The new news 24 thread

[dollywobbler]

I've been working on the 2CV today, taking some pics for a feature. I'm pretty horrified at how rotten it has become in places. It looks like I've driven it through the sea! One of the captive-bolts that holds the rear of the front wing on is distinctly un-captive. Balls. Looks like more money is going to have to be thrown at it. The case for taking it off the road over the winter gets ever-larger.

[barefoot]

Failed on a couple of expected things, but also on the bloody rear fog light.

This is the 3rd year on the trot that he's failed it on the thing.

Firstly because it didn't have one - built 79, registered 80 so it should, but its gone 29 years without one.

Last year, because it was smashed to bits - well it wasn't when I took it down

& this year because it apparently doesn't work.

How would I know?

I've never used it, I only drive the vehicle in reasonable weather!

[Skizzer]

Changed the blown headlamp bulb on the Rover. This may not sound like much, but it's not a trivial job on a 75 as you have to go in through the wheel arch.

 

So far so good. However:

 

The new bulb is a good deal brighter than the old one. Being a good citizen, filled with bravado and thinking ahead a couple of months to the MOT, I thought I might as well do the other side. Jacked up the offside, got the axle stand underneath, released the retaining spring... at which point OF FUCKING COURSE the spring pings free of its mounting. FUCKNUTS. This thing is buried down a big hole, totally out of sight and barely in reach, strictly left hand only (I'm very right handed).

 

Does this mean I'm going to have to take the bloody wing off, just to change a bulb?

[Skizzer]

Does this mean I'm going to have to take the bloody wing off, just to change a bulb?

 

Not quite, as it turns out. (The suspense was killing you, right?) Got there in the end, although I did have to remove the wheel. I'm off to have a rant in the GOM thread now.

[Cavcraft]

Applied light amount of elbow grease to Corsa on Sunday, came up a treat though a couple of minor OAP dings/'repairs' were highlighted. Pictures don't show how clean it actually is, the paintwork (mostly) shines like new.

 

 

Head has gone off for crack test/skim today, hoping to have it back later. Headgasket etc going to be collected later too, then just need to finish off thoroughly cleaning the mating surfaces and some* reassembly.

 

Other fleet news: Finally managed to get the seals for the (diesel) pump on the Aldi, so once fitted and maybe a tyre or two it should actually be ready for MOT. This has been a long time coming and I've missed the economy plus the fact I can just welly it round everywhere and throw copious amounts of shit in the back of it and not have to worry about making it look worse.

Prised the stupid/pointless 'Supercharged' badge off the back of the Merc. It's not a supercharged one so can only imagine some sad case fitted it previously. Had a bit of a laugh in it this morning on the motorway when some cockwad in an A4 tried to overtake on the inside. The last I saw of him he was just a dot in the rear view mirror, hopefully choking on his ego.

 

*Edit: head back already, had a few thou shaved off and two valves needed reseating so was £50.

[dollywobbler]

2CV is out of action while I await some fresh electrical connectors. I've forked out a slightly scary £22 for just TEN of the proper, Citroen-style connectors. I'd better not ruin any when I fit them...

 

The Maverick brought about 300kg of timber home today though. Made it a bit slower uphill, but otherwise it was fine - now the brakes are working on all wheels.

[messerschmitt owner]

BX exhaust ordered and booked in to get fitted at the local garage, who I shall sadly miss as I now seem to be moving fifteen miles to the Forest of Dean to a house in a 0.2 acre plot, with three receptions (one ex-shop) and four bedrooms plus an ex abbatoir for a garage and workshop. Garage is 24ft x 10 and workshop is part of the same building with vehicle access and double doors and is 17ftx10 on each of two storeys.

 

And to cap it all Council tax band B.

 

SWMBO has already bee told I'll need a cheap 4x4, diesel or lpg converted, for the winter

[Cavcraft]

Nearly there with the Corsa: head etc back on but the cam belt is being a turd, lost count how many times my lad took the bastarding water pump tensioner on/off only to find the belt is still too slack. Cold/wind/run out of swear words (old and new)/darkness stopped play, but we'll try again soon.

 

This afternoon I was bolting the inlet manifold back on to the head and using the last of my (excellent) S-K degreaser to clean the rocker cover which I'd stripped down. The oil breather gauze was absolutely minging but is now miles better.

[wackywacerwill]

Well, got tied up in the shite driving of others on the way to hols on friday, very not pleased. Siting in the middle lane in the busy A2 when a non discript modern Vauxhall MPV came racing up on the outside and piled into the back of a lorry that had slammed a happy on the brakes 4x4 in front. Instead of just taking the blow for his poor driving standards Mr Vauxhall put a swerve on into me, a natural reaction perhaps but I was not best pleased and told him so in no uncertain words at my earliest conveinince (middle lane of the A2)

Could of be far worse, fat wheels saved the worst (tracking needs a tweak) family fine no one else hurt etc. Excanged details and all then got going but stopped near the coast as time was getting on and I wanted to sort insurance before they closed shop.

Best part of an hour on the phone informed me that my van would be a wright off due to being pre 2001 and I could sue any tom dick and harry for my incoveinince In the mean time the rear tyre went flat Spare has clearly been under the van since the early 90's when it rolled out of Dagnham, I'd kicked in to see if it had air and noted the bulgy sidewall but never once did see fit to see if the fucker would actually become unattched from it's mounting Nigh on 20 year old wing nut undrneath a van=no chance. Broke my best hammer trying. Blunt chisel and wheel brace won through in the end and a happy holiday was had. Still a little pissed as it was the best panel on the van which is/was the tidiest Tranny I've ever owned, now looks proper pikey like all the others.

In natural environment, Sun £9.50 hols FTW

Got a call from Mr Vauxhalls insurance on the Saturday whilst in the pub and have a check in the post for 600 to get it sorted, again could be far, far worse. Looking at adding the 600 to the bike fund and waiting till I have time to buy and fit all the panels the van needs to get looking straight again.

 

In the mean time, I haz new shite.

Part owned with my mate Matt again although he's yet to stump up his share the tight wad. Plan's to get it to mot spec then wack it on the bay 99p no reserve and she how it does. Yellow, auto, slightly scuffed, got to be a great first car for someone. Needs a battery and 3 windows to go up and down at first inspection though no time has been spent looking at present. Got it back to Matt's tonight on the trusty, rusty and slightly battered transit, his neighbors were missing the Micra

Sounds like you have room to spare for tat storage, decent AS rate?

 

Cav

Ain't they non interference like the smaller ones, sure you don't have the wrong belt?

[alf892]

Cav..........there is a little lug on the water pump and if you don't locate it correctly (in cut out) the tensioner won't move far enough to tension the belt. Its very easy to get wrong as not that easy to see.........especially when working in the dark!

[Cavcraft]

Cheers gents. This is a non-interference engine, the water pump is the one already on the car (it'd only done a handful of miles) and I'd not noticed the pump taken out, though my son may have done so!

He did say there was a dowl (or something) on the water pump tensioner, and that it had to be located properly but we'd done that having closed the gap on the adjuster and putting a pin in to lock it in position until the tensioner had been placed and tightened up. This sort of seemed to work and whilst the slack was too much it actually got worse the more we tried it! My lad reckons we need to keep the belt level, or sort of pull it over to the left as we're looking at it, as this help even the tension.

 

We're sort of (temporarily) knackered now because the fella who picked the head up for me forgot to mention the lifters (or whatever they are) needed squeezing, so the bastarding thing has to come back off again now

Will have another bash at it (probably weekend now) and see how we get on. Cheers for the info about the pump, much appreciated.

[alf892]

I wouldn't worry too much about the followers/lifters........all they will do is hold the valves open a bit when you try and start it. As long as you have planty of battery power they will sort themselves out...

[Cavcraft]

Many thanks. Alf.

We were told if we didn't squeeze them that the old (contaminated) oil inside them would make the car sound as rough as arseholes and cause us grief, hence pondering taking the head off again, getting them out and squeezing them in a vice.

Also, like a twerp, when I refitted the inlet manifold I didn't fully tighten the bolts as there are a couple of metal brackets that I wasn't sure were in the right place. When we put the head etc back on yesterday I thought I'd be able to access the bolts to tighten them up but three of the bottom ones are an absolute swine to get to, so we may have to remove the head to get to these anyhow

[alf892]

OK...........get some better tools though!!! them bolts shouldn't be too bad with a 3/8 set and suitable selection of extensions. By leaving the head on you would save the cost of new bolts which would pay for the tools.

 

Looks like it will be a lovely little motor though

[messerschmitt owner]

I've actually found some of the best tools I have ever used for confined spaces are the various Halfords professional/advanced ratchet spanners. They are genuinely fantastic. So much so, I bought some cranked Clarke ones too.

[Cavcraft]

I've got Halfords Pro stuff, not sure about ratchet spanners but I'll have a look, cheers. I think half the problem is having unfeasibly large hands, which really don't help on jobs like this!

My lad's been on, he's spoken to one of the long term mechanics at work who agrees with you Alf and has told him he reckons the followers will be ok as they are, so thankfully that looks like a job saved.

[RobT]

Ratchet spanners are great, but the flexible head can mean that if it's not seated on the nut properly there's a risk of rounding off when you apply pressure - maybe it's me just being a dork but I've nearly been caught out a few times! They're £40 a set last time I looked.

[messerschmitt owner]

Ratchet spanners are great, but the flexible head can mean that if it's not seated on the nut properly there's a risk of rounding off when you apply pressure - maybe it's me just being a dork but I've nearly been caught out a few times! They're £40 a set last time I looked.

I've a mix of fixed head and flexible head ones!

 

I always had a problem with the exhaust studs on the smart roadster in that I could never get a socket in to get them tight enough and a normal spanner was 1/8 turn at a time. The ratchet spanner did it up a treat and it hasn't worked loose ever again!

[vulgalour]

"Holy fuck, it really is snowing!" Mister Bunny seemed to say.

 

 

Bloody cold out it is too! It had better not be a repeat of earlier this year, I could do without that.

[cort16]

When I bought my 740i part of the deal was I had to give the wheels back. Obviously I've done bugger all about finding another set but my mate who I got it off is starting to ball ache me about getting the wheels back (fair enough it was 2 months ago) so I went on gumtree and found a set of 17" wheels with good tyres for £150. I arranged to go and see them tonight but needed to take the 740i today as it's the only thing I've got big enough to get the 4 wheels in. I went out to it this morning to be greeted to the sound of the starter slowly bleeting like a drunk goat. Great, a flat battery. I've tried jumping it off the Audi before and it's never worked. The result is I'm going to see wheels in a car not big enough to get the wheels in so I've had to ditch the spare out the Audi to put one of the wheels in. Fingers crossed for no flat tyres!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I was doing quite well doing my king of the rattlecans act spraying the Mini wing - best results I'd ever had with them.

 

Then a faulty can of lacquer vomited little white flecks all over it. It should have been finished today, instead I'm sanding it back to the colour coat to rectify it

[Cavcraft]

New pump seals fitted to Audi. Wasn't a bad job at all, managed to drop a bolt into the engine bay and spent longer fishing it back out than it took to change the seals!

Now the car won't start, but I'm not that arsed as expected to have to bleed it anyhow. I did (very quickly) try and bleed it from the top but no joy so far, it'll probably want bleeding from each injector in turn like a couple of Transits I once had did.

[barefoot]

T2 passed MOT - apparently the back corners are rotten, but not structural - the holiday starts here.

 

In other news, Mrs barefoot has a meeting in Watford tomorrow so I took her into work this morning so she can come home in a company car.

Between 7 & 8 this morning, the M1 Northbound was a spectacularly horrible place to be.

Snow & sleet & rain & I took the winter tyres off only last week.

Coming back Southbound, saw Northbound completely stationary.

[Cavcraft]

So nearly there!

Got it all back together, timing belt adjusted to how it should be (thanks, Alf) but the sodding thing isn't firing up. Yet. Hoping to God it's the timing out as we think the 'dizzy' isn't lined up correctly (it's very dark now and doing everything by wind up torch is awkward at best!) so we'll have another look asap in the daylight.

Worse comes to worse it's a head off again job and squeeze the bloody lifters.

Autoshite fingers crossed/group prayer please!

[Pete-M]

100 watchers on the 604. Probably mostly you lot.

[ashmicro]

Changed the window motor and regulator in an E46 today. Piss easy, one very happy neighbour, and only £20 from Railway Auto Spares Ballynahinch.

[eddyramrod]

Sun £9.50 hols FTW

 

Couldn't agree more, done that several times. We will definitely be doing them again when we're back. Went to Italy with it in 2002 for Mrs R's birthday!

[cort16]

I haz alloyz! £140 and they tyres are 2x Continentals and 2 x Goodyears. Quite chuffed but I hope they fit.

 

I also went to fit the new brake cylinder to the sd1 tonight and found the nut on the brake pipe had rounded. I was just about to put the grips on it when I noticed no more seepy brake fluid on the cylinder. I put the hub back on, started it and pushed the pedal has hard as I could, whipped the hub back off and no fluid on the cylinder.

I'm thinking the fluid I saw on Saturday was from when I was being a twat and pushed the brake pedal with the hub off and it nearly popped the cylinders out. I cleaned it all up but I think there might have been an after dribble. I've got the new cylinder there so if it starts dribbling again I'll change it along with the brake pipe but for now I cannie be arsed changing it if I don't have to.

[MrDuke]

Just arrived home with the Scrote and a large grin Pegged at 60 all the way due to painful steering judder (tracking?) and doing an excellent impression of an air-cooled VW like all good CVHs should Also some impressive crashing over bumps as it was a bit lower than it looked in the pics, but still handles well enough. Can't believe how good it feels being behind a brown dashboard again...

Pics may follow tomorrow.

[ashmicro]

^I read that as "a large gin". I need a night out!

 

Today, I shall be mostly looking at this with a view to buying it:

 

 

1984 944 S 2+2. I reckon it's maybe a bit salty @ 3 bags, but if it's a good 'un I'll offer 2 and a half. Difficult to tell from such a shit photo.