Dirk

If you are not watcxhing you should be! Hotrod.com or motortrend channel on YouTube. The ulimited class is up in the air. Tomm Bailey ran 6.52 at over 220mph on the first day but toasted his engine on the second so he is out. Jeff Lutz managed to squeeze in under 7 seconds today but he keeps toasting head gaskets so who knows what he will do tomorrow. Larry Larson (who would be leading after Tom Bailey) had a million problems and only just made it to the staging lanes in time today. He broke the timing line but did not race so posted 20 seconds. This means he is at the back of the Unlimited group but considering Lutz's HG issues.......... Doug Cline has been posting consistent sub 7 second times without problem so far so he looks like a serious threat to Lutz at this stage. Now they have to drive 300 miles to the next raceway!

The one you have selected looks about right. These distributors are remarkably generic. I have a dozen or so collected from wrecking yards from different engines. As long as the direction of rotation is correct you should be able to get the rest to work. Just be aware that they may have different shaft lengths, timing curves and VAC specs but these can all be fiddled with and made to work one way or another. Cheers Dirk

I have mine permanently under the hood. The needle is a little shakey when cold but when warmed up it sits solidly on 21" at idle. I also love my Wideband O2 sensor. Both these tools are excellent for tuning and diagnosis.

Not sure what your emissions rules are over there but if you can get away with it I would cap the PCV and let the breathers vent into the air. Not the most environmentally conscious method but it does keep the induction system clean. I have one breather hose up near the radiator fan and one trailing down beneath the car. In theory this should allow fresh air circulation. Why do I suggest this? In my experience even correctly setup PCV systems get clogged up and ultimately spew emulsified oil into the carb and manifold. My solution is not perfect but if you change your oil regularly then there should not be a problem. Cheers, Dirk

Hi, Do the 'brights' work from the stalk? (like when you flash someone) Check the big round plugs that go into the back of the dash. I have had intermittent problems with these connections before that have affected my lights. I do have wiring diagrams. If you are really stuck let me know and I will scan them and post. Cheers Dirk

Yup, I have Gen 2 struts on my Gen 1 sedan. Indeed it sits a little lower. Also the struts are from a Brat so they have adjustable height. New struts are not easy to find but I did manage to find damper inserts for them. Sorry, can't remember the product code but I think they are from Monoroe. Rear dampers have been a reall mission for me. There are codes that exist for the replacement parts but no one seems to carry them here in NZ. I have found a small company that supply 'GAZ' dampers (google it). GAZ have adjustable rebound and compression. I have been meaning to buy a pair for a while. If I do this month I will let you know how I get on. Cheers Dirk

Sounds like you need to bleed the system. Have a look on Youtube. There are hundreds of videos detailing how to do this with a friend or by yourself. You would be wise to bleed the whole system starting at the master cylinder and then the furthest away (rear right). Be patient, get lots of new brake fluid and remember keep the reserviour topped up all the time. Ask a silly question... Did you replace pads on both sides? The pads will need bedding in before they give you full stopping power. Cheers Dirk

About time I added mine to this awsome thread.

Yup! Just had a look. Master Cylinder is bleeding out the back onto the brake booster. Maybe time for a new brake booster too. Barrett045 FYI it would seem that 'bench bleeding' the MC is a better way to go before reinstalling. Cheers Dirk

Interesting. Thanks for this. I had trouble bleeding my brakes only a couple of weeks ago after a major caliper rebuild. They work OK now but are certainly not as firm as I expected. Think Ill buy a new MC to eliminate any potential damage. Old one is over 30 years old anyways. Cheers Dirk BTW, nice to see you are still around Nipper. I have been under the radar for a while but I'll catch up via the OT at some point.

Yop are trying to bleed the two bleed points on the master cylinder? You need to do this in the same way as bleeding from the calipers. Do you have someone helping you? If not you can do this yourself by connecting a hose to the bleed nipple and putting the other end into a vessal of brake fluid. Then you can pump the brakes yourself with the bleed nipple open. cheers Dirk

Ah the digital age! Now I have to spend all my hard earned cash on a decent Digital analogue converter! I'm just about old enough to remember what vinyl looks like but I am seriously considering starting a collection. Shakespeare? The guy ruined my childhood! Dammit. He gets drunk in some pub in London and writes a couple of pearls on the back of a cigarette packet and for ever after school children around the world are forced to dissect the concept of 'pathetic fallacy'.......Tosser! Nice clock by the way. Dirk

Good evening! Have a look at this. It may allow you to do a rudimentary check on the cam shaft. http://www.kelford.co.nz/sole-purpose-of-degreeing-your-cam If the camshaft was re-ground at some point, maybe they used a different reference to the original marks........maybe. Don't suppose you happened to check the alignment when you first stripped the engine down? BTW. I have chatted to the guys at Kelfords. They are very nice and quite generous with their time and free advise. Could be worth asking them. Other thoughts: Is there any way that your timing marks have changed? I changed my flywheel once and didn't notice that the timing marks were about 20 degrees retarded compared to the original flywheel. This had me stumped for days. Is your VAC advance connected as original? Is it direct to the manifold or ported through a carb? Judging by your timing numbers it is ported to the carb (zero vac at idle). If so, is it connected to the correct port on the carb? Clearly you had this engine running well to begin with. Other than reconditioning and fine tuning parts, you have not (knowingly) changed anything. Must be something simple.... Cheers and good luck. Dirk

Yup! I have 5 speed at the moment. But there are no freeways in NZ. Mostly I stick to the speed limit these days (father of one....). When I'm on my own I like to rip around on tight winding roads. Just wondering if it would be more fun in a 4 speed. Cheers Dirk

Hi, Forgot. Also check the new points are identical. Again these are not always the same and if they are wrong they could be breaking out of sync with the rotor and cap terminals. Cheers, Dirk

Hi, I know nothing about Gyroplanes but If it were me I would be looking at the ignition timing. My thoughts are: Ditch the VAC advance and advance the timing to 36 degrees at 3600 rpm +-. If this helps you may choose to dial the timing in by feel/ear. Personally I think VAC advance is a waste of time. The mechanical advance does a more than adequate job. With modified carbs and a mild cam you may not even be getting a reliable VAC signal. Also check to see if you have the right Dizzy cap. Is it identical to the old one? I have noticed that depending on the year of the engine some are taller or even have the terminals offset. Cheers, Dirk

I have Gen 2 struts on my 79 sedan. They fit fine. The overal length is about an inch shorter but that suits me fine. These are ajdustable so you can always lift them a bit if you need. The travel is the same as Gen 1. Alternitavely you can put new inserts in your old struts. I have done this too. It took a little fiddling but I made it work. Cheers Dirk

Yup, I agree. Also, my OEM pressure plate looks exactly the same as your new one. A centering tool would be handy for this job. I cut the end off an old tranmission to do this but maybe you can borrow one from a friendly mechanic? Cheers Dirk

Which is the most fun? With regards Dirk

Thanks. Just remember........ I dont have the first clue into what I'm doing. Hopefully someone will chime in with some technical feedback. ( best advice I have had so far is to spend money on a good valve grind) With best regards Dirk

Comments/advice welcome. Cheers Dirk

Do you guys have Hankook in the US? So far my experience here has been good. They are quiet and seem to last pretty well. They are also easy to find in all different sizes (even in sizes like 205 60 13) and relatively cheap. Certainly they are not the cheapest but at about $80.00 NZD per tire they are affordable. Cheers, Dirk

Hi, It could be just that you need to adust the toe and camber. The lower the car sits the more negative the camber gets. Mormally people have a problem with positive camber after lifting the car. In your case because the rear is a bit saggy, you are (probably) experiencing negative camber. You can lift the car up again by adjusting the torsion bar. This bar has spines on both ends that you can disengage and riengage in different places to either lift or lower that car. Grab a Haynes manual to see how it is done. I have done this before and it is not hard. You can also adjust the camber by fitting or removing shim plates on the inboard end of the torsion bar. Again have a look at the manual. Finally, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the toe. You can either gaet a mechanic to do it for you or you can have a look your self by setting up a string line around the wheel base. The toe can be adusted by moving the inboard ends of the torsion bar forward or backward. Excesive wear on the inner edge of the tire could mean negative toe. Cheers

Ooops. Lets try that agin shall we?

This may help. Sorry I was in a bit of a rush. http://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=hTkkLg_EM1Q Cheers. Dirk