Project Rusty Triumphs in Scotland - Dolomite in "most reliable" shocker - 08/02/24

[captain_70s]

Today I started cutting out the Acclaim's rot. Dreams of a light recommissioning are fading rapidly...

 

 

That's the N/S/R wheel arch, by far the worst bit of the car but still mighty scary. Actually getting in there to cut out the rot is a major pain in the arse as well. Now, time for a quick shower and then 9 hours at work...

[captain_70s]

Well, things started off fairly promising today as I started stripping back the opposite side of the arch and actually found some solid metal hidden behind the fibreglass that is the arch lip. 

 

 

Sadly things took a turn for the worse when that metal turned out to be an old repair and the rest of the car had vanished around it and been replaced with a mixture of filler, fibreglass, tinfoil and sealant...

 

 

The entire wheelarch is gone and made of fibreglass, to a considerably worse extent than I thought. The bottom and outside edges of the inner arch are also MIA and the rest is wafer thin. You get patches of good metal surrounded by stuff which is just rusted through entirely.

 

 

I also had nosy at the sill near the rear jacking point

 

 

At this point I sliced my finger on some rusty metal and started bleeding profusely so I gave up and came back inside.

 

Now, as the old saying goes, when the going gets tough the stupid learn to weld and fix their shite car. However I'm not sure this is within my skills range to repair, I've not even started stripping back the other side (didn't flag up at the MOT) but a cursory glance shows the same situation, potentially worse...

 

I think the moral of the story is that if a good Acclaim usually costs £2000+ don't be surprised when your £850 example turns out to be rotten.

 

[vulgalour]

That's not terrifying, annoying on a £850 car, but not the end of the world.  The bigger problem is that it's all funny shapes in awkward places so most of the labour involved is going to be in making up stupid shapes and swearing.

[Dick Longbridge]

You sound like a stressed bloke. I’ll be honest, buying a cheap Acclaim as a stopgap whilst working on your other cars was never really going to work. It’s on the same parallel as having Kate Moss as your OH, going away to sea for six weeks, and telling her to behave herself while you’re earning the readies. It ain’t gonna happen.

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, isn’t it worth digging deep, paying someone to do the work to a basic standard to scrape the Acclaim through an MOT, then sack it off? Surely the Civic, once the brakes are sorted, is likely to be relatively pain-free? It’s a Civic after all.

[Guest Hooli]

Surely the Civic, once the brakes are sorted, is likely to be relatively pain-free? It’s a Civic after all.

 

Don't forget you're talking to the only man who can make a Honda behave like classic BL chod.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Is this really worth doing? When cars get that rotten.............it's pretty much fucked really.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 isn’t it worth digging deep, paying someone to do the work to a basic standard to scrape the Acclaim through an MOT, then sack it off? 

 

Trouble is, who now wants to get involved in welding up rotten cars? When my E36 needed some relatively minor* welding it was over 200 quid and it was done in 6 hours by the only bloke I could find who even considered it. That is many hours of major reconstruction to get it to an MOT standard.

[captain_70s]

There is no money to be made in welding up cars. I was quoted £580 for the work to the Acclaim as a conservative estimate with the warning that the job could escalate rapidly.

 

I'm just glad I decided to tackle it myself as it has escalated rapidly...

 

Currently the Acclaim owes me about £1000, it is worth £300 or so. To get it professionally welded to MOT spec would be around £600-900 at a rough guess.

 

On the flipside I need to learn to MIG weld properly and now have a car that is essentially scrap if not welded...

 

I've formulated a vague plan of action it's going to Foadwerx on Friday as this is pre-arranged. Once there and on the lift I'll decide the car's fate...

 

The Civic has plenty of issues. While the rear brakes are the worst the fronts are also binding, the clutch is nearing the end of it's life and I suspect the PAS is dying.

[SiC]

I remember a Polish neighbour speaking about Honda's. Generally very reliable. But that means when things start failing, everything else is at the end of the bathtub failure curve* and will fail not too long after. I reckon there is some truth in that.

 

 

* Yes I know bathtub failure curve is very simplistic. Some dispute it's accuracy and actual use too.

[somewhatfoolish]

The Civic has plenty of issues. While the rear brakes are the worst the fronts are also binding, the clutch is nearing the end of it's life and I suspect the PAS is dying.

[captain_70s]

The fella next door has a Corolla the same age which is starting to need work. His Dad has a Mk7 Civic like mine which is apparently eating money like you'd not believe!

[theshadow]

nae bother at all,if you had of been down my way,would have only cost £350,i weld all the shite cars no one else touches// :-D :-D

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I daresay Hondas - like everything else - have been cost pared to buggery and they're now getting ropey underneath at 10 years old. 

[rainagain]

I made up the repair panels for my 307 just using a vice and thick walled tubes to hammer them round for curves. So I think you’ll be fine knocking up what you need to get it sorted.

 

Just remember once you’ve got it all welded you shouldn’t have to do it again for a long time.

 

Don’t lose the faith!

[Scruffy Bodger]

 

I used one of these to do the repairs on the rather rusty justy. It's a tinsmiths/tinkers anvil, cheap to buy and you could no doubt sell it after for the same price you bought it for.

[Skut]

I'd second the comment that this is clearly stressing you out. If you have the Rover for an extended period of time I'd get rid of Honda and Acclaim. Frag, sold cheaply whatever. Your average pro repair to get the Acclaim through the MOT is as you say hard to find, hideously expensive and in reality a bodge. Fixing that kinda rot properly is 100s of hours of work. The Dolly is worth that commitment because its just plain cool.

[captain_70s]

I've been speaking to FOAD about this and he has mentioned that in the photos it displays an alarming resemblance to this:

 

DSC_0170 by srblythe, on Flickr

 

Given the are both Japanese designs built in the UK around the same time the thought had crossed my mind already. Regardless he's generously said I can use the facilities and his welding expertise to attempt to fix it myself if I so desire, although he isn't prepared to do it himself as the time/effort required is beyond any reasonable expectation! Needless to say it's no longer going to be a quick turn-around...

 

Nisfan has said I can keep the Rover for as long as I need it, many thanks to him as otherwise I'd be properly up shit creek!

[Aston Martin]

His Dad has a Mk7 Civic like mine which is apparently eating money like you'd not believe!

Made In Britain

[Supernaut]

Bridge the Civic and Acclaim, start entering roffles.

[junkyarddog]

You will never learn any of the skills needed to keep old shite going if you simply bridge them when they become rusty and broken.

Think of it as a learning curve.

 

Best of luck with it and try and enjoy it.

Not easy at time I know.

[Dave_Q]

Bridge the Civic and Acclaim, start entering roffles.

Given the sudden influx of 2 for 1 roffles, you could have 2 better* cars in no time, guaranteed*

[Datsuncog]

You will never learn any of the skills needed to keep old shite going if you simply bridge them when they become rusty and broken.

Think of it as a learning curve.

 

Best of luck with it and try and enjoy it.

Not easy at time I know.

 

This man owns many 70s Vauxhalls.

 

He speaks the truth.

 

In your (marvellously retro) shoes I'd be thinking about getting shot of the Civic (definite liability), keep running the Rover as a daily (ain't no car cheaper than a free car, even if only a loaner); and use the free lift time offered by FOAD to hone your welding skillz on the Acclaim as a longer-term project...

 

Though, of course, this situation leaves less time than you might like to work at the Dolly. Hmm.

 

Tough choices, Captain. I really do feel for you here.

[captain_70s]

The Dolly can wait, especially as repair panels are easily avaliable compared to the Acclaim. Once MOT exemption is here it can enjoy a easy summer of trundling me and the girlfriend to the Botanics and back. Weekend chariots are easy, BL daily drivers doing 60 miles a day are not!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Don't take this the wrong way right. I admire your serious dedication to the worId of $hite and often wish I had a bit more of your tenacity. But i've got to tell you, I find it borderline unbearable reading this thread. You seem to just lurch from one tragedy to another. Are these cars actually genuinely bringing you any pleasure? You've got practically no money, no workshop, no off-road parking, few tools, and you seem to live under pretty much constant car-related stress and pressure from parents, work, landlords, and whatever else. Despite these pressures you are juggling 3 very ropey triumphs and a tired Civic on which you depend to get to work. Your life looks to me, an outsider, like a constant 24-7 psychological battle against your fleet. I can tell you that the thread is a stressful read, so actually living it must be a nightmare as far as I can see. You bought that Acclaim not long back as a way to drive something interesting but reliable while you made some progress on the Dollys - now you're in for a grand and its as much a project as your Dollys, plus now you have the additional responsibility of needing to store it, sort the welding and still somehow keep mobile.

 

That civic might be a miserable dull old POS but it seems to have kept going for a few years (during which you have pretty much permanently been unhappy with its brakes). I suggest expending some deliberate time and effort maintaining it as it seems to be your best option for staying mobile which is the no.1 aim right? Its a known quantity at least. Even if it did need a new clutch, £60 for a kit plus a day on FOAD's lift sorting it will be cheaper and more useful to keeping you mobile than starting to dig the rot out of that acclaim. I don't know what's up with the brakes but whatever it is you've got a 90% chance of sorting it for under £100 even if you had to buy a caliper or two.

 

I think you need to give yourself a break - sack off one or two of these heaps and just concentrate on being mobile and living your life. When you find yourself feeling bored of an evening that's when you know you are ready to get back on the $hite train.

[dollywobbler]

I think Sage Bollox speaketh the truth. Trying to juggle numerous shitboxes when you've got no money is no fun at all. I know. I've been there. Many times. You end up realising that it's just impossible, which is why my 2CV came off the road several years ago. I just couldn't keep up with it at the time. Through people's generosity and changing fortunes myself, I was able to get it back on the road, but back in 2015, I had to make the horrible decision to take her off the road and stash her away, not knowing when she was coming out again. 

 

Just think of the insurance and tax savings alone if you have a fleet cull/stash a car or two away for a bit.

[cort16]

I would sack them all of personally and get something like the rover that is still interesting but has potential for reliability and decent parts availability .

 

Sometimes you have to say enough is enough and let them go . Ive done this a few times in the past and immediately felt better about life.

[captain_70s]

Don't take this the wrong way right. I admire your serious dedication to the worId of $hite and often wish I had a bit more of your tenacity. But i've got to tell you, I find it borderline unbearable reading this thread. You seem to just lurch from one tragedy to another. Are these cars actually genuinely bringing you any pleasure? You've got practically no money, no workshop, no off-road parking, few tools, and you seem to live under pretty much constant car-related stress and pressure from parents, work, landlords, and whatever else. Despite these pressures you are juggling 3 very ropey triumphs and a tired Civic on which you depend to get to work. Your life looks to me, an outsider, like a constant 24-7 psychological battle against your fleet. I can tell you that the thread is a stressful read, so actually living it must be a nightmare as far as I can see.

 

I mean that's pretty much my life. I only largely document the car related things here but the rest of my existence is also largely a shambles, everything I attempt ends in failure. The more effort/time/money I invest in something the more likely it is to come back and kick me in the face. At this point I just take my anti-depressants and roll with it, I'm lucky in that I'm only working a 36 hour week in a world where 45+ is the norm for many of the people I know. I've done 45-50 hour weeks before and it just destroys me.

 

The other thing is that I need to be busy, if I'm not occupied I get unbearably restless. I do enjoy working on cars, but only if I'm doing it because I want to. I like the Triumphs (and the Rover) so I don't mind working on them, the Civic's repairs are purely a necessity and that pisses me off. It's investing time/money/effort into something that I don't care for an it also throws it back in my face. It also represents me failing in the past as it was bought for me by my parents when my Dolomite 1300 died just before it's last MOT. It's a constant reminder that I rely on outside help more than I should.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

70s, we're a similar-ish age (I think).  

 

I've never been able to buy my 'own' car.  My Ka was a hand-me-down, my Fiesta was very generously bought second-hand for me by my parents and I (literally) inherited my Golf Estate.  I think it's remarkable how much you have managed to do given the constraints that you have.  Until a couple of years ago, my parents were helping me pay my rent.  I've had the same thoughts about 'outside help' a lot and I have some understanding of how demeaning it felt to me at the time.

 

With all of that said, you've got to live your life.  Maybe focus on one car at a time.  The one that you think will help you live and if you have any spare time after that, move on to another one.  One that you'll get the most pleasure out of.

 

I couldn't imagine even trying to maintain more than one car in your circumstances.  It's remarkable how much you have achieved, quite frankly.

[dollywobbler]

It is indeed unfortunate that the well-intentioned Civic has been a right royal pain in the arse. But again, reducing cashflow by reducing fleet numbers potentially leaves some money to pay a garage to just sort the sodding thing out. To me, that ability is the greatest luxury - though of course, garages can balls up jobs as well, so it's no guarantee of a peaceful life!

 

Running 1970s and 1980s stuff as regular transport is always a battle against rot though, which is never cheap to sort out. I'm pretty worried about what we do now the 1990s stuff is starting to rot readily as well. In conclusion, ROFFLE something away to hopefully focus more on the other stuff. Trying to revive two classic vehicles with nae budget, while a 'modern' eats up money as well, doesn't seem ideal.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I TOTALLY hear you there. I also love tinkering, but absolutely HATE having to fix my car so I can get to work in the morning. So it's important when shiting to be able to say 'ah f**k it, that's enough for today' shut the bonnet and forget it till tomorrow/the weekend/whenever.

 

You speak wisely about calling in others' help too. Self-sufficiency is key when shiting, I learned long ago. Self sufficiency in shite terms generally equates to a bit of parking and/or working space that no-one else can moan about, so a rented space basically where you can leave your car when you reach the aforementioned stage.

 

But that's not to say you should nevet call in help off other shiters. Your parents might have chipped in with the civic, but if you change a clutch on it on FOADs lift that's still you being self-sufficient innit, because you are solving a problem yourself that might otherwise grow into something that needs more outside help (cadging lifts, borrowing money for another car or a £350 garage bill etc). So don't hate the civic, as it could still be a ticket to a more enjoyable shite life.