Not sure why, it holds the heatshield in place and is actually less likely to seize in like the tiny little bolts on the original set up. Takes a bit of fiddling to get the nut behind the shield in the right place but you can use the original brass studs as a guide for length.

It'll never get that bad, or at least not before you notice the oil level dropping at an alarming rate and the view from your mirrors obscured by a huge cloud of blue smoke. You'll notice you've got a bag of 16 rectangular section O rings in the head set. They are the token attempt at valve stem seals used on the same engine when fitted to a Classic so they aren't that important.

Yes, to remove the valves you'll need a valve spring compressor (much like the one in my garage had we known) but if you think that is the total amount of carbon build up in the however many miles the engine has done since new, just clean the piston crown and put it back together. You may decide to take that head off again in another 100,000 miles or so, so you can do the valve stem seals then. Mine were done for the first time when the engine came out to go to V8 Developments at 287,500 miles.....

Burnt oil. Suspect a slightly leaking valve stem oil seal allowing oil to get into the combustion chamber. Did that cylinder look dirtier than the others? I'd be inclined to just clean it off and leave it unless you intend taking the valves out anyway. You should have got valve stem seals in the head set so you'll have them if you do decide to replace them.

My SE has had the brass stand offs for the heatshields replaced with M8 threaded rod. One nut against the manifold to lock the rod in place and another threaded onto it to act as a stop for the heatshield to sit against. Heatshield holes enlarged so the M8 stud can pass through and another M8 nut with washer on the outside to hold it in place.

Changed mine for a Monroe and again, didn't make the steering feel any heavier.

I ran without the drivers side one for about 2 years with no ill effects. Mainly because once the manifold is bolted to the head you can't actually get them in place, you have to sit them in place before fitting the manifold. Passenger side can probably be fitted with the manifold in place. Mine only have about 4 of the original 150 or so tiny bolts holding them on and they don't rattle so maybe you can un-mangle yours and refit them?

Seems that they didn't fit one on the front axle of the diesel as it would foul on the sump, diesels only got them on the rear. Some very early cars didn't get them at all but there was a TSB about fitting one to the rear axle if a customer complained of vibration and they then became standard fit. That just seems to leave the propshaft UJs. You won't be able to feel any slack with them still attached, you'll need to undo at least one end to check them properly.

Of course the other way is to undo the manifold to downpipe studs (which should come off easily as you changed the exhaust recently) and take the head off with the manifold still attached. With the heatshield off you can get to all the head bolts easily enough..

Yes but you need something short on the socket, a ratchet is usually too fat. I ground the threaded bit of a 17mm headed bolt down to a square so effectively I had a 17mm hex on the back of the socket and could use a ratchet ring spanner on it.

I've never known one to burst, especially when the car is just sitting there, they usually just leak when they are perished.

RHD panhard rod is ANR3666 and is listed by some of the suppliers, not cheap though at just over 100 notes a go. Don't forget that for some reason the Lemforder drag link and track rods don't come with nuts so it might be worth ordering them too.

I'd be looking at a bad connection to the GPS antenna, which, according to RAVE, is under the plastic bit at the lower RH side of the windscreen.

Morat wrote:

Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not excessive movement (Front bushes in NS OS Axle mounts to tie bar) - WTF is that?

I suspect that is the panhard rod bushes which will allow the axle to move from side to side and result in some very weird steering. When you turn the steering instead of the wheel turning it pushes the axle from side to side.

If you've got a rear wheel bearing with slight play, it's well knackered. One of mine was rough as hell but there was no play because the half shaft kept it solid.

I had to replace my drag link a few weeks ago. Slight play in one ball joint was an advisory on my MoT too which I wasn't expecting as I'd fitted a new Lemforder one for the MoT 2 years ago. Admittedly it has done the best part of 40,000 miles between the two tests but even so I'd have expected it to last longer than that. Boots, some sort of vinyl rather than rubber, were split on both ends too.

Out of balance rear wheels usually make their presence felt at around 60mph, they are rotating too slowly to set up any resonance at lower speeds. I'd be looking for a seized UJ or the harmonic balancer has fallen off one of your axles.

At only £50 a pop for brand new, why would you buy S/H?

Especially when you look at the full size picture and see the cracks in the lacquer around the AC sensor grille and the buttons for the sat nav. A grand? More like a tenner......

Rears are easy but no matter how much you pump the pedal no fluid will come out. They are on the power circuit so you just rest your foot on the pedal and turn the ignition on.

Kunifer can be found here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263908695438 but the seller doesn't list unions. This guy has them but not in stainless https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brake-Pipe-Nut-Fittings-Metric-Imperial-Unf-Copper-Pipe-Brass-Tubing-3-8-M10-M12/351413035486 but you can get stainless from here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUTOMEC-Brake-Pipe-Stainless-Steel-Union-Fittings-Male-10mm-x-1mm-Pitch-x-21-5mm/192503935314, bloody expensive though.

You've obviously not looked into the differences. Converting a manual to an auto involves a complete loom and ECU as well as the mechanical bits, swapping the engine involves even more, even the fuseboxes are different between petrol and diesel, then there's the BeCM, engine ECU, lockset (to match the BeCM) and hundreds of other bits. About the only thing you could do is reinstate the air suspension.

I suspect Sloth still has the scar on his leg from when him and Marty tried to do just that at the first summer camp. Marty wanted to change his steering box but the new one didn't have the drop arm so the old one had to be removed and refitted. If I remember correctly it involved at least 4 people, assorted wedges and a sledge hammer.......