Bargain-bucket MR2

[The Arch Bishop]

Finally some sweet time to fit the new steering joint today.

This was the state of the under-frunk with the Hydrated daubed at orange chassis bits;



The fitting went fairly well other than the rubber grommet retaining clip, which, I'm confident in saying, was designed by Beelzebub and his hideous little demons. After realising that there was no way I was getting that horrible assembly on, I resorted to the bodger's friend - a zip tie that did a far better job than the original metal monstrosity.

True story: I did genuinely apologise to my church-going neighbour for the ear-shattering and creative swearing used while trying to fit said clip... Won't be invited over there for cheese and nibbles anytime soon...

UJ on:



And greased up;



Frunk plastics refitted and it was all good for the test drive.

It's a bit of an improvement, but hasn't entirely sorted my handling woes. The good news is that there is absolutely no slack in the steering and a sneeze would likely send you to on a short, sharp trip to ditch land.

The bad news... remember how earlier in my thread I mentioned things to look out for: "Things I've worked on being almost, but not entirely right?" Well this is example one. The wheel is about 4 degrees off-centre...  Now I was careful to keep everything centred, but it seems that something shifted a spline during fitting, so it looks likely I'll have to have it back off to adjust.

I imagine the pro mechanics just hate reading hobbyist threads like these!

[Call the midlife!]

Finally some sweet time to fit the new steering joint today.

This was the state of the under-frunk with the Hydrated daubed at orange chassis bits;



The fitting went fairly well other than the rubber grommet retaining clip, which, I'm confident in saying, was designed by Beelzebub and his hideous little demons. After realising that there was no way I was getting that horrible assembly on, I resorted to the bodger's friend - a zip tie that did a far better job than the original metal monstrosity.

True story: I did genuinely apologise to my church-going neighbour for the ear-shattering and creative swearing used while trying to fit said clip... Won't be invited over there for cheese and nibbles anytime soon...

UJ on:



And greased up;



Frunk plastics refitted and it was all good for the test drive.

It's a bit of an improvement, but hasn't entirely sorted my handling woes. The good news is that there is absolutely no slack in the steering and a sneeze would likely send you to on a short, sharp trip to ditch land.

The bad news... remember how earlier in my thread I mentioned things to look out for: "Things I've worked on being almost, but not entirely right?" Well this is example one. The wheel is about 4 degrees off-centre...  Now I was careful to keep everything centred, but it seems that something shifted a spline during fitting, so it looks likely I'll have to have it back off to adjust.

I imagine the pro mechanics just hate reading hobbyist threads like these!

Re the off centre steering... it's an exclusive club, welcome to it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[delhusband]

ear-shattering and creative swearing used while trying to fit said clip...
...
The bad news...
...
The wheel is about 4 degrees off-centre

Re the off centre steering... it's an exclusive club, welcome to it!

I'm hoping you guys will be on standby when I come to do mine   s:) s:)

[delhusband]

Very interestingly, this has just appeared!!
Steering Wheel Not Straight

[The Arch Bishop]

ear-shattering and creative swearing used while trying to fit said clip...
...
The bad news...
...
The wheel is about 4 degrees off-centre

Re the off centre steering... it's an exclusive club, welcome to it!

I'm hoping you guys will be on standby when I come to do mine   s:) s:)

Yep, just say the word and I'll make your steering wonky as well!   s:) s:)

[ilovejapcrap]

Re the off centre steering... it's an exclusive club, welcome to it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

you not sorted that yet !

[Call the midlife!]

Re the off centre steering... it's an exclusive club, welcome to it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

you not sorted that yet !

No need, drives straight and true and it's a lot more comfortable position [emoji2]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Arch Bishop]

There's an hour free this weekend! Quick! Quick! To the garage before I'm asked to do something else!!

I was keen as mustard to fit the gear-shift bushes fitted to try and sort the slop out. It's a bit fiddly and access is tight, but it's luckily not a difficult job to do. Old bushes came out easily by putting a Philips screwdriver through the centre hole and twisting. New ones fitted beautifully too with no fighting.



Change (at stand-still - haven't driven it yet) seems lot more mechanical and less mushy.

With that done, I used the rest of my time to dig out some grime. The third brake light had a ring of algae around it, so removal was the best way to scrub it off;



And a bit of wiping off;



I haven't refitted yet as the light lens itself has a bit of moisture in it, so I'll see if that can be dried out before giving the outside a buff with compound to make it shiny.

Baby steps...

Ooops - hour's up....

[Call the midlife!]

There's an hour free this weekend! Quick! Quick! To the garage before I'm asked to do something else!!

I was keen as mustard to fit the gear-shift bushes fitted to try and sort the slop out. It's a bit fiddly and access is tight, but it's luckily not a difficult job to do. Old bushes came out easily by putting a Philips screwdriver through the centre hole and twisting. New ones fitted beautifully too with no fighting.



Change (at stand-still - haven't driven it yet) seems lot more mechanical and less mushy.

With that done, I used the rest of my time to dig out some grime. The third brake light had a ring of algae around it, so removal was the best way to scrub it off;



And a bit of wiping off;



I haven't refitted yet as the light lens itself has a bit of moisture in it, so I'll see if that can be dried out before giving the outside a buff with compound to make it shiny.

Baby steps...

Ooops - hour's up....

Good effort all round! A word of caution on the refitting of the brake light, don't over tighten the screws as the plastic brackets tend to go brittle from the heat and snap in an instant.
I'm assuming that's why both of mine were broken when I stripped it down at least [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Arch Bishop]

Good effort all round! A word of caution on the refitting of the brake light, don't over tighten the screws as the plastic brackets tend to go brittle from the heat and snap in an instant.
I'm assuming that's why both of mine were broken when I stripped it down at least [emoji23]

Good advice - I'll be very sure to heed it!   s8) s8)

[The Arch Bishop]

It's been a while...

The light...it BURNS!!! ;


With the festive season illnesses out of the way, today I decided was my day. All mine to do some tinkering and scraping and hammering and creative swearing. First job was to jack up the rear of the car so I could get to those pesky last few inches of rot on the jacking points, so up it went and I found some likely looking strong points on the rear cross-member to put some padded axle stands on. All secured, I set about the nearside sill with a wire brush and a screwdriver.

Not too bad;



It was soon de-scaled and ready for some Hydrate 80 to stabilise the grunge;



Time for the offside which was handily located right up against the wall of my tiny garage. This one seemed ok, but when I started chipping away, quite a lot of underseal had parted and allowed rust to form. Also, the pressed section on the outside of the sill had lifted the paint quite badly;

[/url]
The good news was that it was all still very solid, so I chipped back as far as the rust went and again applied a liberal amount of Hydrate. Someone's been here before me and treated this area, but it could do with stripping back properly. This is something I'll do during the hotter part of the year when it can be outside rather than squidged up in the garage! I'll treat and paint for the time being.

While I had the stuff out, I thought I'd do the discs where they fit to the wheel;

Hydrate;


And cured;


Will also paint up the other rear caliper to match the one that I replaced for the MOT.

In other news, I have a nice stainless manifold on the way from Hamish, so why not spend some time struggling with lots of utterly rounded off bolts? It's a fun hobby after all! No? Only me? Ok....

First thing for that was to remove the lambda sensors. Right-hand one came off without much of a fight, and the left one wanted its pound of flesh, ensuring that the flesh was mine and was removed from my knuckles and wrist. Regardless, off it eventually came after aforesaid creative swearing.

However, that was a darling compared with the manifold heatshield bolt that started of rounded and even defeated my Irwin bolt removers by being soap-like in its grab-ability. Dremel and drills have got me this far (basically nowhere);



You win this round skanky bolt, but I will be back with other instruments of destruction. Oddly the others came off as nice as you like other than the other top one that did give way to the Irwins and promptly sheared off  .  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

So I'm this far;



It will come off....

Good to be working on the old girl again! She's crusty, but she's mine...

Less crusty is the yellow vision that my old man has been busy with (he's clearly a lot hardier than me, out in the cold weather)...

The amount of work he's put in to this is impressive with everything it needed attended to and even a brand new set of headlamps. It does look stunning.

Also surprising is that he's colour-coded the calipers to the body for full yellow effect. So very yellow...













I also had another drive and the new tyres as well as the gearbox oil change, stainless manifold (yes him too), full service and...and...and.... has transformed this already sweet car into one that basically feels brand new. I am very envious.

It has been offered to me (he's done with it and wants another project) but I can't make up my mind as there's nothing to do on it. Nothing that I can improve on it (other than modification which I'm not really into). It is very nice though. Decisions decisions...

More updates when I brave the chilly garage!

[The Arch Bishop]

Shiny thing in a box arrived today courtesy of Hamish from GarageFiftyNine. Nothing quite like new shiny things...







Came nicely packaged and looks great! Just need to get that sodding heat-shield off now... To the Dremel!

[Chilli Girl]

Dibs on the car!  I would love it, Foxy could do with company!  And it would be nice for it to stay within the forum.  Keep the custard numbers up!

[The Arch Bishop]

Dibs on the car!  I would love it, Foxy could do with company!  And it would be nice for it to stay within the forum.  Keep the custard numbers up!

Which one? The yellow or the silver? I think if he sells the yellow one, he's going to want a fair old whack for it!

If the silver, best wait until I've spent a shed-load of money on it and then put it up for sale for £2.50 - like my previous projects! Someone always gets a bargain and then the prices shoot up - proof being the slightly doggy but working Pug 205 GTi that I off-loaded for £250 just before the prices for them went silly.... Sob...

[Chilli Girl]

Well if he does want to sell the yellow, please bear me in mind!  It'll probably be too expensive for me as he's put a lot of hard work into it, I know. All the best for your silver, it'll be all worth it in the end, just remember not to sell it!  s:D s:D

[The Arch Bishop]

Well if he does want to sell the yellow, please bear me in mind!  It'll probably be too expensive for me as he's put a lot of hard work into it, I know. All the best for your silver, it'll be all worth it in the end, just remember not to sell it!  s:D s:D

My real hope is that he'll drive it in the Spring and then won't bear to part with it!   s:D s:D   But he tends to prefer 1940s-50s cars.

This is his Vauxhall;



Lovely thing!

[Chilli Girl]

That's nice too.  I like to see the old cars all refurbished and put back to new, he's very talented.

[The Arch Bishop]

YAY!!



Arse.



Rest of the manifold to block nuts undid with a bit of grunt, but the awkward to reach centre one rounded instead. I'm not sure what I can actually fit in there to get it off either. If there was more room, I'd just stick a stud extractor on there, but that ain't happening!

As ever, any advice would be greatly received!

[Call the midlife!]

Cut the stud flush with the top of the nut then put a notch in it and use a thick bladed screwdriver with a shedload of pressure.
It's how I did mine [emoji38]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[delhusband]

That looks like same amount of fun as my chain tensioner nut   s:( s:(

[The Arch Bishop]

Cut the stud flush with the top of the nut then put a notch in it and use a thick bladed screwdriver with a shedload of pressure.
It's how I did mine [emoji38]

Not sure how you'd get enough pressure behind that. Well, I'm not sure I would get that much pressure behind it! can't even get an impact driver on it due to lack of space.

Thinking nut splinter, but the rebate on the flange (fnar) makes me think that won't fit flush.

That looks like same amount of fun as my chain tensioner nut   s:( s:(

There's always that one nut isn't there? "Oh this shouldn't be too difficult" you think, but no. There's always that one nut that decides it's found its forever home and just refuses to budge.   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[CrazySX]

Can't you get a torx (female) socket on the end of the stud and drag the whole thing out with the nut still on It??

Plenty of penetrating fluid over a few days before you go at it.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[The Arch Bishop]

Can't you get a yorx (female) socket on the end of the stud and drag the whole thing out with the but still on It??

Plenty of penetrating fluid over a few days before you go at it.

Not sure - the end isn't torx shaped?

Or is it? Hadn't noticed - rookie error! Well that's a bonus if it is!

[Call the midlife!]

I'm trying to picture which nut it is but I had the bumper and heat shield off and just managed to wedge the screwdriver in behind the brace which gave enough pressure. Only need to crack it. But there is the last remnant of the torx head showing on the pic, good luck with that [emoji23].


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Arch Bishop]

I'm trying to picture which nut it is but I had the bumper and heat shield off and just managed to wedge the screwdriver in behind the brace which gave enough pressure. Only need to crack it. But there is the last remnant of the torx head showing on the pic, good luck with that [emoji23].

Yup, you were right, the Torx was not happening! Couldn't be a worse one for access though - no direct route through the tubing to get anything on it and awkward for grinding.