December 2007


Thursday 27th December 2007
Does anyone know of a Stroker Kit for a Ford Zetec, or the size that the Zetec can be stretched to? I'm told a 2.1 is quite cheap to build, but a 2.3 or 2.4 would give me so much extra torque, that I'm tempted to see just what can be done to the Zetec. At least up to the point where it may be simpler to drop a 2.3 Duratec in the engine bay anyway.
Wednesday 26th December 2007
Ford Motorsport fans would be mad to miss the Men and Motors TV broadcast of "Ford Sierra: Rep-Mobile to Road Rocket Film" documenting the history of the Ford Sierra, a car heralded as a breakthrough in automobile design upon its launch in 1982. Initially greeted with hesitation by the public, the Sierra soon became a firm favourite with the British market. Featuring never-before-seen archive and promotional film, tonight's show reveals how the Sierra managed to achieve dual success - as a world champion touring car and a highly successful and popular family saloon.

The program is showing at 12:30 (GMT) and 15:30 (GMT) on the 28th December.

Also, and more importantly, for Ford Fiesta fans, Men and Motors TV are showing, wait for it, "Ford Fiesta: From Birth to Boy Racer" A special film documenting the history of the Ford Fiesta, a car that first rolled off the production line in 1976 and is still going strong today. The film follows the Fiesta story from the initial concept to the finished product, using archive footage of the design and fabrication process. Plus, a look at how the model has moved with the times, with a visit to a motor show where Fiesta enthusiasts show off their crazy body kits, and footage of XR2s in action at a touring-car rally championship. (Subtitled)

The program is showing at 20:00 (GMT) on New Years eve (31/12/07). Be sure to Sky+ all the programs. They recently showed a program on the Ford Escort, and it was amazing, with footage of Jackie Stewart testing all manner of new models, including at the time, a Mk2 and a Mk3 Escort. Really great Retro footage.

We hatched our Pleo last night. Weird and yet wonderful, the little guy is quite something. Sounds like an electric razor on speed, but still, ignoring the sounds of the servo motors, its quite a sophisticated robot, certainly not a toy.
Tuesday 25th December 2007
Happy Christmas to all my visitors.
Friday 21st December 2007
Bought myself on of those clever little Pleo Robotic Dinosaurs for Christmas. Quite hard to come by, but I did pre-order it in October, so its been a long wait. Need to give the battery a good charge, and see what it does now.

The workshop camera has now moved to the garage. If you see a picture which resembles the sky at night, the lights are off. With the lights in the garage on, you can see the Fiesta sat with the dust cover on at the present time. I'm trying to get a good price for a 2.1 Zetec, something with around 220BHP. I've canned the idea of going for a Z-Cars Mini. I'd have to make a decent amount of money from selling the Fiesta first, and to be honest, it'd be heart wrenching to be parted from the old girl. So I'll drop a new engine in, get some new tyres, wire the heated windscreen in and post off my membership forms, so I can have a play in 2008.

Speaking of Membership, did you know that Nottingham Sports Car Club are offering FREE MEMBERSHIP in 2008, to commemorate their 60th anniversary. www.gosprinting.co.uk has membership forms for download.
Monday 10th December 2007
Jury Service now complete, so its back to the daily grind. On the Christmas Present front, anyone interested in Hillclimbing should have on their list, the new book by Phil Short and Steve Wilkinson, titled Hillclimbing & Sprinting (from Veloce pubishing).
Monday 3rd December 2007
No luck with the Mondeo's misfire. "Couldn't find anything wrong". Suppose I'll just have to live with it then.

I've managed to get hold of a electrically heated front windscreen for the Fiesta. It was sourced through a group order, organised through xrtwo.com, and it cost me £160, which isn't bad considering there are only 10 in the country. I'll fit it over the Christmas holidays. It's not tinted, and has two elements, splitting the screen vertically in two.

I read a really good book today, Delete this at your peril, by Bob 'Godzilla' Servant, which is a story of how someone tackles spammers head-on. Well worth a read. I'm on Jury Service at the moment, so theres lots of sitting around waiting to find out what is happening, hence the opportunity to catch up on some reading.