Weird gadget thingy.

[Richardsix]

Has anyone ever come across one of these before, I have just found one, boxed, brand new with instructions.
This is the only article I can find on it, bit hard to read, but please take a look....bit intrigued by it
http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=4700,6416099

Thanks
Richard

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Richardsix

Has anyone ever come across one of these before, I have just found one, boxed, brand new with instructions.
This is the only article I can find on it, bit hard to read, but please take a look....bit intrigued by it

Never seen or heard about one in 50 years of being in the motor trade.
It looks like the sort of thing advertised years ago in the Exchange & Mart.
Best not try in on a coil pack car

[Adam43]

Wow it started a 'European car'!

[VIVA GT]

Isn't this similar to the device 'that old boy' used to try and sell in the paddock at Mallory park all those years ago from the boot of his Renault 12?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Isn't this similar to the device 'that old boy' used to try and sell in the paddock at Mallory park all those years ago from the boot of his Renault 12?

IIRC the thing that he was selling was just a "multi-spark" thing ?
A Renault 12 ! there's a new Dacia agent opened up near me that is also a Renault agent, so they can get rid of all their old junk in the stores!!!

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by Richardsix

Has anyone ever come across one of these before, I have just found one, boxed, brand new with instructions.
This is the only article I can find on it, bit hard to read, but please take a look....bit intrigued by it
http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=4700,6416099

Thanks
Richard

Such a success that nobody's heard of it

[terence]

Sounds a bit like the "unique cigarette lighter" an old friend started selling when ebay was quite new. The lighter was a match box with one match in it!

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by terence bower

Sounds a bit like the "unique cigarette lighter" an old friend started selling when ebay was quite new. The lighter was a match box with one match in it!

In the early 60s an in the Exchange and Mart an advert said "Guaranteed Fly Killer"
The kit consisted of a couple of bits of 4x2 wood marked A and B.
The instructions said "place fly on A and hit with B

[GORDON STREETER]

Of course all these things pale into insignificance when compared to the guy behind the scam in the news http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...d-golf-1849900
how the hell he though he could get away with it I've no idea but he and his co conspirators should be put in clink for ever so they can't use their salted away money.
However seeing that he can't have pulled it off on his own I wonder if he will be the only one actually put inside ?

[terence]

Its quite unbelievable that this kind of thing can happen these days.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by terence bower

Its quite unbelievable that this kind of thing can happen these days.

Too many bent officials on the take I'm afraid, you couldn't make this up could you !

[SidewaysFeltham]

Interesting topic.

In the 1950s (particularly) and the 1960s, mags were full of all sorts of zany junk which challenged the laws of science.

And more particularly, engineering.

Exhaust extractors "guaranteed" to provide more MPG and greater top speed.

Probably the best was a sort of funnel, which extended out of the foreshortened exhaust pipe, with the narrow bit to the rear which offered "Turbo Extraction".

In those far off halcyon days when you could buy a car for a fiver as a non-runner (dodgy dealers used to remove the flat top (sidevalve) head and insert small sorbo rubber balls to emulate compression on the starting handle!), such as the Exchange and Mart was full of stuff.

Krause Laboratories sold tablets which one stuck down the plug hole to cure excessive oil consumption mainly 'cos the bores were utterly knackered as were the pistons. No need for a rebore, then!

Batt-Aid was another nice one: a little metal box containing six white tablets: the concept was you dropped 'em in a sulphated battery and lo and behold restored battery. I wish!

I suspect your gizmo is just another Spark Booster; they were legion then.

Perhaps the best one (in terms of cheapness to manufacture!) was a bakelite dialetric gizmo one placed on the main coil HT lead to the distributor. All it actually consisted of was a spark gap.

Simply put, merely sticking a box containing passive components into an ignition circuit might make you feel proud but wouldn't do much for the spark!

Interestingly, Holts chemicals cut their teeth on dodgy gunk one stuck into the sump, fuel tank or cooling system.

Another nice idea was the fuel pump pressure device: cut down on the mechanical (or in rare case SU electric) petrol pump and lowered the level in the float chamber. To save fuel and "guarantee" more MPG.

Indeed: and like the smaller jets for Ford E93A and 100E carbs. (both cars were notably juicy).

Great: except you quickly burned out the inlet valves.

Who can remember grinding in valves on a Ford sidevalve, in situ?

Gordon?

Not a wonderful job.

Happy Days!

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by SidewaysFeltham

Who can remember grinding in valves on a Ford sidevalve, in situ?

Gordon?

Not a wonderful job.

Happy Days!

The E93A was a bit of a sod as it didn't have adjustable valve clearances except grinding the end off the stem , but the 100E was a revalation with "adjustable tappets" !!!! !

Hey' where have you been hiding for 4 years ?

[SidewaysFeltham]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

The E93A was a bit of a sod as it didn't have adjustable valve clearances except grinding the end off the stem , but the 100E was a revalation with "adjustable tappets" !!!! !

Hey' where have you been hiding for 4 years ?

Same as the Aston DOHC Straight Six: tricky on that engine.

Been far too busy working on a couple of projects.

[Angus Theape]

Re Batt Aid, which I have used and occasionally got to work for a period. iIhave a friend who has just treated his 5 year old Yuasa motor cylcle battery with Epsom salts and it has started working, as in he has been using it as a building weight for 5 years. Only low current use so far, but it runs all the lights from the first try.

[SidewaysFeltham]

Originally Posted by Angus Theape

Re Batt Aid, which I have used and occasionally got to work for a period. iIhave a friend who has just treated his 5 year old Yuasa motor cylcle battery with Epsom salts and it has started working, as in he has been using it as a building weight for 5 years. Only low current use so far, but it runs all the lights from the first try.

It never worked for me!

Mrs Sideway's Volvo estate has just enjoyed a battery change after ten years!

It was a Varta Platinum: still working, but not any capacity, indicated by me foolishly leaving the sidelights on (without realising) and in a couple of hours dead battery.

New Varta now fitted!

However, I am presently investigating proper pulse charging which is claimed to de-sulphate and restore old batteries, particularly if they have a deadish cell, caused of course, by deposition of the plate paste dropping to the bottom of the cell.

Much on this on US sites:

http://www.importtuner.com/tech/impp..._fact_fiction/

http://leadacidbatterydesulfation.yuku.com/

http://home.comcast.net/~ddenhardt20...tor/desulf.htm