Ask a Shiter

[cort16]

But when you pick then up from the dealership they're blue

[Tayne]

I don't get the joke.

[cort16]

I'm not joking

[Tayne]

So how often does this happen?

I'd love there to be more blue BMWs.

[dave21478]

Its really, really rare to see a modern-ish red car round here. Metallic burgandy are fairly common though. The only non metallic reds I see with any regularity are my own Landy and a few small cars by Toyota.

[Luckythirteen]

Has anyone experience of running a car with bike carbs on it. I'm potentially looking at quite a nice Manta GTE running a red top with R1 bike carbs.

Sounds GR8 in principle but I'm worried about the practicalities like low mph, unreliability, fire, over fuelling, underfuelling and wombling free.

A mate at school was on about doing that on his Polo. At great length. Apparently, the common probs are peaky power delivery, and 4x carbs being a swine to keep tuned together.

Don't know if he ever did it, but I can check around over the weekend?

[Noel Tidybeard]

Do cars painted red still suffer from paint fade and turn pink or has that problem been resolved?

i havent seen a pogweasel honda in milano red yet

[cort16]

A mate at school was on about doing that on his Polo. At great length. Apparently, the common probs are peaky power delivery, and 4x carbs being a swine to keep tuned together.

Don't know if he ever did it, but I can check around over the weekend?

 

It's this rather fucking lovely Opel Manta.

It sounds nice in this video

 

http://www.enjoygram.com/m/840104823872711766_190085410

 

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/172408/opel-manta-c20xe-2600-carlisle#.VFPAaFdS754

[meshking]

What is the best stuff to use to clean up all the grease and grime from the bulkheads of my 2cv? I'm using brake and clutch cleaner which is OK, but wondered if there's something better I should use.

[cobblers]

Jizer proper grease remover stuff is very good, sound a load on then jet wash it off. A cheaper way is to use some old stale petrol or thinners to get the worst off, then save your expensive brake cleaner for the final wipe.

[KruJoe]

 

Happy on VEG or no?

[Jazoli]

It's this rather fucking lovely Opel Manta.

It sounds nice in this video

 

http://www.enjoygram.com/m/840104823872711766_190085410

 

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/172408/opel-manta-c20xe-2600-carlisle#.VFPAaFdS754

I'd love that, I wouldn't worry about keeping the carbs in sync, a Morgan Carbtune isn't that much money and makes balancing the carbs a 10 minute job.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Kru- the engine itself is fine but that is a Lucas pump.

[Largactil]

Having more of a 'fitter' rather than 'mechanic' mentality, I'm trying to decide the best option for the carb on the LNA.

 

The float bowl needle was sticky the other week, and pretty much left me needing a tow.

 

It was freed off during its MOT / service, but the mixture adjustment screw was also noted to be banjaxed - Looking under the airbox, the carb looks every one of its 31 years old, and although the diaphragms seem to be intact, I don't have huge confidence driving the thing any distance at present.

 

Apparently the car cut out x4 times on the 4 mile trip back from the garage, and is now sat in the drive refusing to start.

 

The fuel pump is shot, and will be replaced - But my 'fitter' mentality is nagging me to fit a new carb.

 

A rebuild kit is around £30, plus time / skills that I don't have - A new carb is £150, although this is 33% of what the car cost.

 

(I could pay the garage for a couple of hours labour to clean & rebuild the carb, but that's getting close to the cost of a new one).

 

What would autoshite do?

 

 

I would go for the new carb a lot of these old french solex carbs wear and rebuilding it will last a month or 2 then it will play up again. If it is a proper new carb for 150 that isn't a bad price

 

Managed to score a brand spanking new old stock carb from a bloke in France who seems to have a hoard of PSA bits (and for substantially less than £150, thankfully).

 

Also sniped a rebuild kit for a tenner delivered from eBay, which will give me the chance to refurb the existing one at my leisure, hopefully learning something in the process.

 

Next stupid question - Carb vac hose is perished, and the garage recommended I obtain a new one.

 

I can't see much difference from the fuel line - Is it exactly the same type of hose?

 

 

(Bottom carb hose in the middle of the picture above - It's 14mm o.d.)

[Sigmund Fraud]

Next stupid question - Carb vac hose is perished, and the garage recommended I obtain a new one.

 

I can't see much difference from the fuel line - Is it exactly the same type of hose?

 

(Bottom carb hose in the middle of the picture above - It's 14mm o.d.)

 

Just get some thick wall silicon vacuum hose of the same internal diameter, should be fine. £1 would buy you half a metre of the stuff on ebay.

[skattrd]

Just get some thick wall silicon vacuum hose of the same internal diameter, should be fine. £1 would buy you half a metre of the stuff on ebay.

 

Just buy a stock of silicon hose, and replace the old stuff as you go along. If some has started to perish no doubt the rest won't be far behind.

[Bobthebeard]

Has anyone experience of running a car with bike carbs on it. I'm potentially looking at quite a nice Manta GTE running a red top with R1 bike carbs.

Sounds GR8 in principle but I'm worried about the practicalities like low mph, unreliability, fire, over fuelling, underfuelling and wombling free.

Not bike carbs as such, but my Honda Prelude has twin carbs as standard. (2.0 litre EX model)

The later ones had fuel injection. No issues with the carbs at all! Lovely!

[cort16]

I was listening to the cartalk pod cast and they were talking to someone who was going to tow a big u-haul trailer across the mountains of America (West to East Coast) using a Ford Ranger pickup.

The first question they asked is manual or auto gearbox. When she said manual they went oooh and said the clutch will be burn't out by the time they get half way.

 

I thought autoboxes would be more prone to problems with trailors and the weight associated with towing because of their nature of power delivery. I can see that you could put wear on the clutch when trying to get going but once engaged it should be okay?

 

So my stupid question is what's better for towing heaving stuff up big hills auto or manual gearboxes?

[dave21478]

there is no "better" - assuming both are in working order, both will work fine. Autos are better for hill starts with a heavy load, which is about the only advantage I can see.

However I find that many, many Americans have a really limited understanding of how a manual transmission works or how it should be used properly.

[cort1977]

I really like car talk but sometimes their opinions on things are slightly off.   As Dave says above as long as the clutch is in working order a manual will work fine.   An auto is easier but that's it really.  

 

Americans have funny ideas on towing, unless it is a full size truck they think a vehicle is not fit for towing.   Plenty of cars that tow all the time in other countries are not rated to tow at all in the US.   Encouraged by the manufacturers I suspect who profit from the 'you need a truck to tow worth a damn' mentality as the margins on trucks are massive.

 

When I work on overseas sites the company has a mandatory driving test, we joke it is to check that the Yanks know what a clutch is for.

[cort16]

Can you drive stick?

 

The bit they highlighted was dragging the extra weight up a big mountain for 4 hours but I can't see how that's any less hard on an auto as it is a manual.

[oman5]

So long as the auto box has a decent oil cooler. Autos are very easy to overheat and damage when working hard, as with towing. Having said that the manual Ford ranger gearbox is not particularly strong, so it's a toss up really.

[Skizzer]

^ This.  It was interesting reading the Renault 16 owner's manual on this subject: mine has a towbar so I was curious about its potential as a tractor unit, but as the autobox doesn't appear to have the optional oil cooler then it's only rated to tow a balsawood trailer laden with two slices of chocolate cake and an orange.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

On the Gaylander 2 forum where I sometimes go to find out why Mrs N's doors won't unlock or something ( Because Land Rover). To a man,and it always a man, almost exclusively middle aged,white,right wing and comfortably off, they agree ,only tow with an auto. To be fair Gaylander 2's do have the durable* Mondeo chocolate flywheel and clutch, but I think a lot of it ,is these people are forgetting it's not a real Land Rover and are trying to tow 2 tonne caravans out of muddy fields up 1:4 hills ,whilst telling anyone who'll listen ' you don't need low range with HIll Descent Control and Terrain Response' .

[cort16]

There's a Freelander 2 forum? Sometimes the internet sickens me.

[nacho man]

My mate bought a cheap ls400 which had a factory towing kit which part of it was a oil cooler for the autobox.

 

He still fucked it trying to impress his to be father in law towing his hms invincible back from the coast.

[forddeliveryboy]

Given similar gearing, the autobox would be better since the fluid coupling allows for torque multiplication. But because of this, bottom gear on most autos is higher than bottom gear on a manual.

[skattrd]

The plastic headlamp lenses on the boring are scratched and hazy, what's the best way to get them clear and sparkly again?

Did someone on here mention toothpaste or metal polish for this before?

[Spiny Norman]

You can get kits off t'interwebs but I've had decent results using Autosol chrome polish. You have to stand there for bastarding ages rubbing it into each lens, a real pain in a car with 4 separate lamps I can tell you.

[TimothyClaypole]

I did my Astra ones with some medium grade Menzerna polish and a proper electric polisher thingie that I bought ages ago and never used much.

 

They need doing some more but made a big difference, didn't over do it as i didn't want to overheat the plastic.  

 

I'm probably too lazy to do them by hand.