Ask a Shiter

[ashmicro]

What version of Windows, Cav?

[Pete-M]

Update on Impreza cambelt related weirdness. Stripped it down again today and all marks were exactly where they should be and lined up correctly.

 

I think that changing the belt has just brought the timing back to where it should be. It's nicer to drive now, so it's getting left as it is.

[dollywobbler]

If it's feeling a bit sluggish, you could always fit an OMG BIGGA DUMP VALVE. And black-out the windows. From what I've seen on Ebay, that should be good for another 200bhp at least.

[Cavcraft]

What version of Windows, Cav?

 

Number 7 chief.

 

I have just discovered that older (as in taken a couple of months ago) pictures on my computer will load up but not recent ones???

[ashmicro]

What version of Windows, Cav?

 

Number 7 chief.

 

I have just discovered that older (as in taken a couple of months ago) pictures on my computer will load up but not recent ones???

 

 

Roger. Check your PMs in about half an hour.

[Pete-M]

If it's feeling a bit sluggish, you could always fit an OMG BIGGA DUMP VALVE. And black-out the windows. From what I've seen on Ebay, that should be good for another 200bhp at least.

 

I gave it a quick blezz at an official quick blezz facility earlier and it reached R17 more quickly than it did before the belt was done, it just doesn't feel as quick because it doesn't try to fire your kidneys through the back window.

 

I'll be givin' the pimp glass, cunt trumpet and Scania valve a miss.

[ashmicro]

Cav - incoming.

[Cavcraft]

Thanks Andy!

[DSdriver]

Would an ANPR camera realise if I put old school black and silver number plates on my 1973 L reg car? Its a dopy situation where the cut off for the o/s plates is 1973 but the L reg straddles this from August 72 to August 73.

[Negative Creep]

Would an ANPR camera realise if I put old school black and silver number plates on my 1973 L reg car? Its a dopy situation where the cut off for the o/s plates is 1973 but the L reg straddles this from August 72 to August 73.

 

 

 

Almost certain that it's just the letters and numbers, not the colour. I'd bet 99% of coppers wouldn't know the proper cut off point either

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I've seen enough modern cars with black and white plates to conclude you'd not have to worry about it on a '73 car.

 

Incidentally black and white plates look great on a lot of moderns, especially black cars. As long as the numbers are legible I see no problem with it, it's not as if modern tin isn't covered in reflectors anyway.

[willswitchengage]

I've seen enough modern cars with black and white plates to conclude you'd not have to worry about it on a '73 car.

 

Incidentally black and white plates look great on a lot of moderns, especially black cars. As long as the numbers are legible I see no problem with it, it's not as if modern tin isn't covered in reflectors anyway.

 

The 5-0 say that their ANPR cameras can't read them even if the human eye can, they do look smart obvs but the real reason Audi Q7s etc are encrusted in them will be to avoid congestion charges, speeding tickets, drugs warrants and so on.

 

I don't see why we can't just have the ultra strict plate regime like in Germany so we can stop morons turning YE02 GVZ into "I L0V3 B00B5"

[nigel bickle]

ANPR can read black n' silver plates. A few months back I was tugged in one of my mid 60's Dattie's cos the MOT was 3 days out. As I was 'en route' to the (pre booked)MOT- no action taken.

However, made me realise that ANPR can read most -and cos my (black/ silver) plate is partially hidden by the number plate light!

[Negative Creep]

I've seen enough modern cars with black and white plates to conclude you'd not have to worry about it on a '73 car.

 

Incidentally black and white plates look great on a lot of moderns, especially black cars. As long as the numbers are legible I see no problem with it, it's not as if modern tin isn't covered in reflectors anyway.

 

The 5-0 say that their ANPR cameras can't read them even if the human eye can, they do look smart obvs but the real reason Audi Q7s etc are encrusted in them will be to avoid congestion charges, speeding tickets, drugs warrants and so on.

 

I don't see why we can't just have the ultra strict plate regime like in Germany so we can stop morons turning YE02 GVZ into "I L0V3 B00B5"

 

 

The easy way would be to switch to pressed metal plates. No wanky fonts, no stupid spacings,and they won't break every time you have a 1mph bump

[morris_ital_lover]

I don't see why we can't just have the ultra strict plate regime like in Germany so we can stop morons turning YE02 GVZ into "I L0V3 B00B5"

 

Whilst it would be good to remove the plate wankers out there if they went ultra strict we'd lose the Black and Silvers and most important the mutha fookin SERCKS.... And that can't be good.

[Albert Ross]

Alternatively, brillo pad the original aluminium plates and the treat the dark areas to blackboard paint. Watch the polished areas revert to dark corrosion. Legible to human eye? Yes. Legible to ANPR? Doubt it, on a square rear plate on a shonky old LR.

[willswitchengage]

I don't see why we can't just have the ultra strict plate regime like in Germany so we can stop morons turning YE02 GVZ into "I L0V3 B00B5"

 

Whilst it would be good to remove the plate wankers out there if they went ultra strict we'd lose the Black and Silvers and most important the mutha fookin SERCKS.... And that can't be good.

 

Contrary to what I actually said there when I was last in Germany I did notice that their older 80sish cars often do have a SERCK-van different style. I think the best solution really would just be get rid of the "wankers" generally, read in the paper today that fines on lots of motoring offences were going up soon so hopefully the German-SUV cleansing will be getting nearer.

[dieselnutjob]

I drive round the north bit of the M25 everyday. The roadworks are gone, but now there are new speed cameras. When you go under a gantry there is sometimes a thing about the size of a microwave oven on the back, one on each lane, which I assume is a speed camera. When the variable speed limit is not in operation (so limit is 70) do these things do anything? How fast can I go? Currently I've slowed down to 75 on that section.

 

I have now seen the cameras flash a few times (not at me) even though no variable speed limit was in force. It appears that these will go off at any time if you go fast enough. Cruise control is now essential on these motorway sections if you want to make decent progress but keep your license clean. On the up side the lines painted on the road surface are easy enough to spot, and they don't look that easy to move around.

[skattrd]

I've just driven a mates w202 c240 (v6 petrol) back from Bradford and quite enjoyed it, so am now considering a diesel one for myself.

Anyone any experience of these mid-late 90's C250 turbo diesel? They seem relatively cheap, but is there anything to look out for on these apart from rust?

[willswitchengage]

I drive round the north bit of the M25 everyday. The roadworks are gone, but now there are new speed cameras. When you go under a gantry there is sometimes a thing about the size of a microwave oven on the back, one on each lane, which I assume is a speed camera. When the variable speed limit is not in operation (so limit is 70) do these things do anything? How fast can I go? Currently I've slowed down to 75 on that section.

 

I have now seen the cameras flash a few times (not at me) even though no variable speed limit was in force. It appears that these will go off at any time if you go fast enough. Cruise control is now essential on these motorway sections if you want to make decent progress but keep your license clean. On the up side the lines painted on the road surface are easy enough to spot, and they don't look that easy to move around.

 

I was driving under these on the M42 earlier and noticed that, when VSL was being enforced, if you look very carefully at the cameras in your mirror they have a tiny green LED strip on them which was illuminated. VSL was enforced for the whole route so inconclusive if that actually means anything. God that was a tedious journey...

[Cavcraft]

I've just driven a mates w202 c240 (v6 petrol) back from Bradford and quite enjoyed it, so am now considering a diesel one for myself.

Anyone any experience of these mid-late 90's C250 turbo diesel? They seem relatively cheap, but is there anything to look out for on these apart from rust?

 

Crap road springs and dodgy electrics. They're a cheap enough old bus (to buy and run) though so worth a bash if you can find one that hasn't totally fallen to bits yet.

[Manbearpig]

Stupid question time, don't beat me up;

 

why is tat from Ireland always 50 squillion pounds more expensive than the exact same (or better) equivalent shite over here?

[M'coli]

Any idea what engine this crankshaft's for? It's most likely BL or Austin-Rover I think.

 

[morris_ital_lover]

I don't see why we can't just have the ultra strict plate regime like in Germany so we can stop morons turning YE02 GVZ into "I L0V3 B00B5"

 

Whilst it would be good to remove the plate wankers out there if they went ultra strict we'd lose the Black and Silvers and most important the mutha fookin SERCKS.... And that can't be good.

 

Contrary to what I actually said there when I was last in Germany I did notice that their older 80sish cars often do have a SERCK-van different style. I think the best solution really would just be get rid of the "wankers" generally, read in the paper today that fines on lots of motoring offences were going up soon so hopefully the German-SUV cleansing will be getting nearer.

 

A fair enough if we could have a system that would remove PU51DRY wankers but keep the old plate variants t'would be class.

[Albert Ross]

Looks like the bearings are BHM1490, which cross refers to Maestro/Montego 2.0. Whether that means petrol or diesel, I have no idea. It could be a 2.0 Petrol crank, or the Perkins Prima Crank. So, you may find it fits Ital, Sherpa, Rover 2000, Disco Mpi, Maestro, Montego, Ambassador maybe? Rover 220, 800? Could be quite useful... Check for crankpin throw though, it could be a 1700..... which would make it REAL shite.

[outlaw118]

***NOT CAR RELATED ****

Need to transfer some video off the digital camera onto disc, bit of footage of my stepson on his motorbike, and of the grandkids arsing about.

It's on the computer, done that, my question is, the DVD-R that i've bougt says record once, however as the footage i've got only lasts 10 minutes tops, can i put more on later, or is it a case of having a 70 minute DVD-r with only 10 minutes stuff on?

 

I haven't explained this very well, but I hope you get my drift.

[MrDuke]

is it a case of having a 70 minute DVD-r with only 10 minutes stuff on?

 

Yes. You need DVD-RW. Even then I think you'd have to re-record the whole lot, not sure though.

[worldofceri]

...about VSL speed cameras.

Re: Speed cameras on motorway overhead gantries. I reckon you'd be pretty unlucky to get flashed when the m'way is running at national speed limit. When there's a lower limit in force the weight of traffic (and the fact that a lot of folk slow down 'cause of the cameras) often makes it difficult to do any speeding anyway.

 

Of cause, you can always speed up then slow down past the cameras. But which gantries have cameras? They're obscured from view by the dot-matrix signs. Well, I've noticed - on the M42 and M1 anyway (and possibly M25 - can't remember) - that those gantries with speed cameras have a much smaller grey box to the right of the dot-matrix sign. I'd post a picture, but I can't find one that illustrates my point. Hope this helps. KTHXBAI.

[vulgalour]

Why are some roads apparently one speed in one direction, but another in the other direction? I've come across a few roads locally that seem to be 30mph one way and 40mph the other, seems a bit odd.

[M'coli]

Looks like the bearings are BHM1490, which cross refers to Maestro/Montego 2.0. Whether that means petrol or diesel, I have no idea. It could be a 2.0 Petrol crank, or the Perkins Prima Crank. So, you may find it fits Ital, Sherpa, Rover 2000, Disco Mpi, Maestro, Montego, Ambassador maybe? Rover 220, 800? Could be quite useful... Check for crankpin throw though, it could be a 1700..... which would make it REAL shite.

Cheers, Albert. I didn't have time to work out the crankpin throw - it's not mine, its out at "The Barn" where I am kindly being allowed to store my Metro - but I shall endevour to try the next time I am out there. Would the stamped codes on the crank be a help?