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Post by BikeTuna on Sept 17, 2018 9:44:58 GMT
A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, Ive spent some time in hospital and off work so I've had time here and there between illness to get little bits done. before all that though the arches went on. The lower half and the underside of the infil has been done in matt black stonechip. It would have matched the rest of the car better in gloss, but the stonechip finish is better for its position. The rest of the panel has its first coat of filler. The arches have been refitted but trying to put them in their proper position instead of too low by the last owner/muppet and one fits well and the other doesn't. It'll need looking into.  While I was off I started on a minor job that quickly turned into something bigger. I only went out to fit some blue bolts in the engine bay, and ended up fitting the washer relocation bottle inc plumbing and wiring, and then when I took the old one out it exposed a mass of botched wiring and ziptied madness that had to be sorted. So much tidying was needed, I ended up rewrapping all of the loom on the NS, rerouting the AFR wiring and finally got it to this, which still looks rubbish but was a vast improvement over before.  What else? Also gave the car an overdue vac, treated the remaining surface rust on the boot with Kurust, adjusted the wastegate actuator and fitted the last of my blue bolts - a bit like putting lipstick on a pig but I like them. Also relocated the electronic boost actuator to the bulkhead to allow tidying of the wiring at the other end, but still not connected as still not mapped for it. |
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 1, 2018 10:35:28 GMT
I've finished the boot finally, I cleaned out everything, treated the remaining rust with kurust, went over the remaining panels with a sander and then painted the lot in hammerite smooth silver. Its not a factory finish but I think it looks half decent. Since this pic I've repainted the fuel pipe shield in Hammerite smooth black and replaced all the bolts with the blue cap ones to match the bonnet.  |
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 1, 2018 11:04:05 GMT
This weekend I got lucky at a scrapyard and picked up a ton of bits including manual window mechs. Ive been wanting manuals for a while partly because my electric ones are knackered, partly because of the weight loss and mostly because they are retro cool. The breaker car also had the door cards and the switch blank so I got them too, and because it was off a later (p reg) car it has the doorcards with the built in speaker grilles rather than the pods, which I like.  But annoyingly its not the end of the story. The rear runner on the OS door is knacked causing the window to be stiff. I knew the window had been smashed some point in its life as there was glass in the bottom of the door, but I didn't know the previous owner couldn't be bothered to take out the guide from the rear runner form the rear guide which probably distorted it. I'll be back off to the scrapyard to get the rear guides.  While I was in the door I got a few other jobs done. I replaced the latch with the one off the breaker just because mine was a bit stiff so it's nice and free now, and the breaker also had remote locking actuators in the doors so I took the mounting brackets and auctioning arms as they were better than mine and fitted all of that too. I haven't done the passenger door yet but I'll get there. What else? I replaced the hvac fan knob with a non ac one (just pushed straight on), replaced the top of the steering column surround as the new ones doesn't have a hole for an LED in it, and I picked up a new dash tombstone for a little project I'll start when I can be bothered. It came with a black hazard switch which is a nice bonus too. |
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Post by wannabe on Oct 1, 2018 11:05:27 GMT
Nice work on the boot!
I need to do similar myself before the whole boot floor drops out lol
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 11, 2018 16:01:05 GMT
Another couple of good sittings on the car recently.
The car went for it's MOT and failed on 4 items:
OSR caliper seized. I had a spare set of 255mm discs and pads left form my MK2 so instead of buying a mk1 235 caliper I bought a pair of used mk2 calipers for £25, and fitted my own discs and pads instead of buying new. Bigger brakes and less spend - double win.
OSF topmount broken. One of the studs had snapped off, so I got a used one for a tenner, cleaned the rust off with a wire wheel, a cost of black hammerite and on. Jobbed.
Exhaust leak. A bolt was loose from turbo to manifold, so replaced it
number plate light. Fitted.
So just need to bleed the brakes and then its ready for the MOT tomorrow.
Also, at lunchtime I fitted the NS manual window regulator and NS door latch. Door works much better, window works just fine if a little stiff. Need to fit the CDL actuator next.
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 12, 2018 15:12:32 GMT
More works today...
Vac-bled the brakes, working very nicely.
Also fitted a black hazard light switch as my red one was scabby and the black ones look better, took out the window switch and fitted the factory blanking plate now I have manual windows, replaced the NS A-pillar trim for one that doesn't have screw holes in from badly fitted tweeters and fitted the rubber flap that goes in front of the OS headlamp as the last one was missing.
Will have it's MOT done within the next few hours.
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Post by flood on Oct 12, 2018 16:29:46 GMT
some impressive work there, following initial disappointment
Good luck with MOT
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 16, 2018 7:18:41 GMT
Well, it failed again. Nice.
The calipers that I fitted pull the car up lovely, but failed on OS handbrake. Getting it back in the air it seems the spring loaded arm isn't returning properly so the caliper needs taking off and stripping again, rather than just wire-wheeling around the pad mounts like I did.
The exhaust repair has failed too, Suspecting the leak was from the missing bolt on the turbo to downpipe and a gap visible I thought that was sorted, but its still leaking. Turns out the turbo manifold has cracked right down the centre.
So the car is in a pile of bits yet again. The turbo is off and I'm fighting a seized bolt on the manifold, but hopefully that will be off today. It'll be sandblasted, welded and then painted black before refitting, paint and gaskets hopefully arriving tomorrow.
This car is living up to its project name more than ever. The amount of work that its had to get it to where it is only to be dealt yet another crushing blow is really wearing me down. I cant even sell it now without taking a massive hit so I have no choice but to carry on, but after all this I don't think I'll ever love this car and I doubt ill keep it much longer or own another 5.
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Post by niklas on Oct 20, 2018 11:38:27 GMT
You bought something really crappy. But then again, it should be sorted soon. And by then you'll actually drive it. I know that I was pretty fed up with having a potentially fast car on jack stands for 1,5 years. It changed when I got it on the road again.
Stay in there, you'll get it sorted.
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 22, 2018 9:15:18 GMT
Well, here is the extent of the cracked manifold.
That crack goes from the turbo flange, right round to the flange on the other side. So I've sandblasted the whole thing, welded the hole and then painted it in high temp black. It's not perfect, but the whole car isn't perfect so I'm fine with it.
This morning before work I got out the stud that I had to drill out as it was seized, this lunchtime will be refitting the manifold and turbo and then after work today will be replacing the calliper again now that the handbrake arm was sorted at the weekend.
Joy. |
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 23, 2018 10:05:08 GMT
Well, this car just loves kicking me in the Jacobs.
The manifold is on, the turbo is all refit, oil, air, ready. Then turn the key aaaannnndddd....
Oil. the oil feed line to the turbo has broken internally and it's squeezing out of the crimped end. Absolutely marvellous. Now I have to order a new AN3 connection and chop it in. After a devastating outing on my motorbike at the weekend where it also blew its oil out and I had to push it home, I am in no mood.
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Post by BikeTuna on Oct 29, 2018 9:14:14 GMT
Well.... another eventful weekend consisting of...
Friday after work I was waiting for the missus to finish work and had an hour spare so I cut the leaking tip off the turbo oil feed including cutting the hose 6 inches shorter to tidy it up in the bay and then fitted a new an4 connection. I had enough time left to fit the central locking relay to the NS door too.
Saturday I replaced the OSR caliper for the 3rd time, bled and reset handbrake and that's now working a charm.
But the best of all - it now has an MOT! Not a completely made up one like the one I got from the seller last year, but an actual legitimate MOT. This is a big turning point for the car and for me, seeing the end of a truly awful 12 months of soul destroying, expensive and depressing ownership.
Me and the car aren't instantly best friends though, it has a lot of making up to me for what ive been through, I'm not sure I'll ever let it lie. I also need to sort a high idle, get the car mapped, sort a few advisories like a perished track rod end boot, fit another gearbox and paint the arches, but this is still a very big stake in the ground of progress.
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Post by Zed. on Oct 29, 2018 9:42:56 GMT
expensive and depressing ownership If it's got T its OR Tyres, it's gonna be expensive 
also, congrats on the mot, can be stressfull 
Rich.
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Post by BikeTuna on Nov 13, 2018 8:59:29 GMT
2 weeks since the MOT and the car is doing it's best to make it up to me. it's been starting very nicely and driving quite quietly too. There's a lot less rattles than before which must be due to the interior changes I've done while it's been off the road, and as my passenger seat and foot well are still full of tools there's probably a few more to lose yet.
I've fitted a bunch more blue bolts under the bonnet because I'm a child. I've tidied up the last stray cables in the boot, one of which was a power feed straight to under the dash from the battery which cutting it out meant I lost power to the CDL controller so I've wired that in properly but its still not working - the internal relays are clicking but the doors aren't working so that needs more time.
The whining gearbox still thinks its fixed itself. On throttle off at anything over 3krpm it would whine so loud it was unbearable, bot that's completely gone. I don't know where though, and I have another gearbox waiting to go in just in case.
Next on the list is the CDL, and then an oil leak needs to be cured before it goes to mapping.
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Post by niklas on Nov 13, 2018 16:48:12 GMT
Well then, sorted. Now dial in ALLOFIT!  |
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le sigh