ShaunW

That brought back some memories Badwolf. My first car was a baby blue Imp. In an attempt to tone it down a bit I painted the interior metalwork with dark blue gloss. It never really ever stopped smelling of turps after that and I'm sure some of the more gummy corners never dried properly.

Guys this isn't about cars but I wanted to share it with you. MrsW's had an operation on Monday and a second one today to fix bleeding caused by the first. I really thought I was going to lose her. It's been a very long day and I'm probably only saying this because I'm tired and emotional but.... Put down the spanners for a minute and go and give whoever it is that makes your dinner and washes your vest and pants a little squeeze while you can. Unless it's your butler then that would be just strange. Joking aside you know what I mean. OK stiff upper lip, nuf of all that. As you were fellas.

If I didn't want to 'have a go' I wouldn't have bought a car that needed a good going over. Pity I can't fit it in the garage. I've been eyeing up the back garden and musing about a poly tunnel spray booth. Dual use... It's a genius idea. All I need is someone to give me a hand carrying the car on its side down the narrow path at the side of the house and back again when it's done in time to plant the tomatoes.

Tourist : "Can you tell me how to get to the Albert Hall?" Cabbie : "Practice, practice, practice" Only slightly on topic and without the build-up it's a gag wasted really, but the subject reminded me of it. .

Good for you Badwolf. That's the spirit. I tackle everything like that. Unless it's brain surgery then with enough reading and practice and patience... It's doable. And you get a skill to keep use again in the future. I've found that the main difference between a professional and an amateur is the time it takes to do. But it doesn't bother me if I take a fortnight to do what they can do in a day. That said, 'know your limits' is key.

Personally I think the way the actuaries at the insurance firms have profiled us all to such an extent is pretty unfair. In my eyes insurance is like a health system, everyone chips in but some need it more than others. Being 50+ and a good risk means I get my insurance ridiculously cheap, sub 90 on the spitfire and under 290 for a 390bhp range rover. Meanwhile my son (25 and clean license ) pays about 1400 for his little A3. That's a LOT of money to a lad on almost minimum wage. And any 'interesting' car is simply a no no. By the time I was 25 I'd had 2 spits, a GT6, a fiat x19 (for which I can only appologise), a dolly Sprint and a TVR 3000m (the one I wish I'd mothballed) . He'd NEVER be able to get insurance on modern equivalents of those and I feel so sorry for him and feel almost guilty saying what I was lucky enough to have. When I started driving insurance was fairly expensive but certainly didn't cripple me. I feel so sorry for young uns these days. If us older ones paid even an extra £25 then we'd hardly notice and it would help the struggling youngsters a lot. They can't afford a flat like we could, soon they won't be able to afford a car either. Where they'll get their courting done is a mystery. Obviously I've chipped in with the boy's insurance, I can't just stand by and see him robbed of the pleasure I had in cars I had at his age.

This one's been a tale of fixing things that were supposed to be fixed or fixing them again properly. At least the nuts and bolts have been easy to undo. Trouble is it makes you wonder about the things you can't see. Worrying about every little noise doesn't make for relaxed motoring, especially when these cars make lots of little noises already.

Our 2500 spit is insured with Lancaster. We put the car in my wife's name to build some ncd cos she hasn't got any. Just under £100. I think we paid about £30 extra for recovery. Insured it 2 days before we collected it and ended up using the recovery for the last 10 miles of a 200 mile drive back.... Rear wheel bearing oil seal had been put in wrong way round. Lost its grease and the bearing collapsed and chewed up the half shaft .... which was annoying in lots of ways.

I was thinking about something like that. I'd always choose to spend saved money on the right tools. If I never saw a rattle can again it would be too soon.

Welcome skelly6. Lincolnshire is a big place. I'm between Lincoln and Skeg if you ever break down nearby and need a tow.

Thanks Clive I enjoyed reading that. Lots of options to think about. The budget isn't limitless so I might have to compromise for a while. Looks are a bonus, but for now I'm not too fussed so long as she's in tip top shape mechanically. (maybe I'll use that on my next lonley hearts ad) My son and his mate wrapped his Audi A3 for about £200 worth of film and it looks amazing actually.... I was really surprised. Might be an option to protect my prep until I can afford a proper job.....mmm As I said.... Lots to think about.

I understand what people are saying about the final prep and I wouldn't expect a pro to just do a blow over on whatever I took them. But I like doing prep so I'd try and leave them as little as possible to do. I have been thinking about doing it myself but I can't get it all in the garage at once. It's doable if you have the patience. 200 hrs for a car so small is crazy unless it's rusty and bent. 28 days! At most they're about 7sqm? I don't believe it takes 4 full days/m2 to do. I know what's involved and when you're all tooled up you can do a heck of lot of flattening and polishing in an hour.

I'd be interested to hear what sort of price a respray would be. I realise it's a piece of string type question depending on the prep.

I too think we all pretty much agree really. If the surface is bad then fix it. If you can obtain good gaskets you won't need sealant. And in low stress situations then either approach won't make a whole heap of difference. In my world the surfaces are ok-ish (flat but micro pitting), they're certainly not bad enough to spend a lot of money sending them away to be machined. My gaskets aren't superduper deluxe items either. So a little smudge of 21st century materials science certainly won't do any harm and might even help. Whatever your view we're battling against some fairly primative engineering, steam engine grade cast iron at best, and it needs all the help it can get. Beating that and keeping these cars usable is the challenge I enjoy. When triumph built engines they didn't even have the confidence to spend the extra pound on a 6 digit odometer, so I'll take factory recommendations and doing what they did in the good ol' days with a healthy dose of synicism.

I'm confident the v8 jaguar engine in my contemporary car will last at least as well. Better materials, better design, better consumables from day one. It's too easy to get a rosy glow about these old cars but the truth is they were budget cars based on dated engineering even when new. It's only weekly maintenance, multiple rebores, rebuilds and skims that's kept them going. I'm not committing heresy here, just pointing out that they're not inherently special or better just because they're old, and new doesn't always mean worse.

It's all well and good talking about optimal situations and freshly skimmed surfaces but with due respect I'll stick to using the appropriate modern product in small doses. If you slap it on then you'll have issues with creep and drying out and that's probably why it gets a bad reputation. What I judge it by is the fact that 50 year old British cars leaked just about everywhere in factory spec, 50 years on we can do a heck of a lot better.

Personally I'd always use gasket sealant. I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't. It'll be a bigger job to do it later than it is to do it now.

I just went back and read the solenoid replacement pdf again. It does look remarkably similar doesn't it. I'm taking the box to the garage to be refitted tomorrow. Nervousness > excitement at the moment. No need to be but the event is a bit tainted by the fact she had a complete electrical cut out twice on the way to dropping her off. And my OD fix is as yet untested. I think I might have her brought home on a flat bed so I can give her some tlc. Missus is adamant that she doesn't want to tow me back in case she 'does anything wrong' jeez it makes me sound like a real tyrant. Maybe if our tow rope wasn't about 3 feet long she'd be a bit more confident.

Getting there. This should be easier to change next time. I hope it's not me needing to, but one day I think someone will appreciate it.

Any special gasket type and sealant for the gbox/OD union? I usually make my own from various gasket papers rather than get stung paying £1 for a gasket and £5 on the postage. The one that was in there was quite thick which seemed odd for a high pressure situation.

The cam has got a shoulder on one side, I guess this side faces the OD to help to ease it on to the roller.

Thanks Pete. Got my cam today I know you've seen one before but perhaps some others might not have.

I can't seem to find a part# for the gasket between the bell housing and the engine? Is there one because the gbox I got back from the gargage doesn't show any signs of there being one.

Mine has done this a few times, but not always. Started about the same time as a problem where I turn the key to II and don't get any power at all until I reach under the dash and jiggle the loom. I'd check all your connections for continuity... That's what I plan to do anyway.

A brownie point? I think you get the whole damn brownie! Part numbers too. You spoil me. All ordered and should be here soon. Fingers crossed it wasn't omitted for a reason. I simply don't know what I'd do without the internet, you lot and MrsW's bank card. Edit : I've just been reminded that brownie isn't the cake it's the girl guide. So that just sounded a bit weird.