johny

before you take the tank out (unless your going to change it of course) check the pump filter and itll give you an indication of how much dirt is coming through....

Could get very messy....

errrr I would get the official stuff as you dont want to be replacing the headlining just because the original turned to goo when you painted it....

Thanks Pete, I see them now. Are there any springs involved or is it just all done by positioning?

does it depend on which type of additive youre using? Im on Millers VSPe (manganese based) and yes the plugs tend to be brown but havent seen pink.....

As an aside, whats in there and what does it do?

I believe pattern part seals can sometimes give problems as theyre not the same as the original (dont know what youve got). However I spent a long time adjusting my doors and getting the seals right by tapping the metal flange that they fit on into the correct position to give a positive seal all the way round without any 'tight spots'. I wouldnt remove the remove the roof except for a good reason such as rust repair etc as you run the risk of it not sealing or making creaking noises afterwards....

theres a risk the quarterlights can fall out and smash as you lift the roof off although if sealant has been used on the rubbers most likely theyll stay in place. Sealant will probably have been used in other places like the front and rear edges and can be well stuck if this is the first time of removing the roof since manufacture. Also I believe my B posts were rivetted to the rear wings at the base and these needed to be drilled out first. Otherwise its just lift off with the help of an assistant taking care not to damage or mark the headlining which can be fragile above the doors....

yes agree it does look a bit strange Charlie but perfectly normal. The outer metal loop is a lot bigger than the inner one presumably to allow for some relative movement and the important item is the rubber bush inside the smaller loop which cant be seen in the photos - that should be in good condition or the spring will waggle around on the vertical link bolt....

Also Brian will your fan run on after turning off the ignition? Its quite a nice thing to have as the system temperature usually goes quite high when stopping after a good run and is effective because the thermostat is still open so coolant flows by natural circulation.....

Its the same with 'Vinylkote' as in the old days there used to be several different makes available in every motor factors but now as theres hardly any vinyl used in modern cars it looks like the choice is very limited....

well cleaning is essential but best to read the instructions and of course other surfaces need masking up. Its a thin liquid so I brush painted mine, which was a bit fiddly as it was largely upside down, and two coats were required (it was white to start with) but the result was excellent. If aerosols are all thats available now then it gets more complicated.....

Yes looking good but the only thing I think needs verifying is the fan operating temperature because it worries me that it may start too soon. Dont forget that the temperature gauge indication is not linear so will change quite a lot with driving conditions such as going up a long hill in warm conditions. This is normal (modern cars have the reading artifically 'stabilised' by the electronics) and obviously the reading mustnt go too high but the fan shouldnt start while the car is going any faster than a crawl. If it does its not achieving anything as the airflow is already more than the fan can produce so is a waste and not always easy to detect above the normal vehicle noise....

Vinylkote is what I used, flexible , good coverage and in the end you wouldnt know its painted....

Painting works really well with the specific paint and you can even repair small splits and tears with a vinyl glue. I would only replace the lining if its gone brittle and is suffering multiple splits. Oh and a white lining does really brighten up things and I reckon you could even paint a black one but it might take a few coats to look good.....

Adrian, while we're waiting for some radius arm measurements can you measure yours set up roughly as the manual indicates? I wonder if theres not an error in the manual (not the first time) and the angled one is actually for the Mk2 Vitesse.....

Arent there better things to spend the money on than changing number plates?

I dont know cos to begin with these all worked ok and then something caused them to all failed prematurely at the same time and presumibly for the same reason!!! I would have thought any manufacturer who wants to stay in business would identify such a common problem and fix it rather than make them only to chuck em in the reject bin.....

usually on stopping the engine the coolant temperature rises due to the heat still stored in the engine and the much reduced means of dissipating it via the radiator so the water expands and the excess is dumped to the expansion bottle. Only when the temperature eventually starts to go down does the water contract and pull back contents from the bottle.

not quality control as with so many failures its got to be in the design/manufacturing (sorry 8yr olds) and I cant understand how they manage to get it so wrong! A spark plug's not exactly a complicated item and I would have thought that with some minor, easy (cheap?) improvements they could produce something half decent....

I cant understand it David, all four plugs failed together! I know Chinese quality is sometimes lacking but that seems incredible, are you sure you didnt disturb something else? It would be interesting to try them again to confirm it or maybe just see what spark theyre producing or not.....

These are one of those components, along with suspension arm and diff bushes, that can look past it but actually have life left in them. Unless theres real evidence of the rubber coming away from the backing or severe splitting I would leave the old ones alone as the replacements can sometimes last a very short time....

Think Gismo must have sorted it out Colin....

Certainly for the cost of a coil its easiest just to buy a replacement and then you always have a spare if that isnt the problem. However there are two types used on our cars so make sure you get the right one. With the carb flooding the float and valve assembly are in those pots next to carbs. Its a bit of a fiddly job as you have to disconnect the fuel supply and remove the top lid where inside youll find a float that when the chamber is full (it probably will be when you open it) push on a little inlet valve to stop more fuel coming in. If the float gets punctured or stuck it doesnt float anymore so cant operate the valve. You can inspect the floats and gently check their movement plus look in the bottom of the chamber for dirt. Then if all this looks ok a faulty valve is the remaining possibility and will have to be replaced along with the lid gasket that will probably have been damaged when you lifted it off. Its unusual to have both carbs overflowing so I think either the car hasnt be used for quite a while and the floats/valves have got stuck or a lot of dirt has come through and affected both carbs.....

The gear ratios are quite different as well so 1st gear with the Spit box would be pretty useless unless the diff ratio was changed and then there might be a struggle pulling 4th.....