Colin Lindsay

Dynamos are apparently making a comeback; not just the uprated-on-the-inside versions but original models. A lot of classic owners, and especially classic tractor drivers, are refitting them.

I'd guess in behind the hinge, which depresses it as it closes? Long time since I had a 1500 but I think that's where it goes.

Your options are either a good breakers for second-hand ones, have yours rechromed, or go for stainless. I heard that having an old pair rechromed is often preferable to buying a new set, as the metal they're based on is never as good as the original and some are woeful (see the photo); but you need to find a good reputable rechroming company and they can be expensive - try a few online quotes and see who offers what. I know members have been singing the praises of stainless versions on here, so they seem good. The photo shows a brand new rear overrider for my Herald, bought from a reputable supplier, and fitted to a car that never left the garage due to a stalled restoration. After ten years in a garage it looks like this, whereas original ones have lasted fifty years with no pitting at all.

I have a collection of LPs from the 70s and 80s, none of which are available on CD, so that speaks volumes about the stuff I listen to! All very obscure folky stuff. Just bought another one, from France this time, only cost me £8, but totally unavailable in any other format. I have a cheap USB turntable to record it to computer, then I can edit it and clean things up a bit before burning to CD or memory stick. There's a serious rumble out of my non-USB turntable which I'll have to identify, but it dates from the 1990s and is probably past repairing.

That will depend on the brand of sander. Some of them supply discs simply because they have to, or to keep the price low, and they're not the best quality. They may do as a starter but not for the final finish. I'd buy good ones from an Autofactor close to you, or online, just to be sure they'll do the job and not fall apart at the first touch. Unfortunately it is usually trial and error. I have all this to do shortly when the dark cold days arrive so will compare notes!

Never noticed, Doug old mate. Specsavers combined with lack of coffee most likely. I probably assumed they were 14 cores each... I was connecting up an LP player, so there's not many of us about that use that kind of technology any more, or even buy LPs.

Make sure you really need one in the long term (wanting is, of course, a completely different thing!). It's great to talk about having infinite variations of tuning, and all of the different advance curves, and then you find you never need more than one, so it can be a lot of wasted cash. I had one on the GT6, and went back to the Delco.

Yep - be careful of scoring it. More gently may take more time, but it causes less damage. Paint and filler can cover up a lot, but sometimes not all, and the little digs and lines still show through some paint finishes. Take it easy!

Never tried that... I bought a cheap phono cable for the recording room earlier in the week, wired it up and it nearly blew my equipment to pieces. 'Cheap' seems to have been the problem.

I was originally going to go for alloy clamps on my Herald, but have decided in favour of polybushes instead. Alloy clamps were fitted to the early cars but then replaced by rubber; possibly for cost, possibly to reduce vibration. Rubber bushes wear and permit rack movement, and with the quality of modern rubber replacements being what they are I reckon a good set of polybushes will last, and keep the steering direct.

We 6-cylinder owners are more canny with figures as we have to remember a six figure firing order, not just a four. Ignition leads are the same as audio / hi-fi leads; all this talk about gold connectors and pure copper wiring etc is lost on most music systems - exactly the same with car engines. Once you go over a certain standard, you're just wasting money.

Being now on enquiries with my EIGHTH bodyworker / restorer for the GT6 I can heartily agree. No-one does bodywork any more, it's all filler, sanding or bolting on new bumpers. The old skills are going day by day. The good side of this is that I'm having to learn them myself to a basic degree, so am becoming more self-sufficient every day.

Thanks - I think the brass tube is the v-shaped bit you can just see in my early head, but this one is from 1962. Some retailers and reconditioners are making distinctions between pre 1966 and post 1966 - NOT 1967 when the 1360 head came in - so I'm trying to discover exactly why. There appears to be no difference in price for the ones I've checked so far, so it can't be too drastic a difference, and may just be the improved cooling.

I don't know why, maybe just a gut instinct, but I reckon it's very genuine. If I was in the market for one it would be a high contender.

No-one seems to have any kind of online parts manual... It'll have to be the parts book when you get back home again. Sorry!

I've been asked why Herald 1147 cylinder heads are advertised as being pre 1966 or post 1966 and can't find a definitive answer. I have two different types of my own; the earlier having the long water pipe running through the head and the other being a revised cooling system with no pipe and different core plugs. Is this the sole difference, or were there other changes that would affect a rebuild? Early head on left, later one on right.

That's the bottom line. A good solid car will be worth working on; anything else ends up a real money pit. I've had a few in my time...

I put a TR5 camshaft into the GT6; it was terrible and I removed it very quickly. I just couldn't get it to run well at all.

Can you post a photo, Chris, then we can advise? The best I can do this morning is to post a photo taken from Mike Costigan's 'Guide to Originality' book; I can't find a single photo of this area anywhere on the Net but it may give you an idea of how it looks, compared to yours.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MX5-Mk1-Rear-Boot-Light-Brake-Light/123768956523?hash=item1cd134666b:g:KR4AAOSw6r5c3BWK That's an earlier version in the link; the one in the photo below lasted from 1999 to 2005. The Nissan Micra version is also very nice, as is the BMW Mini version, but you can buy stand-alone versions that will fit any car - a search for Universal High Level Rear Brake Light throws up quite a few.

None of the cordless versions in two of my local branches; that leaves me one final port of call for tomorrow. I like the look of the battery charger. I also like the look of the windscreen cleaner... mine's almost grey on the inside, just found that out this morning when the car was cold...

Yes, we had one of those, I suppose good in the dark, but the bit that freaked me out was that it turned off all the gauges, which dropped to zero - bar the speedo, which was now only illuminated for about two-thirds of the face.

Nice!! I'm assuming the yellow tin isn't the acid you used ( ) but what did you use to get it so pristine looking?

I thought that was just my idea!! I use two, both tops off old washing machines, for laying out parts of carbs etc in order of disassembly; you can write on them with a non-permanent marker and then wipe clean for next time. Great minds think alike!

The stirrers taste better than the coffee in most, but go for the short stubby ones rather than the long thin ones - it may come down to the particular coffee shop but there are versions that are an inch shorter and a lot stiffer. I was mixing filler yesterday and they worked great. Of course you can always use two together for extra stiffness. You can also use wooden lollypop sticks, £1 for 50 in my local Poundshop. Never thought of using ear wax as cavity protection, after all it comes from a cavity and my ears have never rusted...