If you disconnect the timing belt and rotate the crank 180^, the pistons WILL hit any open valves and will almost certainly bend them. As Dave points out, ...   08-02-2005 04:02 pm

FWIW, attached is a photo for this wheel, taken from their online catalog.  Do they actually offer a choice in offsets, or is the 0" figure the only ...   08-02-2005 02:20 pm

Carburetors. Strombergs are VERY reliable and the only things likely to go wrong with them are wear, damage caused by somebody jamming a screwdriver where it ...   08-02-2005 12:07 am

Check the Club Store, they've got rebuilt 3-row radiators for sale there.  The  price is probably fair, too, as it's only about twice what I ...   07-31-2005 10:22 pm

Does anyone know a source for the electrical connector used in the factory hardtop?  This is the one that plugs into the connector at the center ...   07-30-2005 08:05 pm

My take, for what it's worth-- Pull engine & front crossmember? Depends.  Ideally, yes, if you have the room to do so.  If you have lots of ...   07-27-2005 10:49 pm

It's my understanding that the numbers should be on the turrets, as indicated in the attached photo.  But we're talking British parts from the 1970s here, so quite ...   07-27-2005 10:36 pm

My car's PO changed timing belt and tensioner bearings just before I bought the car.  Nonetheless, the engine frequently made whining noises. Some folks kept telling me, "It's ...   07-27-2005 09:58 pm

Might be fuel starvation.  Measure the fuel pressure at the inlet to each carb.  Pressure should be 1.5 to 3.5 psi.  IIRC, Del'lortos prefer 2.0 to ...   07-27-2005 09:27 pm

George, Just so you'll know, there were two different 25D4 distributors used in JH's with Strombergs. These are identical save that the specs for the vacuum capsule are ...   07-27-2005 03:01 pm

Congratulations!  The car is beautiful and shows the care and attention to detail that you've put into it.  Best of luck on every race day! ...   07-24-2005 11:59 pm

It's fairly common to install a JH distributor incorrectly, either because the clamping plate was installed upside down, or because the distributor body isn't pressed tightly against ...   07-24-2005 11:44 pm

Attached is an annotated photo showing a stock JH distributor and its clamping plate.  This plate is held in place solely by friction when the clamping bolt is tightened.  There ...   07-24-2005 05:45 pm

You can safely change the belt with the engine at TDC, provided you ensure that the cams do not rotate, but as Judson points out ...   07-23-2005 03:04 pm

It's my understanding that the mounting studs for the transmission crossmember are located in the same place for both 4- and 5-speed cars, but I'm not an expert ...   07-22-2005 06:21 pm

In the photo, the transmission does look offset to the right a little bit, and the engine/tranny assembly appears twisted slightly counter-clockwise, too.  I'd suspect that this is ...   07-22-2005 03:48 pm

The crankshaft gear is steel and shouldn't show much if any wear, so I'm curious as to why you'd want to replace it.  For the others, if no individual ...   07-22-2005 02:42 pm

While fiberglass might work, the liquid metal will almost certainly fall apart fairly quickly.  IMHO, there's really no substitute for doing the job with steel. If your damaged ...   07-21-2005 04:12 pm

Brett is correct.  The factory hard top plugs right in to the socket in the rear bulkhead.  According to the JH parts list, this socket is a Jensen #92824 ...   07-21-2005 03:56 pm

I think you want the air intake plenum used on the GT.  I've seen a couple of these for sale on eBay in the past year or so, ...   07-21-2005 12:15 am

It would seem that something in the clutch assembly has fallen apart and is now jamming the pressure plate.  You might check to see if the throwout lever ...   07-18-2005 07:55 pm

Sometimes the bearings are still good and the whine is due to the belt becoming resonant due to tension changes as it ages.  I've had good ...   07-17-2005 05:16 pm

Perhaps I caused some confusion by using the term 'switch' in two different ways.  I'll try to clarify things below, using switch solely to describe an electrical function ...   07-17-2005 04:33 pm

What a lovely, lovely photo you've provided.  Brass Tube. This is the manifold vacuum spigot.  It's pressed in, and if it fits loosely you'll have a hard-to-find vacuum leak.  ...   07-17-2005 03:09 pm

The shop manual describes the stock wheel as being cast aluminum with a flat hump and a safety ledge. Numerically the wheel is 5.5J-13" with an offset of 0.75" giving ...   07-14-2005 10:48 pm

The shift lever gaiter is a simple piece to make.  All you need is a small amount of new vinyl (or other material) in the color of your ...   07-13-2005 06:00 pm

Top Dead Center or TDC is the reference point from which all of the events in a cylinder's cycle of operation are timed.  You will often ...   07-13-2005 12:53 am

The courtesy light in my car came from Delta and its switch has three positions: (1) Light always lit, (2) Light never lit, and (3) Light lit ...   07-12-2005 05:11 pm

All the kits I've used over the past 5 years have been from Delta.  All were marked ZE15K (see attached photo) and all had the needle type ...   07-10-2005 10:12 pm

Actually your troubles are fairly typical for a new JH owner, and by having the sense to ask questions when necessary, you prove conclusively that ...   07-10-2005 05:54 pm

The float setting spec should be stated in the carb rebuild kit.  This dimension is 0.688" (11/16").  Both carbs should use sealing washers of the same thickness, and, ...   07-10-2005 04:33 pm

The stuff in the 'Garage' is just sort of there and probably isn't searchable in any meaningful fashion.  A lot of the older magazines have ...   07-10-2005 02:56 pm

Ah, metaphors... but I'd rather belabor the obvious than have someone ruin an engine due to a misunderstanding. Strombergs are pretty easy to deal with.  There's a four-part article on ...   07-10-2005 04:06 am

Congratulations on buying a JH.  They're great cars.  If you have a 4-speed with overdrive, and it works, then my advice is, sell the 5-speed! To comment ...   07-10-2005 03:00 am

When one does anything significant to a JH distributor, it's generally necessary to remove it from the car.  This is best done after setting the engine so ...   07-09-2005 03:44 pm

I agree with Greg, something's quite wrong here.  I've dealt with some pretty ugly parts over the years and don't recall any of them hanging ...   07-08-2005 09:14 pm

The stock tire size is 185-70HR13.  This is entirely adequate for the street, but a 205 or 215 tire gives you a significantly larger tire contact patch, which adds ...   07-07-2005 12:54 am

POR15 has a really good reputation for stopping rust dead in its tracks.  A fairly large number of JH owners have used it on their ...   07-06-2005 10:35 pm

Other than the quality issue (steel-to-stainless welds?) with the stainless tanks Delta once offered, I don't know of any problems with aftermarket tanks, though nowadays there ...   07-06-2005 04:20 am

The brake circuit is pretty simple.  You'll need a voltmeter to check things out.  The one in the dash won't do but almost anything else ...   07-04-2005 08:46 pm