Andy's awful autos: vegetarian able vehicle incoming (not mine honest!)

[Andyrew]

The VPs interior while classy when it was new this particular car has had a hard time. 

The drivers seat, its pretty ruined and sagged out, I've got a rubbish back and A friend of mine who will be sharing some of the driving also rocks a bad back and is taller than me. Now given I have the seat all the way back as is and I'm very average in height. I decided to knock up some mounts to bring the seat back a further 4 inches.  The seat is now limited by the rear ashtray. Which can get to fuck if needed. 

The sagged seat base then, there's the right way, which is strip the seat down , perhaps source a used passenger seat for all the money or there's the free and now option. A quick visit to a skip nearby yielded some foam floor tiles, I then needed something to spread the support, But not solid I've made that mistake in the past, something with a bit of flex to it. A skip rummage for some thin plywood proved unsuccessful. Then while staring at the wall questioning my life choices, an idea came. A blowtorch and some screws later and we are done. 

Finally a use for that number plate I never fitted on the now ex partners pug 107 from earlier in this thread. 

 

 

 

[Andyrew]

With the VP up on the lift it was clear that the suspension had dropped on the nearside. Sure enough the union at the back was leaking. Expected this to be honest. I dropped the fuel tank out again as I wanted to re do the lines in proper 1/4 pipe this time and simplified the lay out. Hydro fluid dropped out and @sharley17194 suggested ptfe to stop it. sure enough it worked spot on. 

Tank back in and new copper line ran, with the car over head I decided to make a new bit of loom to connect the reverse light switch back up so this now works. The lead was completely gone and the switch needed adjustment a Happy easy fix. 

I modified the seat rails so the seat now goes another 4 to 5 inches back only Now limited by the rear ashtray. Dash panel removed so the lighter socket now  powers up (crusty fuse connection) 

Decided to have a nosey at the lights, clean stuff up and make them as bright as possible. I run the car with the spot lights on most of the time as the headlights alone are a smidge wank. So popped the lenses off to clean. Which went well.

Bollocks. 80 quid for another used one. No chance, I'll fit some modern wipac lights that look the same.

Today I decided to drop the oil and filter,  the oil in there had only done 300 miles which feels like a waste but it was very very black and wanted to check for any concerns and with 30ltrs of the correct oil in stock anyway. Nothing off concern found. Easier to just pop the grill off to get the filter out I find. New plugs picked up at a motor factors local to the workshop. Good price, good service. Will use them more often now.

Re insured today so I'll take it out for a rip tomorrow. 

 

 

[SiC]

2 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

the oil in there had only done 300 miles which feels like a waste but it was very very black

your VDP is auto iirc? If so then no bad thing getting it changed more reguarly imo, even if its to allow fresh oil to flush through and help clean things out.

I always remember my Father-in-law telling me that the one and only time he used engine flush additive on an oil change was in his auto VDP 1300. Killed the gearbox within a tens of miles...

While a cool bit of engineering, these AP auto boxes aren't the toughest.

[Andyrew]

Just now, SiC said:

While a cool bit of engineering, these AP auto boxes aren't the toughest.

I'd like to manual swap it, but 1275 manuals are silly money and rotten 1300s don't come up much.  If this box does lose its will to live, I'd like to try and fit a c1/ago/107 engine and box in. 

[SiC]

Just now, Andyrew said:

c1/ago/107 engine and box in

https://www.minimania.com/-Austin_America_VTEC_Kit_

VTEC yo

[sharley17194]

Autos really hate dirty oil, so flush it a few times before you ruin the box. 

[sharley17194]

I managed to pick up a VP too:

[Andyrew]

14 minutes ago, sharley17194 said:

I managed to pick up a VP too:

The blued chrome is certainly interesting!

 

[Andyrew]

20 minutes ago, sharley17194 said:

Autos really hate dirty oil, so flush it a few times before you ruin the box. 

Will change again in the not too distant future, I know @Sigmund Fraud changed it when he had it, and I've changed it twice now so its not running on really old stuff. will change it again in roughly 250 ish miles.

[tooSavvy]

4 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

The blued chrome is certainly interesting!

 

Well, when Auto$hiters go magnet fishing...

Has it GOT bumpers .. Yo✔️

..... great catch 😉

🚙💨

[sharley17194]

the blue chrome is grease, apparently its old school to stop pitting, its just a twat to get off.

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, sharley17194 said:

I managed to pick up a VP too:

Brighton reg, a Wadham Stringer car? Hope the inner sills are ok.

[Andyrew]

Road trip repairs?

As seen in my 1 mile per cc thread the VP took a jolly to Scotland for 5 days and performed brilliantly. 

with the car now back at the workshop I popped it on the lift to just nosey at the oil leakage situation. The the return journey I'd noted some spotting of oil on the bootlid

Annoyingly having changed the filter prior to going the thing insisted on leaking. I'd nipped it up again before leaving and all seemed well. However perhaps it's backed of slightly. Will try another seal and see. 

Its lightly coated alot of the underside. 

2 wheel bearings found to be now grumbling and that seems to be about it really.  I have 4 new wheel bearings so will fit them all and try address the leaking.

Overall not bad at all I'd say.

[AnthonyG]

To be honest oil leakage ‘lightly coating the underside’ is probably how most ADO16s made it past their seventh or eighth birthday!

[SiC]

I wonder if the oil on the boot lid is simply from the exhaust. Pretty much every old British car I've owned sprayed oil out of the exhaust especially when it's cold. My garage door is testament to that...

Not a good idea for anyone to park behind an old car if you want your car to stay clean!

[Barry Cade]

2 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

To be honest oil leakage ‘lightly coating the underside’ is probably how most ADO16s made it past their seventh or eighth birthday!

It's the BL version of a Scotoiler!

[jim89]

7 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

It's the BL version of a Scotoiler!

BLanoguard

[Zelandeth]

19 hours ago, SiC said:

I wonder if the oil on the boot lid is simply from the exhaust. Pretty much every old British car I've owned sprayed oil out of the exhaust especially when it's cold. My garage door is testament to that...

Not a good idea for anyone to park behind an old car if you want your car to stay clean!

Could be worse!  It could look like this with oil even after a decent run!

 

[Andyrew]

Today a visitor to the workshop arrived and the VP went for a few days away will I do a little sparkle stick action next week.

It Looks like it's concerned about being on the lift 

Pokey poke

Not too bad

however a litte  poke of what looked like a drain hole elsewhere revealed more grot which goes behind the front subframe mount. Nothing else found which is good. 

[Andyrew]

Before addressing the trabby, its finally time to start the clutch on my mates mondeo. Not a task I've been wanting to do but my mate didn't want to take the car to anyone else. Doesn't look like it will be too bad but I've got to be careful of my back so taking things steady.

Couple of hours poking about got this little lot removed and that's all for today.

 

[Zelandeth]

Thanks for taking that on.  Really appreciate it.  

Sill...chassis rail?  Chassill?  I never quite know exactly the correct terminology given that the structure is a bit odd.  Looks about how I'd expected it to after poking.  Wasn't aware of the grot around the subframe mount, but that is a common trouble spot from what I've read so not particularly surprising really after 40 years.

Given how rough the body looks up top I'm still surprised it's not worse.  Will be nice knowing that's all been tended to though.

[Andyrew]

Today see some more bits removed and the box dropped out. 

Tomorrow my friend (who owns the car) will pop over and we will fit the DMF and wrestle the box back in and he will leave me to put everything back together. 

[jim89]

2 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Today see some more bits removed and the box dropped out. 

Tomorrow my friend (who owns the car) will pop over and we will fit the DMF and wrestle the box back in and he will leave me to put everything back together. 

Serious shitin' (no G) 👍🏻

[SiC]

24 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

I'd been googling seals for the end, as that style of housing is fairly common on BL tat. 2.25 land rover one was my next step.

You might have already seen this - it's the original parts book for the housings.

Edit: moved from Zels thread to yours as probably makes more sense here.

[Andyrew]

Mondeo DMF all finished and done. District lack of photos after these as it was one of those jobs where stopping for photos wasn't on the cards after wrestling that bugger back in.  

[Andyrew]

All of the diesel clag

This morning I addressed fitting a new starter solenoid to this little lovey that belongs to my friend/landlord.

id previously found the old one to be duff but found one on a pile of shite in the workshop so borrowed that to test it would start.

 New one sorted from old skool minis on ebay. Fitted and made up a new battery cable as the old one was very tired

[Andyrew]

Keep it squeal

The belts on this ranger not a ranger were flapping about so 3 new belts fitted quickly this morning

These have twin waterproof and alt belts for some reason and a smaller one for the air con. The truck is in good shape so thankfully no stuck adjusters or anything. 25 mins and it's all done

 

[grogee]

14 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

All of the diesel clag

This morning I addressed fitting a new starter solenoid to this little lovey that belongs to my friend/landlord.

id previously found the old one to be duff but found one on a pile of shite in the workshop so borrowed that to test it would start.

 New one sorted from old skool minis on ebay. Fitted and made up a new battery cable as the old one was very tired

I saw that thing when I met you a couple of weeks back, it certainly stands out. 

Is there much of a market for vintage bulldozers? 

[Andyrew]

13 minutes ago, grogee said:

I saw that thing when I met you a couple of weeks back, it certainly stands out. 

Is there much of a market for vintage bulldozers? 

There is, and it can be either end of the scale all the money or basically scrap money. 

Also alot of older dozens and tracked vehicles export for good money so there's a bottom price take or it goes to Africa threshold. 

My friend did have a 90s jcb monster of a thing with big rubber tracks. The tracks were too worn for it to be useful for working land, and new tracks were 10k for a pair so it falls in that odd place were nobody wants it unless you collect them like he does. 

[Andyrew]

Once they were done I rang a campsite, chucked the rooftent on and pissed of to glastonbury for the night. Because why not.

Campsites not the usual old scruffy field type that I like but most are closed till April so this will have to do. Its nice but 35quid for the nights a bit pricey!