groover

Looking forward to the pics, i bet you cant wait lol

Generally im not a fan of any MG but the 1.8 vvc is one of their better engines if there is such a thing lol, but yes head gasket and the clutch arm seizing is not uncommon. Ive done a few rover HG's but to do anything major on these is drop the engine, which looks like a job i may have to do if i cant get the arm free with a hammer lol

No base idle needs to be at 15deg, you would need to put on the original crank pulley back on to set the timing with a light. I had the same issue with the after market pulley with no timing marks on, although according to consult and datascan mine is as it should be. You can connect the neutral feed from the gearbox directly to the ecu.

I wouldnt know Andy, but when i purchased the chipped ecu a few years ago i had an auto and its quite an agressive chip and the vvt doesnt come in till later in the rev band, which i want to change at some point.

I converted mine and still use a devlin chip for an auto hence mine rises too, if you get a chip for a manual it should make a difference iirc.

It does change and quite noticeably when cold, i find that there isnt much of a noticeable change once up to temp and been driving around for a while, also when i spoke to Jeff about this iirc, if the car is chipped as a manual you would hardly notice the change in revs.

I will take some Dave and post up on the MG forum, i went a step further than anything posted on their forum about the led dash conversion. I was thinking if im going to keep it, changing the front end to the MGTF which will give it a facelift and as i swapped it for a mazda 323 i had, it hasnt cost me anything yet, so still to decide.

Sadly wont be able to make it this year as the other half has to have an operation on the friday 13th Sept, then 6 weeks to recover. She told me to go to JAE, but i know from past experience, thats womans speak for please dont go and look after me or i will never forgive you lol. Gutted i cant be there, so i expect lots of photos posted to see what ive missed.

Back boxes are the same for TT and N/A. Its the cats that are restrictive and apart from the downpipes, both are interchangeable

Nice one Dave, i have one exactly the same sat on my drive im either going to do up or sell for spares, the main issue which is a common problem with them is the gearbox clutch arm/actuator is ceased, common if they are sat for a long period of time, apart from that they look a great little car and of course ive done an led conversion to the interior dash etc in red.

Cheers everyone, had a really nice day and the other half surprised me with a couple of guests for dinner i hadnt seen in a while, didnt get to the cinema in the end, but going to another birthday party tomorrow and cinema thurs.

Ah cool, i admire the time and attention to detail, this is going to be one stunning example, im glad youve got some enthusiasm back to get moving on her again and look forward to some more pics.

Im confused Pete, is this how it stands now or before you did all the engine bay black and all new bolts etc..?

Thats a nice size Bri, i have to admit when i originally did mine i took the camera and board out of the housing and fitted it into the keyhole, got rid of the mechanism and it fitted perfectly, i always use the lever to open the boot anyway.

With mine i wired the live to the reverse light feed and with the rca/phono jack in the head unit, it will automatically turn on when you select reverse and off when out of reverse, so the screen also changes when it senses the signal.

Welcome back Fraser, hopefully get the bug back now you want to use her again.

Cheers guys, having a nice relaxing day today, breakfast in bed was the start and out for a meal and cinema later :thumbup:

Happy birthday mate, its that time of the year again lol

I would say most people around their late 30's to 40's have no financial contingency in place and have to get by day to day, week to week or month to month, the cost of living is higher but the wages have actually gone down in comparison making it harder to save or put money away or into a pension plan. I include myself in the above and dont think that far ahead in reality, if we spend all our time worrying about retirement plans then we arent living the now. In fact if we were really that bothered then certainly wouldnt own a zed lol

Its good to have a plan or dream as it keeps you alive and travelling is a great idea.

Off topic, whats in the flight case? lol

I feel im already retired at 45 lol, work been so quiet i may as well be retired :lol: although i like to think i might be living in spain or somewhere with a nice climate when i do officially retire:thumbup1:

I do like leather, but burns your legs in the summer and freezes your ass in the winter, so i reverted to the series 2 cloth seats probably the same as yours lol

If and when you take your interior out, you will see the pipes and the route they take, as mentioned some over the years shrink or deteriorate and water can end up where you dont want it. The biggest culprit for electrical issues lay at the drivers side footwell behind the fuse board where there are relays etc and if they get wet and corrode terminals problems occur, similarly the pass side. The main issue with the rear targa drain is corrosion to the rear sills. Front pipes run down the A pillar down to the side of the dash and behind the fuse board, rears, if you remove the rear side panels, you will see it run straight down behind where the seat belt mechanism is or would be if you still have yours on the doors.

I do like the Aston Martin, i still have an Aston Martin driving experience to book, which i got last crimbo, however the zed will always get more looks from people and as you say there isnt alot on the road that can compare with the grin factor.