Dave H

I'd check the steering rack - esp. the trackrod ends just in case they've been damaged. If you are anywhere near the South Coast, take it along to Discount Tyres Direct in Worthing, and get Deane to stick it on his alignment machine, he'll tell you exactly what has happened, and what needs doing - take your Membership Card along and get a Club Discount . There are standard setting - 20 minutes Tow In, not sure of the Camber (I'm at work, details at home ) Good luck, Dave H

Duncan, If your car is kit built then the Aug '98 date is correct, but, if it was factory built then I think if it's after '96 (not sure of date, but it is earlier) it should be emissions tested and therefore need a cat. Dave H

Noger, A couple of years ago I'd have said "Go Zetec", but, with the Duratec becoming more available, and now being fitted to Sevens, the development work has been done. I'd be inclined to go that route. You'll need an english axle if putting any significant power through it, and it'll save money come the next upgrade . Not sure if the Freestyle suspension will fit an earlier car - worth having a chat with Len Unwin. Good luck, Dave H

Nope, Ford...I didn't realise your K was standard enough to have the original connectors - almost everything else has been upgraded 😬 Dave H

I've still got the old set you can have, plus the set from the xflow...should be able to put together a decent replacement set Dave H

John, Sorry to hear you are having more problems - perhaps its time to stop fiddling with it once it's working 😬 Have you checked the HT leads? Sounds similar to the problem I had a couple of weeks ago when one of the leads was damaged - everything fine until the engine was warm then at around 4000rpm it started to missfire, and once started it wouldn't stop until it cooled down. Good luck Dave H

Check the connectors and the wiring to the alternator - my old xflow baked the wiring and it crumbled - giving similar problems. The back of the alternator on the xflow is quite close to the front exhaust pipe, and does get a lot of heat, which gives problems. Good luck, Dave H

My Zetec (1800 on carbs) runs at around 70 this time of year - when making good progress 😬 it will rise to a steady 80ish, and only go higher if stuck in traffic for a while. Sounds quite normal to me, Dave H

My first though is you have a stone or something stuck between the pad and the disc - you'll have to take the pad out to check, Dave H

GTD, Had a similar problem a while ago - after spending a long time trying to trace the wiring fault I took the send out to find it had jammed in the FULL position. Gave it a good clean up and it' s been fine for quite a few years now. See you at the Gribble, Dave H

There is a theoretical point of inflation at which the tyre will exert maximum grip. Less than that and the tyre walls will overflex (and the tyre will overheat), more than that and the tyre will balloon. But, when combining the tyre pressures with all other parts of the handling equation, it is often easier to adjust the understeer/oversteer characteristics (in a small way) by changing tyre pressures SLIGHTLY (a pound or 2 either way, not banging in another 10 lbs to see what happens ) Dave H

Paul, The wingstays do suffer from rust internally. You may have to cut the nut off underneath and punch the screw out, then replace with a new one if you decide to refit clamshells (i.e. proper wings 😬) Dave H

adey, If both blocks are 711M's, unless something strange has been done, the "new" engine will go in. The starter doesn't bolt onto the engine, it fits on to the bell housing - so your starter will be OK - but, before the new engine goes in, compare the fly wheels, make sure they are geared the same, and are the same distance from the block - if not you will need a new starter to get the gearing and throw to match. Get hold of a copy of the Haynes Ford Kent Engine manual - all is explained. Dave H

It's in the perfect place for hanging the take-away on 😬. Other than that, it only gets used at MoT time. Dave H

Jan, I switched from a Xflow to 1.8l Zetec a few years ago, and retained the 4 speed escort box. It mates directly on to the Zetec with no problems. You will need to change the thrust bearing so you can depress the clutch. I alos constructed a plate to go between the engine and bell housing - like the xfow one, to fill in the gaps and prevent c**p getting into the bell housing. The man to talk to is James Whiting, he has done more of these upgrades than anyone else. Dave H

I found the Haynes manual on the Kent engine invaluable when I rebuild my old Xflow. It gives plenty of hints, tips and advice for tuning and upgrading. While it is aimed at the fast road/occasional trackday user, much of what is said can point you towards greater upgrades if you want to head that way. On a slight O/T - I have some Xflow bits which will shortly be available - 234 cam, duplex timing chain & sprockets, high pressure oil pump, plus the rest o fthe engine in fairly standard form (flat pistons, chambered head with unleaded inserts). The block will NOT be available. If interested, let me know. Dave H

Oil & Coolant should be OK. I seem to recall seeing a "best before"/"use by" date on Brake Fluid. It is the one I'd be careful of, as it does absorb moisture at any oportunity, which reduces it's ability to slow you down. You should change the fluid every 2 years, so I wouldn't store it any longer than that... Just my opinion Dave H

Noger, You can remove the engine without affecting the brakes or steering, but, once the engine is out, you will either need to arrange for the bell housing & gearbox to be supported, or remove them plus propshaft. The rear of the engine supports the bell housing. The gearbox supports the propshaft, which will rotate when you turn the rear wheels. On a live axle the propshaft is nice and easy to takeout - not quite so simple with a dedion. I found it much easier to work on most parts of the car with the engine out the way. One of the last jobs is installing it, just before tightening up the suspension bolts. Good luck, Dave H

Graham, A X-flow can put up with this sort of treatment occassionally - I did something similar at Goodwood. The damage will occur if pistons and valves met, and the very worst is to break a piston, but with the xflow the valve will hit the piston flat, and "slap". What happened to mine was to bend a couple of pushrods, and if they are not too badly damaged, you can get away with adjusting the tappets. If they are more seriously bent, you'll have to straighten them a bit before adjusting. Hope all is OK Dave H

Sid, Springs are one of those personal things, depending on how you drive, what the roads are like, and how heavy you (or your passenger 😳) are. I swapped out my original (16 year old) rear springs with the Spax dampers earlier this year, and installed AVO's with the 125lb springs. The car feels a little skittish at the back sometimes, and I can't get the power down quite as early as I could, so I'm thinking of dropping the spring rating slightly, but, there are other things to do as well - flat flooring, ride hight etc, so I have plenty to play with . Jilles, On the live axle, the rear bushes, where the A-frame joins the centre of the Axle are a disposable item, and will need changing around every 3,000 miles. This can make a big difference to the feel of the car. As you said, if your dampers are 25years old, it's probably time to retire them or rebuild them. Sorry, I don't know anyone who can do Armstrongs, but if they are original to the Seven I'm sure Redline would know. Dave H

Jilles, The live axle Seven does have a tendency to be "twitchy" on a rough road, but it sounds like yours is suffering from an extreme case. Things to check are the A-frame bushes, the rear shock absorbers, and the rear springs. On a Live axle for the road, you don't want the springs with too higher rating (I've got 125lb springs on mine, and am thinking of reducing them to 90 or 100's). If the shocks are adjustable, try softening them up a bit as well. Good luck, Dave H

Matt, I did some other bits when I had the engine out, replacing bushes/shocks/wings/lights/radiator/respray/floor etc, but I think the engine conversion, including new Webber 45's & management system, Raceline sump, exhaust (full system), James Whiting hose kit and 2nd hand engine (£250) came to around £3k. Mine is a Live axle (Ital) on a 4 speed box, and the engine is (currently) untouched - no head work or cam changes. It has a better power band than the Xflow, and revs freer, doesn't start to run out of puff at 5k and sound like it will fall apart at 6K 😳. Dave H

Frog-one, Yes. I did mine a few years ago, best move I could have made. Went to an 1800, still on Carbs. THE expert on this is James Whiting - I don't know if he still supplies the kits for it, as he is now heavily involved with the Fireblade cars, but it's worth giving him a call, Dave H

If you've never had the petty bar fitted (thats what it's called) the it isn't obvious. You need to remove a couple of pop rivets and locate the threaded hole for the bolt to go in, and then carefully drill out the internal side panel in the right place. Then pop rivet the panel back into place and the Petty bar can be fitted. Good luck, Dave H

Chris, YHM Dave H