A huge 'If'...

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:04 pm

Or sell at a considerable profit!

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:02 pm

DavidRutherford wrote:
mott999 wrote:Would it not need a head skim?
Yes.

Head off, Strip out camshaft and followers. Have head skimmed.

Measure head bolts for new if needed (probably not... they're usually in tolerance)

buy multi-layer steel-laminate gasket, head set, cambelt and water pump.

Grind in valves. Set clearances.

Put everything back together.

Drive.

Or the much easier Newbold approach, stick another engine in

I like your idea about towing it back David, if only you weren't darn sarf.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:05 pm

Thought time: would I be right to suggest it would only tow if you were replacing the whole engine? I mention this because I`d have thought that you`d need the engine running all the way back in case the suspension drops (with suspended front or rear lift) and leaving a suspect engine running for such a distance may total it altogether?
Like I say, just a thought and I`m sure the more technical ones would be able to either confirm this or just laugh at my madness!

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:57 am

Cavmad.. you're quite right. The only downside of my A-frame is when towing a Hydro-cit, you must have pressure available for the suspension and brakes. I did look at the possibility of making an adaptor so that it used the handbrake mechanism, and you could just stop every hour or so and put the car back up to intermediate height.... but it was all a load of rubbish.

The alternative (which has worked well in the past) is to tow the car in 5th gear with all the glowplugs (or sparkplugs if petrol) removed. The additional drag from the gearbox and engine is minimal, and it keeps the system pressure up.

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:14 pm

DavidRutherford wrote: The alternative (which has worked well in the past) is to tow the car in 5th gear with all the glowplugs (or sparkplugs if petrol) removed. The additional drag from the gearbox and engine is minimal, and it keeps the system pressure up.

Good lateral thinking but another cunning plan will be needed for an auto.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:49 pm

Right, never one to shy away from a verbal challenge I reckon you`d need to either buy or hire (if you can hire these things) a set of dolly wheels as used by recovery agents with `spec lift` trucks. This is doing by raising the front wheels onto the spec or dolly and then putting the skates on the rear wheels. I haven`t got a clue as to how you put the skates on, possibly by lifting with the spec and dropping car onto skates then turning it round and putting on spec.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:00 pm

Or hire a proper car trailer. Certainly if I had to tow it from Scotland to Southampton i oouldn't use anything less - its one thing moving them 10 miles - another hundreds of miles.

Trouble with the trailer is its weight - at least 500kg + another 1100 or so for the car and you're going to need something large to cope with the weight. Notice must be taken of the weight ratio - and the trailer should not exceed say 90% of the towing vehicle weight.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:07 pm

I`ve got to go through all that soon as I`m thinking of buying a towing dolly to pull behind the truck but it`s bloody minefield working out towing weights and whether I go over weight enough to require an HGV (or LGV or whatever they call it now).

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:45 pm

Way2go wrote:Good lateral thinking but another cunning plan will be needed for an auto.

Given that most Auto's cannot be towed with their driven wheels on the ground at more than snails-pace mph or for more than about 3'6", my towing A-frame would be fairly useless anyway!

Jeremy... I see your point.. do things properly, but I have to say given extensive experience of both trailer towing and A-frame towing, the A-frame is significantly more stable on the road, and half-a-tonne lighter than towing a flatbed trailer.

Plus, you only have to tow one-way rather than with a trailer where it has to be both ways.

The only (and fairly major) problem with the A-frame is that you absolutely cannot reverse. not only because I haven't designed an auto-reversing brakes mechanism, but also because the castor of the front wheels of the car being towed means it will always want to go to the opposite lock to that which it needs to while reversing.

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 4:21 pm

For an A frame tow raise the BX to full height and put the two by two timber bits between the rear arms and the chassis, attach A frame as normal, lower car to normal height, if the bits of timber are in the rightplace they should be trapped, although the front will lose height there was clearance for the frame (on the one I used and nothing touched down,) for an autobox tow remove transmission fluid and both driveshafts, knock CV joints off shafts and replace them through hubs, I have an old pair just for this purpose.
Stewart

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:31 pm

Sold now anyway.

Problem solved.