Craig the Princess Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 You may remember from the News 24 thread that Mrs the Princess' Austin Metro Mayfair 1.0 recently failed it's MoT on welding to the rear seatbelt and rear subframe mounts. We thought to reduce cost for the welding repairs (my wife learnt to weld but really doesn't like it so the garage will be doing it) we would remove the fuel tank and loosen the subframe. Having removed Allegro tanks in the past I thought this would be easy. Reading the Haynes manual suggested not. On 3 door Metros the subframe has to be dropped on one side so up she went(Seen pictured next to our Housemate's new 1.3 Metro Mayfair - Bought off the Metro club forum some pics below with some Giffer-tastic repairs)(Yes, pop rivits and silver tape!) Now the Haynes Manual say you can do this is dropping the subframe on the right hand side and guiding it out, we we couldn't. After two trips indoors to remove crap from eyes (despite wearing goggles) the subframe was dropped and we couldn't shift it. The only snap was snapping the Hydragas retaining strap (£28 + postage on ebay - does anyone have a second hand one?) In the end we decided the only way to do it was to drop the other side a bit (but not enough to need to touch the brake hoses or hand brake cable). So Mrs the Princess got on with it while I took pictures. It still wouldn't pass between exhaust and subframe , by this stage it was dark. Then we worked out that the exhaust clamp was the problem, once that was removed it came out ok But it took us ages, 2 axle stands, 3 people and 3 jacks to get the subframe back in! Also managed to take some pictures of a couple of rusty bitsThe Square bit is the seatbelt mount, the round bit surrounding it carpet round by my hand!This is the other side So we put it all back down Remember I broke the Hydragas retaing strap? Well the suspension sat like this before it settled to normal it will be trailered to the garage, my suggestion of running it from a petrol can under the bonnet didn't go down well (and wasn't serious, well not after I did it with the purple allegro). Spooky late night shot (7 PM) Further news to follow once welding is complete. Uncle Jimmy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morris_ital_lover Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Good work. I think this picture shows the autoshite dream (albeit minus a couple of Tagoras!!). inconsistant, scruff, garethj and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashmicro Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 GR32 work. I didn't know there was a 998 Mayfair. Also, how cool is it when your girl likes to work on cars? My Long-Haired C.O. Katie has picked up a few choice phrases from me, made all the funnier by the fact that she's very quiet and doesn't (normally) swear. Her best mate and colleague currently lives with us, and was telling me, much to Katie's embarrassment, that a few "Andy-isms" have crept into Katie's vocabulary at work. They had a laser printer go pop lately, and, quoth Katie, "That LaserJet in the main office is wankered" Nice to see Metros getting some love there Craig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Yep living the dream! (The building at the back has 11 of our cars in it too). I'd never really liked Metros before (I drove my first one today - the blue one) but it's really growing on me despite the offset driving position. GR32 work. I didn't know there was a 998 Mayfair. Also, how cool is it when your girl likes to work on cars? My Long-Haired C.O. Katie has picked up a few choice phrases from me, made all the funnier by the fact that she's very quiet and doesn't (normally) swear. Her best mate and colleague currently lives with us, and was telling me, much to Katie's embarrassment, that a few "Andy-isms" have crept into Katie's vocabulary at work. They had a laser printer go pop lately, and, quoth Katie, "That LaserJet in the main office is wankered" Nice to see Metros getting some love there Craig. Mayfairs - 3 door ones were 998s, 5 doors 1275cc. That sounds familiar Ash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M'coli Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 IIRC, the Mayfairs replaced both the 1.0 HLE(an utterly awesome car) and the 1.3 HLE. Good to see this getting some love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 The Metro is going into the garage on Monday, wish it luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Welding is complete, 15 hours! Lucky our garage is awesome and did the job at under their reduced price labour! That said I think welding up our rusty chod has been about a month's income this year. It was towed down with our housemate's Maestro van I'll get some more pictures next weekend when the subframe comes off and it all goes back together but as a taster michael t 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Heroic commitment to your Metro there And here's me baulking at spending £40 on an ECU for my Montego. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad D. Conelrad Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Fifteen hours Sorted, respect due. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycox Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Nice Metro, great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lufthansa-Terminal Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Metro's are great even the later k series / Rover 100 flavours. Great to see this being revived and not shredded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 Thanks all, it's all the Mrs doing his one . That said it will still need arch repairs post MoT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Well done. Those old A-series Metros are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Put a pic up of your mrs, wearing a boiler suit and putting a new reel of wire in the Mig for us all to letch over! richardthestag and Minimad5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackywacerwill Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 This one or one repaired in the same fabulous fashion used to live local to me.Always made me smile, Metro's are GR16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitevanman Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 I think I may be in love with Mrs the Princess.....she can weld and wield spanners...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyG Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Good to see some Metro love. Why is there a Volvo estate with a model of the space shuttle mounted on the roof in the row of cars - a banger rally chariot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Always made me smile, Metro's are GR16. He bought it from Blackheath (where I grew up) so it may well be that one. It has had two owners (Father who passed away then son) and done 22,000. I think I may be in love with Mrs the Princess.....she can weld and wield spanners...... Me too! No MiG loading pictures will be coming howver as I like being able to walk! Why is there a Volvo estate with a model of the space shuttle mounted on the roof in the row of cars - a banger rally chariot? Yeah, it's not ours (we have done rallies in 2 allegros and a Sherpa Campervan - all survuved and could be de-rallied) but we are storing it for a friend. The Space shuttle has working smoke effects! (It also used to be a tank wth a working turret but sadly no projectiles) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Well the Metro now has an MoT. Went back yesterday after about a month of various brake issues. Car all ready to go back for the retest, just needed the brakes bled. Final calliper - snapped both bleed nipples, replace both front callipers and one of them leaked . Still all fixed now, taxed this morning and taken to a viewing of a new potential house where the other couple at the same time had a 53 plate 406 Coupe. Which needed a jump start (no picture sadly) - Metro to the rescue. Sadly it disgraced itself later by breaking down, the rotor arm deciding it didn't like work after three years off. Oh and somehow I've earthed the fuel sender to say the tank is always full. Still we can live with that and will push it into use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Metro update. It's now done over 6,000 miles since going back on the road, bar an OMGMGFHGF!!!!! issue that Mrs the Princess fixed in an afternoon it's been very good. Always amazing how much you can get in the back of it with the seats down, 6 rolls of roof felt, 6 tins of paint and loads of room to spare is the most it has had. It also has the hardest suspension known to man despite pump-ups. The gas might have gone out of the spheres so we have a set from a scrapper which will be fitted one day. Fuel tank issue solved with a bit of paper with the mileage of next fill up written on it. Only other thing is one of the metric tyres decided it wanted to be egg shaped so it now sits on borrowed mark 1 12" wheels. We bought that house and have been in there over a year now! Where does the time go? garethj and eddyramrod 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Scary isn't it? Great to see it's in regular use. It's also one of my favourite thread titles. My miniMetro had exceedingly bouncy displacers. I reckon they were short on gas. Pumping it up got it nice and level, but it was lethal over sharp bumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I'm glad it's not just me... my van had ridiculously hard suspension, didn't matter whether it looked like a coil-chopped Dub or a stiltwalker, I still didn't dare run over a crisp bag. You can imagine how delighted my back was to feel the 406 round me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Always liked posh metros. They're comically small compared to modern superminis , a point made clear to me a few years back when my vanden plas 500 limited edition was punted off a roundabout by a Hgv that failed to notice me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 Mrs the Princess has been fixing her sealtbelt after the driver's one kept freezing, but apart from that 500 miles on the new head gasket all is well. News however is that our ex-housemate has bought another one that will be joining us next year I'm told 1.0L in Clove Brown which isn't toally faded like out Clove Brown Ambassador is. Has a few rust bubbles (front passenger wing is the worst part) but is MoTed and pretty nice. Especially insideIt has had 3 replacement displacers from a scrap car today (number 4 tomorrow) which car apart surpisingly well. While that was going on I was putting the engine of the Marina back together, it's still a bit tight but we shall see tomorrow. This car same from the same ex-housemate and required new oil contol piston rings which took about 2 years to fit. Very solid but looks a bit tired. Also in the work shop was a Morris 1800, real beauty. A possible scrap 2200 Princess will be looked at tomorrow too eddyramrod, Jim Bergerac, vulgalour and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSparrow Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Great stuff!Have you made a thread for the Morris wedge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 No thread for that one as it isn't mine, I'm badgering him to join here and post details. I'd also forgotten the maestro wings in front of it are winging (sorry) their way to angrydicky of this parish tomorrow. Angrydicky, garycox and RedSparrow 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Chod fixer extraordinaire, I salute you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycox Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I would love another 5dr 998 Metro, my last one was a massively unreliable heap but I still thought it was amazing. Morris looks AWESOME, and glad the Maestro's getting some wings too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I'd eat that Morris 'as-is', no sauce or owt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig the Princess Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Ok, so quite a bit happened since the last update. The Metro failed its MoT on rust at the front end which the garage replaced, as the front wings had also had it Peter (Beige 1100) lent her 2 Zircon Blue wings. As reported in the news thread I had two new wings se had found sprayed at a bodyshop in Downham Market who looked like a normal insurance type dull bodyshop but as soon as I went in the owner talked to me about Metros and showed me round his mk2 golf in the car park which was a good sign. I had to take in the fuel filler cap to help them match the paint so had to make some excuses to stop her using the car for a couple of days until I could pick it back up. Picked them up a day before her birthday and managed to hide them in a bedroom cupboard until the next morning. Despite some people not being sure how this would be received in their house Mrs the Princess was very please with these They were fitted today, despite being pattern wings and on the driver's side two of the lower bolt holes having previously been bodged, Mrs the Princess undersealed the back of the wings then they went back on And the other side too We still need to stick the orange indicator repeater lenses, plastic side trim and source a gold coachline but it looks a treat (to me), we have now sourced a white bonnet to replace the rust spotted original so once some funds are saved this will be next in line along with some paint over the black at the bottom of the frount panel. At some later stage followed by the doors. Next post, fuel, fun and hydragas games with the yellow estate. Uncle Jimmy, brickwall, Conrad D. Conelrad and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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