SETTING TAPPETS WHEN YOU’RE 80

I’ve been setting tappets on Austin Sevens since I was 17 but this year some-thing has changed. I couldn’t see where the bottom of the springs were and I couldn’t feel if the feeler gauge had gone through the gap or not – and my knees got very sore. I tried using a mirror but everything was back-to-front and caused more trouble than it was worth.

But then I had a lightbulb moment. Do you remember that a couple of years ago Douglas introduced us to the Depstech Endoscope Inspection Camera? Apart from poking it down the bores to see not a lot, I had hardly used it but was this the moment? Oh, yes. It can take pictures and even a video of what it sees but its real value in this case is that you can see what you’re doing on your mobile phone, perched on the top of the engine, in real time while you’re actually doing the job and as a real bonus, it’s the right way round. Simple! It took only a few moments to get used to coordinating hand and eye (not always too easy these days) and away we went.
The camera probe is self-focussing and one can alter the amount of illumina-tion; it doesn’t need batteries as it works off your mobile phone; and the image can be rotated to be the ‘right’ way up for easy looking. It was a real bargain at only about £20 via Amazon and is, now(!), highly recommended. However, it is currently out of stock but the Ennovor 1920 HD Flexible Rigid Snake Camera looks to be identical at £19.99, also through Amazon.

The photos show how it’s set up (in this case looking through the inlet port whilst the carb was off as I had shut the valve chest cover before thinking of writing this little article), and what you see on your mobile phone whilst working.
I’m just getting the feeling back in my knees.

David Whetton DA7C