BXProject

Well, let's see what it's like with everything aligned correctly. Might even try the tracking with a piece of string to get it closer, at least for the drive over to get it properly adjusted. Haven't pushed it hard at all yet although managed 5th gear and a guessed 40 mph. No vibes from the prop so it looks like the UJ angles are OK.

Well it's no good opening it up till you get it checked. Many's the ripped chasis or floor panel I've seen through firing a modded job off before it's properly finished

Alignment now done, and apparently it was really easy to get everything spot on with all bolts being new, nothing needed to be heaved on. Managed a longer test drive too, and the handling seems fine although obviously not world beating. Just like a Cortina really!

Another issue that may be rearing its head is (I think) fuel starvation. It'll rev cleanly to at least 5k rpm in neutral, but anything over half throttle under load it'll cough and slow down. I'm wondering whether there isn't enough restriction in the return line, as it's still 6 mm pipe so only 2 mm smaller than the supply pipe. Bodge solution would be to crimp the copper return pipe (or even flatten it with pliers) but I could maybe put a MIG welding tip in the hose and drill it out to suit.

Fuel starvation now sorted, and so is insurance!

Any guesses on the premium for fully comp? First quote was £480

While i appreciate you're as old as time, that its not your daily drive and probably wont be used for commuting, £480 isn't too ridiculous.

I think Adrian Flux wanted £4,500 for the valver with the 1.9TD engine!!

Assuming you didn't go with the first quote, £270?

£4.5k!!! Even for a whippersnapper like you (were ) that's daft! Paying £257 for the BX with an extra (on paper) 2 bhp) so expected around double for the Stellar. But £270 is damn close, AF wanted £279 to start with, then I knocked off £15 each for key cover and some other extra making it cheaper than the BX!

Plus it includes breakdown cover which I may very well need...

That is cheap. It cost me 290 for the picarosol

But come on Phil, the Picasso has a resell value and could be rebuilt, neither the bx nor the Stella have actual value in insurance

BX maybe has some value, but the Stellar is both priceless and worthless! The insurance does come with windscreen cover, which may be handy given that we've needed 7 replaced in the 8 years we've lived here. I bet they would wriggle out of getting another one custom made though

The bx has no insurance value, non, zip, Nada. If you crash a bx, they'll write it off. In paperwork alone it will cost over 1000quid to repair the car. Add parts and paint and super expensive labour, and even a bent wing is going to cost another 300quid. There are very few people that have bx worth more than that and I mean actual values, not the over inflated values we might try to get guaranteed insurance value for.

It's not so bad for most of us as we can rebuild our selves, but I always find it odd when people claim on there bx insurance for relatively minor knocks then get ranty about how it's been written off by insurance. I don't think my bx would be worth more than double the cost of the policy to any insurer even if I do have it agreed for just short of 2k

Stellar insurance sounds pretty reasonable, i've been quoted £400 for the completed Valver (including the S/C it's not getting) with a £3k agreed value. No extras though!

I was just thinking what they'd pay out if it was pinched! But agreed that any bump would write 'em off. That price is for 2k miles a year which is about all I'll be able to afford fuel for. Not that a mileage limit really matters when I have no way of connecting a speedo yet!

But come on Phil, the Picasso has a resell value

Yeah course it has until you try to sell it after it's 10 years old

Take your point though. I hadn't thought of it like that.
When they quote you for a, a, well, metamorphasis springs to mind. Don't you get an agreed value?

You can have an agreed value, but that's an extra £15. Which I may go for, but presumably I can't make up a stupidly large figure - I'd guess they have to agree with it!

Bit of a ballache with the speedo - I'd worked out what drive pinion I needed to get the right speed showing, so thought all I needed was a custom cable making up. But no, the gearbox casting is blanked off where the speedo drive would go!



Dunno why I didn't notice this when the 'box was out but I'm buggered if I'm removing it now. And even then I'm not sure I'd drill a hole unless I was rebuilding it. On the upside, I'm not going to be troubling my 2k mileage limit for the insurance any time soon...

Any bright ideas for running the original speedometer still rather than a GPS based solution? I have one plan, but it'll cost upwards of £250

Also, one of my wheels that I refurbished seems to have a leak. Down to nothing in a couple of days. I've sandblasted it, painted and lacquered it (including where the bead sits) and both the valve & tyre are new. Porous wheel? Thinking of sticking a can of gloop inside it for now.

what does it need to drive? digital or analogue dials, or does it matter?

Analogue cable driven speedo. It's got a cruise control system fitted, which has a magnet on the propshaft and a sensor which I can tap into for some kind of speed signal. Then I was thinking of getting this to drive a custom cable to my old speedo. Getting kinda spendy though!

You can drill out for it it situ no problem. Once you've centred it, pack the recesswith tapping grease, the old brown stuff. Drill out steadily and carefully and all the swarf and there won't be much, will be contained in the grease.
Carefully retrieve with a small stick and kitchen paper.
Jobbed
Done it loads of times on bigger stuff too

I've used the grease trick before, but my main issue is taking the box out again! Plus I don't know whether the drive gear is even present on the output shaft, so I CBA. I've ordered the electronic box, so will rig up something when that arrives. I need to add a few miles to the clock to account for when the speedo cable broke back in 2001, make the mileage accurate again. So I could just hook up to a frequency generator for a day or so at top speed...

MOT this week hopefully!

Fuck. I now have an MOT, but no oil pressure. Sudden loss on the way back from the test, and the bottom end of the engine is telling me it's not just the sender!

Pump???

Or damaged filter. It was very close to the ARB.