TURNTABLE HELPERS

These new steering turntables (part number 77158) from Gunson are supplied as a pair and enable the user to check the steering angle on full lock to ensure the steering is centralised; check toe in/toe out on turns; and check the caster and KPI (king pin inclination) when used in conjunction with the Gunson 77099 Caster, Camber and KPI gauge.

To accurately measure caster angle you need to rotate the wheels 15- or 20-degrees in either direction. The big advantage of these turntables is that they are manufactured from aluminium, thus are lightweight and easily portable (each turntable weighs 5kg).

Suitable for use More >

MIRROR, MIRROR …

New from Rally Design are these new, mirror mounting brackets (ideal for long mirrors). They are designed to accommodate Rally Design or Longacre mirrors (14in or 17in). This product is usually manufactured from aluminium, cast or billet machined.

Rally Design has manufactured a new bracket using Nylon 6 with 15 per cent reinforcement. This lightweight material ensures that the mirror is firmly mounted, but will deflect in the event of an impact or accident.

The design allows the mirror to be rotated and angularly adjusted and so is available to suit rollcages. Available in 37.5mm or 44mm diameters and priced at £15.48 inc More >

MIRKA FLEXES ITS MUSCLES WITH NEW NOVASTAR FLEX

Mirka’s new ultra-flexible, long lasting hand-sanding product is making its debut in September, designed for bodyshop technicians to tackle complex contours and shapes with ease.

Novastar® Flex achieves the perfect balance between cutting and scratch pattern for a great finish. Suitable for a multitude of applications including primer and bumper sanding, hard to reach areas.

Available in a colour-coded grit range from 400 – 1500, the flexible abrasive can be used with a soft hand-pad to provide stability, avoiding finger indentations and sharp edges.

Steve Smith, national sales manager ART of Mirka UK, said: “Novastar® Flex is the perfect solution for tackling hard-to-reach More >

GREEN MACHINE!

Another new product that has impressed me this week is a vivid green snow-foam from Alien Magic, called Gamma. It also has a lovely mint fragrance too!

It’s a no-touch snow-foam containing amongst other ingredients, hyper surfactants and premium super polymers.

When applied it creates an abundance of thick green foam. The liquid, when poured from the bottle, appears semi-thick in consistency, and once mixed with water and dispensed from a cannon or gun coats your car in thick foam.

My car was dirty so I let it dwell on the surface to allow it to encapsulate dirt, salt, road debris and fresh More >

DAMPERS FOR EUROPE

The Lotus Type 47 was one of several incarnations of the Lotus Europa and had a Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine rather than the Renault motor of the original Europa. It also had special suspension based on the Lotus 23/Lotus 22 Formula Junior with reversed bottom wishbone, top link and dual radius arms.

Not many were made (estimates vary from 55 to 68 between 1966-70), so it’s unlikely that you’ll find replacement dampers for a 47 at the local motor spares shop.

However, GAZ can make fully adjustable dampers for most classic cars and the Type 47 is a prime example of what More >

MORE THAN 120 REASONS WHY NEW SUFFOLK MODEL IS SUBLIME

New from Suffolk Sportscars and joining their existing SS100 and C-type replicas is an aluminium XK120 that uses an original chassis along with the usual Suffolk upgrades for drivetrain and handling.

They’ve also added electric power steering, special bespoke bucket seats, which address the original car’s lack of cockpit space, while Suffolk’s bespoke items keep the period look.

Driver leg-room has also been improved with rear bulkhead and body moved back by 3in, while the hood has been ‘pocketed’ within the rear wheel wells.

A new Suffolk-designed pedal box also helps increase the space and comfort within the car. When all changes and More >

SURF’S UP FOR SERIES 2 DUTTON AMPHIB!

Tim Dutton is celebrating a massive milestone this year. Fifty years of continuous car production is a huge achievement. He’s also just announced an updated package of updates for his Daihatsu Jimny-based Dutton Surf amphibious car, now known as, er, Surf S2.

Out go the Volkswagen Golf Mk3 headlights, replaced by some cool-looking DLR halogen/LED items, which give a pleasing upgrade to the car’s look, while heat insulation to the front bulkhead has been increased and is now factory-fitted.

Steering box brackets are pre-fitted as are all door-lock assemblies, twin bilge pumps, A-post grab handle and weathergear (if ordered).

More information from www.timdutton.com or More >

WRATH OF IRON

Iron particles have a horrible way of finding themselves embedded in your paintwork and all wheel types. There are many ways in which our pride and joy receives these unwanted defects.

Vehicles leave the manufacturing plant they are more than often transported by train to their chosen dealership. During that exposed journey iron particles from the tracks are flicking up and onto your soon to be purchased vehicle created defects in the clear-coat before you’ve even received it. iron fallout is also easily collected just by general driving on everyday roads due to brake pads creating brake dust.

You can easily identify More >

BEETLE DAMPERS FROM GAZ

The classic VW air-cooled Beetle had two types of rear suspension – independent rear suspension and swing arm. Of these, the IRS came with either single or dual joints/swing plates.

Leading suspension specialists GAZ now offer uprated, adjustable dampers that have been specially designed for IRS Dual Joint VW Beetles and should fit most IRS models up to 1979 (although there may be exceptions in certain markets).

The dampers are bump and rebound adjustable and can be quickly adjusted by means of an easily accessible single knob on the side of the damper.

The dampers are built to the same standards as the ones More >

BLOOD RED SNOWFOAM

Autobrite Direct has a large range of car care and detailing products and there’s some real corkers within the line-up.

I really like their Devil’s Blood pre-wash, which as the name suggests is a red-coloured snowfoam that will freak your neighbours out and also give your car a great deep clean ready for shampooing.

It is very effective at removing engrained crud on your car’s bodywork and the foam is one of the thickest and longest lasting that I’ve used. Oh, and also very red … and has a cinnamon infused scent!

A 5-litre bottle offers great value and costs £40 and is More >

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