My journey through shite in Norn Iron - *Now in Cumbria*

[warninglight]

Been browsing on here a bit more over the last couple of weeks, now I'm finished with uni! Last time I posted anything tangible I was still running my first and only car, but it's going through a slow and moderately successful resurrection, and I've just progressed through sillier shite with no logical progression...

 

First car, mk1 Austin 1100, bought it for £60 when I was 16 in 2007, took it off the road still with 6 months test late 2011 because the sills and subframe mounts were just getting silly. Was my daily that whole time, somewhere around 40-50k covered with pretty much all the mechanical weaknesses ironed out by then.

 

The shite doors aren't shown properly in this pic, which is probably why I like it...

 

By the time I took it off the road I was working with a 95 mile round trip commute every day, so bought some French shite off the 'rents, 40k and owned from new in 2003, I give you the ironically named Saxo Desire 1.1...

 

 

Not bad shite as things go but after 6 months and almost 15k in it I was bored of putting bits back on every weekend.

 

I've always liked older Volvos, grew up with 240s, 340s a 940 and finally a Derv V70, one of the last of the 850 shape ones, so that was my next move, still piling the miles on so a dizzler was on the cards.

 

Sold the Saxo, and put £20 more into this, with a recent engine swap, clutch, pump timing, belts, pumps, tensioners, the lot. I suspect it needed 5 recon injectors as it was a smoky bastard the whole time I had it but that 5 pot warble, comedy smokescreen, masses of torque and heated seats had me in love.

 

 

179,000 miles when I bought it, sold it after crashing and repairing 6 months later on 190,000, with nothing but a service, that car owed me nothing.

I did this to it when I hit a diesel spill on greasy roads (with Wanli tyres on the back) at 35mph, rear door took out 7 fence posts and that length of hedge and sheep wire, still opened and closed like a new one. Fixed it up on the cheap and flogged it on when I was about to go back to uni.

 

 

Decided that I wasn't going to be doing so many miles, and I had wanted a series Landy forever, so I hopped across to Liverpool and brought this home.

 

Full 12 seat Safari with all the Safari gubbins, MOT'd, taxed, Fairey O/D and freewheeling hubs and recent chassis work for £1600. Ran it for a couple of fun months but at a cruising speed of 45mph and low teens in mpg it wasn't to be. I had bought a secondhand LPG kit but no insurer would touch it unless it was a certified installation, so I flogged it on back across the water for a bit of profit!

 

Then I set my sights on this, already on gas, a full year's test and with a couple of small-ish niggles for £850 and local...

 

A T5 GT with all the toys, spent a good bit of time and effort bringing p/o bodges back to standard, and the rest of the time blowing off Audis and BMWs with a smile. Currently at 188,000 miles and wanting for nothing, had it across to Cumbria twice in 4 months to where I'm relocating in September, and going 3 or 4 more times before then! It's a real mile muncher and I don't think I'll be selling ever (cos nobody wants useless pink Volvos with half a boot given to an LPG tank...)

 

I'm not sure which is/was the most shite, though!

[CreepingJesus]

Thumbs up from me, for the Volvos and Landy. It's amazing how much of a battering the x70s will take, and still be able to be kicked straight.

[warninglight]

The C70 doesn't feel half as solid as the S did, it's an early one and probably before they really had the quality control in place for them, being more hand built. Sagging doors, wind noise, leaks, it has them all!

 

I reckon it's noisier cruising at the ton than the S70, despite lower revs and a petrol engine. Allegedly.

[Wilko220]

What happened to the 1100? Does it live on?

[warninglight]

Yup! Slowly working my way through the rot. The floors and inner sill panels I had cut and folded using 1.5mm Galv so they should last a bit better this time! It remains to be seen how I'm going to replicate the ribs in the floors, or whether I'll even need to, using thicker steel and some other bracing ideas...

 

This is how it stands atm.

[AnthonyG]

Looks like you are replacing the whole bottom of that 1100!!

 

Good work on saving it though.

[Split_Pin]

Welcome along, all of your cars have fans on here.

 

I love the S70 and earlier 850. Dad_L had a 2.0 20 valve 850GLT L412TSU and it was quite a flier, but the later v70 T415OGA was only a 10 valve and underpowered. It was fully loaded spec wise though and was a lovely car.

 

Keep us posted on your 1100 project too, looks like a thorough job!

[warninglight]

Cheers! I don't intend on ever selling the 1100 so there's no point in wilfully bodging like the P/O did! I reckon 75% of ADO16s are running shoddy cover sills like mine had, this cutaway should demonstrate why they're a silly idea. Adding another skin to the floorpan and forgetting about the main strength panels inside the sills shouldn't be allowed...

 

 

 

The front offside inner wing is in gr7 condition, the trumpet further up isn't too clever either, but this is from the toeboard up to the bumpstop...

 

That's going to be the trickiest bastard to sort, I can of course buy a new panel, but that'll be £380...

[HillmanImp]

Whats the deal with the cover on the grille in this photo?

 

 

Re the floor, will it be strong enough with just flat steel? I always thought the ridges were to provide extra strength? I know this is more than twice as thick as the normal 0.6 or so you normally get but I am worried that might bow once you are sat in it even with 1.5mm steel? Have you tested it before you put it on the car somehow?

 

Either way, good luck with it. Lovely looking car and I look forward to seeing progress updates.

[warninglight]

I'm planning on adding more strength to it, a couple of ways to do it but yes, I really should have punched some ribs in before I put them on!

 

It'll definitely be a stronger overall shell than with ribbed floors and cover-sills so I'm not overly worried, there's a crossmember under the front seats and I'm planning on adding one just below the rear seats as well.

 

What I do know, is that the 1.5mm stuff is a hell of a lot firmer when in a similar sized piece to the ribbed stuff out of the car, but that's not really the reason for the ridges... As I say, a couple of options to look at before deciding!

 

The grille cover was one I lashed together with some green vinyl just for winter use, wasn't sure if a full cover was too much but the rad being on the side must be able to get enough airflow, because in winter it warms up a hell of a lot faster but never budges beyond normal, but the heater is a lot better as a result! It tended to run too cold in the winter months, even in traffic with a 92 degree stat on...

[brickwall]

I have a C70 too and I love it, except for the turning circle. It doesn't half shift. I have the same coolur except mine is a converti version

Edited June 15, 2013 by brickwall

[warninglight]

The turning circle is embarrasingly shit. The S70 on 16"s (with the original lock stops from the 15" wheels-GR8 4 RUBBING) wasn't just as bad but still far from Transit van...

 

There's a lot to be said for a sub £1000 motor which can piss all over German motorway warriors...

[warninglight]

Well I've taken a couple of weeks working at the Austin. Should probably outline my plans... The welding's just about finished (another half a day of tidying up some parts), and then it's time for bodywork, but the car MUST be MOT'd by August 31st. I graduated from uni a month back, and have a job starting in Cumbria on October 1st, moving across about halfway through September, so the Volvo is coming with, and the Austin the first time I fly home...

 

 

Since that I've finished off the driver's side sill cover, and another coat of chassis black for the underside. Aiming to get at least the rear subframe back on today. Even remembered to fit the hydrolastic pipes first!

 

Picked up 3l of Connaught Green 2K paint yesterday, the aim is to have the car in paint and looking sweet in the next fortnight...

[Faker]

Good work fella

[warninglight]

Cheers! Where are you based in NI

[binhoker668]

Hey Faker and Warninglight, am originally from Whitehead, Co. Antrim.  What about yerselves?

[warninglight]

Banbridge, but was up in Whiteabbey for a few years of studying* until last month! Always a nice blat up to and beyond Whitehead from there on a sunny afternoon.

[binhoker668]

Ah nice! Have a few friends from Banbridge area - Listullyard etc... Great place!  We used to party up at the hillfort there years ago...

[warninglight]

Update from Saturday afternoon!

 

Shell back the way Issigonis intended, and with the rear subframe back in! Was worrying no end about this as the front mounts for that subframe were non existant, and I wasn't sure how well I'd fabricated new heelboards...

 

[Rocket88]

Heroic welding skillz, young sir.Apparently 1100 / 1300s are a bastard to restore.

[warninglight]

Really not sure I'd call my welding any way skillful yet!

 

Willing to believe that it only looks like pigeon shit because I cba with converting from gasless MIG. It's all coming together though, if it was something with panel availability it would have been done ages ago!

[Faker]

Alright boys. I'm from Lisburn. Wee Austin is taking shape. Keep up the good work.

[warninglight]

Cheers Faker!

 

That headlamp repair...

Typically rough start into the job!


But redeemed it with some careful cutting. Will have to use a skim of filler to get the shape of the wing corner but I don't mind filler, as long as there's good metal underneath.

And how it sits now;


Going to start prepping the panels I have off the car for paint tomorrow!

[Jack_Harpers_Teeth]

Woah! I remember you getting that 1100, I also remember that once your biggest ambition in life was to own a Hillman Imp, that was a long, long time ago.

 

Keep this updated please.  Always enjoyed your adventures with the 1100 - looks like you have started a new chapter in it's life.

[catsinthewelder]

Looks like your doing far better with your 1100 than I am with Ms C's purple one.  Have you had to do any work to the scuttle?  Ours has a hole right the way accross above the heater and soggy footwells as a result.

[warninglight]

Ah, Alan! Didn't realise you were on here!

 

I made a repair panel for the scuttle around 5 years back, it was never the ideal solution but I'll be damned if I'm going to start hacking into it, need the car on the road in about 6 weeks! It does still leak a bit in heavy rain but I think they all do! It's a mixture of crappy steel, lack of paint and clogged drain holes in the bulkhead that lets them rot out.

 

If you ever have the dash out, ensure you dig out the sponges at the base of each A pillar, mine's faired better than many I've seen, only got round to removing them today, and after 49 years only one pillar hos gone holey.

 

CHEERS LONGBRIDGE LADZ.

[warninglight]

Not sure if I had posted in this since, and it's got lost, or not! But this is where I'm at now...

 

After a full day yesterday of flatting back the primer I was ready to start applying top coat today!

Started off painting all the slam panels and shut areas of the doors, bonnet and boot, and then used what I still had in the gun to do the front wing and rear quarter panel on the driver's side. Was hoping to mix another gun load but the grey skies and weather forecast are against me for the rest of the day. What's on now will be hard enough to take a bit of rain water by this evening, but it could end up ruining anything I do now, so I'll wait til tomorrow. Might get the suspension pumped up this evening, at least.



Tempted to go and drop the engine in too, now that the engine bay is done!

[warninglight]

So this happened

Seems to be running pretty well considering I only vaguely bothered to set the timing yesterday and the carb has been apart three times since it came off the road, as I made 3D models of it etc. as part of a design module in uni last year...

Going to bleed the brakes and get the clutch adjusted hopefully this afternoon, some more wiring to do then too but on the whole, tis going pretty well!

[Micrashed]

Well done , its downhill from here 

[garycox]

Good work!