Baxter

No it won't...

Ahh, true. It's been so long since I've seen a preX-flow I'd forgotten they're on the proper side

Should be pretty easy to make look factory then.

You should be sweet because you can have a 20% engine increase or something. So going from a 1500 to a 1600 equals no cert...

Um no. Not last time I looked. Any swap that involves increase in cc requires a cert afaia.

I agree that it's fairly stupid that a bolt in motor that's not really significantly more powerful or heaver etc needs a cert. But unless some of the pointless red-tape regarding such basic car modifications has been removed lately, that's the rules.

Having said that, as several people have noted whilst not legal it will probably never be detected by any WOF people too young to know Mk1 Cortinas were never fitted with the x-flow (as long as the exhaust is done neatly as it will be on the opposite side to original).

The story he told me was that Trumpet wanted to use the Rover V8. but as there was some doubt as to whether or not their parent company would keep all its car makers. So rover told them to fuck off. As a result they made their own V8, which was a complete piece fo shit.

Iirc, work started on the Trumuph V8 before Leyland took over Rover, so it's fairly unlikely they originally planned to use the Rover unit. Indeed I would have though the V8 was planned to take over and expand from their 6 for the '70s.

Once they did take it over the Rover unit certainly would have been a good choice instead of rushing the Triumph V8 into production before it was ready. The Triumph engine likely would have been a far superior unit had they actually finished development (the four that it's based on came out in '68 and is a fine unit despite its Leyland handicap).

Of course had they used the Rover in the interim (and if they were smart they probably did ask) while they developed their V8 properly the Stag would have had a far better name, and the Triumph V8 might even have turned out good (and found its way into Jags etc).

I also think the legal position is that he forfeits the deposit if he fails to complete the deal.

Having said that I'd give him the refund he wants, but I'd explain that will only be after the cash is freed up (because you should not be put out for his failure), and that you're in fact doing him a favour by paying at all. But I'd also first check with CAB or a community law centre that I didn't have an obligation to pay.

So just to clarify: Any 2 litre L300 box will bolt to a 'normal' DOHC 4G63 (eg from a fwd Lancer, VR4 etc), and it's only the Starion motor that needs the wider 2.4 gearbox?

Glad '86 was chosen as the cut off year, it makes me look uber cool as other than a diesel van I was given, everything I've owned was designed before '86. Being a student all of the '90s running cheap shitters for six months or so helps.

There probably should be a few more parts Escorts I ran until their WOF ran out, but they were mostly run for less than 6 months.

'69 Escort 2-door

'6X Herald 1200

'71 Escort van 1600 with leopard skin interior

'66 Anglia 1200

'6X Anglia van 1 litre

'69 Cortina (parts car but used it for a while)

'81 Cortina, Aussie assembled (parts car but used it for a while)

'81 Ford Laser

'82 Mazda 323 1500

'83 Mazda 323

'83 CRX 1500i

'86 CRX Si

'87 CRX Si (which I'm counting - convincing bullshit argument: it's identical to the '84 model other than headlights and a trim tart-up)

'83-ish Accord with not a single panel the same colour

'90 Nissan Largo van

'87 MR2 AW11 (convincing bullshit argument: it's essentially the same as the '84 other than struts and brakes, a trim tart-up)

'90 Lada Niva (convincing bullshit argument: it's identical to the '77 model other than a 5th gear and steering wheel)

'86 CRX Si

18 / 19 = 94.7 old school

PS - Do I get bonus points for still owning 7 of the above old-schools? 2 still being dailies even

Hillman had prototype twin cam motors in sixties...

Close. It was the '70s, and it was rare but more than a prototype. BRM made 16v heads for the Avenger engine (similar to Cosworth and the BDA).

As above top hats are different (but often swapable iirc), and rack ends are different. TCAs are fine iirc.

It depends on the Mk1 if the rear shocks will fit. The early mk1 ones won't, but I think the later mk1 ones do.

Also the leaves in the rear are wider on the Mk2 (but I think the Mk1 will swap in with the mk1 hangers etc iirc).

Yeah, it's changed since I last looked as well.

If I understand 3.1(1) correctly it's saying mods to seat anchorage "that affects the performance" must be certed (though I'm not keen to pay $300 cert just to upgrade Niva seats to $100 Jap seats). I could try making my own massively over engineered mounts and saying to the WOF guy "nah they're sweet, they don't effect the seat mount performance, honest guv". But I very much doubt they'd accept that no matter how true it was.

Looking at the LVVTA site it confirms that certification is not required only if "the seat is fitted unmodified to OE seat anchorages" (hence to do this I'd love to find seats with the same rail gap as the Niva so it's a bolt-in job).

EDIT: Btw here's the LVV Standards (ie the specs needed for certification) on seats: www.lvvta.org.nz/stdSeatAnchorage.pdf

He was right - They are indeed mk1 Sierra:

And there's that catch on a nice set of Recaros in a Cosworth:

Shame the Sierra coupes are like hen's teeth here. I'll certainly measure a set up if I spot some for sale.

you can probably still get away with it cert-less if you just put in any seats you want but mount them to LVTA standard.

Anything would be better than the horrible flip-up front seats they come with, plus the wof man won't be able to lift them up and see your handywork as on standards. However there is a funk factor with the black vinyl seats

Cheers, but iirc LTNZ (or whatever they called this month) don't have a standard as such, other than you can bolt in different seats as long as they bolt to the cars mounts without modification. That's not possible in the Niva as 1) there seems to be nothing with the same size gap between the rails, and 2) one side sits 45mm odd lower than the other. The floor mounts are nothing like anything I've seen. Likewise I've never seen any universal adapters that will work.

It would be quite easy to to make some adapters from a bit of thick flat steel and some 40mm 'box that would be 3 or 5 times stronger than factory (retaining the crazy flip forward mounts underneath); but not legal as I understand.

And yes, the original black vinyl does have a funk factor - and is very useful in a 4WD that gets pretty muddy. And while I find the Niva seats actually very well padded and conformable (once you learn to adjust them) they have crap lateral support which is a pita when vigorous off-roading. Hence why I'd like to swap them for some Jap seas with good bolster.

Anyway - I heard from the Estonian that owed the Niva a few years ago and he didn't do the swap, but he had an idea they were from a sporty 3 door Sierra.

Cheers guys.

Yep they're in a Niva, but no not original. I too want to swap my Niva seats for something with more support for off-roading, but I can't find anything with the same distance between the rails (ie to keep it a legal bolt-in job). I've measured heaps of seats but everything's about 5cm or more cm too wide or too narrow (Niva's about 43/44 cm between the left and right front bolt holes on the rail)

Yep, the fabric is very '80s Toyota, but I've measured '80s Toyotas, as well as Sentra, Honda a couple of Mitsi ones. All too big or small except Celica iirc which could be relatively easily made to fit, but not close enough to be a bolt-in (ie legal).

I'm liking the Towanace and Telstar suggestions as I've not measured vans or Mazdas. Though I bet 626 coupe seats will be a mission to find these days.

Damn it, they just look so annoying familiar - I hoping someone recognises that distinctive catch.

PS - if anyone wants Niva info there's a heap on my site (linky below).

Anyone recognise these seats?

I'm hoping someone recognises the catch.

They look '80s and Japanese, but I don't for the life of me recognise them.

I'll be there. Apologies in advance if I destroy your paddock again afterwards

I'm glad no one actually did rip up the grass afterwards.

Because I'm unfit these days and I really hate running after twats to kick their guards in.

But seriously, please don't do skids there (or at other organised motorsports events) because the Areo Club won't give us the paddock for spectators if they get ripped up. And fair enough, I wouldn't let people use my front lawn to view motorsport either if they wrecked it.

Enter an autocross if you want to do skids without ruining things for other people.

I highly doubt Mr Toyota has his filters made by an American (more likely to be a Mexican-Fram & Donaldson) outfit. Everything is done "in house". There is a reason Toyota is the biggest auto manufacturer in the world and why American motor industry is going down the gurgler.

Um, no. Toyota and all Jap companies afaia farm a lot of stuff like filters etc out to specialist companies. FYI Lada is probably the only under-one-roof manufacturer in the world.

The US industry is going down the gurgler because they've persisted in making gas-sucking pigs that no one wants. Nothing to do with unions wanting a decent wage etc. FFS the writing was on the wall in the '70s - compare how Japan has done by making quality cars people want, compared to Amercian cars.

But I take you point that a brand new Toyota isn't going to be fitted with a Mexican filter made with absolutely no quality control.

While most car manufacturers use outside filters made by filter manufacturers - they're made to a spec. So the FRAM filter you buy off the shelf from Repco etc for a Corolla is probably not the same as the 1000s Toyota buy from FRAM (or who ever) with Toyota painted on them. I believe various people have chopped them up and demonstrated this.

Certainly in the old days many identical products were available cheaper without the brand name. But that's not guaranteed - Sure a high quality tool company might have it's tools made in the same factory and on the same machines as a cheaper brand. But I suspect you'll find the tools off the production line that pass a sonic test become the good brand, and the ones that don't become the cheaper line.

And now that a lot of previously reputable companies are increasingly buying stuff from places with lower quality controls (eg many SKF bearing are Chinese) I'm increasingly buying genuine parts, even though I know I'm probably being stiffed on price - ie is the risk of destroying a good engine really worth saving $20 on a filter?

The garage

• [*:10a3j4jk]A '20s/'30s Bentley - s/c or 8-litre, I'm not too fussy.
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Jag E Type. Obviously.
  [*:10a3j4jk]An Aston-Martin Lagonda - the funkiest shoe box in the world
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Lotus Seven of almost any S1/2/3 sort. Prisoner colours of course.
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Lotus Elan
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Mk1 Escort RS. Shiny black with Minilites - and a big '70s hat to match (just like Tom Baker's ).
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Mk1 Escort Twin Cam, plain white.
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Mk2 Jaguar, or a fintail Merc
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Triumph, probably a GT6 since I've got the Lotuses for open top. Though an Vitesse or TR would be fine too.
  [*:10a3j4jk]A 240Z, the Japanese rip-off of the above, but a damn nice car to drive all the same
  [*:10a3j4jk]A Mini Cooper, Works replica of course
  [*:10a3j4jk]A couple of the insane "what if a dumped X engine in Y car" experimental thoughts we've all had; ie Rover V8 in almost anything small an unlikely (eg in a Triumph Herald, up the arse of a Skoda, etc), S2000 motor in an MX5, Vtec or Hyabusa in a Mini, etc...
  [*:10a3j4jk]Surely something Italian, Alfa or sporty Fiat TC.
  [*:10a3j4jk]A hell modified Lada Niva, or likewise S1/2 Land Rover soft-top
  [*:10a3j4jk]And a blue Anglia van with a modern motor and 'box, for towing things to meets and still looking period. And since it's a fantasy garage it'd have another Anglia van rear section as a second roof (a la Peter Jackson's Bad Taste) and a semi-camper interior you could live in for a day or 3. Or maybe a '50s Morris Commercial van, even funkier.

If we're allowed super cars:

• [*:10a3j4jk]The obligatory Cobra, a XJ13 rep, and GT40 (if I can actually fit in one ). And I guess if pushed a Ferrari of some sort, GTO or 308

And if we're allowed to mention '80s Jappers here without people frothing at the mouth:

• [*:10a3j4jk]A Mk1 CR-X Si, fully Mugen equiped. Maybe a AW11 MR2 (s/c though, my na 4AGE one is junk), and too really annoy some folk a City Turbo.

Now I want to go but a Loto ticket...

That's the dumbest reason I ever heard.

You obviously weren't there last year during that random gale that blew in. Jezz that was COLD.

Seriously though, no that's not really the reason.

PS - Michelle Mouton btw very nearly won the WRC in the '80s and would have been the first women ever to win a world motorsport title.

English rust (should be worse than anything you will find here)

Oh please - those Trumpys are some of the most rust resistant cars of the early '70s. There's heaps more of them left on the roads than any of the Jap (or indeed other Pommie stuff) stuff of the time.

The rusty one you posted was from the salted roads in the UK where you don't even see '80s Jap cars because they're rusted away.

Having said that, indeed check it for rust, and there's another site somewhere on the web that does list there common rust points.

I'm getting a set for my Niva. From memory free length is 31cm.

... not sure what the time is on racing fuel/av gas, but normal fuel has a shelve life of 30 days

Pump petrol has aromantics instead of lead so it lasts f^%k all before it starts to degrade. Leaded petrol (like av and RACE gas) lasts alot longer.

and how about this for a dirty old honda (S600): Denny Hulme drove one to a class win at the Nurburgring in 1965, passing 33 cars on the first lap and

Followed closely by Honda's first win in F1 (with a fully Honda built car & engine) before the year of 1965...

That's right - Honda was an F1 winner before Cosworth!

Does anyone have any pictures of done up ladas ? like sedans or wagons ? i cant seem to find any on the net...

http://images.google.co.nz/images?hl=en ... tnG=Search

Is there a website or e-mail in the mag so i can tell them to get some distributters down south...?

http://www.fasterfords.com/retro/mk1_e9.htm

Mmmmm...

No one cares it's Holden powered?? hypocrites....

Er, if it's the same as the Vauxhall 2 litre DOHC then it's one kick arse engine - 150hp stock, 180 with just adding webbers.

Hmmm. I'd certainly consider having that bit of GM engineering in my Escort...