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I suspect you have a faulty earth somewhere and the brake lights are earthing the sidelights. Take the bulbs out of their holders and clean all the terminals, then make sure that the bulb holders are all earthed properly. The electrical current should flow through the bulbs and then to earth...

I wish to council caution regarding your endeavour, for the following reasons: Brake servo systems were initially only fitted to cars that had disc brakes, when disc brakes were the exception, as opposed to normal, and were usually fitted to higher performance versions of ordinary cars. The...

Only marginally cleaner than when it left the factory......

I'm glad changing the condenser did the job! Too often this item is missed when a car has a misfire.

Beautifully original!

I've changed the plugs, the distributor cap, ignition coil, air filter and a new set of HT leads are on their way. I did mess about with the current HT leads, one wasn't conducting very well. Gave it a clean and got a decent resistance out of it. It might be worth changing the condenser as well.

I take it the car's been recovered back to "a place of safety" (I.E., a lock-up!) by now! A few thoughts: !/ How old is the petrol? Unleaded petrol becomes stale, or "goes off" in time. 2/ Did any warning lights flash before the car ground ignominiously to a halt? 3/ When was the car last...

Yes (and no!) Yes, I know a garage and an engineering company who would be capable of carrying out the work, but they're in Borehamwood, in Hertfordshire! I'd suggest popping into a local "old school" garage in your area and seeking the advice of the most "mature" mechsnic in the building! I...

The points being very pitted is indicative of a failed condenser, since the pitting means too much current is passing through the points, because the condenser isn't "cushioning" the load. I would check the new points are both clean and correctly set before deciding the condenser's not at the...

Maybe fitting a pipe with a one-way valve would help? This might prevent the petrol from running back down the pipes and assist starting after it's been standing for a day or so. Just a thought....

It should take a while, as it's a complex and labour intensive procedure. A company who take their time are doing it properly, as it shouldn't be rushed. Once you have the head back handle it very carefully, placing it upside down, to protect the newly machined surface from any scathes or...

Whatever the cause I should investigate this as soon as possible. Leaking petrol's a dangerous thing!

Don't go mad with aggressive cleaning, as you may cause more damage than you mean to. Once everything is back together and running properly a great deal of the "muck" will burn off if the car's taken on a few long runs. Remember a car is, in many way like one's body and needs regular exercise...

CONDENSER! You can't normally repair or test them, unless you've both a degree in electronics and a load of sophisticated electronic equipment, so change it and see if things improve. A faulty condenser will cause the points to burn out, so examination of them will prove instructive, but I would...

+1 As Angel says, let's clean up the head and have the valve guides (that's the part of the head that allows the valve to slide up and down) together with the valve seats (that's the part of the head that the valve comes into contact with every time is closes) refurbished first. Re-setting...

Looking at the picture of the pump I should say it's had it! If the shaft's not moving freely then the bearing's "gone the way of all flesh" and would probably cost more to repair than the cost of a new pump. It would seem a pity to "spoil the ship for a hapeth of tar", so I'd advise a new pump...

10/10 for your cylinder liner clamping! Looking at the pictures cylinder one seems discoloured and your remark that the bore was full of water suggests this is the cause of your original problem. Once the head is cleaned up I'd suggest having it examined by an engineering workshop, who can...

Place the bolts and big washers over the liners as soon as possible to avoid them moving! The loose bolts sound suspicious to me....... Careful examination of the remains of the head gasket might reveal some clues... It sounds (and looks!) like a job for "those little grey cells"!

Yes, definitely a good thing to do while preparing to do the job. I ought to have added it to the list!

I hit a roadblock while removing the tensioner for the lower belt as I can't find neither my 16mm socket nor a spanner, so I'll have to restock and proceed another time. I also need some brake cleaner as the engine bay is caked with oily residues. I took a peek under the rocker cover anyway and...