BRUNCH AT THE FORGE

As well as being known as a centre of engineering excellence, the Gloucester HQ of Forge Motorsport can now add the nomenclature of ‘cool meet venue’ to its corporate CV – as the impressive turn-out for the company’s inaugural Forge Brunch Club Meet proved.

The remit was nothing more complicated than inviting a few good people and their rides down for that tried-and-tested formula of admiring each other’s motors while snacking on something good to eat. Burgers, cars – and great people. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it really?

When you see a stunning SDR V-Storm like this, you More >

ROD HULL AND…EMU

ECU Master’s EMU, is a new arrival to the engine management unit ranks. The Cambridgeshire-based company offer wide-band controller, thermo-coupler amplifier, 4-bar MAP sensor and BAR sensor plus two knock-control circuits.

The unit also has drivers for passive coils while the crankshaft cam inputs are software configurable, which can also support BMW’s VANOS system and optional DBW and CANbus. ECU Master also offer a Bluetooth® module so Android devices can be used as a dash-pod.

The company say that their software is user-friendly and easy to configure, so custom ‘hot keys’ can be assigned for speed of use, such as page up More >

CLEAN AND SHINY

Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) is a specialist, natural cleaning range first launched in 1882 that cleans and shines chrome, brass and metal beautifully and has become a firm favourite among discerning car owners.

The product contains a special non-bleach formula based on the unique cleaning power of Oxalic Acid (found in rhubarb, parsley and chives) and when combined with its unique mineral base and surfactant blend, delivers a unique cleaning performance.   The acids used in BKF are naturally occurring organic acids and the mineral filler is not only naturally occurring but dug from mountains in Norway.

It removes rust better than other More >

USE YOUR HEAD

Edelbrock has expanded their line of E-CNC cylinder heads to include an application for the popular GM LS3 V8 engine.

Edelbrock E-CNC LS3 cylinder heads (#61319) feature altered valve angles and locations, spark plug location, and valve sizes along with all-new high flow ports and chambers. The result is a versatile, high port velocity cylinder head that is an excellent choice for road or track LS1, LS2 and LS3 engines.

Despite the geometric revisions, stock LS3 rocker arms and 69cc chamber size are retained. The Edelbrock E-CNC LS3 cylinder heads utilise a valve size and location, allowing it to fit within LS1 More >

TWIST AND SHOUT

A useful new tool from Rally Design, in the form of lock-wire pliers. They make an easy job of twisting wire and their 7in length is ideal for accessing tight locations.

They can be used with most diameters of copper or stainless lockwire and have a clever and simple method of operation. They have a retail price of £14.28 inc VAT each.

More from www.rallydesign.co.uk or 01227 792 792 ENDS.

FULL OF AIR

Keeping the recommended tyre pressure on our wheels provides better safety and efficiency on the road. This new tyre pressure gauge from Laser Tools (part number 6055) will make sure that your tyre pressures are set accurately.

Having properly inflated tyres means better fuel consumption, tyres don’t wear out as quickly and ensures your car handles as the manufacturer designed it to. The Laser tyre pressure gauge is cased in rubber for toughness and liquid filled for accuracy. The valve connector is angled and swivels for ease of access and the hose is a useful 550mm in length. Gauge diameter is More >

INSPIRED BY TVR

Wayne Blackwell of Widow Sports Cars has been working hard on finishing his clever TVR-inspired, Mazda MX-5-based SPR1 body conversion.

Development hold ups meant that the car didn’t make its planned debut at Stoneleigh last month but since then Wayne has got really busy. Two body styles will be available, Coupe and Targa and the kit packages will include side sills, door skins, rear clam, body mounting kit, Plexiglass rear and quarter windows. Kit prices have yet to be completely finalised but should be around £4500.

More from www.widowsportscars.co.uk ENDS.

BLOODY HELL, THAT’S THE THIRD TIME I’VE ‘GONE TO CALIFORNIA’ IN 18 MONTHS!

Several years ago, Terry Groves, acquired the MR2 Kits operation from founder, Dave Jones and although he keeps the operation fairly low-key his GTF kit package, inspired by the F430, has sold in steady numbers.

News comes though of a new product, in the form of the 350 Cali, a take on the California, based rather imaginatively on Nissan 350Z Coupe, which comes free with a 3.5-litre V6 and acres of tuning potential. It’s a Japanese rice rocket, for gawdsake!

Actually, it’s good to see new donors being pressed into service. We’ve seen Lexus SC430 and just lately the first use of More >

PAINT NOT COMPULSORY ANYMORE

Bourne-based Hall’s Garage, manufacturers of the Rana has announced that their bodykits can now be ordered in gelcoat, meaning that if you’re on a budget, this move negates the need for paint, thus saving a chunk of money.

The MG specialist, run by Steve Hall, is offering gelcoat colours that match the MG Midget colour palette. Two versions of the Rana are available with the standard kit (non-original wind-up windows as a feature) at £1800 meaning a DIY build budget of around £5000.

Alternatively they also offer the Sebring SS package based around a new British Motor Heritage chassis rather than the More >

MAGIC RUBBER STUFF

We’ve been big fans of Sugru for a couple of years now and the mouldable silicone really does have a multitude of uses.

The ‘magic rubber stuff’ is fantastic and can be shaped and formed to your heart’s content, taking around 24-hours to ‘go off’. Even then it can still be removed.

Some of the jobs we’ve used it for our pretty random. For instance, I created a ‘holder’ in my MGF for my iPod, I created corner ‘bumpers’ for my iPhone and even covered the handle of a metal handled saucepan that continually burnt our hands. Sugru sorted that one out.

I More >

z library