Apothecary

Many thanks to all for feedback, esp Chris W (brings back distant memories of o'level physics). So I now have both a charger (for times when I just might need it on one of the cars) and a Draper Battery Master which i will use routinely and especially over winter on the 7. Jusy one last question. How long do people with a timer & trickle charger combo leave it on for...I guess no need to have it on 24/7. Paul Superlight N0.174

Has anybody got a new set of Cr500's they can measure the tread depth on ? My new car has them and I'm trying to judge the wear. What life should I get from these if road use only ? Paul Superlight N0.174

I'm looking at battery conditioners for the winter & cannot decide if the Halford's Automatic Battery Charger (automatically switches between charging and maintenance mode delivering peak battery performance) is better than say the Drapper Battery Master Apart from the price difference (£10) is there anything in favour of one over the other as far as conditioning is concerned 🤔 Advice from you autoelectric wizards welcome please. Paul Superlight 0174

Andy, YHM Paul

Andy, I have one you can have for £20 + P&P. Bought earlier this year from Superformance and used just once (have just upgraded to a SL so no carbs!) its still boxed and with instructions. Its the STE Synchrometer Flow Meter as supplied by Superformance and refered to in many threads as good VFM. Its great for Weber DCOE carbs and is simple to use. I also have a Colortune if your interested....same condition as the meter i.e used just once. Paul

Halfords currently have an offer on a combination set of jack and stands priced at £24.99 here ( http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_details.asp?id=18477&type=0&cat=64 ) Has anyone used this on a Superlight, i.e does it go under (car is on 13 inch wheels) 🤔 Failing that can any Superlight owners recommend a trolley jack that I can get which does fit Thanks,

Jon, Don't both putting it on stands. You really don't have to and it makes it a quick 10 min job..provided you don't mind getting on the floor. Do a search and you will find many threads on this, including mine from a couple of months back which has many contributions on the best procedure to follow. Good luck!

Thought I would update everyone after having completed this job this morning Having spoken to John Payne at Redline he suggested a procedure that I thought I would try before having to go out and buy axle stands etc. It took me about 20 mins in the end so might be worth a try for all those who hate doing this/ cannot raise the car onto stands at the time. You just have to get down & dirty. 1. Chock the front wheels to stop the car moving forward & apply the hand brake. 2. Undo the nut & bolt 3. Prize down the A frame ( I used a long handled screw driver to pivot against the chassis) & remove the old bushes. 4. Clean it all up 5. Lubricate the new bushes (washing up liquid) and place in the A frame mount. 6. Squeeze into place at the top edge using water pump pliers and move the A frame back up to meet the Diff. This requires a bit of effort but as others said you do only need the leading edge to locate into place. 7. Now place the jack under the A frame mount and carefully raise so that it simply pushes the A frame back up into position. As the car is not of the ground the axle / A frame alignment is exactly as it was when it was undone. Remember the car cannot role forward either as its chocked 😬 8. Simply align the holes using the screw driver & knock the bolt back into place & tighten. Using this procedure you could even do it when out on a blat if necessary! I'm surprised at what a significant difference this has made to the ride. No more drive train shunt, no clonking over pot holes etc Again, thanks for all the contributions on this thread. Paul 😬

Many thanks Dave, think your diagnosis is spot on Any tips on the procedure for replacement ? Paul

Having recently topped up the diff oil on my LA car I noticed that the (rubber?) washer/ spacer used where the lower casing of the diff is bolted to the frame has disintegrated. Can anyone advise exactly what I need to replace this Is it just a spacer or more intricate (perhaps a bush) and what size do I need ? I assume this isn't the cause of the increased drive shunt I'm experiencing (1300 miles) but its obviously supposed to be there so I'm keen to replace. Any advice most welcome, Thanks. Paul

Many thanks everyone...now know what I need to look out for. Cheers

I know that the LA is prone to leak a little oil and have small traces on the garage floor so now want to inspect the level / top up as required. The combined filler - level plug has either a square or hexagonal shaped recess (havn't had a close enough look yet to tell which) and I believe this is what I need to remove to check & top up as appropriate. Is there a special tool (seem to remember something about a universal drain plug tool), if so where is the best place to get one (in Berks)? Also, what oil is recommended to top up? I have a 2001 1.6Vx with 1100miles on the clock if it makes any difference. Thanks, Paul

Thanks Myles and Shane, I have gone for the nylocs as they are less likely to loosen over time. Richard, I got the Lifeline boss & column from Redline. I think its the same as the Caterham supplied model. Now for the fun & games with aligning the wheel (i.e playing with the rack or lower column) which I see another thread has just covered. Paul

Having just fitted my new QR column (thanks to those who contributed tips previously ) I see that the 3 allen headed bolts attaching the wheel to the boss will require a nut each to hold in place. With the old standard column the bolts screwed directly into the (momo) boss. So my question is whats the best way of attaching the wheel to the Lifeline boss ? Is it simply small and discreet nuts or are nylocs better (safer) or is there an even better way I just don't want the wheel coming off in my hand because I used the wrong method of attachment Advice needed (again) please guys' Thanks,

Agree with all thats gone before, A021R's are a good tyre for road use. I havn't tried the other Yoko's so cannot compare but set against the Avon's that came on my car these inspire much better cornering and I'm led to believe will handle well in the wet (if I ever take it out when its raining !!!). Certainly a sound & cheap upgrade

I would welcome some experienced advice from those in the know please..... I am pondering on the options available to boost the power on a 1.6 Vx live axle classic. I believe CC used to produce a bored out version giving 1.8litres and an additional 20 - 25+bhp. Has anyone had this done as a modification and care to share their views ? Exactly whats involved in the conversion? Is it a cost effective solution to more power while staying with the LA and if so who / where is recommended to carry it out Paul

Thanks Mav & Alex, Sounds simple enough......hope it will be and not ☹️ Time to give it a go. Cheers, Paul

I have the 260mm momo wheel on the standard column and now want to fit the QR upper column (which comes with the necessary boss) but just want to check that I won't have to forfeit the steering lock if I do. If anyone has fitted one recently can you please advise. Also, has anyone any tips to make the swop go smoothly Thanks, Paul

Search is down so apologies if this has been done to death before..... Having been a 7 owner for just a couple of months now and recently discovering how much better it is driving without the doors on 😬 I'm in the need of wing mirrors. What are the options available & sources of supply / costs ? I have a full screen and don't want to go aero (yet anyway) Thanks in anticipation. Paul

Hi Mike, No problem ...YHM again. Paul

Mike, YHM Paul

Mike they are yours then Do you want to drop me an e-mail in the next couple of days to let me know how you want to proceed. Paul

George Polley seems to offer the best price on tyres when I shopped around for my AO21R's. Also hes a very nice guy That number was right at the end of May. Paul

Mike How does £70 for the four sound 🤔 Needless to say anyone interested would need to collect (from Bracknell). Paul

Thanks to everybody for this; it seems like 18psi gets the vote. However, on reading up a bit more on grip in the wet WRT road use, I decided to go to George Polley and invested in Yoko AO21R's instead - a big difference in handling although I appreciate the fun the CR322's can be If anyone is interested in a set of nearly new CR322's for academy use (less that 800 miles and nearly full tread & no wall damage) at a bargain price then look out in the 'for sale' section soon ! Thanks again for your advice. Paul