philb

I think so (roughly) but it puts the OMD330 beyond the top of the SAE50 viscosity range. Like most things, it's not quite that simple!

Poking my nose in, here's a chart that might be of interest to you.

Dave Ives friday am 12x12 for cookhouse main area Neil & Val, Friday (sometime), not sure yet (Wife is booked at at the The Plume for bed only - might join her or bring my tent.) Phil (Matador) Friday late am, no tent - kipping in wagon.

The user handbook says 31.6 mph at 1800 rpm (max on load) on 7.9 diffs and 14.00 tyres. I tend to set my speed based on noise, vibration and fear - usually a lot less than 31.6!

You ought to team up with Ed Batchelor, he's got mixed ratios and found driving in FWD interesting. Perhaps between you, you could get two FWD capable Matadors running! Head gaskets are available from several sources, including Deanfield Commercials in Lancashire - call Charlie on 01200 429448 / 07946325575.

gps, Sorry, I didn't read your post carefully enough. The battery I told you about is cylindrical, for a later model meter, I think. Maybe the one you need is the 10F20 or BLR121. Available from the small battery company or Maplin. does it look like this?

These chaps: http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_a220.htm?a220,Rayovac,%20GP%20and%20others,A220 It's type IEC 10F15 or A220.

Ed, The winch mounting is designed for it to pull horizontally, not downward. Be careful!

You're quite right. It was the 360BHP for the industrial variant that surprised me. I would then expect the road and rail versions to be higher still.

The Optimas (Red Top especially) have much lower internal resistance (= more starting current) than liquid electrolyte batteries of the same size, they will suffer more deep discharges and they have lower natural (internal) leakage rates than other types but.... if they are left discharged for long they will be ruined too. Any lead-acid accumulator (which these are) has to be kept at a very high state of charge to have a long life. It's actually quite amazing how long a life they can have. So, I'd say, if you are sure that your vehicles' electrics are not draining them while they are resting (or, it seems, as long as your name is not Jack), the Optimas will serve you well - but so should standard batteries. If they are not being drained, it's high temperatures (above about80°F in old money) that will cause them to discharge naturally and lose the will to live, not our winters, or autumns, or springs, or most summers. Phil

No boredom at all, well done for making good progress in the inclement conditions I've not done it but I'm told by those who have many times that to remove the starter (having got the electrics out of the way) you wedge yourself up against the inside of the off-side wheel, undo the clamp and try not to let it fall on you - it will hurt if it does. Probably a good idea to put a strop round it and anchor it to something upstairs. Keep the pics coming.

Can't fool me quite that easily - it's not moving!

I guess: claw-special, legs-long, puller-one in number, for the use of..., coming up then? Looking forward to seeing a photo of it - and the rest of the shiny clutch stuff, when you get them to sort it out. Keep up the good work, you have moral, if not tangible, support!

That's more like it, I feel a cool beer beckoning

Thought you might like this. It's not quite the AVT1100 but the turbo-charged industrial version, I think:

Here's a few I found...

These chaps are keeping the side up: http://www.maltahistoricvehicles.com/recent_phts.htm I lived there in the '60s and, given how good the Maltese are at keeping anything going for years after anyone else would have discarded it, the island was crawling (accurate in more ways than one) with desirable hardware.

Thanks, Neil, I was afraid it might be like this: http://www.hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showpost.php?p=122010&postcount=597 Phil

You're making me worried now. Have you got any photos of the type of terrain? (I realise I'm being stupid, opening myself up to pictures of Mars, the north face of the Eiger etc., bring it on.) Phil

Ex G8DDN but I design electronics for a living - expecting to take up radio again when the body no longer wants to play with anything more energetic! Phil

I bow, in awe of your deep bodging.

I'm no expert but is that any good? Phil

Does the exhaust really come out by the drivers left ear?

Hello Steve, Welcome and well done for introducing another Matador. Do you have any pictures of it? Shout (electronically) if you need any info or drawings from the manual or spare parts book. Phil

This is the aaib Interim report (October 2008, I think). It makes fascinating reading - they certainly try hard to find the problems. If you could have arranged for your broken engine to fall out of the sky they would surely have found the cause of the seizure! (Well done for getting it going again) http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/Interim%20Report%20-%20Boeing%20777-236ER,%20G-YMMM.pdf This is the first paragraph of the summary: The investigation has shown that the fuel flow to both engines was restricted; most probably due to ice within the fuel feed system. The ice is likely to have formed from water that occurred naturally in the fuel whilst the aircraft operated for a long period, with low fuel flows, in an unusually cold environment; although, G-YMMM was operated within the certified operational envelope at all times. Phil