Waaijenberg Canta LX

[GlenAnderson]

Hi all. Sorry to take so long to get around to posting about this little bit of motoring idiosyncracy, but up until yesterday there was really nothing to report. 
 

As some of you already know, my son Fin and I took on @Grizz ‘s Canta project back last summer. There’s been some research, some frustration, and some success since then. The latest bit of positive news is that we actually managed to spend some time doing physical stuff to it yesterday…
 

I don’t know about where you are but, in our little corner of Kent, the weather today was miserable. Cold, wet, and not in the least bit conducive to cleaning and painting anything…

…but permission to play with the Canta is not something to give up lightly, so his lordship and I braved the inclemency to make the most of his mum’s goodwill. 😀

I thought, if we weren’t going to be stripping and cleaning stuff, then it made most sense to try and make the moving of the car less of a pain than it currently is - because up until now the only way to move it is to push it, and the floor of the woodshed isn’t particularly flat.

So, now that we have a battery that holds a charge, it seems like a good place to start would be getting the new ignition switch sorted out. I got this one, which is for a Peugeot 205, picked solely for the length of its factory cables. These Valeo switches are on loads of French stuff, but I couldn’t find anything that had the same plugs and I suspect that Waaijenburg simply used proprietary plugs to suit their own looms.

After working out what terminal did what, we snipped the redundant plugs off.

Then put suitable terminals on them, just standard 6.3mm latched Lucar male blades, and swapped the plug shells over from the old switch to the new.

And, as if by magic, it plugged straight in and only went and worked! 😀👍

https://youtube.com/shorts/avcAHS69knc?si=I8PUDiXqEwqmAU7O

With the new found ability to start the engine with a turn of the key, rather than opening the bonnet and pulling on recoil starters, our attention was then turned to addressing the uneven and surging idle. After some faffing about, trying to see if there were any adjuster screws, that turned out to be a simple case of winding the incredibly awkwardly placed and tiny adjustment screw in a fraction.

We then stuck a nice new spark plug and air filter on it.

I don’t think the plug and filter made any difference to the running, but they both definitely looked like they needed changing. We then ran the engine for a bit to get it properly warmed up. I will sort out an oil change before it goes back on the road, but for now what’s in it will do. 

One new thing on the “to do” list is the exhaust silencer/heat exchanger. It’s holed internally and is sending fumes straight into the cabin. Less than ideal, and probably one of the reasons why the air tube is melted. I’m not sure whether to attempt to repair this, whether to source a replacement from Holland, or whether to do away with the system altogether in favour of another cheap Chinese diesel heater like I have in the Land-Rover and the workshop. I don’t want to spend good money on another exhaust, only to find that the bigger engine in the UK variant has a different one to the Dutch ones like I have with the drive belts. Whatever, for the time being it’s disconnected, and I will seal it off from the cabin before we actually venture out in it.

We then took off the wrong new drive belt, and fitted the right new drive belt instead. Here’s a short clip of it working as it should, with the pulleys cycling through their range of movement as the revs are increased.

https://youtu.be/utiR-RfxZ6w?si=5coHchpItUUBBwad

I was pleased to find that the alternator is working fine, and charging the battery ok. I had been a little worried that the abuse it had suffered, running with a dead battery, or being run without the ignition on, might have damaged it, but it appears to have survived ok. 

We did an electrics check next:

Sidelights yes.
Tail lights yes.
No plate light yes, but cover broken. 
Dip beam yes.
Main beam yes.
Brake lights no (broken switch).
Horn no.
Indicators sort of. Front right and rear left working, the other two not. Probably bulbs. 
Wiper motor appears to work. Not sure about washers.
Foglight no.
Reverse lights no.
Hazards no, switch jammed.
Main light switch a bit stiff, would probably respond to a dousing of contact cleaner and/or electrolube. 
Cigarette lighter no.
Dash lights yes.
Fuel gauge wasn’t registering anything, but I don’t think there’s much fuel in it anyway. 

All in all, I don’t think that was too bad. The switches will hopefully respond to some lubrication and some use, and the indicators to either a waggle of the bulbs in their holders, or some new bulbs. The horn is a tiny thing that looks like it should be on a moped, so I’ll probably just bin that and replace it with something from my stash.

Obviously, and despite the fact that we still have no brakes, we then had to see if it would now drive nicely with the new belt. 🤣

https://youtu.be/ca0UeEYiQP0?si=rdyhXH1cnie0hzib

Which, I’m very happy to say, it does. 😀👍

The mangled gear selector cable does make getting it into forward gear very awkward though, so obtaining a replacement for that is going to be a necessity. I think that, and the pantograph arm for the wiper are going to be two things that I will definitely need to source from Holland, as I haven’t been able to find equivalents for them anywhere else.

Looking at the rear window, I was wondering if it might be a standard rear window from a light van? Citroen Visa or suchlike? Any thoughts?

Anyway, a bit of progress. 😀👍

 

I will try and copy/paste the drive belt and tyre sagas over to here, so that those of you that haven’t followed my (mis)adventures elsewhere can have some background on why we are where we are. 
 

Oh, and I couldn’t immediately see how you insert direct clickys for video links, so hopefully the ones I have posted will take you through to them. 

[egg]

Nice stuff. What part of Kent are you in? I'm in Hernia Bay.

[High Jetter]

That sounds like a good day's work! Looking forward to more updates.

[Morris 63]

Afternoon Glenn, looks like @grizz has made a few of us get posting over here now!

Love the fact you list a cigarette lighter as part of the kit - gives me visions of the original Cloggie designers scoping the parts list: "it musht have a way to light my spliff!"
Steve

[GlenAnderson]

  On 26/02/2024 at 13:10, egg said:

Nice stuff. What part of Kent are you in? I'm in Hernia Bay.

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Dover. 👍

[egg]

  On 26/02/2024 at 14:03, GlenAnderson said:

Dover. 👍

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Cool, there's a few other Kent people about on here in Folkestone(?), Ashford, Rochester, Thanet etc.

[GlenAnderson]

A few more pictures of the “car”…

The day of arrival:

First job:

A new home:

After much rabbithole-diving, a decision to move to 145/80R10 radials rather than the OE 4.00-10 crossply wheelbarrow tyres:

 

Bought a spare wheel that matched the four already on the car, and passed the odd spare on to a mate for his trailer:

 

Significantly more tyre: 

 

Land-Rover makes it look small:

But the original size tyres are even smaller:

Some space required:

 

Better:

 

Hopefully there’s going to be some regular progress as the weather improves. 

[D.E]

  Quote

Looking at the rear window, I was wondering if it might be a standard rear window from a light van? Citroen Visa or suchlike? Any thoughts?

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Doesn't seem to be the case I'm afraid, none of the parts suppliers or fansites mention it being compatible with any other car or van.

[egg]

Maybe use Perspex? Or is that too laughable.

[GlenAnderson]

  On 26/02/2024 at 15:36, egg said:

Maybe use Perspex? Or is that too laughable.

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No, that’s exactly what I propose to do. 👍

[Jenson Velcro]

If the rear window is flat, a plant repair company or glazing company should be able to cut one to a pattern.

[GlenAnderson]

  On 26/02/2024 at 17:38, Jenson Velcro said:

If the rear window is flat, a plant repair company or glazing company should be able to cut one to a pattern.

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No, unfortunately it’s a compound curve. Slightly more pronounced front to rear than side to side.  Unless I find myself in Holland unexpectedly, a Perspex/Lexan one is going to be the only sensible solution. 
 

Most of the parts for these are proprietary, and I would be surprised if the factory went to the expense of custom glass; particularly as the door windows are Perspex anyway. 

[dollywobbler]

Well this is my cup of tea! Often see these over in NL. I may be heading over there later this year if parts still need fetching over.

[GlenAnderson]

After much prevaricating, a decision was made to not fit the 145/80 radials. This was based on a combination of factors, cost being one, and the extra work making them physically fit being another. We have decided that, once the requirements of my lad’s D of E project have been met, and we’ve got the car up to MoT standard, we’re going to move it on in favour of concentrating on our Austin lorry project. A killer deal from a fellow forum member elsewhere on tyres clinched the decision.  I found these on the doorstep the other day as I was leaving for work, and getting over the “do we do it this way, or that way” paralysis has been good for my mood on the thing .

Got a couple of hours on it the other afternoon with the lad when he got home from school.

First job was to pop the 145 off the spare wheel.

And replace it with one of the new crossplies. Then move the little powerhouse over to the hardstand to get the wheels off one at a time.

Fitting the tyres was straightforward. The old ones were dated mid 2009, so they’ve been replaced at least once already. One of the original wheels was way mankier than the other three, so that will get cleaned up and painted over the weekend before we put the tyre on. However, it’s now sat on four wheels that hold air and don’t rub on anything, so that’s a step in the right direction. 😃👍

While the front wheels were off I decided to have a look at the brakes. I was hoping that the lack of brakes, and the empty reservoir, was due to it simply leaking out when the car was tipped on its side. With nothing to lose, we topped up the reservoir and had a go at bleeding it through the front n/s caliper. A bit of pumping saw some highly manky fluid get ejected, and resulted in a firm brake at the lever. Both of the front calipers are dragging, so a bit more investigation is required. Hopefully just a clean and lubricate will see us sorted.

 

 
 

I had sprayed the switches on the dash liberally with electrolube the other day, which has freed them up nicely. Even the hazard switch which had been frozen solid, is now working properly. We got all the indicators working with just a wiggle of the bulbs, so that’s another job off the list. 👍

Next, and final, job for the day was to get the transmission selector cable off. Access is not great. There may have been some cursing. 🤬 

 

 
 

Anyway, it’s off, and I have identified a golf buggy cable that looks like it will be worth a try. Certainly significantly cheaper than anything else I’ve found.

Oh, and no, with the new development of working indicators to go with the lights that came back to life last time, and brakes that actually work after a fashion, we couldn’t resist the temptation for a quick test drive… 😉

Video

 

 

[Shep Shepherd]

  On 26/02/2024 at 14:50, egg said:

Cool, there's a few other Kent people about on here in Folkestone(?), Ashford, Rochester, Thanet etc.

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I'm from Eastry, but I moved away in 2001. My family still live in the area, though.

[GlenAnderson]

Out of curiosity, how many posts do I have to make to get past “probationary” status? 

[SiC]

  On 24/03/2024 at 15:20, GlenAnderson said:

Out of curiosity, how many posts do I have to make to get past “probationary” status? 

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10 posts. This is your tenth!

[GlenAnderson]

  On 24/03/2024 at 15:38, SiC said:

10 posts. This is your tenth!

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Yay! 😃👍

  On 24/03/2024 at 13:49, Shep Shepherd said:

I'm from Eastry, but I moved away in 2001. My family still live in the area, though.

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You’re not, by any chance, the Shep Shepherd I bought a Land-Rover tub from down Gloucester way a good few years ago via the Series 2 forum are you? 

[Shep Shepherd]

Not me. I'm a Volvo guy and I live in Essex 

[GlenAnderson]

  On 24/03/2024 at 16:06, Shep Shepherd said:

Not me. I'm a Volvo guy and I live in Essex 

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I thought it would be a bit of a coincidence. 👍

[Jenson Velcro]

Great stuff. Shame the speedo isn’t working, I was trying to guess the speed you were doing up the hill just after you turned to head for home. I also thought a couple of the other road users were thinking of using you for target practice.

[yes oui si]

I want this so much ❤️

[Dick Cheeseburger]

  On 24/03/2024 at 13:31, GlenAnderson said:

 ...we’re going to move it on in favour of concentrating on our Austin lorry project...

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Hang on, the Noddy truck? Are you keeping it now? It remains my favourite thread on the blue. 

[GlenAnderson]

  On 24/03/2024 at 16:26, Jenson Velcro said:

Great stuff. Shame the speedo isn’t working, I was trying to guess the speed you were doing up the hill just after you turned to head for home. I also thought a couple of the other road users were thinking of using you for target practice.

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Yes, I need to investigate that. It may be as simple as just being stuck from years of inactivity. We’ll see. It felt pretty slow up the hill, 15-20 probably, but the front brakes are dragging so that wouldn’t have helped. It’s certainly lively enough on the flat, but it definitely doesn’t like the hills. I’m actually pleased about sticking with the smaller tyres now, as it doesn’t feel like it needs any higher gearing. 
 

I did think that the SUV was coming straight out when we were on the way back, but they did stop just as I was about to take evasive action. 🤣

  On 24/03/2024 at 16:34, yes oui si said:

I want this so much ❤️

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There’s a couple of people ahead of you in the queue, but it’s definitely going to be looking for a new home once we’re done with it. Hopefully midsummer. Feel free to make us an offer. 😉

  On 24/03/2024 at 16:40, Dick Longbridge said:

Hang on, the Noddy truck? Are you keeping it now? It remains my favourite thread on the blue. 

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I am hoping to. If I can clear the decks of all the other side-quests and dead ends, and finish a couple of big domestic DIY projects, then yes, I’ll keep on with it. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

  On 24/03/2024 at 17:07, GlenAnderson said:

I am hoping to. If I can clear the decks of all the other side-quests and dead ends, and finish a couple of big domestic DIY projects, then yes, I’ll keep on with it. 

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Fingers crossed - excellent news. If there was ever a near perfect candidate for the 'love for the unloved' mantra, it's this truck and the story behind it. 

[stuboy]

  On 26/02/2024 at 14:03, GlenAnderson said:

Dover. 👍

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looks a posh part 

[Split_Pin]

I've been following your various threads in the Noddy truck, you probably already know you are quite famous for it! Look forward to reading more about it.

[GlenAnderson]

  On 24/03/2024 at 21:54, stuboy said:

looks a posh part 

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Very posh. My house has an en-suite scrapyard and up until very recently the hugely desirable feature of a dead DAF 45 parked on the front lawn. 🤣👍

  On 24/03/2024 at 22:01, Split_Pin said:

I've been following your various threads in the Noddy truck, you probably already know you are quite famous for it! Look forward to reading more about it.

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I think “infamous” or “notorious” are probably more appropriate descriptions. 🤣

[GlenAnderson]

This arrived in the post today. 

And, putting it next to the old one for comparison, it’s about a foot longer, but the ends and fittings are identical. 

I think we can easily lose the extra length. Either by carefully rerouting the cable, or by relocating the place it comes out of the dash, which is currently over on the left hand side of the instrument binnacle. You can just about make out the stubby broken off end of the original cable in this picture, where the white arrow is pointing. 

[GlenAnderson]

Bit more progress today. Managed to drag the teen out of bed and made an effort to get things moving again. 

Got the transmission cable hooked up after a bit of a struggle. Access is not great, but the extra length actually made routing it a bit easier. 

The action is really stiff though with everything tightened up, and I suspect that things got knocked out of line when the engine mount got broken. Hopefully the careful application of a large hammer will solve the issue. 

We then decided to tidy up the ignition switch that had been just plugged into the loom under the bonnet and left dangling. I had half a mind to pull the column out of the car and see if it could be moved further to the right, but I have decided that’s way too much work, so it made sense to fit the switch properly. Aside from having to de-pin the big terminal plug to get the harness through the holes in both the column and the bulkhead, it was straightforward enough. Minor issues with the pattern switch not latching into place were easy enough to overcome and it does make things look a little less “hotwired” 🤣

As the lad was keen to make some visible progress we then moved on to refitting the undertray, which was straightforward enough too. 

I got his lordship to tap out the captive nuts first. 

We also remembered that the horn didn’t work, so we pulled the old one off to test the wiring, which came back ok, but the horn itself was as dead as a doornail. A rummage through the “might come in handy” box turned up a working replacement, so that got fitted. The wiring was not quite long enough to reach the new horn’s terminals properly, so we made up a short extension. 

 

I did a bit more straightening of the front where the bonnet fits. I know that @grizz had already done a fair bit to put right the previous owner damage, but it still needed a bit more here on the driver’s side of the headlight/bonnet bracket thing. I suspect that the smaller engined variants have this front bar/loop thingy in one piece. 

 

It appears to have been cut to allow the engine’s breather to clear, and as there’s a bung in the cut end (on one side at least) I suspect that it is part of the factory’s changes for the UK models. It does leave the headlights and bonnet a bit wobbly. If we were keeping the car I would probably look at making something up to join them together. A stepped brace would work I think, and I don’t know why it wasn’t done like that anyway… maybe it was a bit of a rush job? Who knows…

With all that done, we then fitted the new number plate to the front bumper, and put the bumper itself back on the car. Hopefully I don’t end up having to take it all back off again to sort out the transmission cable issue. 🙄

It’s got its face back! 😃👍

 

While we were at it we stuck the new rear plate on too. 

No test drive tonight as a) it was pissing down and we still have no wiper and b) now that the car has clearly legible identifiers front and rear I’d sooner have it a bit closer to MoT ready before I venture out again. 🤣

List now down to the following for the MoT:

Sort wiper arm and blade. Fix screenwash. 
Make rear window. 
Sort dragging brakes. 
Sort brake light switch. 
Sort fog light and number plate light. 
Replace interior mirror. 

And, optional “still to do” jobs include sorting a way of locking the doors, and deciding whether to convert the hand controls to conventional pedals or not.