igor

I think you're mad to consider putting that engine in either of the cars you have but I'd like to see a fully illustrated report if you do make it fit.

Danger tape is fine if one is excavating but no use at all when mole ploughing cos you can't see it. Neighbour had a drainage contractor stray into the wrong paddock and they got the buried telephone cable fourteen times.

I'd be inclined to put the power cable overhead where it's visible. It's easier and cheaper plus you won't get some silly prick putting a digger through it years later cos they don't know where it is.

I totally have shed envy. Love the paint pantry. Brilliant idea, far superior to open shelves. I claim that lack of a decent shed is the reason I don't get much done on my own projects but really it is family commitments and taking care of the farm animals that sucks up my time. You are truly blessed in having a wife / other half who shares your interest in things mechanical. Sadly mine does not and I fear she will never understand the pleasures thereof.

The first sentence in the original post immediately made me think he should try Viagra.

ta63-1uzze, I take your point about the dodginess of tractor grip tyres for normal road use and there are a number of reasons why I would not make them my first choice including vibration and the excessive noise they make on chipseal. I did actually have some near new road tyres on this car but I put them on my wife's Laser to get it a warrant. Bonus, the rims fitted. I've got a spare radiator from another EN Civic but unfortunately it's a manual one so it doesn't have the trans cooler for the Hondamatic. In this area when the snow comes it is not unknown to see farm utes fitted with tractor grip tyres in the main street. People around here mostly use their intelligence and drive to the conditions though so it doesn't become a real issue. Taistorm, Cletus, good to know about the chemiweld. I suspect this car is also in the process of eating the head gasket so I will keep that in mind.

See fabrication foibles thread for pics of the bonnet repair and the tyres.

If a cop caught me driving that thing into town he'd need a second ticket book. It goes and stops and the lights all work but it's rusted to fuck and has tractor tyres on the front so it looks more than a bit dodgy.

Might try that if I can't solder it up Mof. Thanks for the tip.

Should do what Speeno says and solder the leak. Could probably do it still in the car if it's where I think it is. Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

The demister doesn't work anyway since my wife got a rock through the windscreen back when it still had a warrant and some stupid cunt who thought he was helping knocked all the glass out for her. I'm still finding bits of glass ten years or more later. But yeah, a heater core does make an effective auxiliary radiator sometimes.

Might be on the same wavelength there Dolan. I think my Civic has less rust than Zebra Dude's Landau but only cos it's a smaller car. It'll probably fall apart sooner rather than later. That's why I don't want to spend shitloads of money on it.

Yeah to reducing the pressure K-trips. Been doing that for quite a while now. I checked the water level in the rad on Saturday and absent mindedly put the cap back on all the way instead of just enough to stay on. I think that's why it developed the leak. An AA roadside rescue serviceman once used an unknown stopleak product in my XC Falcon to "cure" a leaking frost plug cos it was the difficult to replace one behind the exhaust manifold and it ran like that for some years with no problems. Mof, the leak appears to be in the core and given the age of the car I think it is most likely to be copper.

Took my Civic for a hurtle up our mates farm on the weekend to gather firewood and found that it has developed a radiator leak. Don't want to spend money replacing the rad cos the whole car is getting pretty suss. Can anyone recommend a stopleak product for a cheap survival job please? The Warehouse has a Wynns product for $15. Has anyone used this and is it any good?

2 litre is too little. It'd have to rev it's nuts off to get power.

Falcon 4.1 iron head crossflow.

Can you get away with cutting the factory battery box out of a fucked Mini, or making a reasonable facsimile thereof, and welding it into the boot floor? It has been a workable system in the Mini since 1959 after all.

Have you replaced the condenser? Maybe along with the points as a matter of course but it was not on your list in the initial post.

How much development potential does an 18R have? My dad had an 18R powered '76 Corona that was good for 180 straight out of the box. I didn't tell him that until after he sold it of course.

Sparkplugs correctly gapped? Tappets set correctly? Air filter clogged with crap? Carby jammed shut? SU carbys are a bastard for that when they get worn. Take the air box off and stick your fingers down the intake. You will be able to feel if the carby piston is stuck. If it is you should be able to get a finger or two under it and get it unstuck. If your fingers are too fat for that take the dashpot off and do it that way.

We need a new thread for listing what wheels fit what else.

Try 14" Falcon rims if they fit under your guards. I'm pretty sure the older Falcons where the same stud pattern as the Zephyrs. The new ones might be too for all I know.

My Falcon crunches when going into reverse but if I put it in 5th first then slam it straight back into reverse it's quiet as. I've forgotten what Escort shift pattern looks like but try what downtrail suggests. You'll know when the clutch is dying because it will start to slip like a wet bitch on steep hills and you will find that when you put your foot down the engine speed will increase but the vehicle speed will not. This may or may not be accompanied by the foul stench of burnt clutch lining.

If you were here in New Zealand I'd suggest dumping the 4M and repowering with something like a Falcon or Holden six that you can get parts for easily. Must be something available in your part of the world that would be an easy swap if you really can't get the 4M fixed.

Reminds me of years ago when my dad's B1600 was doing weird shit like that. He shagged around with the carby for ages and fixed a few obvious things but it still ran like shit. In the end he got a mechanic to sort it and the verdict was "it was something electrical".