ibrooks

Hi Mitch, I've tried WHS and they've said they'll get it in for me but I'm still waiting for a call (I have a suspicion I'll wait a long time). Not tried a Spar - I'll stick my head in there next time I get a chance. Rizla, The website (such as it is) is www.ppcmag.co.uk. Iain

Wotcher folks, Having heard several people rave about this mag I've been looking for somewhere to buy my very own copy. Unfortunately no luck. Does anyone know a stockist in the Darwen/Blackburn/Bolton area. I've found the website but it only has numbers for subscriptions, which I may well do but I want to read it myself first to see if I think it's any good. Failing this could anyone lend me the issues that are out so-far (I'm specifically interested in the DIY fuel injection stuff). Iain

Assuming the ride height is correct they obviously have too long a closed length. What's your car based on? don't know the series 2 off the top of my head but I didn't think RH ever based a car on a Capri (should they be Cortina instead?). Why did you fit Capri items? Iain

The guy who tested mine at Chadderton the other week was good but when I went back for the re-test the guy who started it was obviously going to be an awkward git. Fortunately the original tester appeared to check the Skyline behind me and my dad said something to him which prompted him to come and swap jobs with the tosser (who seemed to be just as popular with his colleagues as he was going to make himself with me). Not just certain what dad said to him but I'm glad he did. Iain

Good advice but a bit superfluous here as he's doing it to replace the dust cover in the first place. Personally I don't like the fork type as they almost inevitablydestroy the rubber cover. The see-saw type are much better if you'r hoping to use the joint again afterwards. Iain

If you're looking at the front of the engine it goes clockwise. I think (but I'm fairly certain). Looking at your diff question does this mean you've bought a Jap engine that turns the wrong way? I've seen these used with Escort/Cortina axles which were just turned over (not quite that simple but not too hard either). I would imagine turning a Sierra diff over to be a much more complex proposition as it's not symetrical (the live axles are - nearly). I seem to remember that there were some issues with the type-9 box running backwards as the oil is just splashed around to lubricate it and some of the baffles inside are the wrong shape so some parts don't get the oil they should. Iain

Well not to sound too much of a flash git but I have one of each and I'd be looking at the 2B with kinder eyes (although my S7 is Cortina based). The S7 is a monocoque and so the chassis is actually the tub so the sides are structural and you'll notice a wider sill that you have to sit next to You'll also notice the transmission tunnel is wider. All this means the cockpit is smaller (a big thing for me as I'm fat). The S7 also has a floor in the engine bay (again part of the structure) which makes it harder for it to get rid of heat and so increases the chance of it coming into the cockpit or causing overheating problems. If you are slimmer and the cooling system is up to scratch and the bulkhead is well sealed the S7 should serve you well (this little lot will also indicate that the car is likely to be in good shape as the owner or builder has obviously sorted some of the common problems). The 2B is a spaceframe with panels that are fastened to it. The side panels are notoriously hard to form (especially if they're stainless) and the rear panel has to be beaten with a knockometer (hammer) to form it, which isn't the best thing for mirror finish stainless. If it's the earlier sliding pillar front suspension then bank on having to change it (it's functional - just). Also the RHE supplied rear coilovers are not the best setup available (the Sierra standard setup is a little soft too). Bear in mind that apart from appearance and the support you'll get here the cars are streets apart in design and as these are kit-cars the builders/owners have much more input into the final product and so each car has to be treated on an individual basis. It's going to be very much a matter of what you see/hear/feel that must guide your decision. Iain

Must admit I was thinking of you all with envy whilst I was working today and then an evil little grin was to be seen about 4:30 when I was dropping the works van back off in Chorley as the heavens opened. That was a downright impressive downpour for a few minutes there (just about long enough for you to have the hood on by the time it stopped again). Iain

Hows about VIRGINIA BOTTOMLEY IM AN EVIL TORY BIGOT Not that I have anything against her of course but it cracked me up first time I heard it.

My letter from Preston VRO says that it should be stamped on the offside of the chassis and also on a plate rivetted to the car. Iain

Must admit this is something that winds me up no end. Whilst building mine my dad took delivery of a new car and I could spot things on it that would fail from the word go. Also - have you seen those vans with the glass carriers on the sides? how would they fare? and that's just the obvious example. It seems that more and more you will be OK so long as you have a huge amount of money i.e. the big manufacturers or if you spend £20k plus on one of the meccano kits that some of the other kit-car manufacturers offer. I personally suspect that this is why Richard is really selling up as it looks like it's getting more and more difficult to offer the sort of car that he has always made. It bothers me that in the magazines and places like totalkitcar.com we see more and more reviews where "a basic car should be on the road for £20k". I'm not in a low-paid job but I'm sorry I don't have that sort of cash spare my alternative is to put more of the effort in myself in order to save the money but it looks more like I'll end up butting my head against the "as a major manufacturer would fit" obstacle. Rant rant rant :gdit: Iain

I'd love to but unfortunately I'll be driving a Transit on Sunday (working). I still need to get it MOT'd (should be a formality) and then registered and taxed. Unfortunately Aerospace have picked this weekend for us to move the receiving dept (actually they held it off until this weekend at my request) so I'll be working Friday afternoon as well so it may be next weekend before it's actually legal. I am also in the process of destroying (shortening) a sump for the 2.1 as well. Iain

14.2-1 is theoretically a bit high for reliability but as with all things there are people out here in the real world that have run stuff like this with no probs. Personally I would look at getting the chambers on the 1.6 head opened out to drop the compression ratio closer to 10-1 as this should be a reliable engine but still fairly powerful (potentially). Iain

Looks like my row of smiley faces was too subtle for some of my NW colleagues. Jim, Mitch YES IT PASSED! I took it back to Chadderton yesterday afternoon in the p155ing rain and had the re-test. By the time I got home again I had wet trousers and boxer shorts and a MAC (the trousers and boxers were wet by the time I arrived actually, did you see the rain yesterday afternoon?, but once I got the MAC I didn't care anymore). Iain

Don't know about him but I was driving a 2B with no hood or screen to Chadderton for the re-test. I swear that if the man hadn't given me the certificate there would have been a killing. Good luck for tomorrow Bugsy. Iain

Nope you tell them but you don't Iain

Which is the UK megasquirt site - I'm hunting all through the pages and just keep getting Yahoo groups is one of those the one? Iain

OK - now find someone local to give me 3 grand for my S7 - just make sure they're not called Andy .

As per Robbie's comment welcome to the madhouse. If you find a donor with the wrong engine/box but the right price (CVH/DOHC) then Ian Hale is giving an engine away and I have several type 9 5 spd boxes that you can take your pick from for the same price. There are ways to get around these not being in the actual donor (not strictly in the spirit of the regs but......). I think the engine Ian is getting rid of is actually one that I took out of a Sierra - if it's the same lump then it should be a good un as it had only done 30 odd thousand miles when I extracted it. I know Ian went round europe with it as well as his domestic mileage but I suspect it's still done less than 50k since uncle Henry's boys built it. I didn't keep it or pass it on with the engine but the car had a huge pile of history and a receipt for an unleaded conversion (several hundred quids worth which is why I bought it). Yes you'll probably end up with a 2.0 but from experience I'd suggest getting it on the road by hook or by crook and then look at getting it exactly how you want it. No I didn't so it's taken me a few years to get my 2B up to and through SVA (earlier today so if my spelling is dodgy blame it on the celebratory beer I'm drinking). It might be a bit of a trip to collect them but one of our members came all the way from Portsmouth to help me get rid of some of my rubbish (sorry engines). Iain

Agree with Swan on this one. If John is willing to accept £2750 for it then that's up to him despite that fact that it sounds like it's worth more. Given that I'm going to be making a more concerted effort to sell my S7 in the very near future the higher the prices the happier I am. However if I was in the market for a ready built Hood I would definitely be giving him a call and quite possibly biting his hand off. Hey Mitch 5 Hoods within a mile radius - you counting both of mine or is there someone else lurking in the vicinity? Saw a mostly green seven on my way home from college tonight. It turned into the estate opposite Ewood park. Didn't get close enough to tell what pedigree it was (a proper Hood or one of those nasty copies ). Think it had a yellow nose and either a stainless or ally bonnet. Iain

Nuff said really. The brakes were sorted with a valve from a Metro but it came from a Rover Metro rather than the Austin one and so the fittings at either end are "normal" sizes (male on one end and female on the other). They have a t-piece on the top in the Metro which I left on (and blocked the redundant port with a bleed nipple) - this means it is about the same size and has the same ends as the inertia valve from the Sierra so I didn't have to change anything else (even bolted to the same bracket. There are two in each Metro and they are on the bulkhead I obtained both from the Metro whilst I was at it so I have a spare if anyone wants one. Now then - where did I put that 2.1. Iain

Awesome innit! The only problem I found with lists is that they changes from things like "interior" to seats, carpet, dashboard, guages, lights....... The first run on the road makes up for it though. Iain

I've got most of it sorted but the brakes are proving tricky. I've spent most of today trying to get hold of a Mini valve but the one I need is from a pre 1970 non-Clubman. I have two 1976 Clubmen and loads of bits from the 1980's Minis I have broken to assist in their ressurection. Unfortunately these have a 4-way thing on the bulkhead rather than the T-shaped one we need. Looks like I'm looking for the Metro alternative then. I'll keep you all posted. I will be at Newark but only for one day (working on the fail points the other day) and most likely in the tin-top coz until we concrete the drive you can only actually drive in and out of one side of the garage (well a Land-Rover could probably manage the step without grounding out) and the 2B is at that side whilst I'm working on it. Oh well nothing unusual me at a show in the tin-top whilst two Hoods sit in the garage feeling neglected :boohoo: . Iain

Funnily enough it was a white transit that lead to the demise of my beloved Sierra. Scum wouldn't give me his details though - no probs thinks I coz I had his reg number. I fronted up to the nearest police station and gave them the details (and got a producer for my trouble ). A couple of weeks later they got in touch saying that they had traced the driver and he "gave a somewhat different version of events" and so they would not be pursuing the matter :gdit: . Surely the fact that he disappeared whilst I turned up at the nearest plod station should have set some alarm bells ringing. Doing something about it would probably have stopped them from looking for someone speeding instead. Is it any wonder why they don't get the respect they think they deserve. At least I had the consolation of getting to extract the 2.1 from under it's bonnet for the 2B. Plod did give me the name and address of the company who owned the van - a little surfing provided an e-mail address for them - don't know how good their spam filter is but it should have been busy . Hope you get more than it was worth and a good compensation claim out of them without actually having any lasting injuries. Iain

Well guys you guessed it my 2B failed SVA at Chadderton yesterday. Actually quite impressed\coz it's on a lot less than I was worrying about. He didn't like my front indicators - they're on the cycle wings and so move with the wheels/steering. He didn't like the stuff I'd used to cover the front suspension. He wants an extra P-clip on one of the front brake pipes. He broke the hand-brake :gdit: (either the cable has snapped or it's come off inside the drum - haven't investigated that one yet). Also one of the holes in the angle is a little large and he thinks the outer sheath will pull through in time. A rear light cluster cable is likely to chafe. And there's too much rear braking effort (he only relied on the rolling road and wouldn't take into account the inertia valve which I think is iffy but I didn't complain too loudly as the rest is fairly minor and I didn't want him to go looking again). So anyone know a good source for a pressure reducing valve - preferably one that will slot in in place of the inertia valve to minimise my re-work time. Iain