JohnD

We used to call bikers "donor cyclists". Perhaps we should refer to "donor scooterists". John

I only said "look" at the Club seal kit! I use a roll of self adhesive, closed-cell foam, half an inch thick, that I bought from a local firm. An "exhaust smell" is rather worrying. CO poisoning is insidious, with no symptoms! I have a CO detector unit in my cellar where the gas boiler is, but they aren't as cheap as the colour changing button designed (it seems - why?) for pilots: Another version is less than £3! Carbon Monoxide Detectors | Essential Cockpit Accessories - Flightstore If you do detect CO then please attack the problem. For a start, exhaust fumes shouldn't escape from the pipe until it's behind the car! The head to manifold, and later junctions need to be checked. John

Alex, Heat in the cabin is almost entirely due to, not radiated heat from.the gearbox Yr exhaust pipe, but to connvected heat, hot air from the radiator. It gets into the cabin via the many holes in the bulkhead and/or a poor seal of the cover to the floor pan. You will do better (send save money!) By sealing all those gaps! Get under the dash while someone shoes a torch at the bulkhead from the engine bay - night or a dark garage will help. And look at the sealing kits sold by the Club Shop. Why am I so sure about this? I built the only Triumph AFAIK with a radiator at the back. It was a cold car to drive, even in hot weather, as all that hot air from yhe rad was behind me! John

We? WE???? Don't include me, I'm with Oscar!

Your No.3 is 8% lower than the mean for the others, so yes, could be a problem. My limit is 5%. But if you haven't done it before, practice again , and confirm. As said three or four complete tests. The spoonful of oil will tell you if the low pressure is a leaky valve. The oil will raise the pressure on all cylinders, by improving the ring seal. It won't affect a leaky valve, where the pressure will not rise. John

Yes, they can be dangerous, and like some supporters of firearms and dangerous dogs, "It's not the dog/gun, it's the owner!" But Paul, why were you so surprised by him taking the right exit from the junction? He moved into the right hand lane (no back ward glance, and with a left indicator going!) into the clear, safe space you had left between you and the next car, with obvious intent to go right. So back off, then put him behind you and you out of danger, on the straight! Safe driving/riding involves observation and anticipation. Just as you would stay well clear of a ticking bomb, leave plenty of space on the road for idiots to have their own accidents! John

"I'll try anything at least once, except incest and morris-dancing" Oscar Wilde.

As for disposing of caught vermin humanely, to quote Mrs. Beeton (Or was it Mrs. Glasse) on making hare soup, "First catch your hare!" No sign of the bugger yet. Chocolate? I'll try that! John

I disturbed a rat in my outhouse. YUK! Poisoning the bugger(s) so that their bodies corrupted in some hidden hole didn't appeal, so I bought a trap that electrocuted the revolting animals. Three days later, after cheese, peanut butter and a special tube of bait guaranteed to tempt them to immolation and... Nothing. Bugger.

Just occurred to me. A failing of the bonnet support frame, more with the one-piece Herald/Vitesse version, is that they can become deformed especially after a shunt. Your device, Unkel, could double as a jig for restoring normal shape! John

Really? Not Talkie Toaster: https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-samsung-ss&sca_esv=583956873&sxsrf=AM9HkKlJk9TJm80Mao2KULbfRp9Eaeszlg:1700481524325&q=talkie+toaster&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDgtGpw9KCAxVVUkEAHXRrBFcQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=360&bih=649&dpr=3#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:869c5cd6,vid:LRq_SAuQDec,st:0

Live fast, die old, and who cares if you leave a good looking corpse?

Johny did you read my previous? AFAIK, all UK makers used the same pinion at the gearbox end of the speedo cable. The different gearing for different differential ratios was inside the speedo, given by the tiny code numbers on the dial. It was US manufacturers who used the same speedo for all, and changed the pinion at the gearbox. John

I've read that American gearboxes had different cable drive pinions for different diff ratios, same speedo for all. But this was never done in the UK (?), so that a different speedo with different internal gearing was used. But the OP was about a Ford, so why didn't they do the first? John

Nice one ,Unkel!

From the WSM And lifting off the Vitesse body. Hope that helps! John

Aidan, I was uploading that pic to thi so post, when my PC had major software problem! Can't do anything with it except look at Task Manager! Sorry. Normal service etc ASAP. John

Nor me, neither! But in restoring my first Vitesse, I had to lift the body off the chassis. The WSM shows how to do this, and I rigged pulleys in my garage roof beams and two halliards to the front and back of the body. Then, hauling on each halliard alternately, securing each to a becket while I hauled the other, I was able to lift the body enough to take the chassis out. I have a pic if you need, but I'm on my phone just now! The bonnet is made to to.be supported ON the frame, so leave it on that, a rope on each frame pivot. Then, I suggest a length of timber under the rear edge, to lift that and store the bonnet horizontally. Good luck! JOhn

SS, As said above, if the cam grinder says "Hot", then Hot they should be. And you over-estimate the rate of cooling of an engine, while underestimating your own ability to check the clearances! An overheated engine should be left for a least 30 minutes before popping the rad cap, but it will reman hot for two or more hours. Setting might take longer than half an hour, but a check run through them can be done in under 15. John

You may like to review this issue from the YouTube channel "Just Rolled In". Last item:

Stratton Jimmer has a good idea! But better than the John Bull set, this? I just bought a set off eBay, as an Xmas present for my 5 yo granddaughter. It' a delightful, old-fashioned wooden box of type, each wooden block having a rubber face of the character. With an ink pad she's going to have fun, printing each letter by hand! For your purpose, Ian, it would be fairly easy to make up a composing stick as used by printers, to hold the right type together while you print the label on the dash! See: 70PCS RETRO WOODEN RUBBER UPPER LOWER CASE ALPHABET LETTERS NUMBERS STAMPS SET | eBay John (No connection with the seller)

Gav, A Dymo Letratag can cost less than £20: Ian, water slide decals different scales Letter number (61268 white) for model kits | eBay

Wagger is, of course, correct, but it may be easer to do the check the other way around! Mark input and an output flange, then turn both output flanges together and in the same direction. Count the turns of the input flange. Of the possible gearings: Just over 4 turns = 4.11:1 Just under 4 turns = 3.89:1 About 3 1/2 turns = 3.63:1 I believe that 4.55 (Courier van) and 3.27 (?) exist too. John

I was taught, prior to any trip, to write a "Movement Schedule", with all the details in it. This allows you to work it al out beforehand, and is a valuable way of putting it into memory, and having a printout for each day. John Like this: Movement Schedule Personnel: Vehicles: [If a team or group] Equipment: [EG tents, camping kit, trailers etc.] Schedule, OUTBOUND Schedule, HOME BOUND [Daily targets for time leaving, travel duration, arrival time.] Route: OUTBOUND Route HOME BOUND [Daily details, road numbers, distance to next junction for turn-off, objective for that night’s stop, etc.] [I work out schedule and route from the AA Route finder. Google Street View is very useful for envisioning the approach to turn-offs, and finding overnight stops. May be set up in Word as separate pages, which can be taped to the dash for each day.] Risk Assessment Hazards What needs doing? Breakdown [EG RAC France From a UK mobile 00 33 472 43 52 44 From landline (free) 0800 94 20 44] Insurance, HiViz vests x2 Warning Triangle [Other national requirements, eg France Breathalyser] Medical Tablets, etc FIRE Extinguisher Tired driver Follow HGV protocol Documents and other equipment: EG: UK driving licence, passport Vehicle folder : Motor insurance certificate V5 registration document MoT certificate. RAC Euro Breakdown cover documents “UK” plate sticker Headlamp beam deflectors Breathalyser/alcohol test Spare bulbs First Aid Kit Pad and paper. For foreign travel: Mark speedometer: Mway - 130 km/h (80mph), Main- 110 km/h (68mph), Other- 80 km/h (50mph), Built up-50 km/h (30mph) Emergencies Carry RAC card, smart phone & recharger

Can't swear to a GT6, but that's the way I deal with my Vitesse - and it's had a few engines/gearboxes in and out! It is far, far easier to detach and replace gearbox from the back of the engine on the bench than grovelling in the car. The WSM will say "take the bonnet off", but if you have a "LoadLeveller" and can suspend your engine winch from a high enough beam, the this is how I do it: Hope that helps! John