Looks like you've got 2 gorgeous girls! Very jealous.

Yes, you can have a lift, but you will need to correct the castor if you want to keep steering self-centering, then you'll need a wide angle prop and an adjustable panhard rod (to put your axle back central). Then you'll need new bushes because it puts extra strain on them ....... and so on =...

There's your problem. The lift has fooked the castor angle. Either correct the castor (and expect propshaft vibration problems) or remove the lift.

Your story sounds like my 200 TDi. In my case, it was the Head Gasket blown from #4 cylinder to the push-rod hole. This pressurised the sump, forced oil into the turbo (and out of the rocker cover) and the engine started to run-away momentarily, until valves hit piston, bending the push-rods...

Oi! Bog off with yer Series 2's! Get yer own fred. ;)

A frame ball joint

+1

Git on Janner!

Nope, sorry. :( I think I'd try the Series 1 club If I were you. Good luck.

More bad news. There's a 4 thou divot in the surface of the head, where the gasket had been blowing, so it will need skimming. No 4 injector is siezed solid in the head and will have to be destroyed to get it out. Woe is me.

I learned to drive in an RX3. That was a quick motor back in the day.

Yes, all good. Somehow the belt has "jumped", without any damage and whilst being correctly tensioned. :confused:

Looks OK, as does the cam sprocket bolt (factory yellow paint still untouched).

Apart from the breathing / running on 3 cylinders, due to the HG gone, it was running OK after re-setting the timing.

Yes!

Would've needed to jump a dozen teeth to be 90 deg out! :confused:

Shirley there would have been some damage to the cam belt in that case? It's like new!

OK, here's the story so far. Under heavy load there was a sudden loss of power, accompanied by a puff of black smoke from the exhaust and the engine died. Attempting to re-start indicated no compression. Looking through the oil filler, valves were still going up and down whilst cranking...

No cam belt on original 2.25 petrol engine. I'd guess your friend's 109 had been converted to TDi. ;)