project 1980 Austin Princess

[vulgalour]

I'm getting caught up again on things.  Today I managed to finally clear my September work backlog, and I've made good headway on the October backlog too.  I've been picking away at video editing while I've been recovering so that means we can go back in time a bit to when I started the epic saga of the Princess rear brakes because I wanted to find out what was knocking...

I also put out a little vlog recently to get my Youtube audience up to speed on what's been happening, and a studio tour (marvel at my lack of space) so if that takes your fancy, have a gander.

Happily I can report I'm doing much better and I think by the time my most recent fit note expires later this month, I'll be almost back to my old self.  I've done the occasional full day of work, though I'm mostly still only able to do part time hours slowly with lots of rest between.  I'm finding and respecting my limits while I recover.  I'm also very keen to get back to work properly on my own terms which will mean me shouting for financial help a lot more than usual in the various places I occupy online so that I can achieve that.

Maybe one day I'll earn enough to buy a little house, that'd be nice.

[vulgalour]

This morning was another bit of a milestone for me.  I've managed to replace the rear axle support bracket on the passenger side that was completely shot and had been banging annoyingly, it also seems to have been the cause of the mystery full-body-shake the car had under heavy braking from speed so it's nice to have resolved that.  I do now have a couple of trim squeaks I can hear that I couldn't before, typically.  Unfortunately, even though it only took an hour and a half, that's my physical abilities spent for today if I want to stand any chance of being up to attending the gym tomorrow, something I'm currently only doing for half an hour a week, but which is good for my mobility and general mental health so I don't want to quit.

Getting used to this new way of doing things is very frustrating.  Respecting my limits is rough going, and it's far too easy to push just a little bit too far by accident and then ruin my whole week.  I just have to accept that some days I'm going to be able to do things and some days I'm not, and that slowly each day is getting a little bit better.

The job list on the Princess is getting shorter all the time too, which is nice:

• Valve shim correction - find the correct sized shim for the one slightly noisy valve
• Suspension - Regas all displacers, about £600-700 since it'll require a call out rather than me sending them off to be done.  Daily driver problems.
• Oil Leak - Fuel pump to head mounting point.  Going to re-gasket and re-goop it short term, long term I'm fitting an external electric pump to cure this fully
• Service - oil, coolant, plugs, etc.
• Welding - All four arches need attention, have the panels to do it.  Front inner arches have a couple of tiny patches needed in non critical spots, door bottoms all need a bit of attention
• Windscreen - new seal and NEW SCREEN to fit.  This is happening in spring.
• Paint - the roof is getting done first when the screen goes in, we'll do the rest as and when I can afford it.
• Headlights - Got a relayed harness to go in, but it's handed the wrong way, so I need to do some wire length changing to get it the right way around

It's not a bad list really, all very manageable.  The car is much happier now it's in regular use, as cars often are, and it's pretty cheap to run as a daily since there's no requirement for tax or MoT (it will get one eventually), and the insurance is absolute peanuts.  I feel like I made the right call keeping this one instead of keeping the Maestro as some folks had suggested I do when I had to make the call, this car is much nicer to be in and makes me happier, although I do miss having a hatchback with folding rear seats sometimes.

[vulgalour]

Had some snow to  clear off the car this morning.  Also managed to go to the gym, yesterday was a total bust for it but I managed a few more minutes and a bit more weight today so I'm feeling good about that as it's a step back towards full health.

Princess can be pretty cold blooded so she wasn't particularly keen to run nicely until there were a few miles under the tyres, after which she was fine.  We're at the time of year now where it's definitely unusual to be piloting something this old regularly.  I was particularly grateful today for the surprisingly fierce heater once there was enough heat in the engine for it to actually use.  Regular use has definitely cut the fogging up problem right down, even with the leaky windscreen seal (new seal and screen are waiting to go in, has to happen in spring when I'll have help and the roof painted).

I'm going to visit a local company called Pheonix (their spelling) who apparently do engine work, they might be able to sort out that valve shim so I don't have to.

[vulgalour]

Got to add tracking to the job list, and I'd forgotten that steering rack gaitors should have been on there too.  I'd been planning to do the gaitors earlier this year, the old ones have split right at the ends, but then I got ill.  Recently, I slammed into a pothole I didn't see until it was far too late - it was dark and misty and an unlit road - and it's knocked my tracking off a smidge so since the track rod ends need to come off to fit the gaitors anyway I think I'll chuck the whole job at the local garage and get it all done at once.

This week I've returned to work officially in a part time capacity too because my health is improved enough to allow it.  Hopefully the next week I'll be back full time.  I'm no longer getting the fatigue which is nice, instead I'm getting some degree of insomnia, and trouble multi-tasking sometimes.  I have to go quite slowly still, especially with anything that requires concentration, and I'm still limited on what I can do physically.  Happily, I do seem to be on the mend and I'm feeling a lot more like myself.

The other thing I'm hoping this means is I can start earning again.  Right now I'm reliant on benefits to keep me afloat because of being off sick and I want to get off them and live better.  Getting another 'regular job' at the moment isn't an option, that's the thing that put me in this mess on top of everything else, so I want to find ways of making my self-employment more profitable instead since I can manage my energy levels and sleep patterns a lot better with that than I can anything else.  Plus I enjoy my self-employment, it's very rewarding.  https://www.angyl.co.uk for more on what I do.

[vulgalour]

Part 2 of the brake job has been up on Youtube for a bit now.

Annual tradition happened too.

 

There will be more Princess vids soon, don't worry.  In other Princess news, while she's mostly being well behaved, today on investigating the lack of horn I learned the compressor for the air horn has seized.  I've tried the usual squirting of potions and percussive maintenance and all I got was a good spin, a bad spin, and then very hot test wires so I'd say that's pretty terminal.  It's only about £10-15 to replace it so I'll get a new one ordered.

[SilverMachine]

35 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

Part 2 of the brake job has been up on Youtube for a bit now.

Annual tradition happened too.

 

There will be more Princess vids soon, don't worry.  In other Princess news, while she's mostly being well behaved, today on investigating the lack of horn I learned the compressor for the air horn has seized.  I've tried the usual squirting of potions and percussive maintenance and all I got was a good spin, a bad spin, and then very hot test wires so I'd say that's pretty terminal.  It's only about £10-15 to replace it so I'll get a new one ordered.

yes quite suprising how uncommon those rear brake parts are, i did half expect them to be common parts bin items from the mgb, landcrab, maxi or moggy is there the possibility that these parts could be a viable conversion? also had me guessing when you were sat in the van, did think it was some kind of microcamper, not a chairman r5! was told recently that an airhorn set that plays the chorus from sandstorm,the popular darude single from a decade or so ago are apparently available, but ive not seen any on the normal places i buy stuff. may look on wish or something see if they appear there. van vid has appeared in the feed so will watch that soon! also is quite a rare thing that r5 chairman, although i remember mk3/4 escort versions and even metro ones, and an anglia one features alongside a mk1 capri in the low budget wingnut film 'bad taste' dont expect much from it and you will be entertained! especially if you know a derek! i digress, looking forward to seeing your progress!

as for insomnia, caffine in coffee or fizzy pop can contribute to that, also have your eating habits changed considerably or times you eat? is there more ambient light shining thru your curtains?  can also be a state of mind issue too. not sure what suppressed mine it gradually just went away, hopefully its just temporary. even being hungry will keep you awake longer. do you eat supper? many people dont, and you dont need to go mad! cereal, muesli, toastie whatever you feel even a few biccies or crackers with your hot chocolate but maybe avoid anything too heavy or oniony! hope that helps a little!

[vulgalour]

Ah Bad Taste, never a more aptly named film.  I genuinely expected the rear brakes to be compatible with something, anything, it's weird that they're not.  Same thing with the clutch slave cylinder, that's Princess/Ambassador specific and not shared with anything even though it looks really similar to a classic Mini item.  It is very tempting to get some musical horns but I think I'll stick to just the plain duo tone ones like I have fitted.

The van isn't a Chairman conversion.  That's also my first ever Preview video, so we'll have to see whether or not anyone turns up early for the chat on that one, not really sure what to expect there.

[SilverMachine]

5 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

The van isn't a Chairman conversion.  That's also my first ever Preview video, so we'll have to see whether or not anyone turns up early for the chat on that one, not really sure what to expect there.

apologies i was using chairman like people use hoover i did think you had mentioned it was formerly a wheelchair carrying van though? i could be wrong! did you see the amendments i put about insomnia, although that was related to your even earlier post

 

[vulgalour]

It is a wheelchair van but unusually, not done by a coachbuilder in the way Chairmans were.  As far as I can figure out so far, they were done in-house by Renault themselves by a specialist company Renault employed for the purpose.  Gotcha on the use of 'Chairman' like 'Hoover', makes sense.

I'd missed the edit on the post re: insomnia.  My eating habits etc. are still much the same they always are.  Since that last health update things have steadily improved.  I'm getting about 6 hours sleep a night, usually unbroken, and getting as much daylight as this time of year really allows.  I don't drink caffeine late, I barely have sugary drinks since I have to avoid sweeteners and sweeteners are in all the sugary drinks I used to enjoy now, and supper is a rarity.  The thing I'm having the most trouble with is pain.  I've had pain constantly for twenty years, that's nothing new, it's just the level of it since my recent spell of very bad health.  Ibuprofen were working, but since I maxed out the dosage and was getting bleeding gums, I've had to stop taking those.  Paracetamol and codeine which I've been prescribed recently don't touch the pain at all, might as well take Smarties.  The only thing offering me any relief, allbeit temporary, is hot baths.  When I get cold I physically seize up in addition to the pain, to the point I'm having to walk with a stick fairly often now.  This all lines up with the experience of others with ME that have reached out to me.

Since I can't get pain relief, I'm just tolerating it, out of necessity.  When I can manage it, I do some work outdoors for an hour or two and then rest for a few days.  I'm slogging away at my job doing 6-8 hours a day five days a week and it's helping keep my mind off the pain most of the time, except for when it isn't and it's so bad I can't draw or type or hold a cup, etc. Gym time is down from three 1 hour sessions a week, to one 30-40 minute session once a week at most.  I go to the gym because some movement is good, I have to be careful because too much exercise triggers the fatigue and stops me working.

Best of all, I'll get no answers until at least mid-February because of NHS waiting times and I can't afford to go private to get a quicker investigation/diagnosis.  On paper I'm fit and well, in reality I'm physically disabled, the Job Centre is not a fan of this and just want me in work unless I get a note from my gp.  I can get an indefinite fit note for 'stress' from the GP but then I can't do my self-employment.  It's rough.  I'm also moving house in a few months which I'm dreading as that's a lot more physical labour than I think I can really do easily and it's going to take a heavy toll on my ability to work and therefore earn.  I'm not letting myself worry about that for now, I'll deal with it when it happens.  Who knows, maybe my health will be better by then, it's so much better now than it was in October after all.

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, vulgalour said:

the Job Centre is not a fan of this and just want me in work unless I get a note from my gp

Just keep at it with that lot, I'm pretty sure their role these days is to try and prevent spending, more than it is to provide the help that people need. I'm sure there are great individuals within the organisation but overall they're hard work to deal with.

Must be especially hard if you're on your own and finding things difficult anyway, best of luck and don't give up.

R5 van looks great, I'm still kicking myself because I dithered over one being offered on here years ago, for a giveaway price. I had my R5 Campus at the time which was a really fun thing to own, and a van with a ramp and higher roof would have been great for transporting bikes etc.

[vulgalour]

Keep an eye on this one then.  When I'm done with it the plan is to sell it and I reckon you could get a small motorbike in the back, or a couple of pushbikes, there's all the factory tie down points and even the wheelchair ratchet straps still present which is handy.  I just need to figure out how to get the rear lift/ramp wired up properly, everything is there apart from the wires themselves so hopefully it won't be that difficult to figure out.  I've got very little to actually do on it, which is good because I didn't want a project, so when I come to sell it the van should be all sorted and road legal and whatnot... I hope.

[Noel Tidybeard]

now you've had a break from ibuprofen have you considered taking a lesser dose midway between co-codamol doses?

[vulgalour]

That's what the dr suggested I try.  I want to leave it a bit longer so I can be sure the gum issues are resolved.

[vulgalour]

Princess was a bit grumpy on the drive to and from local friends for Christmas.  Got home and there's bubbles in the coolant, so that'll be a blown head gasket probably and would explain the occasional loss of power.

No overheating though or mixing of oil/coolant, so it's likely gone coolant to atmosphere, which isn't as bad a thing to sort out at least.

[SilverMachine]

another head gasket ? is it worth trying an egg white or potion in the coolant? although i do understand if that is not an option! just trying to put a plaster on until fairer weather / circumstances! im pretty sure you have done hg before on the old girl, are all the bits n bobs still fairly obtainable for that job there? dont mind checking round our local parts guys i use if you cant!

[vulgalour]

It could be a bad gasket in this instance, quality is very hit and miss on them.  Didn't even get close to overheating so I'm pretty sure the head is actually fine.  Don't really want to put potions in, they can wreck the heater matrix and the radiator, neither of which I want to risk especially with how difficult the radiators can be to find.

I'll know better when I do a compression test tomorrow and find out what's amiss, check the head bolts etc.  Bit of a nuisance really, I'm not in a position financially or physically to really do this job myself or send it to a garage 😕

[SilverMachine]

just for silliness i put in princess 2 1.7 on autodoc and it came up with 4 results! two full set's, one random aux gasket, and one lonely head gasket alone. but, none currently in stock. bum. dont suppose you know if the 16v evolution of the E / O series shares the head gasket? or the 8m?

[vulgalour]

As far as I'm aware, the only gasket compatible is the O series for 1.7 and 2.0, the later evolutions are a different shape.  Normally I pick up kits or individual gaskets on eBay since that's the only place I can find them. Rarely expensive, I've usually got a kit in stock too just in case.

As I've said before, in an ideal world I'd get the engine hoiked out and rebuilt so I can get to the bottom of whatever is actually wrong with it, it's never been quite right even from day one.  Unfortunately I've had a habit of making poor financial decisions and just generally being a bit unlucky so it's not happened yet.

[vulgalour]

Well I braved the damp and cold and have learned the head bolts are all torqued properly and one cylinder is low on compression. Off with its head. The timing on this is wretched, I'm saving for a new work PC, moving house, and have the van to put through an MoT that may or may not need a windscreen to pass so having the Princess choose now to break in an expensive way is not ideal.

Realistically the engine needs pulling out and rebuilding, I know that. I just don't have the resources to do it. It's 2024 getting the boot in one last time.

[SilverMachine]

may be a silly question, but did you not have a spare engine laid about at some point possibly from an orange car? maybe when you were at your parents or when you had a garage/unit possibly with your brother? i could be remembering something different altogether though, yes 24 having one last kick. hopefully the luck will improve in the new year. the twatty timing issue with other issues is only reason i suggested a potion! are you staying yorkshire ish when you move or do you not have that info yet?

[plasticvandan]

Not what you want to hear but I would have thought possibly the Renault might be the better thing to put money into for transport right now?

[vulgalour]

@SilverMachine the spare head I've been using for parts was off that car, the block and gearbox from it are long gone.  Not decided on the next move yet, putting that aside for now.

@plasticvandan agreed, it might be.  Trouble is the Renault might not pass an MoT without a new windscreen because of the crack in it and sorting that is going to be a similar cost/timescale to the Princess.  I'm considering taping over the crack, moving the wipers up, and just chucking it in to see what happens once the last few exhaust mounting parts arrive, I'm waiting for a clamp to turn up.  I have no easy routes out of this right now, so I'm going to rely on public transport until stuff sorts.  Christmas and New Year are getting in the way a bit.

[plasticvandan]

The princess seems to lurch week to week with a new or recurring problem,and doesn't seem to have changed in all the years I've been reading about it.£50 for an MOT on the Renault,assuming nothing else is found with it,might be a better immideate solution?

[SilverMachine]

15 minutes ago, plasticvandan said:

The princess seems to lurch week to week with a new or recurring problem,and doesn't seem to have changed in all the years I've been reading about it.£50 for an MOT on the Renault,assuming nothing else is found with it,might be a better immideate solution?

i think i agree, the van probably is the best to concentrate on short term, assuming it needs nothing else, then after the move you can maybe get the princess engine pulled out while still hopefully having a usable van. the tape on the screen may draw attention to it, hopefully the tester is in a good mood or is distracted by some nice biscuits and hot chocolate.... remember a gift is not a bribe unless previously agreed!

[vulgalour]

There's a bit of survivorshop bias at play too.  I don't report on the days the Princess behaves because that's boring, and they're more common than the days it misbehaves.  The vast majority of the time this year I've just got in and driven it and not thought anything more of it, I've just had a few little problems here and there until we got the big one with the head gasket most recently.  Bear in mind I was commuting in it daily with no real bother, and I'm out in it almost every day, including moderately regular 60 mile round trips to see friends before I was ill, headed over to Hull too with no real issues.  I'd had some parts break, a headlight switch that had always been a bit iffy gave up, the cheap air compressor for the horns died, a connector fell off a wire... nothing major until the head gasket recently.  These days the problems I have with it are small ones and usually repairable in a couple of minutes rather than weeks providing I don't have to wait for parts to turn up.

The Princess will get fixed, naturally, if for no other reason than to wind up @vinyljunky who has been enjoying my misfortune lately

As for the van, on the whole it does look to be in better general shape but it has its own problems.  The overheating and head gasket issue I think I've fixed, I need to drive it more to find out for sure.  The exhaust is almost fixed, just waiting on parts.  The windscreen is the big one, it needs to come out so I can weld the surround and fit a new screen, they're bonded so it's not something I'm confident I can DIY.  I can bodge what's there and hope it passes but honestly, it feels shitty of me to do that when I know there's a problem that should be fixed properly.  If I turn up with an old van with an expired MoT, tape covering rust holes and a cracked windscreen, it's not setting a great first impression is it?

I'm not getting rid of the Princess, it'll be done when it's done.  It's my decision to make and other people are welcome to their own opinions on that.  I've been collecting parts and putting plans in place to deal with its biggest issues, money has been spent just not where people are seeing it - new windscreen, new windscreen seal, repair panels, etc. - and that will continue until we either win or it dies catastrophically.

When the parts I need have arrived and I've spoken to some garages I can make a plan as to who gets what first.  Both vehicles will get sorted, one will be fully road legal before the other, and it won't happen until at least the end of the first week of January.

 

I know it drives everyone spare that I've not put all my resources into fixing the Princess.  I'm a mess, that's unlikely to change.  I make stupid decisions, I'm bad at gambling.  It's fine, the people are entertained.  If I were to apply logic and reason I'd just give up driving and the expense and stress of car ownership.  That sounds very boring to me so I'm not going to do it.

[plasticvandan]

Suggestions are just that.inwas the same when I dailied worn out Reliants for ten years,cars which weren't that great at being cars when brand new. Eventually,I wanted out of that cycle,and quite frankly I don't know now how I had the time or mental capacity to manage back then!

[vulgalour]

It was good reading about them though, made me feel better when I was having a bad day with mine, and hopeful when you had the wins with yours.

[24vdiamond]

Did you want to borrow something for a couple of weeks to get you mobile?

[SilverMachine]

who said get rid of the princess? didnt even think that was an option thought it was a life long obsession! theres a good few gaskets on everyones favorite auction site, as you said there would be! which engine is in the van?

[auntiemaryscanary]

6 hours ago, 24vdiamond said:

Did you want to borrow something for a couple of weeks to get you mobile?

Sounds v generous to me. Not that far from you either.