Andy's awful autos: Vanden-blah

[Andyrew]

Im lucky to rent a workshop for chod bothering on a little farm.  Its a great place with a spot on landlord and all the other tenants are great.  The workshop was of generous size with the only real issue being the floors on the piss!

I moved in here with a mate some 13 years ago. Over that time i accumalated to much shite and projects. My own fault, and with too many things in the way makes progressing on them difficult as something always needed moving out the way. I would end up Working on my cars outside when really i should have been indoors. 

Unfortunately, recently another tenant had issues and the workshop they was in became avalible, twice the length and a couple of foot wider, I had a think and decided sod it and began the move over. 

Today with the help of a good friend we cleared out the last of the stuff over to the new place, after a sweep up i gave the walls a quick lick of white paint and thus leaving me to take a last snap of the old workshop

There we have it, an old combine shelter turned workshop, certainly not posh but it served me well and without im not sure where id be now.  

When i moved in i had a mate come over and show me how to change the brake pads on my car as id never done it before, since then i like to think ive progressed a a fair bit.

Im not a smart cookie thats for sure, more of a hands on learner than a write about it kinda person. This old barn allowed me to do that and holds alot of fond memories. 

[Minimad5]

That's a brilliant looking bit if dry space.

Jealous 

[Andyrew]

2 hours ago, Minimad5 said:

That's a brilliant looking bit if dry space.

Jealous 

Its dry in the pic! It does have some leaks usually where you put something that needs to be kept dry or where you are standing at the time.

[Andyrew]

A wee update. 

Not much excitement to report, with work, lockdowns, isolations etc etc not much has change in the "new" workshop, when i get a day to get some hours in this fine steed has received some sparkle stick action , progress on this is reported on sixcylinders notes thread.

The disco, is still about and getting a bit grim. Wet inside, rot and a high clutch being to name a few, it also now features less indictor lens and headlight trim after a slight interface with a suzuki samurai when towing it from the other workshop.

The astra of desire was lent to a friend for a few weeks so the disco was put into regular service, the front swivels leaked, the balls are pitted and the kingpins made a rather loud knock occasionally.

N.s Swivel stripped down, the swivel balls get pitted and this causes the seal to leak, the replacement housings are rather pricey at around the 100 quid each range,  so i brake cleaned it and then skimmed it with chemical metal to fill the pitting ,sanded smooth, it was then lobbed back together. So far it seems to be working fine, with fresh one shot grease and new seals its leak free, I attempted to sort the other side but found that the swivel bolts heads had dissolved so that put a stop to that. Untill the new bolts arrive. 

My good ladys jimny was bought in to have a look at the rear brakes, on the  last mot it just managed the rear brake test as there was a fair difference in the rear braking balance, a perfectly even balance on the handbrake tho, but the foot brake it just passed so assumed sticky cylinder.  With the Rear drums off, revealed all is well in the drums, no cyclinder leaks,  loads of meat on the pads and the cylinder pistons  i could move them in with 1 finger.  Maybe its fixed itself, the test is due soon so ill see if i can get in on some rollers beforehand. 

The astra was retuned having racked up a few miles and was overdue its service (4k intervals) so it received an oil and filter change at 158,500 miles.  Appart from that it needs nothing and continues to be a reliable no fuss motor. 

[Andyrew]

Yesterday a good friend had dropped a message regarding his daughters car which had decided to have an FTP on the school run with a dead starter. I ordered him one at work an we arranged to attempt to fetch the car. 

A dead starter, easy a simple push start right?

Well, it would be if it wasnt a push button ingnition that needs the clutch down. A quick google suggests that if the vehicle is traveling over 10mph the car will bump start.  A strap and the gentle pull from the disco on the other end and it bumped into life easily.  His plan was to repair it at the weekend so i said we should drop it at my workshop and he can do it there in the dry should it be pissing down. 

Here we have then a rather knocked about 140k bmw 116i of 4 pot wheezyness. Unserviced for 4 or more years and unloved. I honestly dont see the appeal of these things but its made it thus far so they cant be that bad and its a shame this ones as neglected and knocked about as it is now, because when purchased it was dealer maintained as the previous keeper worked for bmw iirc.

My friend is a very busy chap and we always help each other out so i decided id change the starter over tonight.

Wheres the starter on this thing then?

The carrot highlights the issue of access. 

What needs to come off to get access to the tiny starter then?  

Scuttle panel/cabin filter housing thing, , air filter, all ducting, breather pipes, intake manifold with injector rail, with throttle body. Etc etc etc. 

It looks like a right mare, and some of it is a bit fiddly but in all honesty from complete to having the old starter out was just under an hour and that was with a cup of coffee on the go. 

Head cleaned up and as i couldnt get new inlet manifold seals today i opted to put a light smear  of reinzosil on the old ones and hope for the best. Seems they sealed up just fine. 

Inlet back on, dropped socket down gap, inlet back off,  find socket, inlet back on everything else plugged and bolted on and ready to go back to its owner for the hard life of a mum car. 

It will be back at some point for an attempt at a service (rusty sump and no dipstick for the suction pump) and to cure some oil leaks and investigate an EML thats been on for a while apparently.

 

[brownnova]

Not quite sure how I’ve missed this thread previously... but it makes excellent reading. Loving the Dyane especially. Seeing what I’ve done to it makes me realise that if I  want my green 2CV doing properly it’ll involve similar levels of work. Your dyane is going to be lovely when it’s done!! 

[Andyrew]

Omg update. 

Whats to report?

Well, not much really. The disco is now without an MOT and with it requiring attention of the unpleasant type i decided to put it to one side and concerntrate on my lwb suzuki that just needs putting back together and some paint. 

The Astra however is having some gearbox/clutch kind of issues.  Ill investigate more this weekend but unless one of the newish engine mounts have failed its going to be a gearbox out and possibly appart job. Not looking forward to that, also anyone knows of a decent f17 from a 1.7dti please let me know. 

The Astra is sometime reffered to as the giffer wagon as it was note that a high number of them round here are giffer driven. 

Next week however i am about to be OUT-GIFFERED. 

A free car is making its way the workshop for repair / some loving, ive already found it a home with a best mate.

His  next door neighbour appeared to be offended by my car when he was borrowing it as it "didnt look as nice" as my mates wifes car (a swanky new lexus) so hes going to love this.

A few clues,

22 years old

Maroon with beige

1.6 

Auto

Been used for tip runs. 

 

 

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

54 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Next week however i am about to be OUT-GIFFERED. 

A free car is making its way the workshop for repair / some loving, ive already found it a home with a best mate.

His  next door neighbour appeared to be offended by my car when he was borrowing it as it "didnt look as nice" as my mates wifes car (a swanky new lexus) so hes going to love this.

A few clues,

22 years old

Maroon with beige

1.6 

Auto

Been used for tip runs. 

 

 

 

 

A 1999 1.6 Auto giffer car sounds like a Rover 216 to me?

[Andyrew]

4 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

A 1999 1.6 Auto giffer car sounds like a Rover 216 to me?

Far to classy, 

The backstory of the car from what i know. 

Workmate does vehicle repairs at evenings and weekends. He had done the odd job on this car but when the giffer owner passed away the widow asked if workmate could take it and do whatever he liked with it or help her scrap it.

Workmate put it up for sale for a couple of hundred with zero interest. 

My boss had always had shitters and in a conversation about the car not selling it was discussed and i understand 25 quid exchanged hands. 

Car was used for a good while by my boss ,but his wife dissaproved of the car and when one of their daughters car packed up and they needed some wheels she was begged to take it and get it off the mothers driveway. 

Daughters had the car a year or so now and has no love for it, tax is high because old and she just doesnt like it enough to spend out on the repairs it needs which is nothing major but theres no love for it.

So the poor unloved little car is coming to the workshop for a few evenings worth of  full on pampering.  Service, new brakes, exhaust repair and a full on deep clean and machine polish before its MOT in a couple of weeks and it goes to live with its new custodian. 

 

 

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

3 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Far to classy, 

Us giffers are classy you know!

Being in or around Luton a Vauxhall has to be a favourite, bought on a employee/pensioner/friend scheme?

 

[Andyrew]

As Previously mentioned, i opted to push the disco to one side as it needs a fair chunk of welding and other not enjoyable jobs doing and i felt id rather spend the same amount of time working on finishing the little jobs left on the LWB. 

The body is now fully bolted down with new nounts 

The engine bay loom has been fitted back in and now wired up. 

The alternator plug had to be swapped to take the japanese style over the big lucas style one the the car should have.

Various plugs have to be swapped as the loom is from a 95 car and the heater box is from the original 91 shell, 

Its getting there now. Its lots of little time consuming jobs making things fit that are from a similar but not identical version of the sj.

 

[Andyrew]

A shimmy around today and the lwb is now in a better place for access to all 4 corners whilst i assemble all the brakes and set the kingpins and wheel bearing up front.  Up in the air and wheels off!  The wiring loom to the rear of the car was run to the back instead of being bundled under the front and the exhaust removed to be re fitted properly. 

The joy of 4x4s on high lift axle stands! Loads of room for activities. 

The brakes need stripping down and cleaning up, one rear needs building into another housing as ive got two Of one side. 

Up front is lwb vitara vented discs and calipers and the rear is sj discs and vitara swb calipers on a rob storr conversion kit,  Its being converted to run an early sj transferbox drum brake for the hand brake as samurais had rear drum handbrakes.  The SJs all had drums on the t box. 

[Andyrew]

On 2/19/2021 at 4:01 PM, Six-cylinder said:

Being in or around Luton a Vauxhall

Give that man 10points!

@Dan302 approved giffer shite

[Six-cylinder]

4 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Give that man 10points!

@Dan302 approved giffer shite

It looks very nice.

Being Auto was it a Motability car?

[Dan302]

Oooh giffer colour, giffer transmission, giffer upholstery very lovely indeed. Its even more gifferthan my C'eed

[Dan302]

Is there a tissue box, packet of Murray mints and a neatly folded tartan rug in the car?

[Rusty_Rocket]

Ooh, a very early Astra-G.  Please tell me it has the 8v engine?  When these first came out, I remember lifting the bonnet on a relatively new one at the time, and thinking they'd literally just dumped the old Astra-F/ Cavalier engine in it.

Good cars in their day.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

2 hours ago, Andyrew said:

Give that man 10points!

@Dan302 approved giffer shite

I considered myself a Clarkson and test drove a few vehicles on spare Saturday afternoons. 

This one is the same age and colour as the one I drove. 

I also drove a Focus. 

I actually preferred this as the interior felt as though it was better finished. 

😎😎😎

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, Rusty_Rocket said:

Ooh, a very early Astra-G.  Please tell me it has the 8v engine? 

It is indeed.  

Going to stick a cam belt kit on as unknown history.  Due to how old the 8v design is this makes the kit brilliantly cheap. 

And INA belt with tensioner £21+vat.

Oil filter, wix brand £1.00+ vat. 

fantastic. 

 

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, Dan302 said:

Is there a tissue box, packet of Murray mints and a neatly folded tartan rug in the car?

No mints, or tartan rug. 

Got a free umbrella, a boot soaked in some kind of oilly goop.  And a chunk of household carpet under the spare. 

 

[Rusty_Rocket]

Excellent!  Those Family I 8v engines did sterling service for many a decade

[Andyrew]

2 mins with the rotary polisher  reveals that theres potential under those horrific swirls and ingrained crud. 

 

[Andyrew]

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

It looks very nice.

Being Auto was it a Motability car?

Im not sure,  im not sure if the owner that passed away was the original or not. 

In other news the p.o who gave me the car, was wanting something cheaper and more to her taste.  The day she gave me the Astra my other halfs parents asked if i knew anyone who wanted to buy the corsa they had off me , as they had purchased their sons Astra for PX money from him as he was getting something newer with more doors.  So a quick text to my friend and one pic later. SOLD. 

The simplicity of bargain cars. 

[SRi05]

3 hours ago, Andyrew said:

Give that man 10points!

@Dan302 approved giffer shite

YES 

Automatic as well. 11/10. Love an Astra G

[Dan302]

I worked at a Vauxhall dealership when these came out, as they were being unloaded we thought there was a hint on BMW 3 series compact about the rear end.

[Andyrew]

Service underway. 

Plugs needed nursing out. Tho not as bad as id expected. But whilst out they habe been replaced with some cheap bosch plugs. Oil wasnt too bad, some mayo in the rocker but will do another change within the next 1k miles to give it a clear out. 

 

[Dan302]

I think mayo is standard on the 8v engine. The thermostat was gone on mine so it ran pretty cool, same on my lads mums old one. 

MK4s seem to be getting a rare sight now 😕

[Dan302]

16 hours ago, Leyland Worldmaster said:

I considered myself a Clarkson and test drove a few vehicles on spare Saturday afternoons. 

This one is the same age and colour as the one I drove. 

I also drove a Focus. 

I actually preferred this as the interior felt as though it was better finished. 

😎😎😎

I've had both and I preferred the Astra (although the Focus was in better condition)

[Andyrew]

The exhaust had a blowing ticking noise, i suspected the front flex joint but the mot advisory suggested it was from the manifold. 

With the heat sheild of it certainly sounded like a failed gasket. 

A wire brush and a splash of lube on the stud and would you believe it the all bloody came out aswell!  Had to get some heat on the bolts to the down pipe  but even they came out. 

Gasket on order now to arrive here after 2. 

Looks to have blown at the sides. The lower studs were very loose/easy to undo. 

 

[Andyrew]

33 minutes ago, Dan302 said:

I think mayo is standard on the 8v engine. The thermostat was gone on mine so it ran pretty cool, same on my lads mums old one. 

MK4s seem to be getting a rare sight now 😕

 

People are giving them away around here! 

Had both Astras parked outside my home last night, theres a silver one over the road, a black one opposite and a blue one round the corner from that. 

Very plentiful around this area still  beacause Luton is next door.