Unkel Kunkel

it’s not just me then.. that’s quite a relief!

It is ironic that with ever more sophisticated means of communication it seems increasingly difficult to to interact and discuss anything with a human by the quaint and old fashioned system of actually speaking to one. That quest can be stymied at the outset as fewer organisations now seem to supply a telephone number and those that do invariably begin have a recorded message saying how good their website is and how awfully busy they are, in effect saying “if you are so stupid to insist on being a bloody nuisance… then hold please hold the line…..” Large organisations seem the most likely to frustrate. Last week,I met someone who related how they had actually managed to get to the office of a certain Govt. Dept. Undeflected by the response to look at their website, he posed his question to someone, who responded by disappearing for a few moments and returning with a print-out of the “F.A.Qs” which she handed him, “ The answer to your question is on page 13 of our frequently asked questions”, bid him farewell and quickly disappeared again. Page 13… Edit.. Apologies .. this should have been destined for “ Lounge Bar”..

That’s the perished remnants of the blind-ended tube and clip that had been removed from the pipe that now is closed-off with the brass stop-end.

For the UK market, the pipe was simply sealed off with a blind ended bit of rubber tube held by a clip and the tank was vented via the filler cap. As the rubber perishes an disintegrates, a petrol smell become very noticeable. Lots of different ways to cap it off - but a brass compression fitting, “stop-end” (micro -bore, 8 mm central heating)can be fitted in seconds - and then can be forgotten about:

I tried one - but just for one winter. Can be a wee bit windy in the winter here (anyone carrying an umbrella is a stranger), but even with extra ropes and weights and frequent fiddling and readjustments, came to the conclusion it was really more trouble than benefit and the interior still seemed to “mist up”.

The more I stare at it, something is slowly .very slowly, is beginning to come back to me. It was next to this thingy in the box for inserting the clips for the weather strip The profile of the bent bit. looks very similar and it rang a bell - albeit a distant tinkle.. I have a feeling I chucked in the box of door bits with a view to making a “clip inserting gadget” - or two, from it but didn’t and bought the proper “thingy” ( which I dated -it was this century ..) so didn’t progress it. So no idea at all what it came off, probably some household gadget. Pete’s guess seems as good as any. Apologies if I’ve wasted your time.

This is’t a quiz or a competition - I don’t have an answer! I am rebuilding a Spitfire Mk 1V door. I have a box of bits - door lock, window winder bits etc nuts bolts washers etc from when it was dismantled.. a few years ago.. All the bits seem present and correct. but… in the same box, I have come across this: It will probably be blindingly obvious,* but I simply just don’t recognise it at all and so far I have failed fail to see it on any diagrams, and photos of door internals. *Perhaps I am developing some sort of age-related “car component blindness” I begin to wonder if it is even a door part.. Any help most welcome

For a a very cheap, very light, rot proof alternative, consider thin twin wall polycarbonate sheet 4 mm I think. Holes can be cut or punched with care. impact adhesive to edges

1976 - I recall driving the 1970 GT6 that I was about to buy. I was very impressed by its looks; and its performance was outstanding, I found the sound of the six cylinder exhaust very attractive. As I closed the drivers door I was surprised- such a shuddering rattle/clunk as it closed. It seemed so out of keeping with the rest of the car. After the test drive, I opened the door to get out and the loud “crack/pop”from the door restraint made me wince and reflexly apologise to the owner thinking I had caused some damage. ”Oh, they all do that”, I was reassured. Indeed they do. They still do, Can it be improved?

Yes.. it is flammable. Not just in relation to the the vehicle, but it applies to whatever you cover the floor with to catch the drips etc. Someone, who must remain anonymous, gathered up (the now -dry ) odd bits of hardboard etc that had been used to catch Waxoyl drips as they were “lying around”, and “needed tidying up” - and added several pieces to the kindling sticks when making the living room fire. Well, it certainly got the fire going well.. -I had’t heard a household fire make a very load roaring noise before. Outside,there were sparks showering out of the chimney into the night sky. We were on the point of calling the fire brigade but somehow it managed to settle. It was of course, all my fault.

How/ where do you get your ( welding ) gas? Used BOC - for many years. A demand from from BOC came with a with a thinly veiled threat regarding the cost of debt collection to just justify a “Late payment fee “ of £25., This was despite having a direct debit for years. A further £5 plus fee for “paperless communication”made me consider it may be time to consider a change. I promptly returned the cylinder and closed the account . Email says account closed… Nothing to pay. Rang up.This isn’t easy as it sounds. Various customer service options , gleaned from the website, bring you to option 3”’ . This resulted in the response, “This option is no longer available” Going for “option 2” -( OK, I know that's for new customers ,but at least it gets you over the barricade to speak to a human being.( As it turns out, a very calm,pleasant, reasonable and most helpful one). He reassures me the account is closed. Account closed ; Nil to pay; Draw a line under it ; All done; ;finished; ... Phew. I now get an email this week saying ..I am entitled to a 10 months refund - please send bank details. Hobby Gas ? .

That's, very interesting thanks. I can’t recall seeing braided earthing straps on “modern” vehicles or have I just not encountered them?

The one that runs from neg. battery terminal to bodywork and then on to a bell housing bolt. It’s become a bit frayed in the2 inches near the battery end. Regarding replacing it - I suppose there must be a reason for it being a braided strap, but originality issues apart, is there a case for replacing it a heavy duty multi- strand copper insulated black cable with the appropriate terminals transferred?

Do you mean it spun down the Bendix thread and it stayed at the end of its travel even when removed from engine - or it engaged on the ring gear but did then not disengage? The former would suggest a Bendix fault.Unusual, I would have thought on a new one - and more so x2 - but odd things happen The latter would suggest a gear meshing problem - either as result of wrong no. of teeth as suggested or the ring gear has “dental” problems or the depth of mesh is’t right - but the correct spacer/s should answer that.

Just an update: Helped and encouraged by advice from here, and after a bit of U-tube watching I re-skinned a door for the first time. I used a hammer and dolly on the edges to gradually bend the edge over from 90 degrees to around 45 and then used and the door skin pliers, little by little. I found the door skin pliers to be a really great help.I was most impressed how well they worked- they are simple but well-designed. Not only did they make up for for my lack of experience and skill but they also were able to tackle the lower edge of the Spitfire door which is angled quite sharply inwards-( Josef mentioned this) I would have found this very difficult to reach with a hammer and dolly. I copied the hammering technique I saw on U-tube -which is not so hammering but more of a very rapid fairly gentle tapping whilst constantly moving back and forth along the edge. It took a long time - and It’s a noisy job.Ear defenders needed.Closed doors to maintain diplomatic relations in the household and with neighbours! So door skin pliers? A most definite “Yes” from me. ( I bought them decades ago .I don’t recall them being expensive - I was surprised to see how expensive they are now)

Always a really a great moment when something that hasn’t run for years bursts into life- congratulations! Re stale fuel - Probably much less a problem than many make it out to be, though I wouldn't go as far as calling it bollocks. Where issues do arise there may be a number of converging factors such as the previous conditions in the tank, the filters, jets ( small engine garden machinery carbs with microscopic jets do get into problems from my experience , how/ where the vehicle was stored - Your garage which seems superb( and viewed enviously by many of us ! )is probably an ideal place to store a vehicle to lessen the likelihood such ills - including getting a stuck clutch.

My failure to check spelling..recognais.. Vaguely remember a joke about someone complaining ,”I went to a new animal park.What a total rip-off! It only had one animal, a very small Chinese dog.It was a shit zoo”

Thanks, Josef for your advice. Appreciate and absorb advice, views and insight like a sponge before I get going on anything where I have no knowledge or experience. “Time spent on recognizance is never wasted” edited… -or oops, obviously.. Time spent ..checking spelling.. “ reconnaissance “

I bought one of those folding ones. It was a few years ago.The price was so low price £115, it was more attractive than renting. No makers name. Capacity given as 1000kg. An important point to consider is how well it folds up. This one folds up really well - so it really takes up remarkably little room.( a bit unstable folded so needs roping and securing) I have used it for all sorts of tasks - but not as yet, to lift an engine! for example, working on my own it allowed safe removal and re- fitting of car body from chassis and related tasks. Not a use that I could have ever imagined but it proved very useful loaned out to help in the restoration of a Napoleonic War era Blomefield pattern 4 pounder cannon ! They aren’t huge,( 3” bore ) but much heavier than they look and very unwieldy until they are mounted on the newly made carriage.

Thanks Chiliman and Colin, - I think I’ll start off with the hammer and dolly and then, like in the U tube clip, give the gadget pliers a cautious try too..

I can’t recall, sometime before the turn of the century, I must have bought these: Clarke door skin pliers . I have never used them. I am about to re-skin a Spitfire door and was planning to do the hammer and dolly approach.. then found I had these things. I think it was claimed they make it quicker , easier and less likely to mark the door skin in the hands of the amateur - I qualify for entry into that category. If there were ever any instructions they disappeared long ago. If anyone has any views/ advice /tips that they can offer, please? I would be most grateful

Not pedantic at all , you are absolutely correct! -edited to “greater than”

The most likely identity of a rusty-coloured liquid with a density greater than petrol, in a tank that has stood for twenty years, is going to be water. - Water that has condensed in the air space above a partially filled fuel tank (whether the vehicle was in doors or not).The tank is not sealed to the atmosphere, so this is a recurring cycle.Whenever the temp falls below the dew-point, it forms - and sinks to the bottom of the tank. Perhaps that pre- run drainage / cleaning process underestimated the amount that can accumulate.. Ethanol- containing petrol an assist a bit, as the alcohol is miscible with water - at least up to the point of phase change (when it then becomes a problem again), it can be be “consumed” in the combustion process. The ideal for long term storage would be either - total tank drainage or maintaining a full tank. An in- line filter would now be wise, as inevitably there is going to be at least some corrosion debris coming through- at least for a while, from the tank.

Halfords tools and their other products I have always found to be really excellent. However, one of the worst retail experiences I have ever had involved a tyre fitting at a branch of Halfords in the north of England where a fitter falsely claimed I had not given him the locking wheel nut necessary to do the job. ( I most definitely had)It was a bare faced lie.Perhaps he damaged it-I really have no idea, because I never saw it again after giving it to him. Long story - but it was resolved to my satisfaction.The manager was very diplomatic and reasonable.It cost them a visit with my car to a main dealer, removal of locked nuts , supply of new locking nuts etc.

If it is very high mileage have a good look at it generally - as well as the Bendix gear - if the bearings have play and the brushes are well down or stuck in their holders, commutator looks worn/ burnt with black segments and it has that acrid “burnt electrics”smell, then get a complete replacement motor rather than replacing all the individual worn out parts. They aren't that expensive weighed against how long they are supposed to last and the fact that starters do have a tendency to give trouble on cold wet windy nights when you need to be somewhere else very quickly.