Doug

Paul YHM

I have a pair of Target speaker stands (appx 180mm tall without the spikes) in good condition. They were my parents' but they no longer need them. Let me know if they're any use to you.

Thanks guys. 😶‍🌫️ Edited by - Doug on 16 Mar 2013 12:35:55

Can anyone tell me what the standard Caterham offset is please? I'm referring to the standard Ford set up and 13" Minilite-type wheels. Many thanks.

Post it on Ebay. You're probably more likely to sell it there.

Valco HV350, that was the stuff. Can't seem to get it now so ordered Silkaflex. That would be great Guy. I'm around next week.

Hi Guy I was hoping you'd reply! You recommended some good stuff, which I think I eventually lent you, which came from Demon Tweeks. Can you remember what it was? Failing that I'll go for Silkaflax. I think the Falkland Arms beckons...

I need to find a suitable glue fixing for Bighead fixings. There used to be something available from Demon Tweeks but I can't remember what it is. Any ideas!

Cheers Ian. About to get engine out of the Talbot on Tuesday. Then the real fun begins 😬

Oooops. Memory loss can strike at any time I thought I had posted it before... but couldn't find it so assumed that I hadn't. Slowly going bonkers clearly 😳 Mental state aside, please can some kind understanding person point me to the original thread..... Edited by - Doug on 9 Feb 2013 08:53:31

Apologies for the non-Caterham topic but I had an odd experience the other day in my 2009 Mondeo 2.0 TDCi and wonder if anyone can shed light on it: Travelling down to Wiltshire and having been driving for an hour and a half, the main road was blocked by an accident and I was re-routed along several narrow country roads, one of which took me through a ford. Prior to going through it I stopped to check that I'd get through it and judged it to be OK. I drove through in 1st gear carefully and got out the other side. After about 100 yards a message appeared on the dash telling me there was an "Engine Malfunction" but not telling me to stop. Thinking water had got in somewhere I reasoned that the engine was still running and it would be OK to continue. The car had put itself into Limp Home Mode and was gutless but was otherwise OK. After about 2 miles I stopped and checked that there was no water in the oil (all fine). When I restarted the car it initially went as normal until the malfunction message appeared again and it went into limp home mode again. Another 4 miles or so later I stopped again and had my lunch. After 30 minutes I started the car again and it was completely back to normal. No messages and running normally. It then did 250 miles without a glitch and has been fine ever since. I'm intrigued to find out what had happened and can only assume that the exhaust had been cooled down by the water to such an extent that the message from one of the sensors to the ECU confused it. Anyone got any other ideas? Edited by - Doug on 8 Feb 2013 18:19:44

"SOLD"

Guy YHM Ed dimensions and photo will be posted imminently.

Hi Guy It was supplied together with one of their red top Zetecs so the answer to your question is, I guess yes. I'm in Chipping Norton, Oxon. Drop me a blatmail if you're interested and I can either send photos or you can come and see it. Doug.

Can I take one of the 2nd, larger ones please. You have BM. Edited by - Doug on 28 Jan 2013 15:58:56

Stainless steel Raceline silencer in good condition. It is the sealed type, welded at both ends. Although OK at present, I believe it is relatively straight forward to modify to make it repackable. Dimensions are: Silencer - appx 800mm long; Silencer dia - appx 180mm; Ext dia of pipe into silencer - appx 60mm £45.00 Edited by - Doug on 29 Jan 2013 17:33:17

Even if it is the sensor at fault, I'd still test the thermostat. Then you can rule it out altogether. Take it out of the car, boil the kettle and put the thermostat into a bowl and pour hot water from the kettle to cover it. If the thermostat is closed prior to putting in the water and opens when submerged then the thermostat is OK. If the thermostat is open when you take it out of the car or fails to open when submerged in hot water then you know it needs replacing.

Morgan always used to use a sliding pillar front suspension arrangement on their three wheelers but the new cars look to be using twin wishbones, is that right? Might it not be worth talking to some of the old Morgan three wheeler specialists; after all most aspects of a motor car we're familiar with today were done 60+ years ago. Just a thought 😬 Edited by - Doug on 16 Aug 2012 09:09:04

Peter McEwan at Raceline told me that it is very important to use a filter with a valve to prevent oil returning to the sump (and thus providing a few seconds of oil starvation to the bearings before the pump gets going at start up). From memory, Motorcraft filters (as used by Ford?) do have the valve as do the ones supplied by Opie Oils.

The reason I've brought this up for discussion is this: - Those with older engines, particularly with aluminium castings may find that these castings become porous over time. This is certainly the case with classic and pre-war castings depending on the quality of the metal used. Admittedly our engines are that bit more recent but it struck me that sealing the block and facilitating the easy flow of oil back into the sump can only be a good thing. Back in the early days of racing, engine builders used Gold Size in place of Glyptal for much the same purposes. Glyptal has already stood the test of time as far as longevity is concerned. I'd be interested in opinions from professional engine builders too...

No Dave you read it correctly 😬. Glyptal is used to seal castings. The idea being that, as they get older and possibly porous, Glyptal seals the casting. It is also smooth so enables oil to flow away from the casting more efficiently. Apparently pre-war engine builders use it... Details of it are here.

Has anyone found AP big brake discs at a discount yet?

Re-building another engine, I've been toying with painting the inside of the engine block with Glyptal to help keep it clean. Does anyone have experience of this product and is it as good as I am led to believe?

4000 in the first 500 miles is quite high for a normal car. There used to be two schools of thought regarding running in: If you want the engine to last, keep the revs down to 2500 for the first 500 miles, rising to 3500 until 1500 miles. Drain the oil at 500 and 1500 miles and then keep the revs below 4000 until you've done 2000 miles. If you want a nice, free revving engine for competition use, don't go over 3000rpm for the first 500 miles then do as you wish thereafter, changing the oils at 500 and 1500 miles. You'll need to rebuild the engine every 15,000 miles but it will be competitive. Sounds to me as if you're doing the latter and you'll end up with a responsive engine if not the most long lasting 😬. The oil in the catch tank may well be blow back because the pistons haven't bedded into the bores yet. Edited by - Doug on 29 Jul 2012 22:50:55

How hard are you driving the car? New engines need time for the pistons in particular to bed in and if you're giving it welly when it's not properly run in then you may well get more than usual blow past. Once the pistons are bedded into the bores it should lessen but I suggest you keep an eye on it.