>In article news.east.cox.net>, Molesworth
>says...

>> For about ten years I've wanted to put an Alpine diff in the Minx to
>> increase top speed.
>>
>> Finally got one a week ago, and on Saturday started stripping out the
>> old one.
>>
>> Got that done and had a look at my *new* diff. Turns out the ratio is
>> *lower* than the one that's in there- and to top that, the old one is
>> the highest ratio Hillmans made.
>>
>> Bugger.
>>
>> So I've just finished putting it all back together.
>>
>> Sum of all three days work (in the mud)? I changed the oil.
>>
>> (sigh)

>
>I'm absolutely not laughing. No sir, no way.
>
>We've all been there though ... I once tried to swap the cylinder head
>on my very first car (a gorgeous, bronze model A Opel Manta - like an
>Aston in miniature, with little, circular, Ferrari-style taillights),
>only to find that what I'd been sent was a 1900 head, which was great
>...
>
>... except what I had was a 1600 Sprint engine :(
>
>Or the time I stripped and rebuilt the carb on my Rover V8, meticulously
>putting everything on the kitchen table (my mum must have loved me).
>When refitted, the engine ran like a sack of shit.
>
>Dejected, I went back into the house, cursing and swearing. Mum made me
>a cuppa (aren't mums great?), and as I sat there, royally cheesed off, I
>noticed the dog (a lovely border collie cross) playing with something
>...
>
>... 15 minutes later I had the offending part back, although somewhat
>chewed and gouged. Sheba thought the "grab something and make off with
>it" game was the best *ever*
>
>That engine never ran *quite* right ever again ... although, being a
>Rover, it had never run quite right since the day it was made :)