Essex lanes

Heres one of the lanes from the weekend, this is the first one we done...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCC64c8e_HY

Great video. Looks like you had a good day.

morning guys,

I was just wondering whether anyone would know of somewhere i could get my exhaust manifold machined flat. I have been told this is what i need to do but haven't got a clue where to go to get it done (didn't think to ask when i was told ). Would be best if it was in the braintree/colchester/chelmsford area but generally essex will do, obviously i would like value for money.

Thanks for any info in advance.

RJW90 said:

morning guys,

I was just wondering whether anyone would know of somewhere i could get my exhaust manifold machined flat. I have been told this is what i need to do but haven't got a clue where to go to get it done (didn't think to ask when i was told ). Would be best if it was in the braintree/colchester/chelmsford area but generally essex will do, obviously i would like value for money.

Thanks for any info in advance.

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Has a garaged tested it with a straight edge or have you just been told this is what it could be? J.D. Robertson in colchester use to do our engineering machining, either that or Towler Engineering in clacton, outside of that im sure theres plenty of places but none I know im afraid.

Make sure its need though and not just a gasket or something, the manifolds are pretty hard to warp...

Jongould said:

Has a garaged tested it with a straight edge or have you just been told this is what it could be? J.D. Robertson in colchester use to do our engineering machining, either that or Towler Engineering in clacton, outside of that im sure theres plenty of places but none I know im afraid.

Make sure its need though and not just a gasket or something, the manifolds are pretty hard to warp...

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It hasn't been tested by a garage or anything but the gasket has been replaced about 4 times in a year, which is a bit annoying, but im not sure if its just warped because the manifold currently on the engine is heavily pitted. I have a replacement one i want to get machined to make sure its flat when it goes on.

Thanks for the fast response.

RJW90 said:

It hasn't been tested by a garage or anything but the gasket has been replaced about 4 times in a year, which is a bit annoying, but im not sure if its just warped because the manifold currently on the engine is heavily pitted. I have a replacement one i want to get machined to make sure its flat when it goes on.

Thanks for the fast response.

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Get a straight edge and check it, you need an engineering straight edge though, a good shop will use this and a bit of blue to test if its straight. Have you checked the studs are holding? The strip thread very easy (mine has done one), might need a helicoil to help hold it down. Also, are you using a flexi join in the down pipe? They do a solid decat downpipe and it could be helping the manifold to come loose.

Jongould said:

Get a straight edge and check it, you need an engineering straight edge though, a good shop will use this and a bit of blue to test if its straight. Have you checked the studs are holding? The strip thread very easy (mine has done one), might need a helicoil to help hold it down. Also, are you using a flexi join in the down pipe? They do a solid decat downpipe and it could be helping the manifold to come loose.

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This is going to sound dumb because im not very good with mechanics, dont get me wrong, i love getting my hands dirty and get involved as much as i can, but when it comes to testing things and that im not to sure what i'm doing. So first of all do i just wiggle the studs to see if they are loose or is there something more specific i need to do? Is a helicoil a tool to re-thread holes?? And lastly no mine doesnt have a flexi join it is all solid. I when i had the manifold gasket replaced the second time they said the exhaust was pulling it out of position so they "adjusted" it, by which i mean they removed it from the bracket at the bottom of the down pipe.
By the way i never mentioned its a 19j engine and i have been told before there manifolds do warp.

RJW90 said:

This is going to sound dumb because im not very good with mechanics, dont get me wrong, i love getting my hands dirty and get involved as much as i can, but when it comes to testing things and that im not to sure what i'm doing. So first of all do i just wiggle the studs to see if they are loose or is there something more specific i need to do? Is a helicoil a tool to re-thread holes?? And lastly no mine doesnt have a flexi join it is all solid. I when i had the manifold gasket replaced the second time they said the exhaust was pulling it out of position so they "adjusted" it, by which i mean they removed it from the bracket at the bottom of the down pipe.
By the way i never mentioned its a 19j engine and i have been told before there manifolds do warp.

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Like jon says robertsons will do that for you, they will normally see if its flat for you first for free (they have done when ive taken heads to them)
If not i have a granite engineering surface here in colchester if you want me to have a look for ya.

Also have you checked the mating surface on the head was cleaned and scraped clean of any thin remaining gasket material before fitting?

Great vid to watch and listen to :0)

mikeyt said:

Also have you checked the mating surface on the head was cleaned and scraped clean of any thin remaining gasket material before fitting?

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It was last done by a friend of a friend so I don't know what they checked. I will ask next time I see him. It was him that said it was warped and pitted.

Thanks for all the help. I'm hoping I'll be able to tag along with you guys sometime this year (once its mechanically and electrically sound haha)

Ace video mate! Looking forward to having my first green lane experience!

Great photos and video. Looks like a good weekend was had.

I wasn't able to make due to stag weekend in South Wales.
Quad bike course was great fun and a definite for the future toy list.
15 mile mountain bike over and then down some mountains was fun but took a good fall on the black course which I am now paying for.

Paintball was OK very small games. The final game gave me my Disco fix....
The Stag and his bestman (me) & accompanied by two volunteer friends have to get in a disco with no front windows and both sunroofs missing then both teams (apx 25 people) have to keep the paint going until we scream for mercy.
Several of them managed to get on the roof, guns in the sunroofs and then lit us up like Christmas trees at point blank range.

Discodad said:

Quad bike course was great fun and a definite for the future toy list.

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wasn't muddy woodland quads was it? We done them for a stag last year, was loads of fun, made me want to get another quad again, great track they run, not your standard mud oval most places do...

Discodad said:

Great photos and video. Looks like a good weekend was had.

I wasn't able to make due to stag weekend in South Wales.
Quad bike course was great fun and a definite for the future toy list.
15 mile mountain bike over and then down some mountains was fun but took a good fall on the black course which I am now paying for.

Paintball was OK very small games. The final game gave me my Disco fix....
The Stag and his bestman (me) & accompanied by two volunteer friends have to get in a disco with no front windows and both sunroofs missing then both teams (apx 25 people) have to keep the paint going until we scream for mercy.
Several of them managed to get on the roof, guns in the sunroofs and then lit us up like Christmas trees at point blank range.

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if you want that paint effect Nick I got about 2000 paintballs left over sitting in the garage...lol

Jongould said:

wasn't muddy woodland quads was it? We done them for a stag last year, was loads of fun, made me want to get another quad again, great track they run, not your standard mud oval most places do...

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No, this was the place Quad Challenge :: Superb Quad Biking in South Wales
It was the first time I had been on a quad so nothing to compare it to. Had some fast sections and lots of technical sections and loads of mud

On another note.
I have finally brought a new bumper and as with most of my purchases its old and rusty :doh:
bumper winch | eBay
Still not bad for an ARB bumper and worst case I'll cut the bull bar section off and see how the rest comes up after a wire brush and paint.

Big Stu 12 said:

if you want that paint effect Nick I got about 2000 paintballs left over sitting in the garage...lol

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Thats not enough to cover the ali corrosion on mine.

Discodad said:

Thats not enough to cover the ali corrosion on mine.

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Your insurance company might love you for that!

Are you popping over any time this week?

matthew2riches said:

Your insurance company might love you for that!

Are you popping over any time this week?

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Hopefully next week if thats OK.
If this drought continues as it has for the last week Debenham ford will be a raging river.

So are there any Disco's bits people of here are after from my truck?
Sure you all have a good idea of the spec.
Gonna take a few bits and bobs for the 3 door (tailgate, glovebox, scooby seats) but everything else will be up for sale including the winch, wheels, engine, box and my expensive rear suspension setup.

Would rather give first dibs to you lot before it goes to the masses and the time wasters from eBay. Reckon I'll start breaking it next month before the tax is out.

Co-Pang-Yang said:

So are there any Disco's bits people of here are after from my truck?
Sure you all have a good idea of the spec.
Gonna take a few bits and bobs for the 3 door (tailgate, glovebox, scooby seats) but everything else will be up for sale including the winch, wheels, engine, box and my expensive rear suspension setup.

Would rather give first dibs to you lot before it goes to the masses and the time wasters from eBay. Reckon I'll start breaking it next month before the tax is out.

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can I have the expansion tank? I broke mine today so after a replacement now

It seems the weekend has done more damage than I thought, the cooling system was pressurizing and on the drive home I couldn't get past 50mph or over 3000 rpm, I have removed the head tonight and although the gasket looks OK I'm gonna send it off for testing, I expect the overheating has warped something, bit of a bugger but oh well, fun with the spanners time!