Granny Botherin'.

[Pete-M]

After an inspired bit of automobile shoppery last night, this evening I buggered off to the Midlands to collect my latest silly purchase. A Mk2 Granada 2.9i Ghia X Estate.

 

It's not actually a bad old bus. Turns out it's a movie star! It's can just be seen in this shot.

 

 

Film isn't out until next month, but hey, in the trailer some bugger puts the windows through on my car. Bastards.

 

Anyway, more about the Granada.

 

 

It's not bad. It's got a mega hammery lifter somewhere so probably needs a cam and followers. The wheels need balancing and the rear springs are shafted, stance yo!. The chap I bought it from is a Granada specialist and was mortified to find out how much it sold for on eBay as he put a load of work into putting it back on the road. The new front valance cost him a bloody fortune, as did quite a few of the other bits that have been fitted.. The movie company paid £2k for it just over a year ago, but appear to have used it then parked it up. Which is probably why the highbollock lifter is knocking its tits off now. It sits at 70ish on the motorway happily enough but the sound of the trade plate rattling against the rear window was doing my tits in after a while so a speed adjustment sorted that.

 

There's a split in the leather on one front seat and the passenger door mirror is made of reflective perspex. Both easy fixes. The aircon has been removed from under the bonnet, which is an arse. It'll need front wings soon. They've been repaired but won't last too long.

 

Fuel wise it seems to be ok on a run considering it's quite probably down on compression with the tappet settings being miles out - you still adjust the followers on a 2.9 even though they're hydraulic. If the preload is set incorrectly this is the result. Joy. No smoke out of it or anything and it idles reasonably happily, it's just noisier than it should be. It sounds like a typically unserviced Cologne lump..

 

It needs bigger wheels.

[rml2345]

Nice one Pete, that looks like it'll be a lot of fun.

Like the pic too, it looks hard as hell there...

[Pete-M]

 

Just found this. Which is my Granada a couple of years ago......

[warren t claim]

2.9 Mk 2??????????

[mk1_4dr]

Looks and sounds to be a tidy old bus. What are you fancying wheel wise? Don't these take Merc alloys with little or no adaptation?

 

All in all, Im sure you'll have the niggles sorted in short order and it'll be a cracker.

 

I look forward to seeing it in the tin.

[Pete-M]

2.9 Mk 2??????????

 

Yup, the 2.8 i has been replaced by a 2.9 EFi.

 

Don't these take Merc alloys with little or no adaptation?

 

Yup, 5x112 PCD, so Merc or five stud VAG stuff. Should be easy enough to find something that'll offend Wat for being "scene, yo!". It looks properly shit on the 14"s, needs something more like in the pic from a couple of years ago, size wise.

[michiel]

Like the pic too, it looks hard as hell there...

 

That's because it drinks real coke, no diet, cherry or zero nonsense.

 

Nice barge, Pete!

[bigstraight6]

Good save Pete, I've just read this thread half asleep while having my morning brew and must confess I thought the first pic was part of the tat collection with you being the old geezer with glasses

[Lankytim]

That looks great! Right spec and colour. Deffo my ultimate dream car when I was a teenager. Did have a 2.3 saloon for a bit. Lovely.

[purplebargeken]

Hey hey! Another Granada, I feel less alone now, which is lovely.

 

Looks bloody good. Don't talk to me about tyres/wheels.......

 

Ken

[vulgalour]

Turns out I still have the want for one of these having seen yours. Ideal spec for me with the ideal wheels as it stands in the ideal colour and ideal amount of chrome.

[HMC]

Great looking granada IMO with the best colour combo. I love the styling on these- so understated and with perfect proportions (i sound like a right perv)

[trigger]

Cracking car but needs more spot lights.

[Pete-M]

You're not wrong. Needs spots and fogs... and a front spoiler (the seller "Threw it away, didn't like it", which I very much doubt as it was an RS one..

[RoadworkUK]

That's very nice indeed. Remarkable how an inch makes such a difference (fnar fnar), insomuch as the 14s always look a bit tip-toe, whereas the 15s from the Injection are pretty well bang on.

[eddyramrod]

I'm seeing rather a lot of Granada love here, and well justified it appears!

(Says your local mk1 owner...)

[danthecapriman]

Thats nice!

Estates are awsome. They just look 'right'!

 

Nice spec and colour on yours too. Id leave it with out extra spots and keep the original wheels too but thats just me, I like the standard look! Either way its still nice!

 

Heres a shit pic of my one!

 

Mine needed new wings when I got it, I took the old ones off and found a right mess underneath! I hope yours is ok underneath!!

 

All fixed now but a majour pain in the ass!

 

Top buy with yours.

[Guest]

Hi Pete-M

I'm so glad to see my boy still lives on! He was fondly known as 'Boloc' because of his reg number. I owned him for a couple of years, but unfortunately, could no longer afford to keep him, my friend bought him, and he went up to Yorkshire, they did some work on him, and then he was bought by the film company. I bought him from a guy called Mick Dean in Wolverhampton, he used to run Granada classics. The picture you've put up of him, was taken at Billing probably 4 - 5 years ago when I owned him. The wheels were 17" and suited him well. I ended up spraying the insides black on them, i'll see if I can find some more pictures. He still looks good, shame matey threw away the front spoiler??

[Pete-M]

Splendid. I bought it from the dad of the bloke who fitted the 2.9!

 

Cam is knocking it's nuts off but hopefully that's the extent of it's worries. They took the front spoiler and replaced the shocks with standard ones. Did it have Nivomats by any chance? It definately needs rear springs now.

 

I'll make it properly useable and then decide what to do with it.

[kevcar1]

Hi Pete-m

I’m a bit hacked off to be honest; I sat with a bid ready to go on Sunday night but by the time that it finished I had fallen asleep lol, lesson learned you snooze you lose.

I would have loved to have had him back.....

 

As BolocsMummy said the pic you have was taken at billing but it was 7 years ago

The blue Mk2 behind him is mine, he was a bad tempered old sod sometimes used to throw a hissy fit every now and then until I remover the alarm he had fitted.

The first pic was taken before we moved,The rest of the pics are the last pics I took of him, I took him out of our storage and drove him to our home and spent the next 4/5 hours giving him a good clean.

There is a vid of him entering a show arena to collect second prize for best club stand at Bromley pageant, if I can find it I will post it.

The rear springs were fine when we had him, he also had tinted windows.

I also have all the conversion info from Mick Dean who is sadly no longer with us.

 

[kevcar1]

Found the vid but sadly it's been made private......

[messerschmitt owner]

that looks stunning.

 

I remember my first trip in a Grannie - a Mk1 estate - towing a dead DS Familiale from Bristol (shattered piston in rear suspension) to Stirling back in about 1975 - it towed the DS and a huge trailer with ease. Supremely comfortable too - and a pretty design as well.

[Pete-M]

It's quite a bit scruffier at the moment, front wings are shabby, but it's had a new front valance fitted.

 

It's sitting very low at the back. I suspect it must have had Nivomat self-levellers on the rear and that someone has replaced 'em with standard ones - which need different springs. They've also removed the stainless sill covers.

 

It could be yours, but I'd want my money back + what I've spent collecting it.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I do love the Granada, especially the Mk 2 Ghias! My dad had a 2.8 Ghia in the early 'eighties, after several big Peugeots which I also like. I think I have a thing for slightly square shaped cars - so much street presence.

 

Wheel size is a strange thing. I remember really liking the 14" alloy wheels on the Granada, but these days they just seem too small. I still love the shape of them, but they look so much better in the larger size fitted to the Injections. They're metric though aren't they, so super expensive? Still, I have stuck with 'Teardrops' on my Jag despite the cost of the tyres - I like the way they look and the car doesn't ride as well on 16s.

[purplebargeken]

Lovely car!!!! The estates are fab, I'll have to make do with the saloon as Mrs. PBK doesn't like the estates.

 

Soory to kind of hijack the thread (but it is still Granada orientated), I love the leather seats in yours. I also love the Mk3 Granada seats. Anyone know if they can fit the Mk2?

 

Cheers

 

Ken

[messerschmitt owner]

Lovely car!!!! The estates are fab, I'll have to make do with the saloon as Mrs. PBK doesn't like the estates.

Ken

Show Mrs PBK a Granada Coupe!

[Pete-M]

First few hours of fettling are beginning to make a difference. 1st job was to check and adjust the tappets as it doesn't appear anyone has been near 'em for a long, long time. According to Autodata they should be set to .35mm inlet, 0.4mm exhaust as this engine doesn't have Giraffe Testicles.

 

So, an hour or so later they're all set properly. Other than one, they were all wide open, inlets were closer to .45, exhaust ones were equally miles out.

 

It's quieter now, and smoother running but one is rattling away so it sounds like the camshaft may well be buggered. Damn.

 

I'll try putting the correct oil in it tomorrow and giving it a flush through. Hopefully it's a sticky follower..

 

 

Oh, Mr Kev, what's the chances you can e-mither me the info about the conversion? If it's gonna rattle like this I may have to find a 24v BOA lump...

[kevcar1]

Hi Pete

Yeah i can do that, if your gonna go the boa route I can help you with that too mate.

PM me your addy and I'll get on it...

[Pete-M]

More fettling today.

 

Gave it a proper engine flush and put the correct 5w30 oil in. Why people insist on running these things on 15w40 etc is beyond me, that stuff kills these engines rapidly as the top end is pretty much splash lubricated. 15w40 isn't thin enough to get to the top so they end up sounding like 'they always do' . Strangely enough, it's now quieter, smoother and has better oil pressure - still drops to 1/4 when hot and idling in drive, but it shoots up to just over half at anything over 1500 rpm, so it's more like it should be. There's one loud tappet on the o/s bank, so I suspect a lack of servicing has killed a cam lobe or follower. If it is a follower having the correct oil in may just free it off with a few miles, but I doubt it.

 

Also took the new* Bosch plugs out and replaced 'em with the correct heat range NGK ones that actually work properly, cleaned the distributor cap contacts and that made a difference too. Kickdown cable needs adjusting or re-routing or replacing as it is a bit taut against the side of the block.

 

Still loads of jobs to do, find new front wings, change rear shocks and / or springs and find a 2.8i rear anti-roll bar as this doesn't seem to have one anymore. Also need to find a 2.9 Granada air con pump.

 

 

*New is not the same as setting the gaps and hoping for the best.... I was told it'd been serviced but the oil was about a billion years old, the filter was a proper mission to remove and weighed about the same as Johnny Vegas and the dizzy cap was minging inside. It's amazing what people think is a service sometimes.

[kevcar1]

It's probably not had a service since it left us in 2009 dame shame the engine was smooth. you'll find most Mk2 oil pressure sit a 1/4 Pete that's about normal.

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