Wibble’s Wittering - Cortina, Senator & occasional Skoda & family ramblings, soz!

[AnnoyingPentium]

That's a nice one! Diesel, I presume?

[Wibble]

Yep, 1.6 and just £30 a year road tax!

[Wibble]

I suppose I should laugh really as, just when I thought the Senny was about ready for the road again, it’s thrown me another challenge.

Water pump is done and heater matrix replaced when one of the feed and return pipes started pissing coolant. Of course these are also unobtainable:

I’m now thinking of ways to repair the multiple holes or make up a replacement in copper maybe. I do so love* these problems😕

[Bren]

16 minutes ago, Wibble said:

I suppose I should laugh really as, just when I thought the Senny was about ready for the road again, it’s thrown me another challenge.

Water pump is done and heater matrix replaced when one of the feed and return pipes started pissing coolant. Of course these are also unobtainable:

I’m now thinking of ways to repair the multiple holes or make up a replacement in copper maybe. I do so love* these problems😕

Brazing?

[Wibble]

7 minutes ago, Bren said:

Brazing?

That’s one option I’m considering but am seeing mixed reviews on the aluminium brazing kits. Really want it to be a permanent solution, or at least another 30 year fix!

[Wibble]

Brazing is no longer an option. The pipe melts before the aluminium brazing rod, as I discovered today.

I did email GM6 spares and they thought they’d be able to supply replacements but they’ve just confirmed they only have ones for air con equipped cars, which are different.

I feel another long winded battle coming on which I could really do without.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Is it possible to make new ones?

[Wibble]

Well I’m going to try with copper pipe. It’s getting the shape right and I’m not sure what tool you need to make the bubble like flare on the ends that are in the top of the photo. I’m sure a good plumber could knock some up but I don’t know one.

[High Jetter]

Maybe use an olive, if there's a nut that tightens the shoulder onto the fixing?

[Wibble]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

Maybe use an olive, if there's a nut that tightens the shoulder onto the fixing?

Thanks but there’s no nut. Think I need a bead roller to form the pipe end that attaches to the hose from the engine bay and maybe solder a suitable washer to clamp the other end to the matrix. Fun times ahead I think.

[danthecapriman]

Couldn’t you use an off cut of radiator or heater hose to sleeve the metal pipe with? 
Slide the hose over the holed section then tighten a couple of hose clamps at each end to make it water tight? Might at least be a temporary solution until you can find replacement pipes.

[Wibble]

That’s along the lines I’m thinking but would rather a more permanent solution if I can but it may come to this!

[Wibble]

I contacted a company today who say they can repair or replicate any air con pipe and asked if the could help. Yes, they said they could repair for around £250+VAT but to make replicas would be around £2500! Cool, better order an extra set for spares too!!

After more thought I’m thinking of cutting off damaged section just above the 60 degree bend and replacing with a silicone hose 60 degree elbow. I’ll then use a piece of 15mm copper pipe, with an compression olive fixed each end to act as a bead and stick that in the elbow to secure to hose from bulkhead. A few jubilee clips and I reckon job jobbed.

[Jenson Velcro]

Are air conditioning pipes a universal size across different makes and models of cars? The end shape certainly looks familiar. If so can you get pipes from a different car and cut and bend to suit? Aluminium should be reasonably easy to shape even if you have to anneal it first.

[Wibble]

I have trawled the internet looking for similar to modify but found nothing with same ends. Even Vauxhall/Opel don’t seem to have another model using same fittings each end. That’s why I’ve come to the plan above but I’m no engineer and someone could probably do better but I’m hopeful this will work, subject to there being enough space to accommodate the thicker silicone hoses.

[Wibble]

On 12/7/2022 at 10:51 PM, danthecapriman said:

Couldn’t you use an off cut of radiator or heater hose to sleeve the metal pipe with? 
Slide the hose over the holed section then tighten a couple of hose clamps at each end to make it water tight? Might at least be a temporary solution until you can find replacement pipes.

Actually, you’re right. I’m over complicating it and will try this as should be simple. Thanks!

[danthecapriman]

22 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Actually, you’re right. I’m over complicating it and will try this as should be simple. Thanks!

I’ve done a similar thing before with a weeping rusted power steering metal pipe, I used a short length of fuel injection hose slid over the rust hole and a couple of jubilee clips each end to hold/seal it tight. I also ran a bit of blue hylomar instant gasket around the metal pipe before sliding the rubber hose over it, just as extra insurance against leaks. 
It never leaked ever again!

[New POD]

10 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

I’ve done a similar thing before with a weeping rusted power steering metal pipe, I used a short length of fuel injection hose slid over the rust hole and a couple of jubilee clips each end to hold/seal it tight. I also ran a bit of blue hylomar instant gasket around the metal pipe before sliding the rubber hose over it, just as extra insurance against leaks. 
It never leaked ever again!

I was about to suggest something similar. 

[Wibble]

Hopefully this will sort it:

🤞

[High Jetter]

Looks up to the job. Are the clips stainless steel?

[Wibble]

14 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Looks up to the job. Are the clips stainless steel?

Good question, I have no idea so I guess I’d better keep an eye on them.

[High Jetter]

I haz my doubts. Mebbe worth doubling up to be on safe side.

[Wibble]

Will do, thanks!

[Wibble]

Delighted to have the Senny back with the straight 6 sounding sweet again with the noisy water pump replaced. Warm inside too, without steam!

Have been using it today for normal duties and intend it to be my weekend car until spring, subject to extreme weather:

Pleased to find the radio still working and it’s playing cassettes without eating them, so far! Driving beautifully, a good day today🙂

[Wibble]

Something really noticeable at the weekend was how much better older cars deal with the shit state of our roads these days! Softer suspension and higher profile tyres made a huge difference to our journey to Reading and its bomb cratered road surfaces on Saturday. What a pleasure it was to drive the Senator.

On another matter, I had to sort out Mum’s car insurance. Her insurance renewal was due last month and she asked my sister to speak to me because the price was £766!! This is for a Honda Jazz doing less than 2k miles a year! Anyway, non driving, non car owner sis thought she new better and just cancelled the policy as Mum wasn’t able to drive it yet due to heart surgery just before Christmas.

This pissed me off as now the car, worth several grand, was uninsured and I’m going to inspect the second garage fire claim this month on Friday.

Anyway, long story short, get elderly parents to put you on their policy. This is what I’d have done if she’d phoned me. I got quotes and got it down to £358 with me as named driver, with a main stream insurer. Could have done without the fucking hassle though having to start afresh and get proof of no claims etc😡

[danthecapriman]

On 1/14/2023 at 6:59 PM, Wibble said:

Delighted to have the Senny back with the straight 6 sounding sweet again with the noisy water pump replaced. Warm inside too, without steam!

Have been using it today for normal duties and intend it to be my weekend car until spring, subject to extreme weather:

Pleased to find the radio still working and it’s playing cassettes without eating them, so far! Driving beautifully, a good day today🙂

Somehow I missed this post.

That sir, is a damn fine looking automobile!

[Wibble]

46 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Somehow I missed this post.

That sir, is a damn fine looking automobile!

Thank you very much indeed sir. We’ve been together a long time now!

[Wibble]

Found the video today that my son took when we woke the Senator from its slumber a couple of years ago. Obvs can’t post it here but can show a still shot:

This was the first start since it was put away in 2008. We changed the oil and filter, replaced the badly blowing exhaust with the one I’d got off a scrapped  example in 2007 and never fitted (that was fun*), cleaned the plugs and chucked in a gallon of fresh fuel. Couldn’t believe it when it started first time and I drove it out into the daylight for the first time in so many years. 

[Bren]

36 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Found the video today that my son took when we woke the Senator from its slumber a couple of years ago. Obvs can’t post it here but can show a still shot:

This was the first start since it was put away in 2008. We changed the oil and filter, replaced the badly blowing exhaust with the one I’d got off a scrapped  example in 2007 and never fitted (that was fun*), cleaned the plugs and chucked in a gallon of fresh fuel. Couldn’t believe it when it started first time and I drove it out into the daylight for the first time in so many years. 

I bought a genuine GM zorst for mine - iirc I paid £140 for it in 1995. The quality was impressive - made aftermarket ones look like bacofoil.

[Wibble]

16 minutes ago, Bren said:

I bought a genuine GM zorst for mine - iirc I paid £140 for it in 1995. The quality was impressive - made aftermarket ones look like bacofoil.

I remember looking back then and couldn’t find the whole system needed from the cats back, can now though. I found a 2.6CD Senator in a scrappers down near Bournemouth. It was also Spectral blue (mint grey leather interior) but under two other cars, on its belly with no wheels and the exhaust is quite dented as a result but was rust free. I paid the extra £20 for them to remove it and collected it a week later, sealed it in polytube and it sat in the garage for 13 years until I finally fitted it!😆