scdan4

Yep "it's running and just needs the carbs tickled and tweaked" has not gone so well 🤣

Head fell off. Cannot get the right hand cylinder up to temperature and can't get the idle and revving to work well. When running the right hand cylinder is staying very cool and pulling the plug lead doesn't affect the idle at all. Unlike the other side. Got spark got fuel. Uff.
Found problems already with the gasket clearly having been leaking towards the bottom but also I don't think that the exhaust valve is sealing properly. The right hand exhaust was popping and back firing which adds to that suspicion.

Looks shocked at being exposed to the world. As far as I can see the bore and piston are in good enough condition so a look at what's up with the valve and a new (pair of, might as well do them both) head gaskets and then we'll see what's broken next. 😂

Who's a dickhead?
I'm a dickhead.
The piston rings arrived today, and wouldn't you know it? The parts seller was correct, they weren't the right ones I needed - I needed 1.75mm thick rings, these were 1.5mm. 
At this point, I've ordered another set from Autodoc and thrown in the towel - this isn't going to NL any more. I can't get it rebuilt, MOTd and tested in a suitable timeframe. Disappointing, but it's entirely my own bloody fault
To cheer myself up, I made a lunchtime trip to a random address in the next village over armed with some cash and came away with this:

A brand new Hella remanufactured alternator for the MX5, for just £50. Bloody stoked with that result! Had to drill one of the bolt holes out to remove the thread in there (I had to do it on the old one too) but that was it.
I'm getting good at fitting these now!

Took the battery off charge and went for a test start:

And all is working once again.
To celebrate, I moved the MX5 and uncovered an old friend.

Going to look at the exhaust this weekend to see if the replacement exhaust section I've got will bolt straight in, or if I have to get a new flange welded on.
Whilst the Beat aired out, I cracked on with the bits I had received yesterday, starting with the No.1 crank bearing hockey stick seals. These had a dab of hylomar applied to hold them in place.
In order to get them fitted in place without rolling or puckering, the Haynes manual recommends using thin strips of metal to allow the bearing cap to be fitted.
Step forward, the glorious Tennents can.

This was suitably chopped up and the cap manoeuvred into place.

Once in position, the crank bearing caps were torqued up. Following advice from Phill, he recommended turning the crank after every cap is torqued to check for free movement. This all felt fine so I'm happy.
The tails of the seal need to be trimmed to 2mm but it's advised to wait 24 hours for the seals to settle, so that's what I'll be doing. A smearing of hylomar was applied to the corners of the cap to ensure a oiltight seal.

After that, the exhaust manifold studs were fitted.

And the clutch lever arm bush was fitted. This ended up being a bit of a faff, as the new one had slightly thinner lugs than the original, and wouldn't hold in place.
I tried hammering the lugs to expand them, but they weren't playing ball, so I melted the lugs flush to the arm with a soldering iron, drilled a couple of holes and attached it with screws and washers. The bush was filled with rubber grease and the contact points of the release bearing got a thin smear of moly grease.

With that, I'll down tools on it until the rings get here. There's still a tiny chance I can get it all together and tested in time, but it seems unlikely now.
Cheers.

Finished for the day.
Door is off, had to drill the two screws I fucked earlier. The stumps are still there but I can deal with that later. Somehow.
Replaced the arch and the panel that the A pillar welds to.

I think I’ve been told a porky that the Lada uses 1.2mm steel. I think it’s closer to 1.0mm. But it is what it is. 
I need to put in the chassis arm/jacking point, floor, inner sill which hopefully is next weekend. Then I need to take the outer sill off.
And my smashed phone got even more smashed at the end. So that’s annoying as I liked using it for filming. But it’s dead now.

Finally welding. This is a replacement part of the bottom of the A pillar.

And it’s a hard reminder of how easy it is to blow holes in existing steel. It’s not too bad really though. I also added a plate on the back (seen above, the strip with three holes in). This plate goes behind it, so it’s like a “C” going around the pillar. That’s welded behind too, as well in the front (as per how the original was put on). But the strip on the right didn’t exist, so I’ve added that.
Anyway, onward.

Between this and the 240, @juular maintains two of the finest threads on AS at the moment.

Rewire complete. 

Have made a few changes. The switched fusebox is fed from a master 100A relay which is triggered from the ignition key. This takes the heavy load off the ignition barrel which could get extremely hot with all of the current for all systems passing through it.
The coil is fed straight off the barrel and is unfused, as it should be, so even if the relay fails the engine won't stop.
Apart from that I made sure all cable ends had good quality spade connectors and heat shrink wrap with adhesive. This way they're pretty tough and reliable and eliminates some of the nasty and corroded original connectors.
The engine bay is much cleaner now without the fusebox, relays, and associated wiring nests.

Wiring for the reverse lights and overdrive now run inside, and I've packed the gap around the gearstick with insulation to cut down on road noise.

Important upgrade done to the brake lights. The original brake light switch is a fluid pressure switch which tends to only activate when you're standing on the pedal. 
I've changed it for an electrical pedal switch, which needed a bracket made up.

A real pain to drill the bolt holes for this in the pedal box so the top hole is in at an awkward angle.

Still it does the trick and is a massive upgrade. The lights now come on as soon as you touch the pedal.
While the steering wheel was off I swapped the steering column coupling bush as it was really sloppy.


The steering column shroud also got a coat of paint after I did some repairs to the cracking brittle plastic with some epoxy.


Last few bits done inside. A new hazard switch.

I then remembered I bought a set of instrument panel stickers off Demon Tweeks.

So I then did what I originally meant to and sorted the dash light graphics.
Before.

After.

For aslong as I can remember I've wanted to be directing my own path in business but never had the actual confidence to overcome huge self doubt and fears of failure, in 2021 when I nearly met with my mortality thanks to covid I remember hating that I'd played things safe as houses like a boring nobody and literally despite continued health maladies I feel that I've got a second run up at life , so I'm starting from nothing at 35 and want to get pushing forward with what is abit of a dream for me .
So basically my sister and I have teamed up to create a new garage/engineering works of which provides the usual bread and butter garage services and also more specialised work less commonly found like large manual machining capability and welding.
We're looking to stock up on a range of common classic parts too so that we can take on most project work without waiting on parts turning up in ebay etc albeit limited space prevents stocking a vast amount.
So far over the last 8 months !

Obligatory huge lathe brought back somewhat inappropriately 


Company car brought down , inappropriately 

Lathe electrical rebuild done because it was dangerous as hell, 415 through the soaked push buttons etc ,,horrible ! Once cleaned and generally setup it's been put to work straight away!

 
this s100 k series swap was quite aquite to drive, getting one to fit the earlier car isn't bolt in like with the estelle and rapid !

Cambelt snappage job on an iveco 2.3, lots of new valves and lapping required!

loads of work done, and loads more hopefully to come ! 

This car came with rear discs and pads, the previous owner hasn't had time to fit. When the MOT rolled around last November, I had a go at fitting them; turns out someone had rounded off the bolts holding the rear calipers, so I gave up rather than making them worse as access was terrible-i couldn't have done it myself in the road. 
Funds etc being in a before Christmas state meant I only took it for an MOT today; obviously it failed (there were also ABS and airbag lights on, the seller had told me about these). 
In addition to these known faults, it turns out someone has "repaired" the rest suspension mounts at some point, but the repair wasn't even MOT standard, and the garage quoted me £1,500 in total. I had expected £500-£600 for the bits I knew about but couldn't or hadn't fixed myself, but the additional £1k for the welding (obviously subject to further issues being discovered when the previous patches came off) means this just isn't viable for me. Is be lucky to get £1,200 for the car, once repaired. 

So I've taken James Brown's advice. 

Back on the fuel filler, some metal pipe arrived a straight length and a curved bit, time to make the breather....
Firstly I used an old bit of brake pipe to rough out were I wanted it to go then, copied it on the bench with steel tube, I haven't followed this through step by step so here is a rough before and after. 
Before.... And no those bits of copper pipe are not the breather, they will be in the final build as they are part of the other bit of the fuel system.

Trial fit with the main sections of breather tacked in place...

Welding the main sections properly.


Adding the end part and creating a flange to hold the hose in place...

Paint with primer but never mind focusing properly.......

Jobs left are to clean up the welded flange to make it nice and smooth, re check fit and possibly run some water through it to find pin holes in the welding. Then this part will be done. 
 
 

2 fiat fondle.

On the last look over id noted a duff wheel cylinder, the drums are original and pretty well worn now given the cars miles.  new drums, shoes and cylinders ordered in, forgot a fitting kit tho. 
Bosch are actually cheapest for these as they are the OEM manufacturer.

The back plates were very crusty so i unbolted the wheel bearing, and the back plates got taken off and hit with the knot wheel. The axle was given a quick go over with the  needle scaler and then wire brush before a splash of shultz. Im not a fan of this stuff but it has a place.

Having done the KA2 previously in this thread id already experienced the seized union on the brake pipe so just went straight to making two new pipes and cut the old ones off. Id like to have done a neater job but i was getting pushed for time today after doing the doblo and VP this morning.

Back plates bolted on and pipe installed.

Shoes and adjusters fitted. 

New drums on and a tweakof the  handbrake. All seems okay, ill paint the drums next time ive got the car on the lift. Finished around 10pm and dropped the car back. 

 

Part 1
It's not quite groundhog day ...............but it feels like it! 
I spent another day in the shed with the car.  It's the only way I'm going to get the car on the road so it's got to be done.  I'm skirting around some of the major things that need to be done (like putting the radiator back - it's a two man job) but there's lots to get on with.
A mechanic friend is coming over tomorrow and the plan is to start the car.  Which means there's a bucket load to be done (and be done tomorrow too).
I started off by taking the exhaust off (i know - why the hell do that when you're going to start the car tomorrow?  I didn't know we were going to do that until he came over this afternoon..........and I'd whipped 'ole rusty' off before 9am..............!)
 
Yeasssss................


And then I needed to move on to the fuel tank at the rear - had to get it out to get the fuel sender working (had a hunch it was stuck and just needed cleaning up.  I was right).  But what a palaver getting it out.  But got there in the end.  Painted the end where the filler cap is and need to remind myself that a small vent hose is missing (crumbled away when I tried to move it). 


original fuel sender

sorry that this one is out of focus but you can see it was tres crusted up.......but sorted that, got the arm swinging again and it went back in;

Then we got on with putting the seat back in - that meant I curtailed my carpet shenanigans and literally cut some old car mats to size and used a bit of horse mat where my feet are going to rest for the moment.  Looks neat enough and it'll do.
Et voila;


I need to clean the seat and it'll have to come out again but for the purposes of tomorrow it'll do.  Really need a wet vac thing and I have a friend whom runs a carpet cleaning business - will have a word in his shell-like and see if we can work something out.
Part 2 coming up
 
 
 

.......and we keep on going.  Not masses done today..........but whilst the car is up in the air I've decided to take the entire exhaust off (not the manifold however; I'll leave that in situ for the moment........its got nothing to do with the fact that it looks like an absolute shocker to get off...........).  Some of the nuts are very tight to the top of the exhaust and with the chassis rail not allowing much movement (and no room for a ratchet) I used a grinder to make one of my poorer 13mm spanners a little slimmer so I could get in and hold the nut as I unwound  the bolt.
Kids activities stopped any further play but I should have the entire exhaust off tomorrow and then I'm going to polish it............or rather sand off the grottiness and then paint it with high temperature paint to make it look presentable.  Will try and tidy up the ends and reattach with all new bolts and nuts and exhaust clamps etc etc.  

 

Note the horrid chunks of exhaust paste.........that's all going to be removed and nothing like that is going to be re-applied.

Forgot to mention that the diff looks like it's leaking as well.  But will check that once we've got the engine going. No point til then (we've had the engine going previously, not a problem, but it needs to be built back up with the new waterpump - pnm engineering -and fired up once again.)
Tomorrow and Friday is interior and sort the petrol tank out with it's new pump and the fuel sender hopefully fixed.  I also plan to drill a small hole so I can get some amp wire (for the small sub and amp I'm putting in) through to the boot.  Currently the main loom goes up the seatbelt pillar (b pillar) and along and down through the c pillar into the boot.............but I've got to be honest-  I just don't have the energy or skills to take the interior apart .........and put it back together again without it looking 2nd hand.  
I've already got the back of the rear seats out - 3 tabs - and then it's the rear seat belts - that need to come undone anyway as I've got to replace a bar that sits under the car and gives extra bracing for the rear seat belt each side.

And so another instalment of minor steps forward (and more stuff to the add to the list..........)  
I got turned down for a job today and I'm absolutely gutted; so in order to try and disassociate from that and enable me to move on (got to, got to get revved up again for plan q.........we're way past plan b..........). 
So to the Lotus then.  Limited time meant I needed to get in, get on with it and er, get out!  So I chose to tackle the exhausts................now most of the system is rusty and I'm going to take it off ..........at some point and sort it..........but for the moment it's fine (to get that MOT) apart from the two pipes that go over the suspension at the back of the car.
It's at this point I'm going to have to ask you to forgive the rust everywhere.  The car sat on grass for 3 years...........yep, I know, but PO had a terminally ill wife to look after.........he really didn't give a number 2 about the car.  So yes, need to tackle that lot too.  Alot of it is surface rust and just needs some time and elbow grease.........but I'm not tackling any of it (unless absolutely necessary.......until after the MOT.  New dampers at the back excepting.
But to the exhaust bits. With a hole in one side and looking like they were bad replacements, made by a short-sighted and talentless bob-a-job welder................I thought I should get them off the car and have a proper look.  Well, one is totally buggered, the other is sound (but really not pretty).  
SJ Cars sell them for £47+vat each...........which is alot of money right now.  I was thinking - could I buy some off the shelf exhaust flexible and fix them that way?  Bit of a worry I'd buy the wrong size though..........so instead I've taken them off and am going to see a fabrication shop - see if they can do something.  Even patch it for a temporary (mot) short term fix.
In situ;

And off the car;

And closerrrrrr (Hannibal speak);

And sort of tidied up;

The Y piece is in er, one piece;

But looks like it's had a repair perhaps?  Or been welded by said YTS trainee..............with their eyes closed.
Whilst under the car I spotted some broken exhaust rubbers;
 
(zoom in on that one)
and another on the floor;

I've cable tied the exhaust up (no pics) and left the ends on deliberately as an aide memoire to change them.
You'll note the state of the back boxes - they're actually sound but need tidying up.  I will do that - can't stand the thought of stuff under the car not being in great condition.
Looking under the car and over everything - I see areas that are going to possibly need attention.  Need to get the springs off and tidied up for a start.  But..........I might just buy (standard) new ones.  Might have to.  They really don't look amazing close up.  But then...........what does a v v poor spring look like?  They're currently sound and whole.  Dampers are leaking and definitely need changing..........which says to me that perhaps I should do the fronts too to ensure balance (new on the back, tired still on the front, can't help?)
But the fronts look fine in truth.
So I'm off to a fabrication shop tomorrow (literally 5 mins away to see if they can help).  the long middle silencer looks v v tired..........and whisper it (because, perhaps, some of you wont approve) but I might just do away with it and fit a straight through pipe and see how we get on.  Didn't take a picture of the current one but has lots of surface rust.  Bolts came loose fine however.  The car isn't going to be doing mega mileage (3,000 miles tops perhaps? depending if it's reliable of course!)
And don't talk to me about bushes.........all of them look like they need changing (or in an ideal world where my budget was endless and my energy bountiful I'd change the lot across the entire car.........but at what cost - £ and energy)?  A worry for another day tbh.  I can't spend £500 on bushes so lets see how things are once it's on 4 new tyres and moving under it's own steam.
Unless it handles like bambi they can stay as is and allow me to get to know the car.  There are far more issues to tackle.  Got a bad feeling about the heater box too (at the front of the car) for some reason.........but a worry for another day.  At least the wiper motor works - it looks like Lotus fitted that first and then built the car around it..........
I also WD40'd alot of the bolts (and used penetrating oil on some of the ones I think I'm going to mucking about with - dampers - shortly). 
And half-heartedly wire brushed bits too...........but as soon as i got a bit in my eye I spat the dummy and gave it up for the night.  I just feel so lethargic.  I'm 52 this year and feel like I've possibly truly hit the wall with my career.............realised that perhaps I'm past it (in other people's eyes) and that as much as I love the career (land and development) perhaps I should be doing something else.  Bit worrying.  Need a proper income to get the kids where they need to be........and it's just not happening.
Duck (with a capital F) and double duck.  
 
Onwards to tomorrow mes amis.
 
 

Yep "it's running and just needs the carbs tickled and tweaked" has not gone so well 🤣

Head fell off. Cannot get the right hand cylinder up to temperature and can't get the idle and revving to work well. When running the right hand cylinder is staying very cool and pulling the plug lead doesn't affect the idle at all. Unlike the other side. Got spark got fuel. Uff.
Found problems already with the gasket clearly having been leaking towards the bottom but also I don't think that the exhaust valve is sealing properly. The right hand exhaust was popping and back firing which adds to that suspicion.

Looks shocked at being exposed to the world. As far as I can see the bore and piston are in good enough condition so a look at what's up with the valve and a new (pair of, might as well do them both) head gaskets and then we'll see what's broken next. 😂

Got little Zetor fixed today. Had the old exhaust manifold fitted with new gaskets and the new exhaust part in red fitted but reused the old exhaust pipe as it has a few years left in it and replaced the leaking frost plug.


 
I also had the new coolant tool kit tested to pressure test the cooling system and it worked well and the system held pressure. So now it is ready for use again.

Yep "it's running and just needs the carbs tickled and tweaked" has not gone so well 🤣

Head fell off. Cannot get the right hand cylinder up to temperature and can't get the idle and revving to work well. When running the right hand cylinder is staying very cool and pulling the plug lead doesn't affect the idle at all. Unlike the other side. Got spark got fuel. Uff.
Found problems already with the gasket clearly having been leaking towards the bottom but also I don't think that the exhaust valve is sealing properly. The right hand exhaust was popping and back firing which adds to that suspicion.

Looks shocked at being exposed to the world. As far as I can see the bore and piston are in good enough condition so a look at what's up with the valve and a new (pair of, might as well do them both) head gaskets and then we'll see what's broken next. 😂

The Honda is back!  They fitted new chain & sprockets, re-fitted the shocks but most importantly put the Vespa screen which will hopefully keep some of the rain at bay, as well as add another 30mph due to the aerodynamics

Underside finished bar a coat of sprayable seam sealer.

Started stripping engine bay.

Primer applied.

Still plenty to be done.

Now begins the primer, rubbing, and dust phase.
 

Had 20 minutes this evening so decided to investigate the hole under the wiper motor.
It’s a devil to remove if you’ve not read the instructions. But I got the motor out.


That hole goes straight in to the cabin, right over the steering column. I can imagine that this scuttle will need a good bit of attention when I get round to it.

The weather was looking ok, it was time to take the Sierra out for a test drive.
Even with the battery disconnected, the fuel gauge was showing that the tank was nearly full. Bearing in mind that I only put about 5 litres in when I first bought the Sierra, the gauge reading looked very wrong.

With the battery reconnected, the Pinto fired up first time and the exhaust spat out a mouthful of moisture. More on this later. 
Whilst walking out of the workshop, to move the E46 out of the way, I noticed that the brake lights were permanently on.

I quickly got changed, removed the bottom of the dashboard again to gain access to the brake pedal switch.

I removed the switch to check and clean it. It looked ok.

I refitted the switch and adjusted it to the correct position. Evidently, I must have disturbed the switch whilst fiddling with the pedal box yesterday.
All pre-flight checks done, it was time to set off. I got as far as my local Esso fuel station.

I managed to squeeze 5 litres of petrol into the tank before the filler neck was full. It looks like the gauge was showing an almost full tank because the tank was almost full. On the basis that the tank holds 60 litres and I've added about 10 litres since buying the Sierra, there must have been about 50 litres of fuel in the tank. At approx £1.50 per litre, that's a £75 gift. Thank you previous owner.
Before leaving the fuel station, I was approached by three people, who commented on how immaculate the Sierra is and who asked how old it is and how many miles it has done. How nice that the posh folk of Beaconsfield appreciate old Fords.
Approx 5 miles into my trip, I stopped off at a garden centre to check vital fluids and to give everything a once over. No problems to report. The pretty setting provided an opportunity for a couple of photos.



Back on the road, I headed for the A404. If you've ever watched Wheeler Dealers (the GB episodes), you will have seen Mike B towing or driving something along this famous* dual carriageway. 
Without any struggling, the Sierra got up to 60MPH.

I came off the A404 at the A4 junction and drove through Maidenhead, Cookham, Wooburn Green and towards home. I stopped off at Glory Park for a couple more photos.


I arrived back home almost exactly 20 miles later, as confirmed by the trip meter. This is good news, it means the trip meter and odometer are both reading just fine.

Ok, I've only driven the Sierra for 20 miles along local traffic free roads but my first thoughts are very positive.
Engine - I adjusted the idle speed at the garden centre, once the engine reached full operating temperature. Throughout the trip, the engine ran fine, quickly reached operating temperature and the needle didn't budge from the mid point. It pulled well from low revs, with no missing or spluttering. Nothing has leaked out, however there is still a whiff of paraffin / old engine oil / mucky residue from where I've been tinkering, which will need time to burn off. 
Gearbox - All gears go in and out just fine, synchros are strong. The gearbox is silent and I love the mechanical feel of the gear change.
Clutch - Biting point spot on. No dragging, no slipping, no juddering. Perfect.
Prop & Diff - Silent, no vibrations.
Steering - Noticeably heavy at parking speeds, otherwise works well and feels adequately light at speed. Steering wheel is on straight, no pulling, no issues.
Suspension - Smooth! No knocks, no bangs. Ride comfort is superb, on par with my W123. Handling is roly-poly, as expected. 
Brakes - Needed a bit of time to bed in, however once the pedal firmed up, they worked just fine. I tried a couple of emergency stops, no pulling, no issues.
Exhaust - Drill holes failed to allow any moisture to escape overnight and I could hear a significant blow from both silencers. Bollocks. Evidently, drilling holes in silencers is not a good idea. I will plug both holes with chemical metal and self-tapping screws this afternoon.
Radio - Played Greatest Hits Radio (105.8FM), including Popmaster at 10:30am. All six speakers work ok and the FM reception is better than expected, bearing in mind I live and drove the Sierra through The Chilterns.
Summary - I love it!
@N19 I am sure that I will find something to write about soon. There are a few more bodywork related issues that I want to attend to and I expect the forthcoming MoT test will reveal something wrong with the old Ford. 
 

I started today by fitting the new clutch cable. It fitted perfectly, however it made no difference to the clutch pedal height or the biting point.
I opted to change the upper position of the clutch pedal by fitting a metal plate to the existing, non-adjustable, stop.
I carefully bent the stop a little so that the extended plate that will be fixed to its side will line up with the white part of the adjustment mechanism. I then drilled two small holes, the bottom one not too close to the edge of the metal.

I secured the metal plate with two nuts and bolts. The nuts and bolts do not interfere with any part of the clutch mechanism.

Here comes the science bit.
If I made the extended plate too short, the pedal height would not be lowered by the desired amount. 
If I made the extended plate too long, the pedal would be located too low, the adjustment mechanism may not have enough range to take up the clutch cable slack and, as lowering the height of the clutch pedal reduces the pedal travel, there could be the possibility that the clutch would not disengage fully with the pedal depressed, causing clutch drag. 
The new plate extends from the stop by approx 12mm. I did no measuring, it was just a guesstimate. If the extended plate was to be too long, I could remove and shorten it. If it was too short, I had more spare metal brackets to make up a new one.

With the pedal box in a vice, I could already see that the clutch pedal stopped below the stop height of the brake pedal. Looking good.

I refitted the pedal box and hooked up the clutch cable. Still looking good, the clutch pedal was situated a good three inches lower than before.

I slowly depressed the clutch pedal a few times, the quadrant clicked itself into place and it ended up here.

There is no slack in the cable and the quadrant still has a fair bit more range (I pressed on the upper part of the quadrant to find out). The latter is important as it means that the quadrant mechanism has not been forced to its maximum working position and there is room for further adjustment, if required.
I fired up the Pinto and checked the position of the clutch biting point. Perfect. The clutch bites nicely at just below half pedal travel and all gears engage smoothly with no crunching, which means the clutch is fully disengaged with the clutch pedal down. 
Win!
@sierraman was right, that the clutch biting point was normal, after all there was no method of adjusting the height of the clutch pedal and the quadrant was found to be working ok. I guess I improved on Ford's design. To celebrate, I refitted the bottom of the dashboard etc and cleaned the mud stained pedals.

Next issue.
Even with the Sierra parked in a dry garage, whenever I switched the engine on, condensation would blow out of the exhaust pipe.

When I posted on here a few months back regarding how to prevent mild steel exhaust systems from rotting out, I recall being advised that I should drill small holes in the lowest point of each silencer, which would allow moisture to escape (drip out) from the silencer.
I did just that, drilled a small hole in the bottom of each silencer.

The original wheel brace is missing and I wanted to pack a few essentials for my maiden voyage, just in case something went wrong.
I prepared this selection, which includes 5 litres of water, engine oil, brake fluid, tyre pump, 19mm socket on extension bar, basic tool kit, gaffer tape and gloves.

Apart from the large water bottle, all the bits fitted snuggly in my handy and very fashionable Borg & Beck plastic bag.

So, I've done all I had on my to-do list (and more!) and the Sierra is ready for its maiden voyage.

Whether I go anywhere tomorrow, the 1st April, depends entirely on the weather. At the moment it is looking a bit 50/50 according to my iPhone app and guaranteed rain all day if the BBC weather app is to be believed, followed by more rain each day next week. Great. 
I am very apprehensive about the first drive in the Sierra. The very first short drive from the main road to my house was too stressful, with the Sierra looking like a shed and barely making it home with the exhaust blowing out of both silencers, my mind was focused on a refund rather than on having fun. Ditto last weekend's drive to the end of my road and back, wasn't enough to get to know how the Sierra behaves.
Fact is, whenever I will get to drive it, I will end up feeling disappointed. Chances are, it is suffering from a fault that I am yet to discover, such as pulling brakes, vibrations via the drivetrain, clonks, rattles, etc. Even if it doesn't suffer any major issues, I doubt the carb fed Pinto will provide the levels of performance that I am accustomed to, bearing in mind I drive a brand new Nissan Qashqai daily and one of my toys is a perky E46. The unassisted steering will be too heavy, even compared with my W123, which has power steering but which is nowhere near as light as what I am used to. I suspect the Sierra will feel heavy to drive and difficult to stop, with no ABS.... Ok, ok, I'm not being fair, I can't expect a 37 year old base model Ford to perform like a modern car.
Let's hope the nostalgia kicks in and I forget about the rest.
 
 

Guys, thank you for your advice, all noted and understood.
As I see it, the problem could be:
1. The clutch is worn and therefore the quadrant cannot adjust the biting point any further than it has done. Whilst the mileage is only 31k (probably), if the Sierra has been driven around town for most of its life, by someone who is deaf and has no sympathy for mechanical things, then the clutch could well be worn.
2. The quadrant is not functioning as intended. From what I could see, the quadrant still has all its teeth but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's ok.
3. The clutch cable is 37 years old and has stretched or a previous owner has fitted the wrong clutch cable. Apparently, there is more than one type of clutch cable for a manual 'box Sierra.
My options:
I can buy a complete LUK clutch kit for about £75, inc p&p but I have no facilities to replace the clutch in my workshop, specifically it's the removal of the gearbox that would cause issues. I have a friendly mechanic who would fit the clutch for me, I reckon for about £150, however this would involve me having to take a day off work, driving into London and paying the Khan charge. If necessary, I will have the clutch replaced but at the moment I am proposing to explore other options.
I really don't want to remove the pedal box and start fiddling with the quadrant. From what I've read about the process, it's a bitch of a job.
I don't like the idea of drilling through the quadrant to lock it in place, as this could cause problems, resulting in replacement of the quadrant.
Today, I drove popped into Halfords and bought these:

They were £1.60 each. 
I now have four days off, three of which, if necessary, I can spend in the workshop. The weather forecast is awful so I am not expecting to take the Sierra out for a drive. The replacement clutch cable may arrive on Saturday, if I am really lucky but I suspect it won't be with me until next week.
The plan is to raise the front of the Sierra to gain access to the clutch arm, remove the existing clutch cable, fit the cable adjusters, one at each end of the cable and see what difference they make. Chances are, by tightening the cable, the clutch pedal will be brought down in line with the brake pedal, possibly a little lower. I would be pleased with this, as the clutch biting point is currently approx 2-3 inches down from the release point, at which point the clutch bites hard. 
Once it arrives, I will replace the clutch cable with the new one, without fitting the adjusters first and see how the clutch feels. If the biting point is too high, I will re-fit the adjusters and hope for the best. 
The installation of the cable adjusters is a well documented solution, so I am hopeful that I can fix this issue. The adjusters that I bought today are a bit shit, so if they work ok, I will buy some better quality ones and fit them for a permanent repair.
All agreed?
 

I posted in my Safrane thread, but I forgot on here 🙄 
It's only a small patch required on the nearside sill and the spring mounting is the cup that the spring sits in on the shock absorber, so just a new shock needed no welding. Looking through the extensive history of the car these are still the original shocks! Who says french cars are tat????