Crudders

Hi UF, assuming that your 7 has standard factory brakes, the Girling calipers are a Triumph Spitfire part. The ref. for Mintex 1144 pads (recommended) is MGB533M1144, which is what I have. Mine came from Questmead (01706 860088). There is also a pad with a slightly larger surface area, part ref. MGB535M1144, which some people swear by, others at. The standard pad area seems fine on my car. HTH, Cruds

Hi Kris. If the problem is only evident on fast changes, could it be the clutch cable binding due to internal fraying or similar, and not releasing the clutch fork as fast as your left foot is releasing the pedal, IYSWIM? Just a thought, and a much easier fix than pulling the engine and box out. if you do need a new clutch, don't assume anything is 'standard' - although Ford parts are generally good for cross-compatibility, there are many variations in covers, plates and CRBs and I would recommend having it apart before ordering any bits. But check the cable first! HTH, Cruds

Dibs on the tonneau cover please Martin - YHM Crudders

Hi Chris - from the photo on the Poweflex website those bushes appear to have little or no taper compared to the Y16s. How much 'squish' do they have? Some poly bushes can be rock hard and I would be concerned about possible over-stressing of the 'A' frame or De Dion tube mountings if that was the case. But if they are a good physical fit and ar as flexible as the original rubber bushes, they're probably fine. Cruds

And don't rely on a sump plug staying tight with a nylon washer - mine didn't. I was lucky to get away with that as it came out a few minutes after I left the M3 and I heard it bouncing around under the car. A dowty washer (steel with a bonded rubber seal) is a better bet. Halfords sell 'em. Crudders

Over two hundred views and no replies - is that because this is the wrong kind of machine, price too high, or some other reason? Any tips from those in the know (other advertising forums etc.) would be much appreciated. This really is a very capable machine offered at a low price, but I'm told that elderly uncle is keen to reclaim the space and would be prepared to accept £500 before taking a punt on ebay. Cruds

Offered for sale by a friend’s elderly uncle following the sale of the land on which it is used. I naturally thought of all you landed Blatchatters who might like a new toy, I mean, tool. The model is the same as this one here on sale in Germany, but without the lighting, double front wheels and showroom shine. As the name implies, 3 cylinder cutters (one below, two to front/side) with 7’ 2" cutting width. 2 cylinder diesel engine, key start. Foot controls - clutch, accelerator. Hand controls – forward/neutral/reverse, power to cutters, raising/lowering of cutters, handbrake. Rear wheel steering with very tight turning circle. Kept undercover in a well ventilated barn and in good working order, but would no doubt benefit from a little TLC and a new battery (038 type, about £45) Located near Cowfold, West Sussex. Collection only – overall dimensions (and a few more images of a similar but much scruffier model) can be found on this link here. Looking for offers IRO £750 (price reduced - see below). Post interest here, blatmail me or call zero-seven-nine-seven-four nine-two-seven-six-one-eight. Crudders Edited by - crudders on 7 Feb 2010 17:50:45

Wrights Auto Supplies here are also very good - I generally buy from them at shows but they also do mail order. I needed some fairly unusual bolts a while back which were not a stock item, but they got them in for me and at a very reasonable price. Cruds Edited by - Crudders on 13 Jan 2010 17:30:58

Hi Bob, there is a Newton aero cap avaialable from Caterham for for 7s with carbs, but for some reason it's tucked away on their site and doesn't come up on a search for 'fuel', 'cap', 'filler', or anything at all really. See previous thread on the subject here a few months back Cruds

Good to hear that you've solved the problem Kris. How did the failed plugs look - fouled or cooked? When I used my 7 for general bimbling around the plugs tended to foul up quite easily. A tuned XF doesn't seem to take too kindly to being driven gently and spending a lot of time ticking over. As for identifying your distributor, if memory serves a typical Bosch distributor has a uniformly circular top as here while a typical Lucas body has a more complex casting with lumps and bumps for the top plate mounting, cap clips etc. as here. Hope that's vaguely useful. Cheers, Cruds

It's a 1/2" UNF nut, 3/4" across the flats. As James said, you need a half nut on cars with cycle wings, otherwise the thickness of the wing stay will prevent the nyloc insert from engaging with the bolt thread. This is the correct spec as advised by Caterham. HTH, Cruds

B8ECS rings a bell with me and I'm pretty sure that's what's screwed into my head. ISTR being told that the 'C' is important, but I'm afraid I can't recall why, sorry. Cruds

It might be worth trying a Mini specialist over there - 45D type distributors were certainly used on Minis and while they usually have top entry rather than side entry caps, you never know. Minispares list one here - does that look like your cap? Cruds

The rotor arm is indeed more common - DRB104. T'was used on loads of cars with the 45D distributor including Minis, MGBs, etc. But make sure you get one with the brass contact moulded in rather than rivetted on as the latter are unreliable. Thinking about it, the groove filing thing probably only applies to NOS genuine Lucas caps and there are probably not that many of those left kicking around now. The last cap I put on was a pattern part and that had the grooves moulded in. This is all assuming that you have a Lucas 45D distributor of course If all else fails, caps, rotor arms etc. can be had direct from Aldon here There should not be 'wear' marks on the contacts as such, but there will be signs of pitting and electrical erosion from the HT jumping the gap. The main problem is 'tracking' of the HT to earth through cracks, scratches or other damage. If the inside of the cap looks clean, smooth and shiny then it may be OK, but they don't last forever. Cruds

Hi Kris - I can't be sure that your distributor is the same as mine but IIRC most Supersprints had the Aldon modified Lucas distributors (45D4?) that mine has, with a side entry cap from a Leyland 'O' Series engine. The Lucas part number is DDB194 and ISTR that the application list on the box included 1.7 Austin Amassador and Sherpa Van. Did any of those make it to Finland? In its original application the cap is screwed to the distributor body so needs to have grooves filed into the mounting lugs before fitting, to take the spring clips. Hope that helps and that you're able to track one down. If not, let me know and I'll procure one for you over here. Cheers, Cruds

Nathan - take your sump along to The Plough and wave it front of Mr Bruce - the sumps on his 7 have the life expectancy of a tank of fuel 😳 Cruds

Hi mate, sorry to hear about the engine ☹️ ISTR that there's a core plug at the back of the crossflow that's impossible to get to with the engine in-situ, so that wouldn't be a bad idea. And all the mounting rubbers, but I expect you'd thought of that. Gearbox input shaft oil seal perhaps? Can't think of owt else. Are you about tonight for the NK meet at The Plough by any chance? Cruds

My '90 chassis has a plate of that design and size with the same lube recommendations. Pretty sure that the black areas on that example are green on mine though. Crudders

Or if you mean the Y9 type bushes here, which are found at the forward end of live axle wishbones and where the anti-roll bar ends meet the forged top links, replacing them is not a difficult job at all - just remove wishbone/ARB, pop them in place with some red rubber grease, refit wishbone/ARB. Crudders

I recently bought one of those pound shop selection packs to replace the button cells in my digital vernier. I had the same LR/SR concern initially but haven't had any problems. I expect the pound shop cells are somewhat lacking in capacity but on the plus side I do have quite a decent stock of them Cruds

New A Frames do come with bushes fitted, @ £63.25 or £69.00 depending on your model. Bushes on their own are £6.15 each. I chose to replace the A Frame during my rebuild rather than faff about, but ISTR that the cost then was a little over £40 (not that long ago either!) so it was an easier decision to make. I painted my front wishbones with POR-15 and VHT Barrel Paint though and masked the bushes with bolts, washers and tape. The experience doesn't seem to have done them any harm. Edited to add that I would remove the rubberised coating if were you, and if it resists Nitromors type strippers, try mechanically removing it with a drill-mounted rotary wire brush or mule skinner. I would also recommend POR 'Metal Ready' zinc phosphating solution once everything is cleaned up and degreased. HTH, Cruds Edited by - Crudders on 28 Oct 2009 16:49:03

My Leon is a 200PS 2 litre turbo petrol. I suspect high torque is the deciding factor, which is a feature of diesels and forced induction petrol engines. Crudders

My 4 speed LA with a 4.1:1 diff gave 16.5MPH/1,000RPM - lovely for hooning around but not so good on the motorway (99MPH = 6,000RPM ) I reckon 20MPH/1000RPM would be about right for a 3.6:1, as Oliver suggested. Cruds

I fear my honest opinion put into print would look similar to one of Brent's more colourful rants - more asterisks than words To summarise a very long, tedious and will-to-live sapping story, between 3,000 and 9,000 miles I was banging my head against a brick wall trying to get the dealer to admit there was a problem, by 16,500 miles DMF number 3 had gone in, 17,000 miles to date we're back to square one with me in possession of a car that is torture to drive and the dealer coming out with the usual "NWWT", "TADTS" etc. male bovine feeshus 😔 To answer TF's original question, the DMF is essentially two flywheels separated by springs, providing a cushion between the engine and transmission. What it actually does is introduce a hideously complex and expensive consumable component into the drivetrain which has totally p1ssed off untold car owners and cost manufacturers millions in warranty claims. My experience of multiple low mileage failures appears to be far from unique. @ AMMO - ISTR that the unit fitted by Ford is the same LUK unit fitted to Seats, and have to agree with you that they are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. The DMFs made by Sachs are apparently better made, but a pointless piece of engineering is a pointless piece of engineering no matter how well it is put together. Anyone know of a reasonably powerful modern car that doesn't run one of these hideous dual mass flywheels? Cruds

Without wishing to state trhe bleeding obvious (I'll leave that to other experts )any kind of baked on coating will call for removal/replacement of the bushes, which is fine if you were replacing them anyway but if like me your bushes were in good nick, you could do worse than the treatment I used: 1. Strip and degrease 2. POR Metal Ready zinc phosphating solution. 3. POR 15 Black Rust Prevention Paint, remembering to take the warning about wearing gloves very seriously! 4. As the POR 15 is rather glossy, finish off with VHT Barrel Paint which is a pretty good match to the standard black powder coat. The above are all available from Frost Crudders