So what have you been doing on your cars?

What have you all been upto on your cars lately, keep this updated!

This week my interior has started to be painted and the upholstery is going to start Monday!

So what else is going on?

~Lee

Just pressure washed the underside prior to freshening up the waxoyl. Don't have access to a ramp so had to put the car on axle stands and lay underneath it. Not a nice job. Will be spraying waxoyl using the same method this weekend, which from previous experience is likely to be worse. At least I shouldn't go rusty.

Sounds like you are doing a sensible job Andy! If I see you laying underneath it I will stop and say hi, if you see an old blue polo flying past give us a wave!

~Lee

I have scrapped another Renault 5! So I now have one car fewer (down to 6 Renault 5s)... Feels good.

Now I have one more to scrap!

It's a Renault 5 convertible:

http://www.r5gordini.co.uk/photo-gallery/photo-gallery/Members/Renault5Letc/BeckyConvertible/

I intend to scrap the shell but to keep the convertible aspects to transfer to another shell - so I'm always on the lookout for decent Mk I Renault 5's! I wouldn't want to do the conversion to an absolute minter, but something that's basically solid with no major welding required would be a bonus.

Andrew

Awww I bet you were sad when you scrapped it?

Sounds cool!

~Lee

There's always a tinge of regret every time I scrap a car - I must have done about 10 now. I just console myself that each car I scrap helps keep another 2 or 3 (at least) on the road.

The convertible is worth more in parts than a whole car. We sold it on eBay recently - got £350 for it but the buyer never collected it! We even refunded his money but he didn't accept it. Strange...

So we've decided we would rather keep its parts and do another convertible. Have a look at the albums for it on my site - the car was in an absolute state. It even had an MOT, with faults such as:

* Split steering column doughnut
* VERY rusty brake pipes
* Totally knackered steering rack - lots of play and horrible feel
* Knackered balljoints
* Very rusty rear suspension turrets
* Burnt wiring loom with bare wires exposed (fire hazard)

I brought it home then forbade my wife from driving it until we'd fixed some of the pressing issues... Even after replacing the entire steering system it still pulls one way under acceleration and the other way under braking so I'm not happy. I spent 4 days welding a suspension turret and I've still got the other side to do. So, rather than struggle on with it I think we'll just scrap the shell and start all over again. At least we can salvage most of the new good parts we put on it.

Oh well!

Cheers Lee,

Andrew

Finally got round to buying the extra BIG fan for the Jensen - somehow 17" of blade seems a lot larger when it is in your hands
next steps are:
starter solenoid... start the car
Fuel pump ( electric in the boot... somewhere)
big fan

Christmas charity run !
ps my good friend Shaun is doing the above for me... as we want it to work

aruba wrote:

Finally got round to buying the extra BIG fan for the Jensen - somehow 17" of blade seems a lot larger when it is in your hands
next steps are:
starter solenoid... start the car
Fuel pump ( electric in the boot... somewhere)
big fan

Christmas charity run !
ps my good friend Shaun is doing the above for me... as we want it to work

Fan is a bit of a beast isn't it!

Don't forget about re-routing the fuel pipes!

Can't wait till the 12th December should be a good laugh!

~Lee

ripped out all the running gear, getting it ready for all the og stock to go back in.
oh and also done this

WOW, I need to come and see this! Why???

~Lee

when i had ten mins spare i thought id have a look at the long side and see why its bellied out. i originally suspected a lower cill replacement done bay a PO had blown the side out due to continuous welding...... well i was kind of right.

started chipping away at a small bit of filler.

followed a very badly dressed weld all the way up the side panel

yummy

decided to bite the bullit and sort it once and for all

Not up to your very high standards! Gonna be nice when its done!

Ohh some of my upholstery is done on my bus btw, pop down at some point and have a nose!

will do lee, gotta bring some ball joints down and use your press at some time so ill stick my nose in an have a look

I bought some velcro for my bus today, has anybody else bought/done anything to there cars to get them ready for the show/summer next year!

~Lee

I reported about the DLM dumping it's oil just before the cruise.

Thought I'd get things ready to remove the engine.
First thing remover the sump plug to drain any oil left.
I had a large kitchen wash bowl, no not that one an old one, removed the sump plug nearly flooded the wash bowl.
Oil?? was about the same as water, a mix of Mostly petrol with some oil.

Only thing we can surmise is that one of the floats has stuck open and allowed the petrol to drain through from the fuel tank to the engine.
Hope it's as simple as that.
Waiting for a fuel cut out switch, about £60, will wire it in as a security device as well, no fuel no run,

Mind you too damp and cold, even in a garage.

At least access to the engine, or any other parts is almost instantaneous.
Don't need half a day to just get a look at it

Ive not had much luck this festive period and have spent all my time with Saab engines in bits!

My intention was to fix the lack of indicators and jamming starter on my Singer chamois and DA sand the other stiletto for its imminent paint as well as sorting the choke on my other stiletto.

Instead whilst awaiting a new spring and its return to Thanet Motor center for its MOT my Saab 900 jubilee blew its head gasket while on loan to my mum. I removed the head sent it of to have a skim and got the new gaskets. I refitted it just before christmas only to find that too much has come of the head and valves have hit pistons!

I took the head off a spare engine but the valves are stuck and it needs an overhaul. My local engine place was not open to do this so the car remains in bits!

I decided that now is the time to fix my mothers saab which is off the road with a broken timing chain so I pulled the engine out and checked over a spare engine I sourced to replace it as the original engine was not worth fixing at 190,000 miles.

It was then I discovered the replacment engine is from a Saab 99 and, although the same basic engine, all mounts, manifolds, pipework and components are completly different. I have spent up until today swapping all components but need a couple of parts missing from the engine which I cannot rob from old one.

So I have had Christmas off work, I still have two dead Saabs to fix, No work has happened on my Imp's and I must work full time from here on....aaaaagghhhhhh!!!!

On the plus side I fitted a new shiny Sun Visor to my landie on boxing day, A pressie from my brother. I think I will be driving the landie to tomorrows meet again!

Hope you guys have had more luck?

Rich

[quote="Split-Lee"]What have you all been upto on your cars lately, keep this updated!

Fixing the b**stard fuel pump ... again!!!

Always understood that SU stood for Skinners Union. I now know it actually stands for s*dding useless

Soon be back in the garage now things are getting back together.

Waiting for the Fuel Isolator switch, to be wired in via Ignition with a hidden switch as well.
No fuel no drive away.

Got a couple of engines to collect from Bolton on Saturday.
Comes with a load of Ford Prefect parts, Bonnet, distributors, screens, lights and a lot more, just hope I can get it all in the van.
One engine I'm led to believe is reconditioned, £2000+ from small ford parts.
Job lot £150
Could make that back at an autojubly, or booty.

So the year started S....Y, but already improving.

I have removed the woodwork from around the doors and the dashboard on the rover.
The wood was in very poor condition and the joints on the window trim had started to open.

All have been sanded now and glue joints cleaned the ready for reassembly and varnishing.

I was surprised how well the wood has come up after sanding and think just a clear varnish will look good.

Can anyone recommend a type of varnish to use on the woodwork?



Tony

Some awesome stuff going on here! Richard isn't having much luck it seems, Roger seems to have had a right result and Tony well I think you should be spending your time clearing out your garage for that poor Austin not sanding wood down haha

~Lee

Well as for me, the mini has been sat doing nothing, i checked up on the chap who is fixing the gearbox and it hasnt been started yet, so no progress there.

As for the escort, hadn't really done anything to it over christmas using it every day but i had a look over it the other day and the amount of surface rust appearing was alarming, i have been over it today with a wire brush and hammerite to keep it at bay, fitted a seccond had weber carb with k&n filter and auto choke, and new ht leads, with any luck this will mean it will start now!

Tom :O

I was going to fit the arches I bought from Richards brother this morning, all the will in the world wouldn't make them fit so think I may have to get busy with the fibreglass on my existing. After returning arches I came away with a pair of angel eye headlamps instead. 15 mins to fit them and havn't stopped smiling all day. They look fantastic in daylight with their blue tint, and even better at night when all lit up. Absolutly chuffed to bits with them!!!!

HYM50W wrote:

Well as for me, the mini has been sat doing nothing, i checked up on the chap who is fixing the gearbox and it hasnt been started yet, so no progress there.

As for the escort, hadn't really done anything to it over christmas using it every day but i had a look over it the other day and the amount of surface rust appearing was alarming, i have been over it today with a wire brush and hammerite to keep it at bay, fitted a seccond had weber carb with k&n filter and auto choke, and new ht leads, with any luck this will mean it will start now!

Tom :O

Ah not good on the box not being started!
And hopefully your escort will start properly now! HAHA

OscarTheMini wrote:

I was going to fit the arches I bought from Richards brother this morning, all the will in the world wouldn't make them fit so think I may have to get busy with the fibreglass on my existing. After returning arches I came away with a pair of angel eye headlamps instead. 15 mins to fit them and havn't stopped smiling all day. They look fantastic in daylight with their blue tint, and even better at night when all lit up. Absolutly chuffed to bits with them!!!!

Ohh a shame you couldn't get them to fit, but at least you came away with something else cool! You should get your pics on here of them!

~Lee

OscarTheMini wrote:

I was going to fit the arches I bought from Richards brother this morning, all the will in the world wouldn't make them fit so think I may have to get busy with the fibreglass on my existing. After returning arches I came away with a pair of angel eye headlamps instead. 15 mins to fit them and havn't stopped smiling all day. They look fantastic in daylight with their blue tint, and even better at night when all lit up. Absolutly chuffed to bits with them!!!!

I really like the Angel eyes can you get a couple of pics up Alan

Tony, as I'm using my iPhone to go online at the moment I'm unable to upload them but have posted pics on both mine and oscars facebook page. If you're very nice to Lee he may steal a couple of of one of them.
They looked the nuts in daylight and I really couldn't wait for it to get dark yesterday to see their full effect! They look awesome.
A massive thank you to Richard number 6 and his brother