Consolidated fleet thread - Saab going, new Korean porridge in.

[dozeydustman]

And yes, I used a brake flare spanner for the track rod lock nuts, better than an adjustable any day.

[dozeydustman]

Saab’s turn for MoT jobs. Last year I had an advisory for worn brake discs. I was told by the garage which MoT’d it last year they were on 24.2mm and the minimum spec is 24mm. As mentioned in grumpy thread the discs are rust-welded to the hubs, a job I was not looking forward to.

Looking through the HbOL and my Autodata laptop the minimum disc thickness is 22mm, new ones being 28. Got the micrometer out and the N/S is 23.7mm and the offside 23.5mm, still within spec. As the pads are quite new I’ve left them be. Taking them out and putting them back in has cured the front end clonk as well.

Yes, there’s a lip, but it’s 2mm per side which ties up with my micrometer readings.

Meanwhile I really need a new front number plate. However the only place open at a weekend which makes number plates is Halfords, and the “man who makes them at the local branch” is off this weekend. I call BS on this, and as the car is booked in tomorrow I came up with a plan.

before ⬆️ (taken earlier this year)

I took it off, put it in the sink and washed the dirt out between the acrylic and the letters with some dish soap. Dried it as best I could and used some UV resistant tape to seal it back together.

It’s not perfect but it is legible and just looks like an old plate again. Mingebag repair.

I’m hoping that is everything. Can’t see any obvious defects, though the front droplink rubbers are in poor condition (but not holed).

At least I have the 205 if it fails on anything.

[dozeydustman]

Another year of successful motoring ahead.

[dozeydustman]

Kia has a pass as well this morning. Booked in again next Monday for tracking and air con regas.

I can work on the advisories over the next year, hopefully done before sprog arrives!

[dozeydustman]

Tracking now done on the Kia and while my rough work after changing teh TREs was a vast improvement, both front wheels were still toeing out too much. It hasn’t driven so well since we bought it ~18 months ago.

Need to either find a driveshaft or a decent CV repair kit, and nip up the power steering joint where it’s weeping and that’s the advisories. I’m still on the lookout for a pair of rear doors and an O/S front wing in black, both this car and the black Saab will last madam and her fella for a few years yet so may as well make it look nice!

[dozeydustman]

A new clutch cable for the 205 arrived the other day. It was wrong. Now in a dispute withe the seller as apparently my car ‘should  have TU engine for a 1987 model’. Despite showing the vendor the old broken cable against the ‘correct’ replacement, they said my car has been ‘bodged’ and someone has previously fitted the incorrect cable.

Some digging about on the internet has found a genuine new-old stock PSA Motaquip part for £8 posted so that will be fitted at some point this week as it’s due to arrive Monday.

Back box ordered for the C2 and it’s MOT is being done Monday 4th, so that will be up for sale once it has a fresh ticket.

[dozeydustman]

Got the back box for the C2 today, however a load of house jobs and a ridiculous 3-hour journey to Waterlooville and back mean general apathy toward car jobs. Plus it’s been raining.

£60 from GSF with a discount code, it’s substantially heavy enough not to be terrible. As far as I can see it’s the only thing the C2 needs for its MoT.

Also I joined a 205 Facebook page and one of the previous owners of the little red devil as serial suitcase engine and Pug104 botherer @Leachibob104.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get the clutch cable installed as the NOS one arrived today.

[dozeydustman]

Back box is off the C2. The blow however was not caused by this but the centre pipe.

There is a hole in the tailpipe and while it’s relatively solid I’m still putting the new box on.

The blow is actually the joint to the centre pipe, as someone previous has usefully* crimped in the end, possibly drifting off a previous silence with a punch or chisel, thankfully after about half an hour of twisting and knocking it with a British Leyland screwdriver it came off. I’ll get a photo after my lunch of leftover cabbage and mash from last night, and a trip to get some assembly paste and a new clamp as I don’t have the correct size in stock.

[dozeydustman]

This just slipped into place.

Thankfully, despite a 52mm clamp being used as opposed to the correct 48mm (Halford had no stock, and the local independent was shut for lunch 🤨), there are no leaks that I can feel. Later in the week I’ll fit a correct clamp and bung a bit of assembly paste in there before test on Monday.

With a fresh ticket I’ll put an ad up on here with shiter’s discount compared to the wider world.

[dozeydustman]

Fresh ticket on the Citroën. Advisory for something on the headlamps but I’m hoping a session with some T-cut and a rag will clean them up.

 

I’ve managed to locate a set of genuine wheeltrims for the same price as a set of Halfords dustbin lid types, they should be with us in a few days then the car will be ready for sale.

We will miss this little runabout but with 5 cars in the household and having only covered around 6000 miles in the just under 2 years we’ve owned it, we’ve hardly used it in the last 6 months since the wife and I either commute together or she rides her e-bike in.

Just sitting at the local car wash waiting for a mini valet, then I’ll take some photos and bung it up for sale.

[dozeydustman]

Applied a little cutting compound to the C2’s headlamps and they are now much better.

Clean (offside) and manky (nearside)

The right was the worse of the two, but the cataracts are much improved. I did the Saab as well but they need a lot of work, so it looks like sanding them down and lacquering will be needed if I get a warm day any time soon.

[dozeydustman]

The C2 has proven difficult to sell. Hoping it’ll go soon.

Meanwhile a few weeks ago I put new tail, reverse and fog bulbs in the 205 as I had a brake on the left, tail on the right, no fog and only 1 reverse. Found some LEDs knocking about in the garage I bought some time back.

This morning at half 4 I got a tug as I had no rear lights and only the aftermarket raised level brake light. They were working yesterday when I went out and about in it. Luckily I had some 21/5 bulbs of unknown origin in the boot and changed them in front of the policeman. The LEDs, which were still new in packets had failed, and they weren’t el-cheapo no-name ones from AliExpress etc but Ring ones I bought ages ago but never got to fit to the first Saab.

Weird as the reverse and fog lamps still work, they’re the same make and age.

[dozeydustman]

Saab now also up for sale after yesterday’s mishap.

If anyone wants the Saab it’s £450 with a load of spares, and I can’t drop the price of the Citroen any more, that’s £950.

[dozeydustman]

With the Saab looking like it has a new home I’m off with the wife to view a new car. It’s about 45 mins away so no big caper involving trains and buses and the like, just a lift to outside of Horsham from @Scrap.

Poo count = 1

Breakfast consisted of a mug of Spanish ‘Bonka’ coffee.

What am I going to view? That’s a secret, but here’s a clue:

[Missy Charm]

3 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

With the Saab looking like it has a new home I’m off with the wife to view a new car. It’s about 45 mins away so no big caper involving trains and buses and the like, just a lift to outside of Horsham from @Scrap.

Poor count = 1

Breakfast consisted of a mug of Spanish ‘Bonka’ coffee.

What am I going to view? That’s a secret, but here’s a clue:

Beige eighties Mercedes with beaded seat covers and a Ganesh figurine glued to the dashboard?  

[dozeydustman]

54 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

Beige eighties Mercedes with beaded seat covers and a Ganesh figurine glued to the dashboard?  

You would have to pay me to own a Merc!

[dozeydustman]

Purchase made and now taxed and insured. Uneventful trip. Because I’m an utter mingebag I didn’t even stop for fuel on way home as only 25 miles.

Very clean underneath, needs a thoroughly good valeting though. Full service history. Gave £1300, probably the most expensive car either me or my wife have ever bought.

[dozeydustman]

Citroen sold this evening. Spent most of the day fitting carpets with my dad to replace the piece on the landing the cats destroyed. At  7pm I got a message on eBay with an offer just under the asking price so wife accepted it. Came, paid by BACS and drove off.

With the Saab going this week I'll change the Peugeot's insurance to daily.

[dozeydustman]

With both the Saab and the Citroen gone we're back to 1 car each for me, Mrs_dust and miss_dust. Means at last I can start digging the other side of the front garden ready to gravel it as a driveway. I'll be dailying the 205 even through the winter. It's running absolutely sweetly aside from the grumbly bearing.

Hyundai is a great runaround, a far cry from the days of the Accent and Pony which were competent and reliable, just a bit cheap and flimsy feeling.

Need to get the roof bars off somehow, found the key but it doesn't seem to do anything when turned. Probably the small Allen headed bolt next to it needs turning.

Currently it's got budgets all round, the rears are a brand I've heard of at least (iLink) but the fronts are Fronways (I think!), cracked and knackered with a 2021 date on them, 5mm tread and they have all the grip of a teflon coated tea tray on an ice rink. Manage to score a pair of Yokohama BlueEarths for £70 a wheel fitted, which I don't think is a bad price at all.

[Stanky]

I have good experiences with the Yokohama BluEarths, entirely competent tyre for average cars at a reasonable price. I'd definitely get them again.

[Christine]

My honda is on new  i links,  grip ok ,but noisy ! 

[dozeydustman]

The Yokohamas fitted yesterday have drastically improved the Hyundai’s handling and road performance. A blast to the leisure centre this morning for a swimming session on pretty damp roads and losing the front end and aquaplaning is vastly reduced. Still a bit of planing over standing water but it’s a relatively wide tyre at 205/60 16 size, given the 165/70 13s on the 205 go through standing water with no skidding at a similar speed. Old tyres still had 6mm tread but worn a bit on the inner edges so I’ll get the wheel alignment sorted next month.

It’s a horrid miserable morning so my plans for trying to remove the roof bars from the Hyundai are put on hold, as has anything outdoor related. Again.

[dozeydustman]

Did a few minor jobs on the 205 this morning.

Investigating the knocking sound turned out to be o/s strut top being completely shot.

It may not look it here but it’s a good 5mm proud of the rest of the top, other side is flush. I’m still waiting for the rubbers to arrive for this job so that will need to wait until tomorrow.

Fan belt squealed under load and this eas tensioned up. At least it’s got a named brand one fitted but it could do with replacing soon.

I got this, along with a few other old school diagnostic (read: Gunsons) tat. I did get the mixture and idle adjusted at a garage but they ran it all the way down to 0.1% CO which was far too lean (should be 1-1.5% on a late suitcase) and it pinked, especially on 95 octane. It’s idling a little lower than ideal at 600 but having unwound the mixture screw it settled around a steady 625rpm which is just under perfect (600-650rpm) and I could check the timing. Nothing to see here as this was spot on at 8BTDC. Not hunting or chuntering which is nice.

A check around of lights revealed some poor connections which were sorted, still needed to pop out for a handful of 2w and 5w capless peanut bulbs so with the princely sum of £6 on half a dozen bulbs this gives me a couple spares and all lights working, including the mid-1980’s spec of ‘dim-dip’.

Jobs still to do:

Adjust Handbrake so it drags at around 5 clicks instead of the current 8
Remove both struts and hub carriers
replace wheel bearings and N/S driveshaft.
replace driver’s seat belt
remove driver’s seat and weld up broken mounting point.
Bleed brakes. They have started to go spongy.
Check and replace any bad rubber fuel lines.

[dozeydustman]

My top mount rubbers still haven’t arrived for this so I postponed the MoT until next Friday.

Tomorrow I’ll be visiting a shiter to borrow a press to push out the old and press in the ne wheel bearings in a pair of spare steering knuckles I bought, I can strip the front suspension down on Monday ready for the top mounts being rebuilt. I’ll also put the new springs on at the same time.

 

[dozeydustman]

With thanks to a fellow shiter I now have new bearings pressed into the spare steering knuckles I bought. No photos because idiot.

Took the 205 as it’s not had a decent drive since the day I brought it home and forgot what a wonderful B-road cruiser it really is.

Many thanks to @Rust Collector for allowing me to come over and play with your toys. It was good to see you again!

[dozeydustman]

On 24/03/2025 at 13:16, dozeydustman said:

Jobs still to do:

Adjust Handbrake so it drags at around 5 clicks instead of the current 8
Remove both struts and hub carriers
replace wheel bearings and N/S driveshaft.
replace driver’s seat belt
remove driver’s seat and weld up broken mounting point.
Bleed brakes. They have started to go spongy.
Check and replace any bad rubber fuel lines.

 

[Rust Collector]

2 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

With thanks to a fellow shiter I now have new bearings pressed into the spare steering knuckles I bought. No photos because idiot.

Took the 205 as it’s not had a decent drive since the day I brought it home and forgot what a wonderful B-road cruiser it really is.

Many thanks to @Rust Collector for allowing me to come over and play with your toys. It was good to see you again!

No worries mate, was good to see you and I’m always happy to help! Thank you for the beers, too!

I’m also an idiot and took no photos, other than these ones of the fabulous machine that is the 205:

[dozeydustman]

18 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

No worries mate, was good to see you and I’m always happy to help! Thank you for the beers, too!

I’m also an idiot and took no photos, other than these ones of the fabulous machine that is the 205:

It looks so much cleaner in those photos. Have they been Adobe’d 🤣

[dozeydustman]

O/S stripped down

Banjaxed

An hour later I have this

She’s now going to run on XS/GT springs, because more readily available and will give a slightly sharper steering feel.

Lots of unusual nut and bolt head sizes (11, 16, 18) because French 🇫🇷 

[dozeydustman]

I managed to mangle the TRE thread somehow. Why is it whenever I remove a TRE the thread always gubbs? I don’t even whack the thread with a hammer but use a taper splitter.

Having also made an emergency run to the local nut and bolt shop some 10 miles away, OSF is reinstalled and torqued up. Calliper was then thrown at it and torqued, before putting the wheel back on. Would have continued but FiL is over for dinner to meet his newest of 6 great-grandchildren.

All buttoned up for the night. Other side tomorrow.