Bob Tucker

It cannot be removable, so welding only.

Hi Leslie, I have the Rally Design quickshift & very impressed with it. Cant see it on their website any more. You can do your own.....cant remember where the details are, but just Hammer the gear lever further down on the spherical ball gizmo by 10 mm, then fit same size nuts under the plate with longer fixing bolts. Found it...http://www.dvandrews.co.uk/ Burtons at £119 is a total ripoff. Martin Lewis racing at £39 seems OK. This may help if you DIY https://www.burtonpower.com/quickshift-gearlever-kit-type-9-5-speed-ford-sierra-qs03k.html

Small stainless Allen headed bolts. Nobody knows that they aren't attached to something inside. They look like a proper engineering solution.

NGK spark plugs have been the best for me in the redtop. We also use the exact same plugs in the Corvette with no problems at all. They get a really hard thrashing, but they dont do much mileage. Ive had brand new (Halfords) champion plugs fail immediately.

Thackeray washers. Like a 2 coil spiral, There must be a gap (size not important) between the coils. It should be possible to move the carbs up & down slightly.

Thrashed is spot on. I upgraded my 2.0 pinto with stage 2 head, FR32 cam and twin 40s. Luckily I have been tinkering with Webers for many decades, but they are demanding. Bike carbs with a suitable manifold will be a better bet, but they do need a rolling road session to get the best from them. Also the cam has to be inserted from the rear, so the head has to be removed, so while its off why not upgrade it? I got 140 flywheel bhp, and loadsa torque, plus a reliable easily DIY maintained lump that certainly had a character of its own. I now have a 210 bhp REdtop, which is brilliant, but at times I do miss the slugging pinto.

https://cnx.org/contents/oKbaEWQ3@2/Selection-and-Tuning-of-Weber-DCOE-Carburetors

My experience only. It depends how your carbs have been setup. Do not use the choke, (cold start levers) on twin 40s. You will drastically flood the engine, hence wet plugs and an engine that wont start. Even Weber dealers sell a kit to remove the entire choke assembly. For a cold start, pump the throttle to the floor 3 or 4 times, hold a small amount of throttle open. If it fires then stops, pump 2 or 3 times, small throttle & retry. Heres another article. There is a diagram showing the idle (speed) adjustment and the 4 idle (mixture) screws. Follow the initial setup description. Also look up the balance bar adjustment between the front and rear carb. That may well need resetting if you have recently fitted the carbs.

Dave Andrews has a helpful article here. http://www.dvandrews.co.uk/

Take a look a bike carb conversions too. These seem more popular than Webers or Dellortoes that may well be 30 or 40 years old.

Ive had a look into your carbs, the G model was designed as an emissions model, and is substantially different internally from the regular DHLA, and designed to be tamper proof. You may be stuck with them as they are. Search for DHLA G theres some info out there, mostly suggesting replacing them. Sorry! But check the other stuff too. Good luck,

Hi Mark as youve already checked ignition, cam and valves, id start with the carbs. Compression could be better on 3, but not a real problem unless its 3 that spitting back? They have numerous gaskets and diaphragms that could have dried up over 6 years. Spitting back from a carb is most often a weak mixture. Also check for any manifold air leaks, including cracked pipes for servo, dizzy etc. This guy is a real whiz.....http://www.dvandrews.co.uk/ Also do a search here for "spitting and backfiring" its a common question.

My car passed at Gillingham first time, but I did ring several times beforehand for advice. I also helped another 5 cars get through, not all Hoods, and I found that the testers at Gillingham wanted to pass a car unless they had to fail it, whereas other places seemed determined to fail any car on the smallest thing. Big thumbs up for Gillingham testing station.

I cut a slot in the head of the coachbolt and fit that inside the car. The domed stainless nut doesnt look out of place outside the car. BTW its M8 x 55mm.

Hi Bob, I'll have a measure tomorrow. The bonnet is off so it will be pretty easy. BTW Chris. I found it was necessary to space out the bonnet from the chassis a little, by fitting 2 washers on the bolt.

You can fit the coachbolt either way round. You need to grind off the square shoulder and cut the bolt to exact length so its a very tight fit into the dome of the nut so it doesnt come undone. https://www.toolstation.com/stainless-steel-dome-nut/p94881?store=O1&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=CjwKCAiAxeX_BRASEiwAc1QdkUnd6WHX256m4YVFRo3d4PK-_nsYIC_qGjYqXciK0_YHE2NlbHpddhoCjXMQAvD_BwE https://www.toolstation.com/search?q=stainless coach bolts

Depends where you plan to run. Most airfields are a bit easier, tracks that have been around for decades now have housing estates built near them, so limits are pretty strict. I assume Bedford Autodrome? You can download an app to measure the noise reading. & this should help with various tracks & noise limits https://www.trackdays.co.uk/calendar/cars/

Ive always used the front wishbone pivot for the front, and the spare wheel hoop at the rear. All ive ever done is a knotted loop of seat belt secured to the car with a cable tie. Scrutineering at Brands has always been happy with that.

Many thanks Martin.

Maca, where did you find the selling price? I'm interested to see what the Sunbeam S8 went for.

That looks pretty neat!

+1 for FR32 from Kent Cams

Yes. I did just that 12 years ago to fit a redtop engine, keeping the original engine mount platforms. I was concerned it may let the chassis flex, so I measured the distance carefully. Despite heavy trackday use, & driving on French cobbled streets, it hasnt moved at all.

The windscreen brackets are often fitted at a variety of rakeback angles. They were left to the builder to decide. Is the bottom of the bracket parallel to the bottom of the bonnet? You may need to re-fit the windscreen pillars. And then fit the hinges so the bottom of the door covers the side, and clears the rear wing. Like all Hoods its make it up as you go, and find a way to make it fit. Sorry I cant supply pics, my bonnet & windscreen are under a tarp in the garden, and the doors are in the loft waiting for me to get off my a**se & finish building and fitting my refurbed redtop. Lockdown lethargy has set in.

The door you are holding is designed to go on the left ie passenger side of the car. There is only one waterproof side, that goes outside. If you just turn it round the fabric side will be outside.