Bob Tucker

Hi Paolow, Ive just read your email carefully....you say you are using springs off the front Mcp strut at the rear of your Hood? You need the Sierra's rear springs, they are much harder, plus get 7inches between floor & body side panel in front of the rear wing. Bob

Mike, Im going down this route right now, & ive spoken to Rally Design, Burton & Quaife. . You need to identify the rack you presently have. Rally Design can supply ready modded racks for some cars, and just the rack & pinion for others. Prices seem to be from about £65 to £155. Try www.raldes.co.uk, or I'll bring a catalogue along on Friday night. Cheers, Bob.

Mike, Hope you can; Yes please... Yes please... Bring them along on Friday if you can get there & there will be a pint waiting for you on the bar... Bob.

A pyrometer? Like that Guy Fawkes bloke? Simple soul that I am, I assumed he meant water temperature....

Hi Mike, and anyone else close & interested. Its at the Grasshopper Inn, on the A25, next to Clacket Lane, in a village called Moorhouse, near Westerham. Its this coming Friday evening 21st May, 7ish... Theres a carvery with 30% off if you sit down before 7 pm. Cheers, Bob http://www.grasshopperinn.co.uk/ http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?cli...ig&lang=&table=

""i am getting aroung 410 degrees when it starts to over heat!"" This may be a stupid question..... Are you assuming its overheating just because the guage shows in the HOT section? 410 degrees is not possible anyway.... 100c or 212f plus a little extra (20deg. ??) because the system is pressurised would sound about right. There are a number of different senders & guages & you need to match them. Bob.

Sorry Ant, I didnt want to say.... but heres the gory details....and some excuses The low diff has caused problems, too much wheelspin off the line, & the 1/4 mile line is about 20 yds beyond where I want to change to 4th at 7000. I should have left the 3.62 in. But the 3.92 is great on the road, making 5th a really usable gear, and still allowing comfortable motorway cruising up to 80 (4000 rpm). Top speed is probably about the same, it wouldnt pull 5th very well before anyway. Best time last year, 15.21, 87 mph. Best time yesterday 15.32, 87 mph Some strange stats.... 15.3 = 84 hung on to 3rd 15.3 = 87 changed up to 4th 16.0 = 85 bad change to 2nd, hung on to 3rd 16.2 = 85 pulled away in 2nd, changed into 4th early, 15.6 = 86 3rd 15.4 = 87 4th The suspension is now sorted, with wobbly wishbones & rear AVO coilovers. The steering is sorted, with a Sierra power steering rack (2.8 turns) Its now time to invest a little more of the kids inheritance..... LSD & either a serious Pinto or a 2.0 Duratec are now a definite. Bob.

Thanks for the picture John.....you could have posted one where I was in front!!! Good to see a few hoods & Hood owners there, sorry I couldnt spend more time chatting. I managed to get in 9 runs over the day, but the track surface was really bad, so times werent any better, despite the extra 20 + HP. they found at the rolling road. I also fitted a 3.62 diff, removed the screen, took off the spare wheel & removed eveything I could, tools spare fuel etc. Its now 0.2 to 0.5 seconds slower over the quarter!!! The standard diff now just spins one wheel, loadsa smoke, no traction. Partly due to the track, everyone had the same problem, but as usual, more power has found the next weak link. I'm now looking for a complete XR4x4 rear end set up. Anyone know of one for sale? PS I met a guy who has a normally aspirated (twin DCOE 50s!) Pinto in a Toyota Starlet. It puts out 219 bhp at the rear wheels...dyno printouts & 1/4 mile time prove it. Meeting him on Tuesday night to find out how he did it.. Cheers, Bob.

Went to North Weald yesterday, to try out my newly rolling road tuned 2B. They found an extra 20 + HP. Result? its now 0.2 to 0.5 seconds slower over the quarter!!! The standard diff now just spins one wheel, loadsa smoke, no traction. Partly due to the track, everyone had the same problem, but as usual, more power has found the next weak link. I'm now looking for a complete XR4x4 rear end set up. Anyone know of one for sale? Cheers, Bob.

I dont want to meet anyone who wants full measurements and photos of Jim's front end.....

I have an ex pillared 2B which has a tube going across the front inside the nosecone. I have a mini scissor jack jammed between it & the rack. The lever is tiewrapped to the rack. Bob.

Some of the Top Fuel bike riders wear a bullet proof vest....the TF bikes have NOTHING above the engine but one big nut (wearing a bullet proof vest.) Try Santa Pod for The Main Event over the May bank holiday. Bikes up to 1000 hp, cars up to 6000hp. More info on the Web. Bob.

An air leak anywhere into the manifold will cause those symptoms too...

Lew, I have two Sierra front hubs. I paid £35 for the pair, but dont need them any more. I'm within commuting distance of Tottenham Ct Rd. I'd be willing to bring them there if you're interested for £40 ( £5 towards the Travelcard) Email off group to TUCKER_BOB@HOTMAIL.COM. Cheers, Bob.

Hi Guys, Were the roving Kent guys, the invitation was for the Sussex, Surrey & anywhere else groups. The Grasshopper does an early bird deal of 33% off between 6pm & 7pm in its carvery. Normal price £7.95. Maybe that will attract the other halves to come join us? Otherwise, any time in the car park from 7pm. Hope to see a few there, Bob.

Thanx Guys. The price was only good if it had an LSD. I'll pass on it Cheers, Bob.

Hi Andy, this is a common problem. My first (RHE original) broke at 500 miles. You need to fabricate strengthening plates to stop the plate flexing. First, I used triangular plates alongside the horizontal plate, & welded to the tube. This lasted 5000 miles. Now I have made up an inverted U shaped bracket, which bolts to the McP strut pinch bolt, and welded that to the bottom of the tube. No flex at all, so I am optimistic. A longer term fix is to bend up a much longer tube into a U,, shape & fit a bracket at the centre bottom to bolt to the bottom ball joint, and a bar fitted to the pinch bolt, & fixed to the vertical tube, which bends over to fit underneath the cycle wings. (Idea seen on a few 7s at Stoneleigh, different makes) Bob.

Guys, I have been offred an A reg XR4i very cheap. I mainly wanted it for the LSD diff, but it has rear drum brakes, not the disks I was expecting. I cant check it out to confirm whether it has an LSD or not, does anyone know if this model had an LSD? Ta, Bob

Theres also been some devious paperwork.....he has registered it as 1969, presumably to avoid later essissions control. When was the Pinto first produced in the US?

Try WWW.RALDES.CO.UK (Rally Design) for a new one or SPEEDSHACK in Uxbridge for a 2nd hand one. They'll also let you know when they get one in. Cheers, Bob.

Guys, Have you seen the new white dial faces Halfrauds sell? Well, I switch between a 3.62 diff for touring & a 3.92 diff for drag racing. I have made up two new white dial faces on the PC, after working out the difference in speeds between the two diffs, which is approx. 12%. I printed them out on photo paper at a net cost of about £1 each It took a while to calculate the necessary degrees between each 10 mph, and then I had to learn DRAW using WORD, but I had fun & it was definitely cheaper than any other alternative Ive seen. Sorry, I cant attach a copy, its too big. Bob.

Get there as early as possible. They dont limit numbers, (more cars = more money) but the more cars & bikes, the fewer runs you get. Last year signon started at 8:30, then a rudimentary scrutineering session, then a Q for a run. I got 3 runs in the morning, then decided to spectate. You cant do both, cos you have to stay with your car & move it up to the line. Can take an hour Qing, while you cant see the track. HINT Do what me & my brother did....we took our sons & let them drive our cars on track in exchange for pushing them in the Q. My son pushed the 2B, my nephew had to push a 2 ton Stingray!!! Highlight of last year for me were the two mates running together on street Hyabusas, which they drove there & back. One crossed the line at 148 mph, the other at 152!!!! Bob.

Ta Nigel. Good spot! I dont need the english version, Ich Spreche Deutsch sehr gut. Et aussi Francais. Iss only mine inglis dat no so gut Herr Doktor Bob

Hi Karl/Trevor, Sorry your experience was so different to mine. As Rizla says, I only used them because I knew of their Pinto stock car engines, which do have a good reputation. Bob.

Guys, Just a "well done" to Euro Engines in Thurrock. I bought a ST. 2 head from them while I was building the car in early 2002. Late last year I had an odd misfire & started to lose exhaust valve clearance on no 2 & 3. I removed the head over the winter, & could only see that the 2 exhaust valves appeared sunk in. I took it back to Euro Engines, although I had had the head nearly 2 years. A week later they called to say it was ready. In fact the head had developed two cracks, & they had replaced it with a ST. 2 head based on an injection casting. They had also rebuilt it with my FR32 cam, fitted new valves, & adjusted the clearances, all at no charge, despite being well out of any warranty period. Well done to them, especially Mark. Bob Tucker