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Hi Pete, Near Leeds, about five miles from the M1/M62 interchange. The straight pipe from my silencer to the axle bends could have been bent over my knee. I cut the downpipe literally where the bend is to take the pipe across the car. PM sent for more info.

Hi Pete, I got them from the link above 'pre-formed bends', they should go over your axle, they go over my Doly axle. In terms of joints, mine has one between the downpipe and silencer (I put it under the driver's seat), then a join between the rear of the silencer via a length of slightly bent pipe (link above) and the two pipes in my post above. They are joined together to allow fitting over the axle, then a final straight pipe to the back of the car. I put an additional mount under the rear O/S passenger seat to take the weight. As I say above, I went for a straight pipe, as per orignial car spec. To back that up our 1960 Standard (same block and rear axle as Doly's etc.) has a single through straight pipe and the single silencer is under the driver's seat. If anyone wants the pipes in my post above they can have them for £15 the pair, plus post

Just done a search of my purchase history, these are below; Hydraulic pipe bender https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283628996259 Stainless steel tube https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112579591072 Pre-formed bends https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133089423580 You can make your own minds up about cost. The car has been through an MOT since fitting, with no issues.

I got it off ebay just before brexit, yes it is. I could probably get most of my cash back selling it second hand. It probably cost in total less than an M/S system if I could have got one. The attached photo is of the two pre-formed bends I purchased to go over the rear axle, i got two of each just in case, so these are now 'scrap'. The swage on the right hand one I cut off to fit inside the left hand pipe. I got a straight length of tube from the same firm. I didn't need a silencer because the silencer in the system was S/S, the system had been cobbled together but last time I looked just by putting stainless steel silencer on ebay they were about £65 ish.

Pete, If you are handy and good at making things you could try making your own system if you have the old exhaust as a pattern. If the front pipe is O.K. you just need the pipe section and silencer. I'm not sure of the layout of the Toledo but I made a single box, straight stainless steel exhaust for my 1300 Dolomite (original first spec) removing the twists across the car and back. I had to buy the downpipe because the original was on from new in 1980 and had rusted through. It's not as difficult or as expensive as you might think. Straight 3 metre lengths of S/S tube and S/S silencers are available on ebay. If the bends are slight it can be bent around say a tree trunk with someone helping you. I went more high tech., I purchased a new hydraulic pipe bender, it cost about £75 but the total cost of a new exhaust, bender included was a fraction of the price of a new system from a firm beginning with R. There are firms on ebay who will provide bends to specific angles to make a system, again they aren't expensive. The bender will get used on other cars in the future. If you want details of pipe and silencer suppliers let me know.

If you do a search of www.fmecat.eu it looks like they could have purchased a lot of trade names going by their photos on the site. So the contents could be from anywhere and of varying specs. A bit like 'G' Plan etc. in the 70's to get in to the market.

You could probably get an idea of end float in numbers. Taking the above one stage further run the engine, to centralise the crankshaft, stop the engine. Mark a spot on the timing cover as a reference point. Cut a piece of angle iron or similar to very nearly fit between the back of the crank pulley and the timing cover mark and file the ends of the angle square. Apply the clutch to push the crank forward. With angle iron back in place measure the gap between the end of the angle and crank pulley with a feeler gauge. Or use an external micrometer if you have one. To remove any eccentricity of the crank pulley in the measurement repeat, but before measuring the gap rotate the crank by hand 180’ If you drop the sump as well as a visible inspection of the bores touch gives an another impression of wear or scoring.

No problem, two months or more, they won't be going anywhere.

It was needs must, I needed the car for work, minimum 300 miles per week just to get there.

Hi Pete, I have a pair of recliner front seats (1300 Dolomite) if you want a pair, gratis. Unfortunately I'm near Leeds. The inner most side frame on the driver's seat was cracked and repaired by someone at the wrong angle but if you want them for re-covering it shouldn't be a problem. I replaced them with a pair from a Sprint.

The nose of my 1963 12/50 Herald behind my Great Grandmother's shoulder photographed in 1975. Visible is the aluminium end cap over the rubber bumper.

I took a week off work to do my first engine out and re-built by myself because I had asked a garage to do a clutch change, they did but didn't tell me the rear engine oil seal was ify. The clutch lasted a month, a new oil seal was 50p (time flies). They would pay for a new clutch (if defective) I would have to pay for labour (£30), 1974 prices. I did the re-built, rings, clutch, everything for about £40. The time included bus trips to get parts, in total, about four days. In terms of cost now, it will depend on what is needed, or, if you want to go down the route of preventative maintenance, all bearings rings seals etc. When I did mine I had the massive advantage of local factors for rings and bearings and a dealership for seals etc.. Don't forget the recessed lip/gasket for the cylinder head! With the engine and box out as one lump you have the additional advantage of checking the clutch and replacing if needed. And to get them out it is simply four bolts off the prop and two nuts each off the engine and gearbox mounts. If your car is a week-end drive having done all that you could have a car that is maintenance free for many years, mine are daily drivers.

Sorry Wendy but they were. My 1963 12/50 purchased by me in 1974 had them, and they were a rust trap. I don't know what the first fitment date was.

Are you sure the oil is coming from the sump gasket and not the timing cover oil seal? It's surprising how much noise a timing chain tensioner makes if it is worn, as was the tensioner in my last Dolomite (same engine). It had been replaced by someone in the past, badly. If you were dropping sumps etc. by the time you have finished it would be easier and quicker to take the engine and box out and re-con the engine because it sounds like you have a worn engine, reason I say that is that I have never had to replace a rocker shafts in nearly half a century, even in engines that have gone round the clock.

Simple test to find out. Remove the fan belt and run the engine with the alternator running

You have the same set-up as I have but my resistor is mounted on the suspension tower with a separate direct feed from the fuse box. But according to spec. (drop down boxes used by suppliers etc.) the car should have had a ballast resistor. Because Robsun couldn't see one he presumed it was in the loom (as per Danny's issue?) and according to his research. As I said earlier my car is last but one 1300 built in 1980, registered in 1982, hence 'Y' reg! The only one known.

The point I was trying to make was that Robsun thought it should be a resistance loom according to the book and build date, and, he though he may have had the same problem as Danny had, but BL had used non-standard, but identical looking parts (in a number of different models), cable colour etc.. That's why it took an auto-electrcian five hours to find and sort the problem. Had Robsun not gone by the book and purchased a 12 volt electronic ignition system, gone against the book, there would never have been the problem. It was only when he talked to the ex-BL apprentice that he found it a 'common' problem in the trade. But it raises the issue that there may be owners out there who think the same, resistance loom, but in fact it isn't.

Timing chain and gears with the noise resonating through the cam shaft? Especially if you had excessive wear in the rocker shaft.

That's the problem Robson had, only the book said it was a resisted circuit (in the loom) but he found no resistance in the cable after buying an expensive ballasted electronic ignition kit. The BL apprentice he knows worked on other BL vehicles such as LDV's in the late 70's and some should have had resistance cables but they hadn't and were causing issues for dealers but BL kept quite.

Sorry Rob., not even going there, I do have an opinion that is backed by over thirty years experience.

Hi Rob, Only quoting what he found and the difficulties he and the auto electrician have over the five hours it took them to find and sort the problem and the simplified explanation he gave me over the phone.

Couldn't edit my previous post and forgot to add a point about specific cars. It thus poses potential problems for Dolomite owners where there is a large, low lying expanse of petrol tank for water to accumulate over time to cause pin holes (a problem I had as the car was garaged). Or, Herald and Vitesse owners where the lowest point of the petrol tank is the drain tube/plug where a good 100mm of water can collect over time. The key phrase being 'accumulation'. I agree, the Wiki source isn't purely scientific but the source references are in the article.

Sorry to add my final post on the subject, the Wikipedia take on the subject of ethanol being hygroscopic. Not a quote from a forum.

The issues he had were repeated hot coils, miss fires bad starting when hot etc.. He and everyone including the auto electrician thought his (my) car, 'Y' reg., had a ballasted resistance coil with the resistor wire buried in the loom (no external resistor as per my previous 'V' reg Dolomite). To overcome repeated hot coils he put a separate resistor with direct feed in the engine compartment. He was also told that if the voltage to the coil is battery voltage then it isn't resistor fitted, if it's 9volts or thereabouts there is a resistor somewhere in the system. He knows an ex BL apprentice and there were issues known about but not published because parts were swoped between models because of availability of parts . On the Dolomite forum he was known as Robsun

It may not be so obvious. The previous owner of my Dolomite, last but one ever built, had significant issues with the ignition and coil before and after fitting electronic ignition. He and an auto electrician thought that the resistor could be in the loom somewhere. I will try and contact him to see exactly what he did.