Ask a Shiter

[Craig the Princess]

Ah, it does have that and I had no clue why. Thanks very much

[Sloth in a bowl]

How are panels made where the rear wings and roof are all one pressing? Stamped as flat then the wings bent down?

 

The Corrosion has this, as did the Justy

 

 

Or you could make multiple panels then spot weld and lead load them so that it looks like a single piece.

Rather old school though.

[DVee8]

^^ This. The roof will be 1 pressing and so will the rear wing.All just a large jigsaw puzzle,that a robot welds together.

[willswitchengage]

Thought that but the join is seamless, no evidence whatsoever of a weld even if subsequently ground. Impressive

[Matt]

How many cars have bolt on rear quarter panels?  Damaged front quarter panels are easily replaced but the idea of having a rear quarter panel damaged scares me a bit.

[tooSavvy]

Rear 'letting in' goes on a lot.... 'insurance' will insist all new (probably a sod of a job) but guys who straighten cars for resale likely chop out a corner/trim to fit & will look top dollari

 

Using a chop section keeps all factory 'quality/fit' in a complex piece.

 

TS

[spike60]

My Z3 has bolt on rear quarters, quite sensible in a RWD short wheelbase 193 bhp car. Yes, mine has had one bolted on. I think my old Alfa 155 did too, probably useful for different reasons though.

[TagoraSX]

Can the AA/RAC remove the newer type locking wheelnuts with the rotating collar? (the ones you cant hammer a smaller socket over!)

 

P.S.  F**K YOU Warrington VOLVO

[r.welfare]

You can ram a smaller socket over them but you need to chisel off the rotating collar first.

 

I had this problem a couple of months ago. The AA was busy and sent a local recovery agent who lacked the fancy pants remover the AA apparently have. He chiselled the collar off but was reticent to use a socket for hammering purposes. I proffered one of mine which was unharmed in the exercise.

 

As an aside this bloke reckoned all types of locking nut turn to cheese eventually and suggested I replace them with normal ones.

[Pillock]

I've not heard of Alloys being nicked for years... Locking nuts are 1% theft prevention and 99% swearword generators.

 

If it's a car nice enough to have the wheels nicked, they'll take the car by hoiking your keys away.

[mat_the_cat]

Winter tyres great in snow (as you'd expect); I drove out of this with no chains:

 

 

That was with the cheapest tyres I could find, which were pretty good although I've never seen so many weights on a wheel before! More relevantly, I find them noticeably better in cold, wet weather. No difference that I can notice in warmer wet weather though, and not sure whether it was imagination or not but thought they might have been a bit squirmy in hot weather. Wouldn't go back to normal tyres in winter now, even with no snow.

 

As for putting a set just on the driven wheels, there's lots of scare videos on YouTube showing what happens on snow; however we felt that so long as you drove as you would on summer tyres, you'd be OK. So Lana put just a set on the front one year - no problems for a few months but then she lost the rear on an unexpected un-gritted corner. She reckons that if she hadn't had grippier tyres on the front, she'd have been able to detect the change in road conditions sooner, and hence would have been driving slower...

[Pillock]

My Z3 has bolt on rear quarters, quite sensible in a RWD short wheelbase 193 bhp car. Yes, mine has had one bolted on. I think my old Alfa 155 did too, probably useful for different reasons though.

 

Easier to take panels off to stick on eBay when a terminal engine malfunctions sends it over the bridge?

[drum]

Starter motor problem -

The 109's starter motor has been dodgy for a while. Sometimes it would just click (solenoid?) before finally turning the engine. Now it has given up the ghost completely. No click even. It's a perkins 4203 lump which means the starter is on the opposite side from a 2.25 lr engine. I'll probably have to take the prop shaft off to allow access to remove it. I tried running an earth directly to see if that was the problem but no joy. Also tried belting it. Any other things i could try before fighting with it to get it off?

[wuvvum]

Is there any job involving a clutch cable which isn't a complete and utter c*nt?

[Jim Bell]

Is there any job involving a clutch cable which isn't a complete and utter c*nt?

Clutch cable delivery man?

[Fabergé Greggs]

Stupid question- What's the deal with a-framing? Didn't the law change meaning the towed vehicle had to be braked or something? How does the steering work?

 

Could I use the bx to tow a) an x1/9 or another bx? Is it cool to go long distances or is it designed for short stretches?

[Albert Ross]

Easy clutch cable? Sierra. Bolt on rear quarters? Lancia Dedra.

[nigel bickle]

Leaving the law on A framing to one side, a B will towban X1/9 with ease. It's fine for short or long distance, but do not try to reverse.

Practice prior to the real thing cos a loose or incorrect tow is a frightening horror.

 

I'll be a framing back to the Uk from southern Belgium in the next few weeks. My preferred apparatus of choice, nearly every time

[Asimo]

Starter motor problem -

 

Is it drawing any current? ie do the lights dim when the starter is tried. If yes, starter is jammed or seized, if no, then no current is being drawn by the starter which might be no connection to the solenoid, seized solenoid or something internal to the starter like worn out brushes.

[drum]

Starter motor problem -

Is it drawing any current? ie do the lights dim when the starter is tried. If yes, starter is jammed or seized, if no, then no current is being drawn by the starter which might be no connection to the solenoid, seized solenoid or something internal to the starter like worn out brushes.

Just went outside and tried this and the light did dim. It does have a cold start device though. Not heater plugs but a flame start thing. I'll disconnect this tomorrow and try again.

 

What would cause the starter to seize?

[Noel Tidybeard]

Is there any job involving a clutch cable which isn't a complete and utter c*nt?

austin maestro 1.3- did it in my dinner break and still had plenty of time for eating

[dollywobbler]

Changed the 2CVs clutch cable in a car park once, with no tools. Easy!

 

As for winter tyres, it's stopping that you really notice an improvement. Locking up just doesn't seem to happen unless it's sheet ice. Worth it for that alone. XM is now wintered up.

[catsinthewelder]

A chap we know at work has a 55 plate L200 with OMGHGF that he was going to take to the auction as is. We told him that he would be better fixing it first so I've been offered the job. How much pain should I expect?

[chaseracer]

Given that the R129 SL is closely related to the W124, will the 5.0 V8 bolt up to the 300E autobox?  You might just be able to see where this is going.

 

Well, FPB7 did say he wanted a winter project - and this will be cheaper than continuing to faff about with the six-pot...

 

[DSdriver]

A chap we know at work has a 55 plate L200 with OMGHGF that he was going to take to the auction as is. We told him that he would be better fixing it first so I've been offered the job. How much pain should I expect?

HaHa that will teach you not to make "useful" suggestions.

[twosmoke300]

A horrible job.

[320touring]

I believe they like to banana the head at the same time..

[twosmoke300]

Every single bolt has a bracket under it and maybe a stud on the end of that . Add in the height of the damn things make it a pretty unpleasant job tbh

[pompei]

New stupid question:-  does any manufacturer make a non turbo diesel these days?

[twosmoke300]

The vw sdi has got to be the last car without one surely