murph7355

6'4" here, 36"/37" inseam. Have had my S3 for 25yrs. Lowered floors really help. I have a bag seat. Had a thin bench seat before (easier to switch in and out). Normal seats are no good at all for tall people IME. Pedals on mine are in the middle position. I found it easier to be comfy that way. Removable wheel helps too. Photos of seat on a thread on PH here (can't figure out how to embed images at this time of night :)) - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=101&t=1903265

Is there smething in particular you don't like about the current ones? What brand are they (there should be a label or two somewhere)? I have Willans on my S3. Like them a lot (3in shoulder straps, 2in lap and anti-sub). I actually prefer the pull down to tighten - feels more natural wrt getting them tight.

Thanks both. Think I get it now. Presumably if my pulley is shimmed and has no slack, that problem goes away? (Feels like there's no getting away from the need to get them timed in again really).

Is that amount of movement enough to get the belt a tooth out? It doesn't look to be. Fanastic contributions so thanks everyone. Keep it coming :) First job will be to take the covers off an see what I have. I'm not fully understanding why Verniers add to the issues, assuming they're all tight. More reading/video searching to do. (And if it all looks like it's getting too much I'll get a pro' to check my handy work!).

Thanks guys. I suspect the safest answer would be to re-time regardless. Which fills me with a degree of dread :D Not least of which because the guys who did the engine work (and later the chaps at Emerald) did such a brilliant job of it that I don't want to mess that up, and I believe cam timing is key. Still, what could possibly go wrong! (I'm seeing this particular job as my biggest headache). If I get chance this weekend I'll start to take it apart and will take photos. (Though think the in theory easier task of sorting my wheels/rear ARB drop links will likely come first).

If I'm looking at that picture properly I think you have the later style ARB where it picks up on a bracket on the deDion ears...on mine it picks up where the rear arm attaches to the deDion. Will post photos once I set to it with a spanner :)

I'll let you know how it is when I fit mine :) (I have 215 rears). I'll probably use a washer to ensure the droplink threaded part doesn't protrude from the nut and see what that gives.

btw, car has probably done 40k-50k miles on that spec (plenty of track use) and been that spec for around 22yrs. Don't know if the tensioner has been changed in that time (have the servicing paperwork so can check). Also, crank pulley bolt - what torque is needed to do it up properly?

Thanks all. Good news it can be done in situ. I was hoping to be abe to avoid re-timing...but it has Verniers :( If each of the pullies is marked up fully, along with the belt, wouldn't that make it straightforward (with a bit of care) to ensure everything stays aligned? Spec 1800K Accralite forged pistons (11.1:1 cr) QED steel banded liners Std. rods and crank Lightened flywheel Piper 740 cams Piper Vernier pulleys Fully ported head with 31.5mm inlet and 29mm exhaust Paul Ivey valves (could be the other way round!) Solid followers Mike Satur uprated head gasket Jenvey DTH throttle bodies with 40mm trumpets, Pipercross sock filters and throttle linkage VHPD injectors Uprated fuel pump and regulator Emerald ECU AP Racing clutch 4-2-1 SLR non-cat race exhaust Mocal oil/water heat exchanger Race aluminium radiator Pace dry sump kitGives ~200bhp and very smooth delivery. Will have a search for timing dials, but suspect that bit will be well beyond me...

And so the numpty questions begin in earnest. Can a K-series cambelt be changed in situ? Have watched a couple of vids on how it's done but all have the engine out. Assuming it can be done in situ, I'm assuming I get the timing marks aligned, put in a cam locking tool and change the belt? Should I change the tensioner too?

Thanks all (keep the feedback coming :)). Anthony - no, not a balance weight (none on the wheels yet). Just the ball of the droplink catching the inside of the rim. From what I can see the nut side of the droplink is something like a third of the depth of the ball, so hopefully popping them on the reverse side of the ARB will cure it. Either that or an underslung ARB will be needed, or spacers.

Could you just use self-adhesive, weatherproof red LED tape? You could put that almost anywhere in any length, and with a black PCB it'd look reasonably unobtrusive. May have a play with this idea over winter :)

A young family and the acceleration of the space/time continuum as one gets old have meant that it's now around 8yrs since my 7 turned a wheel (and I think longer than that since I was last on here - thanks to the admins for rejuvenating my account). My youngest (5) has now shown a strong interest in the cars under the covers. So the time has come to get it back on the road. Plan is to get it ready and MOT'd by next spring. Then to tax it 6mths of the year for annual use (I'm no longer as hardy as I was when I used it in all weathers). And for the first time in pretty much ever my plan is to do the spannering myself, roping the boys in to "help". First job is therefore a checklist of recommended things to address before driving it and getting the precious cargo onboard. First stab as follows. Critique welcomed! Wheels and tyres (start easy) - car had MB mags wheels. Have bought a set of R500 8-spoke 13"s to use initially, and new tyres coming in (Avon ZZS). I'm going to get the MBs crack tested I think before deciding what to do longer term The rear wheels I've bought are 8" wide which are fouling slightly on my overslung ARB droplink. I have new droplinks (old ones rusted) and am planning to put them on the other side of the ARB/deDion pickups which I'm hoping will give enough clearance Bodywork and interior - general clean and spruce up. Especially as the cats seemed to have used the inside as a sleeping location and I'm not partial to the cat hair seat cover! Any tips on getting harnesses clean? I think I also need to remove the passenger seat as I want to fit monkey tails to the harnesses on that side too (I have them on the driver's side already) Brakes Caliper refurb necessary? Or just try them and see (slightly reticent on that for brakes) Discs have plenty of surface rust on them - vented discs. Worth just replacing or try a reskim? New pads (or just check the old?) New flexible lines? (Current ones are braided) Brake fluid change and bleed Suspension - anything to do here? Or just see how it runs? Electrics New battery bought - couldn't get a direct replacement for my old Redtop 700 which I thought was nice and light and compact. Bought an Antigravity 12-cell Lithium battery. 4kg saved! Most electrics working fine Hazards not - will be replacing all switches anyway as the old ones are now 25yrs old and faded (if anyone knows of any funky switches that fit rocker switch holes, let me know). Will also change the flasher relay as needed Stack dash - bottom row of the LCD display isn't working...have a quote from Stack to repair. Ouch. If anyone knows non-Stack places to repair these let me know. Will live with it initially I think (if I'm going to get it repaired I want a custom dial, which Stack won't do) I also have one of the stack buttons not working - can't recall what it does :) Rear fog isn't working The rest works (including the original immobiliser which is pleasing) Gearbox - worth doing anything? Oil change? Clutch seems to work OK (stationary at least) I've bought a selection of gear knobs as have never been happy with this touch point! Fuel/tank The fuel smells OK, so am going to syphon some out and see what it's like. According to the dash it has 17l in it so a bit under half...is there an additive that can be used to liven it up? Or best to take the tank out (car has a full cage so please say not!), drain it and clean it with new fuel? Anything to do with the pump (engages and sounds OK when powered up) or filter? Should I change all the flexible fuel lines? Engine Oil/filter/coolant changes of course Whilst stood it's leaked a bit of oil - not sure how much, possibly 0.5 litres...not sure how though? Sump gasket shrinkage or something? Pipe leak? There was also around 5ml of coolant under the external exhaust joint...which is making me suspect a potential head gasket issue? (Or is that paranoia) Plug change? Leads change? Air filter change? Hoses? It has silicone hoses on...are these more robust? Run it and see what bursts/leaks? Cambelt change? And tensioner? Can this be done without taking the engine out? (Which I'd rather avoid, but if I have to... Other belt changes? Head gasket change? Engine start process... Manual turnover Then on the starter? And then stand back and see what gives? Anything missing from the above? Being somewhat more blessed with ambition than talent at most things, I fully expect needing to post separate topics on each of the above, but wanted to check the accumulated wisdom of all on here before getting anything really wrong :D

It would be a mistake to compromise the engine for purely aesthetic reasons IMO. The induction noise on DTH throttle bodies with a decent air filter etc is absolutely brilliant. I just posted this on the air filter thread but gives an idea of the aesthetic...I think they look great as well as work and sound awesome.

When you say "classic double K&N arrangement", do you mean something like this. These are Jenvey TBs with a Pipercross sock filter per pair (no backplate on the TBs/trumpets). They fit under a bonnet without a cutout. This on a 200bhp K-series. Not sure how well they'd work out of the box on an R500 without mapping work.