Yugoslavian Ami.., continuing on from 'now-autoshites-flimsy-bodied Shitroen'

[Bfg]

.

Thanks, but not imo.   I sought to visually lighten the front end looks way back when .. < here >  and  < here >.  I'm happy with that, but for the number plate.

[somewhatfoolish]

Try an undersized plate like some bikers do and run the gauntlet of perhaps gaining the attention of dibble?

[loserone]

Just caught up a few months - top work!

[Bfg]

Try an undersized plate like some bikers do and run the gauntlet of perhaps gaining the attention of dibble?

 

yes..I think so  

 

I've had a quick look and smaller plates are available in different sizes. Car size in square is 9"x 7" whereas motorcycle size is typically 7"x 6" (with others smaller), but inbetween the standard sizes there is one at 8"x 6" from a few suppliers such as 'Plates for Cars' < here >.  

 

This would make all the difference visually and yet ought to be discrete enough not to draw uninvited attention (from a distance) ..as its 11% smaller size would just be in better proportion to the car.    But 1" lesser height would allow me to drop it - to be level with the top of the bumpers .. without it hanging vulnerably down below the car.  

[Bfg]

.

good morning y'all

 

Embarrassingly this car is still not yet on the road. What could possibly go wrong continues to do so. Either the car is jinxed or I am.!  (unfortunately from experienced I know it's the latter).  But what can I do about it ? ..nothing but be stubborn and keep on pushing to get jobs done.  

 

So, aside from numerous little details here are some of the things I've been playing with over the past few days . . 

 

Adjusting of the car's ride height. Although generally correct it was set 10mm higher on the RH (passenger) side of the car.   Citroen's screw rods (between the axle bracket and the horizontally positioned springs) are adjustable. It's an 8mm spanner (red arrow) if the things are not rusted up, but spanner length has to be short. It's even worse when the damper is already on ..such as on the front of this car.  With fourteen bolts to remove them I persisted and little by little worked around them !

 

NB. the car needs to be jacked up to take the tension off the springs / adjuster rods to adjust them. And then lowered again, bounced and rolled back n' forth to settle the height ..in order to check the dimension between the underside of the chassis (where the axles bolt on) and the level floor. I did one side of the car then the other.  And we're talking measuring millimeters in height here ..so the floor must be very level.  Never-the-less there's plenty of aerobics and not a two minute job for one old giffer.

 

The good news is that one complete turn of the adjuster screw equates to approximately 8mm change in height. I marked the rod so that I could easily count the turns (blue arrow), and having measure the ride height beforehand, I knew approximately how many turns of the adjuster rod was needed.

 

If these adjuster rods are particularly tight or rusted in then a special tool, which sits over the spanner flats on the screw rods, provides a hex head for a larger spanner.  I don't have that tool but thankfully these adjusters were free enough to turn.   I did however feel the need to add a little cold galvanising to where the chassis's paint had been scratched off ..presumable as Janez turned it over to paint the other side ? 

 

Heights : The book says the measured height, under the axles, front & back should be : 188mm (7.4")  &  258mm (10.2") respectively.  And yet the vehicle's General Dimensions show the ground clearance to be 130mm (5.1").   I can only presume the latter is a minimum / fully laden figure. And as I'm not going to be carrying wife, mother-in-law, four kids, the family goat and a cask of wine (..non of which I happen to have) any time soon -  then I'm trying the suspension set lower : 140mm  &  215mm (front & back).  We'll see how it goes ..and if too low or the (castor angle) steering is too heavy - then I can raise it back up again. 

 

Having set this height and the car sitting back its own wheels - I could tighten each of the suspension damper mounts.  WCPGW ? ..well I noticed that the front left damper is now leaking oil & needs to be replaced.    I'll do that anon. 

 

Finally I tightened the track-rod-ends mid position to their twist articulation.

 

More jobs ticked off (aside from needing new dampers).

 

 

Admittedly one or two things I've done, or not done, have made those things a little more awkward ..but I never said  I don't make mistakes too.  And the next task was this . .

^ draining the brake fluid before I removed the master cylinder ..I find it cleaner to do this than have oil dripping all over the place.

 

^ the weepy seal at the back end of the piston can be seen very rounded ..compared to the front one.  This might be expected because the push rod of the brake pedal is pivoted and so doesn't push absolutely in line with the cylinder bore ..and any side loading would wear that seal.  As there's very little fluid pressure on this seal - the result is a very slow seep of brake fluid into the car's foot-well.

 

I bought a new-old-stock repair pack which included a new piston with the lip seals already in place. I could have bought just the two seals but didn't trust that they would go on easily.  Next time perhaps (! )  I'll retain the original piston so can get new seals and pre-fit them.

 

^ priming the master cylinder with (LHM) brake fluid as I put the pipes back on does away with a lot of bleeding of air through the pipes.  In fact last time I did this (on this car, in Slovenia) only the short pipe to the front brakes needed bleeding at all.

 

Aside from my own stupidity of not having done that job while access was easy, and that the pipes, cables, and whole pedal assembly all had to come out again - the task went OK..  Unfortunately bleeding the brakes is not so easy now that the heater control boxes, etc, etc, sit over the top of the RH brake caliper ..making getting to that bleed nipple a real pita..   

 

Never-the-less, another job Done.

 

Next was just another one of numerous minor things* that didn't even make it onto the job list . .

^ back of the dashboard where it sits against the face vent pipes.. the 40+ year old foam had expired..  which of course reminds me of those immortal words, courtesy John Cleese ..

 

" E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! He's f*ckin' snuffed it!..... THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!  " 

 

moving on..

 

 

And then again . .

 

^  Araldite seemed to be better years ago. I don't know if it's changed or whether I'm just asking it to stick different materials nowadays.?  Anyway, it's good for some plastics but not others, and here I have two different plastics. Who knows ..perhaps it'll be strong enough.

 

more to come ..

496 replies

19,530 views

[RayMK]

Dogged determination is getting you there.  Although the damned car will no doubt throw other difficulties in to your path, your approach will succeed in giving you a very nicely restored vehicle to enjoy (once you've forgiven it for the hassle and expense).

 

When using Aruldite or similar epoxy adhesives to join materials which may not hang together as strongly as required, it can sometimes help to drill a number of small holes (1 or 2mm) so that, in effect, you can form Aruldite rivets to prevent the bonded faces from parting company.  Of course, if cosmetics are not a problem, then a small nut and bolt would provide stronger support to the bonded faces.  Usually however, these fine ideas are thwarted by awkward positions and failing mojo, leaving just hope and prayer (depending on your persuasion) to hold the damned things together.

[Bfg]

Dogged determination is getting you there.  Although the damned car will no doubt throw other difficulties in to your path, your approach will succeed in giving you a very nicely restored vehicle to enjoy (once you've forgiven it for the hassle and expense).

 

When using Aruldite or similar epoxy adhesives to join materials which may not hang together as strongly as required, it can sometimes help to drill a number of small holes (1 or 2mm) so that, in effect, you can form Aruldite rivets to prevent the bonded faces from parting company.  Of course, if cosmetics are not a problem, then a small nut and bolt would provide stronger support to the bonded faces.  Usually however, these fine ideas are thwarted by awkward positions and failing mojo, leaving just hope and prayer (depending on your persuasion) to hold the damned things together.

 

'Dogged determination' being another term for being 'pig-head stubborn' ? 

 

..a good idea pre-drilling through holes before Aralditing.. I've used similar when fibreglassing ..but never thought of doing it with this, so thanks.  Guess if they were countersunk on both sides that might help the rivet too, pend getting a drill in line. 

[alf892]

I've missed this thread.........great work!

 

On that gearbox oil level......that plug looks a bit high are you sure it is not just a filler?

 

I say this because the first time I put a clutch in a 305 I filled the box up to the filler plug.....like you would. Gave it back to the driver and he was back the next morning with the thing dripping in oil. I then found out you were supposed to put a measured amount in.....

[stuboy]

your doing fantastic work

[Bfg]

. 

Thanks guys for your kind words of encouragement during these testing times.

 

On that gearbox oil level......that plug looks a bit high are you sure it is not just a filler?

I say this because the first time I put a clutch in a 305 I filled the box up to the filler plug.....like you would. Gave it back to the driver and he was back the next morning with the thing dripping in oil. I then found out you were supposed to put a measured amount in.....

 

Thanks & Yes your observation is correct ..that photographed was the filler plug..

 

" The workshop manual says to refill the gearbox via the level plug (situated down under the rhs brake caliper), but in Autodata's Citroen GS manual they suggested removing the reversing-light-switch and filling it through that hole as being easier.   Reversing light ??  ..on an Ami ! no flipping chance of that.  But this gearbox is from the GS 1220 and the hole is there with a plug in it "

 

In fact the capacity specified is 1.4 litres.  I refilled 1.3litres ..and that was a little too much.  Thankfully I didn't make the mistake of filling all the way up to the filler hole - not least because it would have cost me a small fortune in oil !    ..But I do welcome your watching out for me 'cause I am making more and more mistakes.

 

One mistake I had to deal with yesterday was in taking the power to the carburettor's fuel cut-off-switch from the alternator. The car ran but the there were lots of air bubbles in the fuel pipe and the carb was ticking   ..It turns out that the alternator's (the clue is in the name) oscillating power wave was causing the cut-off switch to rapidly turn on and off, hence the fast ticking noise.  Not audible from inside the car but standing besides it - it sounded as if counting down to explode ..or was that just a subconscious wish ?  

 

I rewired it this morning (taking switched power from the feed to the coil) and it's fine.

[Bfg]

..

more to come 

 

Having replaced the seals in the master cylinder it was time to refit the interior. But first a bit of mat to go across the footwell.  I have bought other (good) carpet for the car but I'll leave fitting that until everything else is all finished, tried and tested.  so..

 

I'd bought this rubber backed carpet runner / mat from Aldi ..thinking it was water proof.  Unfortunately it's not.  But aside from the new carpet for the car, I had nothing else - so in it went ..albeit as a temporary measure. 

 

The two blue tapes are to mark the footprint of the gear-change box, as I didn't want to bolt the box down through this mat (I wanted the option of removing it for cleaning). As it was to sit  13" further forward / up the bulkhead - the marks were transferred a card template ..before I cut the carpet itself.    

 

I've also extended the neoprene underlay further back. Eventually it will extend all the way to the boot threshold.  Noise is inevitable in these air cooled, tinny bodied small base model shitroens, with sliding windows and roof gutters. But rather than that noise resonating around within the tin can - I'm attempting to absorb some of it.  On the other hand - I'm sure the rubber will have a fine aroma when the car's parked in the sun. 

 

Fun* I had in doing this was not with the underlay nor carpet but with the floor gear-change box.  You may recall - I moved that over to the left by 10mm because its link rod was scraping.  The problem I then had was the captive nuts set in the bulkhead were of no use, and the self tapping screws now holding it down were into thin sheet metal ..and weren't strong enough.  Getting larger screws to hold was confounded by the very shallow angle of slope in the floor ..and the bulkhead being double skinned in this area.   Anyway, I had to re-drill through the second skin ..and for the lower two screws also through / into the chassis top plate.  Now those screws / the gear change box is secure !

 

Refitting the front seats was (I thought) going to be a quick job.. ha !  In fact Citroen didn't do well with their design of seat runner. . 

 

^ the side plate is to prevent the seat tipping back. And with a precision fit like that it felt .. loose.

 

^ the side plate had a good section of it cut away, so did nothing useful. The cutout was for a pin dropped through the frame to prevent the seat sliding off the end of its runners.  So, according to this design., the seats are OK being loose as long as they are restrained !?

 

..bottom line is that the seats felt horribly insecure.  And that sort of looseness tend to stress things in such a way that shouldn't happen, but did . .

^ for a oversized lump like me, pushing on the brake pedal / against the seat back ..that's a heck of a lot of cantilevered force.  Clearly former drivers in this seat exerted similar forces.

 

So this was welded up and the runners were modified with an additional steel strip. .

 

Of course the steel strip and the runner each needed a fair bit of fetlling / tweaking / re-bending before they slid, but at least now the seats are reassuringly secure.   But yet another day gone !

 

 

^  Not a beige interior, but most definitely Autoshite 

 

 

Oh yes, the steering column is again refitted.. This column is made in two parts, the lower section has two UJ's and the upper column is short and straight until it curves into the single spoke of the steering wheel.  The UJ's each have a single nut & bolt to pinch the spline onto the steering pinion and the upper column respectively. So having had this column in and out a dozen times ..WCPGW ?

 

The steering column spline now didn't fit on the new replacement steering pinion.!  OK I thought, it's just a U-clamp, and the new pinion is just a little oversize in their production tolerances, so I'll just prise the clamp open a little.. Duly done and the pivot in the UJ now went.. clunk.. clunk.. clunk..    

 

Thoughts :   1970's import, steering column lower half, surely Halford would still stock them ?

 

I stuck it in the vice and pinched it back up again - better., but still clunk, clunk  .. I don't think the MOT man will like that.

 

Back and forth I managed to twist the splined jaws of the clamp a bit and then re-pinched the body part of the UJ and it worked.. The UJ is smooth moving again and the clamp (with a little persuasion) went on. 

 

I would have liked the clamp to be a looser but I wasn't going to push my luck with that one again.  I started that job at 9:22am and finally got it on by 10:18am.  56 minutes to drop just one spline on. !

[Bfg]

.

Seats in, steering column in, the brakes now bled, and the earth fitted to the fuel gauge sender (I don't know why Janez didn't put that earthing terminal under a screw head, but he didn't).. I moved to the back of the car. 

 

First a couple of little extra tasks (to my job list), like replacing the exhaust strap . .

^ the old rubber strap reused when fitting this exhaust had split and the exhaust was hanging loose again.  What I needed was a flat piece of reinforced rubber to make a new one from. But to my knowledge I didn't have any.  However., looking around I spotted in the corner of the garage a piece of reinforced rubber fuel filler pipe.  30mm off the end of this, gave me what I needed.  cut and opened to be flat, drilled and fitted with tube ferrules (to stop the bolt threads from chafing through the rubber). It worked well.

 

You may spot that I've also (loosely) fitted galvanised binding wire around this. The reason is that - this section of the exhaust pipe dog-legs in to the chassis (to clear the rear suspension arm) before exiting out under the corner of the rear wing.  And when that strap breaks.. the pipe swings down (rather like a cranked handle) to drag on the road.   Sure the forward clamp attaching it to the silencer should stop that, but the production tolerance between this (new) exhaust silence and tail pipe (from the same supplier) were such that it didn't clamp tight enough.  So, aside from making a sleeve to fit in the end of the silencer to correct that sloppy fit - I fitted the safety wire around the pipe and its clamp. 

 

Another task, that was on my job list, can be spotted in the above piccie - but here it is again more clearly . .

^  Janez had replaced the transverse (rear floor) support beam ..but under the wheel arch had left its ends wide open - to fill up with water and muddy crud.  You can see how nicely it would then have run into the bottom of the tapered shape to sit there and rust away on top of the chassis rear outrigger.  Yes there's a drain hole in the bottom of this, but when full of wet mud that would not do much.  And surely it's always better to keep the water out than to try and prevent corrosion when it is in there.   

 

So, I gave the inside of this beam a very generous spray of cold galvanising (into each end) before using PU goo to close them up. .

 

 

Then I could get on and refit the rear wings. .

^ neoprene rubber being fitted as a gasket on to the rear wing flange which bolts to the car's body. 

 

But then of course there were the usual minor issues of 40-year-old wiring to the rear lights . .

^ these wires had been appended* to and their insulation was displaced or absent ..so the wires might easily have shorted out one against the other or to earth.  There was also authentic* corrosion and grime inside the connection itself.   

 

^ all cleaned up, heat shrink insulation added, and the connections themselves cleaned out (by hand twisting a drill bit within them), and then injecting with Vaseline to avoid further problems. 

 

The rear light bulb holders also needed a little cleaning, lubrication, and adjustment before the bulbs would sit and therefore contact reliably, but another Job Done. .

 

 

The rear lights (brake, sidelight and indicators) were earthing through each other, as the earth leads were tucked up inside the body, so I drilled and fitted those earth leads.  I also had an earthing connection problem to the front side light / indicator which needed a cleaning up and solder. 

 

Aside from those tasks I've also adjusted and greased the passenger door window-winder-mechanism so that window would raise and lower without snagging.  I yet have the driver's door window to do ..as it has now just decided enough is enough and will not close.     And I've bought new tyres but haven't yet had them fitted. Oh, and I have a little bit weather protection yet to do around the roof's rain gutter, but..

 

It's getting close !!!  My job list implies* most of the rest can wait until when the car is back on the road, to continue the work as a rolling restoration. 

 

Bfg

503 replies / 19,727 views

[Guest grizgut]

Looking very good BFG

[Bfg]

.

Thanks Griz

 

Today the Chrysler had a flat battery !?  and so although I'd already pulled the Ami's door trim panel off ..to sort out why the window had suddenly stopped working (..the adhesive holding the winder roller to the glass had given up), and there was no driver's door or boot lid seal in place, nor even the dashboard.. the Ami was called into service to get me to the shop for some groceries.  

 

Duly shopped and with haddock n' chips in bag.. I stopped along the country lane on the way back to eat my lunch.    

 

I'd love to be able to say that I was pleased with the car, but it's quite apparent that the gearbox is fok'd.. It whirs noisily in 3rd and 4th as if there's no synchro..   Aside from that the car rattled and banged down the dirt track (I live on a farm) ..as no Citroen should.   How much of this is to do with the lack of trim in the car, or indeed that I have each tyre pressure at 35psi., from when setting the ride height  ..I don't know yet. Tomorrow I hope to have the new tyres fitted and then we'll see.  (Tyre pressures should be 26 & 28,  F & R)

 

Aside from the appalling noise and ride ..the engine felt very willing, indeed seemingly wanting to drive faster and have very much more fun than the legal speed limit might allowed.  There's something about lightweight 1-litre cars that sort of cry out to be driven  rather than pottled around.  It should be good when finally tuned.

 

Steering is now fine and quite lightweight but responsive at road speeds. It also holds a steady (hands off) line even down the dirt track.  But I'll need to get used to Citroen roll around bends again.  Presently it feels insecure to me, but I'm sure I'll be doubling my speed around the same corners when I get used to it.  

 

The driver's seat now feels nice and secure but is a bit settled* with my size of person in it.  I think a little extra support is called for.!  It's not terrible, but it does compromise one's driving position when you feel like you're sitting with bum in a bucket.  The clutch needs taking up a bit, and the brakes still need a little more bleeding. All other functions are working.  

 

Actually the brakes were disappointing, but perhaps that's because there's new pads all around ..and they need to bed in.?  or, else the rears need adjusting ? (I've not looked at them at all yet, but Janez replaced the calipers and brake shoes, and the load compensator valve for new). 

 

Without doubt ..this little shitroen was the scruffiest, shittiest car in Aldi's car park..    In a world where prestige is measured by the size, quality, and newness of one's car - this really does stick two fingers up at society's values. 'Do Not Paint' comes to mind.  If only for this one virtue - I love it  

 

Anyway time will tell ..how the relationship between thinking man and ugly mongrel develops.

 

 

This afternoon I sought to address this . .

^ the roof gutter is really in good order for a 43 year old car, but with the weather we've been having around these parts recently I wanted to halt further deterioration, so I scraped out the inside corner and ran along it with wire brush, then wire wool before giving it a coat of cold galvanising ..sprayed, wiped with finger in, and brushed ! . .

 

^ appalling isn't it

 

..but fear not, I'm used to making a right mess and cleaning up after myself.

 

The important thing was for me to wipe that rust protection into the crevice.. Thereafter I removed the over spray and finger smudges on the roof with solvant.  Likewise I attacked rust spots on the roof panel. These were mainly like point-impact crazing in the paint, where telltale rust was starting to show through. These were very locally taken back to bare metal and treated - as a stop-gap before I get around (sometime later in the year) to repainting the roof. 

 

Letting those areas dry.. I sorted out the driver's door window, greased its winder mechanism, cleaned out the inside of that door and gave it an generous douse of cold galv. before refitting its trim panel. 

 

Now dry, I could repaint the gutter . . 

^ Tidier ?  with the roof still in the progress of being spot painted. It will remain white patchy for the time being.  

 

 

The car is on the road again, and now designated a 'rolling restoration' ..so aside from minor adjustments and any teething problems ..I can get on with other things.. (eg. I urgently need to sell a basket-case Sunbeam S8 m/c to get some money in).  

 

The gearbox can wait.. If it blows up in use then so be it, otherwise it might just make a racket but keep on going forever.   In any case I'll have investigate whether it's worth rebuilding this one or just finding another and swapping it out.  

 

Aside from those things identified today.. I already have another 36 tasks yet to do on the job list ..which of course is frequently being amended and appended to.  

 

Bidding you a good evening.

Bfg

[RayMK]

Getting a close-up view of the road surface from a Citroen's side window is something I miss.  You will soon get reacquainted.  Passengers take longer - they don't have a steering wheel to hang on to.

[dollywobbler]

In terms of brakes, how does the pedal feel? If it's really hard, the rear brakes have probably seized up. I had sticky pivots on mine, and I'd say it's definitely worth pulling them apart. Just a shame you need a 44mm socket and a LOT of torque to get the rear drum off...

[Ghosty]

I've noticed - do you have a white plate on the front and a black one on the back? 

That's not allowed. You either have to have two black plates, or a white front and a yellow rear. You can't mix.

You'll have to replace one of them - seeing as you're so unsure on the front one it might be worth getting another the same as the back, and putting it on the front to see how it looks? 

[Bfg]

.

^  Ghostly, Thank you, duly noted ..although I can't find specific reference to the point of law you suggest.   B&W on the front may work, but I'll get around to sorting that after more pressing tasks.

 

^^ dollywobbler, Thanks  ..no they're spongy and will pump up so needs more bleeding. The handbrake feels like it's working better !  But I think I do have a 44m socket, which I bought by mistake because that's what I'd read the fan's nut was (.. but it wasn't).  so I'll put it on my task list because I really ought to check them anyway .

 

Rain stopped play for the last couple of days . .

^ I'm not worried about going out in the wet, it's just that with the rain belting down and road spray I wouldn't have been able to assess anything ..so a test drive would have been a waste of time. I wouldn't have been able to differentiate oil leaks from dripping water,  and any roadside adjustments* needed would have been a real pita in the wet. 

 

But I did get to change the tyres for new (now tubeless), and thereafter touch up the wheels' paint and give them a coat of clear lacquer . .

^ these all-season Maxxis are pretty square and chunky compared with the assortment of tyres previously fitted.

 

And the cutout rear wheel arches made all the difference when refitting them. Instead of having to raise the back end of the car two-foot in the air to get the wheels off - I jacked up under the swinging arm immediately behind the link rod's bracket.  In this position - the body lifted slightly as well as the wheel.  And with the wheel just 1/2" off the ground I can now just about get the wheel and tyre back in.     

 

However, the clearance wasn't quite enough and these tyres rubbed when the suspension bounced, so . .

^ the cutout was extended another 1" back.

 

In the meantime, I'd adjusted the clutch cable, and also set the carb a little better for starting and a steady tick over (..just 1/2 turn on the air-screw makes so much difference).  I refitted the dashboard and then also the door / boot lid seals, dropped a mat of 6mm neoprene sheet in the back of the car (not fitted, it's just laid out) and done all sorts of other little finishing up jobs..   

 

So with a break in the weather today - I've been out in the car ..just for a drive . .

 

 

Our little jaunt encompassed small country lanes & tiny villages, fast country lanes and a stretch of the A14 dual-carriageway, as well as maneuvering around town and several car parks.  I'm glad to report - the car feels very much better than it did the other day.  Better low engine speed feel and a clutch that worked, together with 28psi in compliant tyres (the best of the old tyres taken off was a Dunlop., date stamped either 1982 or 1992). 

 

Noise was noticeably less too with the seals in place, although the gearbox of course still sounds as if it's from a non-synchromesh truck.  It presently works fine but it does make some interesting noises.    That aside there's groaning from the suspension spring canisters, and then the rattly whir of the speedo drive cable ..an altogether 'audio interesting' experience. 

 

For this, really my first time out - I wound her up to 120kmh, which I gather is about 75mph ..and all was fine, stable and very comfortable. Acceleration, compared with modern traffic, was not at all embarrassing.

 

The gearbox noise either got quieter with speed or else was mostly lost in wind noise, which itself was really quite acceptable, not least considering I was driving into a pretty strong & gusty head wind and I still have no bottom door seals (along either sill).

 

I stopped in to fill her up, so that I can figure out the fuel consumption ..as the fuel gauge only reads the lower half. .

^ as an indication of the diminutive width of the Ami  ..on the other pump is a new Nissan Micra.

 

The new tyres gripped & steered very nicely, and the brakes seemed to be getting a little better with use, so they possibly need bedding in for a hundred miles or so.  I'm not a heavy user of brakes, so with it being a lightweight car and new pads / shoes in each corner it'll possibly take even longer before they really bite.   Bleeding I will do very soon though.  No obvious oil leak - yet.,  but does she need a new throttle cable, as I've lubricated this one but still it's notchy when trying to gently / smoothly apply throttle. 

 

So there we go.. dozens of jobs on the list still to do yet - but finally ..she is a usable motor car ..and rather good fun to drive too ..without power 'anything' and finger tip steering.

 

Bfg

510 replies / 19,959 views

[Bfg]

.

"..she is a usable motor car ..and rather good fun to drive too"   At this point you'll all be joining me in a lighthearted celebration that everything 'what could possibly go wrong ?'  has  ..and subsequently has now been sorted out or done again.  Thank you ladies and gentlemen, truly a welcoming thought

 

..but there always seems to be a  'just one more thing'  . . .

 

 

I had not long ago finished writing the above post ..and then got changed for the evening and made myself a nice cup of tea - when I had a nagging feeling, or was it a subconscious thought ?   Either way.,  I went out to the garage to check on the car. 

 

Lo n' behold . .

 

^ petrol dripping from the tank's rear seam  . .

 

"Hadn't it been checked before being repainted and refitted ?"  I thought to myself ...

 

jj fuel tank.jpg

^ The larger Ami-super fuel tank (8.8 gallons) looking good (top / rear faces are being seen here).  This tank had a dent in it (reportedly happened in storage) ..which I hope was easily pulled out., and then repainted in what looks to be 2-pack primer.

 

"I didnt pull out dent on bottom of tank as there was welded - repair. I didn't want to stress welds and bolt. In this moment it is not leaking, I tested with nitro thinner.  But I recommend that you find better one later."

 

..Janez's comments (in red)

 

Like a tyre which is only flat on the bottom, this tank is absolutely fine as long as you don't fill it up.

 

 

..the string has broken on my yo yo.

[beko1987]

That's really sad

 

And that micro looked like a focus at a quick glance!

[spartacus]

Good to see it out on the road though. It must be satisfying to drive it around with a purpose.

It's a shame about the tank but at least you've had a chance to do a little snagging.

[beko1987]

Looks like an excuse to drive and use all that fuel up quickly then worry about it later...

[Bfg]

.

^  Thanks Guys..  I can't really express how upsetting this was, hitting me when my energies and self motivation were at a very despondent low, those picked up by a successful and fun first drive ..after so many months of trying to get this car roadworthy (which just goes to show how misleading an MOT can be !) ..to then be knocked down again. 

 

The gearbox being f 'ked I could cope with. That's just something which goes with the territory of buying an old car untested, but this ..for me at that moment was just one straw too many.

 

Such a downer did however mean I was so pissed off - I didn't go anywhere near the car yesterday.  Instead I cleaned the house, including down on knees scrubbing the kitchen floor tiles, and then I cut the grass (..more like 3 hours of harvesting, because the grass had grown way above the height of the mower's wheels, during weeks of wet weather). 

 

Anyway, having formulated a plan to fix (temporarily / for a few months) the leaky flange ..this afternoon I went out to the garage to try it.   Firstly though I cleaned up my garage floor.  The petrol leak had dissolved the bottom edge of the bitumastic anti-drum pad I'd stuck to the tank.. hence the black sticky mess.  Fortunately my siphoning the petrol from the tank that evening had prevented more from leaking.

 

I turned the car around so I had decent light through the open garage door to work with, as the next operation was to clean up the tank ..to see exactly where the leak was from and how extensive.?   At this point I suspected a spot weld in the tank's flange had cracked or pulled apart. .

 

 

Clearly the leak had run forward along the flange ..which would account for there being two patches of drips on the garage floor . .

 

^ a digital camera fits where my big head can't ..to look over the chassis rear outrigger to the tank's RH side flange running forward, stained with black bitumen. 

 

Trimming back the bitumen anti-drum pad 8-10mm, and cleaning up the flange across the back edge - revealed this . .

^ no sign of a crack or leak..   By chance (..or something) I had previously PU sealed this back edge flange to prevent moisture ingress and corrosion in the crevice. And that PU sealant was still intact.

 

But hang on.. things under a car can be misleading.  I had a thought.. and dropped the car off its jack to check.   Ah ha., now things are looking altogether brighter  .    

 

With the car on the level ..that flange runs down toward the back of the car ..and not forward.  And this ties in with the nagging question - why is the petrol running along the top of the flange rather than running down under it ? 

 

Yes, I'm sure you gathered the GOOD NEWS is that this flange isn't leaking..  And as the dent and weld mentioned by Janez is under the tank - then it is not leaking from those either.  Although I now suspect I know the cause - I refilled the tank to check the fuel filler & breather pipes nor their connections were leaking..   

 

Correct they are not leaking..  And so my dear Dr. Watson - elementary deduction leads us to conclude the guilty party is . .

 

 

^ fuel tank pick-up pipe and gauge sender unit being removed

 

"Gauge sender is broken and need to be changed with new..."

 

..Janez's comments (in red)

 

^ That photo is quite telling, insomuch as it shows two troughs, leading forward from the tank sender unit, which would drain any spilling fuel forward / above the tank's front flange, much of which would run all the way to the back (the lowest point of the flange) to drip off there !

 

^ Now again with a refilled tank, the bitumen of the anti-drum just forward of the sender unit is all but washed away (pointed to by the small screwdriver).  

 

Relieved, but at the same time I'm sorry to yet again report Janez's incompetence in restoration / recommission. This was not in refitting a tank which leaked, but simply that he hadn't resealed or replaced the gasket after he'd removed the sender unit.  So., although when first noticed - this leak really got to me.. it was after all just a little thing ..of his not taking due care & attention to do the job safely. 

 

 

Otherwise, I am delighted  that I'll just have to drain the tank again, to replace or (temporarily at least) to properly re-seal that gasket .. altogether very glad in the knowledge that it is nothing more serious (needing welding, tank sealant, etc, ..or another fuel tank)  And that I hadn't pulled the tank off the car ..before working out what the problem was.    

 

Bfg

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[Bfg]

.

 

^ definitely been leaking.

 

^ I didn't have a gasket to fit the small size (36mm ID) of the fuel gauge sender unit, but I did have a new larger diameter one from the cap of a motorcycle tank, so I cut that down and glued it. Seen here sitting within a spray-can cap, just to help hold the round shape while the glue sets. 

 

As that was drying I set to resoldering this (Janez's repair) . .

 

Now with the new cork gasket appropriately drilled, I confirmed its fit . .

 

I checked the sender and gauge now work to the full range before reassembling, with the cork gasket set on silicon gasket goo (gluing the gasket to the sender unit only), using steel washers, a jubilee clip on the fuel pipe, and an o-ring around the outside (..to dissuade the cork from splitting outwards from the screw holes, which are very close to the cork's outside edge). .

 

^ cleaned up all around - so that I might more easily check to if this new gasket will be successful, or whether I'll need to shop for some ethanol-petrol-proof rubber.

 

Hopefully that's another job re-DONE and dusted.

 

Have a good weekend

Bfg

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, ok. That's quite shonky. A very common issue though. When I took part in the 2CV 24hr race as pit crew a couple of years ago, we discovered our tank leaked from the sender when the tank was full. We discovered this when we filled the tank for the first time just before scrutineering... it was a very hasty drop and repair! A good chance for the team to bed in working together at least...

[Bfg]

.

Sunroof  - Wanted 

 

Anyone got a glass sunroof, in decent nick, they don't want.. cheapish  ..to fit my little Shitroen Ami ?  ..that they can package up and get sent to Suffolk.?

 

The roof is surprisingly flat, as can be seen in the photo below

^ showing a 24" (605mm) straight edge resting on the roof.  The vertical height, from each end, down to the tin roof is approx 1/2" (13mm).

 

A simple glazed flip up, lift out will be fine.  If poss' I would like one with a sun shade of some kind... and the trim to go inside against the headlining ?

 

Many thanks

 

Bfg

20,292 views

[spartacus]

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232439284003

 

I thought I'd find loads but this seems to be the only one on eBay, I don't know if it's any good to you.

[forddeliveryboy]

Just caught up with this thread Peter and the car's looking great, as it should with all the hard work you've put in over the months. Not sure if it's been mentioned, but use veggie oil to stop the groaning from the springs - if you've got rubber doughnuts at either end of the cans - (rotating them helps in serious cases of donkey noises).

 

All updates as to how its running much enjoyed by me - and no doubt many others on here - how're you coping with the noise and have you ventured on longer trips, for example?

 

I was always surprised by how well my 602 saloon would slip through the air - flat out it could maintain a steady 83-86mph on the level in still air (the engine was a belter), according to satnav. Given you've a decent grounding in aerodynamics reading your post in another thread (...didn't know existed one I think) what are your thoughts regarding the airflow past these ancient beasties?

[Bfg]

.

Thanks fdb

 

The car could very much do with a paint job - to be just one colour, but with having spent my money on Hemple's new formula 2-pack  ..which was a disaster, and my now having no money - it'll just have to go without.

 

Thanks I'll try veg oil at some time.  No rubber donuts on the Ami-S, just big aluminium cones. But I can pull back the rubber gaiters (where the tie rods come out) to squirt oil into the cans.  I presume I'll need to release all the load off the springs and loosen the can's nuts to turn them - so as to get the oil all around their insides ?  What quantity might you recommend in each ?

 

" how are you coping with the noise and have you ventured on longer trips ? "  Nope, sorry to report that after taking the car to the local Lakeside cafe six weeks ago, it came back here & sat out in the rain for a couple of weeks while I used the garage to sort out bike bits ..to put for sale on ebay.  Thereafter I put the car in the garage, did the fuel tank gasket, and it hasn't turned a wheel since.  

 

After working six-day-weeks for 8 months and life seemingly kicking me in the bollocks at every turn ..I guess I'm just burnt out.  I bought what I hoped would be an inexpensive and simple little Citroen to enjoy ..back in November 2015, and unwittingly it then took 20 months before it was roadworthy ..but still unpainted, untrimmed, and crying out for gearbox rebuild.  Bottom line : The moment has long since passed and its cost is four times what I wanted to spend.  It was a huge mistake.

 

Subsequently I've needed to sell bike-stuff on ebay, not least because September is when my car and bike insurance bills come in, followed soon thereafter by the MOT on the Chrysler (which may be terminal this year). I've also an inexplicable desire to buy some heating oil.  Ebay is for me utterly depressing ..and yet I need to sell up.  In the meantime I dare not consider anything remotely creative / another project (..which as a design-engineer drives & defines me), so I have no motivation to do anything.  I drag myself out by the scruff of the neck to roll in fibreglass dust and apply more stickiness ..in an attempt to build a 200ltr water tank into the bottom of the boat.  And when that's done I have another to do under its sole boards. 

 

As soon as the (sold) project Sunbeam m/c is eventually paid for & picked up - I'll move the car out of the garage so I can get to the work-bench.  I plan to keep pushing myself through boat and bike jobs through the winter months, and by next springtime I hope to have found renewed-enthusiasm for the Ami-S.  If not then I'll just have to cut my losses and be rid of it.  In my present mindset - it's not a potentially great fun 1970's Autoshite Q-car ..its just another bill and another lump always in the way.

 

re. aerodynamics ..further thanks. In that post I was replying to a specific enquiry pertaining to drag.  But I did let my mind wander when I bought this car < here >. 

 

My sincere apologies for a gloomy answer.  Unfortunately I go through these phases this sort of time each year.  I just need to achieve something and that will pucker me up again. 

 

Bfg.

 

p.s. for anyone prone to demotivation < here's > an interesting perspective, albeit written by an American. 

 

21,287 views

[stuboy]

take a break and go back to the ami when your better minded.