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1

General Car Chat / Re: Just saying.

« on: Today at 14:26:29 »

It’s ok, he’s over it now. 

My wife has an Angel hanging from her rear view mirror, which we forgot about when we took it for its mot. When I collected the car the mot guy had removed it and left it on the passenger seat. What a decent guy for using common sense. 

2

Omega General Help / Re: GM Front Disc kit How much! Going for Brembo Coated - Curious any ones to avoid!

« on: Today at 11:27:25 »

I have started using Comline coated brake discs, with Comline /  Allied Nippon (same company) pads. I have used them on many modern vehicles, and they are excellent quality. The pads are great for road use with a good bite. Comparing the finish too on the pads with other makes I've used in the past, the quality of the Allied Nippon pads is very very good.
I say this based on my own experiences with various makes of brake components, and I accept others will have their own preferences, but for price and quality of manufacture, in my opinion, Comline are an excellent value for money choice.

Hmm, interesting. I’m not familiar with this brand, other than Nippon being Japanese from my motorcycle days, but a quick google brings up decent prices and reviews.   
As for other brands, they vary massively in both price and reviews. From the Motor Factors there are apparently genuine Pagid and not so genuine Pagid, Brembo are now cheaper than Pagid and so on. 
Car manufacturers don’t make brakes, even though they may put their label on them, so it would be helpful to know which supplier supplied which brand to which model. It would make choosing replacements that little bit easier.   

3

Omega General Help / Re: ODBII only read codes with engine running

« on: Today at 10:38:32 »

Out of curiosity, if you connect the code reader and start the engine and then turn the key back one click so that the engine stops but the ignition is still on, does the code reader read the vehicle then. 
I seem to recall that I had to do this on odd occasions with my 3.2 when using a generic code reader.
Although you say it was working fine previously. 

4

General Car Chat / Re: New zorst for the Mexican.

« on: 16 May 2024, 08:37:08 »

……..
Personally I think they should have come like this as standard.

I agree, it looks so much better.  I’d be well happy with that. 

5

General Car Chat / Re: New zorst for the Mexican.

« on: 15 May 2024, 20:49:40 »

Chav my zorsts. 

In photo one I thought they looked on the large side but in photo two they look great.    Looks like a proper M car now. 

6

General Car Chat / Re: R50 Bini

« on: 13 May 2024, 21:17:46 »

......
Our old Rover 25 was like that, .....

As I've posted before, the Rover 25 was the test body when the company were doing high mileage trials on the Cooper S engine, so if you ever saw a Rover 25 with twin centre zorsts that was one of them fitted with a Cooper S engine.     

7

General Discussion Area / Re: Lawnmowers

« on: 13 May 2024, 19:51:54 »

Ok....so I can deffo do a nut / bolt solution for the pawl's that fly out.....once I can work out how to rewind the spring 

Watch a YouTube video of how to do it. 

Ahhhh......that's better 

 
When I got halfway through I did think that it warranted a ‘Long boring post’ warning, or at least change it to a PM. 

8

General Car Chat / Re: R50 Bini

« on: 13 May 2024, 19:22:29 »

Should add, quite fun to drive. ……

My Mrs must have had every derivative going of the R50/R56 Bini, from the Cooper S to the diesel. I’d defy anything to go around a corner or roundabout as quick as a Mini, they are like a go kart.    I had immense fun in hers when she wasn’t in it. 
The only issue was steep hill starts. Too little revs and it would nearly stall and too many revs resulted in a fifty yard wheel spin like a boy racer.    Very difficult to catch it just right and this is where the diesel was the much better choice, as it just plodded away at hill starts with no drama. 

9

General Discussion Area / Re: Lawnmowers

« on: 13 May 2024, 18:56:20 »

Ok....so I can deffo do a nut / bolt solution for the pawl's that fly out.....once I can work out how to rewind the spring 

The spring replacement can be a bit of an arse. You have to put the outer part with the hook on up against a peg/casting on the outer side of the inner hole and then gradually rotate the casing while feeding the spring inside its own loop. Do this until the whole spring is inside itself. It can be awkward as you have to fit a spring that is open to around one foot in diameter in to a recess of around two and a half inches. 
Once the spring is fitted, fit the pull cord through the pawl plate hole, then you have to carefully lower the pawl plate on to the spindle and wiggle it in to place until it’s in position. There will be a peg/pin on the underside of the pawl plate that should grab the inner spring hook when you turn the pawl plate. It usually grabs by turning anti-clockwise. It will resist and try to turn back when it’s caught the hook. Keep turning it against the resistance until it’s fairly tight, jam the reel with a screwdriver and feed the pull cord through the casing hole and fit the pull cord handle. When you release the screwdriver the wheel should pull the cord on to the reel. 
If this doesn’t make sense, watch a YouTube video of how to do it. 

10

General Discussion Area / Re: Lawnmowers

« on: 13 May 2024, 15:55:02 »

…………..
May continue to play with the old one in the background, but need something that works and is appropriate for what I have.

Yep, keep it for when you want to tinker with something.    I’ve recently repaired my neighbours rotary recoil starter as the pawls cover plate had sheared off. The nut for the bolt is moulded in to the underside of the top cover so I drilled a hole in the top cover, drilled and tapped a bush for the underside to replace the sheared moulded in nut, put a washer on the other side and tightened it all up. It’s as good as new now and stronger than the original design. 
There’s a mower scrapyard seller on eBay, he has a yard full of old mowers and will strip parts off them as required. He’s based in Aylesbury Buckinghamshire and he’s really helpful and easy to speak to. I’ll try to find a link to his site. 

11

General Discussion Area / Re: Lawnmowers

« on: 13 May 2024, 15:25:12 »

diagnosed correctly as a gunged up carb. I spent £30 on genuine Briggs and Stratton carb kit and service items. It's been right as rain ever since. 

I think knackered diaphrams are common on B&S, as I'm sure YZ250 will testify.  Genuine diaphrams are around a five, for under £20 for the B&S service kit including primer bulb, plug, air filter etc....

Yep, the diaphragm can go stiff or split (less common), which prevents it resonating to act as a type of mini fuel pump to keep It running after the primer bulb fuel has emptied. Some mowers do have a float chamber carb so all you can do with this type is wash it through with clean petrol and a thin wire strand for the jets.

..and when you get stuck, phone YZ250 and he'll tell you what you've done wrong

 
I blame her allotment buddies for turning my garage into a mower mending workshop. 

12

General Discussion Area / Re: Lawnmowers

« on: 12 May 2024, 14:26:44 »

It is now difficult to start, the pull handle feels like its going to fall of at the next pull every time.

Ok....it did fall off at the next pull 

2 metal 'weights' plastic riveted on....or were....no chance of a start now

From memory the Suffolk Punch shares the same engine as the Suffolk Colt so opens up another spares avenue. The recoil starter is held on by three nuts and once removed exposes the metal parts that fling out to engage the starter and then spring back. The spring, cord etc is straightforward so I assume the fling out bits have come adrift. If you can't find a replacement and you're feeling brave, you can knock up a bracket to fit the flywheel slots and start it with a drill. You just need to be very quick at removing the socket once it starts.   
The carb is straightforward as you've probably already found out but both of these models were prone to fuel tank tap leaking. If you know someone in a machine shop, both the footplate (cutting edge) and blade can be sorted. We used to remove the blade (chain driven) and stick it in a lathe with a running centre. You could always tell when one of us was doing it by the ping ping ping as the cutter touched the cylinder blade. 

13

General Discussion Area / Re: Auroras this weekend?

« on: 10 May 2024, 19:58:23 »

…………..
The resulting geomagnetic storms set fire to telegraph offices ……………..

Can this one possibly be aimed at the BBC offices.    I’ll even put massive conductors on the roof if that helps.   

14

General Discussion Area / Re: If HS2 falls through.....

« on: 07 May 2024, 17:36:21 »

I doubt HS2 could build a bridge, they would talk about it for decades, then move soil around for another decade....

On a similar subject they are having to build tunnels where they don’t even need tunnels now.    You could be forgiven for thinking that the HS2 developers know what they’re at, but I don’t believe that they do.
In the Vale of Aylesbury the proposed route of HS2 through Hartwell was deemed to run too close to the Fairford Leys sports ground and play park, so HS2 tried to move it over a bit. The land on the opposite side of the proposed track would be ideal so they tried a compulsory purchase. The land concerned belongs to Hartwell House, a Grade 1 listed property. Yeh, good luck with that one. 
Having failed miserably to acquire the National Trust land it was back to square one, so both the National Trust and the sports ground have insisted on a land tunnel to protect the sports ground from the train and to minimise noise disruption to Hartwell House. 

15

General Discussion Area / Re: Going to take a look with maybe a purchase.

« on: 03 May 2024, 19:32:00 »

If my memory of my brother-in-laws three MK2 2.8 Granada Ghia X’s is correct (he had two X’s and one X Executive), the standard Ghia X had flat leather (or cloth) and the X Executive had puffed up leather. The Executive seat looked like it had an additional topper and looked like someone had bolted a three piece suite in to the car and I always thought that it looked a bit overdone.
Each to their own though. 

This clip shows what I mean regarding the original Executive Connelly Leather seats. Oh, and his zorst could do with being a big bigger as well.    Turn the sound down as the reviewer gets on your tit.    Nice restoration otherwise though. 

https://youtu.be/ae-HzhLDPJg?si=baeqvgE4g8p2lgdW