tooSavvy

The Past!
The Dream!

The Reality!
 

A proper workshop, and not a parts fitter - there are far too few of these. Good luck.

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 ! 

No point pussyfooting around it, I had to do one of the most unpleasant jobs on a BX today.
The steering rack boot - usually a fairly simple swap. Not so with a BX.
The power steering hydraulic ram is external to the steering rack, so ram eye-end attaches to the nearside rack arm via a protruding lug (shown after I installed the boot)

First things first, the old one was whipped off. The track rod end was left connected to the hub on each side, and simply unscrewed from the steering rack, to roughly retain the tracking settings.

The old rack boot had been fouling a bent handbrake cable bracket, and had also dislodged it at one end.

 
The new boot was thrown into a boiling kettle for a while, in an attempt to soften the boot and give a bit more elasticity. The kitchen drawers were raided for spare spoons, in an attempt to allow the boot to safely stretch over the lug without tearing it. 
This was a total arseache, compounded by the fact the BX is on the lowest point of the axle stands at the moment. Crawling underneath it every few minutes was a pain, especially with the pigtail hydraulic pipes running through the middle of the engine bay.
Through divine intervention, I eventually got it on after much swearing. The aftermarket boot was much bigger at one end than the 44mm either side, so a jubilee clip was utilised to evenly take the slack up.

The other side was a breeze by comparison, and within half an hour, the offside boot was replaced and the track rod ends reconnected. The nearside boot does touch the hydraulic ram, but it shouldn't cause any issues.
Pretty sure this concludes the jobs around the engine bay. I'm planning to take two days off work next week so I can try and put some graft in to get back on schedule for the target date.
Oh yeah, here are a few random spots I forgot to post from last week:



The Xantia was very bouncy on the road, suggesting the spheres are not having a good time.
Cheers!

Home.

This car has utterly proven itself this week. Averaged low to mid 30s which is good because it was fully loaded and I wasn't hanging about!

I always keep old nuts/bolts etc, lost count how often I’ve used them! Only last week I was putting a Nissan Juke air box back and the bolt had chewed up, fortunately some old Focus coil pack bolts did the trick! 

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. 

 

Little more progress 
The part i was dreading, getting the pissing down pipe section on on my own with nobody to hold the pipe up and assemble the clamp.  After droping the  thing or a nut about 40 times i welded the bolts into the clamp. Rather than keep fucking about. Straight on now. I grease the flange as recommended online it can swivel a bit .

Welded on a tab to pick up on the engine support. Just g clamped for now untill ive run the car and know its not blowing from the joint. 

Stub of pipe welding into the flexi, the onto the car and sleeve clamped up. 

Next time ill weld on some support mounts and ill call that done. 
 
Polybush because racecar. 

 
 

Old shite new trick. 
A quick google suggests any A series with this down to manifold flange style struggles to seal. And if it does seal after a while it will blow again as there is no flex to exhaust appart from bending it. 
With new mounts and beefed up stab bar bushes id guess we would probably be okay for longer if i could get it to seal. However the part on the exhaust came in at the wrong angle in my eyes. And was barely sealing one side. Maybe tweaked from the engine moving about alot before.  So bollocks im cutting it. Choppy choppy. 
A snip on the down pipe part and i bolted the flange up as inline as possible. I then cut the first curve off and tweaked that a bit so its pointing in a direction i was happy with. 
As far as im concerned the exhaust would benifit from being isolated from the engine like a more modern motor so having found just one seller on ebay i ordered the smallest flexi ive ever seen at 32mm ID. Also a sleeve so i can make the single piece exhaust into two, so its not a massive arse to move about when fitting. 

It would probably be fine as is but some Additional brackets and mounts will be welded on to the front part of the rear section to  support the exhaust so the flexi isnt under a downward load 
Im told the new exhausts fit well but given this so far has cost only 40 quid in parts and the new systems are very pricey, im Hopeful this will be a reliable cure to a common problem, but we will see. 
 

The quick engine mount swap then, firstly what a wanky car this is to work on, Everything just in the way. 
Were we left off the engine wouldnt line back up and the rad broke.
Engine mount being upside didnt help! An Extra hand arrived and we  bolted it back  in. Rad then, simple ill just get a new one from mini spares. Nope 1300 rads bigger. £200 for a recon, luckily i found one for 28 quid that had been removed from a small tractor with a marina engine fitted.  Looks in good shape but untested as of now. 
Few bits picked up from mini spares as i was passing. Key one being an exhaust clamp as i couldnt get the exhaust too seal now the mounts have moved the engine where it should be (it was blowing before)  and a stat gasket. 
New clamp on , Exhaust still blowing. flange is miles off from going on straight and stat housing stuck. Balls. 
With the sun out i stripped out the old rad and numerous bits bolted to the engine. the cacked on oil and grime taken off.  Parts were cleaned up and some cases a quick and dirty paintjob given. 
Back to minispares a few days later. New stabilizer bushes (poly for the lower and rubber on the uppeelr), new stat housing and overflow pipe and a few other bits. 
Wire tidy and the coil got a neat little boot. It didnt need it. I just wanted it!


 
 

I love seeing slightly ratty old cars on the road. Ignoring the fact I'm a Mini fanatic it's great to see it out and about!

Calendar shot!

I often forget how much and why I love my alternative motoring-lifestyle.
Running* six heaps is all too often just a never ending barrage of jobs of varying priority and can easily leave you wondering “why?!”
</fate_tempted> The Mini is a joy and recently I had to make a 150 mile journey - in the words of Ewan McGregor, Choose Shite

Used my sonic cleaner to remove years of gunk & surface rust on the rear brake parts. Then cleaned the backplates on the rear axle.
 

Nice work on this!
That ultrasonic cleaner looks like it’s done the business. I’ve thought about getting one but never bothered. Perhaps I should!

I’d say someone is getting ready for a road trip.

Well it's not a keeper for me but intend to fettle and enjoy and it's definitely worthy of bike status!

Finally a half decent day to carry on with the car.
Fuel tank finished, new rubbers, pump installed & seals. Painted the tank straps & added some foam padding. Burnt out the bushes in the arms ready to go to media on Monday. I stripped the rear brake shoe set up & inspected the wheel cylinders.
After cleaning & painting I rebuilt the fuel pump, filter housing ready to refit.
I'm really hoping nect weekend is dry so I can clean the underside of the car.
 

I guess it comes down to one's mindset and approach to the task. If you think of it as a job (unpaid and for an unappreciative boss - a grumpy yourself ! ) then it's a chore. Even more so when you see the bodges of prior owners and the 'mechanics' as x_ _ _s. 
But....  if you like old cars and you 'just potter around'  for an hour or two,  ..as n' when you choose to (mostly in the afternoons for me) without an impending deadline, ..and you take some sort of satisfaction out of loving / improving the old girl,  ..and you look on those bodges as quite funny reflections on humanity and our culture - then the tasks become a hobby.
Every part of the car becomes a little wonderment.  Fk me this part is 56 years old and I'm cleaning it and putting it back on.!    Lucas, Smiths, Lockhead, Girling, GKN, Triplex Dunlop, and every other sub-contractor's component takes on its own life.  Whether mechanical, electrical, a piece of wood, leather or fabric trim  ..whatever can be be saved and reused becomes a thank-you  to motor industry men and women whose names have long since been forgotten.     
Once done, most of these rectifications last for decades and don't need repeating.  With one task after another done n' dusted - in time the car become useable, reliable and a pleasure ...all for minimal running costs.  After major structural and major-mechancal and paint., with no road tax and cheap classic car insurance - it does, in the long-term, become inexpensive.
     
Personally I hate being in the limelight, so I don't tidy up the car to be admired.  I do it because I feel these old girls deserve a bit of loving care and attention ..after years of abuse, neglect and making do.. When I go somewhere ; I park the car and walk away. She's the centre of attention.  I can do that because I'm a sentimental old sod who loves her ..even her shortcomings.  I wouldn't want to swap her creaks & wrinkles for a soulless manikin or an electric car.  
I like my cars to be decent autoshiter drivers rather than a polished restorations, so originality is less important to me than function. Then, driving the 'maintained' rather than 'precious' car becomes a nostalgic pleasure ..as if I'm driving a ten-year-old car back in the 1970's.   And any other old fart who happens to see you driving down the road also derives pleasure from seeing her still being used. Not at necessarily to shows ..but just around around town and to the shops. 
I'm not interested in bodging the car to sell and make a profit.  Indeed I'm of an age where I know that anything i have will be dispersed within a month or two of my passing. However if I can get each car into a useable and reliable condition before I go, then I'll be gifting them to best friends.  For those friends to own and enjoy a nice TR4, or a Daimler 250, or a sailing boat ..even if just for a year or two (before they sell them on) then that's more a lovely gift than its monetary value.    
The other half of my hobby is to share what I've been doing. It's a therapy for me to see that I'm achieving something. That I'm not yet on the scrap pile. And through these forum blobs - I very much hope inspires and helps others.
win + win + win whichever way I look at this hobby.  
Pete
 

Okay here we go.. a task which proves that cars were built for lack of maintenance 50+ years ago, and like modern cars were built where one thing needs to be dismantled to get to another. . .

^ the scuttle vent, under the windscreen on quite a few cars of the era, took outside (supposedly fresh !) air into the car either directly (cool) or via the heater matrix (heated by engine coolant).  There's a lever under the dashboard which manually operates it.  And a spring under the vent which toggles to hold it either open or closed.  Never half way.!
Unbeknown to many.., there's another metal flap connected to this one, at approximately 135-degrees downward. That one opens, or closes-off, a hole through (the vertical face of) the bulkhead. 
When the scuttle vent is closed, the flap across the bulkhead is open.  That's for when the fan is used. Then air is drawn from the car's interior (from behind the central console) and ducted through the (closed) chamber below the scuttle vent flap, to the heater matrix, before being ducted back into the car.  This is the recirculating air flow circuit.  
Conversely when the lever is operated - whereby the scuttle vent opens ; then the recirculating air flap is closed  ..and outside air is used for fresh-air ventilation or heating, depending on separate heater controls.  What is important is that one flap is closed when the other is opened, and vice-versa.   Simple in't it. 
 
As it was (this car) ; the lever inside didn't work the flap, and my physically wrenching the scuttle vent up from the outside only ever got it half open.  And because the two flaps are bolted together - the scuttle vent being half open meant the bulkhead's recirculating-air flap was similarly half open.  With them both half open.. half of the (cold) outside being air taken in, via the scuttle vent, doesn't go down to the heater matrix ..but rather takes a short-cut straight into the car.  That's not so very cosy !
Nor is it good in the rain ..for example when trying to demist the screen., because rain and road spray is taken directly into the back of the central console ...with its array of switches, electrical connectors, and minor gauges. There is a baffle plate to stop driving rain getting straight in there, but with a coarse wire mesh on the underside of the vent.. driven rain gets 'meshed' into a fine spray.        
So, what is the problem when the bloody thing don't open or close fully ? 
Well, it could be the operating mechanism, something fouling, or perhaps the flaps hinge seized. Note ; plural flaps, single hinge.   I was to discover on this particular car, which sat around unused for donkeys years - it was the operating mechanism almost seized, the toggle spring almost seized, and the flap hinges a little bit more than almost seized.  The good news was ..well there wasn't much good news..,  save the fact that I'm now retired and can spend two days sorting the darn thing out. 
  
^ With any car that sat around for 5+ decades, there's always going to be some screws and nuts and bolts that are seized.  It's just something you've got to deal with.  I forced the vent open and stuffed a block of wood in there to hold it open.  Starting off with cross-head set-screw holding the mesh in place.  However careful I was to get exactly the right size bit, a huge amount of force to hold that bit in its slot, without and then with penetrating oil ..it wouldn't shift.  There's x3 such screws holding the mesh in place and the other two gave in to my persuasiveness. This allowed me to tilt the mesh down so that I might get a spanner on the nut which holds the top scuttle cover in place.  The stubborn little thing* fought me to the last thread. . .
  
^ even with the scuttle vent lid removed, only my best vice-grips managed to get that screw to move.   ^^ not much to see but the wire spring, and the hinge brackets.  The black hole to the left side of the car (top of photo) is the trunking down to the fan and heater matrix.  58 minutes between the first and last of these four photos.

^ The centre console hinges down for easy access to wiring connections. The feature is a carry-over from the Jaguar big saloons and XK models ..which also housed the fuse-box behind their console.   
   
^ with no sign of the scuttle vent's hinges, from either inside the car (behind the centre console) or from through the scuttle vent, I reckoned the baffle plate needed to be removed.  Seized nuts again..  A full hour of battle between these two photos.    And then.. still no sign of the vent's hinges.
     
^ I unclipped the spring-wire from the vent's (supposedly hinging) brackets, and found that it too was almost seized. 'Almost' meaning that I could force it to move but it needed several douses of lubrication and much working back n' forth before it moved as freely as it should.  
That's where I stopped work, to go out in the car ..with no scuttle vent fitted, on Tuesday evening.  4-3/4 hours into this five minute job. 
Moving on to this afternoon  . . .
 
   
^ Having ascertained the flaps were seized at their hinge, but unable to find that.. I needed to dig deeper.  I opted out of removing the glove box and main-gauge instrument panels in favour of seeing what I might find if I just removed the dashboard top.  There's just two nuts to undo, noting the shims which level its height. But then to actually remove the panel I needed to also remove the timber capping up the A-post. I reckoned with care I could about get away with just removing the driver's side.  At its bottom of it is a simple screw from under the dashboard lid (first photo)    ^^ The top of the timber though is screw fastened behind the (glued-on) door's weather seal (2nd photo).
  
^ It's an oddly shaped piece of timber.  I cannot imagine how Jaguar productionised it left and right handed.
Removing the dashboard's vinyl-covered lid would have been much easier if its sides were parallel ..so it could be slid straight back, without taking A-post timber off.  But.., it's ends are shaped around the A-post at the sides, wider towards the screen.  It cannot be slid straight out, nor lifted up.  Even with the A-post timber removed - the lid needed to be tilted and pulled down ..being careful to not scratch the dashboard with its fastening studs.  
It's tight.. but it does come out  (and later goes back in again !).   I think the later cars ..the XJ6 used skinny vinyl trim up the A-post.
  
^ And still not sign of those flap's (top) hinges.   In the first photo you cannot see the scuttle vent's operating lever, because it's down below the centre console.  It seemed to move freely but., I wondered if it was moving freely for the full range ..which it couldn't yet do because the flaps were still seized.  I opted to remove the console's hinges - to drop it out of the way and to give me clear access to that operating-lever arm's hinges. Various electrical connections were released to give the console more travel, so that I could better see what i was doing.

^ On the left hand side a bent metal bar. That's the flaps operating arm, and it's supposed to be bent like that. I've released the bolts to its hinges so it can tilt, so I could see to lubricate them. But for just a little free movement - they were seized.  With penetrating oil and then 25w-50 and a fair amount of wiggling back n' forth the operating now move freely throughout its range. The flap though, now disconnected both from the inside and outside was still seized  ..and its hinge was still nowhere to be seen.     I think only by pulling the whole dashboard out might I discover how it was built ?
   
^ Still unable to see those hinges - I played a long ball. There are two holes into the windscreen frame which I sprayed with WD-40 using its extension pipe, and then using another brand of penetrating oil (with considerably more squirt) I flooded up either side of the bulkhead flap.  I did the same from the scuttle vent side, until it was literally dripping with the stuff.   Forcefully man handling the flap back n' forth dozens of times - I finally got it to move, and then some more, and then some more again. 
 

^ Finally... the flap opens and closes as it should.   2 hours today to get to this stage.   Here looking down into the scuttle vent trunking., you can see (because the baffle is still removed) the bulkhead's air-recirculation flap closed against its bulkhead seals. The scuttle vent's brackets / arms, bolted to that inner flap, bend from forward to upwards ..for its lid to be open by 45-degrees.
It works..   Now I just needed to put it all back together again. . .
    
^ Work in progress..      ^^  Dashboard top is back in place, as is the centre console, but presently the switch label plate is yet to be refitted, also the A-post timber.    The splash baffle and scuttle vent's lid I hope to get back on tomorrow.
That's all for now.
Pete.
 

Test drive completed.
No wobble whatsoever, the Sierra was only giving me good vibrations.
Looking good with a squirt of tyre shine.

The two Kwik Fit Centaur something or other tyres that were on the Sierra were probably as bad as budget tyres can get whilst the other two Good Years were probably as old as the car itself. I couldn't find the date stamp on them, so they had to be old.
At £160 for all four tyres, fitted and balanced, they make perfect sense. One tyre for my wife's Hyundai Tucson costs £190 and she needs two!

A set of lovely new Rockblade tyres are now fitted to the Sierra.
I can't imagine that they are any better or worse than any other budget tyre.