Colin Lindsay

Hope all of you are safe and have somewhere dry to rest up in, and that includes your cars! We have localised flooding here, mostly fields with little or no building flooding, but I know the UK mainland got it worse than we did. I've seen both York and Carlisle under water and really feel for anyone seeing their homes threatened or flooded out.

That reminds me... I must go out and clean the satellite dish.

No, I just have a different opinion. And that means: I won't be running out for a set of Carlos Fandango Superwide wheels.

I'll agree you can't beat original wheels with chrome hubcaps and trims, but I'm running 4.5s so will have to raise you -1.

Lol your garage must be like mine; I managed to find three boxed heavy-duty ones on a shelf that I was keeping for the 1200 convertible - bought at Stafford years ago. All I had to do was regrease, just in case. Fourth came from Net and was a GKN HD version. I grease mine back to front; cups full of grease and as they tighten inwards the grease comes out of the aperture for the grease nipple. All fitted in minutes, including me with the propshaft over my shoulder like a rocket launcher and the UJ / flange in the vice, trying desperately not to damage the paint. I managed to buy blanking plugs from James Paddock so all in order now.

If you look at the kit I've photographed you can see that the spring washer is just a standard one that you could buy anywhere. I think the originals have a different profile and certainly seem to grip the gearlever that much more securely. I too try to reuse where I can.

Magnolia. MAGNOLIA!! slaps head in exasperation. By the way, do those stay on? I prefer the roll-on ones myself...

Probably poor preparation on the metal below - I used it on the Herald suspension back in the day, but the rust came through and it just literally fell off again. I believed the blurb about 'simply brush on over existing rust'...so the front suspension wishbones etc were only wire brushed before painting and the rust came straight back again. I also find it very brittle in that if struck it chips, then water gets in behind it. The GT6 suspension was shotblasted and sprayed, and has lasted very well, but the Hammerited Herald is due a total refurbishment and this is only after sitting in a garage for years - it never saw the open road. I must admit to using Mimosa on wheels, but I've noticed recently that it appears to have shrunk, and adopted a crazed finish.

Hate the stuff and wouldn't let it near a car - just personal experience, but it was bad experience! Good primer and a standard aerosol works for me.

Yes, the bane of my MK3 GT6 too - filler was always falling out. A good sprayer / bodyshop will have the professional solution in terms of flexible sealer - the car equivalent of 'Painters Mate' or whatever. For that seam, a good wire brush on a drill - one of the flat circular ones with long bristles - will get as far in as possible, then treat well with a good rust killer. Jenolite / Kurust will be as good as can be.

That's entirely possible, Rob... I remember photographing an older kit vs a new one to show the differing shapes, plus the fact that they've remade the nylon washer in metal so that the two parts grind off each other and obviously the softer part will suffer; I was blaming the wrong part. I disremembered why I had mixed and matched an old kit and a new... ...but my advice to Kevin is to try to find an old kit, if possible - they're still about, and are of better quality.

It's a sealed system so as long as the coolant is up to the top and the overflow bottle is half full, then water will flow around all of it including the thermostat housing. Any air will be driven out by the circulating coolant as it expands due to heat then when it cools the coolant is sucked back in. Just keep a good supply in the overflow bottle and make sure the tube is covered.

The big yellow cup washer centre left; some kits remake this in metal and it eats the other parts. If you can reuse the old one then it solves this problem and unless it's really worn won't make any difference to the refurbishment. All the other parts are self-explanatory; as you disassemble the rods one bit at a time you'll see where the replacement part goes.

Seven years isn't too bad. Most things I've seen powdercoated lasted one summer, from my GT6 suspension to my outdoor furniture. A good aerosol of silver paint (do they still make Chromealike?) over a good primer will last years.

They used to supply a piece of plasticene or Blu-Tack; the imprint left when you tightened the adaptor against the block with the Blu-Tack in between revealed which ring to use.

Flat nuts... isn't that what cyclists suffer from? I could use full-sized spire clips (of which I have plenty already!) but have some applications where I think these will look neater; no matter that they're all hidden from view. It just appeals to my sense of 'looking right'. I suspect that if I trawl my garage I'll find enough of them, but I'll still keep an eye out for spares. Now I have to put the kettle on and browse Beals, as well as Bresco...

I'm just a cynic. Less waste, better for the environment = cheaper.

Can you get one of those sockets that digs into the plug, and tightens the more you turn? Very good on rusty nuts especially those that have been rounded off.

I'm amazed at the size of the paper filter on the Freelander 2, which is tiny compared to my Herald filter; then again it has to be as it's shoehorned away up in the engine bay and you need tentacles to get near it. All of my moderns now use paper filters in a plastic housing; must be a cost-cutting exercise.

Nice. A 'fire-breathing super saloon'. I never had the MG version, just a few Rovers, but miss the brand, especially my V6 75 Estate which was amazingly large, very comfortable and gave me about 24 to the gallon.

Thanks Dick, it does! I always hate going into shops and asking 'do you have any of those little rectangular thingies that a screw goes through..." Tony - thanks for the advice, It's not out of the wrapper yet but I'm sure my desk is covered in filings so it's a timely heads-up.

Morning Clive - I've run out of these guys for other little jobs in some of the cars, but cannot find anyone selling them either in quantity or at a proper price - I need about 20. I'll be out and about later on and will hopefully track down a blister pack somewhere about, but in the meantime - what's the proper name? Spire clips, speed nuts, flat spring nuts... any search throws up hundreds of the u-clip versions that I've got lots of, including the plastic ones which have turned out to be very useful. It's the ones in the photo I want. I managed to find a seller on Amazon who will sell twelve... for £37.74... and has apparently got an offer on them. BTW Tony - I got the magnetic sheet so it will be bonded to the number plate using windscreen bond, and will probably never come off after that.

If you need a replacement ARB, shop around. I think this seller is chancing his arm a bit. For that money I'd expect a car to be still attached.

Photos coming through now... that's a lot of work. Love the colour-coded rocker box!

No, I'll just point you in the direction of the bit that says: heavy shears.