Andy's awful autos: Vanden-blah

[Dan302]

I always enjoy this thread, makes me wish I wasn't useless at fixing cars though!

[Andyrew]

Shock-ing discovery.

N.s top mount then.  With no drop link to worry about the shock removal was easy with no bolts putting up a fight.

Safety squints on and spring compressors deployed. My word that springs taking alot of compressing i thought.  It got to that point where i decided that has to be enough and wazzed the nut off.  Mount falls off spring goes loose and in goes the shaft.

Id learnt something in the same week with a customers bmw of sprung loaded shocks where the shock default sits at the halfway point . Having never heard of such a thing before but put it down as modern fancy car stuff. So to find it on an 06 plate zuk was a surprise. This means you need to hold the shock somehow in the fully extended position whilst you assemble it. 

I put the top nut on and hung the shock in the vice. Putting my body weight on the spring seat and forced it downwards untill i got the shock to bottom out. I then put a bit of sliced pipe and a jubilee clip round to clamp it in the fully open position.  I had to split the bump stop and cover into its to parts to have access to the clamp. 

Spring compressed more and top mount put on sharpishly and re assembled. Lots of swearing later got the cover pushed onto the bumpstop. 

Everything was given a quick brush out and a spray of supertrol like the rear. 

Then i found the spring washer for the top nut under my spring compressors. 

Sigh. 

 

Safety squints put back on. Rinse and repeat with added spring washer. 

[Andyrew]

Putting a stop to that. 

Brakes then, stripped, sliders cleaned and re greased.  Hub got cleaned aswell.

Seen worse but for less that 40 quid for discs and pads i wasnt going to mess about. 

Like all the other corners. A quick brush about and a spray of supertrol on its scabby bits. 

 

With a clean pass on the MOT thats that Sorted for now. 

[Andyrew]

Vans- off the wall

Had a couple of my works delivery vans in for some very minor repairs. With more staff than needed in the shop and trying to give each other some space i offered to take a van or two and have a once over look at some of them. 

First up a 14 plate partner for a headlight . This wasnt a pleasant job so no pics im affraid. Just think less water and tape. 

Oil filter removed . Rad hoses are just in the way. All that space and they make the gap between them smaller than the oil filter cap.  New filter and some 5w30 c2 splashed in.

when i drove the van to the workshop the steering was shaking side to side. A check of the tyres revealed the wires poking out of an egg shaped front tyre.  Christ knows what it had driven into. 

Next up another slighter newer and longer partner

Pump deployed. 

Whilst that did its thing i addresed the other issue. One twatted mirror, the backing cover and surround were all busted so a new mirror went on.

Same engine as the last but requires a fancier spec oil.  So out with the old and in with the gold!

After this i washed, clayed and spray waxed the van.  Its my bosses van that is rarely used for deliveries and i did feel a bit bad as the mirror was smashed when it was used to deliver something to me at the workshop on my day off! 

Next up a van thats a bit more me. 

 

 

[Andyrew]

Destruction derby.

Feast your eyes on some ex Derbyshire council 1.7cdti gloriousness. 

06 plate only on 70k now so plenty of life left.  Another kerb walloping cattywampus tracking victim with a chewed up O.s tyre so the spare was put on. 

Most of our vans seem to have at least one flat spotted rim.  

Fresh oil and filter. Nothing else to report. 

[Andyrew]

METZ have a look at this then.

*changes up into 5th at speed*

Whats was that? 

Ahahahahha , shitters let me explain. 

Im a freelance tinkerer, and its technically known as a 

JUDDER. 

When! I already did the engine mounts and checked the drive shafts, each time the sympton was kind of disguised but now it seems to be getting much worse. Upon changing up a gear it kind of monkeys around like a failed engine  mount.  Some readers may recall the gearbox oil change early in the thread and i noted the diff looked a bit worn. Surprisingly it hasnt got any better. 

Comically slack in there. 

No idea when that C clip schnapped . .

160k of wear through the planet gears hardening. 

Bugger, replacement diff or gearbox then. 

[Andyrew]

Gearbox pan re fitted and fresh oil chucked in via the reverse light switch. 

Trusty block 'o' wewd could then be removed and i opted to rotate the tyres as the fronts are getting low and id like to get as much life from these untill the gearbox issue is resolved / the cars fate is decided. 

Nail found in one causing a wee leak so it was handy that i did. Will get that sorted asap.

A general poke around shows  winter hasnt been kind and these archs dont seem to be self healing. 

Sad times, but given this was scabby from the start and i did a basic quick repair of grind back, rust treat, filled and rattle canned in a few hours its lasted fairly well. 

 

[Dan302]

Hope the Astra can be cheaply fixed and live on, this thread was one of the first I started following as I loved seeing the Astra getting some attention

[Andyrew]

Large! But what a honey. 

Better keep @Six-cylinder away. 

[Six-cylinder]

8 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Large! But what a honey. 

Better keep @Six-cylinder away. 

Oh yes 2100 HP would be great!

[spartacus]

Phoar, that's lush. Is it yours?

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, spartacus said:

Phoar, that's lush. Is it yours?

Its not sadly its My friend/landlords at the farm.  

[Andyrew]

Vosa approved beam tester. 

[Andyrew]

Im being watched aswell . . .

[Andyrew]

For

@LightBulbFun 

[Andyrew]

Light work

The number plate light wasnt working.  The very very old bulb had blown so i put it to one side so i could attempt to match it up at work. I then proceeded to drop the bloody thing. 

These style of lights are very easily avalible in plastic chrome and with a more modern bulb for not alot.  But its survived all these year i wanted it to live on. The cover bolt sheared as did both retaining studs.  

Glass washed and metal cover cleaned up

Broken studs drilled out so i could nut and bolt it on and a Suitable big headed self tapper was dug out the box of doom.  Terminals cleaned up and wires tested. Let there be light!

And mounted back up on the back off the roof.  Im stood of the rear wheel here. 

So thats the lights sorted. 

Sadly theres only one main beam as the filament must be dead. the sealed beam spot lights on the rear, one worked one was dead,  today the working one decided its time had come. 

 

 

 

[Andyrew]

Wiper motor was removed, freed up and the earth cleaned up. 

The switch had no continuity, so i took it appart and cleaned up the contacts.  It was pretty crusty. 

The wiper switch is in a sort of box over head, this has had speakers butchered into it in the past and had a big chunk cut out of it going across the corner making the panel a bit floppy and looking a bit poop.

I had an old speaker grill kicking around so that went on over one hole and i folded up a bit of steel to make a blank plate. I thought id wrap it with something if i had anything kicking around.

Hey look, the old floor mats from the burgandy astra.  Slice. . .yoink

Plush!

 

 

 

 

[Andyrew]

Ive been informed by @garethj that a certain red car has been dispatched and ive been told of its delivery with the key left somewhere for me. 

 

[Andyrew]

Parcel recieved. Bargain. 

[Six-cylinder]

11 hours ago, Andyrew said:

Parcel recieved. Bargain. 

Fantastic!

[Andyrew]

[Andyrew]

Shes rough but mechanically a sprited rip down the bumpy driveway there was no knocks or noises. 

Fluids look fresh and decent. 

[Sham]

13 hours ago, Andyrew said:

Parcel recieved. Bargain. 

Looks like Hermes delivering in their usual manner...

[Mrs6C]

Top buy!

After the metalwork magic you have been working on my VP1500, the MX5 bodywork will be a doddle...

[Andyrew]

[Andyrew]

I found a rattle can of red paint in the workshop.  I think it was left over from the wheel arch bodge on an old workvan.  A search on the holts site suggested it was the colour of the wee mazda!  I had clean filler and abrasives. 

Better see if its the right colour. 

Fix the rusty arches? Nah. That scuff is pretty deep and big, and the debaged area was a bit rough. 

The photos make it look great but its far from it. A 10fter. A quick and dirty repair. Good enough. 

Headlights have also been polished. 

[Lacquer Peel]

Is the Kielder impact gun good?

[Andyrew]

14 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said:

Is the Kielder impact gun good?

I like it but its specs are like most and overated.  It struggles with some overtightened wheel bolts. Yet its ripped out crank bolts to my surprise. 

Its compact and very light.

Id say its more a hobbyist tool, speeds jobs up no end and doesnt cost that mach given what the average cost of these types of tool is. 

Would i buy it again? Im not sure i, i dont think so. I wanted it to be part of a bundle of tools that share batteries and Ive said it before on here but the drills they make are utter utter wank. I hate using mine. 

So if i was to do it again id maybe go makita or milwaukee.

 

[Andyrew]

Poke, poke, yep definately one of my cars now. 

[Lacquer Peel]

15 hours ago, Andyrew said:

I like it but its specs are like most and overated.  It struggles with some overtightened wheel bolts. Yet its ripped out crank bolts to my surprise. 

Its compact and very light.

Id say its more a hobbyist tool, speeds jobs up no end and doesnt cost that mach given what the average cost of these types of tool is. 

Would i buy it again? Im not sure i, i dont think so. I wanted it to be part of a bundle of tools that share batteries and Ive said it before on here but the drills they make are utter utter wank. I hate using mine. 

So if i was to do it again id maybe go makita or milwaukee.

 

I was tempted by the Kielder tools but I got a 400nm Ryobi impact gun for a decent price, it's been good so far and Ryobi do about 100 different tools with the same battery.