight out from the bearing's designed placing (OK with a much lighter car but we all know the one about a long enough lever moving the world). Also you're changing the geometry and the handling/steering may (will?) suffer. Some people have modified the Pillocks by having the shafts drilled and tapped so that a high tensile bolt can be screwed in from the bottom - this would only leave a bolt head sticking out below the plate. I'd personally go for the bigger diameter wheels and look to convert ASAP. Iain

Depends on where they are rubbin but I would suspect not. I'd suggest the earlier Ford offset (the same as Puregrot) in order to move the wheels out a bit. Failing that spacers and longer studs until you can get it converted. Iain

No but they are both measured before the diff has any effect. The speed of the engine relative to the output shaft of the gearbox will only change if the ratios in the box have changed. If the diff is a different ratio to the old one then the engine will still show the same rpm per mph as shown on the speedo but the mph shown on the speedo will be wrong. Are you sure your speedo was correct before? Is it correct now? If your car is pulling to high revs in the lower gears but not in higher gears then the only factor that can be effecting it is the velocity. This would be shown if you did several power runs in different gears by the results being parallel lines on the graphs. The only reason velocity will affect your max speed is when your torque matches the resistance of the vehicle moving forwards from aerodynamics (or lack of with a seven). I'm suspecting that the diffs are actually different ratios and your actual "speed ceiling" is no different to before but your speedo is showing something different. Are you 110% sure that the old diff is a 3.92? Like Jim says they will either work or they wont - there's a large area in between where they will work but complain that they're not happy. The rolling road plot states 99bhp at the wheels and says 121bhp at the flywheel (you can see the coastdown at the end of the graphline for him to work the difference out) - respectable numbers for a standard injection Pinto. It also shows the top speed reached was 105 mph (170kph). What did the speedo show at this point? Iain

The RWD Escort RS2000 engine IS a 2 litre Pinto. What went into the various Pintos over the years and on different cars has varied. The RS2000's got a different cam to their lower performance cousins and a different exhaust and a different carb and a shorter alloy sump and some other alloy bits (like brackets) to make the cars and their components lighter for homologation for rallying. Some of the bits became standard fitment on later 2.0 Pintos and some didn't. Similarly as the Pinto was further developed it got more powerful. The injected ones will make 125bhp at the flywheel - the differences are from the cam and the gasflow in the head rather than the injection system so it would make little difference which was used as long as they were both setup properly. My Sierra with a 2.0 injected Pinto which had only been modified by 100,000 plus miles always put down 100bhp at the rear wheels (which would equate to 125 at the flywheel). It's still the same basic engine and many of the parts are the same. The best standard offering from Ford was the injection engine. The Cosworth engine is also the same lump but in ultra heavy-duty form and with a different cylinder head. Iain

You'll kill the output bearing in the gearbox and it'll vibrate like hell until it lets go - very soon and probably taking the tailshaft and a chunk of the transmission tunnel and possibly the occupants with it. For safety's sake get it done professionally by someone who knows what they're doing and take their advice. The doughnut can allow for a small misalignment between the drivelines of the box and the diff but we're talking a degree or less. RH supplied some props with a UJ at one end and a doughnut at the other - I'm assuming it's one of these you're replacing - best thing for it. Get a replacement with two UJs. Somewhere like Reco-prop will just need to know the fittings at either end and the distance from the rear face of the tailshaft to the drive flange on the diff. You'll get a prop that's been properly made and balanced. Iain

Depends on the registration office (dontcha love beaurocracy). He may well get a Q (yes they most certainly are still around) or if he can prove the age of the engine then it may be an age related plate based on that. If he can't prove the age of the engine then I beleive he will have to meet current emissions standards. Iain

I'd be more suspicious if they were in a straight line. I've had a lot of Pinto's in bits in the last four years and I've yet to see one that looks like it wasn't stamped by someone very drunk. Iain

Right - that's me goosed coz I've never delved into the ESC system (think that's what it's called). Like Dave says if the engine isn't in the chassis I wouldn't even consider starting it. They shake around a lot and an unsecured engine rolling around on the floor is not healthy for you or it. There are guys running this system so hopefully one of them will post to assist. Failing that visit the local scrap-yard and look for the alternative system as it's much simpler to get started with and to modify later. Do you have a Haynes manual for the Sierra? that will contain the wiring diagram which you can use to sort which wire goes where. Iain

It's definitely the implementation that's wrong. On a local road there is a notorious junction where a 50mph road turns a corner and then passes in quick succession a petrol station, a pub with resteraunt a car dealer and is joined by a smaller road. Coming the other way you also round a corner before passing the whole lot. It's common for some idiot to be tanking along at 50 come round the corner and collect some innocent who has just turned out of the petrol station, pub or other road. So where have they placed the cameras - in just the right places but facing the wrong ways just right to catch you speeding up again after passing the danger-zone in the words of a favourite cartoon character "the mind boggles". If cameras were used properly then every fine issued would be viewed as a failure because you haven't slowed that person down. Iain

Firstly put your location in your profile and someone local may well have the same/similar setup that you can copy/follow. OK now second - define ECU. There are two possibilities for the carbed Pinto. One uses a little black brick riveted to an ally plate with six (I think) wires coming from a multi-plug. The second is a larger brick and has a connector for a vacuum hose as well as wires. Which do you have? (the first is easier). Do you know which carb you have? Hopefully with that lot we should be able to get you running. Iain

Yes but it'll add to the bill. Make sure everything is as it should be to the best of your ability/equipment as it's pointless getting a car setup and then changing something when you get home that invalidates the settings. Make sure your tyres are in tip-top condition and inflated properly as rollers are hard on the tyres (I've seen the results of a 400bhp plus Skyline losing a front tyre at 200mph on the rollers - change of underpants all round please - mind you Jim tried to set fire to the place recently). Ask the advice of the guy who runs the rollers as he should know his stuff (if not go elsewhere). Iain

I agree. It should furnish everything except the desired engine. If it's a good Pinto then there's no reason not to use it and swap it several years down the line (or any other time at your leisure). If it's a CVH then so be it you still need a Pinto so look-out for a 2.0 either in a car or not depending on how you're fixed for breaking a second vehicle or just storing it whilst you extract an engine. It's not far from me so if you want to go and have a look with someone who can show you which bits you'll need to be in good shape then give me a shout. Iain

Take the plug out of number one cylinder. Stick something long and thin down the hole until you feel the top of the piston. Now slowly turn the engine by hand (or 19mm spanner) in it's running direction until you feel the piston start to come up. Now stick your thumb over the hole so it forms a seal - can you feel pressure?. If so then stick your long thin thing back in the hole and keep turning until the piston is at the top. If you couldn't feel pressure keep going for another turn and this time you should. Now you have the engine at somewhere near TDC on number one's firing stroke. Take the dizzy cap off and look where the rotor arm is pointing. Whichever lead it's pointing at is number one (obviously you'll have to imagine the cap back on in it's correct orientation) because we know that plugs always fire somewhere near TDC. Now connect that contact to number one and since the dizzy turns clockwise work your way around the cap clockwise connecting 3 4 and 2 in turn. This should get you running again so long as nothing is duff. Other people's dizzy's could be at any orientation as it all depends on where the dizzy shaft engaged when it was installed on the individual engine. Let us know how you get on. Iain

Yep - those are the ones.

Friends of ours did - it's quite funny if we phone them when the TT is on as you can hear the stuff going past in the background - drives them mad coz they also can't get in or out of their own driveway. Normally that's when they go on holiday and they just hope they don't come home to find a competitor in the front room (he's cultivating big trees in the front garden as an alternative to a gravel trap). Iain

Depends on the UXB man - some of them are car nuts too. Failing that once they'd established that it wasn't an explosive device and were happy to wire-brush the rust/mud off it they may have found a Citroen logo and/or part number. Some years ago a mate of mine found an old shell in the pond in a Park in Blackburn (he's a member of the local sub-aqua club and they were doing a charity event in there). He brought it up from the bottom thinking it was a log and threw it onto the path. On the first bounce all the mud and leaves fell off and as it rolled to a halt people were apparently jumping the fences, climbing trees, anything to get away from it. Fortunately it didn't go off but the park was closed for several months whilst the army guys removed the rest. It seems that after WWII lots of ammo was to be disposed of and squads were sent with batches of shells to be taken to the destruction facility. Unfortunately as there was so much ordnance to be destroyed that the controls weren't what they were supposed to be and some of the squads just dumped the stuff somewhere they thought it wouldn't do any damage and then spent the rest of the alloted time on the beer. They'd turn up back at base a day or two later with a signed sheet saying that the batch had been destroyed but no-one checked the signatures were genuine. Looked like some of this stuff had been dumped in the pond and sat there ever since. An ex-colleague was a bomb disposal officer with the RAF and confirmed that he had been called to such finds several times. He's still trying to find somewhere that sells those t-shirts - I suggested he make one but he wanted the reaction from the shop keeper when he explained it was true. Iain

I'd question that one Piddy as the screen would end up a different shape. It would be possible to cut the frame but making the joint pretty would be the hard part. There are instructions in the "Build your own sportscar for £250" book on making a frame which are easy to follow. Failing that how does it compare sizewise with the Locosts and could you get a frame from one of the Locost suppliers - that way you'd have the current screen complete to sell on to recover some of your costs. Iain

Unfortunately no - I bought the car it's in as a pile of spares for my daily driver. Even if it went in the Hood it would be on the basis that if I needed it I'd rob it to keep the Scimitar on the road. Have you checked the one on EBay that I mentioned in Member Benefits or has it's price gone silly? Cheers Mitch I wasn't aware that Bert Holdings did that sort of tuning. Iain

For the North-West crew really. Anyone know a local place that stocks jets for a Weber DGAS and can tune it. I've Accquired a DGAS which I'm thinking of putting on the 2.1 until the injection is ready but it's jetted for a 3.0 at the mo (in fact it's still attached to it) so I'm guessing it will need fettling and I don't have access to the kit. Failing that it's stick with the 32/36 Iain

Thanks for the suggestions chaps. As it happens my initial suspicion was correct and it's the relay. Fortunately yes it does have a second relay of the same type for the hazards. I now have indicators but no hazards. I'll rob the relay from one of the other cars tonight and replace it at the weekend. Iain

Wotcher folks, OK an urgent one here. Turning into the site I'm working at today the indicators packed up. They were flashing whilst I was wainting at the junction but just stopped whilst I was sat there. I now don't have either direction but I do have hazards. Does anyone know anything about Scimitar wiring (SE6a) do the directions use the same relay as the hazards or are they separate? What else can I check here at work (very basic tools and the manual with the wiring diagram is at home) as I don't relish the idea of the trip home without indicators. Iain

Happy Birthday Mark Iain