Workshop/Project car thread. Sparkly stick fettling.

[JMotor]

@Matty I was facing the opposite problem. The seats wanted to sit too feckin high 😆.

Quite a few other folk have said the same thing. Seats are a tricky and long process to make fit if they aren't standard fit ones.

For a car I plan to sell soon. Felt it wasn't worth the work and they still sat too high for me anyway. 

I will use the Recaros. But in something else. They might look better in the Astra.

[Matty]

4 hours ago, JMotor said:

@Matty I was facing the opposite problem. The seats wanted to sit too feckin high 😆.

Quite a few other folk have said the same thing. Seats are a tricky and long process to make fit if they aren't standard fit ones.

For a car I plan to sell soon. Felt it wasn't worth the work and they still sat too high for me anyway. 

I will use the Recaros. But in something else. They might look better in the Astra.

Too high is a cuntybollox. At least too low you can always go up 🤣. Brilliant Maestro work btw 👍

[Matty]

Just had a flirt back through the thread as well pal. Do you not like sitting down?? 🤣

[JMotor]

'Ow's that like? 🤣

Asking as a genuine question. 

[Matty]

59 minutes ago, JMotor said:

'Ow's that like? 🤣

Asking as a genuine question. 

You get a bloody lot done! I mean, i like to keep busy, but theres no way i could match your work rate. You must be down that unit every spare hour! Fair play, wish i was more like that 👍

[JMotor]

Ahhh! I get ya now!

Sorry if it was a rather direct question. But I'd rather ask, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I do sometimes feel like the pervebal Blue-arsed fly! 🤣

[Matty]

47 minutes ago, JMotor said:

Ahhh! I get ya now!

Sorry if it was a rather direct question. But I'd rather ask, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I do sometimes feel like the pervebal Blue-arsed fly! 🤣

Nothing to be sorry for. So, if the Corsa goes, whats next on the agenda? Do you still have the good Nova shell?

[JMotor]

10 hours ago, Matty said:

Nothing to be sorry for. So, if the Corsa goes, whats next on the agenda? Do you still have the good Nova shell?

Sadly sold that Nova about two years ago.

Used the money from that to get the Corsa resprayed. Don't regret it either. As I wasn't gonna get round to sorting it. 

Maestro bodywork will be seen to next as the next major project. I've booked it into a classic car show in August. So expect more rambling and nonsense posted in this thread. 😆 

[JMotor]

Ahh here we go!

At the weekend again. Right! Back on with the Maestro?

Like shite I was! 

Dropped the sump off the V70 to clean any gunk out. Like the Saabs, these suffer with a blocked pick up pipe from lack of oil changes. I think the o-rings can go bad inside the sump as well?

My thinking was it can't hurt to do the job anyway. As I don't have the time to be starting all over again with another car. 

Anything removable has been pulled off and cleaned. The sump itself needs another cleaning session. Think I'll have it ready to put back by next weekend. Was slowed down a touch as stupid me hurt my knee. 

Not stuck for a car. As I got the Toyota back on the road. Which takes a little stress off. 

[Matty]

1 hour ago, JMotor said:

Ahh here we go!

At the weekend again. Right! Back on with the Maestro?

Like shite I was! 

Dropped the sump off the V70. My reasoning being i'd rather do this job than start all over again with another car because the engine shat it. I think the o-rings can go bad inside the sump as well?

Anything removable has been pulled off and cleaned. The sump itself needs another cleaning session. Think I'll have it ready to put back by next weekend. Was slowed down a touch as stupid me hurt my knee. 

Not stuck for a car. As I got the Toyota back on the road. Which takes a little stress off. 

How bad a job was getting the sump off?

[JMotor]

Not terribly bad at all.

One engine mount and some power steering pipes are in the road. Nowt bad.

Oh and I popped the bolts I took out into some cardboard in sequence of how I took them out.

It does get caught on the pick up pipe. But some swear words and wiggling, it does eventually see sense and come out. 

I think the refit will be an equally awkward barsteward to do. 

[Matty]

3 minutes ago, JMotor said:

Not terribly bad at all.

One engine mount and some power steering pipes are in the road. Nowt bad.

Oh and I popped the bolts I took out into some cardboard in sequence of how I took them out.

It does get caught on the pick up pipe. But some swear words and wiggling, it does eventually see sense and come out. 

I think the refit will be an equally awkward barsteward to do. 

Defo. Outs always easier than back in. On the plus side at least there wasnt a subframe wanted dropping or owt. Good luck with it kid. Id still love a big Volvo of some description.

[JMotor]

Back at it with the V70.

Sump got a good clean out and resealed. Refitting the sump was more fiddly than difficult. Whacked in a cheap oil filter and some leftover oil I had sat to act as a flush. Probably imagining it, but the car seemed to run smoother after all this work. 

Left the car to run to be sure there was no leaks caused by me. 

Nipped another job up. Car was leaking it's power steering oil. Another common problem. The reservoir was split around the seam and weeping out oil. 

New bottle fitted. As CHF isn't cheap per litre and knowing me I'd let the level go down too far it'll end up buggering the pump and/or steering rack. 

Just to run it for a few miles. Then change the oil again. Even bought a GENUINE Volvo filter and I might even get some big name brand oil too! Spoiling it much!? 🤣

[JMotor]

Maestro gets it's time back in the ramp.

Finicky metalwork jobs. 

The swage lines here on the back half of the rear wheel arch wasn't great. Due to a not so great pressing of the new arch. Well frankly it was shite! But ya work with what ya got and make do.

Tried to reshape it and flatten the panel back a touch.

This was kinda successful. Well....

It wasn't actually. I made it look worse after welding it. 

Plan B. 

Find that section I cut off when I replaced the panel ages ago. Chopped my shitty effort out and welded that in.

This is how I should of done it. Looks less shit. 

The filler is gonna be putting the work in to smooth this off! 

Still some fettling to carry out, like pin holes missed bits and that. It's forward progress now.

[Matty]

57 minutes ago, JMotor said:

Maestro gets it's time back in the ramp.

Finicky metalwork jobs. 

The swage lines here on the back half of the rear wheel arch wasn't great. Due to a not so great pressing of the new arch. Well frankly it was shite! But ya work with what ya got and make do.

Tried to reshape it and flatten the panel back a touch.

This was kinda successful. Well....

It wasn't actually. I made it look worse after welding it. 

Plan B. 

Find that section I cut off when I replaced the panel ages ago. Chopped my shitty effort out and welded that in.

This is how I should of done it. Looks less shit. 

The filler is gonna be putting the work in to smooth this off! 

Still some fettling to carry out, like pin holes missed bits and that. It's forward progress now.

Hundred percent wants a 1380 and a decent cam in it. After all, all the bodywork done to such a high standard, itd be rude not to 😁

[JMotor]

The temptation to do some mild mods is real.

Gonna break a habit of mine tho. 

I'd like to keep this one all stock as I find it a charmingly honest little car to fart about in. 

Can't explain it. But I wanna see this one live and return to a decent standard again. 

Doesn't help I'm a tight bastid and just seen the price for a 1380 bottom end 😆.

[Matty]

7 minutes ago, JMotor said:

The temptation to do some mild mods is real.

Gonna break a habit of mine tho. 

I'd like to keep this one all stock as I find it a charmingly honest little car to fart about in. 

Can't explain it. But I wanna see this one live and return to a decent standard again. 

Doesn't help I'm a tight bastid and just seen the price for a 1380 bottom end 😆.

Nah id have you right on that. Its been done right, and as a standard car they just work, day in day out. The ideal thing really for local work. Good on fuel, cheap to insure, cheap to mend.

[AnnoyingPentium]

That absolutely needs to keep your image of looking as though you've nicked your nan's motor (just like that red Daewoo).

 

[grogee]

LCB + Peco, please. 

Well done JM, you are making sure this steaming heap of BL shite majesterial British automotive artifact keeps on keeping on. 

I would love to visit for a 'Stro welding tutorial but I fear you're north of the border, and, well... there be dragons. 

[JMotor]

11 hours ago, grogee said:

LCB + Peco, please. 

Well done JM, you are making sure this steaming heap of BL shite majesterial British automotive artifact keeps on keeping on. 

I would love to visit for a 'Stro welding tutorial but I fear you're north of the border, and, well... there be dragons. 

Now that's something I'm planning. Change of back box, my last effort looks a bit homemade.

Thank you and sadly there is quite some distance.

No need to worry about Dragons, we have something MUCH worse!

[RayMK]

6 hours ago, JMotor said:

Now that's something I'm planning. Change of back box, my last effort looks a bit homemade.

Thank you and sadly there is quite some distance.

No need to worry about Dragons, we have something MUCH worse!

The one looking this way looks like a DIY extended legbase jobby.  Your handywork?? 

[vaughant]

Recaro's are odd seats to fit into anything other than what they're designed to do.

Me and my mate put some in his ka back in about 1998 from an Rs Turbo thinking it would be a pretty much bolt in job as there wasn't centuries between the two cars but they were completely different. 

They always sat a bit high in it as well. 

We had to make up brackets to bolt the seat to the frame kind of thing. 

I still think that's the way to go with Recaro's, just unbolt the seat from the runners and take it from there.

I found a lot of manufacturers outside of Ford liked to incorporate the frame into the seat base meaning when you swapped them over they either sat super high or super low.

[JMotor]

Sounds about right. TBH it was going to end up as a time trap with not much advantage.

Not to say I won't use them. Just not in the Corsa.

I have to pick my battles when it comes to time. Talking of which, I'm gonna grab an hour this evening to get on with the passenger side quarter on the Maestro.