Easy and bastard jobs

[forddeliveryboy]

Rear parking brake shoes on RWD Mercs, for Christs sake buy the right £12 tool from ebay to release the horseshoe clips, it can be done with pliers etc i did it, but its a bloody nightmare and even longer than 3 weeks for the wheals and blisters on yer fingers to mend and your neighbours will never forget the new words they learned.

 

 

Whereas the same setup on a Volvo is a piece of cake.

 

 

...& GS.

 

Nothing like a GS/a for challenging jobs - an ancient 200,000 miler a girlfriend had needed a rear brake pipe replacing - anyone who has ever done the same on a 2cv will have some idea of the impossibility of getting it right. As with the 2cv, said pipe entered the rear axle tube at a secret location, then loops-the-loop many times (the company grew so carried away with technically correct engineering they wouldn't use any nasty rubber hose to allow for movement) inside the axle before emerging at the end of the tube, then down to the brake.

 

Except on a G, the anti-roll bar runs inside the rear axle tube. I took one look and re-routed the whole thing externally, with my own bit of pipe. Thing is, those cars rarely needed such attention because they were well-designed and things like brake pipes were coated with stuff which is probably illegal today. In contrast a BX, grafted over a 405 platform, had the suspension and brake pipes all run just forward of a rear wheel, guaranteeing failure sooner than later. 

[Guest Hooli]

Already decided to only touch the H6, which, shouldn't* get head troubles, if it does it'll get bloody scrapped, no way am i tackling that sod, the bloody sparky plugs were bad enough.

 

What was worse is that it lasted 12 miles. Turned out to be a cracked head or block ffs.

[Fabergé Greggs]

Brake and clutch master cylinders on an X1/9.

 

Outside on the street.

 

Steering column down and out of the way, drivers seat out, and then 2 days on your back in the most cramped footwell imaginable, fluid dripping on your face.

 

Strip a union and start again. Joy!

[Guest Hooli]

Replacing the mainshaft in a Discovery gearbox, in the road was interesting. I was impressed when I put it back & the gearbox felt better than every other LT77 I'd driven.

[davidfowler2000]

Bastard job:
Gearbox oil filter on a ZF 4HP500. Mostly because the sump plug has corroded and I had to tip 17 litres of oil out the filter housing (seen in hand) by loosening the 4 bolts and letting it dribble out.

Note: ATF Dex II makes not for good shampoo

[srad34]

Cambelts on a Alfa 156 V6.....Verdict = Twat

[New POD]

I recently paid someone to do some lower front wishbone bushes on the BINI.

 

2 weeks later I paid someone else to replace the exhaust.

 

He spotted the wishbone bushes and asked how much I'd been charged.

 

He asked if they overran with the job. (by 24 hours !!!!!!!) you have to drop the engine subframe apparently. He charges a lot more than I was charged, but then he was cheaper for the exhaust, which looks like a bugger to do without a 4 poster.

[lisbon_road]

Hard: Changing a door on the Vauxhall Viva meant getting the hinge pins out.  After many decades they did not want to come out and are made of mild steel anyway.  Bad.

 

I really didn't enjoy doing the clutch on a 57 plate diesel Fiesta.

 

Changing points on a 2CV.  Gave up.  

 

Easy?  Clutch on an early Mk3 Astra.  Drive shaft on a Sierra.  

[drum]

My amateur mechanicing finds most things bastardish.

 

I put a rear half chassis on a series Land Rover without taking the body off. That was a pain as the rear cross member wasn't square to the chassis rails. Chassis bushes are irksome too.

 

Audi A4 front suspension was much more difficult than the Alfa 147 for me when I had to change springs. The top mount of an mk5 astra defeated me and I had to put a whole new* strut on. The air filter on a 147 is much more difficult than it should be.

 

Most things on the allegro are a dawdle. Bought and fitted a new alternator while at a show a couple of weekends ago. The starter motor takes 5 minutes to replace.

[sierraman]

I love how people rave about the 2CV being so simple you could fix it anywhere. Loads of jobs are an absolute pig.

[twosmoke300]

See also beetle ! Oh yeh the engine comes out in 10 mins - my big fat Arse it does !

[Guest Hooli]

See also beetle ! Oh yeh the engine comes out in 10 mins - my big fat Arse it does !

Pour salt water over the car n wait 10mins.

[Tetleysmooth]

Good day yesterday on my 'new' V70.

Re-did my rear brakes, because I'd stupidly forgot to put a smear of grease on the back of the pad shims. Squealing like a banshee.

Fitted a spare indicator stalk I had lying around as the original one didn't cancel the offside indicator. It still doesn't cancel, so something a bit deeper to investigate there.

I've been waiting for a new nearside wishbone to arrive. After I put all my tools away and settled down for an hours snooze, sure enough, it turned up. It took all my willpower to get my tools out again. Glad I did. I was somewhat apprehensive of doing the wishbone as I'd never done one before. What an absolute piece of piss. Need to get the tracking done now. And yes, I did remember to jack the hub up to ride height before tightening the bolts.

While I was rummaging in my tools, I found a long T40 Torx bit. Hold on, thought I, that's what I need for my 'stat housing. So, with heart in mouth, I tackled the 'stat cover bolts. They both cracked off easily, possibly because I'd previously soaked them in Weasel piss. New 'stat fitted. What a difference!! A couple of jobs I'd been dreading turned out to be a walk in the park.

 

As an aside, if you're shopping on Ebay for car parts, I can recommend Euro Car Parts. I think they also trade under Car Parts For Less. Lightning quick delivery. I ordered my new 'stat on Saturday morning, and it arrived Sunday afternoon.

The brake parts I ordered a few weeks ago, turned up 24 hours later on Bank Holiday Monday. Brilliant service.

[twosmoke300]

"As an aside, if you're shopping on Ebay for car parts, I can recommend Euro Car Parts. I think they also trade under Car Parts For Less. Lightning quick delivery. I ordered my new 'stat on Saturday morning, and it arrived Sunday afternoon.

The brake parts I ordered a few weeks ago, turned up 24 hours later on Bank Holiday Monday. Brilliant service."

 

This has to be a joke yeh ?

[oldcars]

On my Reliant, Easy - nothing. Bastard - Everything   but that may be more down to me than anything else.

[Tetleysmooth]

 

 

This has to be a joke yeh ?

 

Nope, no joke. My own personal experience with them has been excellent.

 

You may have other tales to tell.

[Tetleysmooth]

Actually, having looked again, I think ECP also trade as 'carpartsbargains' on Ebay.

Still a bloody good service though.

[Supernaut]

ECP do also operate under the name carparts4less and have an entire website under the other name.

 

It's mail order only and sometimes cheaper than ECP, but if ECP have an offer on, you can beat the carparts4less prices easily.

[matty879]

Bastard job... I once changed the gearbox in a Renault 19 diesel on the drive. Massive fun!

done one of those myself,engine out job

[matty879]

head gasket on a mk2 focus diesel 2.0 tdci thing

2 bloody days it took me.

 

head gasket on my jiffy 2hrs

[Asimo]

Easy job : buying a boring car. Bastard job : selling a boring car.

[twosmoke300]

I find boring cars easy to sell / it's the interesting ones that no fucker wants

[drum]

Anyone changed the glow plugs on a disco 3 ?

[twosmoke300]

Isn't it body off on early ones or is that a trade myth ?

[Richard]

Much harder than it needs to be- changing a Mk6/7 Transit mirror. It's held on by three different bolts- standard 8mm head, 6mm shear head not sheared and shear head sheared.

[drum]

Isn't it body off on early ones or is that a trade myth ?

My local indy were having fun doing it. Think they cut a hole in the inner wing or something daft, to avoid body off malarkey.

[fraser.innes.3]

done one of those myself,engine out job

If it is the same as a megane, then you can hold the engine up with a hoist, then drop the subframe off. Still a bastard of a job though.

 

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[DodgeRover]

Rear injectors on a diesel grand Cherokee, supposed to be engine out to do it - or you can cut flap or a hole in the bulkhead.

[Tamworthbay]

See also beetle ! Oh yeh the engine comes out in 10 mins - my big fat Arse it does !

even worse when they stuck it up the arse of a van, only four bolts, true but two were positioned in such a way as to pay us back for winning the war.

[DodgeRover]

Rear bank of plugs on V6 ford maverick, pub knowledge says they're supposed to be a swine and they don't get changed. Easy!