uksnatcher

New battery = good  :) The battery light sould illuminate on second turn of the key and go out when the car starts running, a quick rev usually turns the light out if it doesnt go out straight away. If the bulb has blown, it wont charge the battery as its open circuit and the regulator wont work. Add a 12v feed to the ignition light wire at the alternator to test the bulb/wiring Heres a diagram if it helps any.....not Lucas so not exact but the same principal. Basically if the battery light isnt illuminated on second turn of the key, IE ignition on, engine not running....you have found a problem. Blown bulb, poor connection somewere, broken wire, knackered regulator/alternator.......process of elimination needed.

Use the palms of your hands to align...when it 'pops' back in place, it goes with a bang, otherwise here is the kit you will need.... ;)

I had exact same problem, replaced the original 'o' ring comfort universal joint for a solid type and nipped up the column slider. Lots of wear in the universal joint 'o' rings will cause rattle in the steering wheel, designed to have some comfort play but no looseness, you can get repair kits or just replace the 'o' rings or go for a replacement solid universal joint type for a direct steering feel. The Escort group 4 steering u/j fits perfectly: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-ESCORT-MK1-MK2-GROUP-4-STEERING-COUPLING-KNUCKLE-UNIVERSAL-JOINT-MLR-NL-/151324490490?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item233ba47afa There is a slider assembly at the bottom of the column (above the pedals) that is designed to slide in a crash and not having a face full of steering wheel, it has a grub screw and a lock nut to nip the slider to the column, if it has slight wear it will rattle through the steering wheel, just crack off the lock nut and nip the grub screw up tighter, then lock the nut again.

Probably worth investing in a new battery anyway whilst you have the card out, belt 'n' braces and all that  ;) Unless the battery is 'cycled' correctly no matter how good your alternator is , it wont help charge it. Plus if its not a lead acid battey, the newer calcium type batteries can just 'die off' unexpectedly

2353 wrote:Nice job. I intend to referb a Les Leston 15 inch wood rim wheel over the winter time. It's bound with leather strips at the moment as the wood started to split. Never attempted a refurb of a wood trimmed wheel,basicaly i dont like wood wheels, never have. Each to thier own and all that......the rough wood wheels cost many pennies to buy and always thought the refurb outlay cost for a 'proper job' would make it a specialist joiners job so non profitable...but i can see the appeal of a wood rmmed wheel, plus they reach a good price due to the work or labour intensive time involved producing the final product.

Fair comment but no issues, the 'angle of dangle' didnt zap my eyes in full sun, roof down driving over the weekend of the Woodvale event so even more pleased with it now.....(dance)

Oops.... i stated the MGF wheels were 28cm offset......i meant 28mm.....would look rather odd with that offset... ;D I paid £50 for the 4 a few years ago, rubbed them down and rattle canned them black gloss enamel for about a tenner. Not my taste, but sold them on ebay for £120. They are getting hard to get now and a set of standard out of the car MGF spare wheels i would expect to be around the £100 mark.

The MGF wheels i had were removed unused, straight out of 4 cars with new factory fitted 175/65/14 Goodyear GT65 tyres rated at 82T (118mph and 475kg) so good to go.

The MGf steel (spare) wheels looks like 28cm offset too, fitted to my spit:

Yes use green ones as Wim mentioned , white ones end up looking dim and make the dials look washed out. I went for this type as they use a prism type lens that spreads the green light rather than the traditional looking type lens that only shoots the light forward and the dails look dim: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-E10-Screw-Base-LLB987-LED-SMD-Green-Vintage-Classic-Car-Instrument-Bulb-Lamp-/161088631007?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2581a170df

Erm sorry ............i meant Ferny is incorrect in his comment as its very flippant IE disrespectful or the lack of a serious attitude = Arse :P ;)

ferny wrote:Cool. Should look nice when you finish it. Be sure to post some photos then. :P Arse......   :P  :P  :P 7801 wrote:Nice! Shows what can be achieved with a bit of time and elbow grease. Looks great Thanks John...cant beat a bit of bling... 8)

Thought i would show a few pics of a refurb i have just done on an old tired Mountney suede steering wheel. (Forgot to take pics of wheel in crusty state....doh :( ) First off i drilled the old rivets out that hold the 4 covers, then drilled the rivets that hold the wheel to the center section. A quick buff up of the flattened shiny suede with a small brass wire brush brought the suede back to black and like new, that was the easy bit... ;) Next was attacking the alloy center section that was covered with factory dirty matt black flaking paint, bought some cheap water based paint stripper from B&Q for about £3. Liberally sponged it on the center section: After a few hours soak...... Repeated the stripping 3 times, using a tooth brush to scrub the stubborn bits away leaving a sorry looking bare alloy center: Then set about with Autosol metal polish and eventually a very sore finger after an hours polishing, heres half done: After all polishing done , riveted the center back to the wheel and riveted the 4 covers back on: All done.... :)   Fitted to my car: All in all, very impressed with the job, lovely feel and looks the part, plus rejuvenated a crusty old Mountney steering wheel i payed a tenner for,  back to use for a few quid and a couple of hours work..... (dance) Gaz

1500 spit, Facet pump with pro-flow regulator rubber mounted next to clutch master cyl, ignition fed relay and inertia switch off a Mondeo mounted to center dash gearbox frame. Just re-piped with R9 rated fuel pipe.

Ok so oil change time......Valvoline VR1 20/50 at the ready... best oil i have ever used. The trusty double non return Mann filter has been superb so......i found a HUGE filter for a Massey Ferguson tractor    that is 3/4 unf and uses a large internal stack pipe and a non return seal to keep the filter 3/4 full of oil when mounted vertical. Wasnt sure it would fit but it does ....just...and bonus added an extra 1/2 lt of oil capacity, so with the 9 row oil cooler and the huge filter the oil in my engine is now 5.5 lts ( compared to 4.3 lt standard filter no cooler) The oil capacity with the Mann filter/cooler was 5 lts. Only just fitted it so will wait and see if the huge filter keeps up with the Mann for rapid cold cranking pressure....some pics... Gaz   

7458 wrote: So today I thought I'd check the clearances. Out of the 12 valves 3 were too loose, 4 were too tight and the rest seemed about right.     Hi Brian. You wouldnt have been able to check the gaps correctly with a feeler gauge due to the dents/lips caused by the hammering, looking at the state of the rockers you would have needed a click-adjust tool measuring only the gap itself and the oval shaft would have made accurate setup impossible anyway. Good call to pull the assembly off for inspection. You can get away with dressing the rocker surface as Marcus says its hardened now and then using a feeler gauge to set but seeing as the shaft is worn, the only fix is a new shaft/rockers. Check the oil feed from the head drilling hole, i forget the size but its recomended a drill bit spun with fingers in the oilway driling in the head can clear any debris buildup to ensure good oil feed, as something has caused the rockers to wear in the first place and you dont want a nice new shiny (expensive) rocker assembly wearing out before it should.

Also a viscous hub fan is quieter than a mechanical fan, in cool temps the fan hub 'freewheels' just wafting air sapping no engine power and when working correctly is very efficient,the wax thickens when the hub gets hot and engages the fan to drive making the blades drive air through the rad. The viscous hub is as good as an elec fan if not better but....the hub is mounted via a pressed bush which can fail causing hub detachment into the rad or through the bonnet and the hub can loose its wax causing inafective operation and 'wobble' or excessive play within the hub with vibration and possible seizure of the hub. This is not that common but can happen. Lots of moderns have viscous hubs but not that many new cars have them now, they simply have an efficient alloy rad and an elec fan, but old and new HGV's dont have elec fans, thay have the viscous hubs (that are bulletproof, never fail) with efficient cowlings or a hydraulic mechanical fan if the engine is too far from the rad IE buses/coaches/bin waggons etc due to the extreme temps/load thay need to cover. If the viscous hubs available for the Triumph engines were bulletproof, that would be the ideal choice but they have a reputation of unreliabilty and faliure.

My bit  ;) Pros/cons of mechanical or viscous hub fan: Constant airflow under bonnet easing hot weather spells but constantly saps engine power and MPG , more noise, viscous hub will fail eventually and unless working 100% will not engage the fan properly when hot. Mechanical fan will slow engine warmup to correct temp and cold weather driving will have the engine running too cold, stat opening and closing too much so poor MPG and performance. Rich running will degrade engine oil and possible ring/cyl bore damage. Constant cooling even when not needed. Simple, clutterless wirefree instalation. Fan is behind rad so no obstructions to flow on front surface of rad. Keeps the vehicle standard and more in keeping with classic car ownership Pros/cons of elec fan: High fan noise levels when fan is operating. Nice and quiet when not operating. Quicker engine temp build up and no fan drag on engine so better MPG and performance and no fan noise. Rapid cooling only when needed, lets the rad do its job cooling the engine rather than not needed forced air all the time. Warmer running in cold weather, not running rich so less damage to engine oil/cyl bores. No worries of old fan blades degrading/cracking or viscous hub faliure No airflow under bonnet when stationary causes large temp increase around engine and fuel system, vapour lock or petrol evaporation happens as modern petrol is not the same as old 4 star but can be fitted with an override switch on dashboard to operate fan manually if you are stuck in stationary traffic giving airflow under bonnet before it gets hot and bothered thus keeping temps at a happy level. There are cheapo elec fans and expensive fans, cheapos simply dont have enough airflow , Kenlows are not that great TBH but better than ebay cheapos, Spal or Pacet have loads of airflow which is totally needed in getting rid of the heat from the rad. Elec fans can be a pain to fit/mount so you could damage the rad, and do need a thermostat to control the operation so a sensor in the top or bottom hose or a sensor in the engine is required, some wiring including relay and fuse to ad to the install, and fabrication will be needed, and some experimentation on fan on/off temps for you car. A decent elec fan draws lots of amps from the battery/alternator so can flatten battery quickly or add stress to a tired alternator/fan belt, upgrade your alternator/battery if needed, its good practice anyway. Only saps engine power when elec fan is operating from extra demand from the alternator working hard via the fan belt to the crank pully. Fan may be mounted on front of rad causing possible airflow restriction but can act as a gaurd from any large objects that may get thrown into the rad area when driving. Does not look correct on a period car unless using old original factory fitted components that are probably not as effective as a modern efficient fan setup. My preference was I fitted a Pacet fan, in front of the rad with an override switch and controlled by a sensor tapped into the thermostat housing, wired using relay, took time and effort but wouldnt go back to a mechanical fan at all. Ran too cold, fan noise and drag got tiresome very quicly. Cheers Gaz

Cold air feed is a good improvement. I dont know if my experimental agricultural cold air feeds work but they havnt caused any probs so far....    ;) Over the ends of the tubes pointing towards the filters i have taped some large mesh Stihl Saw air filter foam and drilled some small drain holes in the lower bends to stop any water damage from downpour driving??

7378 wrote:If you go the K&N route don't forget to get some stub stacks - it will help air flow into the carbs I also second stub stacks with K&N's, here you go for HS2 carbs nice and cheap... :) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-Midget-1275-1098-Stub-stacks-for-use-with-K-N-or-any-pancake-air-filter-/190715798272?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c678c2300 Or......really good ones for real money.. :o http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARB-AIR-FILTER-STUB-STACKS-TRIUMPH-MINI-MG-H1-HS2-HS4-HS6-/231232544935?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35d688a0a7

Some carb porn  ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtSam0RgPl4

Nice one Jordan......good find, i ordered a couple too....(ok) Pre loaded oil filter idea is really good M.  the larger ones hold about 1/2 lt oil so like you say, need a good cold crank to initially fill.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What Alex says......fantastic stuff on clear plastic, used it for years no ill effects like hardening or milking to the plastic at all ......(ok)

I have Philips Xtreme headlamp bulbs , huge improvement but wanted more so..... Added 4300k 35watt HID conversion kit to the spotlamps No issues with the H3 bulbs, simple replacement with no length problems, they fit snugly in the housing just had to drill a hole and ad a rubber grommet for the 2 rather large bulb connectors to go through. Wiring the extra wires for the bulb ballasts is a pain but cable ties are your friend.. ;) During the process i borrowed an 8000k bulb and tried it, noticably less bright than the 4300k bulb, both very white but the 8000k had a blue edge/prism. Conclusion: Just do it...! Yes they are brighter and yes they throw light further....much further. Cheap upgrade , even for 100w lamps... I have now wow spotlamps instead of average / good. Some before (with 100w spots) / after (with HID bulbs in the spots)pics i took: Before: After ( camera struggling here) :

Or pump the oil in past the large silicone/rubber seal using an oil can like this for example , not as messy as a funnel and speeds the filling process up : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-.....;hash=item4178f96135