THE GUBBERMINT ALWAYS KNOWS BEST

[worldofceri]

Cracked on with fitting a towbar to the Volvo today. Well, I would have if I hadn't fallen at the first hurdle.

 

The towbar comes with bolts but no nuts to attach it. They've been thoughtfully welded to the inside of the chassis at the factory. Consequently eleven years of exposure to water and muck have knackered them right up. The bolt in the right of the picture (which sits vertically) went in fairly easily, but I couldn't get a bolt to take in the other (circled) at all. Application of WD40, thinners, the blood of a righteous virgin, cotton buds, pipe cleaners, wire wool, etc, failed.

 

 

What to do?

 

The only thing I can think of is to try to re-tap the thread. Would this be possible? I haven't used a tap and die for years. There's no chance of grinding off the nut and welding a new one since it sits inside the chassis box section.

 

Meanwhile, assuming I can somehow get the hardware bolted together, someone please tell me about wiring.

 

I've done this several times before but always used scotchloks to chop into the lighting circuit. Now, accepted wisdom suggestes I am an irresponsible imbecile for doing this since Scotchloks are the work of the devil and will certainly cause my car to catch fire and me and my family to perish in an inferno of sparks and flame.

 

But what is the correct alternative?

 

Thx in advnz!

[TimothyClaypole]

My experience would say the tap route then when it breaks off in the hole you can give it up as a bad job.

[Richard]

What kind of Volvo is it? All the holes for my 940's towbar are vertical. It should be fine if you run a tap through it, don't try any more until you have done this or you'll have to helicoil it like I had to with mine. If the worst comes to the worst I'm pretty sure removing the bumper exposes the open end of the chassis so you could drill through the buggered nut and put a new one in, that would be a bit of a faff though.

 

You might have a plug in your boot ready to plug a Volvo kit into, I cut the end off that and used Lego block terminals to connect to it- it has wires to cover both sockets. If you tap into the tail lights the traditional way you have to use a bypass relay or you'll overload the bulb failure system and have the warning light on all the time.

[shite_meister]

If you can't clean the thread up or fit a thread-sert then how about a rivnut? it fits like a rivet in but gives you a thread, they're very good.

[wuvvum]

Had the Innocenti off the clock on the way back from the classic car auction yesterday - an indicated 145 km/h, which equated to a satnav-verified 84mph. Not bad for 659cc and 30bhp.

 

Auction itself was an interesting experience - there was quite a mix of cars, with the odd bargain (like a presentable '81 Silver Spirit with MoT till November for £2,250) but the auction house clearly had no clue about classics, revving an Austin 7 to about 4,000rpm from cold after jump starting it from a 12v jump pack, and then connecting said 12v jump pack the wrong way round on a 6v Austin 8 (they'd obviously never come across positive earth before ), thus frying the voltage regulator and ensuring the car cut out as soon as the jump pack was removed, so it went through with the bonnet up and the jump pack sat on the wing - GR8 4 enticing punters.

[Angrydicky]

Wankers. Did you buy anything Wuvvum? I'd love a small pre-war car, an Austin 8 would be ideal, but anything pre war seems to make vast £££ these days.

[Cavcraft]

Just had the first half decent look at the lad's 106. Needs a parcel shelf (absent), one tyre is only just legal, a front fog light is smashed and the steering colum surround 'thing' is missing. None of that worries us, a trip to the scrappy should sort all that out at a fair price. Exhaust seems a bit blowy, he'll get it over the ramps to investigate when he gets the chance and there's some lacquer peel on the roof.

On the plus side it seems to drive o.k, has the all important power steering and the interior is ace, reasonably sporty looking and the colour looks class...

 

 

I'd forgotten how bloody daft those small pedals are and how close together they are though. Not ideal when you have size twelve footwear. Try and get to the scrappy tomorrow after work (handily it's right nex door) and see if I can get the aforementioned bits for it.

[Negative Creep]

All important power steering? I think you need to man him up a bit

[trigger]

Mind you, any car which you need to input a 4 digit code to make start has to be a WINNA.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Urgh I hate those PSA keypad immobilisers.

 

The 106 looks tidy though, what mill's in it?

[M'coli]

All important power steering? I think you need to man him up a bit

Re-sale value I would have thought!

[r.welfare]

Looks alright, that 106. The 1.1's are surprisingly nippy (I'm assuming that's what this is). Having big feet I couldn't get on with the cramped pedal box though.

[Cavcraft]

1124 Lenny.

 

To be fair he can back vans, 4x4s and all manner of shit round the garage without PAS but as said when he comes to offload it in the future the world and his wife are going to want to know if it has PAS.

Keypad thing is daft but I believe it classes as an immobilisor which helps with the insurance.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

I drove a heavily laden 1.1 carb 106 for a few hundred miles a while back, was really impressed by its performance. My feet aren't that big but I found myself hitting the clutch and brake pedals at the same time quite a lot.

 

I "brought" that dead Focus I mentioned last week, does anyone need bits for a Mk1 Focus or know anyone who does?

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0747704662

 

The garage wrote it off with a dead fuel pump, but I just cracked off one of the injector pipes and it's pumping fuel... Interesting.

[myglaren]

If you can't clean the thread up or fit a thread-sert then how about a rivnut? it fits like a rivet in but gives you a thread, they're very good.

 

They look brilliant but how do they work - that is how do you get the flange bit into the closed box section.

 

They might be just the thing I need to refit my errant engine undertray and see if it fixes the "Antipollution Fault"

Hardly likely but one can hope.

[myglaren]

^^You use a special rivet gun, Myg. Good for your project. Daffy to contemplate using nutserts for a friggin trailer hitch for the other AS-er's project! YeeeGod.... why not try velcro or bubble gum then? (shaking head in complete mystification.....)

Thanks Norm.

Might have known that there would be a catch (Special rivet gun)

Oh well. Back to the cable ties I suppose.

[Cavcraft]

I drove a heavily laden 1.1 carb 106 for a few hundred miles a while back, was really impressed by its performance. My feet aren't that big but I found myself hitting the clutch and brake pedals at the same time quite a lot.

 

I "brought" that dead Focus I mentioned last week, does anyone need bits for a Mk1 Focus or know anyone who does?

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0747704662

 

The garage wrote it off with a dead fuel pump, but I just cracked one off of the injector pipes and it's pumping fuel... Interesting.

 

That can make fuel pumps work?

 

Someone at work hit the brakes in a staff 106 many moons back but hit the accelerator instead. He then drove straight into and through a breezeblock wall. It would have been funnier except it was the smoke hut and we had to cycle for bloody ages to get to the next nearest one.

I'll ask about ref. the Focus spares but based on what happened with your fuel pump findings is it not worth trying to get it started and sell it as a runner?

 

Just scored a Sony XPLOD CD player for my lad and had it fitted. Thirty quid all in seemed reasonable to me and it was a nice surprise for junior who's very happy now.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

My man juice is a panacea, a cure-all. If only the ladies knew.

 

My auntie can have the Focus back if I fix it. She mentioned the battery light flashing occasionally and the car conking out, I think it might have upset the engine management and disconnecting/re-connecting the battery reset it - so it might just be the alternator.

 

I'm pretty pissed off with the garage writing off something that isn't broken, and their lack of basic curiosity and fault finding.

[Pete-M]

Had a proper look under the Heep earlier. All the clunking and irritating noises at the front are merely anti-roll bar bushes, the rest appear fine.

 

Reeeesult.

[Albert Ross]

Hey, Mr Leopard Hotrod, does this Fucos have any weeeeeltrims? I am lkng for a set of tidy Ghia type ones that look a bit like a 1990ish Sierra type one except for the Fucos ones have a chrome-esque lookalike ring in the miggle. No chips though. I prefer Smiley Faces.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

I know the trims you mean, but it has whizzbang alloys as it's a Zetec.

[Cavcraft]

Sporting results news:

 

Chester 06.30 'Autoshite Challenge Cup Handicap' :

 

1st: 'Thermostat', ridden in the brown colours of it's owner W. Aterstain. 100/1.

 

2nd: 'No heat', ridden in the blue (skin) of it's rider, Mr C Vette. 50/1.

 

3) 'Light Of Doom' ridden in the bright red of it's owner, Monsieur FrenchShite.

 

 

Luckily a quick scan of teh interwebz reveals lack of heat and red light of doom are thermostat related.

[Alpineandy]

NEW RULES ON OLD CARS CAUSE CONSTERNATION IN MALAYSIA - 16/5/2011

From June all second-hand cars in Malaysia will have to undergo an inspection at a Pusat Pemeriksaan Kenderaan Berkomputer (Puspakom) vehicle inspection centre. The move is meant, in part, to offer a guarantee to insurers that the car they are insuring is roadworthy. But it is causing concern amongst vehicle owners who have been accustomed to running machines for many years that might be fit for purpose, but which would not pass a Puspakom test. Motor insurance in Malaysia is not a profitable sector. Central Bank Negara's 2010 report on the sector noted that Malaysia's motor insurance tariff had not been revised since 1978 and that claims ratios had exceeded 200% since 2006. This has led to the growth in the number of motor policies insured with the Malaysian Motor Insurance Pool (MMIP), the insurer of last resort. Only 5,897 vehicles were insured with MMIP in 2007, while by 2009 this had risen to 128,058. Bank Negara is reviewing the whole structure of motor insurance in Malaysia, with a view to putting the sector on a sustainable financial basis. A new framework is scheduled to be introduced in January 2012 which will mean that vehicles more than 10 years old would not necessarily be categorized as high-risk. A great deal of dissatisfaction had been expressed that cars of the lowest value were often attracting the highest premiums. Datuk Mohamad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) said in parliament that "this is a burden to low-income people who cannot change cars often". Prices for cover will rise gradually to ensure that they more closely reflect the risk involved.

[MK5 Escort]

I gave the Kangoo van a decent service at the weekend as it was due, with fresh oil, plugs filters e.t.c... Gave it another thorough wash inside and out and improved it a little more again. The seats have come up almost like new now, so I suspect they’ve been covered for some time early on in it's life.

 

I'm picking up a 'new' (well, second hand but near enough unused) spare tyre complete with steel wheel for it this evening, coming from an accident damaged 52 plate model. Depending on the condition, I may take the holder for it too as the one on mine looks near enough rusted though and bent upwards in one corner as if it's grounded something at some point (no wonder why the spare wheel is in the back of the van…).

 

If the weather improves this weekend, I may have a go at pushing out the few dents in the front nearside wing. I'll tackle the crusty sills (particularly the offside) when the weather picks up. I suspect the offside one will need replacing for the October MOT. I should get away with the nearside.

[Alpineandy]

Imine looks near enough rusted though and bent upwards in one corner as if it's grounded something at some point (no wonder why the spare wheel is in the back of the van…).

 

The usual reason is that someone has taken the spare out the cage and not locked the cage back properly, so it drops down whilst driving along.

[worldofceri]

Re: Volvo towbar problem. Thanks to Messrs TimothyClaypole, Richard & shite_meister for the advice. It's a '99 Volvo S40 by the way.

 

Oh well. Back to the cable ties I suppose.

 

Now that sounds like a solution I could get to grips with. What could possibly go wrong?

[shite_meister]

^^You use a special rivet gun, Myg. Good for your project. Daffy to contemplate using nutserts for a friggin trailer hitch for the other AS-er's project! YeeeGod.... why not try velcro or bubble gum then? (shaking head in complete mystification.....)

 

Erm yes good point I must think before typing.

[Richard]

^^You use a special rivet gun, Myg. Good for your project. Daffy to contemplate using nutserts for a friggin trailer hitch for the other AS-er's project! YeeeGod.... why not try velcro or bubble gum then? (shaking head in complete mystification.....)

 

I thought they were only threaded in the end and tightening them up caused the middle to spread, or an I thinking of something else?

[Pete-M]

They are, but they rip out rather easily.

 

I used them for spotlight brackets once and that was enough to give 'em a hard time (They were only smallish ones though)

[Pillock]

There's ten very similar things holding my TV to a plasterboard wall.