Big Jim

According to my MOT station, visual check only.

When we did Mitches, (the one we used for the web site) it took about 4 times looking before we could spot any difference except for the length.

Dump the 2V, it's not worth spending money on. It's the worst carb that has been fitted to the Pinto. get yourself either a 38 DGAS, or a 32/36 D...S (Forgot the letters)

Give "Coach trimming Supplies" a ring, and ask for their caralogue. I think that the ones you want are item No. 319 in the catalogue, and are priced at £2-56p each (+vat) If it's just a key turn lock, if it's a key + handle, then they are about £9 each. Their phone number is: 0121 694 5664 PS, these prices are 1998 so they could have gone up. (Note to self: Get new catalogue!)

Pete, Whoa on there!! are they both the 'long' arches?, if so, shut up and get on with it. you've got the best deal then. There's buggerall difference with the fibreglass width, the difference is in the length, and no-one yet has found out why one is shorter than the other! (It's suposed to be to allow clearance for the exhaust, but you don't need it.) you actually have to cover up the missing bit of F/glass with the stoneguards. Check out our guide to doing the side panels and arches, on the NW site, preparation of the metal bits that go into the rear arches is a MUST!

looks like you got yourself a bargain Matt! how's it going? have you updated your build site? I'll just go and have a look.

if you take your single core Robin Hood radiator to a radiator manufacturer, they will be able to make you one with the same outlets (or different if you ask) with either a double, or treble cored matrix. I had mine uprated early on, they fitted an uprated double core from a V6 cortina (or something)

I've just put a full set of Goodyear F1's on. 185 / 60 x 14's. , 5 off. I paid £40 /each, cash, balanced & fitted.

That is exactly what a silencer is.

Depending on which model of car you are working on, if you are on a Mark 3 or 3a, then you will need to lift the engine up until the bell hsg is up against the tunnel, and the exhaust is touching the top of it's hole in the side panel. Then you will have to trim ½ moon shapes in the engine bay floor panels (NOT the skids that the engine mountings are welded to) to allow the front of the sump pan to clear. Twist it as you try to remove it. On a 2B, the biggest problem is the "plough tube" I would hope that you can get it up high enough to clear that. This is when you realise that you should have shortened it BEFORE you put the engine in.

The only help tha i could give would be from the sidelines at the moment, my "tin" arm is playing up, I'm off work.

I thought about a Cossy, but if you really read Dave Andrews write up about it, you are talking serious money to get it run "right" on carbs. I know Dave spent over £5000 with his change, to get correct. I spent some time checking them all out, especially power / expense, and that's why I went Vauxhall. After running it now for a while, I have absolutely no regrets, I know that I made the right choice. lots of power, with more to be had relatively cheaply, ie cams etc. should I want it. But over 30 mpg average, get that out of your vulcan Pinto! Vauxhall engine swop

I've just seen this item on e-bay, anyone with the early type 7 cars may be interested. I'm not sure how to put a link to it, but it's item number; 2414518830 category 9903 Nothing to do with me, etc. etc.

I'll see if I can get a piccy of what i did to sort out the back end. (If I can get the camera back off Mutley!)

Which local expert is that? The one that tightened up the wheel nuts? 27 lb is way too hard, you'll need new false teeth if you drive it for long at that pressure. (Mind you, we've not seen this Robin Hood yet.....................)

Don't forget the new cylinder head bolts if you're doing the head gasket, and it would be worth changing the valve seal rubbers also.

I found mine was cracked at the welds at the front end of the engine bay a couple of years ago, and had them tig welded up, with a 1" wide plate welded across the joint. When I was doing the vauxhall conversion, I found a crack in the top outer "member" under where the Ford pedal assembly used to be, it hadn't been helped by the number of holes that had been drilled through it by the original builder, so this got the same treatment. (check out, Engine change for piccy of this bit. Another area of weakness, is the rear suspension. It's just a piece of angle iron held to the top of the tub "member" with a couple of bolts, and the side of the boot. It twists the top of the tub, and in time will break it open. The whole lot needs plating and strengthening up.

If you go the Raw powered Toyota way, then you will need a very deep pocket. Get hold of their information brochure and start adding it up, just for the 135 bhp engine, with all the bits that you must have, £2500 comes up very quickly. A 1600cc Pinto with the correct carb on will give adequate power. If you know that the engine is a good one, just change the sump (A MUST!) clean it, paint it, and put it in. Why spend £400 or so getting it reconditioned when you can pick up scrap Sierra's for peanuts, should you blow it up, just throw it away and put in another one. The red one I blow up on an aerodrome, the other cost my nothing, and is just about to have the various bits put onto it, then it went in.

If you go the Raw powered Toyota way, then you will need a very deep pocket. Get hold of their information brochure and start adding it up, just for the 135 bhp engine, with all the bits that you must have, £2500 comes up very quickly. A 1600cc Pinto with the correct carb on will give adequate power. If you know that the engine is a good one, just change the sump (A MUST!) clean it, paint it, and put it in. Why spend £400 or so getting it reconditioned when you can pick up scrap Sierra's for peanuts, should you blow it up, just throw it away and put in another one.

I run 195/65's and put 21psi in, it's a matter of choice, too soft and like you said, the steering is "lumpy" too hard, and the ride is harsh and the grip seems to be reduced. Suck it and see what's best for you.

Lots of Hoodies in past years have had problems with overheating, but it can be cured easily. Now I'm sorry if I mention anything that you've already done but these are the steps to sort it out once and for all! 1. Check that the thermostat is working correctly, and in the correct way round, this is a common mistake. 2. You really do need to have either a header tank, or an overflow bottle so that the water is not lost. 3. If using the engine viscous fan, make sure that it is really under power from the engine, rub a piece of wood or something against it as it runs on fast idle, if it stops it, then it's knackered. I had one that looked OK, but I could stop it spinning very easily with 3000rpm up. 4. If you are running an electric fan, is it turning the correct way? are you using a pusher fan as a puller? you will loose effectiveness. Is the thermo switch set correctly? 5. Equally as important, whichever fan you are using, it must be cowled to the radiator, so that it drags, or forces the are through the core of the radiator. If your fan is more than ½ inch away from the radiator core, then it's serriously loosing its effectiveness. 6. Block off the area over the top of the radiator between that and the nosecone. This makes it so that the air HAS to go through the radiator, not over it.

I have the larger of the Custom Chrome silencers fitted, they are much quieter than the RH one, and are repackable (about £10) but they suffer from the constant hammering of road *bleep*e flung up at it from the front wheel, I can no longer get that part remotely looking clean, never mind shinny. After fitting the Vauxhall motor, I have found that it's not as quiet as it was with the Pinto. I was hoping to talk to the "Wunoff" (spelling) gang at Stoneleigh, but they didn't make an appearance.

The mirrors sold by Tiger cars are both very nice, and SVA approved, they are about £35/pair (I think) and ideally are mounted as the top bolt in the triangular section of your windscreen pillars

It's just your new oil, in a few miles it will go back to 60 psi 'ish. No problems.

You've got the wires arse-about-face on the gauge (technical term that!) the sender should be wired to the - 'ive side of the gauge, it's easy to check, just take the wire off the sender, touch it to earth, and the gauge should go full scale up. Thinking about it, the + ive feed to the various gauges should be "common" as all the senders are on the -ive side of any gauge. Is none of your other gauges misbehaving?