Bricol

I thought the Caterham ones worked pretty well really - my car gets used in all weathers over the last 20yrs and I've no complaints. Think I;ve had 3 or 4 sets in that time. Falling snow is a pain as it builds up at the ends of the wiper stroke and restricts the arc - but that's due to the near vertical screen more than the blades. They tend to wear out nice and evenly on the flat screen, so last a good while.

They do tend to last a long time though. Flippin' things for my Alfa are close to 40 quid for a good name pair from a discount supplier. And then I discover theres a bottom stop on the arm - so when its aged a bit and the mounts flex, the reason the screen isn't wiping so well is theres no pressure on the blade any more - a quick attack with two pairs of pipe wrenches to bend the arm and put some pressure on the blade and I have a clear screen again . . .

Just a thought about the quaife diff test: 1. Lift the drive wheels off the ground 2. With the engine off, put the car in any gear. 3. Rotate the Drivers wheel clockwise. The passenger wheel should rotate counter clockwise. 4. Block or lower the passenger wheel so it cannot turn. 5. Try to rotate the Drivers wheel. It should not turn but about 1 inch in either direction. My 2008 R400D came with the Quaife ATB, so I've just conducted the same test: 1. Raised the rear wheels. 2. (In neutral) Rotated one wheel -- the other rotated in the same direction. 3. (In gear) Rotated one wheel -- the other rotated in the opposite direction. 4. Locked off one wheel by lowering it onto a block of wood. 5. (In neutral) Could rotate the other wheel easily. 6. (In gear) Could not rotate the other wheel at all (other than to take up transmission slack). If you did this with a "free" diff you would get the same results.

I want to see how they build in that steering box though :)

The crossflow in the ebay ad is only an 1100 or a 1300 though - lower block so a bit pointless unless you actually want either of those.

I think it adds more than roll over protection - mummy driving an SUV tank turns to see what up with darling child in the back, doesn't notice the less than ultra-bright brake lights mounted so low on a seven . . . muddy white van man fingering his tablet to see where the next drop is . . . imagine where one would end up if its braking ends in a trip up the rear panel of a seven . . . Bit like seat belts - have you needed them yet ? Or the air-bag in your normal car ? (although admittedly, two my other normal cars don't have them - too old) Think I'd rather have it and not ever need it, than need it once and not have it . . .

Message sent about the brake hoses and front wings. Bri

Replied :)

A decent paint man with all the toys should be able to tell you - my Challenger paint code didn't come up from just "B5", but when he put his super duper gadget thingie on it, it came up with the full code.

That why I don't remember a key then:) I might have to go examine the spare crank now. Not sure why I didn't see play - its an ex-Freelander engine I re-purposed. Strangely, had a work conversation about keys this afternoon - seems we might not employ "fitters" anymore - complaints about having to "fit" long keys in the main shafts of one of our products - and now machine shop complaining about being given them to machine down - which now we know, probably explains some other issues we couldn't work out once the machine is in production the other side of the world!

A splodge in the void is okay - packed solid is bad. Overheating and bearing failure can be caused. Felt seal doesn't need to be over-greased - although if it had, I would have thought you wouldn't have it continuing after the first run or two.

The felt seals are a very robust, long lasting solution - even with more modern materials, there are still situations were you would use felt as anything else simply doesn't survive. They need a thorough greasing, or soaking in oil then greasing, before installation. My spare ones are sitting in a jar of oil ready . . . Engineered felt is a surprisingly large industry. Complicated even. If you really fancied it, you could probably get a local gasket maker to cut you new rings to glue in.

Done correctly, you'd "fit" an over-size key. By "fit" I mean an engineering fitter would make it a precise fit "in situ, as required" - as all the best drawings say :)

https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/front-hub-seal-felt-3 https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/front-hub-bearingsseals-kit-3 You'll really enjoy fitting it - buy a spare or two for when you wreck the first one trying to get it in!

If Ed's someone doesn't want 'em, I'd have the front ones if you can slap 'em in a box and send to Yorkshire?