Dave21478 fleet status update. Caution - blogpost ahead.

[dave21478]

Not much happening these days chez dave. Work etc, but thats not very interesting.

 

Car-wise, the shitlander has reverted to stereotype and crapped its transmission.....well it hasnt yet, but the noise coming from the gearbox suggests the end is very fucking nigh indeed. It whines and roars when on the power and goes silent when I lift off on the over run or coast in neutral. Its started chattering loudly at idle in neutral which stops when I press the clutch, so thats probably the input shaft bearing, and its starting to crunch into 4th. Verdict...kippered gearbox. Granted, it could soldier on for a few thousand miles still, but equally it could also fail reversing out the garage tomorrow. So, what do? Im fed up spending on the car and finding a replacement box for reasonable money isnt easy, but then one came up a few days ago at a price thats not too offensive.....but it will need a new clutch disc, slave cylinder and bits n bobs, so the price adds up. I was set to buy something else and have been scanning leboncoin every day but typically when I am looking and have cash nothing turns up for sale. I need a 4x4 that can tow up to 2 tons and would prefer something older and not so complicated so am looking for early Frontera, Cherokee, Terrano 1, Musso,...that sort of thing. 

There are a couple of SWB Frontera 2 litre pez models up nearby but they are 1900 each. Im not paying two fucking grand for an old fronty, although one does look exceedingly minty, but still...two fucking grand....no way.

 

So as a stopgap I have dragged the old Mazda B2500 out of the bottom of the garden.

 

It has proved impossible to sell every time I have tried to get rid, attracting the worst of humanity every time, with people expecting a new truck with full history and a years guarantee (granted it does look good in photos) for a grand so I invariably get the hump, tell everyone to fuck right off and withdraw the advert. Just as well really as I need the fucker now.

Its one of these twin cab wanker-wagons although its refreshing devoid of overly macho model names like Ultimate Trojan Warrior or whatever Mitsubishi are calling them this month. It does have council estate spec Carlos Fandango wheels though, which I kinda like!

Problems....its missing most of its exhaust and its rotten as fuck. So I should at least do something about that before putting it in for a CT test. I backed it up onto some old tyres and got busy.

 

The exhaust was easy enough. I went full pikey and welded a patch on the silencer which was burst open right down its side and I made up the missing rear pipework with some offcuts of old exhaust out the farm scrap pile.

 

Typical chassis rot....

 

Patches on the patches....

 

 

The other side will get done tomorrow and that should be the back end solid enough. The front seems ok-ish. Rot isnt a major problem for the CT here so long as the axle isnt hanging off or something so I reckon this should be ok. 

A while back I bought a set of these Skin Cancer Special chinese welding goggles....

Which have proved pretty handy as a normal welding mask is a PITA when welding up close to a floor and chassis rails. Granted the massive dose of EM radiation to the face is a bit of a minor hassle but you cant have everything, I suppose.

 

Once done I will cover it all up with something. I have a load of drums of old engine oil so Im thinking a disposable boiler suit, face mask and an old paint spray gun full of oil should do the trick and probably still leave me looking like Shefags avatar.

Its never going to be a long term keeper but if I can prevent it folding in half while towing for at least this summer until I find something decent that will be enough.

 

In other news the Escort is still plodding along although it seems down on power. It also has gaping rot holes in its sills and rear chassis legs, but there is no fucking way Im going to do anything about that. Its CTd till next April then it will probably get scrapped. It only owes me a few hundred euros and I cant be arsed dealing with the kind of people who are willing to buy a sub 500 euro rotten old Escort estate.

 

The Panda 4x4 eventually passed its CT retest. A replacement carb sorted the emissions and I had a massive ball ache with the headlights. I went down for the restest and intended to buy a new bulb as one was blown in the shop across from the test centre before the retest but as I was fitting it the reflector fell off its mountings and was flopping about inside the lense. FUCK. Abandoned the retest and went home (40 minute journey each way!) where after some fucking with a heat gun I got the lense off the plastic and wanged the reflector back onto its mounts with wee self-tapping screws.

Its a happy wee thing to drive, but it makes some worrying noises. There is a constant dry bearing sort of noise when its hot. I took the belt off to rule out alt and water pump and it still does it. Seems to be coming from the back of the engine....cam bearings? dunno. Maybe its normal? tbh I have never seen one of these running anywhere else.

It also has a rythmic clunk in reverse. It does it when backing up or even when coasting forwards or backwards in reverse gear with the clutch down so that sounds like a gearbox or diff problem.

Solution.....ignore for now and dont reverse too much.

 

The Metro is still pissing its coolant every chance it gets. I dunno....I need to change the header tank, but Im beginning to think it may have HGF after all. The hoses get a lot of pressure in them when its hot. I will investigate one of these sniff-test things.

Not the end of the world, and A-series head gasket is a piece of piss to change.

 

Thats all folks.

 

 

 

 

[dave21478]

Different engine IIRC. Mine is an early pushrod engine and most others are ohc FIRE engines.

 

Although I think VIN has the same lump in his wee van.

[hairnet]

 

 

one was blown in the shop across from the test centre before the retest

 

where is this shop and are they cheap or did you get it with the ct fee

 

one wishes to know

[stuboy]

i like the truck

[cort16]

I like these pickups. I've got an overwhelming urge to buy a Ford Ranger but I hear they're pretty shite to drive and pretty juicey as an every day car.

Pretty impressive grot too. What year is it?

[dave21478]

Its a 2001. Mine is identical in every way to a Ranger apart from the badges and grill.

They are all shit to drive from this era.....torsion bars on the front, some might have mac struts and they all have leaf sprung rears. Bouncy as fuck, but settle a bit with some weight in the back. Mega tail-happy in the wet when unladen.

I got High 20s MPGs, seems to make no difference if Im babying it or thrashing or towing.

 

Im curious to know if the new range of "luxury" pickups have the same suspension and ride problems....stuff like the VW Amarok is being marketed to luxury SUV drivers but I wonder if its as agricultural to drive as the earlier stuff like mine.

[JohnDeere]

stuff like the VW Amarok is being marketed to luxury SUV drivers but I wonder if its as agricultural to drive as the earlier stuff like mine.

Amarok is uncomfortable as shit in the back (double dab), bouncing along on cart springs. I don't normally get car sick...

[Lacquer Peel]

Its a 2001. Mine is identical in every way to a Ranger apart from the badges and grill.

They are all shit to drive from this era.....torsion bars on the front, some might have mac struts and they all have leaf sprung rears. Bouncy as fuck, but settle a bit with some weight in the back. Mega tail-happy in the wet when unladen.

I got High 20s MPGs, seems to make no difference if Im babying it or thrashing or towing.

 

Im curious to know if the new range of "luxury" pickups have the same suspension and ride problems....stuff like the VW Amarok is being marketed to luxury SUV drivers but I wonder if its as agricultural to drive as the earlier stuff like mine.

The new Navara uses coil springs at the rear

I've driven recentish Hiluxes and they're surprisingly comfy, leafs at the back as usual but coils and double wishbones at the front.

[cobblers]

The new Navara uses coil springs at the rear

I've driven recentish Hiluxes and they're surprisingly comfy, leafs at the back as usual but coils and double wishbones at the front.

 

There must be some different types of hiluxes. My mums mate has a 10 plate hilux and it rides horrible, and the gaffer at work has a 15 plate one and again it's horrible - Jarring, clunky and way too stiff. Neither of them have ever or will ever put any weight in them, but the suspension definitely feels like it'd be alright with about another 600KG on board, but unladen they find every lump in the road and cos they're so high they catapult you all over the place from it and feel like they're almost topping out the dampers all the time.

 

I've driven some real shit and I'm used to stuff with absolutely no suspension at all (from the ages of 21-28 I drove VWs with cheap coilovers and about 1" suspension travel) but they were all a lot less upsetting than a stock hilux.

[michael1703]

Isn't this the "bat shit" truck?

[cort16]

Those Amoraks are enormous. I see the new Ranger has a 3.2 diesel engine I'm disappointed they didn't fit the 1.0 ecoboost.

 

Also.

 

[dave21478]

I knew this would take a couple of days at my usual half-assed pace and since I couldnt be bothered shuffling the garage around to make room, thats why I started working on it outside.....after all, its summer, right?

 

Oh look, its pissing down with rain again.

 

[Lacquer Peel]

There must be some different types of hiluxes. My mums mate has a 10 plate hilux and it rides horrible, and the gaffer at work has a 15 plate one and again it's horrible - Jarring, clunky and way too stiff. Neither of them have ever or will ever put any weight in them, but the suspension definitely feels like it'd be alright with about another 600KG on board, but unladen they find every lump in the road and cos they're so high they catapult you all over the place from it and feel like they're almost topping out the dampers all the time.

 

I've driven some real shit and I'm used to stuff with absolutely no suspension at all (from the ages of 21-28 I drove VWs with cheap coilovers and about 1" suspension travel) but they were all a lot less upsetting than a stock hilux

 

Maybe nothing in the back is a problem, the Hiluxes I drove always had a load of tools in the back.

They also had the last of the old shape Rangers on the fleet, they were more fun to drive with perkier engines but less comfy.

 

My Caddy (not Cadillac) has rear leafs and rides okay with nothing in the back, it only has a few leafs though.

 

Hope the weather improves davenumbers.

[Ghosty]

A lot of Fords are ridiculously bouncy in the rear. Feeble little ten year old me could play basketball with the rear end of the mother's old sad face Fiesta, the suspension was that soft, and going over a speedbump at any speed sitting in the back of a 2010 Transit minibus is extremely uncomfortable, the thing tops out, slams down, bottoms out, and wobbles its way back to normal.

[dave21478]

Lovely day today so I finished the welding. Much the same as the other side, but with the brake compensator valve in the way. With it off and dangling by its pipes I welded in two long patches, then drilled holes, sunk in and welded a couple of M8 nuts to take new bolts to refix the valve.

The valve is seized solid in the unladen position...not sure if thats a fail or not here. I thought about trying to free it off but the bleed nipples look fucked so I decided to leave it as is or I will never be able to bleed the rear end afterwards.

 

 

Its battery is dead so I took the second battery from the Freelander and fitted that. It starts up and runs really nicely and sounds a fair bit quieter now that it has a functioning exhaust.

Gave it a wash and hoover out and thats it for now. I couldnt be assed spraying oil today so will leave that till later. I will insure it tomorrow morning and give it a run, then CT test later in the week, depending on work commitments.