Much of the vagueness you're experiencing could be simply down to the rubber bushes on the end of the gearlever being in poor condition, or the gearlever pivot/cross-bolt being a bit slack or incorrectly assembled. Selector forks rarely cause problems but the gearbox tops can (very occasionally) cra...

Stuart, I may be missing something here, but where is the advantage in using a 10" spring clutch cover with a 9.5" centre plate?? There isn't really any weight saved by doing so, and the friction material on the centre plate is liable to overlap the i.d. of the cover by 2 or 3mm, which won't help it...

David, try Graham Whitehouse http://www.gwautos.com/
He deals with a lot of classic auto gearboxes and might be able to supply one.

Your tappet clearances have opened up as a result of the previous shims being ground poorly - if they aren't flat or haven't been re-hardened, they'll wear away quite quickly. The problem with using shims thinner than the standard range is that you risk the bucket touching the valve spring cap rathe...

Eugene, if you haven't tackled this already theres a few things to bear in mind. Whichever type you use (diaphragm or spring) you can't interchange parts from the 'other' clutch kit. The centreplate of a spring clutch is 10" diameter, diaphragm type is 9.5". The clutch covers are different heights t...

Excess play will wear the bearing out more quickly, and in extreme cases can cause tyre wear and handling issues. It WON'T cause pad 'knock-off', at least not on the back of a car with IRS and inboard brakes (S Type, 420 etc.)

For a 3.4 or 3.8 , NGK BP5ES are the 'standard' spark plug. I also use NGK push-on plug lead caps, part no. LB05F, which come with rubber seals and fit directly to the threaded end of the plug.

I think the main difference in operating is that silicone doesn't have the same lubricational properties as mineral fluid. This doesn't tend to affect larger working parts like calipers & wheel cylinders, but something like a brake servo might be more prone to sticking.

Johnny, unscrewing the pin a bit should definitely help. If you have to force it down for the catch to work, the front edge of the bonnet can end up warping, as the load gets taken on the 2 adjustable buffers that meet the closing panel. If they're still fitted, that is..

First, try giving the catch mechanism a good squirt of WD40 or similar and check that both it and the pull cable are operating freely, without any signs of sticking. Otherwise, the catch can be adjusted by either a) slackening the 2 fixing bolts that secure the mechanism to the underside of the bonn...

The standard UM needle is too lean for this sort of set up. With no air filters and a straight-through exhaust, try UVO needles - they should be ideal for most cars modified like this using twin or triple 2" carbs.

Neil, the original I.C.I. paint code for Cotswold Blue is P030-3318. Hope that helps.

If the car has been fitted with an alternator or a modern stereo system, it must have been converted to negative earth for these to work. If it doesn't have either of these, you can choose which way to earth it. Re-polarise the dynamo by briefly touching a feed wire from the battery to its field ter...

I don't think it will stop a leak, but it got rid of a tappet noise on my girlfriends Mazda MX5...

As Smitty hinted at .... The inboard lights origionally fitted were Fog lamps, not spot lights (often refered to as driving lights) Actually, the Lucas 'Fog Ranger' lights as fitted to the Mark 2 were also available as a spotlight version with clear glass. As far as I know these aren't being reprodu...