Weekend repairs - In no particular order, Rover Coupe, 75, Mini

[matt27]

I was thinking £8 for the door.

 

As some of you may remember I was given the car by a member of this parish following it's engine locking up by swallowing water. All I had to pay for was trailer rental and fuel for my Range Rover so a million pounds is all it owes me! A local friend has taken the interior and I have not managed to salvage much for myself so just a few pounds towards my recover costs would be helpful if anybody needs anything from it. Price wise I am easy so just tell me what I am getting and I am sure we will not fall out. I plan to send it on its way in a few weeks time so anybody should say now if you want something off it.

 

Thanks Six-cylinder, I'll let you know asap - you don't know the paint code do you? Would be very handy if it bolted straight on!

[matt27]

Don't worry, its dark blue, I'm blind!

 

I'll talk to my neighbour at the weekend.

[Noel Tidybeard]

maybe a mini meet at the field of dreams would end with a fixerated Raver 75 and some shenanigans with mr cylinders "metal pets"

[sierraman]

Providing you've a mate to hold the door while you do he nuts up its a doddle to swap a door.

 

Spraying the door probably won't match in, likely need the rear quarter painting. Be prepared for the neighbour thinking cause its an old car he can buy you a crate of lager and all will be forgotten. I'd scour eBay for for same colour.

[matt27]

Providing you've a mate to hold the door while you do he nuts up its a doddle to swap a door.

 

Spraying the door probably won't match in, likely need the rear quarter painting. Be prepared for the neighbour thinking cause its an old car he can buy you a crate of lager and all will be forgotten. I'd scour eBay for for same colour.

 

Quite!

 

Thankfully my wife is more than happy assisting in car maintenance!

 

Luckily I work in fleet so plenty of contacts with bodyshops and insurers which means I can get everything costed up before speaking to my neighbour.

 

If it was a rubbish car, I'd just slap any colour door on (we had a multi-coloured Micra for a while) but I'd like to keep at least one of ours cars in good condition

[oldcars]

Quite!

 

Thankfully my wife is more than happy assisting in car maintenance!

 

Luckily I work in fleet so plenty of contacts with bodyshops and insurers which means I can get everything costed up before speaking to my neighbour.

 

If it was a rubbish car, I'd just slap any colour door on (we had a multi-coloured Micra for a while) but I'd like to keep at least one of ours cars in good condition

You may know this but if you pop your vin in here, you drop the first SAR part, you can get all the build data when it came off the production line, trim etc. I find it very interesting, but then i'm odd.

 

http://www.mg-rover.info/get_info.htm?

[matt27]

You may know this but if you pop your vin in here, you drop the first SAR part, you can get all the build data when it came off the production line, trim etc. I find it very interesting, but then i'm odd.

 

http://www.mg-rover.info/get_info.htm?

 

Thanks, yes I have seen that before and also find it intersted - don't worry, I'm just as odd!

[Six-cylinder]

 - you don't know the paint code do you? Would be very handy if it bolted straight on!

 

Midnight Blue JVZ

[Six-cylinder]

maybe a mini meet at the field of dreams would end with a fixerated Raver 75 and some shenanigans with mr cylinders "metal pets"

 

No problem working at the Field of Dreams and making it a social if you like.

[Parky]

Is this the right colour? £99 if so

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-75-MG-ZT-COMPLETE-REAR-PASSENGER-SIDE-LEFT-DOOR-PAINT-CODE-JFV-BLUE/132377512359?hash=item1ed25089a7:g:lisAAOSwyYFZ8y7k

 

This one looks more like it though at a more reasonable £30

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-75-MGZT-Nearside-Passenger-Left-Side-Rear-Door-In-Royal-Blue-JFM/173162793979?hash=item28514e8bfb:g:G0sAAOSw3fZaEDTZ

 

Or here's a billy bargain at £12.50!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-Rover-75-Diesel-2-0-Rear-Door-Passenger-Side-Colour-Blue-Code-JFM/273040357415?hash=item3f92793827:g:pcoAAOSwiYlZ62fq

[matt27]

Mine is black unfortunately, not so many of those on ebay.

 

I'm going to assume my paint code is PMF as that's what is on the chassis plate, for some reason the mg-rover.info checker has it down as PAK - a mistake in their records I think.

 

I have a relationship with a vehicle dismantler through work, so hopefully they should be able to find me a door in the right colour at a good price - otherwise I'll be looking at spraying six-cylinders one!

[Parky]

Here's a black one should your place not find anything

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-75-MGZT-Nearside-Passenger-Side-Rear-Door-In-Pearl-Black-PBT/183028247206?hash=item2a9d556aa6:g:3l8AAOSwAC1aOsG9

[D Spares & Tyres]

Just go through their insurance. They will probably want to pay you out for the car but just because they do that doesn't mean it will be classed as a write off. They will just send you a cheque after some negotiations and no marker will be placed upon it

[Pillock]

Would be worth getting a spare door if it's only £8 or whatever just so you can give it to a bodyshop for them to prep and spray on a quiet day, might save you a few quid by getting it at a favourable rate.

 

If it's solid black it won't need blending, I had a spare bootlid sprayed for a black Polo with 12 years of paint fading and the colour straight out of the gun was spot on.

[matt27]

Paintless dent man is going to see what he can do with the damage, his work looks incredible so fingers crossed. Even if its not perfect, it doesn't get written off and neighbour is paying anyway.

 

Still waiting on the new exhaust for the Coupe turning up, Wife now less pleased....car just sat freezing a bit!

 

WP_20180228_17_20_02_Rich

 

Apparently there has been a "delay" have ordered another one from ebay which is supposedly in stock, I will wait and see!

[Lankytim]

Can’t you just accept £100 from the neighbour and bag a door when the right one comes up locally? Seems a shame to make a claim on such trifling damage, plus your neighbour will lose their no claims etc.

[matt27]

I probably didn't make it clear, we're not going through the insurance, so everyone should hopefully be happy-ish!

[Lankytim]

Ahh! Sorry, I can see now.

[matt27]

I can't be the only one that sometimes hates bloody cars!?

 

So, progress* this morning on the Coupe now the snow has cleared, its much better lying under a car in wet slush?

 

I got fed up of waiting for the new exhaust to turn up, after we chased the supplier, we were told there had been a delay, no more info! Sourced another from a seller on ebay which arrived next day, why didn't I do this to start with!

 

So, exhaust back on, didn't get too wet, BUT its too short....the downpipe/flexi is probably 40 or 50mm shorter than it should be, so pulls the whole exhaust backwards - the backbox catches on the ARB and the manifold doesn't want to seal at the top edge (I should have torqued this up first ). Funny thing is, it's not the first time, the old downpipe was the same (different manufacturer), its the main reason I swapped it out. Has anyone else had this problem on these cars, or am I just unlucky.

 

Unless anyone says its a terrible idea, I'm going to cut the pipe and use one of these to extend it for now, at least to get it through the, now expired, MOT.

 

[DeeJay]

What's wrong with the traitional bean tin and jubilee clips?

[matt27]

The proper Autoshite repair it may well be that - it would go nicely with the garage door wire which held the exhaust up on the 75 for a good 3 years until I replaced the hanger.

[oldcars]

What's wrong with the traitional bean tin and jubilee clips?

No beans in shops due to MASSIVE SNOW.

[matt27]

Finished off all the jobs on the Coupe for now, hopefully its good for the MOT now.

 

Exhaust came back off this morning, downpipe adapted and then everything bolted back up, with some new exhaust studs as the old ones were pretty knackered. New downpipe sits very close to front crossmember and seems to vibrate against it very slightly, never mind.

 

Swapped the power steering fluid reservoir and one of the pipes out and replaced all the jubilee clips, hoping this stops the haemorrhaging of oil that we've had for years. The pipes are moulded to shape, but I just replaced with standard hose, so I've got a big loop being the headlamp to avoid anything kinking - wasn't going to pay the price rimmers want for new though.

 

Topped up fluids, ran up to temp, all good! The new ECU has solved the issue with the IACV and the alloy throttle body has stopped the idle sticking, hoping it doesn't cause us any more hassle for a while - it'll just be good to get out in it, especially if the sun decides to come out.

 

Will go for MOT next week and then get a few long runs to clear the cobwebs.

[matt27]

I ran out of power steering fluid yesterday - although I saved some when disconnected the pipes most of it was used to turn the drive into a skating rink. Some was procured from Halfords this morning and reservoir topped up, seems to have stopped the rack groaning now which is good.

 

Down pipe is definitely vibrating against the subframe/crossmember thing so that's annoying and will need sorting asap.

[matt27]

Coupe went for MOT today.

 

Crap.

 

​Capture

[matt27]

Sometimes I do wonder about this whole running cars on a budget thing! I've had a seriously frustrating day and wondering why we just didn't pay a garage to do the work - just seems like a massive waste of money to me though.

 

Started off with an easy* job today, fix headlamp. Unfortunately, the headlamp itself isn't damaged, but both upper bolts were snapped off flush in the front panel. I planned to drill them out and just fit new bolts with some nuts for now, I'll helicoil it in the summer. It was a sign for the rest of the day, that this just wasn't going to happen, not even quality drill bits were touching it

 

I gave up on this for a bit, and went for the brakes instead! Pulled the handbrake lever about halfway on, N/S rear wheel was locked, O/S still spinning freely. The shoes were quite low, but still serviceable (will replace in the summer) everything was seized solid though so it took some time to get everything apart. Freed up the adjuster and handbrake leaver, cleaned everything up and rebuilt. handbrake now locks both wheels together with less lever travel - much better 

 

Next up emissions - removed the cheapo cat, took the angle grinder to the seized bolts on the cat that was on the car until recently and refitted. Easy. Swapped spark plugs for new ones, and replaced plug leads....which weren't quite right. All the websites say they are right for this car, but the plug connecter is slightly too long so they sit proud of the head, and the coil connector is completely wrong. I'll try and get these swapped over in the week.

 

Next job was the CV boot, shouldn't be too difficult as its was all apart in recent memory. This is now turning into a nightmare! I must have lent my scissor type ball joint splitter to my dad, so used the fork type, split the cover on the brand new track rod end to make things worse I didn't actually split the joint. Just to rub salt in, I changed this last week (forgot to check CV boot on this side) and the old one came apart with a tab of a hammer. Eventually got the nut off the lower ball joint, this took about 25 minutes! ARB bolt came out easily, the two bolts for the tie rod did not want to move at all, even with a nice long scaffold bar extension. Will have to revisit this in the morning with a blow torch, I got fed up today and my back hurt.

 

Its times like these where getting a new car sounds appealing, it'll always be an unknown quantity though.

 

[matt27]

Ok, a little less moaning, a little more working.

 

More success today, took the grinder to the captive bits for the headlamps, glued on the broken tab on the other light and reassembled. I took the bumper off to give me extra room for the grinding and even got one of the two fog lamps working as a bonus.

 

Track rod end eventually popped out of its taper, eventual method was a scissor type splitter tightened right up and then jacked the hub up and down a coupe of times, angle must have just been right at some point.

 

Didn't need to disconnect the tie rod in the end, was enough room with some wiggling, didn't make splitting throw lower joint any easier, but int he end it seems dot fall off without me touching it when I'd temporarily given up!

 

Couldn't knock the CV joint off the drive shaft in situ, so ended up pulling it out of the gearbox, worth doing as the other boot was worn and I had a replacement in the garage. Getting the boots on involved much swearing and covering everything in tease, but got there in the end!

 

Driveshaft back in, just need some replacement rubber covers for ball joints and it can all go back together.

[matt27]

Result (at last!)

 

 

Its been miserable weather all week, so didn't get around to finishing things off until this morning....in the rain.

 

Bought some new bolts and a nut for the underside of the headlamp so they were all secured nicely. Bought another set of HT leads, this time from ECP and these were correct - the first set had a different connector for the coil and the body of the leads seemed too high so push on the plug cover, very odd, bought from an MG specialist too.

 

Sealed a small leak where the car joins the down pipe - down pipe still knocks on subframe, that's clearly what aftermarket gets you!

 

I bought new boots for lower ball joint and TRE, got those fitted and hub all bolted back together.

 

Completing final checklist (an hour before car needs to leave for MOT) and discover I misread the fail sheet  as well as there being an imbalance on the brakes (which i traced to adjuster seized on O/S) there was also a problem with the N/S. Whipped the drum off, the adjuster was nice and free, but the trailing shoe looked like it had never been used - the rear facing piston was seized solid in the cylinder. After some lubrication and application of the hammer I got it moving enough to give it a fighting chance in the MOT. Cleaned everything up reassembled and off it went.

 

Only advisory was rear brake only just passing, I'll just replace both wheel cylinders once the weather improves.

 

Time for a drive 

[matt27]

Afternoon everyone,

 

Been chipping away at the Mini recently, I currently have a birds nest of a wiring loom whilst I test the new electronic ignition setup. MOT expires on that in the middle of May and it needs to be ready for London to Brighton a couple of weeks later - a few late night coming up I think.

 

 

Anyway, the MOT for the 75 expires a couple of days before the Mini and as usual I've left things to the last minute so needed a weekend to sort a few things. The handbrake has been terrible for ages, so I had bought a compensator from an R53 Mini to cure the issue. I also got some new shoes as one side had been sticking on so figured I may as well strip and clean everything.

 

The day started well, once I had cunningly removed all the skin from my knuckles to allow extra clearance to get my hand behind the caliper everything came apart nicely. I even remembered to snap a quick photo so I could refer to where everything should go when I inevitably forgot....

 

 

Apparently the back plates rust away on these so I was expecting some horrors, but not a sign of rust, they look like new(ish) :}

 

 

Whilst I was under there I gave the upper arms a quick glance, these also rust away but mine looked pretty good (on a roll today) gave them a quick wire brush and some rust converter.

 

Adjuster and handbrake levers weren't seized so everything was cleaned up and reassembled - one side done!

 

Drivers side next, all went well, other than forgetting which direction the adjuster went in - did I take a photo of this side....? Thankfully Haynes showed the O/S so all went back together.

 

Things were going well, I stopped for lunch and to watch the Grand Prix - very exciting

 

Back outside and it was time to change the compensator. After fighting for some time with carpets and centre consoles, I got the old cable and compensator mech out. I grabbed the new one but it didn't look quite right....

 

 

So, the R53 part I bought off eBay (and checked the images) wasn't sent, I in fact got one off an R56, great.

 

I was close to losing my temper, so refitted the door seals so I could close the rear doors, wedged the old compensator back in place and left everything else loose. At least I can at least apply the handbrake for a few days until I can have another go.

 

 

One of the guys on the 75 forum has one of these and is going to send out Monday - I have Wednesday off work to replace the lower arm bush at the front, so if Royal Mail are on the ball I might be able to get this done and save next weekend for the Mini!

 

New tyres are going on on Thursday and then my wife will drop it in somewhere for an MOT next week.

 

After reading about 5 months worth of Datsuncog's thread yesterday (although admittedly it may have been time better spent on my cars) I can't really moan too much! If he can have a terribly unsuccessful day fixing things and still come back and put together a well written update then I should at least get outside and crack on - I especially enjoyed the Springwatch "episode".

 

[matt27]

Correct handbrake cable/compensator arrived in the post yesterday. As the job involved being in the car, I could finish it this morning in the rain - thankfully only getting wet when moving from the back to the front and vice-versa!

 

For some reason, getting the old cable out was a complete PITA, despite only doing it at the weekend. New cable went in pretty easily and everything went together as expected - other than slicing my hand open on the sill when trying to replace the kicker strips

 

Old compensator has definitely stretched!

 

WP_20180502_11_46_41_Rich by Matthew Leigh, on Flickr

 

Does anyone want this to repair?

 

It seems like I've also managed to bend one of the brackets for the handbrake, can't imagine this matters though.

 

WP_20180502_11_18_28_Rich by Matthew Leigh, on Flickr

 

During the reassembly (or disassembly) I seem to have damaged 2 clips on the gaiter frame and ripped the gaiter which is a bit rubbish. Never mind, will have to stay as it is for now.

 

Handbrake feels much better, there is still too much travel, so the nut is wound onto the cable a bit further - I'll adjust the shoes up a bit tighter at the weekend when the rain is less torrential.

 

One day, I'll have a nice barn to work in...I did get into the garage and do a couple of bits on the Mini, cooling hoses all back in place now, just need to grab some coolant and try and fire it up! If all goes well, I can wire in the megajolt, make up a proper loom and start playing with ignition maps.