Thanks Paul, well of course, the view will improve with the correct wheels doors paint etc!

Rotor arm failed -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psfb5cdf0e.jpg

It's a real weak spot on these old engines. I'll be carrying a couple of spares from now on.

DD - I found the cones in the glove box. Don't even remember putting them in there! Is that lucky or what?

Not true Mr Towed - rotors manufactured to original spec last extremely well, I have never had one fail on me in thousands of miles motoring with these engines.

Unfortunately there are many cheap reproduction parts that do not hold up so well - so my advice is, spend just a couple of quid more and be sure to get an original spec part (but you can always carry a spare for peace of mind of course!)

Baz from Brussels

Hi Baz, it was one of these that failed -

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GRA102RED

I've had three of these fail now - the one the donor came with broke in two while I was still trying to test start the engine for the first time, a cheap one that came with the electronic ignition module also broke in two after a couple of test runs, and now this one's sheared off its drive peg (that keys into the slot in the distributor shaft), so I'm beginning to think my distributor might not spin true, putting undue strain on the rotor arm. Will have to check the shaft for run-out methinks...

In my distant memory there were issues with pattern dizzy caps having their pins too close to the rotor arms as well as wear in the shaft/ advance retard.

Wow! That was areal can of worms there!!

Yep, that could be the problem. It looks like the business end of the rotor arm might be fouling the contacts inside the cap - they're supposed to skim past without actually touching - so I think I'll pull the distributor with the cap and a new rotor arm fitted (when they arrive) and turn it by hand to see if I can feel any restriction.

Surely if that fouling was happening, you would hear some sort of "ticking" sound?
It certainly seems to be some sort of physical problem causing so many failures.

Some years ago, I had a problem with my GT6, at speed it was fine, but at tick-over it miss-fired terribly.
Turned out the bearings in the dizzy were very worn and it flopped about at slow revs, but centralised at high revs.
However, it never damaged the rotor arm at all.
Cannot imagine what could cause your kind of damage.

No ticking sound Scottie. And don't call me Shirly.

Its all in the spelling, Mr Toad....

Today
 

Well, having visited Stoneleigh, and been totally blitzed by some of the exotic creations I was bowled over by, I realised I needed a "bling-ring" for my new Monza petrol cap.

So I quickly knocked one out, made out of?

Stainless steel of course (as it's so cheap and plentyfull), bit fiddly cutting out. filing, sanding and polishing, but it's done now.

Then I realised I would have to make one for the gear lever, and one for the handbrake. Poosticks!

I must try not to get carried away and overdo the bling!

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscfdebd86.jpg[/IMG]

Good to see you at Stoneleigh but I forgot to give you the exhaust wrap. It was in the box of plenty just beneath the axe. Sorry

It slipped my mind too, don't worry about it!

It's cheap enough to buy.

Today
 

When I put the louvres into the bonnet, it somehow slightly warped the shape of the curve at the rear near the windscreen end.

I was not happy with that, so I slit it, re-curved it, and got it wrong.

I then did it again, knowing it had to to come up half inch on the left side, quarter inch on the right, and so on. I clamped it into a jig I had made for that purpose.

I made it worse!

It began to dawn on me that the jig would have to be much more refined and perfect, if I was not going to have to do it a fourth time.

So that is my job today, (which for obvious reasons I have been avoiding like the bloody plague.

I will post the pics when I have some.

Morning work
 

Right, it's lunchtime and I'm having some.

Done most of the work, made the jig, sliced up the bonnet, clamped it in and re-done it all.

The pictures explain how I did it.

After lunch I will un-clamp the bonnet, fit it back on the car and see if it all worked.

If it doesn't, I'm sure you will all hear the swearing from wherever you live!

Watch this space........

Pics:[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps04319cfd.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscb4c77ac.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps745745f3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps25f99cdb.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse23be52d.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps749da0f1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa9e273d7.jpg[/IMG]

Lunch.
 

Well that's lunch over, back on my head.

The bonnet mods worked, as it is a good fit now.

Which just goes to show, the results you get out of a job, are proportional to the effort you put in.

Obviously the first two attempts I had, were kind of guessed-at, and consequently a total waste of time and effort.

It really pays to do a good job in the first place. ( Will I ever learn? probably not, but I will get there in the end)

At least I have what I want now, and can move on.
[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps99658abd.jpg[/IMG]

BMW Steering wheel removal
 

WCA wrote: " thought I would try a Scottie style tutorial"

He got it terribly wrong, it should have looked like this:


[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps492dd3c9.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps688defba.jpg[/IMG]


Don't try this at home people!

Scottie - Thanks for the bonnet shaping tips / details. :cool:

I will have to do something similar to my own bonnet after I start cutting my body shell to fit around the Spitfire bulkhead.

Just keep ticking off all those remaining jobs one at a time.

Good luck, Paul. :)

I hope you don't have to do yours three times like I did Paul!

I was stupid not to do it properly to start with!

But we all get it wrong at times... don't we?

It is the mark of a proper engineer that if something isn't right to start over again.