THAT Lada Samara - It's now FOAD's

[Urko]

The wee rag front mat is a work of genius.

[strangeangel]

I saw this in the tin just a few weeks ago, and remember thinking to myself that it would be a long time, if ever, before it saw the Queen's Highway again.

 

Wrong once again, happily

[vulgalour]

It is amazing what one can achieve when vanity is abandoned in favour of functionality.

[explosive-cabbage]

With the washer jet fixed, that same evening I booked an MOT on a whim for the next morning; and then me and Joe had a good look over the car and realised there were a couple minor jobs left to do.

Joe noticed that the drivers seat was a little loose, after a little investigation I found that the captive nut had ripped out of the floor and the seat mount had collapsed into a hidden void in the under the carpet. SHITBALLS.

 

I had no charge left on my phone for pictures, and no time to spare so I had to rip out the back seats and the drivers seat and pull one side of the carpet up. I bolted the front seat back in, with a large washer bolted to the seat rail to cover the hole in the floor, and tack welded it in place. I then removed the seat, finished the weld (definately not my neatest), put the carpet back down and bolted the seats back in. It isn't perfect but it would pass!

 

The next day was M-Day; early start.

 

On the way:

 

 

At Jack the Test's MOT shop.

 

 

 

And the dreaded brake test:

 

 

Long story short, this happened:

 

 

 

But its not really that bad - corroded brake line, split bush, small hidden rust patch, innefective handbrake.

 

 

Couild have been worse!

 

On the way home the temporary cardboard exhaust gasket burned itself out, and the car soon became as rawkus and noisy as ever. It had regained its personality!

Luckily Jack the Test had noted the slight exhaust leak but not put it on the fails sheet.... so technically it wouldn't need fixing for a successful retest, right?....

[explosive-cabbage]

I booked an MOT on a whim and then me and Joe had a good look over the car and realised there were a couple minor jobs left to do.

Joe noticed that the drivers seat was a little loose, after a little investigation I found that the captive nut had ripped out of the floor and the seat mount had collapsed into a hidden void in the under the carpet. SHITBALLS.

 

I had no charge left on my phone and no time to spare so I had to rip out the back seats and the drivers seat and pull one side of the carpet up. I bolted the front seat back in, with a large washer bolted to the seat rail to cover the hole in the floor, and tack welded it in place. I then removed the seat, finished the weld (definately not my neatest), put the carpet back down and bolted the seats back in. It isn't perfect but it would pass!

 

The next day was M-Day; early start.

 

On the way:

 

 

At Jack the Test's MOT shop.

 

 

And the dreaded brake test:

 

 

Long story short, this happened:

 

 

But its not really that bad - corroded brake line, split bush, small hidden rust patch, innefective handbrake.

 

Could have been worse!

 

On the way home the temporary cardboard exhaust gasket burned itself out, and the car soon became as rawkus and noisy as ever. It had regained its personality!

Luckily Jack the Test had noted the slight exhaust leak but not put it on the fails sheet.... so technically it wouldn't need fixing for a successful retest, right?....

[explosive-cabbage]

Once home I started immediately, stripping down the brakes, and ordering new parts for the rears.

 

The front copper brake line needed replacing, but the unions on each end of the old ones were so rotten that they needed the old copper line drilling out of them first!

 

 

New brake line in place:

 

 

Soon complete, and zip tied in place, a quick and easy fix!

 

Next, the rusty bit I missed.

 

 

Zipped up and painted!

 

 

 

[KruJoe]

 

...but he was updating on a silly little modern laptop and its battery went flat, so you'll just have to wait.

 

[explosive-cabbage]

 

The replacement brake parts came:- 2 new handbrake cables, a full set of rear shoes, a full fitting kit and a new brake cylinder for the nearside.

 

 

I pulled the brake drum internals apart...

 

 

And removed the old cylinder. It was reasonably seized, and once again I had to drill out the old copper lin from the union.

 

 

Next to throw it all together...

 

 

With new handbrake cables. The old ones seemed to slide okay when I got them off, but one had stretched and the protective sheath had worn through in places, best get new ones for £6 apeice or whatever they were.

 

 

 

 

 

[twosmoke300]

Amazing to see it back on the road to recovery again .

Oh and don't be so tight - get some new brake unions - they are about 20p each !

[explosive-cabbage]

I had an advisory for a 'slightly cracked' rear strut bush.

 

Best sort it out so I can get a clean sheet.

 

I had to cut it out as the nut was seized, but the whole lot was scrap so it didn't matter.

 

 

 

Yeah, it was fairly fucked.

 

 

Measuring up for a new bush...

 

 

So lets make one!
 

First, cut circles from an old catering chopping board. I think its polypropylene or something like that.

 

 

Trimming them to size, I found a quick way:- Stick a bolt through them, hold the bolt in the vice and and spin the whole lot with a flappy disk on the grinder. When its up to speed quite a lot of material can be removed accurately and quickly.

 

 

Drill an appropriate sized hole through the whole lot

 

 

Add a bolt, it looks good to me

 

 

Stick it on the car, space it out and we are done!

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Mesmerising.

[explosive-cabbage]

Next day (actually yesterday) I had a retest at 10am.

 

Up early and off to Jack Smith's.

 

He said he heard me coming with my newly-blowing exhaust - not a good start!

 

 

Other than that though, he was perfectly happy!

 

 

And it only bloody passed!

 

 

OMG!!

 

I was sailing on a wave of winnage on the way home, and subsequently boiled the brakes. I stopped at my local parts shop for some DOT4 and they quizzed me about how I always end up with such as shitty cars, they were flabbergasted when I told them it had passed an MOT 20 minutes prior!

 

So the saga will continue, it needs a full brake flush for the new owner, (will it be you?!?) so there is more to come.

 

Including some video of hoonage!

 

PM me if you are tempted...

[The Moog]

Such win in a thread. I will never look at chopping boards in the same way

[Felly Magic]

The WIN-O-METER just exploded

[beko1987]

Wow! That Bush is inspirational!

[M'coli]

I've been reminiscing about my summer-of-love last year with a sexy Italian beauty, and this Russian lovely starts making eyes at me - I've only just PM'd about the 106...! Get thee behind me, Satan!!!

[KruJoe]

Come on then Cameron, which one are you having? 

I'm sure clients would appreciate* you rolling up in this one...

[M'coli]

The MD is an uber-Tory of Thatcherite stock, and the tech director I've heard say "I'm no socialist" - they'd both be apoplectic!

[KruJoe]

That's you're answer, right there!

[M'coli]

The photo of it being headbutted by the ewe is my work laptop desktop

[Angrydicky]

Do it, Cameron!

[Jim Bell]

Shite Macguyver does it again. Well played.

[explosive-cabbage]

The internets up here is shit, this has been uploading all night and it is only 1 and a half minutes long!

 

[M'coli]

Sounds like it's still cutting out on left-hand bends...

[explosive-cabbage]

Sounds like it's still cutting out on left-hand bends...

On most tight bends... its part of the thrill!

[KruJoe]

Yep. Brill, isn't it?

[oldcars]

Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

WP_20160506_11_17_34_Pro.jpg

 

WP_20160506_11_19_27_Pro.jpg

 

WP_20160506_11_19_47_Pro.jpg

 

WP_20160506_11_20_20_Pro.jpg

 

WP_20160506_11_21_11_Pro.jpg

Ewe have done well. Great photos, nothing to be sheepish about

[djimbob]

Oh my that is grim, well done all round chaps

[phil_lihp]

Just plain brilliant.  Practically concours now, surely?  Presumably this means that the novelty tyre on the back has gone (I seem to recall a Stomil remould mud and snow tyre probably older than the car itself)?  One part of the car's character that probably is best left in the past!

 

Next step presumably is a multi-stage claying, polishing and waxing session to ensure it's as cosmetically perfect as possible?

 

The big question is, where's the silver bodykit that was held on with a small assortment of self-tapping screws?

[Pillock]

"What bushes did you go with, were they the Powerflex ones?"

 

"Naah mate. Lakeland."