Cort1977's Fleet - Saab MOT, results are in

6,972 · January 7, 2021

1 minute ago, hairnet said:

oh you have been to eddys

Nah, but he (or anyone) with a bit of love for big, crude engines will be very welcome to test it out when things get back to something close to normal.

6,972 · January 7, 2021

7 minutes ago, hairnet said:

did ya give eddy a go of your proper american car

wheres tha noize?

could a dentless bloke sort the lacquer or is it too fucked for that?

do these do the dodge thing of shutting down cylinders when yer cruising?

have there been any chargers stealthily following you *shit joke done to death

No cylinder deactivation on this - it's only a 281ci - so economical right?

Will post a noise video ASAP. Need the wheels back...

3,354 · January 8, 2021

No, just a thread on the ball joint. So a nut clamps the ball joint in place. That's one of those ones that clamp differently. Perhaps some Sierras had them but I've never seen one. I have put a picture below of an arm I have here.

I remember trying the strap wrench method and not getting it to work, the tension was just too great. Perhaps I didn't have a strong enough one. But the scissor jack under the bottom of the tyre with a big bit of wood against a wall was amazing. You get used to this until you fit poly compliance bushes as then there's no reason to take it all apart again.

6,972 · January 8, 2021

4 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

No, just a thread on the ball joint. So a nut clamps the ball joint in place. That's one of those ones that clamp differently. Perhaps some Sierras had them but I've never seen one. I have put a picture below of an arm I have here.

I remember trying the strap wrench method and not getting it to work, the tension was just too great. Perhaps I didn't have a strong enough one. But the scissor jack under the bottom of the tyre with a big bit of wood against a wall was amazing. You get used to this until you fit poly compliance bushes as then there's no reason to take it all apart again.

Right I'm with you. I'll look in to it but I have just repainted the ones I took off so there shouldn't be an issue.

The picture I posted was an example of the hole for the anti-roll bar having a internal flange or web like the one you posted. One of mine does and one doesn't and I'm wondering if it will be an issue fitting new bushes. I will just cross that bridge when I come to it.

6,972 · January 10, 2021

Made a little progress on the Mustang today.

Fitted the powder coated wheels, very happy with the finish and price, Customised Coatings at Newmachar for anyone local.

Also hopefully solved the indicator issue. Both side repeaters and one rear indicator are currently failing to proceed. I have been reading some tales of woe about poor conversions when these cars are imported and particularly that bad wiring can cause an issue with the 'Smart Junction Box'. When i had the wheels off today I dug out the side repeater and found it rusted solid. Light stopped play but I'm very hopeful that the issue is corrosion in the bulb holders and earths rather than any issue with the SJB.

Side repeaters are standard kit car fare. I failed to clean up the contacts very effectively and don't have the right bulbs in stock so I think a new set will be ordered shortly.

That's the last thing I can see for the MOT so should get her in for the test next week.

6,972 · February 27, 2021

Snow has delayed mustang MOT so in the meantime I have been fiddling with my other Dagenham dustbins.

Sierra has been stored outside over the winter due to space issues and let in a little water. Mostly from the rear light clusters so some butyl tape on order for that. Also bought wiper delay and instrument dimmers to replace nasty blanks on the dash. Because priorities.

Cortina is lurking in the garage avoiding the salt so I took the chance to fix the steering wheel which was grubby and had lost its cover.

Stripped wheel down and polished.

Had to re stitch ebay leather cover as it was too big, think it's for a standard not 1600E wheel despite being advertised as such.

Rubber cover back on.

Cover in place. Wife hand stitched it in the end as her machine couldn't sew the leather and she said my effort at hand stitching was pitiful.

Stitched up round the edges through the stitches put on by the supplier.

Done.

Delighted with how this turned out, not quite as good as a professional job but 25 quid versus 230 plus postage I was quoted and I did it myself. Going back on the car today.

6,972 · March 5, 2021

Mustang MOT today. Failed but I know how to fix it so that's most of the battle.

Failed on brake lights and indicators not working and a rear fog tell-tale. Despite some ominous clonking over speed bumps on the drive there and several advisories for corrosion those were the only things. 0.00% CO and 4ppm HC readings as well so seems like the engine is in good shape.

Brake light is just the switch sticking on. A little google-fu reveals the switch is used in Mazdas, Volvos and Fiestas so no issues finding a replacement. Genuine Ford part less than a tenner on ebay so can't complain there.

The indictors are down to corrosion in the relays added for IVA purposes when the car was first imported. I had an auto electrician diagnose these yesterday so straight replacements should get the electrics finished.

19,952 · March 5, 2021

The Mustang looks excellent. It's good to see the Passat lurking in the background of one of the pics.

6,972 · March 12, 2021

Mustang passed today!

Relays were simple in theory, my not very local Halfords had them on the shelf on a Sunday so for the first time in ages I actually bought something there. Getting to them was a right old war, had to take off the bumper which meant taking off the arch liners and a headlight. All easy enough just laborious.

Relays were corroded, the whole car has been stored in damp conditions so not entirely surprising. I ended up putting them back in the same location, would have been better to extend the wires and put them somewhere more accessible but I wanted to get the retest done and the bumpers will have to come off for a de-rusting session anyway.

Brake light was actually a missing pad that the switch pushes against. Wish i had worked this out before buying a new switch but not the end of the world.

Final advisory was the rear fog light tell tale. America has no fog light requirements and so there is no factory location for the tell tale when one is fitted over here. It's fitted in the switch but is pretty dim and the tester missed it.

All sorted today, MOT issued, taxed and took it for a run out with the family.

Driving impressions are typically American. Great noise, brakes are OK but the suspension could be described as wooly. It feels like the dampers are past their best, body control over bumps is not great. A mid-corner bump is not a pleasant experience and the rear seat passengers weren't feeling great after twenty minutes.

Nothing that can't be fixed, I have a set of cheap coilovers to go on although that may not be much of an improvement. Aside from that plans for the next few months are extensive wire wheel and dynax sessions and get some more quotes to fix the dents. Interested to see how it performs on a run, it's probably more of a cruiser than a back road weapon.

MPG did improve a little from this point...

6,972 · April 16, 2021

Now Aberdeenshire council have stopped salting the roads I dragged the cortina in to the light yesterday.

I have owned this since 2003 but hardly ever driven it. It's a 1970 Super that had a home restoration in the late 90s by the previous but one owner. At this time it was painted Aubergine and had the interior from a 1600E fitted. It was then sold to someone with too many projects and then put on ebay where i bought it. It's been sitting in various lockups and storage until last October when i collected it from my in-laws garage where it had been since 2012.

Trailer borrowed from the very kind @Saabnut. Slightly epic collection from Co. Kerry went smoothly.

Once at home I stashed it away in the garage out of the salt.

It ran when parked but I wasn't sure what state it would be in after such a long lay up. I re-joined the Mk2 owners club who have a very good spares scheme, still run by a lovely bloke in Essex, and ordered a few parts. A new fuel pump diaphragm, coil, condensor and points had it making hopeful noises. A new battery, jump leads and some easy start had it coughing in to life.

Brakes and clutch (hydraulic on these) seemed OK so I took it for a very gentle test drive. Amazingly, everything seems to be functioning more or less correctly. The alternator was making a racket but replacing a missing bolt sorted that.

Plans are new tyres, tracking, number plates, service and then drive it and see what else needs doing. The front wings are starting to rust a little but hopefully savable. I will get an MOT done for peace of mind although it's exempt now. I have some black and silver plates I got made years ago but now I'm thinking a set of period correct white and yellow would be better. As a short term goal I'm planning on a day trip with the family on 'drive it day' later this month.

10,700 · April 16, 2021

That looks lovely

22,707 · April 16, 2021

2 hours ago, cort1977 said:

Now Aberdeenshire council have stopped salting the roads I dragged the cortina in to the light yesterday.

I have owned this since 2003 but hardly ever driven it. It's a 1970 Super that had a home restoration in the late 90s by the previous but one owner. At this time it was painted Aubergine and had the interior from a 1600E fitted. It was then sold to someone with too many projects and then put on ebay where i bought it. It's been sitting in various lockups and storage until last October when i collected it from my in-laws garage where it had been since 2012.

Trailer borrowed from the very kind @Saabnut. Slightly epic collection from Co. Kerry went smoothly.

Once at home I stashed it away in the garage out of the salt.

It ran when parked but I wasn't sure what state it would be in after such a long lay up. I re-joined the Mk2 owners club who have a very good spares scheme, still run by a lovely bloke in Essex, and ordered a few parts. A new fuel pump diaphragm, coil, condensor and points had it making hopeful noises. A new battery, jump leads and some easy start had it coughing in to life.

Brakes and clutch (hydraulic on these) seemed OK so I took it for a very gentle test drive. Amazingly, everything seems to be functioning more or less correctly. The alternator was making a racket but replacing a missing bolt sorted that.

Plans are new tyres, tracking, number plates, service and then drive it and see what else needs doing. The front wings are starting to rust a little but hopefully savable. I will get an MOT done for peace of mind although it's exempt now. I have some black and silver plates I got made years ago but now I'm thinking a set of period correct white and yellow would be better. As a short term goal I'm planning on a day trip with the family on 'drive it day' later this month.

I'm looking at your driveway and have come to the conclusion I'm doing life all wrong! 😂

'Tina looks lovely and has clearly been well stored considering it's been sat for almost two decades. Where's the video of the first start though?!

27,121 · April 16, 2021

1 hour ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I'm looking at your driveway and have come to the conclusion I'm doing life all wrong! 😂

Can confirm, have visited said driveway on several occasions now.

I didn't even realise the Cortina was so purple! It just looked black when it was hiding in the garage.

86,852 · April 16, 2021

Friggin nora how did I miss you'd got this Mustang, looks great. I guess parts availability for these is pretty decent given there's zillions of them in the states?

Have you thought of fitting a Rover 75 badge in opposition of how Rover 75 v8 owners stick Mustang badges on their cars?

6,972 · April 16, 2021

4 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I'm looking at your driveway and have come to the conclusion I'm doing life all wrong! 😂

'Tina looks lovely and has clearly been well stored considering it's been sat for almost two decades. Where's the video of the first start though?!

Thanks. It's not bad considering but definitely has some dodgy spots if you look closely.

Video of first start would have required more hands than i have to spray the easy start, turn the key and hold the camera. My potential assistants were more interested in Minecraft sadly.

1 hour ago, cort16 said:

Friggin nora how did I miss you'd got this Mustang, looks great. I guess parts availability for these is pretty decent given there's zillions of them in the states?

Have you thought of fitting a Rover 75 badge in opposition of how Rover 75 v8 owners stick Mustang badges on their cars?

Parts are easy with Rockauto etc. it's the delivery that stings a bit. Also, a lot of parts are shared with Mazda and Volvo but something like a new bumper would be expensive. Saying that, there's one or two mustangs breaking in the UK at the moment, I got a door mirror for about 20 quid, can't find one for the Sierra at that price.

Good point about the Rover link, would they let me in to the Pride of Longbridge as it has a Rover engine?

2 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Can confirm, have visited said driveway on several occasions now.

I didn't even realise the Cortina was so purple! It just looked black when it was hiding in the garage.

We should do that again soon.

27,121 · April 16, 2021

55 minutes ago, cort1977 said:

We should do that again soon.

I have a gearbox mount for the Saab on order...

14,389 · April 18, 2021

What a lovely selection of vehicles. The Cortina is particularly sexy. Good luck with the V8 Sierra project!

6,972 · April 23, 2021

Little bit of progress with the Cortina this week, getting ready for drive it day this weekend.

First up, insurance. Was very cheap but I really should investigate multi-car for the fleet.

Next was some new tyres. The old ones were fine but they had been on it since 2003 and were 60 profile so didn't look that great. I went for 175/70 replacements and chose Pirellis on the grounds they were reasonably priced and looked vaguely appropriate without being actual classic tyres.

Filled up on the way back and found the fuel filler pipe leaks but not the tank at least. It's been a while since I have siphoned petrol and it hasn't got any better than I remember.

It was good to drive a few miles though even if it highlighted some other issues. Most importantly the tailgate seal is cracked and not functioning very well. It may be the shape of the car or some other factor but fumes get drawn in to the cabin which is not great obviously. New seals don't seem easy to come by but I suspect something for a mk 3 estate won't be far off so will give that a try. Other things were various squeaks and rattles, possible leaking fuel pump, throttle linkage is a bit ropey and the driver's window doesn't work. Also, the passenger doors are painted the wrong colour, looks like a BL shade.

On the plus side it gets up to sixty with no problems and throwing it in to corners is quite fun once you get used to the slightly unnerving oversteer.

Changed the oil yesterday afternoon and put in some new plugs.

4,833 · April 23, 2021

That looks great, nice colour too and I love estates. A mk2 is the only one missing from my fleet, I need to put this right. That would be great for the Cortina’s to Cortina trip next year.

16,924 · April 23, 2021

What a fleet! I'd missed the Mustang purchase too. Jealous? Me? Never...

33,064 · April 23, 2021

I absolutely love that Cortina!

6,972 · May 4, 2021

As well as doing some boring maintenance on moderns I got a few minutes to look at the Sierra over the weekend. The TCAs and anti roll bar are all painted and ready to go on with poly bushes . However on pressing the bushes in it became apparent that there are different types of TCA as i was worried about earlier in the thread.

I think I have one genuine and one pattern TCA and the pattern TCA is too big for the inner polybush. So I need a genuine Ford TCA if anyone has one, or knows where to get one? Lots of pattern parts and adjustable things available but I've bought the poly bushes now and might as well fit them if possible. None specifically listed on ebay but plenty of Sierras breaking so should be able to get something.

6,972 · July 26, 2021

Been a couple of changes to the fleet lately. Passat sold to @Supernauts brother - saw him driving it today so he seems to be getting good use out of it. Replaced with a white goods audi that need not delay us here.

MX5 has also moved on, really enjoyed it but a two seater limits the times we use it.

So the hunt was on for a new convertible, was idly musing on possible candidates - C70, Audi a4, when out of the blue my missus piped up that she had always really liked the classic 900 Saab convertibles.

Before she changed her mind I identified a few possibles and ran them past @Saabnut . While gently steering me away from a car I had my eye on he mentioned that a possible car might be lurking in his extensive collection.

A deal was done and I ordered an exhaust and some service parts. With one thing and another it took a couple of weeks to get everything together but we got her on the lift last Friday and fitted the exhaust. We had changed the oil a couple of weeks previously so I drove to a prearranged MOT.

First impressions were good, top down, sweet engine, grips well and not slow if not exactly fast. It's a non-turbo 16 valve version (and has a badge proclaiming this on the back) with a 5 speed box.

MOT failed but only on a spring so ordered those and some discs that were an advisory. Very happy with that considering she had been laid up for a while.

Future plans are a DA polishing to remedy the severe pogweasling, correct number plates and general titivation. Will probably replace the bonnet and weld some patches on the doors but the car is solid underneath so mostly cosmetic stuff.

Now I'm wondering about taking her on holiday in a couple of weeks...

18,733 · July 26, 2021

Good result on the MOT, springs rarely break on the c900 which is my excuse for not spotting that! Ramp is here if you need it.

6,972 · October 30, 2021

Not much fleet action here lately but did some work on the mustang brakes yesterday. Although this car hasn't done many miles it does suffer from ford's lackadaisical attitude to rust proofing and living in Scotland most of its life.

A juddering from the front at speed and hot brakes was diagnosed as a binding caliper. Sure enough the lower slider was solid and a sweary hour involving progressively bigger hammers and heat was required to get it off. All greased up and the pads looked to be wearing evenly so hopefully all OK.

A test drive went well until it started again, I think from the brake on the other side. Not as bad though and went away by the time I got home. Will do the passenger side if it ever stops raining.

Car is off for a tidy up and paint soon and planning on a few road trips next year.

6,972 · January 27, 2022

A few little things done here lately.

Saab has oil leaks from the valve cover gaskets, removed and cleaned up and hopefully new gaskets correctly torqued will sort that. was going to do the plugs while I was there but the ones on it now are correct and look brand new so will leave them for now.

New and period correct number plates fitted. New Saab badge fitted.

Plans are afoot to take this to Ireland this year. My 10 and 12 year old are not especially happy about that as it's not the roomiest car in the back but I don't have to sit there.

6,972 · February 7, 2022

Mustang is off for some bodywork love imminently which meant I had to fix the binding brake so it could be moved. I did the other side a few weeks ago so I knew what to expect and sure enough the lower slider was seized. A bit of heat and some percussion with a lump hammer soon had it coming round to my way of thinking. Test drive was still showing a slight judder but some hard stops seemed to get the pistons freed off and everything working smoothly. Should really strip the calipers down but they're working for now and i have to drop the car off this week.

Success was confirmed by average fuel consumption creeping up from 12.8 to the dizzy heights of 15.1 MPG. That's freedom MPGs so even better in imperial units - 18.1 MPG. I can live with that and will be interesting to see what it does on a longer run.

Picture to show how this car has been parked at the bottom of the sea for most of its life - a summer of hot wire wheel action beckons.

6,972 · March 21, 2022

Things have been progressing steadily over the last few weeks. Mustang was taken down to @GingerNuttz in Wishaw a few weeks ago. He's been making great progress, finding more rust than hoped but kind of expected that.

Yesterday I dropped some new drop links (Moog - good) and some coilovers (Maxspeedingrods - cheap) down to him to be fitted. I'm looking around for a set of discs and pads. Shipping costs from the states are through the roof at the moment so the usual sources like Rockauto are not cheap any more. Looking forward to getting this back and going to the blue forum show with it in May.

Saab has had new rear springs and shocks fitted. I made very heavy weather of the job but got there in the end, fitted a new fuel filter on it while I was under there. Drove down to Glasgow and back yesterday as a shakedown run. Very happy with how the car drove, it seemed to settle down as everything warmed up, the temperature gauge never moved and it drove very nicely. I came back over the Glenshee road and put the top down once the sun came out, bright sunshine on Deeside and I was cruising along, living the dream.

Drove the Cortina briefly a few weeks ago, started up fine but my fiddling with the carb linkage has not fixed the issue with the throttle sticking open. I have researched a couple more things to try involving resetting everything and using a nyloc to hold things in the correct position. The main problem is mating the cortina mechanical accelerator linkage to the weber carb which would be happier with a cable I think.

Some other issues appeared on the test drive, I was still missing a tailgate seal and the engine has started smoking heavily after idling for a while. Driving off from some temporary lights had the inside of the car looking like a Cheech and Chong film as dense smoke wafted around the interior. I think and fervently hope that this is the valve stem seals which is a cheap fix. It is possible to change these in situ with some proper old school bodging involving stuffing rope down the spark plug hole and turning the engine over. The valves are then held open at TDC and the seals can be changed out.

Tailgate seals for these are NLA from the club so I got a new universal boot seal which is very similar to the ones some chancer on ebay is selling for 60 quid. It doesn't fit that well but a bit more fettling should get something that works well enough for this year at least.

Nothing happening on the Sierra sadly, I may have too many projects...