Mr Locust

Time for a lie down Bri *eek* *eek* *eek* *eek* *eek* *eek* *eek* *eek* *eek* Don't get yourself all upset again without your medication

Sell the wife!?

Go to work in the Seven? No doors, no windows, no problems!

Think more £3/gal 20w/50 from Asda rather than full synthetic for running in to allow the rings to bed in whilst protecting the bearings. Avoid labouring the engine i.e. change down rather than struggle but keep the revs below 3.5-4K. Boring but usually pays long term dividends on engine life. 😬

Up the clams! 😬

With brand new Compomotive ML (minilite style) wheels, I had a hell of a game getting stick-on weights to do just that. The pastic coating surface was very waxy and needed a light roughening to assist keying. Are you using stick on weights and are they not sticking on? - count em 😬 On a light car just a few grammes will make a difference. At that time I also went to about half a dozen places trying to get wheels satisfacorily balanced. One made the car absolutely undriveable over 35 mph. Afterwards the man then said "Oh yeah mate, we've been having trouble with that machine. theyr'e supposed to come and fix it next week". So when you go to the tyre shop, ask when they last serviced and calibrated the computer balancing machine. Be very suspicious if significant weight is being applied diametrically opposite on one rim. In addition to Hoopy's comments - is the rack on your car clamped in compliant bushes as per the Triumph type racks? As a double check - I'd put a pair of 15"ers back on the front if you still have them and see if it still shakes on a quick experimental blat? If not - swap fronts for rears. This may save a lot of time if it show the wheels are the problem.

Ashauughnessy - If the engine is running and the gaskets are leaking, the engine note will change momentarily as the WD40 introduced is extra fuel being sucked in through the leak. If nothing happens to the way the engine is running - there is no leak. On the installation I had problems with (1500cc Triumph engine / 2x40DHLA dellortos) the carbs visibly settled into a resonant shaking at tickover (if the carbs were too tightly squeezed onto the gasket plates). Once this shaking started, the engine''s ability to idle went completely (fuel frothing?). If kept a hand on the carbs to stop the shaking - it was fine. Slackening off the nuts but still just maintaining the seal the engine idled just dandy! Presumably because the resonant frequency had changed.

Sorry I took the time to offer a few suggestions for your problem 🙆🏻

Make sure that the thackeray washers and gasket plates are tip top and not too tight. These provide isolation from engine vibration and gave me a hell of a game on dellortos fitted to a triumph engine. If in doubt 'rock' the carbs (filter end) up and down to ensure they are not tightened up hard. Also avoid bright, plated thackeray washers. In my experience, they are not properly de-embrittled and are prone to breaking relatively quickly. Use black finish ones. Also avoid rubber 'bobbin' packers as these just seem to go hard quickly and lose their resiliance. While I'm waffling - if the seal plates are o-ring carrier types, check that an o-ring hasn't been sucked in or spat out. I have always found bonded aluminium types more reliable. I seem to remember someone on blatchat recommending you spray the joints with wd40 or similar to see if there are air leaks. Remember that these are consumable items so it may be worth a precautionary change? When the engine idles - see if the carbs look like they start shaking excessively i.e. resonance - this will foam the petrol up and it will never idle satisfactorily. Hope this makes sense because it's a real pain - I've been there - Hope this helps - Bemused of Stafford

Bri - The only problem is with following Vectras not slowing down and stuffing me hard frm behind 😳 And pushing me through 4" steel roadsign posts Engine moved forward about 4" Car's a write off but the wood was still as good as when you glued it 😬 Apart from where the impact has split the tub of course 🙆🏻 Just glad to be walking, talking, aching etc

Today I are mostly being confused So how exactly do the rivets holding the panels on work? Although the effects of galvanic corrosion effects must be partly down to contact surface area, the rivets bridge from bare steel holes to aluminium holes - giving an electrical circuit. Surely a smaller contact area concentrates the galvanic corrosion effect? The ability of water to penetrate the joint also will affect corrosion rates so a good silicone sealant between the panel and chassis must help with the good corrosion performance.

Does Blatman's Westfield not have any steel / aluminium joints then. Unusual 😬 That new engine sounded OK at Curborough last weekend though!

If the valve is sticky, use an aerosol 'carb cleaner' type product to get rid of any black gunk. An old toothbrush can also be quite useful

Sounds like a problem with idle valve (if fitted, I am not familiar with K) or an air leak beween the metering unit and engine.

Is this engine fitted with a motorised idle valve like Vauxhall production systems?

I had a mocal type oil cooler (Aluminium) fatigue fracture where the baseplate extends for mounting. After this oily experience, I came to the conclusion that anything made from light gauge aluminium and subject to any vibration should be mounted 😳 on some form of isolating mounts (rubber bobbins etc.). This assumes that longevity rather than absolute lowest weight is the criteria by which you are working. 😬

If you want to be very extreme. John Tipler's Lotus and Caterham Sevens book shows a 24h endurance entry with a pair of Cibie Oscars bolted on the top of the nosecone. Functional but not exactly stylish. Maybe mount a white stick on the grille? 😬

Go with the 30% xenon bulbs. I have used them and found a good improvement. Also least cost/p***ng about option.

Deb Alutrans is an acidic cleaner for commercial vehicle bodies and is quite good for shifting light corrosion/staining. About £15 / gal. Remember this cleans v.thoroughly - i.e. is not polish. I found it quite good for cleaning BEFORE polishing.

Thanks for sharing that Mr Colman. I seem to remember you preferred clamshell - then bought cycle? Or are you still unsure?

Seem to remember that the difference is only in the thread form for some sizes. But I may be wrong.

Am I right to assume that standard threads may be BSP or BSW?

I stand corrected Jonathan. 😳

This in fact appears to be the very puppy http://www.completeautomobilist.com/online/itm00217.htm By the way this was just a quick browse - I have no vested interest in this company!

See http://www.completeautomobilist.com/online/itm00890.htm