Congratulations Marc, I hope Decibel fulfills at least most of your
expectations, and does not prove to be too much trouble! I like the name,
how did you decide on it?
Dan's comment on unleaded compatability from new will only apply to US cars,
European cars were never built to take unleaded. There isn't any way you
can check easily whether your engine has been converted to unleaded. As
Doug said, due to 'Lead Memory' effect an unconverted engine can happily run
for several years on unleaded with no adverse effects.
You basically have two choices that I would recommend. Either you trust
that it probably has been converted, and run on normal unleaded, and there
is a possibility that in 4-5 years time you will suffer valve seat recession
and have to have the valves and seats replaced (which is what is done in a
conversion anyway), OR you play it safe and use an FBHVC-approved additive
(I can point you to a list of these if you need) in combination with normal
unleaded.
I would NOT recommend using 4* LRP. Firstly, none of the oil companies was
prepared to submit a sample to the FBHVC when they were testing petrol,
additives and other devices, so it has not been tested by an indepenant
body. Secondly, there have been some reports of some LRPs dissolving rubber
fuel lines. Thirdly, having selected a particular brand of additive you
need to stick to that brand exclusively, so you can't buy, say, Shell LRP
one day and BP LRP the next.
Yes, the rev counter (as with all the gauges) should be lit up. Do some
contortions and get in behind the dash, you should be able to see the screws
that hold the rev counter in place, and remove the gauge. At the top there
should be a bulb holder with a bulb in it - most likely the bulb has gone.
There is a strange feature with my car, which I believe is original as
others have also said they have it - the speedo and rev counter have a green
filter in front of the bulb, so the gauges glow green at night, but the fuel
and temp gauges do not have this, and they glow white. Odd...
The reading light switch is notoriously dodgy - if the headlights are
switched on, it should light up if taken out of the folded position. Few,
if any, of these still work as they should after 20+ years! Mine was fixed
by a PO to be on all the time, bypassing the switch.
I have not tried re-fitting the seat trims, although I know some have. With
a fair degree of patience it is possible to achieve a good job. Apparently
the proper 'hog ring pliers' are a help, although it is possible to manage
without. I was planning to replace my covers, but in the end, since the
foams were badly shot, I decided that it would be cheaper to fit MX5 seats,
as well as giving me more support. However, another lister sent me
photocopies of instructions on seat fittings - I could send these to you, if
you want. I would get the cloth insert covers, if I was you - more
original.
Good luck with all of this!
Richard
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