SiC

Quite common on many cars. I know, for example, on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage it's fuse 15 or fuse 22, depending on year. A lot of these valves are vacuum operated - hence why you get the startup song and dance when the engine starts. They default fully open as it's quicker to release vacuum and open up under spring, than the vacuum build up to close.

Depending how much much a pia it becomes to remove the hub, I may just put new calipers on. However right now I think they're alright after cleaning up and it's tempting to just leave the front for now. I cleaned out the tube as one of the first things I did. It's definitely was leaking through the windscreen wiper boxes as the puddle was directly below them and I could see it dripping. Often not a good thing either ends of the spectrum! I was looking at the backlog of work that our team needs to do at my new job and I can see quite a few long + late days coming up. I hear that H&S consultants can make a very nice living though! I'll be keeping them anyway as I've kept all the bits, but for £10 a cylinder it doesn't make sense to rebuild them. The nearside one has one piston utterly stuck in its bore. Despite sticking it in a vice and trying to free with a long screwdriver, it ain't budging! Might attack it with a hammer next to see how bad the bore was. That one is going to be a bin job anyway.

Ouch! Big bills for the Gamma then? Those cheapy classic style radios aren't half bad. The controls feel cheap (especially the right knob) but they play decent enough sound. Plus they are inevitably connected to average speakers and a car where acoustics aren't designed in. However I have to say that the majority of the time, the one in my BGT is being used as a clock! Often because I've forgotten to pull up the aerial...

Rebuilt the rear brakes this evening. Offside first Clamped the brake line to ensure I didn't leak too much fluid everywhere. Took shoes and springs off first Handbrake boot was in reasonable nick. Used this stuff to feed the rubber and give it a bit more life. I originally bought this to clean up and feed the Smart Roadster rubbers to try stop it leaking. Good stuff. I liked the fact that it's original OEM with the Lockheed name on it. Removed the adjuster and cylinder. I do like the fact Moss make the effort to acquire parts that are still imperially sized. Many of the other suppliers are cheaper but use metric bits instead. Also bought this nifty tool to help put the circlip on. Wasn't sure if I'd need it, but I bought it on the basis that if they sell it, it must be a massive PIA to do without it. Fits on like this once the cylinder is fitted on the back plate. Saw this tip elsewhere online to clamp molegrips on the hub. Helps keep the cylinder from falling off until you get the c-clip in. Tighten up nut on the tool. And it's fitted. The adjustor I pulled apart and coated the insides with copper grease. Hopefully the next person here will appreciate that it hasn't seized up. Did the same around the pivot point of the new handbrake lever too. Drivers side done. Passenger side was much of the same. Did get a problem with the tool where the clip didn't slide properly when tightening. Reshaping the clip with pliers and trying again got it all together. Passenger side done. Turned out that one side of the brake cylinder had siezed. I did think it was a bit unnecessary to be changing them as it seemed like they were braking ok. Just that the handbrake wasn't fully releasing. Justifies me changing both sides. Backs now need bleeding, readjusting and then handbrake resetting up. Currently the handbrake is far too tight to even be able to hook it up. Also plan to rebuild the front brakes too. Again that'll need bleeding, so it'll have all nice new fluid through it once again. Once the fronts are done, the hydraulic brakes system for the most part are all new. Last year it had a new master cylinder, new linkages and new flexis. Obviously this year it's having this rebuild. Haven't touched any of the rigid pipes but these look in good condition. Rears on the axle appear to be copper based. Finally to finish with the hydraulics, that clutch master needs changing out too. Then the fun of bleeding the clutch system! When I did the slave, I did find leaving the slave dangling stopped getting any bubbles trapped. Quite looking forward to see how it drives once all the hydraulics are done. Hopefully it'll be a lot easier to change gear (reverse and second can especially be difficult) and the brakes will be slightly snappier. Especially given the fact that they shouldn't be rubbing, should make it drive better at speed.

Because it's American and people love doing this: Is there a mode to keep them permanently shut? I.e. early morning starts to or not to piss off the neighbours?

These are coming back again. Check your httpd log contents. Probably filling the disk with these errors! Also Tapatalk keeps signing me out?

If sealed beams haven't been used in a while, I've read recommendations to run them off a lower power source first. Otherwise they'll pop pretty quickly. Something like a 6v battery or similar.

I know a lot of engines can do it. For example the engine in a W220 S500 can do it. But interestingly the S400 doesn't, so despite being smaller, can get worse economy.

It's the unnecessary bonnet pins on that p6 that offends my eyes as they spoils the lines of the P6.

Is this one of those V8 that can shutdown cylinders when cruising to save fuel?

Unless I figure out how to fix the snapped Schrader valve on my 1100, that may become stanced... However the difference is, according to the owners manual, it is acceptable to have it sitting on the bump stops as long as you do not exceed 30mph.

It's also the advantage of me buying locally at Moss. They have a 12 months return policy on ordered parts. So I can buy stuff just in case it needs changing and if I don't end up using it, I can take it back easily. This makes up for being pricier than many online outlets. Especially as no shipping costs either in buying or returning bits. Except they didn't have these handbrake levers in stock, so I had to order them with the other bits.

Can understand they'd be easy to clean up and reuse. However (!), I don't have huge amounts of time spare to get jobs done at the moment. Once I get them out I'll need to get it all back together pretty quickly. So buying a replacement to wang straight in, is going to make the job far quicker than 20-30mins each side faffing around cleaning them up. Hence also why buying new cylinders rather than rebuild kit. I hate to use the phrase, as it's very un-British to say it about yourself but: Right now I'm my life, I am cash rich but time poor. I enjoy doing the mechanical work but I have a limited timeframe when I can do it. For the sake of a tenner a side for a new one, it makes it a no brainer. Look at it another way, the quicker I get it done, the more driving I can do.

Box of bits arrived yesterday. Including these important extras. Handbrake shoe levers. However being a fool, I've ordered the wrong rear brake rebuild kit. Accidentally ordered the one for the Roadster and pre 1968 GT. Apparently post 1968 the rear cylinders changed sizes. Thus yet another trip to buy replacement cylinders in the correct size... Hopefully that's the only difference between the kits. Main thing is I wanted to change all the spring, hydraulic parts and adjuster. Springs probably weakened over the years and the rest will likely have had rust attack them. Not sure what to do with the incorrect cylinders. Cba to send them back as the postage will probably end up nearly the same as what they cost. Plus the hassle of sending back. Hopefully this weekend, as a minimum, I'll get the handbrake levers replaced. Also that clutch master too.Hopefully this weekend, as a minimum, I'll get the handbrake levers replaced. Also that clutch master changed out too. They're the minimum number of things that need doing before longer journeys can commence.

I'd love to have done! However house buying fuck ups mean we are back to searching for a house to buy.