Bear's bangers: Insight gets GAZ'd for spring. Well, shocks. Bonus blue content.

[LightBulbFun]

1 minute ago, Bear said:

Bingo - that's exactly it, UK models have a different format for manufacturer and model to JDM and elsewhere. So if I ask for the first six digits that will nail it for sure – thankyou!

Awesome that should be worth a punt I say  , you will have to know what those six digits are, a DVLA clerk (unless they are by happenstance an RX7 buff), are not going to know what the digits are, and I would make sure to word you FOI so that it does not appear that your trying to ask for information from any one vehicle record, and if it does not add too much complication if you can make sure its clear that you want statistics of how many vehicles where *ever* registered with the DVLA, not just not those currently SORN or Taxed

 and of course worth keeping in mind that if this works, it will still only get you the number of cars ever registered with the *DVLA* if there where any that where not registered with them for some reason, or say some went to the channel islands, then those will be absent from the number, but if its a case of trying to figure out "is it 124 or 210" and the DVLA say "we see 206 cars on our database" then that will tell you still its more then likely 210 rather then 124!

[Bear]

Yep, I think if I can go with the UK VIN manufacturer/model (which is the first set of digits and unique to UK models and all one string - I'd just disregard year of build and serial) then if some slipped through, that's not a worry.

If I can, I'll ask number of Mazda RX-7s with VIN JMZFD13Bxxxxxxxx or whatever (I'll check what it is) registered between 1992 and 1998, which should mop up the actual dealer cars but avoid re=imports, then 'ever registered' and 'how many remain' if that doesn't overcomplicate it. And it's probably wrong to say UK spec, but Euro spec and RHD - and that may be the discrepancy, maybe 210 Euro RHD ones were made, maybe 124 sold in the UK.

[Bear]

Oh, look, a parcel.

Needs a wash

Needs fuel pipes...

Needs a low coolant sensor (I broke the wire)

Much cleaner. Oh, and running.

[Bear]

Mostly I wanted to run it up to temp with the coolant flush in, so it needed to be out of the garage. But it started very easily on an underspec battery, so I'm not worried about compression, and there's no white smoke or other untoward stuff going on.

It does need more work, but I couldn't resist turning it around before putting it away.

I have located an MX5 plate holder

Pop up lights are for winners

[Christine]

Brilliant! 

[Zelandeth]

Looks good!

I really need to try something rotary one day.  

From what I remember from a friend who had an RX8 obsession a few years ago, it's hot starts which tend to show up wear/compression issues on their engines at least rather than cold.  

Jap stuff rarely really interests me for the most part, but I do rather like that.

[Bear]

Ring doorbell camera messages are weird.

"Box detected on Drive"

I thought it would say package 🤔

[Bear]

Fair. There is a box on my drive.

How did it get here?

Many thanks to @BritChod for dropping it off and tolerating my complete brainfart trying to navigate to the train station!

It looks very promising, my expectations for an £800 banger or £800 Volvo are already exceeded because it went over some familiar potholes and I barely noticed.

I do like the face on these. I've not really had much experience with them.

This end will be very useful.

I like the Sweden sticker. I'm baffled by the three screws /through/ the plate holder though!

Really does look like a straight old bus, so mechanical maladies - if they appear - won't be wasted repairs.

Big face though. Need to move cars around the driveway.

Fancy. Looks useful.

Being reluctant to throw stuff away comes in handy, too...

I had these spare. Perfect fit and matching brands, almost too posh!

This is the perfect car for driving in 21st century Britain though. It's becoming very apparent we live in a 

[Bear]

Because the HR-V's new owner caught the bank on a bad day, they used an alternative binding strip for the cash...

I've now doubled the XC70's value.

Here. This bit.

[Zelandeth]

I have tyre profile envy.  The 17" wheels and 45 profile tyres are the one thing I'd happily change about my V70.

[Bear]

17 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I have tyre profile envy.  The 17" wheels and 45 profile tyres are the one thing I'd happily change about my V70.

I think they made the first job the car had to do actually tolerable - V-drums to Hucknall. Blindfold someone and drive them down the A608 and A611 and you could probably convince them you'd taken them to 1980s Lebanon. In fact in much of Nottingham, where there used to be some shops...

The actual tyres are less good, they're pretty scrubbed. So the car's copybook for the first 24 hours is:

Broken things - very, very few indeed. One piece of speaker trim, no lights on the radio buttons, a small tear on the driver's seat. It's held up amazingly well for 20 years and 233,000 miles. The wiper blades are aero but horrible so I'm binning them for Bosch ones, but that's normal behaviour for me.

The RTI pop-up navigation thing works but can't read the disc, so I can't visit 2008 England. Shame. However, the display pops up and drops down, and while the LCD is tired AF and has ghosts of menus past to haunt me, it's the perfect frame for a VolvoPi or whatever the kit is. Because yes, there is a custom board to interface a Raspberry Pi to a Volvo's LINbus or whatever it's called, and use the RTI display for Pi-hosted in car tech. As long as the car doesn't crap itself mechanically, that'll be happening.

Driving - a bit sluggish off the mark, and there's a fair amount of intake noise. I think it's missing some sound insulation on the driver's side or there's a pipe amiss, so I'll do some checking. Gears are smooth, it coasts and drops into neutral at lights so is VERY easy to drive in town, and no odd noises or flaring/shuddering. Sweet.

There's some wheelbearing or diff noise, and the steering is quite heavy – I'm not sure it should be THAT heavy at low speeds, but I also don't care. These are prone to rack leaks and big bills in that area, I believe. Also not sure the alignment is very good given the scrubbed tyres, maybe something needs a kick.

Body - I've washed it, with a sponge, and I can't see anything of concern. Can't even see any windscreen damage, which I may be missing due to not putting contacts in to check, but it's not bad.

The headlights might need something reconnecting, the really bad rippled road made them shake - but they're very good.

Lesson learned - don't put two roof bars right next to each other at the back of the car unless they're designed to work like a spoiler, like a Jeep Cherokee. These are not designed like that. My ears hate me.

For the money, it's a brilliant old Volvo. I suspect buying a £2500-5000 'nice' used one would merely accomplish needing the same sort of maintenance such as bearings or whatever, but on a car that was too expensive to walk away from. And even if I do need to poke about in the engine bay sometimes, it's very clean in there.

[leafsprung]

The steering will always be ponderous at low speeds or on windy roads. They are much better on fast roads.  The rack issue is well known and amplifies any slack in TREs. Scrubbed tyres are the norm. If it hasn't had them then the subframe inserts are worth doing as they do tighten the front up a touch and are an easy job. 

[mk2_craig]

On 05/03/2025 at 18:09, Bear said:

I couldn't resist turning it around before putting it away.

About a hundred metres away from my office 

 

[Bear]

Bloody hell, they've reversed over a drainpipe! It's caught under the bumper!

[Bear]

Norovirus, delightful. That's half a week gone.

Finally felt well enough to drive to Walsall and collect a secondhand Suzuki interior. It was grim and much worse than it looked in the pictures.

So was the interior.

Volvo on a long run > 50mpg, a bit wobbly but suspect TRE or bushes, sounds like a wheelbearing is due, and I am fairly sure the hissing I can hear is the brake booster. Dog guard doesn't like to Stay! either, and two bits of damaged trim spotted there.

In other words it's really not bad for a cheap old bus and it is VERY nice to drive on the A38 with a sort of "well, you first, but don't get in my way" relaxed style of progress.

I like the growl from the engine, too.

GF has been out in it, for a Sunday dinner. She's not a huge fan yet, but appreciated the heated seats, and the rear doors when friends wanted lifts home from parties. Almost as much as she appreciated I didn't get annoyed by pothole/speedbump/horrid roads when taking these diversions.

Here's how clean the engine bay is:

I haven't done a wheelbearing on something like this before, but I think if I replace them it'll be quieter and easier to trust fully.

[warninglight]

Glad it's settling in!

The servos can leak on these, there's a replacement seal kit on ebay that's supposed to sort them, though I've never needed to.

Also the dog guard struts, I got a pair for sub £10 for kitchen cabinets which did the trick on my last P3 XC70. I need to do the same on my current P2 - if I find which ones to buy again I will pass on a link.

Wheel bearings are OK to do, 4 bolts take off the whole hub/bearing assembly, but suspension arms can get in the way.

[Stinkwheel]

Not liked for the norovirus content but liked for the Volvo content. Didn’t like the when they were new but it has aged very well, so same as most Volvos really 

[leafsprung]

The mpg-o-meter is pretty wildly optimistic. Real-world calcs at the pump were more like 4-5 less but still bloody impressive for a 5 cylinder, slush driven tank. I did eek out and indicated 62 once, even fully loaded up the A1. 

SiRobb on the Youtubes will tell you all you need to know, especially on testing all the vac lines etc. 

[robt100]

Looks like a decent collection of cars appearing. I may have to accidently end up on your driveway when I pick the Jaaag up from JikovRon. As your detachable towbar looks like it may well fit my hole nicely (ooer!) in which case I know an alternative I could purchase to replace my missing bar.

Oh, and I can take that pesky RX-7 off your hands....you really don't need all that hassle....🫣

[Bear]

On 12/03/2025 at 19:39, leafsprung said:

The mpg-o-meter is pretty wildly optimistic. Real-world calcs at the pump were more like 4-5 less but still bloody impressive for a 5 cylinder, slush driven tank. I did eek out and indicated 62 once, even fully loaded up the A1. 

SiRobb on the Youtubes will tell you all you need to know, especially on testing all the vac lines etc. 

I'm enjoying what it does - and I am not doing myself any favours leaving old-school roofbars on the thing, I should put them away unless using them now I know they fit.

Weekend sorted:

To go:

Better get the WD-40 ready.

[Bear]

When you see a picture of a car breaking on eBay, ask the seller what the seats are like, they send a picture that looks like seats, you agree a price, then collect them and...

All the metalwork rusty, filthy fabric, and the driver's seat back was bent and bent so far back the headrest mount was also bent.

Having driven an hour to collect, paid two weeks before because eBay, I accepted a £50 refund in cash - thinking I need to swap the seat back and fabrics to make a good set.

But now I do it, I realise that fuck, if this seller thinks this is anything but scrap and worth taking money for...

The old seat base wear.

Driver's seat, back removed

Cleaned seat back fabric.

The back seats

When the seat base cushion was removed, the seat base frame is also fucked.

Lower frame doesn't have height adjuster. I don't think I can swap the perimeter frame so it's all scrap 😕

How the hell does someone bend a seat that badly?!

[Popsicle]

2 hours ago, Bear said:

How the hell does someone bend a seat that badly?!

[Bear]

The C3 broke a spring.

So I did some suspension work.

Not on the C3.

Why does it only have one nut to hold the strut? It feels like it's going to fall out of the car.

Well, after an oil change. You can do the filter from above without removing the undertray.

If you don't like having skin on your arms.

I am proud of the blue genuine filter.

Shame you can't see it.

Not much oil in these anyway.

How does it work? More tea.

Next mission:

Old bolts. Fear?

No need. Came apart like it was made yesterday.

I'll check torque specs, do a bit of cleaning, then the other side tomorrow.

Side quest: RX-7.

The fuel lines are grim.

Second hand set on eBay is £50. I think worth it, new is NLA.

Aand...

Why do I have two pressure caps instead of one pressure and one filler?

I have a new throttle cooling hose to fit. It's at the back of the engine. Procrastination is likely.

 

[Bear]

One side done, now I need to turn it around and move stuff so I can reach the other side easily!

But... how clean...

There are 19 clicks so I have set it "full stiff then back 9 clicks" which I think would be halfway.

Little bit of cleaning and waxoyl on the beam

The middle of the wheel is like "this is what you could have had"

I will get them restored to factory finish, I like it too much vs just painted.

Partly because the mirror effect looks amazing poking out from the side skirts

It needs a good clay, glass and paint polish while it has occupied the garage.

Because I'd hate it to be dirtier on top than it is underneath...

[Bear]

Other side done, and a quick test drive. Wow.

Completely different, totally eradicated the hard crashy bumps and seems almost forgiving of pretty horrid bits of road/carpark.

Could dial it softer a click I think. But the handling also feels sharper.

I think front dampers need to happen - but it's not like they're being bolted to a rusty wreck...

[jonathan_dyane]

Mind that welding is appalling 

[Bear]

14 hours ago, jonathan_dyane said:

Mind that welding is appalling 

I'm guessing aluminium presents a few challenges and it's probably mostly glued. The Insight allegedly has a very rigid shell (my spine agreed until the new dampers went on).

Two-up it was still a bit harsh so I've clicked it two notches softer and it now feels even better.

I wonder how quickly GAZ make the special-order front struts for it, and how much. I reckon those, and making sure all the bushes are up to scratch, would be a big win in refinement.

What a nice day it is, too:

If there's time I might finish polishing it and get the dried polish mark off the leading edge of the arch (when I took the sides off last time I cleaned and waxed the closing panel/clip area and missed where I'd left marks).

[robt100]

Looks like good progress. You beat me to it since the last post, as I was going to suggest 2 clicks on the damper rather than the 1 you were originally thinking of. TBH, Gaz have probably set reasonably stiff damping levels as a higher performance part, so you may even get away with running it lower if needs be. The trailing arm shock orientation will mean slightly less effect in changes that a coilover style shock would have, so I'd always say 2-4 clicks at a time for adjustments.

[grogee]

On 25/03/2025 at 13:37, Bear said:

There are 19 clicks so I have set it "full stiff then back 9 clicks" which I think would be halfway.

In my experience with the Maestro (Spax rear, Leda front) "halfway" setting is still too stiff. I think they're on 3-4 clicks off minimum. 

But may as well start the experiment halfway. They look easy enough to adjust. 

[Bear]

3 hours ago, grogee said:

In my experience with the Maestro (Spax rear, Leda front) "halfway" setting is still too stiff. I think they're on 3-4 clicks off minimum. 

But may as well start the experiment halfway. They look easy enough to adjust. 

I went softer by two more clicks and that seems better - I may try another click, but it seemed good.

They offered a choice of dampers for standard or lowered springs and I've got them for standard - I noticed an American Insight owner has GAZ and they have blue covers and bushes, so I feel shortchanged by the boring black ones, but i wonder if that's how they identify track vs road versions.

Today I need to figure out how to take the strut off the C3 (either way I need to get that broken coil off there) and then, depending on how the day goes, I think find out how much I'll get for scrap for the C3 and the Sedici. I've wasted far too much time and effort on that Fiat's manky seats and done nothing with the clutch, and I can't see myself fixing the clutch in five seconds even if I do finish the trim transplant and somehow bend the driver's seat base into a usable shape.

What's more annoying is that the seat parts I have done and cleaned up... they look alright now. If that frame weren't bent, I'd have successfully upgraded the car to have height adjustable driver's seat and a passenger underseat tray, AND got rid of the horrible foam bits. I've even got it brand new remote lock keys (genuine) because they were £17.99 for a two key and lock set from a Fiat dealer on eBay, and they sent a free replacement because the lock on the first set was damaged. All I wanted was the key remote module...