thebrookster

Well, thanks all you guys who were entered!! One of the more memorable nights I have had for a while. I arrived sometime between 12.30 and 1am, to see a gentleman with an old triumph (TR I think, I really need to brush up on these, as I realised to my severe embarrassment tonight that the only TR I recognise is the TR7  :B :B :B ) and one the Vice-Presidents (Graham I think his name was?? Sorry, I was terrible with names tonight!!). Anyway, I pulled up next to them, and asked if they were CT, and said hello etc etc. At that point Graham stared at me for a second, and then asked "are you a CT member?" to which I replied, "not at the moment, but this is due to be rectified as soon as possible." "Ok" says Graham, "you can be member for tonight, and can you stand by the barrier and let people in, if you don't mind of course!" Well, that was certainly no hardship to me, I am normally happy to help out where needed, so I donned the requisite yellow jacket, and did some gate duty. Needless to say, not too onerous, other than the fact we could only pass one car at a time though the barrier, (though we did prove that a Spitfire with hardtop JUST fits under the barrier!!). Since there were two of us outside, we shared the gate duty between us, and managed to snap a few reasonable photos into the bargain. Caught up with a few members I had met before, and met a whole load more!! It was good to see a couple of improvised mechanics in places (never seen a crank sensor for an ECU held on with cable ties before), and I have to confess I was seriously impressed with the two lassies wearing the pink skirt watchamacallems, they showed qrit and determination considering they were in Scotland on a reasonably chilly night, and heading northwards at that! I can only hope their heater was in good working order. I shall try and upload some pictures tomorrow when I get up again (this is me just back in the house @0550hrs), it was a braw 31 miles of cycling through the early hours of this morning, and it was worth every foot of it (although my backside is not in agreement on that one!!). Cheers, and again thanks to all for a good evening, and thanks to Graham for allowing me to give a helping hand!! Phil

Good to see you had a good turnout Signore Rosso, hope they all make it to Tebay!! That is me about to set off for the Edinburgh stop, with fingers crossed the old push bike is still roadworthy!! (and I'll not mention bike lights!!) Makes me feel like I am doing my own version of the RBRR  ;D ;D ;D

Pretty much the max size you can fit is the 065, however this is a very snug fit!! It sticks in my mind that I had this battery fitted the opposite way round, and a quick squiz on google would suggest this would have been the case due to the terminal orientation, but i can't be 100% certain on that one without finding the old photographs!! Hope this helps, Phil P.S - As far as I am aware, there is no difference between the GT6 and the Spitfire in either battery size or placement!!

Nope, that is a gasket which I had never realised was supposed to be there  :X :X Here we go, Item No: 607610 http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GRID005871 According to Rimmers this is no longer available, maybe ring around a few places to double check elsewhere? Otherwise, simply make another, after all it is only a steel plate with three holes drilled in it  :) :) Cheers, Phil

Nope, that is a gasket which I had never realised was supposed to be there  :X :X Here we go, Item No: 607610 http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GRID005871 According to Rimmers this is no longer available, maybe ring around a few places to double check elsewhere? Otherwise, simply make another, after all it is only a steel plate with three holes drilled in it  :) :) Cheers, Phil

ferny wrote:We'll be coming from the south and heading north. ;) Now why on earth would you be doing a silly thing like that for? The mind boggles!!

Or if you take the nut behind route, you could simply tack weld the nut into position? Cheers, Phil

Or if you take the nut behind route, you could simply tack weld the nut into position? Cheers, Phil

Who is in charge of this stop, and from which directions will they be coming from? Just it looks like I shall still be in the country this weekend, and hence I plan to pop over and wave people on at Edinburgh. A lack of transport is a minor issue however, getting there should not be a problem but getting home may involve a lengthy cycle ride!! However, if there is any chance of a marshal/spectator etc passing in my vague direction with a spare seat in a car, I would appreciate imposing upon their kindness! I am thinking of anyone using the M8 really here (or A71 or A89, though these may be less likely!!). Cheers, Phil

JensH wrote:André did one - haven't heard from him lately? Look around here: http://www.gt6.ca/ I believe he is being unfaithful recently, some red painted bit o' fancy has caught his attention :) You know the type, clean lines, sleek, minimal cladding and sexy continental accent!! The GT6 has seen some use recently though, not quite relegated completely. Bruce - as Jens says, Andre's jig is plenty strong enough, your biggest issue is not strength with these bodies, it is keeping them braced when replacing panels. Pretty much any framework will likely hold it without breaking a sweat!! Cheers, Phil

JensH wrote:André did one - haven't heard from him lately? Look around here: http://www.gt6.ca/ I believe he is being unfaithful recently, some red painted bit o' fancy has caught his attention :) You know the type, clean lines, sleek, minimal cladding and sexy continental accent!! The GT6 has seen some use recently though, not quite relegated completely. Bruce - as Jens says, Andre's jig is plenty strong enough, your biggest issue is not strength with these bodies, it is keeping them braced when replacing panels. Pretty much any framework will likely hold it without breaking a sweat!! Cheers, Phil

No Windscreen surround!! Also, I wonder what that hoop is for, roughly where the bellhousing would go??

3122 wrote: Which one?! The coat or the roof?? And in terms of contacting Bill, by heck you young 'uns are slipping these days!! If you look at the link I posted, the first bit is the main address, i.e. the http://www.rarebits4classics.co.uk bit!! Try typing that into your browser, you may well be surprised at the result. And then if you look very closely, you will see he has a phone number listed, this is something you enter into a phone to speak to someone. (And yes, you can use a mobile for this, but you are looking for the ring option, not the text message bit. The text message bit, strangely enough, probably will not work.) And the schools keep telling us standards have not slipped?? Cheers, Phil P.S. There is a certain amount of satisfaction getting revenge on all those innuendos!!

3122 wrote: Which one?! The coat or the roof?? And in terms of contacting Bill, by heck you young 'uns are slipping these days!! If you look at the link I posted, the first bit is the main address, i.e. the http://www.rarebits4classics.co.uk bit!! Try typing that into your browser, you may well be surprised at the result. And then if you look very closely, you will see he has a phone number listed, this is something you enter into a phone to speak to someone. (And yes, you can use a mobile for this, but you are looking for the ring option, not the text message bit. The text message bit, strangely enough, probably will not work.) And the schools keep telling us standards have not slipped?? Cheers, Phil P.S. There is a certain amount of satisfaction getting revenge on all those innuendos!!

Have a look here as well, Aaron, I don't know how the prices compare, but you can guarantee the quality!! http://www.rarebits4classics.co.uk/Forms/Extrusion_List_13_07_2011.pdf ;) ;) ;) Phil

Have a look here as well, Aaron, I don't know how the prices compare, but you can guarantee the quality!! http://www.rarebits4classics.co.uk/Forms/Extrusion_List_13_07_2011.pdf ;) ;) ;) Phil

If I may clarify, I was responding to the section Marcus talked about Copperslip, which was for the sliding pins he shows. This is for the caliper, and yes I would advocate a very light smear of a suitable grease to aid lubrication. Obviously if you have proper brake grease then this would be preferable, but I cannot see copperslip/molyslip being a issue!! I apologise if this was not clear, I certainly do not advocate the use of grease near seals!!

Marcus, Copperslip does set when it gets hot, so I would never use it on brake parts myself. Have you got some Molyslip? Very similar stuff (cept it has molybdenum instead of copper), but has the saving grace that it does not solidify when it gets hot, it remains gooey?? (Is that the right word??) Cheers, Phil

piman wrote: Phil, Kas Kastner has a picture of his needle lathe in one of his books. Simply a Dremel style drill clamped to a base board, a fine file, a micrometer and ruler to measure the profile. Alec Hi Alec, my comment was not so much aimed at saying this was not possible (I have another book by Des Hammil that goes into quite some detail about modifying needles), what I was trying to say is that there is a big difference between theory and practice. Sure, I can modify needles with a bit of care and attention, as no doubt can several others on here, but to be able to complete two needles identically, along with doing the initial settings, in one day is in my book definitely skill!! Cheers, Phil

Ahh, now that is interesting!! I had wondered from reading his website (through your link), and from what you have just said confirms it, they actually do custom needles for your car!! I am impressed, to say the least. Far easier by half than trying to select a profile, just dump it on a rolling road, presumably with O2 sensor in the exhaust, and grind an exact needle to what you need. And not only that, he doesn't need to carry a large stock of needles, simply some basic ones that can be modified. I like it. From that, I have to say that this guy is worth keeping in mind, there are not many people capable of simply making a correct needle profile these days!! (Look at the issues big Chris had with carbs, trying to pick the correct profile!!). The information for this is out there, but you rarely hear of people who can actually put the theory into practice now, and those who can are the old-timers, most of whom have retired. Cheers Paul!! Phil

Kent 264 Race Cam Duration: 310 Inlet Timing: 52/78 Exhaust Timing: 88/42 Valve Lift (Inlet/Exhaust): 0.493 / 0.491 Power Band: 5000-9000rpm Taken from Jon Wolfe's Site: http://www.wolfitt.com/techqa.htm Hope this helps :) Cheers, Phil

I would agree that the Spitfire would be happy on 1144's, as Alan says it is a light car, although I can see that the GT6's may well benefit from the 1155's, seeing as it has solid 6 cyl engine up front :) I can well imagine a lot more heat being generated there! Obviously choice of pad is dependant on usage, so a racer will need the hotter pads, but they are much heavier on brakes than even a fast road user. They may well have changed how the designations work since I last looked into pads, but as I understand it the higher the last two numbers the hotter the pad will work at. As I understood it though, the higher pads also had reduced cold temp performance, as they are designed for a higher temp bracket. Ahh, maybe still ok?? I have just found this page, which seems to suggest 1166's work while cold! http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/mintex-pad-compounds However the 1166 say they are suitable for 'sportscar' use, and with all the will in the world I cannot see the average spitfire fitting into this category. So maybe 1155 are worth a look? Cheers, Phil P.S - and I seem to have written a post saying nothing at all!! Ah well, hope the link provides some use to someone anyway!

Well, considering Rimmers will sell you the gbox + OD for £800 (and they tend to be pricey), assuming your offer is for a swap of your unit for theirs, and includes actually doing the job it sounds reasonable to me? I can't recall his details off the top of my head, but hunt out details for Mike Papworth, he does a lot of gearbox stuff and has a darn good rep, maybe worth seeing what he suggests? Also, I can never remember, but are the diffs the same between O/D and non-O/D cars? And will this make a difference to Mr Spam??

Yes, you do want the engine up to temperature IIRC!!

1819 wrote: But - it it overkill for a race engine that lives at 4000RPM plus apart from idling..? R I would say no, purely from a point of view of absolutely no experience here!! Reasoning: If you look at everyone else's MJ conversions on here etc, they all seem to make decent sizeable gains from fitting this, and actually being able to tune the ignition properly, so to speak. So I cannot see any reason why this would not also apply to your race engine? OK, different use, but surely there must be an improvement in having a tunable 'map' over simply slapping a static 32 degrees in place?? Cheers, Phil