Bear's bangers: IT'S ALIVE! The RX-7 stops wetting the bed...

[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...

[Bear]

Let's deal with the driveway blocker

It will never grip a sparkplug again. But that's what magnets on sticks are for.

The droplink is not helping matters here - it's trapped inside the spring.

[Bear]

Just smashed my hand with a hammer and crowbar trying to get the strut the last bit out of the knuckle.

I am fucking SICK of this. My time, my life, is just being wasted on crap with nothing actually making me happy, and I have no idea why I don't just stop.

[SmokinWaffle]

3 minutes ago, Bear said:

Just smashed my hand with a hammer and crowbar trying to get the strut the last bit out of the knuckle.

I am fucking SICK of this. My time, my life, is just being wasted on crap with nothing actually making me happy, and I have no idea why I don't just stop.

Sounds like it might be time to take a step back and re-evaluate. Over the past few years I felt the same about old cars and working on them and realised....I'm just not that into it that more. And that's okay. That's why I sold the BX. 

Coming to that realisation has allowed me to get perspective, and immerse myself in other new and interesting hobbies which I actually enjoy, rather than just telling myself "I enjoy cars" over and over. 

I still like cars don't get me wrong but its not a blocker to my life any more. 

[Bear]

12 minutes ago, SmokinWaffle said:

Sounds like it might be time to take a step back and re-evaluate. Over the past few years I felt the same about old cars and working on them and realised....I'm just not that into it that more. And that's okay. That's why I sold the BX. 

Coming to that realisation has allowed me to get perspective, and immerse myself in other new and interesting hobbies which I actually enjoy, rather than just telling myself "I enjoy cars" over and over. 

I don't have a choice - girlfriend is self employed and needs a car, I was forced out of my job a year ago, these cars aren't hobbies - they're need. Trying to solve a problem. I have no time for hobbies because I'm constantly trying to fix this situation, and when I get some work, any incoming stress will throw me off. Trying to sell stuff, dealing with eBay, it's all distraction from doing an actual job. Things like my synths, I reshuffle them to sell x value of stuff I worked hard for and buy 1/2-x of new kit to stop me from just smashing the lot in a fit of "what's the fucking point of trying to have anything".

So we're literally scraping around to try and buy the Spark for her, and I can't even flog the C3 for scrap in the sense that the bastard is stuck on the drive with a broken spring half removed, so I have to finish it 😕

RX-7 - not mine, just fixing it, no stress. Insight - not mine, just fixing it originally to sell - and I planned to buy it myself, though that looks less likely given the lack of work this month and need to replace gf's car because it broke a spring and that's sort of the last straw with it. The Sedici was supposed to replace it. And she tried the buses - £12 a day. Except it wasn't - they didn't show up (amusingly the one that is most suited, stopped running on Wednesday because after 100 years the firm went bust or something - because public transport should be down to private firms of course). So then I do running about, which means MY car must not break, and the Volvo needs work if it's not going to break - entirely reasonably.

But car that is needed to work - then that's stress. So the Volvo's wheelbearings, the C3 breaking a spring, the Sedici being sold scrap seats and feeling trapped into buying them because of the distance to collect etc. and trying to make the best of a crap situation thinking I could rebuild some bits, only to find the seat so physically damaged (and the seller MUST have known) that all the effort was wasted... it's just problems.

And yeah, maybe I can still get a £300/month new car on PCP and it'd cost less than this shitshow but that doesn't solve my gf's issues of international licence and no bloody appointments for UK driving tests even though she has passed theory. She can't be insured on a new car without it costing a fortune.

[Bear]

It was a puzzle worthy of the Crappedon Factor (a pigeon keeps sitting on this car and so... that is a risk).

But I managed it.

Persuading the strut out of rhe hub while the spring was tangled in everything was not fun, and eventually I had to sort of unwind it around the droplink and brake hose.

Then the sensible "allen key and spanner" did not want to undo the top mount so I pointed the impact gun at it and it was easy.

I've ordered a new spring, and if I don't have appropriate spring compressors I do have disc-type ones and some ratchet straps. I did have some proper ones but I bet they're somewhere in a shed near Grendon Lakes now.