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LightBulbFun's Invacar & general ramble thread, index on page 1, survivors lists on Pages 24/134 & AdgeCutler's Invacar Mk12 Restoration from Page 186 onwards, still harping on...


LightBulbFun

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17 hours ago, mitsisigma01 said:

How big is the boot , room for your Jack and at least one axle stand ,have you got any wheel chocks , or can you reverse up to the kerb behind your parking bay, slightly off square so one wheel is against the kerb but the other is far enough off to allow work on the other. Does the road have an extreme camber , if so turn the steering partially up hill and chocked ....

I personally wouldn't want to get under a car with a jack like yours , an old small trolley jack that looks so shit nobody would bother nicking it would be best to leave in a car ....

I assume that your full closure GPS tracking alarm is all working 😁

boot is pretty big, only problem is its slightly full of engine! the Model 70 does not have any under cover storage facilities sadly

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on the jack front I of course chock the wheels of the car and offload the car onto axle stands once I have it jacked up enough (I just keep the jack there slightly lowered as a backup should the axle stand fail)

17 hours ago, Sheefag said:

ooh thats nifty! although in my particular use case id be worried about flattening my battery and also how much it weighs, but its cool to see what options are out there tho :) 

on the Jack front I think I have managed to improvise a solution, that allows me to get a ratchet onto my existing jack, which should hopefully make life a bit easier! (as I then dont have to insert and remove the provided handle every half revolution or so!)

although It still remains to be tested in practice! after I have recovered, id quite like to get the road wheels and drums off and inspect the brake assemblies themselves and grab a few photographs, so we will see how it does then!

10 hours ago, warren t claim said:

I'm not suggesting that you sell REV but maybe explore the avenue of obtaining a council garage to store it in and buying a slightly more sensible daily driver? 

sadly it looks like the council want about a grand a year for a garage which I know I cant afford and I have no idea when or where id get one (I certainly know there aint many council lock up type garages in the local area, this is Central London after all!)

as for getting another, car its sadly a 1 car per resident here and I also cant afford a 2nd Car, mainly insurance would probably be another Grand+ for someone on my age no matter what I end up getting sadly which as above I know I cant afford (because I still have to be able to pay for REV's own insurance etc!)

trust me there has been plenty of roffles I have wanted to get tickets on but due to the aforementioned above I cant sadly

I knew from the outset that I cant run more then 1 car, however I also knew that if I did not make moves when I did, I would not be able to get a Model 70 in the future, I knew the ship was sailing and I was not going to let life take yet another one of my aspirations away from me hence why I have stood fast and done what I have done even if its far from recommended! :)

just right now my plan for things has not exactly gone to plan sadly as is often the way on these beige pages

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My first car was a Routemaster bus. I was 19 and didn't even have a driving licence, we had to rely on friends and public transport just to get to it. Just because something isn't practical or sensible doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. If it's what you want you should go for it (which you have). Everyone who is coming up with more sensible options is missing the point. 

 

There is plenty of room in that engine bay. One you're up and running it would be a good idea to carry a basic tool kit with you. It would be nice to strap it up out of the way somewhere but I'm guessing the body is single skinned so any hole you drilled in the engine bay would come out on the outside so not ideal. 

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25 minutes ago, Yoss said:

There is plenty of room in that engine bay. One you're up and running it would be a good idea to carry a basic tool kit with you. It would be nice to strap it up out of the way somewhere but I'm guessing the body is single skinned so any hole you drilled in the engine bay would come out on the outside so not ideal. 

Yeah on the 2 trips I have managed so far, I have taken my metrinch toolset with me of course just incase!   indeed I am eager to avoid drilling any holes anywhere if I can help it 

23 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

I don’t think you help yourself tbh LBF, you frustrate me 😂

 

Surely you can see that engine bay would store the jack, you could even just lay it in there for storage purposes whilst the car isn’t going anywhere? 

 

32 minutes ago, chadders said:

Our C15 had the jack stored under the bonnet held in by a strap. Just looking at that picture you might be able to rig something up on the LHS if it's small enough.

yeah for storage purposes I might be able to stick something in the left hand side wheel arch area, but its also fairly open to the elements and id be worried about things kept there deteriorating because of it ill have a look next time im down there and see whats what

but I dont know if I can get a full sized trolly jack in there (not to mention it would be a bit of a bastard to lift up and down but I digress)

 

7 hours ago, Sheefag said:

You still can. Trouble is tiny engine and...

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that reminds me I was reminded on the zoom call last Tuesday that exhaust repair bandages exist like so https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holts-Gun-Gum-Repair-Bandage/dp/B004SN02F8

so am wondering if one would work for something like this? I notice the bandage looks quite large (they show it going over a muffler!) so I wonder can it be cut down to size if needed?

 

as a side note going back to when REV arrived home and I discovered her engine was massively overfull with oil I have to wonder if something like this has happened with her?

3 hours ago, Wack said:

What numbnuts had done was removed the sump plug , drained the oil , refilled it and given it back , only he'd drained the gearbox oil and filled the engine up so it had double the oil in it 

although its pretty obvious on a Model 70 where the engine sump plug is etc but I do wonder... guess we will see when I change the diff oil!

 

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39 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

that reminds me I was reminded on the zoom call last Tuesday that exhaust repair bandages exist like so https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holts-Gun-Gum-Repair-Bandage/dp/B004SN02F8

so am wondering if one would work for something like this? I notice the bandage looks quite large (they show it going over a muffler!) so I wonder can it be cut down to size if needed?

That will work as a temporary repair, though it's asking a lot of it in that location on the pipe.  You wind it round in a spiral with plenty of overlap.

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1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

ooh thats nifty! although in my particular use case id be worried about flattening my battery and also how much it weighs, but its cool to see what options are out there tho :)

Think outside the box.

Obviously with your issues, you can't be lugging heavy stuff up and down stairs, but something like a motorised jack, if it could be stored in the car, at least lessens that issue. Under the seat?, that tub behind the seat i see in TWK? Just on there and with some sort of cover pinned over would be fine.

So powerage..... What's wrong with a lithium jump pack/power bank arrangement?, A decent sized one should be fine for powering one of these. Light enough you can take in back indoors and recharge. Can also be useful if you can find other 12v powered items/tools that's normally run off the cigarette socket (they're mostly crap with a lack of oomph but will be adequate for a lot of the jobs you'd likely be attempting and save some exertion from yourself?)

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Something else that may help with the scissor jack is that you don't need to take the handle out each half turn. The handle can be left in place and then you use both hands to operate it.  One hand supports the spindle of the handle and acts as the 'bearing' for it to rotate, while the other is used at the crank end to rotate it and wind up the jack. Have a look on Youtube for the technique. It'll be less effort to do it that way, I think. 

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15 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

That will work as a temporary repair, though it's asking a lot of it in that location on the pipe.  You wind it round in a spiral with plenty of overlap.

thats good to know! :) and yeah its only meant to be a temporary bodge until  I can get a good set of exhaust downpipes fitted (the right hand side is not holed thankfully but I can tell its probably not far behind!)

15 minutes ago, Mrcento said:

Think outside the box.

Obviously with your issues, you can't be lugging heavy stuff up and down stairs, but something like a motorised jack, if it could be stored in the car, at least lessens that issue. Under the seat?, that tub behind the seat i see in TWK? Just on there and with some sort of cover pinned over would be fine.

So powerage..... What's wrong with a lithium jump pack/power bank arrangement?, A decent sized one should be fine for powering one of these. Light enough you can take in back indoors and recharge. Can also be useful if you can find other 12v powered items/tools that's normally run off the cigarette socket (they're mostly crap with a lack of oomph but will be adequate for a lot of the jobs you'd likely be attempting and save some exertion from yourself?)

the problem is, a Lithium jump pack is only rated for a short bursts of heavy loads, something like that electric jack is rated to draw up to 15A which done continuously would quickly lead to some unhappy lithium ion battery cells which we all know never ends well! (due to high the currents involved a lot of Lithium ion battery backs dont have much in the way of battery protection circuitry on the output)

but what you mention is how I hope to power this thing :) but even then I must make sure to keep an eye on things

On 19/11/2021 at 11:50, LightBulbFun said:

also with many thanks to @auntiemaryscanary who went out of his way to pick one up from his local Lidl and post it off for me, I had this arrive which should make doing Oil changes much easier! (especially seeing as the gearbox does not actually have a drain plug LOL)

image.thumb.png.59a5fc1d614c5e1f26b1a1ef1e743617.png]

just hoping it will be able to cope with the comparatively thick 20W50 and EP90 oils that the Model 70 contain! but for £10 I figured it worth a punt :)  and im hoping my jump pack will be able to power it for long enough,  

I mean the oil capacities on a Model 70 are not exactly large, im pretty sure the Oil Filter of a Leyland Olympian takes more oil to pre-fill then the entire engine oil capacity of a Model 70!, so hopefully the jump pack should be able to run it for as long as I will need it when I need to do an oil change/service :) 

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

Something else that may help with the scissor jack is that you don't need to take the handle out each half turn. The handle can be left in place and then you use both hands to operate it.  One hand supports the spindle of the handle and acts as the 'bearing' for it to rotate, while the other is used at the crank end to rotate it and wind up the jack. Have a look on Youtube for the technique. It'll be less effort to do it that way, I think. 

I did do/try that, but I found it to be quite awkward still due to the style of the handle (it just has a hook on the end and often would go off true if that makes any sense!) and also the position the jack had to be in to get the rear end up made things awkward in itself 

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There's a bag stuffed in the offside of my engine bay below where the heater diverter box is which is big enough to contain a spare CVT belt, necessary tools to change it, some fuel hose, a couple of hose clips and a couple of screwdrivers.  Doesn't need any additional security measures, it just sits snugly in there on its own.

Wouldn't be hard to find somewhere to stuff a jack.  Somewhere around where the battery is in earlier cars?  Ratchet strap or similar to secure it in place, problem solved.  Engine bay is at least under lock and key.

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1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

There's a bag stuffed in the offside of my engine bay below where the heater diverter box is which is big enough to contain a spare CVT belt, necessary tools to change it, some fuel hose, a couple of hose clips and a couple of screwdrivers.  Doesn't need any additional security measures, it just sits snugly in there on its own.

Wouldn't be hard to find somewhere to stuff a jack.  Somewhere around where the battery is in earlier cars?  Ratchet strap or similar to secure it in place, problem solved.  Engine bay is at least under lock and key.

ah thats good to know! I do plan to keep a spare CVT belt in REV at all times just incase so its good to know where I can stuff it (LOL)

 

as a side note, noting quite Autoshite like Spending new years midnight, watching youtube videos on exhaust bandages and realising you forgot to add engine degreaser to the amazon order you made earlier for aforementioned exhaust bandage

 

degreaser now suitably ordered!

aside from being a good thing to have on hand, I want to be able to properly remove the evidence of the sump plug leak (and some other leaks) check the tightness of things and see what appears again and what doesn't

and im thinking I can do this while I install the bandage and it will be a good excuse to do an oil and filter change while im at it :) (since I know its best to have the oil warm when you drop it and getting the exhaust warm will help cure the bandage I think)

 

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8 hours ago, drum said:

Agreed, you'll be lucky to get one chippy run out of an exhaust bandage. I've had more success with a beer can bodge and a couple of jubilee clips.

I've had success with similar, wadding some putty over the hole, wrapping some juice can metal over that tightly then jubilee clip at each end. In fact i ran a Seicento like that for about 4k miles 😂

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1 minute ago, JJ0063 said:

Please don’t start bodging 🙁 this thread is starting to turn…

I don't think anybody is suggesting it as a long term thing.

This is an Invacar. Exhaust parts are not exactly easy to source or commonplace.

It may take some time to find that permanent, proper solution, let alone get it fitterd.

A bodge to at least make it sound socially acceptable for his neighbours meantime whilst he works on other little things and getting it up to standards isn't a bad thing at all.

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11 minutes ago, Mrcento said:

I don't think anybody is suggesting it as a long term thing.

This is an Invacar. Exhaust parts are not exactly easy to source or commonplace.

It may take some time to find that permanent, proper solution, let alone get it fitterd.

A bodge to at least make it sound socially acceptable for his neighbours meantime whilst he works on other little things and getting it up to standards isn't a bad thing at all.

This to a T. 

Any progress is a step in the right direction. 

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18 hours ago, red5 said:

You need a plate, or a new exhaust mate. Repair bandage won't hack that on an outer radius. Nor would the expanding metal type. 

An old style asbestos paste type would, but will kill you. Eventually. If you ate it.

 

8 hours ago, drum said:

Agreed, you'll be lucky to get one chippy run out of an exhaust bandage. I've had more success with a beer can bodge and a couple of jubilee clips.

 

26 minutes ago, red5 said:

Yeah, if you insist on attempting to use it then peel a can, two Jubilee clips tight on then bandage maybe. If you're got it flush/tight. Be prepared for it to fall off immediately. 

Or get it fixed proper like, chap. 

HNY. Etc

 

5 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

Please don’t start bodging 🙁 this thread is starting to turn…

given this is just your standard exhaust bodge that many members of this forum have done themselves I find it a bit unfair how much im being jumped on here LOL

 

as above its not intended to be a permanent fix, its just something I want to try and do to make her a bit less anti-social if I can and try and tide things over until I can get some replacement downpipes fitted somehow

(I do thankfully have a pair in the parts stash, but aside from getting them to me, getting them fitted still presents a problem)

 

 

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@LOL...

It's a downpipe chap, not a silencer or a connecting pipe. It needs  sleeve welding, replacing or at bare minimum a tin can peeled to take the heat and velocity (of exhaust gas)  in the state it is. 

Think of it as an cast exhaust manifold if you will, then realise no-one is ' jumping on ' you for blah blah etc etc but actually offering feasible, practical or needed solutions. 

Wether you like it or not, it needs proper time and expertise for certain areas - I'd suggest braking and exhaust are those areas.  Take it as you will, but none of the advice that you see as getting at you is actually that - it's seems it's not what you want to hear (all been there 😬 ) so it's a dig. 

It's not. Get help, get involved , get it moved, get a garage, get it to wherever but get it done right. It's an achievement to get it to this stage, don't unintentionally fudge it up now with well-intentioned half baked efforts.

 

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16 minutes ago, red5 said:

 

Wether you like it or not, it needs proper time and expertise for certain areas - I'd suggest braking and exhaust are those areas.  Take it as you will, but none of the advice that you see as getting at you is actually that - it's seems it's not what you want to hear (all been there 😬 ) so it's a dig. 

It's not. Get help, get involved , get it moved, get a garage, get it to wherever but get it done right. It's an achievement to get it to this stage, don't unintentionally fudge it up now with well-intentioned half baked efforts.

 


This, 100%.
 

Plenty of people have made very valid suggestions, offered valuable advice etc and it needs to be taken seriously. 

When I said don’t start bodging, what I meant in my head was to do it properly - if the car isn’t being used until it’s been overhauled in the brake area - why spend extra cash on a temp bandage that won’t even properly temp fix it? Hold fire, any cash you’re blowing on odds and sods from Amazon could be put towards recommissioning it properly. 

I still stand by what I’ve said before - this car is basically a barn find which has had some very basic work done and then put on the road.

I applaud you for wanting to get involved but I’m genuinely concerned for the safety of you as the driver as well as anyone from pedestrians to other drivers you may come into contact with if anything goes wrong - brakes, steering etc could all end in disaster.

This car needs to be assessed and recommissioned by either a very competent enthusiast or a garage. It’s simply not enough for you to attempt to jack it up and try and get the drums off yourself to ‘inspect’ it.

I’m sure you’ll ignore my suggestions but I seriously would just hold fire and make a proper plan. I don’t want to put you off DIY’ing as it’s what AS is all about, I think it’s a great thing you want to try and do things but I think before you attempt anything, it needs a professional going over and then perhaps you can DIY the routine maintenance if things like working area and disabilities restrict you?

 

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Ill go against the grain here and say bust out the coke can!, or if going pro a bean tin. The exhaust is tiny at about 30mm in diametre if i recall correctly? 

But Spend not a penny on the exhaust bodge tho! Zip, zilch, zero.  Just use whatever you have to hand. 

Nothing wrong with learning how to do a temp fix, some may say its needed when driving old shite and knowing how to improvise something to get home may come in hand one day. (other opinions are avalible)

Put all monies towards the brake parts / brake repair labour that is needed first.

Shiney new exhaust 2nd. 

 

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