BlackSeven

An electronic speedo and stand alone sensor sounds like the best option to me although if you are handy with the spanners you can have the engine and box out of a seven in a couple of hours and assuming you have access to a press, replacement of the worm gear is very straightforward. Rob

Assuming this is a type 9 the worm gear is a friction fit onto the main shaft. The worm gear has an internal star shape and the main shaft is plain. I have pressed a number of these on and off type 9 main shafts shafts and they have always been secure - requiring a hydraulic press. If yours has somehow come adrift, in order to investigate and repair I imagine you'll be looking at a replacement worm gear which will require removal of the box, and then the tail housing (this will require you to mark and remove the 5th gear locking plate first). Even if you could somehow lever the worm gear back into place with the box and tail housing in-situ I can't see how you would avoid the worm gear moving along the shaft again? Rob

Looking for a good standard box. Please PM me if you have one available now or in the near future. Thanks, Robin

If the final drive ratio had been changed to improve acceleration would that not make the speedo over read rather than under read?

Yes, the thread in the head is likely to be partially damaged but before you let the repair get out of hand, I'd run a thread chaser into the offending plug hole then fit a brand new set of plugs with a bit of coppaslip on the threads and see how the new plug feels. Chances are it will be fine as it looks like you may have only lost a couple of threads. Given how long plugs last, as long as the new ones go in OK, I wouldn't worry about it; the thread clean up and dap of grease should prevent further deterioration.

The Zetec is a great conversion with no downside that I have found . Brand new 2 litre Blacktops are still available and cheap, although when you add up the cost of a raceline sump, water rail alternator mounting kit plus induction and an ECU etc ec costs do start to mount up. I managed to get the exhaust and air filters to use the original openings in the bonnet and bodywork keeping it looking original externally. You can also re-use your VX 8v exhaust headers very successfully with a bit of adaptation. This is what i used used on mine and they fit well and look factory (if they'd done Zetec 7's). I got two exhaust flanges laser cut in stainless, used one as a a spacer and got the other one cut into four separate sections and tig welded by a man who can onto the VX headers. Total cost for the exhaust was under £100. Wih careful fettling of the manifolds and a good rolling road set up the bog standard engine makes 172 bhp and is very driveable. As someone has said previously an Ital axle may cause you some issues (mine's been changed to an English) but if you're reasonably careful I imagine it will hang on for a good while. Having said all of this the cheapest way to get a Zetec engined car is probably to sell yours and buy one that has already had the money spent; Zetec converted Sevens don't command massive prices presumably due to not being a factory engine option but a well converted one is fab to drive and a serious bargain compared to to the alternatives at the price. Rob

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Hi David, Not sure what I'm doing wrong but Ive just tried to message you again, hopefully you got it this time. Regards, Robi

Hi David, am interested in a set too and will drop you an email.Thanks, Rob

It is perfectly possible to remove the engine and leave the gearbox in-situ on a crossflow engined car; doing it this way prevents you having to disconnect the gear lever, reverse switch, speedo cable, gearbox mount and also having to worry about the gearbox dumping all its oil as the prop shaft withdraws from the tail housing as the box is pulled forward. Getting the engine onto the garage floor is a couple of hours work assuming everything plays ball. Rob

I assume this is normal on a Zetec. My Blacktop does the same. Rob

Exactly Ellie. I have no idea what caliper set-up is being discussed but some are handed and capable of being fitted on the "wrong" side which puts the bleed nipple too low.... result: impossible to bleed in-situ.

Presumably because for whatever reason the calipers aren't installed with the bleed nipples oriented as the caliper manufacturer intended; i.e. at the highest point. Are you sure the calipers aren't handed and you installed left one on the right side and vice versa? Rob

Tracsport is the way to go and well worth the initial investment. I'm absolutely loving mine. Rob

I cut a hole in the side of my silencer big enough to empty and re-pack the silencer through, and then put some curvature on a new stainless sheet by hand and re fixed this with pop rivets around the perimeter sealed with a good quality high temperature sealant. It works perfectly and does not leak at all. I bought a couple of different thicknesses of stainless sheet for a few pounds each from an Ebay shop and ended up using the thinner of the two (sorry I cant recall the thickness but think it was around 0.8mm). I may have a photo still on my phone of the completed job if you need it (hidden by hear shield now), but yes this is very do-able - cheap, relatively easy and effective. Rob

I'm using EBC Greenstuff pads with these calipers and have no complaints. Plenty of EBay shops selling these at under £30 including P&P. Just search under "Spitfire Greenstuff" and you'll see plenty of seller choices. Rob

As has been said above, you really need to speak to Steve at SP Components about your six speed. He is probably unique in offering properly engineered solutions to eradicate the inherent weaknesses. If you invest the time to go and see him and what he can offer I'd be amazed if you decided to go anywhere else.

Apparently you get a lot more than you can reasonably expect for £60 a corner! I had always assumed that anything with Nankang on the sidewall was a ditchfinder special but am reliably informed that (particularly the softer of the two compounds available) is a serious trackday tyre with stiff sidewalls and lots of grip.

I have a set of 185 60 13 A539's on my roadgoing Zetec engined car with just over 170 bhp. I quite like them, they are predictable with good feel. Yes, you can find the limits of the rear tyres if you try but in terms of general handling non dry roads there's not much wrong with them. On damp /greasy roads they can get a bit sketchy but no more than expected. I hear good things about Nankang NS 2R's; they are proper road legal track day tyre with stiff sidewalls and soft compound and look amazing value at £60 a corner. If you wanted a budget performance tyre I imagine they'd be hard to beat? With a standard Ital axle though I might be looking at the 539's.

Been for a much longer run in the sunshine today and I absolutely love the new SPC gear set. It is like a different car and just feels so much more together than with the original standard Type 9 V6 ratios. Well recommended!

I fitted an SPC gear kit earlier this year (2.48 first). Ive only had the opportunity of one test run but my early impressions are: 1. the car feels a lot quicker through the gears with the new ratios 2. there is a definite whine in 2nd and 3rd but I actually quite like it and its certainly not loud enough to be an annoyance 3. the 2.48 first paired with my 4.1 diff certainly does not feel too tall. If anything I might have gone for the slightly taller ratio (this is with a 2.0 Zetec with stock cams; anything less torquey might be a different story?) 4. rebuilding a type 9 for the first time is relatively challenging but certainly not beyond a competent amateur mechanic if you are methodical and take your time. The main issue is that neither of the two shop manuals that cover the procedure are brilliant 5. must have tools are a pair of special spring clip pliers (they have flat, serrated jaws that grip the pointed internal tips of the spring clips on the mainshaft) and access to a press Overall, its a thumbs up for SPC. I did plenty of research and my conclusion was that there's nothing else on the market that compares to their kit. Rob

I cant work out how to rotate this by 90 degrees but you get the idea... fits nicely exactly where the original battery tray was. Rob

My Powervamp bracket just needed one corner of the mounting flange trimming slightly (a few seconds with a flap wheel) then just bolted straight onto the front of the passenger footwell to hold the battery vertically. I'll try and post a pic up later

Powervamp do a neat aluminium bracket specifically for the PC680 which holds it very securely. It comes with pre-drilled mounting holes and is very simple to fit. They are £18.50 including postage from Powervamp or their Ebay shop. Let me know if you want a photo of my install with this bracket and battery. Rob

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