AL, you take me back to the early days of modding Minis.
We used to modify bottom links (to promote negative camber) by cutting and shutting and arc welding high tensile head bolts in the web of the forging.
I even made a jig for this.
Racing Oil light switches (which invariably used an A35-type indicator lamp! on top of the dash!), were expensive. And I then found that a Bedford truck part which cut in at 30 psi (bearing in mind that in those days on straight mineral oil we used to run the pressure relief valve at circa 75-80 psi!), was ideal and fitted most blocks!
By merely carrying a batch back from our local dealer, filing off the AC part number (cunning, huh?), they changed from 30 bob to £5!
Whilst still at Fords (But I'd already started building up the final racing, tuning and garage biz - As you do), I cheekily phoned Dunlop, in Coventry and somehow managed to be connected to the Sales Director, a charming chap called Mr Yardleigh. End result was a was buying Dunlup 51/2 J steel 13" rims, bare and 4 1/2 J Mini rims at the same price as Ford near enough!
My old mate the late Alan Daykin of Southend Racing Partnership had already commenced AdRad (Alan Daykin Racing and Development) making Cut N Shut wide steel rims, so we branched out into "Safe" wheels by making 5 1/2 Js by simply grinding out the rivets holding the centres to the rims (some were welded as new- couldn't use those) and making big steels rims for the boy racers with the new Dunlop rims.
Happy days.
On tuning firms; yes, I do remember Raymond Mayes as distinct from Mays.
He followed on a long line of people who saw the Mk 1 Zephyr as a handy rally tool: Maurice Gatsonides actually won the Monte one year in one.
Sydney Allard also I seem to recall drove one in the Monte. I will never, ever forgive Gatsonides for designing his speed radar trap (for testing rally cars on stages as they set it up!).
Loads of old names and tuning outfits: Tony Rudd (Ruddspeed) in Worthing, mainly Volvo; they used to make the staid P1800 hackle!;Bill Blydenstein, Vauxhall who built Gerrry Marshall's Droop Snoot Firenzas.
Steve Burton in Ilford Essex, still going and very big now on engineering.
Steve did lots of engine balancing for me in the 60s and 70s.
Glyn Swift, Swiftune a mate of Jon Mowat, the last person to campaign a 1,293 s in Group II amongst hordes of Escorts in the European Touring Car Championship.
Alexander Conversions were mainly Mini and A series BMC.
Jan Oder down in Salisbury, Janspeed; Brown and Geeson in Ilford. Alf Geeson kindly sold me at bottom trade (I used to work with a childhood mate of his at Ford!) a Group II Cooper s exhaust, which used to really annoy the ploddies as it was rather "Crisp" for a road car in 1966!
Superspeed, again in Ilford, Essex, Mike Young and his bro John; Chris Craft used to drive one of their cars.
Ralph Broad in Birmingham, Broadspeed; Ralph used to build and enter the all-conquering Ford Anglia 107E; I re-built one of the actual Ford works cars for a Ford chum; and had the pleasure of driving it at Lydden on its maiden voyage afterwards!
Broadpseed then went on to build the even more spectacular Escort BDA, driven with such success by John Fitzpattrick.
The list is really endless.
I enjoyed that wallow in nostalgia!
Race Official
Aha, Stones, I used to have to go in there two or three times a week collecting waste. 
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