Colin Lindsay

I've half thrown mine out!! DO NOT mention car radios to me. Dammit I just did... In the GT6 I have permanent live from the fuse box (yellow wire) and a switched live from the aux terminal of the ignition switch, plus an earth in the usual black. Connected them up on Thursday morning, unit would not work. Power from two, earth a the other, no working unit. Tried it with a battery on the bench - lit up and worked perfectly. Back in the car - nothing. Dug out the other Chinese cheapie intended for the TR7, same thing. Gave up on the Chinese models, Friday morning I fitted a JVC unit which meant wiring in another loom. It lit up but with the message "miswiring fault - pwr down'. Searched the Net, after a lot of dead ends found that it MAY also refer to speakers, so stripped out all the trim and found a speaker cable crushed by a tightened bracket. Rewired that, JVC unit lights up as normal but on trying a USB stick it tells me 'unsupported format'. Reformatted the USB this morning, back out to the garage and... nothing. Unit does not light up at all. Ignition lights up, power to yellow and red cables, but no unit. Checked the unit's own 10amp fuse, plus the 2 amp inline fuse from the ignition switch, both okay. Came back inside and left it for another day. So: you should be able to run a switched feed from the ignition switch and if you want a permanent live can run one from the back of the fuse box (it will flatten the battery over a few weeks), but after that...

Funnily enough, no - they were parked in large numbers at the canal-side cafe in the village where waiters were bringing them out takeaway coffees to outside tables, which I thought sort of negated the whole idea of closed cafes and stay-at-home isolation. The Autoparts branch I went to made me wash my hands at the door with their hand sanitiser, refrain from picking up anything that I wasn't buying, and pay by contactless. As a real downer I had a doomsday briefing this morning and what happens in those 10 - 12 months may be a lot worse than anyone expects.

Nipped into Banbridge this morning to get some grey primer - newly sandblasted bits just don't understand that they shouldn't start to rust for a time until things return to normal - and the roads were full of cyclists, presumably cycle clubs, plus one motorbike club, obviously making the most of the fact that the roads are quieter now!

Ring the office! They're all more hands-on than computer based, I suspect the eBay listings are done by one of the partners rather than the workshop staff. Office or Parts depot numbers are usually answered.

If you could do it by e-mail then only the PC would risk getting a virus...

Chic will make any section from scratch, not necessarily a full panel, so if you need any other fiddly bits give him a call. I was impressed with the heater panels he was making on my last visit.

I'm way behind the times with my GT6 valuation, so must get proper photos and have it updated. 18 months ago I offered it to someone for £7500 - I think that's close to what it's currently insured for, and has been for quite a few years - then found out that Insurance-value-wise it's worth £20000 and would realistically sell for between £12000 and £14000; even then I'm probably undervaluing it. This is a timely reminder to me to get it done!

Early Heralds, to about 1962, had them; there's no bracket at the pedal for a stop light switch so have a look at your brake pedal; if there's a bracket you have the option of either switch but if not, you'll have to stick with the hydraulic switch or fit a later pedal. There should be a connector on the chassis, just to the left of where I can see your yellow stand, and that's the mounting point on the Herald.

That appears to be it, Rob, and you're correct about the location - it should sit on the main chassis rail just in front of the bulkhead, not on top of it. As long as it works, that's the important thing.

Chic Doig may have a second-hand one; if you get one post a photo (in fact if anyone can post a photo I'd be grateful) I'm bound to have one lying about somewhere for my own car but need the mind refreshed as to exactly what it looks like.

One of those magic unleaded conversion magnet thingies?

Prime it well - very well!! If you don't intend to use it for a while then a thick coat will preserve it and can always be sanded off again. I had a lot of stuff sandblasted about ten years ago, suspension turrets, engine valences and the like, just sprayed on a coat of grey primer but after a few years they were rusting badly even indoors; the garage was well ventilated so a lot of moisture in the air but they still all had to be blasted again. A heavier covering might have helped!

Yes, as Roger and Martin were saying, the SEM is cancelled.

CO2 levels have dropped by over 50%, as has the emission of greenhouse gas... so now we know: it's the bars, pubs, clubs and hospitality and tourist industry that was causing all the pollution.

As a young 'retiree' (I'm going to stop referring to myself as a pensioner!) it's great to be able to go online when the majority of others are at work, as the Net really slows down in the evenings; most of the work I do now is either early mornings or evenings with the rest of the day free for garage or other things. Finish one job, kettle on, coffee and forum surf, then on to the next... but I think we'll see a surge in posts over the next while as more people self-isolate thereby spending more time in the garage and the forum.

Doesn't that expression just say it all????

Yes, possibly the only size you'll ever need.

I agree. Never got the hang of them, nor this kind either, which I endured for a few years with varying results: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-Brake-Pipe-Flaring-Tool-Kit-AK5063/184177582791?epid=1840772885&hash=item2ae1d6e2c7:g:D8oAAOSwgFpeTXQl The one that Ian mentions is the one I use for confined spaces, and find it quite simple to use and good value, but still love this one: I pull the handle like playing a one-armed-bandit and get a win every time. Whichever you go for remember that you only need one or two flares in your entire lifetime, so any that come with a huge selection is just wasting money - however - you can buy them separately, so if you ever find that you need a particular one it's still available.

Driver's side trial fitted but the metal plates I used, cut from metal shelf brackets, are too small and too bulky under the vinyl - you can see the distortion above the speaker, and around 12 inches to the left of it along the top edge, where the plate is stretching the vinyl. This is why I need completely flat plate with the threaded section inserted flush. I also need something that will slide to allow the best position. I'll keep looking; in fact just had an idea....

Mine come off on corners and have actually broken the backing wood - thin ply - so they need substantial support. The holes in the bodywork are there and I've found that with the speaker removed I can get my arm in behind to tighten a wingnut - no room for a spanner, unfortunately - so it's just a matter of finding a suitable length of bolt. A normal bolt is no good - head too small and it will pull through - hence I need the spreader plate to spread the load. I've tried making a few myself but quite time consuming, but I know I've seen the thing I need in shops. I could follow Mjit's suggestion and trim the circular ones but I want as large a plate as possible to hold the trim securely. Another option is a length of metal strip right along the entire length with threads at the right place, using countersunk screws... must go experiment.

Because it's closer to the top of the trim so needs a straight edge but has to be broad to spread the load; a circular one will protrude over the top by the time it's wide enough. Tony's on the right track but those are too thick at the base, i need thin metal ones. I know I've seen them before somewhere, but don't know the name to ask for.

The GT6 has run very well for the last 20 years on the 1/4 inch pipe so that's what it's now getting. And it weren't broke, Doug, until I tried to fix it...

Those are good, I use one in confined spaces but if you can, get hold of one of the old vice-mounted tools. I bought one at the International a few years back for £40, mounts in a vice, brake pipe in one end, pull the lever and bingo perfect flares every time. Just so easy to use it makes pipe flaring a doddle. They come up on eBay all the time, so keep an eye out.

Okay - here's the scenario first. My GT6 rear trims are home-made, padded vinyl over hardboard and actually quite good looking, so I want to keep them, but they're also bulky. I have fitted two 6" speakers but the problem over the years was that after a bit of driving they pulled the trims off the car - they're only held in with clips pushed into holes. What I want to do is to find some kind of small plate - about 1" by 2" max - with a threaded bolt through the middle which I can push through the holes and tighten with a wingnut or the like. Because it's between the wood and the vinyl - peel off vinyl, insert plate, reglue vinyl - it needs to be completely flush as any bolt head will be visible; or else just Gorilla glue them to the back of the trim in which case they really do need to be flat. I know you can buy these but don't know the official name. Any ideas? Too lazy or busy at present to make my own, so want to be able to walk into the local hardware shop and ask. This photo is the closest thing I've seen so far, but would require to be rectangular. Any ideas for a proper name?

I was saving it for the 1200 convertible as a conversation piece... so might fit it, if I ever get that far.