Unkel Kunkel

Thanks - I have now found a reference in the official “Repair Operations Manual” where it states : “2.5 to 3.5 psi “ - a lot less, as you say.

Spitfire Mk1V.. Engine burst into life today after many years of slumber.. A sort of, “ It lives, Igor! , it Lives !”, moment But petrol pouring out of both SUs carbs have been overhauled - new floats and needle valves. Stopped and blew out valves in case of “ debris” /rubber slivvers etc affecting needle valves = same. Found an ancient “Command” gauge - checked fuel pump pressure = approx. 7psi. Isn’t this a bit high ? The pump is new ( Powertune from J Paddocks) pressure regulator needed? Return it - but wonder if they all like this now? So Considering -regulator Take the spring out of the old one? Appreciate your views and advice Andrew

That sounds a really great opportunity to seize in order to learn. Welding like a load of other skills has to be acquired - takes practice. No-one is born able to walk or suddenly able to quickly tie their shoe laces - and a whole lot of other tasks and skills we take for granted.They are all things we have had to learn to do.

The thing that suddenly improved my self-taught mig welding a huge lot was getting an automatic ie self- darkening welding mask - they really do make everything so much easier. But don’t do what a friend admitted to me after he bought one. He was so unimpressed with the dull blurred image he took it back .Whilst he was complaining, the supplier quietly peeled off the protective film from the lens saying ”If you try it now I think you’ll find it will work better”. It did, brilliantly..

This isn’t very helpful, but I have a box of these to use sometime fairly soon - and recently asked myself the same question. The material is like a stick-on version of the stuff my missus gets from Lakeland to line the bottom of the oven. There is nothing helpful in the instructions. I am considering using just the metal shims on the basis that you shouldn’t need both. Never a great devotee of using much Copper-ease on the back, but a trace on the edges.

Crayonista is the term used locally ( though not unique) for a government official who comes up with hair brained schemes often related to road changes with weird shaped and coloured designs. Crayonistas spend their time with packets of crayons drawing colourful but ludicrous and impractical pictures such as road junctions with a firm belief in “ reclaiming” roads for “ Active travel” ( cyclists and pedestrians or anything - else without a motor other than electric) is their belief- and use every available form of paving from the catalogue to mix and match , to “make a statement” From our local crayonistas here is the latest - it is in use ..sort of.. Traffic lights and all road markings, there previously have all been done away with to produce a “roundel” (which, well isn’t round ) Driving across it is reasonably straightforward, but turning needs improvisation and luck… Andrew

I have one - a 1973 Mk1V, 1300 c.c. Good condition. I would be happy to send this on receipt of a cheque of £20 as donation made out to the registered charitable Welfare Trust of our local Cottage Hospital. -Happy to supply further details if you would like to p.m. me Andrew PS EDIT -Offer will be withdrawn midnight 7 Nov.

The shop has prohibitively high delivery charges for certain “Zones”. e.g. A lead for smart batter charger CNTEK costs £10, Put in the “basket” and it notes its weight = 150gm (hardly anything at all ) My address comes up ( Isle of Man ) and immediately the carriage charge is…£45.60! As much as one wish to support the club and it’s shop, who in their right mind is going to pay that? To give some reference regarding charges for deliveries of other items here: The other year, I bought a l.5 tonne capacity engine crane ( a very heavy item by any standards, around 90 kg, I think) The total carriage / package charge for delivery here was just £14.95

The other thing to remember is to slide the the end fitting onto the pipe before making the flare - “Dhow!” ..but I keep forgetting..

As Colin says .. 3/16 “ I admit it …I use a cheap flaring tool. However…there were 2 factors that were needed to before I could make good flares with a Draper “horseshoe clamp “flare tool. 1.using Cunifer pipe which is very “workable” by hand - I doubt this sort of tool would be of use at all on anything harder/less malleable and definitely not steel. 2.quite a lot of practice, and a bit of patience , with scrap bits. Additionally , the pipe must be square in the clamp and the end of the pipe carefully prepared to be level against the surface of the clamp. Next, pipe is adjusted in the clamp so that the pipe protrudes the same distance as the height of the “shoulder” on the die before tightening up. The pipe/die must be lubricated - brake fluid avoids any contamination concerns.

Thanks, Danny. They just didn’t “ look right” when fitted. I am an amateur and rely on this as my basic guide. I contacted Rimmers - Only to seek clarification. They say that the PLUS50 does indeed mean that there is an extra 50mm in length (between the fixed points of the bracket and the caliper) adding GBH216PLUS50 “ should address the issues you are having”. I asked then if the braided ones, GBH216GR are still available ( as they are advertised in their current catalogue and their current downloadable version of same) They say they are not available now- as theGBH216 PLUS 50 has” superseded them” So Yes , they have made them 50 mm longer at some stage. If you have these, it might be an idea to check them whilst turning the steering lock to lock.

1973 Mk1V. Spitfire: I bolted on the front Goodridge s.s. braided brake pipes GBH216GR I bought from Rimmers a few years back. Each with a nice , unstressed “S” curve. But towards full-lock , they did look a bit “tighter” and a tiny bit more stretched than I liked. so readjusted them a few times, and a few times more. A bit better- but still not quite right. I rechecked the paper catalogue ( couple of years old) and also on-line R bros, catalogue. For Mk1V / 1500,GBH216GR is listed on paper but is there is a GB216GRPLUS50” on line. Another pair is listed on line as “CPC” and numbered GBH216GRCPC No explanation of why there are two listings (or three if you include the paper catalogue ) does this mean one is 50mm longer, and what does CPC signify? They have been in storage a little while so what I paid for them is now history, and as I didn’t feel comfortable with them, I decided not to use them. Instead, I ordered new pair from James Paddock (a good price and always a very fast delivery) These are almost identical, but a different make( Earl’s) but they are sl.longer - so between the threaded sections approx. 37 cm compared with 35mm. - And although the length isn’t a lot ..they fit just fine. I am probably not seeing something obvious here, or perhaps there have been some change. but can anyone enlighten me, please? Are there different requirements / specifications for these?

I’m sure you’re right about it needing to be dry, but with respect, please do be a bit wary here. Here are the remains of a fuel tank after cleaning out, rinsing lots and then being dried with a hot air gun ( last year by a veteran car owner) (The tank is supposed to be rectangular in shape , filler at top) It exploded, ripping the tank apart with the debris flying the length of his garden.He survived but needed hospital treatment for abrasions and burns. To make it worse, with the interior of the tank now more, shall we say, “ easily visible” It didn’t seem that bad…

I think have been very lucky,Mathew. The chassis bolts all lined up and threaded OK - there was just one that needed a minute or so of “wiggling” to start the thread. The removal of the door braces doesn’t appear to have presented any problems. Re-fitting of bits is much more fun than dismantling (although reattaching the steering column and its u j took more time and expletives than I expected)

Thank you! I realise now I had been been putting off “the moment” of reuniting body and chassis for a quite a long while because there was this nagging question that I could not answer: ” What the ….. …. do I do if nothing lines up, doors don’t fit, etc …?”

Roast Wallaby? Businees opportunity “For Wassail, think Wallaby this Christmas” ?

About thirty years ago, a colleague of mine driving to work in the early morning darkness, hit an animal. There was a surprising amount of of damage to the front of the car and the animal was killed outright, but it was the fact that the animal was not a species native to the Isle of Man that shook her. It was a Wallaby. She had an interesting time with the insurance company when she presented her claim. When my colleague had her “Wallaby encounter” it followed a”break-out “of two Wallabies from a Wild Life Park in the north of the Island a few years earlier.There hadn’t, at that point, been many sitings of them. However, the escapees had already proved fertile. The Wallabies begat more Wallabies, who in their turn.. etc. So they are no longer regarded as a surprising sight as there are thought to 120 plus roaming the countryside and they have even been seen pottering around suburban housing estates.

I have used Rimmers for many years for Triumph and also Land-Rover bits. Their ( paper) catalogues with large line drawings are brilliant. Over more than two decades I have only ever had two minor problems with them: - A stainless exhaust system for a Discovery that was just quite impossible to fit, and a Spitfire rear spring which was nothing like the one it was supposed to replace. In fairness, in both these instances, rejecting the items was very straightforward.There were no quibbles regarding returning the goods and there was an immediate full refund.The process was very amicable. Paddocks and Canleys tend to be slightly cheaper and their websites I find easier to negotiate than Rimmers’ Their despatch times are both fast. Over a good few years, I have called in to Paddocks’ now and again, (when visiting relatives in Chester) These encounters have all been pleasant and the staff have been very helpful. Paddocks also seem to have a very rapid despatch and delivery system. I have found that my main reason to, “Shop-around” the well-known suppliers is often more to do with availability, ie who has the item in stock. The “main” suppliers will not disappoint you.

It’s been quite a few years - delayed by all manner of things- recently global things, which we all know about only too well , and everyday things that ..well, they just happen. -Anyway …..today, The Big Event ! .. it finally came: -To try and fit the Spitfire body shell back onto the chassis where I had fitted 2 new front outriggers, de-rusted , painted etc., etc., - so long ago I my memory of the disassembly is - quite vague. A Lift off ! The “Heath Robinson” ( or maybe “Fred Flintstone”) wheeled support “ thingy “ was un-bolted and pulled free. An engine crane gives an element of fine control in a narrow garage. Won’t need the “Flintstone”any more: - With only the traditional oaths, and much sweating, fettling and heaving.. …It fitted. Such a relief!

Surprised to see so many really smart 2000s together. They were all gathering at Heysham to board the afternoon sailing on “Ben my Chree” to the Isle of Man. (“Scenic Tours” I think 7-11 Sept )

I also found that engine oil ( cheapest but new oil not old engine oil ) does seem a better solvent / dispersal agent.White spirit “ dries “ the waxoyl, paraffin less so. I find “ Kent cavity wax” seems very Dinitrol-like and seems to be used in the car body repair trade. It smells similar. It comes in Shutz cans for spraying and also available in aerosols which come with a plastic extension lance - long enough for doors etc.

Three books( I doubt they appear on any dreary school curriculum) helped me understand so many fundamental aspects of science in general and materials. They helped me understand things that, for what ever reason , I didn’t readily grasp at school. Later, they helped me with what I heard at university - not only to make it more understandable- but a lot more interesting. They helped me , as back- to- basics revision / information, throughout my working years and still provide reading material to dip into, teetering near the top of what my nearest and dearest calls my “book tower” on my bedside table: 1.“ New Guide to Science” - Isaac Assimov. 2.”Metals in the Service of Man” -Alexander and Street. 3.”Structures - Why Things Don’t Fall Down “- J.E.Gordon OK .. If you want to go for a fourth: 4.”The New Science of Strong Materials - or Why You Don’t Fall Through the Floor “ - again , by J.E Gordon. You may all have them, if not, a treat awaits.

Citric acid in kg bags cheap via Ebay. I have used it as a solution to immerse parts rather than a paste. Works better warmed.-brewing type immersion heater. It isn’t super fast and helps to take the object out and wire- brush now and again. It is safe to use - certainly much more user- friendly than hydrochloric acid ( like brick cleaner) which can burn skin and the HCL vapour will surface rust any ferrous metal in the vicinity. or phosphoric acid works well - which is Jenolite -rather expensive ( better value for money phosphoric acid is Machine Mart’s own brand which seems very similar ) Coca Cola is disappointing.the amount of phosphoric acid in it is tiny ( which is hardly surprising, really since its drinkable !) Acetic acid - vinegar never been that impressed ;Ok for cleaning coins. Electrolysis using Washing Soda solution, sodium carbonate, and battery charger leads - Works well but it is very messy !

The “Flintstone Frame” - It just helps move it around. It can be pushed fairly easily.Not tried it true “Fred” style from inside the car - legs too short.

Car went out today, well part of it did : it’s longest it has travelled for a while -nearly a full 3 yards. But that was far enough to be spotted by a by a TSSC member ! Dave pb happened to be passing… Our paths had never crossed before so it was really great to meet another enthusiast and have a chat and exchange details. Andrew