Big Jim

Ref shocks, take off the old ones, with the springs off, them measure the the shocks in their fully closed & fully open states, you then need new shocks with similar measurements and 120 / 130lb springs.

Ref stopping the stud / rod from turning in the chassis, just tightening the nuts up hard will only crush in the chassis there hard onto the ends of the wishbone effectively attempting to stop the wishbone turning on the bar. Instead you need to make a captive nut on a plate (pear shaped, triangular, any shape you want!) screw the rod into this then fix the plate to the chassis so that it can't turn, finally then use another nut on the bit that protrudes through it locking it on. Similar to locking 2 nuts onto a stud to screw it in/out of a hole, but you fix one nut to the chassis so not able to turn.

There is nothing wrong with the inboard coilovers on the mark 3 so long as as various "adjustments" are made.

The top wishbone pivot point needs grease nipples fitting.

The long stud through the top wishbone needs anchoring so that it doesn't turn in the chassis, but the wishbone turns on this stud as it should.

Ideally the chassis where the top wishbone pivots would benefit from being strengthened up.

The inboard shock absorbers needs either modifying or changing. Standard they are fitted with 180lb springs & zimmeride shocks, these need changing to 130lb springs on decent shocks. or, Initially, there was an alternative modification instead of changing the spring rate on the shocks, that was to move the mounting point of the top of the shocks nearer towards the pivot point on the top wishbone, (I think it was 1½" closer, but I'm not sure) mine has been done this way and works fine.

The bottom shocker mount could do with strengthening up also.

Scan your insurance certificate (& maybe also your driving licence) write "COPY" across them, then keep them in a safe place in your car. Should you be involved in an accident, other parties / police could ask to see them (Ok, police can get details through PNC, but it's good to be prepared) Also the details on what to do in case of an accident and the phone number to ring to get your car recovered by the insurance will be on the paperwork.

Keep a copy of your breakdown recovery service details as well.

On workshop tricks, if you need to weld up a hole in a bracket, clamp a piece of copper behind it then weld up the hole, (You can't weld to copper)

If you need to clean up the thread on a bolt / stud, and you haven't got a die nut, cut a slot in the tread of a spare nut and use that.

To use a thread tap without needing the correct tap wrench, find a nut the best size and press it onto the square end of the tap in the vice, you can now use the tap in a socket or spanner. Using a tap with a nut on is often much quicker than using the proper wrench, and you can get into those awkward places easier.

If you've not bonded them on yet, consider changing to cycle wings. The long wings are a pain when you want / need to work in the engine bay, and are prone to making the front of the car light at speed.

Have you got the water type choke? or is it converted to cable? It's sounding more like it needs choke to start it. If it's the water type, they are easy to open up and clean so they work correctly, if it's cable, then it may need adjusting. A lot of pinto's won't start initially unless choked. You need to find out which is the correct coil for the engine.

I am probably totally adrift BUT -- if the header tank has a twin seal cap why can't this tank just be used as an extension to the rad & the overflow pipe go to an old fasioned suck & blow bottle somewhere below this tank.

Don't you mean "the radiator cap"?? If so then it certainly could, so long as the water level in the rad is above all water passages in the engine. Triumph 2000's had this fault, the top of the rad was level with the top of the cylinder head, if the water level dropped just slightly, it starved the front end of the head of water and it then cracked between the valve seats.

The later ballast resistors didn't look like a component, just a thick part of wire.

Try running a 12v wire to the coil and see if that makes any difference. depending on the year of the donor ignition, and which wiring harness you have in, one of the 2 wires could go to the tacho (In the Haynes manual, and ford colours, it's the green one)

What ignition system are you using? points? Ford electronic dizzy? type of ignition ECU? what year is the car based on?

Well then the answer to your first question is, yes, it should be higher than the top of the tank or you'll have problems

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There is possibly a ballast resistor in the +ive lead to the coil, (check Haynes) what this does is allows 12v for starting, but as soon as it fires, it drops to 9v to the coil, these are notorious for going duff, and will give you the weak yellow spark making it hard to start.

Also remove the air filter, if you see fuel being squirted into the manifold when the accelerator is pressed, then that confirms that it's not fuel related

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Technically, stick on number plates on our nosecones are not legal, because they are supposed to be vertical, or near enough. As has been said,, people do use them, but sooner or later some bright bobby will take umbridge at it.

you could fit this 'ebay item 172153648942, then weld a couple of brkts on for the numberplate. similar to the ones originally fitted to the mark 3's

OK, left to right. The first one I believe is the panel that sits on top of the tunnel, underneath the dashboard. The top of the tunnel is approx 7" wide on a mark 3 (wider on an exmo or earlier model) so if the fold over is similar, then I'm correct. , The height of that panel from the tunnel mine is approx 22cm

The middle one, is folded up into a funnel shape to make "Madonnas tits" for the Landrover type indicators to fit to.(The 3 screws to hold the landrover type indicator screw into the 3 metal tags once folded over)

A lot of people fit motorbike indicators instead, (Vehicle wiring products have some decent ones, http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/section.php/151/1/indicators)

The last piece is the side panel that goes in front of the front chassis member and fits with an edge underneath the side of the nosecone, the little bit that has a "C" shape burnt in, actually folds inwards (You can't see it on mine, as I've fitted scoops over them.)

Pictures below.

PS. Shane, have a look here and work out just which monocoque model you have got. http://nw.rhocar.org/identification.htm

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Check here http://nw.rhocar.org/identification.htm to find out which model it is, then we can give you better information to your questions.

A lot depends on what header tank you're using and what type of cap on the radiator. If the rad cap is a pressure cap (double acting) then you don't want the header tank to be pressurized, so if the header tank has a small hose take off under the cap, and another connector at the bottom of the header tank, the bottom one goes to the radiator leak off, and the top one goes to waste. With this type of system, the pressure is restricted to the engine & radiator, the water will flow into the header tank when the rad cap releases pressure, and will return back through the double acting cap when the system cools down.

If the header tank is plumbed into any part of the cooling system that would be under pressure when warm, then it must have a pressure cap fitted ie 13lbs, with the radiator having just a free flow cap, this type of header tank is often better mounted higher than the top of the radiator.

The first method of plumbing is the most common used on our cars.

The original plumbing for the heater was taken from the inlet manifold to the heater, then back from the heater to the small connector on the bottom hose, the hot water flowed from the inlet manifold through the heater, cooled, then back down to the bottom hose, so the heater works as soon as there's warmth in the water, not just when the thermostat opens, providing you plumb it in correctly, There's not usually a problem with air locks.

Not fitting a heater, you then join the manifold outlet to the bottom hose connection.

Some dashboards. http://nw.rhocar.org/dashboards.htm

Ebay 191818955713, (looks OK) 361491477190 (same but new) 110757344527, 231349977993,

161987835598

Yep! I also park as far away from the doors as possible, I also have one of these stickers on my cars, so they know what to expect if I'm around!

PS; anyone what one, I have some for the price of postage.

I have an old rover one like this ( ebay 131738912500 [a dirty one this]) mounted on a plate from the battery clamp. A 13lb cap on the rad, with a 2lb cap on the header tank, just to assist it to go back to the rad on cooling. works for me!

I can only repeat what Ian has just said, if your tyre goes down at speed suddenly, gunge will not solve it, You either need a spare (but please don't change an O/S wheel on the motorway, or you need to get recovered and then sort it out at a garage.

Gunge will also ruin your tyre, At best it's only at "get you home" thing, once home you'll need to get a new tyre.

 

 

I remember Big Jim, who worked for the highways agency for a time

Only 44 more shifts to do then I retire, have already started to work on the Hood to get it back on the road.