Andy's awful autos: Trabant done

[High Jetter]

3 hours 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

Just, WOW. You got to work on it?

[Andyrew]

Up early to catch the Sun waking up.

And back down

[SiC]

12 hours ago, Andyrew said:

glastonbury

Wells is down the road and worth a visit/wander around. We often tend to go down for a chill out on a weekend morning/afternoon. Filming place of Hot Fuzz!

Don't forget to have a wander down Vicars Close 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cuRc3To3fPFoFBb59

 

[SiC]

There is also the reclamation shops (fancy word for expensive scrap yard) if you like looking at old random junk.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FRPe7uh5D8KtmVbS6

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NgNmgYrd8vjQ3n2Y6

[Andyrew]

1 minute ago, SiC said:

There is also the reclamation shops (fancy word for expensive scrap yard) if you like looking at old random junk.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FRPe7uh5D8KtmVbS6

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NgNmgYrd8vjQ3n2Y6

Just down the road from here. May pop in and have a nosey. 

Breaky, shower then heading towards Wookey hole. 

 

 

[SiC]

Just now, Andyrew said:

Just down the road from here. May pop in and have a nosey. 

Breaky, shower then heading towards Wookey hole. 

 

 

The Wells yard is bigger and better than the Glasto one. 

[Andyrew]

[jim89]

50 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Wot no wooky? 😢

[Andyrew]

1 minute ago, jim89 said:

Wot no wooky? 😢

Ebbor gorge so close!

[jim89]

2 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Ebbor gorge so close!

Ebor & a wookie ?

Popcorn fetched I have....

[Andyrew]

[SiC]

11 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Pensford Viaduct?

[Cookiesouwest]

1 hour ago, Andyrew said:

Rising Sun car park?

[Andyrew]

And now for something completely different!

 

[SiC]

I probably should make a trip to Wake The Tiger sometime. Heard good things from others. Did you think it was any good?

[jim89]

Is the tiger suitably woke?

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

I probably should make a trip to Wake The Tiger sometime. Heard good things from others. Did you think it was any good?

It's absolutely bonkers, book online it's cheaper. 

It's so random but I like this kind of stuff. 

[Andyrew]

And the final stop of the day, I'll watch the sun set and then it's 3 or so hours back home. Been a good day

 

[SiC]

While listening to some Portishead? 😄

[Tickman]

Some absolute stunning sights you've had today.

[Surface Rust]

5 hours ago, Andyrew said:

And now for something completely different!

 

 

 

Wow, I knew those Kas dissolved easily, but that's ridiculous!

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, Surface Rust said:

Wow, I knew those Kas dissolved easily, but that's ridiculous!

That's what's left when you've cut out the rot.

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, Tickman said:

Some absolute stunning sights you've had today.

Its been amazing.

Did also witness a man tell his reflection in a window to "fuck off and get a job" and give it the finger.

Come to think of it maybe he was talking to me 😄

 

[Andyrew]

7 hours ago, Cookiesouwest said:

Rising Sun car park?

I was parked up on a side road but did wander down past the rising sun

[Andyrew]

Back home  around 9.30pm last night, that's 425 miles  over 2 days. Filthy outside  but just being the perfect car for the task.

Just about to roll over onto 191k too

[Andyrew]

Time for some choppy choppy. 

With MOTs and a few other wee jobs that friends asked me to look at out the way. It's time to check out the grot on the trabby and it's not great news. Now as soon as I peaked through the holes and see the thick coating of cavity wax I new today's task was going to suck . I trimmed everything out using an air saw as the grinder would just make things a smokey awful mess.  6 hours later we are cleaned back using a scraper, cloth with solvent and fibre discs and wire wheels in a drill. Fun it wasn't. Tomorrow I will start making some new metal to let in. 

The inner wheel arch is grotty and has a previous repair, this section will come out at a later time. 

 

[Zelandeth]

31 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Time for some choppy choppy. 

With MOTs and a few other wee jobs that friends asked me to look at out the way. It's time to check out the grot on the trabby and it's not great news. Now as soon as I peaked through the holes and see the thick coating of cavity wax I new today's task was going to suck . I trimmed everything out using an air saw as the grinder would just make things a smokey awful mess.  6 hours later we are cleaned back using a scraper, cloth with solvent and fibre discs and wire wheels in a drill. Fun it wasn't. Tomorrow I will start making some new metal to let in. 

The inner wheel arch is grotty and has a previous repair, this section will come out at a later time. 

 

Thanks for doing all that work!  Now seeing the prior repair to that inner arch we most likely see why that bit of sill is crunchy compared to the other side.

Cavity wax suuuuuuucks when doing work like this, but I guess if someone hadn't applied it (I seriously doubt it was the factory) I imagine there'd be a lot less left of the car by now.

[Andyrew]

French detour

The chuggy buggy appeared the other day and it was noted that its leaving concerningly large oil patches on the ground, its always had a small weep from the bellhousing which we filed under ignore, With upcoming busyness this weekend seemed like a last min good time to have a look, I'd already collected a seal from my old work at the same time as collecting the replacement (correct) thermostat housing for the Mondeo, i however didn't check the seal until the car appeared and seems my old colleague got me the flipping timing end. Fuck sake. 

Quick nip to a local MPD and they thankfully had one in stock and I even got a cheeky discount , nice! 

Below we can see the size of the leak, that's about 12hrs worth of parked. 

Right then, let's remove some shite. 

One bolt had picked up a thread and put up a tedious fight, I shit you not it was the last bolt. Everything else went smoothly. Anyway after wrestling it out and calling it all the curse words. I cleaned out all the shit inside the bellhousing so the gearbox is ready to go back in.

According to the writing in the engine bay a clutch had been fitted at 65k, cars on around 100 k now i think, with an upcoming wedding for the owner it was decided to just re use the clutch. The flywheel had marks showing it has been off before so looks like the crank seal had been done before. 

A quick spritz of brake cleaner and a wipe over later, it seems our seal isn't to blame hear but the oil gallery bung was just completely loose and it just wound out by hand.  The crank seal is going to be replaced regardless as a just in case as the seal was clogged in shite so it's probably has a bit of a hard time in there. 

Bung cleaned up and I put some threadlocker on and nipped it right up. 

Leave that for today and fight the gearbox back in in the morning.

[Andyrew]

Today I knocked up the main section to fill the now large hole back in, I'm unsure now why I made it out of three parts when it could have been made from two. But hey it came out okay and fits pretty good.

[Andyrew]

Bearing in mind

This big old lump of liability belongs to a friend who works away alot and with  the MOT looming he asked if I could take it for him to my usual place, first issue was a known one. The tyres, one splitting, one with uneven wear and two recently had a bad time with a big pot hole. The cars doing sub 2k a year now so 4 budgets went on at a local place (my machines too small) 

Didn't bother checking the car over and just sent it, Failed on a wheel bearing which was completely F'd. Picked up a good quality bearing from my old employer while I was there and headed to the workshop next morning.

Big boy socket set out and some hammer action got this sucker out. 

It was going swimmingly,  be done in an hour i thought, so i nipped away for a few moments made an arrangement to be somewhere miles away for the afternoon, and maybe have a nosey around for the evening but when i Came back to the workshop a random gust of wind had blown the workshop door (and the big weight holding it out the way) and slammed the door into the wheel that was off the range rover (leaning on my car)  so now we have a wheel with some big chips in it FFS! Thankfully the wheel was already damaged from being forced into a kerb recently.

Righto let's get the (£130+vat) OE equivalent wheel bearing fitted. Ohh great that clicks/notches when you turn it by hand, it's faulty, Fantastic. 

Ring old work, ask to arrange another and please check it, leave for my arranged  appointment 80 miles away in the wrong direction , Call confirming another in stock and it's okay, appointment over I press on to get to harpenden now 72 miles away  in rush hour, hanging about I was not.

Arrive and the other bearing clicks too, properly disappointed.

It did get resolved and a budget bearing was the quickest solution, turns smoothly as expected , Not what the owner wanted to fit but I'm sure it will be fine. Never had many issues when I used to sell them. I got to pop out to a old customers retirement pub meet while I was there which I wouldn't have been able too if things had gone "right" so like alot of things in life it all works out well in the end.

Although its very hard to remember this at the time when things go tits up .

New  bearing fitted and a  retest this morning sees this big lump sorted. For now Anyways.