Shite maxi recovery.

[eddyramrod]

Exciting stuff! Really keeping my fingers crossed that this turns out to be saveable...

 

So am I, for no reason I can fathom! Best of luck Tim!

[theorganist]

Tim,

 

I do have quite a lot of spares so if you need anything let me know and I will see if I have one!

 

Peter.

[Lankytim]

Took time out from watching Coronation st with the missus to have a bit of Maxi fun tonight, The existing battery is, as you would expect completely knackered so I dug out a good spare and lobbed it on. It wouldn't fit so I used a pair of jump leads. A lack of keys meant that I had to try to take the ignition switch apart. Its not like an allegro item and it all popped to pieces when I opened it. Holding it all together with one hand and turning it with the other produced some dash lights, turning a little more resulted in the engine turning over. Nice, I was expecting the solonoid to be sticking or something. I recon some fresh fuel and a clean of the points and we could have a runner!

 

Rain stopped play, and I kicked my socket set all over the place which was VERY annoying.

 

I think I may have tracked down a Maxi which is being broken for spares, fingers crossed I can get any bits I need from that.

 

Tomorrow I have "booked" for another session. pics of the great clean up to follow!

[Angrydicky]

This looks brilliant, and I bet I'm not the only one who is sitting here with crossed fingers hoping it can be saved! Good luck with it Tim, sounds promising so far.

[Lankytim]

Spend a little bit of today farting about with the MAXI...

 

I chopped the steering lock off (no keys!) I had previously had unbolted the whole steering column to enable some sort of steering effect but now the locks off i've been able to bolt it back up. Tried to ft an allegro lock. WONT FIT.

 

Most of the day was taken up trying the clean the damn thing. The bodywork was covered in green slime, mould, moss and bird shit. Many years worth of leaves and swigs had filled the scuttle, door shuts and vents, rotted and turned to soil. Most of the shite in the scuttle I managed to scoop out with my hands or jet out with a hose pipe, some sort of rats nest or something was blown out too. Gross! All this made a real mess on the drive which had to be shovelled up. The neighbours looked very impressed*.

 

A bleach based kitchen cleaner dealt with the majority of the organic matter clinging to the paintwork and couple of buckets of wash N wax applied with a caravan cleaning broom thing made a reasonable job. Its now clean, but still looks an utter wreck. I'm pretty pleased as no new corrosion was found

 

 

 

 

I've never seen a Maxi that hasn't been repaired here.

 

Sanitised!!

 

 

 

Ive dug out 3x part worn tyres, just need to get them fitted or try out the Bollox method. I have a pair of tyre levers but failed miserably a when I tried to change a tyre a few weeks ago.

 

I didn't get chance to do the interior, but thats a days worth of work in iself. Closer inspection today shows that It may clean up OK however..

 

 

Found £5 in change in the ashtray. CASHBACK!

 

When I picked it up the boot and bonnet was seized shut, the rear doors locks were seized and the doors couldn't be opened and the front locks were seized so the doors would simply bounce back open when closed. Now the bonnet and boot are OK, the rear doors can be opened from the inside, but not the outside, the drivers door still bounces open but the front passenger door is now working A1. Still more to do, buts all small steps in the right direction.

 

Message to all shiters, if anyone sees any Maxi sills and wings for sale let me know!

[Cavcraft]

Class Tim, I hope it's saveable as that would great after the way you rescued it. Years since I've been near a Mxi but don't they have quite a deep dished (road) wheel? Seem to recall breaking the beads then removing the tyre from the back of the wheel rather than the front used to work.

If you get stuck give me a shout, I've got a TL (bead breaker) bar and some h/d tyre levers somewhere, you're more than welcome to borrow them or I'll have a crack at swapping the tyres for you if wanted.

[Richard]

Bollox method.

 

If you have a reasonably heavy vehicle available there's a variation of the Bo11ox method you can try using the base of a scissor jack to break the bead. I won't bother trying to explain it because I'm sure you can work it out for yourself (I'll go and take photos if you need them). I believe you can use a doorway instead to brace against but you have to be sure that the doorway is strong enough. In my experience hardened/perished tyres take a lot of force to break the bead, more than you can apply in a single hammer blow.

 

For extra points you could use the redneck method of seating the new tyre.

[Richieg]

Hey Tim,

Great work Mate!!

Isn't it amazing what a darn good clean can do for a sad looking car!

I love this sort of story,i look forward to more updates and pics!

It really doesn't look that bad at all Mate.

I reckon if you could borrow a carpet shampooer you could transform that interior,a bit of dasboard/interior clean and it would make it look really good.

Just think ,everything positive you do to it will make it more and more or a going concern if you wanted to to sell it.

I really like the colour too!

Keep up the good work Mate,you should be very proud of your efforts

 

cheers

 

Richie

 

Ps If memory serves me correctly i am sure the Allegro club spares have the wheel trims new for this car,i am sure someone told me there is a slight difference in wheel trims from allegro 3 to late Maxi (not sure ??),probably least of your concerns but once again little bits make a big difference to the overal appearance

[dollywobbler]

Blimey. I think you may have overfilled the suspension somewhat. That'll be a bouncy ride! Looking much better though.

[theorganist]

I have a pair of fibreglass wings if you want them?

[ProgRocker]

I remember my Maths teacher driving one of those in the early 90s. X reg too with those same wheel trims. He replaced it with a Montego iirc.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I am going to come round to your house and rub myself on this!

[Lankytim]

Blimey. I think you may have overfilled the suspension somewhat. That'll be a bouncy ride! Looking much better though.

 

This is deliberate. I had assumed that the hydragas pipes would be either rusty or badly perished and wanted to push them to the limit to see if they blew out or went down over time. So far, so good! The height will be set properly when its ready to hit the road. Plus having it up nice and high makes it easier to inspect the body.

I have a pair of fibreglass wings if you want them?

 

Oooh, yes please! I'm having difficulty finding steel items. Let me know how much.

 

I am going to come round to your house and rub myself on this!

 

I'll be sure to get the morning after pill for the poor Maxi!

[dollywobbler]

Well, the rally Maxis always rode high. Slap some spotlamps on the bonnet and some racing numbers on the side. The neighbours will love that.

[Split_Pin]

I was expecting to see some half-collapsed hulk when you said it had sat in a field for 8 years.

 

That looks remarkably solid. I do hope it lives.

[Lankytim]

Slight update..... New battery now fitted thanks to the Legend that is BOLLOX, pleny of oompph so hopefully the engine will actually go. I have also had the 3 part worn tyres fitted so the thing is now atleast A-frame-able. Should be getting a pair of wings and a sill from The Organist next Saturday and someone has contacted me saying they have a single sill knocking about. No idea yet if they i'll end up with a pair of sills or two O/S ones but time will tell.

 

Project Maxi is on!

[dollywobbler]

"In the news today. The Autoshite community stops arguing about shit and pulls together to help save a Maxi. Several people were mildy amused."

 

Great stuff Tim! Good luck with it.

[Richieg]

Well done Tim!!!

Nice update!!,if there are any mechanical bits you need that are same as Allegro i may have some parts kicking about.

Maybe an idea to compile a list and we can all see what we can bring to the table,poor old Maxi sounds like a charity case but you will see everyone will want to help then lol

 

Good luck Mate

 

Richie

[Cavcraft]

"In the news today. The Autoshite community stops arguing about shit and pulls together to help save a Maxi. Several people were mildy amused."

 

Great stuff Tim! Good luck with it.

 

Wise words.

[Wilko220]

Cover star for the 2013 AS calendar, methinks. A true poster boy for the cause...

[theorganist]

Should be getting a pair of wings and a sill from The Organist next Saturday

 

Will go up to the shed on Saturday morning and let you know what side the sill is.

 

"In the news today. The Autoshite community stops arguing about shit and pulls together to help save a Maxi. Several people were mildy amused."

 

Absolutely, glad to be part of project Maxi.

 

I think this place always pulls together for a good cause.

[Lankytim]

Cheers everyone!

 

The wife was watching "the great British wank off" or whatever so I went outside to play wit hthe Maxi again. I had a crack at getting her running. With the battery connected but the ignition off the battery light would illuminate, it would only go off with the battery disconnected. Bit weird, but OK. I found there was no spark at the kinglead, popping off the dizzy cap released the odd spider and cleaning everything out didn't solve the problem so I moved on to the points. Opening and closing them with a screwdriver didn't produce the usual spark across the contacts, however a good scrape with a flat screwdriver removed some corrosion and suddenly there was a big fat spark at the king lead! I stuck everything back together, connected a pipe from a fuel can to the fuel pump, cleaned out the float chamber and filled with fresh petrol, then turned the key (well, the screwdriver acting as the key).... After a few splutters it started with difficulty then cut out and wouldn't restart. Cleaning the petrol and carbon coated plugs resulted in a running engine! Not quite ready for 10 laps of the Nurburgring just yet but with a bit of fettling it just might one day.

 

I couldn't really rev the tits off it as it was pretty late and the exhaust has come apart at the joint at the bottom of the down pipe (should repair OK) but I'll have another mess with it on the weekend. Next stop will be trying to fix the clutch hydraulics... then the probably seized clutch!

[theorganist]

Great news - my clutch was seized but after running the engine up to temperature and tapping the mechanism with the hammer (with a friend pushing the pedal) it soon came unseized!

[Richieg]

Hey Tim,

That is great news !!

I am really enjoying this thread.

I am so pleased you are gonna try and save her.

Not just that this really is a fantastic save,maybe an idea to join the maxi club too,they have spares you can buy?

 

 

cheers

 

Richie

[Lufthansa-Terminal]

Keep us updated as would like to see how this project goes. Tim did the seller give any clues as to why it came off the road in the 1st place?

[Lankytim]

No, but looking at the date of the last change of keeper and the expiry date of the most recent tax disc he had it on the road for less than a year. I think he said he just wanted something bit more modern than a Maxi as it was being used as a works vehicle for his flooring business. Being an old car nut he intended to use it as a second car but the Maxi just sat where it was parked until I dragged it home.

[AnthonyG]

As someone mentioned, it really is very solid for a car that's sat in a Welsh field for 8 years. But then Maxis were always quite solid bodywork wise.

 

If you need an owners handbook gratis let me know - I have several for different years of Maxis.

[Lankytim]

Its more like 10 years if the tax disc is anything to go by! I think I have a maxi handbook, but it may be for a series 1, i'll check. I have millions of handbooks for every car ever built!

 

Anyway... onto tonight antics.

 

I managed to steal another hour or so to fart about with the POXI. It still starts and runs OK but obviously the clutch hydraulics are seized solid and I find a working clutch an almost essential item on any car. The clutch arm was seized. A bit of oil and wriggling had it freed off, onto the master/slave cylinders. The pedal was rock hard, It looked like some sort of rebuild or replacement was on the cards anyway so I pushed as hard on the pedal as I could... BANG! My foot went to the floor and the pedal went slack. The slave cyl had pushed the clutch arm across but wasn't returning. A bit of spannering saw the clutch cylinders on my workbench. I found that by sticking the clyinders in in my vice and pusing the pistons down the cylinders in turn would produce movement the other end, quite a bit of effort was required though. They were both very caked up with weird black shite so I recon a good strip and clean would work wonders.

 

I have never rebuilt a clutch cylinder.... does anyone here know what I should do??

[purplebargeken]

Sorry, can't advise you on the cylinder strip and refurb but I can commend you on the effort that you are putting in to get this car up and running again. Most people would not have bothered. I am sure it will be a pretty decent example when all finished. Never had a Maxi, just kind of admired them from afar.

 

Keep at it!

 

Cheers

 

Ken

[Mr_Bo11ox]

those cylinders are easy to rebuild, its just a case of dismantling, cleaning and reassembling, and theres no more than half a dozen parts even in the master cylinder. I would buy a set of new seals though as a matter of course, i've just had a scan of eBay, brakeparts and Earlpart and I reckon I would get em from earlpart for about £20 all in.