Project Meg the Visa.

[Jimblob]

Admiration. Would also love another Visa. . Miss my 2 cylinder 652cc more than the red gti

[Six-cylinder]

I would like a 92 bhp 1905cc Turbo Diesel fitted into a Visa/C15D! 

[HillmanImp]

I want a Visa now. The van version is much fun!

 

Are the van seats as comfy? I have never had seats as comfy as this in any car I have owned. 

 

 

Admiration. Would also love another Visa. . Miss my 2 cylinder 652cc more than the red gti

 

 

Its odd, I never thought I would like the Visa as its low on power being the 954cc with a whopping 45 horsepower, I just got it as a means to an end as it was going to be cheap to maintain and good on fuel but I really cannot fault it.

[AlabamaShrimp]

One day we're going to have a race. My 950cc 45bhp fiesta, they have the same spec but something tells me they will be very different

[Lankytim]

The van seats are SUPA comfy.

[HillmanImp]

Okay, it seems that the springs for these are pretty hard to come by. My first thought was to check out 205s and AXs but I think they were always torsion bar suspensions weren't they?

 

Anyhow, I have posted on the Visa website to see if anyone can find owt. However, in the meantime can anyone think of either where I can source some springs from or where I can get a similar spring it would be appreciated. 

 

 

Now when I was young and you were even younger, I was taught that you had to use springs that were designed for that car as they were built with the correct resistance etc and that by putting on the wrong springs you were liable to ruin the cars handling. 

 

However, if I can't get springs for this, shirley I will be able to get a similar spring. How much difference will it really make? If it is the same size and has a similar amount of coils will the ride be wildly different? 

[Lacquer Peel]

What about C15 or Peugeot 305 saloon rear springs?

[Asimo]

C15 rear suspension is utterly different to Visa rear, more like a BX with spring / dampers where the sphere&cylinder should be.

 

I think the Visa is basically Peugeot 104 / Talbot Samba / LNA - but I might be wrong, brain fade etc.

 

Edit _here is a cluehttp://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_auto/755687036.htm?ca=13_s

If the spring length or spring rate,( ie how much force to change the length by a certain amount),  is a bit different I wouldn't worry but I would make sure both rear springs were the same so change both together. You are trying to keep a 30 year old car pottering on, not tuning a track car!

[Lankytim]

I think the C15 uses a Pug 305 estate rear axle.

[HillmanImp]

Aye the C15 is different sadly AFAIK, good call though. 

 

Thanks for that SM, its putting my mind at rest a bit. If I cant find any, I will look for something similar however good call with the Talbot Samba, I had not thought of that, they could well be the same if not, similar enough. Might see what I can turn up.

 

Driving the car home tomorrow after I have re-threaded one of mounts as then I was putting the spring on I moved off the rubber mat by accident and smashed the fooker onto the kerb knacking one of the threads. Not badly but I will need to sort it before I can drive it anywhere. 

 

Then I have to hope that the spring can make it home with a gouge out of it. Will take it easy over the chevin.

[M'coli]

Take the spring off and wander into GSF or somewhere and see if they've anything on the shelf that looks similar in diameter, length and number of coils - mk2 Polo or Golf rear springs might do, or anything with a rear MacPherson strut.

[vulgalour]

Don't forget K10 Micra either, easy to get and I think they're slightly narrower than the Mk2 Polo spring which it looks like the Visa is too.  Spax or Eibach or someone do springs to order for coilover and custom kits for not too hideous a price if you really come unstuck, I imagine they'd be happy to create some original Visa ones for you.

[HillmanImp]

Got the Visa home tonight okay, so the knacked spring held up. Obviously had to stop after a few hundred metres to do the wheel up (WHY AM I INCAPABLE OF DOING THIS WHEN I LOWER THE CAR!!!!) but will get the spring off at the weekend and start hunting for a replacement. 

 

 

Spax or Eibach or someone do springs to order 

 

 

It just occurred to me whilst writing this that one of my clients at work is a spring manufacturer. No idea if they make car springs but might give them a call to see what they can do. However I am willing to chuck a few quid at the car as I use it all the time so will look at getting some made up elsewhere if need be. 

[Volksy]

Not cheap, but a possible last resort:

 

http://www.autoparts24.info/CITROEN-VISA-transmission_exhaust-rear_spring_coil.asp

[HillmanImp]

Not cheap, but a possible last resort:

 

http://www.autoparts24.info/CITROEN-VISA-transmission_exhaust-rear_spring_coil.asp

 

I was thinking yeah, not bad but realised they were used. Might still end up giving them a call. How did you find that? I was looking for ages last night and rarely got distracted by porn too.

[Volksy]

I was googlising Peugeot 104 rear springs to see if they were the same. I guess most of the cost is in shipping charges, as these seem to be in Denmark. 

[twosmoke300]

Got the Visa home tonight okay, so the knacked spring held up. Obviously had to stop after a few hundred metres to do the wheel up (WHY AM I INCAPABLE OF DOING THIS WHEN I LOWER THE CAR!!!!)

Leave your socket/ impact gun/ breaker bar / wheel brace on the nut/bolt as a reminder until its torqued up.

[HillmanImp]

 

Leave your socket/ impact gun/ breaker bar / wheel brace on the nut/bolt as a reminder until its torqued up.

 

That Sir is a fantastic idea. Will try and remember to do that next time.

 

I rang round a few motorfactors yesterday trying to get hold of some springs that were similar but they were not keen on helping.

 

'Hi, I need a spring for a Citroen Visa. You wont have one but I was wondering if I could come down with the spring off the car and try and match it with one you have in stock'

 

'What's the car? Can you give me the registration?'

 

'Its a Citroen Visa, E672 CGM but you wont have the springs for it, I want to come down and see if you have some springs that I could get on that are pretty much the same'

 

'Its not even listed mate'

 

'I know, I didn't expect it to be. Can I come down there and try matching it with a similar spring'

 

'If its not on here mate, we won't have one'

 

'I know you won't have one, I want to come down with the old spring and see if you have a similar one'

 

'If its not listed we wont have it' 

 

I do realise its probably a pain in the arse trying to match a spring but all 3 that I rang could not grasp the simple idea of what I wanted to do. After that I gave up. 

 

To be fair, one place suggested I leave the spring with them for a few days but I can imagine never hearing from them again and the spring getting binned, so I have decided to ring up my client next week as from looking at their website they do suspension springs. If they are too expensive or owt I will maybe look at going abroad for one.

 

So forgetting the springs for now, today I decided to repair the strut mount as it was looking a little worse for wear.

 

I sanded/ground/chiselled back as much as I could (I need to invest in a Dremmel) and cut out the really bad bits.

 

I then welded in some new 1mm metal:

 

Sadly I couldn't get the grinder to take back the welds in the bigger repair where it dips down, without knackering the rubber (I need a Dremmel) so the welds are staying, it wont cause any problems. Anyhow, I then finished off with a lick of paint. 

IMAG1349

IMAG1350

 

Not perfect but better than it was and hopefully strong enough to live a while longer.

 

One of the chaps from the Visa forum did have a spare one but if they are that rare, its probably best to repair it if I can rather than throw it away. 

[AlabamaShrimp]

The thing on the phone sounds like a basil fawlty quote. You're doing better then me, think I would have lost it

[HillmanImp]

Righto chaps had a bit of an MOT fail on this so have been cracking on in it over the weekend hence why I was a bit quiet. 

 

Visa had failed on a 'little welding' near the rear suspension mounts. A quick feel where the yellow crayon was did not show any problems so I thought it might just result in a couple of tickles to cover any small imperfections.  So I removed the rear suspension I put in the day before the MOT test to have a look. 

 

 

Hmmm. This ended up being a lot worse that it looked and resulted in this much 'covering up'. 

 

 

Then I looked at the other side:

 

 

This was sort of better, as the metal in the middle was okayish in comparison to the other side but then not actually any better as it was a bit thin.

 

Resulted in this BLOBBY!BLOBBY!BLOBBY! welding as the liner of the welder seems to have gone and Mrs Imp had gone out for the day in the only working car. You can easily which bits I did first to when it all went tits up and the wire feed was all over the place.

 

 

Even more annoying is that I ran out of spray paint so used some high temp paint which seemed to react with the Hydrate80. 

 

So basically this side was a right lash up.

 

I hate plating over stuff but its so bloody awkward in this area and the weather was totally gash so I just did what I did. I took off all crappy metal, wire brushed everything that was left, painted the remaining metal and then painted the back of the metal I put on before welding it so hopefully that will be enough to make it stay. As I am hoping to keep this car for some time, I know I am only kidding myself doing this sort of repair but it will have to do. 

 

Anyhow, the reason for this post is that it also failed on a rough wheel bearing. I ordered a couple of wheel bearings the day this thing failed but they are yet to turn up. I am going to ring the place I ordered them from tomorrow and tell them that their mothers were hamsters and their fathers smelt of elderberries but thats not going to actually help anything other than my piece of mind. As it was only 'rough' and did not have any play I decided to just remove the bearing that was in there tonight and simply give it a damn good lube, as its good when its tight as long as there is not any friction but if there is too much play you may as well be waving a sausage in the Albert Hall. Sadly when I tried getting it out tonight it was playing hard to get and I could not remove the nut on the hub even with the brakes on full. 

 

This may just be due to the fact that I am MEGA STRONG and the hub keeps turning. I doubt that however and I suspect I might not know one of the tricks of the trade to get these fookers off. I put on a wheelnut on, got a strongbar and wedged it on the floor and tried removing it that way but only managed to either turn the wheel or nearly pull the car off its stands if the wheel was held in place.

 

Need to get it retested by Wednesday and this is the last thing I need to do. Any pointers appreciated. 

 

I may well look a bit stupid as usual as I bet there is an incredibly easy solution to this but at the moment I am well stuck.

[Sigmund Fraud]

[HMC]

Great work on the welding!! I bet welding those strut mounts was tricky, but looks to have worked out really well.

[Dave_Q]

I was going to suggest the car needs to be on the floor, with the wheel on, but doesn't this have wheels with covered centres?

 

If so my suggestion is getting someone to stand on the brakes and use a big bar.

[HillmanImp]

Is that an impact wrench Sigmund? How would I use that in this situation? Would I use it on the hub nut whilst someone else held onto the strongbar on the wheelnut hoping that it didn't flip'em over?

 

 

I was going to suggest the car needs to be on the floor, with the wheel on, but doesn't this have wheels with covered centres?

 

If so my suggestion is getting someone to stand on the brakes and use a big bar.

 

Aye, no hole here: 

 

 

Most places cant even balance them. Did the brakes/big bar thing but to no avail. Obvs. it was a 7 month preggers Mrs Imp on the brakes so maybe not ideal and I did not want to stress her but I would've thought I might have budged it. That's always worked in the past on other cars.

 

 

Great work on the welding!! I bet welding those strut mounts was tricky, but looks to have worked out really well.

 

Was mega awkward. I cant see anywhere that this car has needed welding before but when its gone its made sure its in the most fucking difficult place possible. A couple of times I lost track of where I was going at on the welds on the top and just did a line for no reason only to look after and realise I had lost the line of the metal somewhere. My view was what you could see in the photos with any kind of head/face/eye protection on.

 

I had lots of sparks flying down my sleeve which is okay, I am used to it as really can't do welding gloves and can put up with the odd pockmark, I can't feel what I am doing but one burn seemed to be warmer than usual so I looked and realised my jumper was on fire.  Amazingly it didn't burn me, I just flailed around for 10 seconds and it went out. 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Is that an impact wrench Sigmund? How would I use that in this situation? Would I use it on the hub nut whilst someone else held onto the strongbar on the wheelnut hoping that it didn't flip'em over?

 

A safer option would be to ask your glamorous assistant to step on the brakes while you use the wrench. Those wrenches probably don't generate much more torque than an angry Autoshitter hanging off a breaker bar, but they have a brilliant hammering action which seems to do the trick in most cases.

[twosmoke300]

Granny / eggs interface here but you did have the engine running for max servo assist didn't you ? If it has a servo that is

[Volksy]

It's not a left hand thread on the hubnut is it?

[HillmanImp]

Granny / eggs interface here but you did have the engine running for max servo assist didn't you ? If it has a servo that is

 

No servo on these. 1980's old lady car innit.

 

 

It's not a left hand thread on the hubnut is it?

 

I tried it both ways. The result of this is that I know the nut is on solid and I am sure that I am not gay.

 

Have just booked it in with Chippy next week and am getting him to do it. Will just have to retest it which is arse but hey hum. Everything else is done bar this. 

[Asimo]

[HillmanImp]

Actual LOLZ ^^^^^^