DTA (UK)

Dave C is right - spend a little extra money and get yourself a high quality product! I am currently in talks with a company who will produce lightened pulleys in stock sizes and also an under drive crank pulley for those who really want it. They will be manufactured to the highest possible standard and will be cheaper than a set of Unorthodox pulleys. We are in the development stages at the moment so don't expect anything for a short while yet but these will be hitting the market in the next couple of months. Of course we will supply them with the necessary belts. Dan

Yep - these will be en route to me this week and will post pics and prices when I've got them. So stay tuned!

Gaskets & strainer: Mike Feeny @ MJP (see traders section) Oil: OPIE Oils (also in traders section) HTH Dan

Wasn't it nice to wake up to some good news for a change this morning! :D ... And then it started to rain ... again ... :(

Send Lymon a PM - he's a certified AEM tuner ;)

Given that your car is on a K-plate and hazarding a guess that the autobox oil has never been changed I would say "YES", you need a new gasket. Gaskets deteriorate over time and it is always worth replacing them. I will be doing a fluid change fairly soon as well and I'm going to replace both the gasket and strainer. Peace of mind and all that ... HTH Dan

All the above is great pre-wedding day advise ... however, what you really need to know in order to make it a long lasting, happy marriage is two words: "YES DEAR ..." I swear to all that's holy that these two words are worth more in a relationship than a magic wabbit at a children's party! ;) Good luck, have fun and above all enjoy the day! Dan

There is an interesting column in this month's Performance Tuner (p. 32) about ceramic coatings. I'll see if I can scan it later (when my scanner decides to work through the new USB hub I've just installed) but the essence of the story is that it will reduce engine bay temps by as much as 25 degrees C (on race car application) as well as aiding performance. The latter is due to keeping more heat and energy in the system, thereby allowing the turbos to spool up 300 to 400rpm earlier (ie making the car more responsive). You can also coat the exhaust system which inhibits the radiation of heat from the surface of the material thereby holding the heat inside. (ie lower engine bay temps). HTH Dan

I've been on it for years as have quite a few of my ex-colleagues from my "start-up" days. As far as a "social network" it isn't great but for professional purposes it's pretty good. I've got an acquaintance who gets a lot of his consultants through Linkedin so must be a good source for professional labour. I've been meaning to update my profile for some time now and renew my contacts as they will have gone inactive after a certain amount of time.

I don't know what the Vis pic looks like but here's one fitted to Eric's car (ie Lymon on this forum) ;) We did have one lying around but I'm not sure if it has been sold in the meantime. BTW - I'm going to e-mail you some pics of your headlight conversion tonight/tomorrow - they're looking great!

Hi Chris, You're right - HID bulbs take a second or so to ignite and gain maximum luminosity = no use when "flashing". You won't find regular bulbs which are colour matched to a 6000K bulb simply because you can never get halogen to burn at that temp (even when Xenon gas has been added to the bulb). At the moment the best bulb I do is a 4500K "ice blue" bulb. It is still a lot yellower than a 6000K HID bulb but at the same time considerably whiter than a standard halogen bulb. I've got these in stock if you're interested (£12/pair). They are standard wattage (ie 55W) so won't tax your wiring loom excessively. ATB Dan

This scheme only kicks in if the call volume to this particular 0845/0870 number is higher than 3 million minutes per billing period. The "cash back" payment is far lower (as in 0.05p) if call volumes are lower. Having said that, I spend a lot of money every month phoning my suppliers 0845/0870 numbers so will give that website a go! Cheers, Dan

That's a common misconception. Most new cars have HID dip beam and halogen main beam (this is the case with most Mercs/BMWs/Mazdas/etc, even Ferrari and Lamborghini tend to separate the two. This is done primarily to save cost but also to avoid the HID kit from crashing from excessive "flashing" use. In most cases, if dip beam has a HID kit fitted you'll never use main beam other than to flash.

As stated above - no need to remove the headlight (although it makes things 100% easier ;)) Due to the limited access space behind the headlight you'll need to be patient in trying to remove the bulbs. For dip beam (ie, the round projector light): Disconnect the bulb connectors // remove the rubber dust seal by twisting the plastic cap that surrounds it and then pulling the rubber cap off // release the spring clip holding the bulb in place // replace bulb (UK-spec = H3/Jap-spec = H3C) and reassemble in reverse order. For main beam (ie, rectangular reflector light): Disconnect the bulb holder at the back by squeezing together the two tabs (this will take some patience to do as it is very fiddly) // remove the H1 bulb and replace // reassemble in reverse order. HTH Good luck! Dan

Yep - got some in stock as well! (£15/pair + £1.65 postage) Or go for HID upgrade at £99 all inclusive. Regards, Dan

Yep ... ;) LOL!

I've owned a 355 spider, Honda NSX and Porsche Boxter in quite quick succession quite a few years ago. The Honda ('96 targa) was a superb and comfortable GT car - did a trip from Dallas to Miami in it and came out the other end fresh as a daisy. The Boxter was crap apart from the lovely mechanical noise of the gear change. The 355 was a money pit but well worth it. Not as comfortable as the NSX, nowhere near as over-engineered as the Porsche but tons of fun! (built up quite a knicker collection in Puerto Banus) ;) I'd have another one any day but would only drive it at the weekend - not great for every day driving. By the way - before anyone asks - I owned these cars when I lived in Marbella (except the NSX which I owned when I lived in Maryland) and it was during my "rich" days as a next generation telecoms director of business development for a dot.com startup. God - those were the days ...

Not the 92/93 model (512TR). Only when they introduced the 94/95 F512M did things change. An ex-girlfriend's father had a 93 512TR as well as a F512M. I personally preferred the former with all its flaws and issues - much more in keeping with Ferrari's of that day and age. The F512M has questionable styling (esp. the fixed headlights and wheels) but was a superior car in the quality stakes. Also spent a lot less time getting fixed after a drive ... If/When I get the funds a late model 512TR is definitely on my shopping list :) It's a beautiful car albeit a ******* to drive.

No problem at all mate - I'm chuffed you managed to find the leak. Regards, Dan

Not to worry Berks - that address is plastered all over the internet on my various websites ... but removed from first post "just in case" ;) Thanks! Dan

Hi Steve, I know I'm not on the list (yet) but I will be there on saturday and sunday. Will have a trade stand. See you there. Dan

As far as I know there have been a couple of conversions done on NA's in the US and Australia. You may want to look through their respective forums for information.

You're not wrong there Berkley! Not to worry, my car is tucked away safely. Thanks for your concern though - it's appreciated. All the best mate, hope to see you at a meet soon. Dan

This past Saturday. Saw (heard) you driving past the house in the morning then saw you and your passenger looking at my car on the drive in the afternoon. Studley, Warks. Looked like a J-spec TT, auto (by the sound of it) and with "funny" rear lights (no offence intended, just don't know how else to describe them)

Hey! I need to get in touch with Richard (SuffolkZX) regarding his NA hardpipe kit order. I have sent him several PM's (which have not been read) yet I can see he's been online several times since I sent the messages :confused: Richard, if you're reading this, can you please get in touch regarding your order mate - it's been ready to go for a while now. To anyone else who may have an alternative method of contacting him - can you please ask him to contact me asap. Many thanks! Dan