Frosty

I think you may have answered your own question.

"but not the gearbox mount, partly because it wedged itself against the tunnel,"

While the mount may not have broken the impact that wedged it in may have put enough lateral force to bend the output sharft or the tail housing.

You've only got to watch a few slo mo crash vids to see how much stuff actualy moves in an impact and modern engine mounts are made of stout stuff, it takes a lot of force to break them.

If race trend helps you see mostly 8" and 10" springs in circuit cars.

While 6" ones are available they don't give enough functional travel to be used in much more than display cars when you want them as close to the floor as possible.

It also answers your question, 200mm or 8" is about as short as you can go and still have working suspension, a 6" one just doesn't have enough working range even in a race car where 2" of travel is a lot.

I've located some MGB GT ones in the UK for 59 pents each hence my question.

Total would be under $20 shipped and duty payed. I might even just buy some and see.

Will keep Brian Walker in mind though.

This is a question that has been asked many times and the answer is relative to the amount of Back and Kidney pain you can tolerate or whether the police are watching.

All you need is 3 coils and the top and bottom coils are shaped so they sit in the seat properly so just uses 1 working coil. (in fact even less than 1 coil working will do).

But the more coils you can fit into that gap the better the car will ride even with reduced travel.

This usually means a call to a Spring Maker.

Plunger type but only the springs are knackered.

Yes I know 3 syncro, 4 speed bits won't work in the later gearbox.

And yes I have considered using spacers to get the load required but would much rather use replacement springs than a bailing twine and no 8 wire solution, especially when the car isn't mine.

Doing some fault finding on mum's 3 Litre and think I have it sussed but.

And it's a big but.

The Detent springs that hold the selector rods in position are very soft and very short according to my workshop manual.

The later MGB gearbox uses a lot of bits in common with the 3 Litre.

So what I need to know is. Are the detent springs for the MGB box the same as the 3 Litre? A lot easier finding MGB parts than 3 Litre ones.

Spec sheet says, free length 1.06" (30.2mm). loaded length 0.75" (19mm) and 18 to 20 lb (8.2 to  9.2kg).

Can someone have a look at their MGB workshop manual and confirm or burst my bubble? Ether way it's a step forward.

Cheers guys and Happy New Year.

Suppose I should say how to tell an "early" from a "late" gearbox.

Late has rectangle inspection plate on the left side with 10 bolts and a cluster of 3 bolts on the top left where the bell blends into the body of the box.

Had this issue when I did my 71 Corona Wagon years ago.

It's not hard to sort but you need to be aware of a couple of things before you start.

1, Wagon tank is shallow with a flat bottom so you need to form a small well in the bottom of the tank for the pump to draw from.

2, There are vent lines inside the tank that you need dodge.

3, You need a shallow pump cradle, I used a late 80's Bluebird SSS one but there's heaps out there that will work.

4, Get a flange cut and welded in, don't try to just cut a hole and use self tapping screws. It doesn't work.

5, You need to create a space between the tank and the floor for the lines to go. I used some 20mm furniture box section and extended the tank straps.

6, Forget everything I just said and fit a lift pump with a surge tank and an external EFI pump, in the end it will be a better system and cheaper than getting the existing tank modified.

2 stroke generator at full noise, electric drive? save a tree etc

A Hybrid, Hmmm.

Electric, check.

Noisy, check.

Actual petrol being burned, check and smoke if two stroke. A compound turbo Diesel would be more efficient at turning fuel into smoke and noise though.

Eco, check. So eco it will need an "i" in it's name.

Almost forgot.

Pedals, check.

Seedy you may have the solution to the problem.

Inverter, Boom Box and a mix tape of Rotary, V8 and Turbo 6 Cylinder engine sounds on my electric Chopper.

Actually if you read the regs electric bikes are included.

They specify 2kw (about 250 watts at 24 volts ?) as a maximum output for any "Self propelled bike".

That would include electric, steam, elastic band, fart, I'm sure you get it.

It's a lack of enforcement and or understanding on the Police's part that's the problem.

There's a public perception that if it's noisy it must be a bad thing so complaints come and the cops react.

It doesn't help the "type" to build and ride a petrol version are on the whole Belligerent Petrol Heads.

Am I missing something?

Adapt a VN sender to fit the L200 tank?

Adjust the lever length to suit throw and braze/tig VN sender frame onto the L200 base.

"Motorized Bicycles" have been around since the internal combustion engine was inverted, they where a great test bed.

This style of personal transport and it's legal requirements are easy to find, the problem lies in the inspectors interpretation of what is required.

Here's the rub. The regs are there for all to see and read but unlike a cert there is no exact specification for things like stopping distance or light output etc so if the inspector goes in to it with the wrong attitude you have no recourse to resolve anything and I can tell you they don't being told they have it wrong and the regs back you up.

I've had this issue with many inspectors for wof's, building inspectors and even when you get the book out and show them the error of their ways it never turns out well, they all do the same thing. Recheck everything and find a heap of new stuff just to let you know who's boss and prove they have it right

This is the power of bureaucracy and the petty little people who enforce it.

Another thing that really pisses me of is the number of electric bikes rolling around the cops ignore.

Those cheap Tard-me LED lights are crap.

From your comments I would say the earth in the lights them selves is your issue.

A dry solder joint in one could explain the issues.

There are times when old techniques are better than new ones and I think this is one of them.

Beg, borrow, steal or make a test light and check as close to the lights as you can without being silly.

If you get a nice bright response for each circuit you can rule the wiring out.

If you get a dim response on the tail circuit it would suggest a connection issue with that circuit.

If all the circuits are dim then the earth is your most likely suspect.

It not only takes volts to get a strong glow for a normal bulb but good amps as well, a cheap meter is no help there.

Woah mate. That's a very very very bad idea.

The whole idea of a coil is for power in on the + side and a TIMED earthing on the - side.

The test I described is only a way to check the coil is making a spark and not how it should be connected when it's in the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All you will achieve with a full time earth on ether side is a fried coil or a wiring fire in the engine bay or under the dash.

I think you need to start from the beginning.

Hock up everything as it should be then test each stage in turn.

You know the coil is capable of creating spark and you are seeing voltage drops at the coil so a signal of some sort from the distributor/ignitor is getting that far. Weather that signal is good enough to create a spark is another matter.

Connect a spark plug to the coil and see if you're getting spark.

If yes then it's all about timing, firing orders and HT parts to get it running.

If no then there's a problem with the wiring, ignitor or sensor in the distributor. (this is where the checking each wire and component starts)

With the dissy disconnected you should see 6v ish in the on position and 12v ish when cranking at the positive terminal on the coil.

If the voltages are low start checking for broken wires or poor connections in those wires between the coil, ballast and ign switch.

Once the basic power supplies are checked and repaired move on to the sensor and ignitor.

Start by tracing and checking the wires between each bit and it's earthing.
When you are sure all those connections and wires are good the easiest way to check the sensor and ignitor is by replacement or take them to a sparky and get them checked on an oscilloscope.

There's any number of Oldschoolers here that can help with ether option if you ask.

This strategy should get you going with as little drama as possible.
 

So they work on the bench and when the Brake light wire in the car is used to make the tail lights work?

This pretty much means the tail light source wire in the car is the issue, there has to be something causing a voltage drop and that means the connection where the trailer wiring joins into the cars loom or some damage to that circuit in the car.

This argument only works if the fault lies only with the tail light circuit on the trailer.

If nothing works on the trailer, brake, turn or tail the argument then swings toward the earth being the issue. ether at the plug or where it connects into the cars loom.

I never hook into the cars wiring for the earth and always drill a new hole with a self tapping screw to secure it. I also add a wire that screws into the trailer frame and use that as a common point that every earth on the trailer goes to. You would be surprised how often this simple thing fixes this sort of problem.

There are some modern cars that need a voltage stabilizer fitted for LED trailer lights but it's rare, my brothers Hilux needed one for his jet sprint trailer.

Is it possible to have the dizzy out of phase? .......Yes, but it will still produce a spark, will just hit the wrong cylinder.

The distributor rotor will only slip onto the shaft one way. Can I pull the dizzy out, and spin it by hand to try find spark?................. Unlikely to work, most triggers rely on a grounded sensor.

How are you checking for a spark? Do you know what we are talking about when we say "Ground", "Grounded", "Earthed" etc.

They all mean the same thing. A direct connection to the negative side of the battery!

This means the spark plug has to connected to the lead and with the steel part resting on the negative terminal or any metal part of the engine.

I know it's a simple thing but if you just have the spark plug hanging on the end of the lead you will never see a spark.

One thing no one has said.

It's important the fan is the right way round especially the Yellow plastic ones.

I would still suggest a better radiator and a clean out of the heater core is required.

Stick with it bro, when you do get it sorted that blat in the hills will make it worth all the work.

Pressed steel rocker cover and a plastic front cover = Belt.

Cast Alloy rocker cover and no plastic front cover = Chain.

Nissan are knobs when it comes to engine codes.

Given you can see voltage drops at the coil but no spark means your list of potential problems is short.

Coil, leads, cap and rotor.

Only other thing I can think of is you have the ballast hocked up the wrong way, Main power on the cranking side. This would result in 12v with the car running and 6v when the starter is used. QED no spark on start up.

Check the distributor cap for a crack or broken contact for the coil connection.

Check the earth for the distributor, as close as you can to the pick-up and to the battery terminal.

Check for loose connections on every wire you have disconnected and reconnected, look for things like frayed wires, sudden kinks or displaced contacts in blocks.

This is real backyard way to test any coil.

Disconnect everything from the coil, then connect an earth to the negative side and a coil lead with a grounded spark plug attached (no distributor cap).

Next run a wire from the positive side of the battery, tap* that wire on the positive coil terminal, it should result in a spark.

Tap* needs to be a quick strike on the terminal not a touch and hold, the shorter the connection period the cleaner spark you should see. This is a manual way of creating the Hall effect a coil needs to work.

V6 VTEC Accord

Volvo S60 Turbo

Mazda MX-5, not fast but great fun.

Subaru 3lt Lancaster

V6 Mitsi GTO GPX MIVEC, (bugger that's a lot of letters).

Mid 70's Daimler Double Six.

LADA NIVA.

On a more serious note.

BMW M3.

SAAB 95.

First gen Mini Cooper S, BMW Supercharged one not the original version.

Mitsubishi V3000.

Waste gate leaking.

What car?

Does it already have an electric pump?

Is it being used as a lift pump or feeding a carb?

To suit EFI or low pressure?

Most of the time in the engine bay is the easiest, wiring and plumping is simplified.

Biggest thing to remember is the noise, a rubber isolation type mount is needed if you want to hear anything other than the pump.

Clean out trenches, rut kill, paint with the best etch primer you can get* and fill with Windscreen Urethane.

If it leaks after that sell.

*There is many Etch primers and there is much debate on which is best.

My Choice is 2 pot POR 15. Drys like rock.

Not common unless a semi floating axle.

Replace the bearings with a roller type and you won't need the block.

Probably be easier and cheaper than getting a block made up, I imagine the tolerances will be a pain to work out.