Mick Day

Adrian Do you do these modifications to order or do they just...............happen

The main reason why people upgrade to a 1.6/1.8/1.9 is becuase it's relatively easy. I bought my 1.4K in 1994, had it converted to a SS in 1996 by Caterham & was one of the 1st to replace the engine with a 1.6K in 2000. It now has a DVA 1.9 in situ. In 1994 I was torn between the K series & the carb crossflow. I chose the K series because it had FI & was glad I did.

Tony How does one replace the flywheel/clutch with the block in situ? Or does one drop the crank & flywheel as one unit? Mick Edited by - Mick Day on 23 Mar 2007 12:34:18

Drilling the cam cover is the easy part. The difficult part is fitting the hoses to the sandwich plate & arranging their passage through the alternator belt. The alternator also gets in the way as does the exhaust. So do the easy thing & remove both before you start. There is also a small flange which can rub the hoses & with the alternator out of the way it's easier to get a dremmel or something in there. I did it the hard way & ended up having to get Caterham to tighten the connections because it leaked. Many thanks to Simon Lambert for arranging this at short notice many moons ago! I didn't bother with the 1 way valve & to be honest I don't think it's of much use. True the OP takes a few seconds to come up but there's little load on the engine whilst waiting. For a top mount I used a jubilee clip around the chassis & intertwined this with the big clip around the tank. Just use some old rad hose to protect the powder coat. Oh & the early 90's K series alternator may need some fettling to fit around the hoses or use a longer alternator belt but mind it doesn't knock on the chassis. Have fun!

A bit off topic but I see our M25 man is into FC as well as PF

Darren When you order the FH6 from Think tell them which sensor you're going to screw in or better still put the sensor on an extension. Think again can supply everything you need. Mick

Darren You're spot on, FH6 here is the one you want. I know because I bought one for my PACE dry-sump set-up last year. Mick Edited by - Mick Day on 15 Mar 2007 17:56:59

Adil 205/60/13 tyres will fit on 6" rims. Fills out the rear wings a treat. Mick

. My car is a 1994 K series car & the handbook said that the baffle plate should be replaced every 12,000 miles "as they can fracture". However there is no mention of the sump foam in the 1994 handbook. Incidentaly I had to replace the baffle plate as it did start to crack a few years back.

Myles When my K was wet sumped I removed the foam (my foam sat in the sump & was not sandwiched between the baffle plate & oil rail) & fitted a Hellier baffle. Not a lot of difference with OP change to be honest. So dropped the sump again, drilled the holes in the sump gasket & modified the oil pick-up by putting 3 dents around the periphery in between the 3 blips. The blips are supposed to keep the pick-up from touching the bottom of the sump & the dents just increase the flow rate into the pick-up. It does work & stopped the OP gauge from waving at me. When the engine was dismantled one big end bearing showed signs of mild damage & that was after 6 years of track days, road use etc., some 19,000 miles. Foam was removed & Hellier baffle used for 1 of those years. Mick Edited by - Mick Day on 14 Mar 2007 10:45:22

Darren If you decide to go with the external pressure & scavenge pump (ala PACE) then you can buy a new filter housing from Think Auto which has a pressure input connector at the front of the housing. This elliminates the sandwich plate & the associated problem of the plumbing having to go through the alternater belt. Mick

Only 126 miles to Steve & Steve at Track n Road: 07774-773824

*idea*If you press the brake warning light all it does is test the bulb in the switch. 🙅🏻‍♂️If the light comes on when the ignition is on it means the brake fluid is low.

*idea*Go on let us know; we've all got life insurance.

Anybody had a go at DIY? here

*idea*The water trick is not a bad idea assuming the tank is out. However I have a note from October 2003 which says with the VDO gauge just below empty it took 31 litres to fill. That's assuming the fuel station pump was accurate. I believe the tank holds 8 gallons which is 36.37 litres.

Thanks for that Cagey, just seen that Empi do neoprene gaskets for the clip on covers as well. I'll see whether VW Heritage can supply.

I do

*idea*Zetec or Duratech won't fit. Has to be a flat 4 engine.

Old technology, plenty of potential for the gasket to shed bits into the oil system: has anyone come up with a more modern longer lasting solution?

Check the gauge & sender 1st. Then if still the same have a look at the oil pick-up. Not too sure how it's fitted in a Vx but if it's come loose..................................

The flywheel looks like the lightweight flywheel fitted in circa 1997 & will be a little heavier than the current lightweight flywheel. If you want to remove it & weigh it a non-lightened one is around 7kgs (from memory) & the latest CC lightweight is around 3kg. Your input shaft looks like the Ford one but doesn't look as though it's been shortened. Edited by - Mick Day on 8 Feb 2007 13:35:30

Have a look here at the build manual.

If you want more grip at the rear why not change the fronts to 185/60's?

The answer of course is why? However both will give near the same rolling radius. 185/70's will be cheaper, much cheaper. 205/60's will be of little benefit unless you have over 190BHP or so. But yes the 205/60's will fit under clams & they can be fitted to 6"wheels.