Well, winning ebay bidder was spanish and wanted to run some con which involved the seller organising shipping.

Seller phoned me, I've seen it, it's pukka and I've bought it for less than my highest ebay bid - can't be bad

Sounds like you have found yourself a bargain then.

Have you got any plans for it, or are you just going to enjoy driving it for a while?

Sometimes just sometimes you do get a good deal on ebay.

I reckon you should enjoy it as it is with this sunny wheather we seem to be having at the min..

WEST

Jammy beggar! Nothing like that ever happens to me on eBay.

Well, I've got it home - only broke down twice

It won't start from stone cold and won't start when hot - and it really does get hot in the engine compartment - A series bored out to 1600cc apparently - straight cut 5 speed box helps though.

I have to check through the ignition system and check the timing, etc.

Oh, and the boot lock barrel came out with the key and I lost one of the pins, the rest were trying to escape too (this was during the breakdown) Thought I was not going to be able to open the lid

Anyway started when cool.

Current plan is to hopefully sort the current engine without spending a fortune and enjoy it, whilst I formulate plans for a modern engine and box transplant - it's crying out for more power

Dashboard is a disaster - instruments not visible because of the position of the steering wheel.

Oh, and kit was purchased in 91, finished in 95 and it's done (when I bought it) 1300 miles - now done 1400+

They appear to be minor issues. However just like busses have you noted there is another one on ebay. Maybe you could have a brace of Rossa's
Like the idea of free road tax.
Good luck.

one is enough to be going on with

I would be very careful with cooling - if it is 1600, it is one of the largest bored/stroked A-series I have heard of beyond the Vizard book, so bore spacing / head gasket land will be limited.

Like the black minilites, and I am very jealous of your 5 speeder.

It may be an option for you to go for a bmw k head on an A series. You'd get loads of power and would mean it would be an easier job.

Alot of the modern engines sit to either side of the engine bay, so you could have problems fitting anything in the back, without alot of hacking! Have a look at what some of the turbomini boys are doing, to get an idea. There are kits out there which would make it a more manageable job.

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/

Hi Dan - funny, I'd have preferred silver wheels myself.

Been fiddling with it today, little progress and I removed the bood lid to improve access - could I get it back on in the same place could I heck. Could I check the ignition timing - could I heck, a painted mark on the front of the front pully, and a notch on the back (in different places) couldn't see a mark to line either of them up on the timing chain cover - took the access cover off on the flywheel end - couldn't see a thing - might have been able to with a mirror, couldn't find one

It wasn't producing a big fat spark so I put a new coil on, doesn't seem to have made a difference, it's got an aldon distributor with electronic bit instead of points, I don't know how to check one of these.

Had a little drive after my abortive fiddling - yes, five speed box is good

I've got a Pertronix which is the same thing, as far as I can tell if it sparks it's working if it doesn't it's not !!
You also can't static time the engine of course, which is a bit of a pain, but I think they're worth it for the reliability and their service free nature.

If the engine really is as modified as you have been told it's difficult to know where to time the ignition anyway. You don't know what the built in distributor advance is either.

All I can suggest is that you time it at no more than 30 degrees BTDC at full advance with the vac pipe (if fitted) disconnected.

Use the mirror, when you find one, and the flywheel marks to mark a fixed pointer on the engine and TDC and 15 degrees BTDC on the front pulley then make a third mark where 30 degrees should be.

Disconnect the vac advance pipe, connect up the strobe and gradually speed up the engine and watch the timing marks move round as the timing advances. When it stops moving you're at full advance. Move the distributor body to line up your pointer and the 30 degree mark then back it off slightly. 28 degrees BTDC total advance is a fair starting point.

Electronic ignition is a bit more bother to set up initially but you only have to do it once.

There is no vacuum advance. If I can ever find top dead centre I've been told that I can set it to run at 35 degrees advance at 4,000 rpm - i.e. full advance in the distributor. Then it's a case of trying to provoke pinking and backing off the advance a tad if needed.

I guess I could find some marks on the aldon distributor and aldon could tell me what advance characteristics it has

Last time I did this it was on a cross flow with much better access

Does the Rossa have the same access to the engine bay that the Coupe has?

If so you can cheat and slacken the clamp for the dizzy and go for a run and have an assistant to adjust the dizzy. Should get you somewhere near, if you are struggling.

But you can never beat a rolling road session, to make sure that everything is A-OK on the engine.