Sparky_Spit

Hi Dave, I've just been and measured mine as fitted on the car in the garage. 42 inches wide at the front header rail 43 inches wide at the back 35 inches long front to back over the top 14 inches high at front windscreen Hope this helps, Mike

Hmm... so I see, it does. There must have been something different about the Mini I mentioned above that made it non-compliant with the VHI or Type Approval in this case. I'll have to find the original article to find out.

Am I right in thinking that a 40 year old plus "Vehicle of Historic Interest" loses that status once a conversion such as above has been carried out? I remember reading something a while ago about a very nice Mk1 Mini that had been converted and through a series of curcumstances to do with age and Type Approval (I think) it became almost worthless as it could no longer legally be registered for the road with its original number plate , due to the fact that it's motive power was not in period, and the modifications to the subframes were considered as "not in period" and it therefore had to have a Q plate issued under the Totting Up process? How do companies that do the conversions get around that?

You could try taking the distributor off, and taking out the distributor drive gear. Then use an electric drill with a flat wide screwdriver bit to turn the oil pump. From memory, I'm pretty sure you run the drill anti-clockwise, and keep it spinning until you feel the drill slow slightly as it takes the load of the oil pump actually pumping oil. You will probably also see the pressure rise on an oil pressure guage if you have one. I always do this after a long period of non running.

Another vote for Graphogen. Then running-in oil pumped round by a drill down the dizzy hole before first start

I can tell you for certain that Amethyst will connect to and converse with Windows 10, or more specifically, Windows10.0.19044 Build 19044 as in my case. I've just been out to the garage and tried it, just to make sure I'm not going mad yet. Maybe some later Win10 editions are incompatible. I locked the distributor points position by taking off the 2 springs and lock-wiring the base plate so it cannot move. All the Amethyst needs is for the points to open at some point to trigger the spark, and you get this by rotating the distributor until the points open, or you can leave as is and add extra static advance in the curve's advance table.

Yes, it's true that Aldon will not support the Amethyst beyond WIN10 I think it is. I'd forgotten about that, sorry. I'm running Version 10.0.19044 Build 19044 and it's fine. To be honest it does not really bother me as once I set up the unit with its advance curve, rev limit, etc, I have not touched it and it just works and does the job very well. If I ever want to make changes I'll just dig out the old WIN10 laptop and use that to reprogramme the box. But yes, I agree that it is an issue for a new purchaser.

I've noticed better performance due to being able to tune the curve for best power/torque without pinking, so that must mean more efficiency I guess. No, I'm not using electronic ignition, just a new set of points in a wear free distributor that has the advance/retard locked together, as the Amethyst unit takes care of advance/retard, (both centrifugal and manifold vacuum) and the points themselves last forever, as they are now only dealing with milliamps.

Yes, I've been using one for quite a few years now, and it has been faultless. Very easy to install and programme, and easy to make ignition curve changes on the fly, if you take your laptop with you and connect it to the unit and tune the curve as you drive. All you need on the laptop is the Java application (you can download that from the internet) and you will need to use windows (hence needing to use a laptop). The only downside is that you can only use Windows; it won't connect to your phone.

Definitely a PRV spring. Which means that the plunger is rattling up and down now with nothing to hold it against its seat?

Excellent news, a major milestone achieved! Very well done!

Yes, nice period radio Colin. My father had a "foreign" radio in a 1300FWD in the 1970's, which was eventually handed down to me. The instruction book stated "Switch on your new radio and gaze in wonderment at the enchanting blue light."

As promised.... front and back. The rust should clean up okay with a fibre disc and could be repainted with crackle finish aerosol paint. PM me if you want it.

I have one, although it has surface rust on it. I'll post a picture of it later this afternoon when I am at home.

Unfortunately the glass is lengthways curved and enquiries that I have made with such companies have always come back with very high quotes for a single one-off curved glass. So I'm still looking, but may have to go with a polycarbonate one.