all the above you have listed will probably cost a few bucks to have done, and in the long run its worth learning how to do it!!

so so easy!

Don't get me wrong, I'm keen to learn! Just a pity my job only affords me enough free time to realistically put in a few hours a week to poor boy.

I'll get there in the end, I'm sure - I apologise in advance if there are a large number of dumb questions in the meantime

a few hours a week is more than i get
in the last 6 months ive barely found the time to get mine out the garage!!

take you about 2 hours too service the car, maybe 3, and the odd hour ever week will keep it in tip top fettle!

I'll keep you folks informed on my progress! I know now at the very least I'll need to:

Replace the air filter sponge
Clean the carb
Check the valve clearences
Do a compression test

Anything else I've missed?

On an unrelated note, I ended up giving up on the suspension today as the tie rods were nearly solid even with a liberal coating of WD-40 and lots of patience. Further investigation turned up what looked like some kind of resin or body filler in the threads. Not got a clue what it was but my fingernails were unable to shift it. Am i right in thinking the threads on the tie rods are tough enough to withstand a stiff wire brush?

Maybe locktight..?

Not wishing tonexplain sucking eggs but inassumed you tried to adjust the suspension with the car jacked up ( just makingnsure!!)

If your checking the valve clearences (they will most oikely notnbe correct) you may as well change the oil at the same time, 2 minutes more work and will save you time for when you do come to change the oil later on (no need to remove wings twice etc)

Again if you have gone to effort of ooil tray etc do gearbox oil

Save points and condenser for another time if your short of time

Yeah, it was jacked up, but always worth asking! Don't think it was locktight/threadlock - too random and it was a kind of white colour. Almost as if I'd driven through a puddle of concrete and it had splashed all over the tie-rods

Doing the oil makes sense, but points and condenser were replaced at the ICCCR, hence doing the timing there. Think they'd need done again? I do remember the old ones looked like they'd tried to weld themselves together...

If you don't know what you're looking at, give the job to a professional. You may miss some important matters, which can end in tears and cost you heaps more later.

I do understand were you're coming from, viking, but the whole point of this thread is that I have a good BASIC knowledge of a-series cars, but I've come up against something that's beyond my comfort zone and I'm viewing it as a perfect chance to expand that knowledge further. I don't have the money to give it to a pro, and even if I did that I'd end up with a fixed car but no idea of how to cure a similar problem in the future.

Surely its better, in these circumstances, to take my time and investigate things with the advice of people more experienced than I, than just bodge away or let someone else do the job?

Post some pics of your problems and it could help with keeping you away from an expensive garage.....

I got some today that I've attached to the relevant posts, and I'll get more as and when i need them now that i have a decent camera