Unkel Kunkel

At least you spoke to a human being … Some years ago I had a weird conversation with an early AI answer machine type ‘ bot ‘ thing after ringing a UK Gov. Helpline. In theory ,’ it ‘ ( or ‘she’ - it had a female voice ) , listens to your questions and replies with something like ‘ Let me see , I think you are inquiring about …’ and advising with a list of different situations and options. Unfortunately, it must have picked up on specific words that I repeated back in my surprised responses to each of her strange questions… ‘ WHAT… ? ‘I am not …’ So, when ‘she ‘ came up with , ‘ Let me see ,I think you are saying is that you are at home, out of work , retired - and pregnant and….’ I hung up, Thoroughly confused and fearful for the effects on my blood pressure Aargh!

I am ashamed to say there-in lies my problem, Pete!

The gadget was chosen primarily to address my forgetfulness and laziness. The draining of water has secondary gains in that it removes water from the air supply and by reducing corrosion lessens the amount debris in the air supply to air tools and lengthens the working life of the pressure vessel of my compressor - which is an expensive one to replace , whether it pin- holes or violently ruptures. I don’ t know any figures relating to incidence of such events or morbidity/ mortality data, but I am sure Pete is quite correct in saying that they are rare. This means that such bad events probably fall into the ‘ low risk ‘ / ‘ high hazard’ area i.e. very unlikely, but when they do occur the consequences can be extremely serious. Therefore , there is case for awareness and adoption of sensible reasonable precautions as good routine workshop practice - to maintain those considerable good odds firmly in one’s favour!

I, like many had not really thought much about ‘ pressure vessels’ , diy compressors and the importance of draining, but on reflection, it is obvious that having air in a 100 litre cylinder compressed at 10 bar, if the tank were to rupture, the increase in volume of that air as the pressure reverts to atmospheric is going to be large - and very sudden.

I know - air compressors need the condensate draining off at intervals otherwise it accumulates and it results in rusting of the lower part of the air tank and this can lead to weakening, leaking and … worst possible case - the tank dramatically explodes. Problem is, I forget .Also , the valve is awkward to reach; it’s fiddly to undo and when released it sprays water into my palm and up my sleeve. So, being lazy and forgetful , one of these automatic valves seemed an attractive gadget for me to try: The tank drain valve is removed and replaced this - which is a solenoid- operated valve with electronic timing that allow choice of different intervals to ‘blow off’ and also set the duration of the opening in seconds and there is a ‘ test’ button. Closing the blue valve allows the end cap on the right can be removed and a stainless mesh filter can be removed for cleaning. The little periodic brief releases blasts the moisture out.A hose to outside the garage or a better outlet than the one shown could be devised The power supply is taken from the compressor switch. Advantages - It works - really well. Disadvantages -1.Fitting would be quicker if the instructions that came with the one I bought had been supplied in a language other than Chinese.( There are loads of other suppliers, though) 2. The ‘pssst ! ‘ air release takes you by surprise first few times.

No, not foolish at all ,it is quite interesting … There are folk who have converted a micro wave oven transformer into a spot welder; there used to be a gadget ( Kel Arc? ) that used the power from a 12v car battery through a sort of solenoid vibrating switch arrangement that was said to arc weld, and there are other things who probably share the same common feature - low cost. For the car body type use, spot welders are usually expensive - as in very expensive, so that would in itself make me rather wary. They deliver a very high current at 1-2 volts - for a very short time. I would think that timing might be a critical feature. The phraseology and use of English in an advert perhaps should not be used to predict the quality of a product - but from my experience , it does seem to ! It is very understandable that the ‘ occasional user’ , can be tempted to be motivated mainly by cost when choosing equipment they won’t use very much. However, the paradox is that they end up buying something that even a very experienced, professional welder would struggle to get decent results with; the purchaser quickly gets disheartened; the bargain quickly gets relegated to the back of the garage or ends up as ‘hardly used’ on E -bay.

Depending on the joint, I use one of these. Or : this also works well, if there is enough room: - Steady a hefty lump hammer firmly behind the steering arm at A and then with a slightly less bulky hammer, give a well aimed hefty single wack directly in line on the other side of the arm at B ( NB this not hammering the joint itself - either lower part - or the taper - it just doesn’t seem to work) The impact should make the taper release.

- Those pipes seem to be an ‘interference fit’. A highfalutin term for ‘jammed-in’. Drilling and tapping would seem an option. There are fuel resistant sealants -Plastic Padding do one - and blue Hylomar used to be OK with petrol. Drilling and ‘ pinning’ the pipe in place would be a possibility, if rather involved. It was often done with early V6 Scimitar carbs where the brass inlet pipe similarly used to come adrift resulting in unwelcome ‘ thermal reconfiguration’ of the fiberglass bodywork. This pump pipe issue seems another problem area with some replacement fuel pumps. Others are: 1. pressure way above above spec. leading to carb needle valve leakage. 2. poorly finished (ie rough / ridged ) operating arm surface which has to be dressed before use to prevent damaging the camshaft

Having a spare air cleaner box began led to ‘ doodling’ in metal regarding the air box / piping of MK 1V Spitfire. The internals of the mk1V Spitfire air box were opened up and reworked and welded The front was reshaped and adapted the to accept wider intake pipes. They are not a huge lot wider - but Hagen and Poiseuille tell us that a small change in pipe radius can have a significant effect on flow. New wider flexible piping was needed. That came from the garden centre (pool piping) .It looks very similar to the original, is quite inexpensive and a bit smoother on the inside than the original type pipe. A more direct route for the pipes means a hole though the radiator support and repositioning the rad water overflow/ expansion tank to the other side - the space seems more appropriate for it that side. To do that means unsoldering the pipe and routing in a new copper pipe from the rad filler neck ( 8mm central heating micro-bore capillary solder type fittings)m supporting bracket to rad. frame. Scrap aluminium sheet for the air deflectors from cereal packet templates and similar with pipe scrap used to fabricate the ‘ cow bell’ intake .( This was formed on a piece of drum kit of the same name) A stainless edged detachable ‘bug catcher’ mesh cover was formed over a wooden dolly. Anti vibration mounts hold the oil cooler to the radiator bracket and the the chassis rails. I doubt whether it has any significant beneficial effect, but the process was interesting.

I find the metal nibbler an extremely useful tool. Just in case I’m not the last person to know this… It does have one problem … From painful experience, I can say it produces lots of extremely sharp 5mm nasty little circular pieces of swarf which can be really troublesome. Nothing could have been better devised to stick into the soles of your Doc Martens and be transferred indoors where they can get into the carpet even stick into vinyl, then on into the soles of bare feet of humans and pets and into clothing and bedding.It will not endear you to your better half… The answer apart from being aware, is to a strong magnet nearby to collect the horrible stuff - the amount produced is quite surprising. Must check my shoes..

Hydrochloric acid,HCl, as found in brick cleaner, known by some by some by its old name of ‘muriatic acid’ , is cheap and works well - particularly on tools that are rusted and cement-encrusted, but it does have some draw backs. It is a strong acid and that means it can cause burns- splashes can cause eye damage. It will cause flash- rusting ( unless the acid is removed or neutralised promptly after treating ) but it can also have a very annoying effect on anything ferrous within a 2 metre radius in your garage or workshop (from the very reactive HCL fumes, resulting in red brown coat ping in a red rust. In theory, HCL can cause springs and other high tensile steel alloys to become liable to snap - because of of ‘ hydrogen embrittlement’.Certainly true of small springs and enough to deter me for use on road springs. Citric acid is very user-friendly, even benign , and has comparable results, - if used warmed.

Citric acid is cheaply available on line as food grade citric acid crystals. From my experience, it’s effectiveness as a rust remover is temperature dependent in the sense that at 10C it is quite disappointing compared with very impressive results at 40 -50 C .( immersion heater) I have no experience of using higher temperatures. The action is both to form Iron citrate and some chelation. Ideally scrub the debris off the part you are de-rusting at intervals. Clean off with de-ionised water and dry quickly with a hot air gun, to avoid flash rusting , before the final stage of the process which is application/ immersion in phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid is available as Jenolite which is very expensive; also as Machine Mart’s Rust Remover which is much cheaper (and I think very similar) or the solution dairy farmers use to clean their milking apparatus milkstone disolver ( though check the ingredients - I recall looking at this some years ago and there seemed to be formulations that aren’t phosphoric acid. Don’t wash off the phosphoric acid.After an hour or so, but Before it dries, re-apply it -then dry it off with rags.Where it is black or has a white powdery deposit repeat the phosphate part of the sequence. You will need to do this part several times to achieve a stable phosphate anti rust layer. Citrate is very much safer to use than say hydrochloric acid .The waste solution Fe citrate and chelates is not considered environmentally damaging. An alternative for inaccessible bits can be phosphoric acid followed by the various ‘ converters’ which are largely tannic acid based - forms a blue black chelate which can be painted.Tannic acid is also cheaply available.The main hazard is that it stains black almost anything it comes into contact with - esp. fingers which will remain stained for days. Evapo-Rust keep their list of ingredients close to their chest, but some regard it as citrate plus at least one chelating agent, possibly EDTA, buffered with an alkali to give a near neutral pH. Works really well - but not cheao.

like that

My episode also involved a scissor jack that just suddenly slid - it was on paving that may have tilted, perhaps. It just happened so fast…

It is not unknown for my daughter ( born 3 years later) on occasion to remind me of the implications of the incident before relating a list of further examples of her mother’s continuing role as my guardian angel… Women…honestly.

Experienced and survived the fall on chest situation - long before mobiles. In 1975, entirely down to my inexcusable carelessness and momental stupidity,I had a GT6 with a rear wheel removed come down on my chest, face down with one arm underneath me.My young wife heard the wheezy gasping noises and managed to rescue me from the advancing asphyxia. Aches and bruises briefly; a few nightmares followed for a while, but still a flash of reminiscence each time going under a vehicle. What a bloody (lucky) fool.

There is perhaps a difference in setting up a workshop with tools you will use and find useful and acquiring tools you find pleasure in owning, although you will never, or hardly ever, use . I fully understand the latter . I have a few in that category, and why not ? But In practical terms: *1.Safe access equipment - axle stands. ( 4 legged- not tripod or folding type ) Trolley Jack. C J hydraulic ramps -superb. 2. A solid bench and a sturdy vice.Find a good second hand Record No.23 or similar ( there are loads around and they never wear out), rather than a cheap nasty import that not be a pleasure to own or use and will break. 3. Mig welder .Not flux cored. Gas - large bootle,- Hobby Weld cheaper than BoC. 4. Compressor -( but bear in mind cordless tools getting better all the time ) .To Run off 13 amp socket.Belt drive - direct drive can be very noisy. ( I bought an Italian made ABAC years ago( it would cost ++ now - but superb ) For both 3.and 4.resist the temptation to buy cheap -You will just end up buying twice - A good piece of equipment keeps working and will be a pleasure to use long after its purchase price has been forgotten. 5. Electrical tools - DeWalt, if not Bosch. * No 1. although rather boring this is important - as is having someone at least being aware -and within ear shot, that you are going under a vehicle.It can literally be of vital importance.These days, consider having your mobile within reach.

Not sure. A vintage container, I think. We hear some components of oil degrade with time. Against that, many vehicles run happily for decades with the oil that went into the gearbox or diff. at the factory and there are probably also other factors depending on how it was stored - whether or unopened / contaminated/ condensation etc, etc. It may well be absolutely fine, but even a tiny doubt would put me off because the ‘Oil is cheaper than Repairs’ mantra would spring to mind and unsettle me.

I have learnt a new word - ‘ Solomon ‘

Regarding testing batteries. Just a suggestion: I bought one of these a few years back for about £15, it was on offer at the time. My reasoning was that if I only ever used once it was cheaper than buying a new battery or alternator if it demonstrated I didn’t need to. Importantly for me, it is very simple to use. I’ve used it a few times since - and loaned it out more times.

If it is one that completely cuts off the connection, no it wouldn’t. There are types where a there is a fused link crossing the isolator - this allows a 12 V current to pass subject to the size of the fuse. They can used as an anti-theft device in the sense that a small current can flow to maintain things like the radio memory, but if someone tries the starter (very high current), the fuse blows. but in the situation you describe, If there is a parasitic drain, then one with a fused link may not help -depending on the size of the current, fuse rating. I’ll risk asking a daft question, on the basis that 1. I have a tendency to and 2. My rather simple view on things is , ‘common causes ’ are common and rare causes are rare, so eliminate the common causes first. So, forgive me but - How good is the battery ? -If you charge the battery up then just leave it alone unconnected to anything, what happens? Does it keep its charge? If there is doubt or wish a more speedy answer, suggest perhaps connect a 12v bulb (s) of fairly high wattage and seeing how quickly it discharges or better still a battery discharge tester

Modern cars can have all manner of systems that can remain active for varying periods of time after everything is apparently switched off, but our old cars, unless they have extras added are fairly straightforward and an old school 12v circuit with a bulb in it - ( as others have already suggested on here ) in series ie between battery neg.( if neg earth) and body should suffice to detect a drain. Another approach ( advocated by Scotty Kilmer on U -tube -not to everyone’s taste but some good advice sometimes!) to both protect your multimeter by avoiding high current throughit and to detect small parasitic drains, is to put a biggish ceramic resistor 1 Ohm 10 watt placed in series with the earth lead and measure the voltage across the resistor. (Multimeters normally have a good wide DC voltage range) I have used this method -when searching for a mysterious parasitic drain on a VW. It should give a very low reading - in mV. Apparently, some Mercs can ‘ normally’ have a reading of around 30 mV. Something like an interior/ dash light on would give a much higher voltage 3 or 6 V perhaps Then a case of disconnecting things. The voltage quoted after charging - as others have noted, does drop after charging and after disconnecting things as the ‘float charge’ which can be as high as 14 or so drop-and if it settle and stay at 12.7 V then that’s fine. Does the battery ( assuming it’s a good ‘un) go flat eventually ?

I have never understood why people did this. Perhaps there was an idea that the engine draws in an unburnt charge of fuel vapour that might ease the next start.Equally it could be argued that it might degrade the oil film on the cylinder bores.. Perhaps it was just something people did - some sort of flamboyant gesture, even the with an occasional back-fire. In contrast, for a modern engine with a turbo it is recommended to the not to rev and switch off, and even let the engine idle briefly after a fast run. The reasoning is that the turbo continues to spin (very fast) for a short while after the engine has stopped after such a ‘ revving ‘.Importantly, the oil pump will have also stopped and with it the supply to the turbos (very hot) bearings.If adopted as a routine then the life of the turbo could be reduced. At the other end of motoring history, some cars had flywheels of considerable mass and it is surprising to see how long they continue to spin over after the ignition is switched off.

Keep going! You are making real progress and you are learning all the time. From personal experience, discovering the extent of rust in these cars can be quite daunting and there will be heart- sink moments which will make you doubt whether you should have even embarked on such a project - but just keep plodding on - you will get there. I was completely zero-experienced in body repair and an entirely self taught MIG welder when I started my restoration of Spitfire - I made all sorts of really major cock-ups, - I had to re-do bits; I had to and walk away from it now and again, but gradually, slowly, things will start to come together, and with experience gained there will come something else which is a very satisfying sense of achievement. This extraordinary forum will help you, as it helped and tutored me - and continues to assist me. ‘K.B.O’ as Churchill said!

There must be lots of ways of doing this. Here is one idea: With very restricted storage space at the time, I stored the bonnet vertically on a wheeled wooden platform shaped to the rear end of the bonnet, cushioned by foam flooring bits and all fixed to a a metal frame work welded up from scrap bolted to the bonnet It allowed the bonnet to be protected whilst stored, and easily wheeled to where it could be tipped flat and worked on,( serving as a jig for welding in new wings and wheel arches ) and then wheeled back to the narrow vertical storage area as work slowly progressed.