bullfist

I engraved mine with a dremel. Printed the VIN number onto sticky label, stuck the label on chassis and copied over it with the engraving bit. Tore off sticky label (bit messy) and VIN done. A little unartistic in places (looks amateur) - but was passed at IVA Soton. Practice first. -Steve

Two simple questions. 1) Do temperature senders ususlly have the same (fine) thread? I.e. if I removed the manufacturers sender and replaced it with one which came as part of a digital-speedo kit, will it just screw in? 2) It looks like temperature sender is sealed with threadlock - is it threadlock or something else? Or will I get away with it if I use (high strength) threadlock? Thanks, -Steve

After having to do a search last year for a MT75 bellhousing in my superspec, I discovered that the (superspec) MT75 is LHD (continental) version. They may be 10-a-penny on the continent - but I couldn't get one here in the UK. I guess you could buy a RHD MT75 and attach it to your LHD bellhousing (if possible). This was my experience when the bellhousing broke, if I am wrong please tell me. -steve

Add three for me. Thanks -Steve (+Val +Leanne)

Chris, Add three to your numbers (are we the only ones?). -Steve

My wife's local Co-op (where she works) is having a charity fund-raising day (20th Aug.), and I have been roped in to take my car and sit there and let the locals look, talk, sit and take photos. If anybody else happens to be passing in the afternoon and wants to stop off and have a chat then please feel free to join us. I'll be there from about 12noon to 4pm - satnav postcode is RG23 8BB. Thanks, -Steve

New members Steve and Val will be there

Add two extra to your numbers (two new members). Wifey and I would like to say hello. Will bring the hoody if the rain keeps off. (N.B. am a fully paid up member, but for the life of me cannot get the website to update my details). -Steve

Point taken - Membership form filled in and about to go in the postbox [basingstoke]

On the Rover T-series engines (for the 2004 super-specs), the steering pump is on the same spindle as the water pump. So it is not an option to easily remove it. Therefore I have a looped the input to the output, added a small header tank and filled it with power steering fluid. However, I have used rubber heater hose to attach one end of the pump to my loop. This hose has now swollen to twice its diameter and looks ready to burst. Thus do I need a special hose type to connect this? Would vacuum hose be sufficient? I had previously tried a silicone-rubber hose (which was easy to work with) but did burst. It's hard to imagine that the steering pump is creating pressure to expand this hose, as it's just looped back to the input. Any ideas gratefully received. thanks, -Steve

Has anybody used / Can anybody recommend a prop-shaft repairer/balancer in the South (Hampshire/Berkshire area)? My repaired UJ (repaired by garage) is not very good - the joint is stiff in one plane/axis, and after use it hasn't loosened up. This caused the gearbox to shatter - and as identified by the welder - the prop-shaft is probably out of balance too. Thanks, -Steve

I was quite impressed when mine failed a few miles from home - I thought it would bash its way through the transmission tunnel. But it just rumbled and banged about as I drove the few miles home at 30mph. And I was doing 70(ish) when it broke. Yes, daughter was impressed - we certainly made an entrance (she was talk of the evening). When I get the hang of this forum will post photos, and story of getting through the IVA at Southampton. Latest update on casing. 3D transmissions returned it to the local garage, where they think they might be able to bolt it to a steel plate before welding - they're asking around. Otherwise I will build a subframe to hold it together over Xmas.

So I had just had it SVA'd and got my new reg. plates and bolted them on after work. Took daughter1 for a spin round the block - wow this is great. Took daughter 2 for a spin round the block. Offered wifey a spin but she refused, so took daughter 2 for a race up the ring-road. Moved into fast lane as car approached up the slip road when BANG! Gear-level severely vibrated out of my hand. Pulled over and had a look underneath (thought something had dropped) but looked OK. Moved forward slowly in 1st gear - ok. Into 2nd and 3rd but any higher and the car wasn't having it. So drove it home in 3rd gear (very noisy - and we certainly attracted attention to ourselves). Covers off at home, and the spider in the front prop-shaft UJ had lost its bearings. So the UJ was engaging to get me home but was banging about in the transmission tunnel. And I then had just eight days to get it repaired so that I could take my daughter to the prom. Just managed it - got the new spider back an hour before the prom. Cursed and swore to get the car running again, and a quick drive round the block - all OK - had ten minutes spare! But we certainly made an entrance (and I drove very carefully). (Sorry about the rambling...)

Thanks for your replies. 3D transmissions in Reading have the box and they say they cannot weld it (and they're meant to be quite good). First Motion transmissions has seen the photos too and agrees that it is a bit too far gone for welding. MT75s are quite common in Transits - but the bell-housing is different. Can someone point me to the thread about the MT75 super-spec mis-alignment as that may explain why it failed. I had a failed prop-shaft but drove it 5 miles home slowly with the gearbox shaking very excessively - so I put the failure down to the prop-shaft failure weakening the gearbox.

Hi, My (2004) Super-spec gearbox has shattered its bell-housing (pictures at www.sernat.net/gearbox). 3D transmissions in Reading took it saying they could weld it - before actually seeing it. But the crack is too big, the weld will distort the bell-housing. Se we're looking for a replacement housing, but we cannot identify the donor car. The closest I've got is that it came from a 2.9 V6 Sierra (2WD) and may be a LHD version. Any help in obtaining a replacement case or identifying the type will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Steve