DerekS

The casting was just over 5/8" thick at that point, so plenty of meat for a good thread and well clear of any rotating internal parts, too. To be honest, I was slightly apprehensive about drill-snatch on breakthrough, that's why I took it nice and easy. Well worth doing, good luck!

I did mine ( Spit 1500 ) a few months ago. On mine, there was a dimple in the casting that turned out to be the ideal spot. I've tapped it to 5/16" UNF and used a short set-screw with a sealing washer. It won't come loose but I will keep an eye on it. I used the cap of a spray-can around the drill to stop oil being flung around as the drill broke through and had a container ready to catch the oil. The size was big enough, the oil drained easily. Drilling cast iron is straightforward, keeping the drill speed low and not putting a lot of weight on the drill helps.

Yes, the club, forum, magazine, shop et al are superb and good value for money. There's no argument about that. Please don't run away with the idea that everyone can afford increases in fees though. Some members must be tip-toeing on the edge of "affordability" with all aspects of their cars, what are small amounts to some could be the decider in whether to continue ownership or call it a day to others, sadly. I know of at least one.

Yes, Cambiare apparently manufacture original equipment for quite a number of car makers; I have one of their starter solenoids, very happy with the quality.

Just a thought here. The other problem with pancakes is that they tend to draw hot air from the engine and exhaust manifold rather than cooler air from the front of the car. I had problems with this a few years ago using K+N filters, going back to standard sorted it.

I've never done any work on pistons Brett but previous experiences with alloy usually involved dunking it in really hot water for a few minutes, it expands a lot quicker than steel making the pin a loose fit. Could be worth a try...

Hello, Aidan, I used a small 1/4 pint oil can to refill, it gave the old fingers and wrists a workout but we got there eventually; no waste and no mess. Yes, very forgiving stuff to drill, Pete. I was wary of the drills snatching on breakthrough; a broken drill would have been fun. The other thing I was worrying about was if there was a gear or whatever running close to where the drill broke through. Poking an allen key in afterwards showed there wasn't. Two more points: using a cordless drill gave far better control, drilling cast is easier with a lower speed range. Also I did have a couple of small BSP tapered plugs and taps ready but changed to the UNF setscrew at the last minute and am pleased I did. For one thing the setscrew doesn't present the possibility of raking yourself on the projecting head of it...

This may be a bit of an essay, bear with me please. I've been reading postings like this with interest for a while as I haven't been too happy with the diff on my 1500 Spit, not too noisy exactly but making it has been making it's presence known. Also, I haven't been overly impressed with the blue grade polybush diff mounts, I think they're too soft, especially when hot. The diff didn't have a drain plug; I changed the oil earlier this year by using a vacuum pump but started having afterthoughts about if all the old oil was out. So yesterday I changed the mounts back to standard grade black rubber, then bit the bullet and drilled and tapped the diff to take a plug. The position for the plug is obvious as there was a simple in the casting. I've gone for a 5/16" UNF size, I had a short unused setscrew with a washer and dealing washer. The casting at that point is 1/2" or more in thickness and cast iron is lovely stuff to drill, just take it easy with drill speed and pressure and the pilot went through a treat. I had the tapping -size drill ready with the clear top of of an old aerosol on it to catch the oil while drilling. It's surprising how quickly the oil drops through a small hole but I managed to catch it in a drain tub and as the flow eased off did the tapping of the thread. I put some unused oil through the filler hole afterwards to flush out any possible flakes of metal but there was nothing. This time I've refilled using 140 grade GL4. We'll see how it goes long term of course but on a test run today it was lovely and quiet, a big improvement indeed with virtually no noise, especially on the overrun. When I looked at the drained oil there are small traces of what looks like water in it.

A quick question Shaun, I'd like to copy this, how did you tap in please? Did you cut the wire and put bullet connectors in or what?

Very nice indeed, happy days!

They are colour-coded and my personal experience of e***y is what you order may not be the one that turns up, sellers not being aware of the difference. Early doors in my ownership, I ended up "going down a sidestreet" with this, tried allsorts and it turned out to be the voltage regulator... it was probably you who put me right, Pete!

There was some stuff on the go in the 70's called PDR, Petroleum Deposit Remover, can't remember who the manufacturer was; it was sprayed directly into the carbs... It must have had some effect because you had to tweak the mixture afterwards. Whether it worked it not, who knows, but the effect at the back end of the car was like a chimney fire, really upset the neighbours!

I echo that plan... Sorry, I'll get my coat.

I echo Pete's plan... (there's an echo in here!)

If you turn both idle screws clockwise a quarter of a turn at a time until you are happy then don't worry, you shouldn't disturb anything else. Equally if you want to slow it back down a touch, turn both screws anticlockwise 1/4 of a turn at a time. The idle screws on mine are conveniently cross-marked. Give it a few revs between each adjustment and let it settle... patience required!

Cylinder head to exhaust manifold gasket blowing at no.4 cylinder, due to large nut being used instead of clamp?

Aldi have black plastic greenhouse grow-bag trays in @ £2.99, they are an ideal size for use under the car as a drip tray... (I have no connection with aldi.)

Yes, it makes interesting reading! The map light is on the passenger side, folded up behind the dash panel, out of harms way. It's only small and easily overlooked.

Reading through this thread with interest (and some confusion), allow me to poke a stick in the hornet's nest... I've just had a reply from Wilkinsons to my enquiry regarding the tech. spec. of their own-brand classic oil. The level of ZDDP in it is 800ppm, or 0.08%.

The other thing I forgot to mention, the bottom of the blind hole can accumulate debris; rust, old gasket material, sealant or whatever and this can get compressed into a slug of material that effectively shortens the depth of thread. It's worth putting a tap down the thread just to clean that out. Again, remember that you're dealing with cast iron and it is a soft material, nice and easy does it!

Dave, that's a good point about the 88° thermostat, I use one very winter (Spit 1500) and it makes a big difference to warmup times and running temperature. Well worth doing.

Just to sneak this in, if you us a look back at the parts diagram, you can clearly see, on the housing ( part number 156333) the difference in thickness between the two sides. Hence the different length of the bolts. If the thread is stripped it's no big deal putting a helicoil insert in but what I would strongly suggest that when you use the drill that you get with the kit, don't be in too much of a rush. You're drilling cast iron and it's relatively soft, so use a tap wrench to turn the drill. It's less likely to snatch and you will have far more control than if using an electric drill. The kits are very effective, take it easy and don't be frightened.

Hello Gary, the bolts SHOULD be different lengths, at least they are on mine. The "drivers side" bolt hole/ tapping on the cylinder head is a blind hole while the "passenger side" is drilled right through, although not fully tapped/ threaded. If you have a good look at the thermostat housing you can see one side of the casting is thicker than the other.

Yes, it is just a flat washer, 1/4" in thickness and yes, I took it back off. I started thinking that if it altered the position of the diff it must alter the alignment relative to the gearbox which wouldn't do the gearbox, diff or propshaft any favours. I was thinking along the same lines regarding it replacing rather than in addition to the original one.

I asked the question a while ago as I was convinced that it had been left off my '80 Spit 1500. Believe me, I've tortured myself over this washer... I got one through Moss Fitting it physically compressed both the upper and lower mounting rubbers; the various manuals I have clearly state that when everything is correctly tightened up it should be possible to rotate the lower rubber mounting. To me, this isn't positive location of the diff. The mounting stud that this washer is fitted to is stepped and the internal diameter of the washer dictates where it goes, order-wise. The effect it had on my car was to alter the ride height side-to-side (if I remember correctly) by 1/4". When you see the distortion it causes to the mounting rubbers (blue polybush on mine) it is quite worrying.