James Arnold

Tom (or anybody) How do I work out the right level for filling the oil on my Xflow. I have tried to nail this issue before and failed. I have no idea where the sump came from. For a track day at brands I filled the oil to the max. in a 20 min session the catch tank went from emtpy to overflowing (over 1 litre). I then ran the oil just above the minimum for the rest of the day. No sign of oil starvation on the gauge and only a little blown out into the catch tank. However this isn't good for my nerves, becuase I know if I see oil starvation it probably too late! Whilst obviously different sumps changes the amount of oil, I fail to see why it should affect the level of the surface below the block. Therefore the dip stick should be the same? How high should be surface of the oil be? Should I take off the sump and fill it up to a certain height and measure the required volume? J

Why does the sump make a difference to the markings on the dipstick? The dipstick meansures from the block (rather than from the bottom of the sump). Isn't the correct oil level also dependant on the position of the oil surface below the engine? Whilst the sump will affect the capacity I would expect the dip mark to be unchanged. Am I right in thinking that the full mark should be just before the oil level is high enough to touch the bottom of the crank? J

I went down to Keith Deering Garage at Alfold crossroads on the Guilford to Horsham road. (Tel 01403 753278) Bit of a treck, but couldn't fault the service I got. Was invited to join the test process in the bay and was carefully consulted to ensure I was happy where they selected to position the jack to lift the car. It was recommend on blatchat here J Edited by - James Arnold on 21 Jun 2002 12:15:11

I'm definately interested. Also competely broke as a result of discovering track days. FIA roll bar, entry fees etc, mean I am already rather over budget on the 7 already. What sort of money are we talking about? J

Don't forget that the seats can make a huge difference. I changed from the pre-S leather adjustable seat to a bench which gained headroom. I now am planning a lower seat cushion to gain a bit more. As well as helping with the rollbar clearance I now look mainly through the screen rather than over it. J

Deity at last!

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Sounds like a load of balls to me...

I also painted the mesh behind the grill with the black poster paint too. The mesh I have isn't perfect, made of a bit weedy gauge, from B&Q. I only used about 20% of it. If anybody wants a radiator sized bit, pop and tin snip a bit to your requirements! J

Little bit of dry&wet paper (1200). Borrow one of your daughter's paint brushes. Find a dubious heritage tin of red smoothrite paint in the gargage. Paint the '7' bit. Decide the grey would look better in black. Can't find any black smooth-rite. Borrow daughter's black poster paint. Rather surprisingly, I think its look rather good. J

Fairly straight forward. One screw each side holds the bottom piece of the surround to the top/side. It then needs a good pull to 'break' the rubber seal holding the bottom onto the glass. Having done this recently I can offer you a top tip - try and avoid placing the old screen on the floor and then stepping on it. James

In that time honoured expression. You have mail smile.gif James

If you have one of those little plastic oilers, I suggest you try a decent metal grease gun. I got one from James Whiting so I could keep the grease gun for grease. I found it useless. It shouldn't take a few minutes, so I suggest to pop around to a friend with a proper grease gun. I'm in Surrey if you are local. James.

I'm looking for just the 2 stanchions for the screen, if anybody has these spare. Thanks James

OK, so its a long shot. Anybody got one for a live axle car? Cash or will swap for rocking horse do-dos. James.