Mark

John, The power Steering pumpruns off the same belt as the water pump on a 200. The Alternator then runs off the power steering pulley. My 200 has a twin groove pulley on it as standard, and with no aircon fitted, it leaves the second groove spare. Mark

Kier, Some random points, in no particular order: There are a good few people on here with lathes and other machine tools. Personally I have a Myford ML7 and a separate Milling machine. You can mill on the lathe, without the milling head, so don't let that sway your decision. Chinese or Old English is a long and old debate. I went for Myford because pretty much everything I had read at the time, the author was using a myford. Also you can get pretty much any accessory you might desire for it. I also had a space issue, so couldn't fit anything much bigger in. The Chinese stuff is getting better and better, but I think I would still go for an older branded machine of a known quality if I was buying again. A lot of the different branded import machines are made in the same factory, but painted different colours etc. Warco, Chester and a number of others do the preparation diffentely though, so it is worth shopping around. If you get offered an older machine, Three-phase and an inverter can give you a much better range of speeds (they are infintely variable) which can be very useful. If you go to the right place, the inverter will probably be about the same price as a single phase motor... A lot of stuff gets advertised on www.homeworkshop.org.uk so it is worth keeping an eye out on there. There are a couple of engineering exhibitions on in the new year, I belive one has been postponed, but the London Model Engineering Exhibition (alexandra palace) is still on I believe, and might be a good opportunity to try new machines out.

John, Have you tried putting a second rubber washer on? can't see from the pictures that there is much else to go wrong, but the rubber not sealing, so an extra thickness of material might be enough to give it a decent seal. Mark

I like the side windows - especially when working underneath stuff. I got mine after scouring eBlag for a while. It is a 9002V cos it has the larger viewing area, the side windows and does 9-13. Jez, when I asked in Laura Ashley for the appropriate sized curtains, they could only do floral print, chintz was a line they were looking into... Mark

it is a bit like that at the moment... I should tidy up some time... tidy? Me? Never... Mark

If you go to a professional paint supplier, you can buy 'Chassis Black' which can either be a single pack or a 2-pack epoxy. I have used both, and the epoxy is excellent, but you need to go to a trade supplier to get it. can't be much more help, sorry. Mark

A bit simple, but highly effective: This is the grinder rack next to my bench (usually it has another grinder in it too). It is dead simple - bit of angle welded to a bit of flat, and screwed to the wall. There is a groove in the end so that the sanding disc grinder rests on it's spindle rather than on the sanding disc. The others are resting on the guard (not the disc!) yeah, it could probably do with a coat of paint at some point... Also built the Carport next to the house: And I never miss an opportunity to post a gratuitous picture of the machine shop... Cheers Mark

Hitachi stuff is not bad either, but I suspect they are in the higher price bracket.

You could try parkers.

I bought a makita drill a couple of years ago, and haven't regretted it. I bought it from one of the hire places. Their retail shop sold DeWalt, but the hire guys said they only hire Makita as they are so much tougher, they just don't have the bling factor. I paid the extra for 2.0Ah NiMH and agian have been well pleased. The screwfix deal looks like excellent value to me. Cheers Mark

Neat job Rob, Might have to give this a go on my one. Take some pix with the nipple fitted, and give it a test squirt! Mark

Sorry to take so long to reply andy! No, it dosen't seem to limit droop or steering lock (There are plenty of other things doing that... ). It is also worth noting that there are several bolt on kits which do the same thing, bolting through the holes in the chassis that would be used for a lhd steering box.

This is how I did it on my disco: Steering Damper Relocation To do it on a RRC would be pretty much the same... To make lif easier, buy a defender type damper rather than a disco/rangie one, as then the geometry is easier to deal with. I used a Disco one, cos that was what I had. Hope that helps Mark

I have had loads of problems with the circlip coming off on the 8074, so thought I would give the 3 bolt modification a try (very similar brake mechanism). Sadly, I haven't had a chance to use it since I did the mod, but I will report back on the results....

I was number 29...

Just a note, but taller tyres will give you the lift, but you will get bodywork interference issues, so you may need to think about a lift and some arch trimming as well, just to keep the tyres off the bodywork. I have 255/75-16 on mine, and had to trim the rear arches a bit. If you are going to fit 235/85-16 then you will definitely need to remove some bodywork... Mark

So whereabouts are you? your profile dosn't say so I had assumed UK.... Keep at it though, and please do do the write up Cheers Mark

I have my rope secured by passing it round the drum, and splicing it back up itself for 18" or so. Essentially, you make an eye in the end of the rope through which the drum passes. This is then held onto the drum with a length of Gaffa tape (it's only purpose is to stop the rope spinning while you wind on the fist layer). By doing it this way, if you ever accidentally get to the end of the rope, it cannot become disconnected from the drum. I relies only on it's own strength rather than any clamping force from a grub screw or a crimped terminal. Enjoy Mark

Does that mean I have to do the other 140ft??? lazy get... Was thinking of going to Grand Canyon (shoreham) on sunday... It's a thrill a minute round here Mark

I hate to post this, but the numpty filmed it too.... ring of fire Mark

I think this is the thread marcus is refering to. Personally I get them from two grumpy gets in a greenhouse with lots of hammers my friendly local Blacksmiths and I can't complain at £1 each as they are excellent quality. Mark

As has already been said Graham, CEF for the glands, Cables run along the top of the Chassis and cable tied to the chassis/whatever is there. By rubbery waterproof switches, I presume you mean the toggle type in/out switches? I got mine from SED in Guildford (on the slyfield ind estate) alternatly, Tail lift switches are water proof - also available from SED or there are plenty on eBlag. Mark

K&Ns seem to kill anything with a MAF sensor, and the air is tends to pick up the oil that is used in the filter, which then coats the MAF and stops it working. Dry filters (ie Paper based) work much better with MAF sensors... I had this problem with my Mk4 Golf TDI... Mark

subtle...

Hi Jim, I read you write up of the 1.9 conversion, and was imporessed. Nice work! As a fan of the VAG diesels, this sort of stuff is long overdue. welcome to the forum, hang around a bit. Cheers Mark