Colin Lindsay

One of the papers earlier in the week was highlighting the dangers of electric cars simply stopping when they break down - no coasting or rolling; furthermore a lot of them cannot be towed so require a low-loader. This is already causing havoc on smart motorways even with the small number of the things about.

Thanks Graham, it would definitely have been! However job done and 18 left over for the future.

I always limit myself to half a bottle, but it's the lower half, so I have to drink the top half to reach it.

From here it could be KHS or NVS, last digit looks more like 'L' which would tie in with a Spitfire iv. Then again it could be 'W' or 'V'... NH is Nottingham, but the poster doesn't say where it is. Whilst I was searching for that one, I found this one... However the REALLY worrying thing given the current flooding situation in some towns on the mainland, is that I found THIS one...

You drink whiskey with straws?????

Way ahead of you there, Nick!! Just leave it for a year or two and Nature will do the rest...

You mean the metal convertible trims? Hammerite (yuck) Magnolia is a close colour match to the original off-white but i too would be interested in hearing of any product that will match the original thick plastic-like finish.

https://saltycorn.com/products/magnetic-finger-sleeve?fbclid=IwAR2wsdg-KYs2-lm5ySQIQArcRvJCTMrk5KqoG5V7C3jwjxWHIYyn2q3VnC8 This one doesn't take you via Facebook first - you've linked to a link via a link Chris! Interesting product - I could have done with one last night trying to fit an engine fan where the little metal sleeves kept jumping out of the rubbers. I have a set of finger spanners and they're amazingly useful.

Don't knock it, it could have been an MX5.... How about one of these all in one jobbies? https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/compact-all-in-one-digital-instrument

It's attracting all the odd nuts, bolts, washers and 7/16 spanners that I normally lose in the garage... everything is drawn to the mysterious attractor.

Spread an old quilt over the bonnet / front of bulkhead; if the screen falls out then it's cushioned. I usually just pick on one top corner and work at the inner seal until I can get it pushed under the metal lip to create a space; then anything plastic (that won't damage glass or metal) can be worked along until the entire edge is free or you've created a large enough gap. Once you can get your fingers in behind it will usually just continue to pull out easily enough.

The gaskets are paper so shouldn't dissolve; if it's black it could either be oil or soot - how do the plugs look? I'd worry more about the fuel lines and the rubber hoses; check to see if they're okay. It's got to be something that has been drawn into the carb so hasn't yet reached the engine, but it may just be deposits from dirty fuel that are not burning off - you may be right with the diesel idea.

....and five weeks to take a photo!! Those are looking good - it was worth the wait.

How have you got on so far, Kevin? Kit ordered and fitted yet?

The ad for that jack says: "Never be caught out when you have this handy motoring essential." Oh yeah? Does it fix flat batteries?

Leave it where it is!! There's a 2020 movie just out on the same topic... they're lethal!

Why not buy second-hand? Some good ones out there. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24v-Electrical-Gauges-52mm-Oil-Pressure-Oil-Temp-Fuel-Temp-Volt-gauge/292749567116?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3Db60300f71ed94126a02800171a9c27fd%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dco%26sd%3D323843505776%26itm%3D292749567116%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Interesting!! It told me two things: firstly - I can't afford a lot of items, and secondly, a lot of spares I have are worth far more than I ever thought...

I know the 6 cylinder tunnel is different due to the starter on my GT6 being on the opposite side from a Herald / Spitfire, but that's only the side profile. As for the top, I suspect there is a larger gap between the gearlever and the tray; I've downloaded the first two I found from a Bing search, one 4-cylinder and one 6-cylinder, and even in the photos you can see the difference in width. You may have a Herald carpet set rather than a Vitesse set.

It says you can only get results for MOT tests in England, Scotland or Wales. I'm assuming this car is still local to us, but can't prove that as yet.

That's exactly the phrase I was told concerning my 1200 block, but it was saved by being bored out to +30, so it may literally translate as: "Someone else may be able to repair it but I'd rather replace it if it's going to be a lot of bother..." I use it all the time too.

IB is a County Armagh registration; they started way back with IB 1 and then after reaching IB 9999 they reversed the numbers to read 1 IB and so on. Once they exhausted that series at 9999 IB they then added a letter in front, AIB, BIB etc. but because of the lower volume of Ulster car sales the letter did not always correspond to a year. DIB is late 1970s. (Incidentally KIL, NIG, CIG or PIG (All Fermanagh plates) were never issued as they were thought to be offensive.) However: that's by the by - as Douglas says, the car is currently taxed and MOTd so still on the road and someone must love it...

Just to update: Bresco came up trumps, one pack of 30 flat nuts delivered safely; however, another of 'those' companies who by the time they add postage and packing and THEN add VAT on top the price rose from £7.49 to £13.73. Still, it means I can move on with another little job complete.

"But i know the pinion runs in a metal bush, to have play like this... its fucked" That's reassuring, I thought it might have been beyond repair..

Paint should really only be the icing on the cake, as it were. The primer is the main rust protection and I'd like to think that it should be adequate on its' own. I've got too many Triumph parts sitting about in primer, but some have lasted almost twenty years without rust starting to appear.