Big Jim

You can tow the car as it is so long as it's under 750 kg, over that you are supposed to have the brakes working when you slow the tow car. I know someone (cough!) who's towed larger than that a number of times with an A frame, using a full lightboard with proper numberplate on (not just temp number scrawled on with a felt tip) A "on tow" sign (again made as a square numberplate) A flashing roof beacon etc. I've he's passed a good number of police patrols without any interest. Basically *look correct*

Yes, I've towed a couple with an A frame. the biggest problem is fixing the A frame to the car. The first time I put the straps over the radius arms just behind the bottom ball joints, this was very sable and steering response was good, the problem came on tight corners, the wheels can rub the A frame arms. The next time, we clamped onto the radius arms behind the front shocks, unfortunately this did allow the A frame legs to "slide" along the radius arms slightly. We've also towed one with wishbones, Again, due to the fixing distances of the A frame legs, and the acute angle of the wishbone components, the clamps can slide along the wishbones a bit when braking, marking them, and doesn't steer as good as I'd have liked. Get over the fixing to the car so there is no chance of movement and the car will follow you excellently.

I deal with all the recovery services every day, of the 3 big ones (AA, RAC, G/flag) for the basic cover that you can get (ie around £30'ish) they will tow you a maximum of 10 miles. The next step up for recovery with them you'll get towed/recovered to one destination. The next step up, is personal cover, for this you get full recovery for ANY car that you're driving or passenger in. The prices go up with each step obviously. Other things you do need to know, the AA will not attend if you've had an accident (unless your cover is part of the insurance recovery package) The RAC & G/Flag will, but will send you a bill a few days later (which you obviously pass on to your insurance) The AA will not attend if you break down in a live lane on the motorway, or within roadworks (ie you get you car behind the cones) The AA will not cover any vehicle over 15 years old (so watch those age related plates, check!) The AA (& sometimes the RAC) will not attend / or they will charge you, if you have a puncture and don't have a usable spare (providing you car should carry one as normal. ie a gas converted car, where the gas tank now uses the spare wheel place, so no longer carries a spare, is bad news) If you're going abroad with your car, none of them will cover a car over 15 years old, and will charge you an additional hefty fee on top of your normal recovery. Long distance recovery with all except the AA is a single journey, the AA used to do "relay" (not sure if they still do) Say you'd broken down in Cornwall, then your vehicle would be picked up and taken to Bristol and dropped there, it would then join another car on a double transporter and be taken to Birmingham and dropped off there, it will then join another car that's coming North, and will be taken to Bamber-bridge (I know this!) dropped off there for the "local" operator to take it to your house. This is how it used to happen, unless the AA sent a contractor garage, then you'd be recovered all the way home. You may have guessed that I'm not a fan of the "4th emergency service" (what a laugh!!) but there are worse!! (*bleep*-fit to name one!) For the record, I was with the RAC for 27 years until I wanted to take the Landrover to France (1992 vintage) that's when I found out about the 15yr old clause with everyone. I now have recovery with the Landrover insurance (similar to kit-car insurance, limited mileage etc) through Premium Choice, for an extra £50 on the policy, I have full breakdown / recovery cover, on any car / motorcycle that I'm driving or passenger in. (so that covers me for all my vehicles) plus European cover for free also (just need to tell them when I'm going across the wet bit)

Iggy, you're completely wrong! Shortening the sump should make no difference to where the level of oil comes to. It will only make a difference to the amount of oil needed to bring it to the dipstick level after draining the sump however. Shortening the sump is to give more clearance over the Great British sleeping policeman and his friends. This will obviously reduce the amount of oil in the "reservoir" but by adding an extension to the side/front of the shortened sump you will regain some of that lost amount. The dipstick measures the top level of the oil, it's Maximum mark is the top most level that you should fill up to, leaving enough room for the crankshaft and journals to wizz around at 000's of revs without coming into contact with the oil in the sump pan. Change that level higher and you risk the crankshaft & con-rod bits splashing nicely around in the oil, quickly whipping it up to a nice froth which will do you engine not a lot of good quick style! Use the standard dipstick just as it was, do not shorten it or remark it, bring the oil level to the top mark, don't go over it. job done.

To see if the gauge is working and the wiring is correct, just touch the wire off the sender to "earth" the gauge should go full scale. As snapperpaul says, under normal conditions you'll find that the oil temp will only go as high as the water temp, to get it any higher you really need to thrash it around a circuit for a couple of laps at high revs. The oil temp will not even show for some time until the engine has been up to temp for a while.

thanks maccavvy, I've sent Grim a PM, we'll see if he's OK for it.

Hi, I've won something on ebay, and now the seller is being an arse, although the item did say "pick up only" I asked if I could arrange a courier, their reply was that they'd send it by the courier that I mentioned, no problem. Now that I've won it, they are reverting back to "pick up only" The item is a Nato tow hitch for a Landrover, with "Parcel 2 go" the postage will be just less than £5, and can be dropped of at any of their authorised pick up points, ie any Londis store, most Texaco garages. What I need is someone to pick it up for me and send it via Parcel 2 go, I will then obviously reimburse any costs. I haven't got an address or available times yet, waiting for them to get back to me. Anyone who can assist, please PM me. Jim

Also, a lot of people SORN their cars over winter, then put them back on the road for summer, so it may not be "finished"

Woh there everyone!! I've been here, had two threatening letters from the Council stating that neighbours have complained about the noise. I called the council ready to give someone the biggest earful of all time. I spoke to a very nice chap from the council both times, the first time gave me all the information on the procedure they have to go through if someone makes a complaint. If a neighbour makes a complaint to council about noise, the council send a letter to the person "responsible" for the noise, informing them that a complaint has been made and that it will be monitored, further action will be taken if deemed necessary. He also said that providing that I'm not running a business from home that is responsible for the noise, I can make a reasonable amount of noise which includes, cutting ,welding ,grinding, running of engines etc. in fact everything one needs to do to build a kitcar or repair a car between 8-30am and 6-30pm, 6 days a week, with 1 hour later start time and 1 hour earlier finish time on a Sunday. He also said that a letter is also sent to the complainant, stating that they must keep a log of the *noise events* ie dates & times (I think he said over a month) When this complainants log is then returned to the council, they look at it and decide if there has been noise made, type of noise, and for how long per spell, if on a regular basis or not, and if it was out of reasonable hours. If they think that there is a problem, they will then organise part of their council team to monitor & measure the noise with a view to court action. What he also said was that over 90% of initial complaints are binned as they don't stand up. After getting a second similar letter some 12 months later, (after religiously sticking to the times stated) I called the council again, and told the council employee that I'd not gone out of the hours, that they should tell the silly old bint that was complaining just what I am allowed to do, and that any more complaints and I'd see my solicitor about harassment. So, basically stick to making noise between 8-30am to 6-30pm, less on Sunday. PS. Local councils may vary slightly on times.

I'll tell you what, remove your bonnet and go for a ride, you'll have no problems with heat into the cockpit then (providing all the holes / gaps are filled) that'll show that it's the heat trapped under the bonnet that'causing it, not radiated heat. Mines a series 3 with a VX redtop in, I don't have lagging on my exhaust, I don't have the radiator air redirected, I don't have more insulation than B&Q, but I also don't have hot legs or too much heat in the cockpit even after VERY long rides touring France in 40º heat one summer. for vents, look at the 2nd item on this page, these are nicer than the ones that I have fitted. here

The biggest help is to get rid of the heat from under the bonnet by fitting some decent vents into the sides of the bonnet. block all holes from engine bay to cockpit, those two items done, you shouldn't need further insulation.

Not necessarily a battery problem at route cause, but first things first. Charge the battery up, that done you can do a load test on the battery, that will tell you if it's knackered or not. If it's OK, now see if it starts, if it does, then it's not the starter. My money says that you have a faulty diode in the alternator rectifier, allowing the power to *leak back* this is a common problem on the Lucas A127 alternator (fitted to most Sierras) If this IS the problem, don't worry, there is a guy on e-bay that sells a kit so that you can refurbish this alternator completely very reasonably. see ebay item 160628808836. I can recommend him, I've used his products a good few times now. If you do fit one of these kits, be very careful when fitting the brushes & holder, it's very easy to get the brushes tilted and snap them, otherwise you have a recon alternator for £20

My rack is still the quick rack, and at first I clamped the wheel with my hands, because the slightest movement would send you over 3 lanes, now that I've got used to it, I don't really notice it anymore, and driver one-handed when cruising, using 2 hands only when manoeuvring or "proceeding enthusiastically"

If it's a capillary pipe up to the gauge, you've got air in it. Just slacken the nut at the gauge until oil weeps out, it will then be OK. If it's an electrical sender that is in a "T" piece, it's the same problem, there is air trapped somewhere, just slacken the sender, allow it to leak a little then re-tighten. PS. with the engine ticking over, obviously.

Yours is a Sierra rack in a mark 3 isn't it Paul? I got the rack & pinion from Rally design and changed them over, easy enough job. quick rack kit, sierra RHD

Hi Dan. For use on the track, it'll never be competitive because it's far too heavy and the suspension is not ideal by a long way, but will make a good track day car, , there isn't a chassis and if abused, it will *bend* for putting it on the road I'm a bit rusty as to what's now required for IVA, there were some changes made when it went from SVS to IVA. I believe that the inspectorate have gone a bit edgy over cars without a *proper* chassis after some of the early Lightweights were put through, so that would be a major concern as yours is monocoque. As I've said, the front end is the Cortina one, now if you think that even the locknuts on the track rods have to have the corners of the nuts protected due to them saying that they're sharp edges, look at your front suspension and you'll see the problem! Ideally you need to find someone who's recently put a monocoque through test and pick their brains. The next best thing is to find the IVA or SVA manual on line and go through that being extra picky.

Your car is a Cortina based early "7" I don't want to put you off, but if it's never been registered on the road you're in for a lot of work to get it through IVA. (if it has been registered, great!) All the front suspension will be a nightmare in protecting *sharp edges* I don't believe the roll over bar is of the required dia. You will also need to see how that is secured, as they originally just sat on the boot floor with 2 "U" bolts through the boot sides, this is not good enough. You'll need to strengthen up the floors for the seat mountings, again they just bolted to the stainless bodywork, this is not good enough. you'll need to check fuel lines for the correct spec of tube, how much they're clipped up etc. same with electrical loom. Then there's the usual edges etc to consider. Sorry to put a damper on things, you'd have been better asking on here first.

Don't know how that happened Yanto.................corrected it now, same link as Steves. (I'm claiming that i was distracted by mitch's post!

:rofl: :rofl:

look here, My link the photo is of the sealed beam headlight, for those with bulbs, the contact layout is just the same

Come on guys, there is no need to call each other. The MOT stations often get this wrong especially for pre-SVA cars, especially when they rarely deal with kit-cars, that's the reason for my first post. Basically, as SVA started to come in, proof of age for the engine was needed, if the donor car was being used, then the age of that donor car sufficed,[That's why if fitting a different engine, the eng number was put onto the logbook prior to SVA] If however the kit was made from bits, then you either showed proof of the age of the engine from the engine number (many questions have been answered before on that) or if you couldn't, it was noted as the date the kit was inspected and had to comply with the requirements in force at that time. Now I believe that any kit that went through SVA, the criteria that it was tested to for emissions was noted in the system, this then should show on the MOT test stations computer when he dials in the registration number prior to the MOT test. This would be the same for Q plates, age related, or new builds. There are possibly some from the early start of the SVA that got missed however.

If possible get your cans of paint made up from a paint stockist rather than car accessory cans, they're bigger cans with a proper fan type nozzle rather than the fly spray nozzle you get on car shop cans

A REAL man never reads instructions!

I was with the RAC for 27 years, and as some of you know, I also play on the rough stuff in a Landrover. We wanted to go to the south of France playing off road, I obviously needed cover, the RAC wanted £79 extra for one weeks cover, the AA and all the others wouldn't cover the Landrover as it's over 15 years old (aren't most of them? they go on for ever!) I then phoned Roadsure (ie. Premium Choice) who I had the Landrover insured with, similar to the kitcar insurance, limited mileage etc) They gave me FULL recovery for any vehicle that I was driving, either in UK or Europe, with cover for greenlaning (a lot won't recover you if they suspect you've broke it "off-road")including get it home from Europe etc. for the pricely sum of..........£49 / year!! The insurance I could now get cheaper elsewhere, but there is no-one who can offer me the same recovery terms, so it still works out best to stay with them. if you're with Premium Choice, get a quote on the Breakdown recovery package, (It does however start / finish when your insurance does)

Do you by any chance mean these? if so, I have 2, maybe 3 sets. PM me your address if these are correct. Price = postage