Rob Walker

I am watching this with interest. The ACB10`s are banned, one day later plans are afoot by the front runners to fit an alternative expensive solution which no one in there right mind would use as a road tyres and will necessitate increasing wheel widths to accomadate the new rubber. Madness. IMO a control tyre needs to be specified if you want to attract more members into sprinting, it needs to be a level playing field. Rob

Peter, Looks like you may have to file a couple of flats on the knob at the base so you can get a spanner on it and Heat will also help to soften the loctite bond. Rob

Peter, Is it not possible to unscrew the three bolts that attach the gear lever to the box and lift the whole lot clear. Rob

Rik, I would advise you to stay with the standard Ford lever. Rob

I will take the de dion ears please. YHM. Rob

This lot is still for sale and at £250 is a give away. Put this with the VVC head and a set of Piper 285H cams and you will have 180bhp + for very little money. Rob

For Sale VVC head complete with valves springs retainers and followers. There is some evidence of slight valve piston contact on one cylinder so it will be necessary to replace the 4 valves on that cylinder. The head is flat on the gasket face and has never been skimmed/refaced nor has it been overheated or modified in any way. Perfect for a winter upgrade and some serious power. Selling £300 ono plus carriage. Rob.

Cheers Nick YHM.

BTTT

STILL for sale and a bargin at £450.BTTT Rob Edited by - Rob Walker on 13 Nov 2006 12:27:50

Hi Alan, Its yours if you want it I will bring it over to your next meet or you could come to ours next Tuesday. No rush. Rob

For sale one MOG carbon composite blank undrilled dash for pre 2003 standard chassis. £85 plus carriage. Rob

Steve, Are you saying that you do not experience excessive pad knockoff. Did you remove the springs from inside the calipers,what vintage are your calipers ie the grey ones with the pads retained by a small casting and two cap allens. type 2 the black ones with caterham cast on the side pads retained by a sleeve and one cap allen bolt. Type 3 Black with pads held by two pins retained by spring clips. Nick, I do not know , sorry.

DD, As the threaded bush is welded onto the top face of the bottom chassis rail I would remove the interior ali panel and drive out the broken stud remover with a centre punch and small hammer. It should come out as you are working it away from the taper. I would then drill out the remainder of the broken bolt using the ID of the threaded bush as the guide for the drill bit then run a tap down the thread from the inside. Good luck Rob

Paul, You may be surprised that the mechanical thermostat cannot be purchased as a simple thermostat its an integral part of the housing and hose take off spouts. Not a cheap item. Rob. Edited by - Rob Walker on 6 Nov 2006 11:07:19

Paul, The 3mm hole in VX thermostat was to reduce the overall temp that the engine ran at as the stock thermostat was rated too high and a proper replacement cost £90 ish from Swindon. Not sure it would help on the duratec. Rob Edited by - Rob Walker on 6 Nov 2006 10:59:11

I have just overhauled my AP front brake calipers and was surprised to see that behind each piston was mounted a coil spring which works to oppose the seal roll back and reduce pad knock off. I contacted AP who told me that these springs which are rated 4lbs installed length are only fitted to the race calipers and you can run without them if you wish. My question is has anyone tried running without these springs fitted as the reduction in brake drag and wear must be an advantage? Rob

The Duratec water pump is capable of producing quite high flow within the block when the engine is revving I have seen it blow the hoses off . Cosworth then started fitting the oversized drive pulley, has this now been dropped? I wonder If the pressure/flow generated is so high that it is preventing the thermostat from closing once it has opened.

Are you using the ECU controlled themostat or the fixed mechanical Mazda type? Rob

I have Avon 8.2 x 22 x 13 R400 slicks on the rear of my car and have one more track day left this year a couple of the wear indicators have just vanished on the inside and outside edges. Question is it safe to continue using these if I check them after each 15min session or am I risking my neck with the possibility of a deflation ? My fronts have plenty of rubber remaining. Thanks Rob

Mark if you know what you want try going direct to Accralite the man to speak to is called Andy Baker tel 0121 5256450 hes a very helpfull chap.

Steve could you please contact George Martin on 07990 505147 to conclude this sale ASAP. many thanks Rob

One area that has not been covered in this debate is " Air Filtration" It has been my experience that poor air filtration has caused more damage to my K engines over the past 8 years than any other factor. Until this season I have used a variety of foam filters, some drawing air from within the bonnet area some drawing through the bonnet. At all times the filters were regularly cleaned and preened with the recomended dust retention oils. Routeenly I would examine the inlet tracks and be alarmed to find a thin coating of abrasive dust had passed through the filter. When stripping the engines down at the end of each season, the bores would be scratched, valve guides would show wear, valves seats would be worn. Last year I fitted an airbox and a massive K&N cone filter, periodic checks on the inlet tract have shown them to be clean with no accumalation of abrasive dust particles. The engine has remained strong without the usual fall off in performance and oil usage is worryingly low. Rob

Peter, Scholar also heat the block and liners whilst under compression with a torque plate fitted when boring and honing. I have been very pleased with my EVO2 scholar block and if your on a budget it could be worthy of consideration. Rob

Super, it is a very nice engine to work on simplicity ,the video highlights this well Rob Edited by - Rob Walker on 2 Nov 2006 08:55:00