You know you don't really want to sell.
You want get back what you've put into it and nothing else will make you smile more for similar money.

Good to hear you're getting back into it!

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

Quote from: 1979scotte on March 28, 2019, 17:33
You know you don't really want to sell.
You want get back what you've put into it and nothing else will make you smile more for similar money.

Yeah man, you're 100% right. The more I drive it the more I love it. I only don't love it when it's sat on my street looking neglected.

Rear brakes tomorrow/this weekend (anyone got a guide for winding in the rear callipers, the only bit I haven't done before!), new front tyres and an alignment scheduled for April, and I've signed up to the Evo Bedford trackday in May. That's the track that killed the engine last time! Survive that, I can survive anything! 

Any meets happening soon?

Pics are promised, a bit rushed: EBC Yellowstuff pads, M-Tec C-groove anodised discs, painted and refurbished front calipers with new seals, greased sliders (didn't replace as they looked fine, I only did them last year anyway).

Wheel on:

Quote from: JoeCool on March 29, 2019, 23:36

Quote from: 1979scotte on March 28, 2019, 17:33
You know you don't really want to sell.
You want get back what you've put into it and nothing else will make you smile more for similar money.

Yeah man, you're 100% right. The more I drive it the more I love it. I only don't love it when it's sat on my street looking neglected.

Rear brakes tomorrow/this weekend (anyone got a guide for winding in the rear callipers, the only bit I haven't done before!), new front tyres and an alignment scheduled for April, and I've signed up to the Evo Bedford trackday in May. That's the track that killed the engine last time! Survive that, I can survive anything! 

Any meets happening soon?

The only thing I know you have to make sure of is that you line up the little bumps to be 90 degrees (vertical) with the pads so that they fit in..

In terms of meets I think it's time I set some more up!!

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• fit new brake discs all round, Step up to EBC yellow stuff pads, rebuild the front callipers
  
• remove the redundant air con rad and air con piping.
  
• straighten up the steering wheel
  
• fit new undamaged coilover adjustment collar, pull 5mm out of the front ride height....
  
• fit front headlight replacement bracket.
  
  So, all of the above is now done. DOn't know why I was worried about the rear brake pads, they were simplicity itself to do. Used a cheap halfords wind back cube on a ratchet. HAnd brake sorted itself out, or so it seems.
  
  Still to do, but in good time, in rough order of urgency.
  
  
• Fit new catalyst exhaust section - mine fell off yesterday - Doh!!
  
• my back left light has 2 bulbs out but I suspect it might be a bad ground or something, need to check it out.
  
• general fluid service, oil, filters and a full brake bleed.
  
• general condition check of suspension and torques.
  
• fitting 205/45 r16 yoko ad08-r's on the front.
  
• realignment at wheels in motion
  
• Fix rattly roof
  
• straighten up the steering wheel a bit more again - it's better but it's not 100%! I know the wheels are straight ahead cos the old wheel was fine and nothing has been adjusted since then!
  
  Hopefully tomorrow, mothers day permitting, I'll have enough time to have a poke around at the light and take it for a drive.

Well, I had an hour set aside to get this done today. Haha. It wasn't this painful last time!

Not particularly impressed with the BM Catalyst Ebay mid section:

1) There's an incomplete weld around the O2 sensor bung/flange/port. It's down stream of the Cat and on the down strem side of the O2 sensor, but as far as I can see it's unsealed.

2) The 3 holes in the flange at the manifold end aren't big enough to accept the standard bolts. I don't have drilling equipment  suitable to enlarge them. The fitting kit supplied doesn't replace those bolts.


3) Overall build quality/weld quality is as you'd expect of a £100 product... lots of spatter everywhere, and the incomplete weld.


Finally, I couldn't get the O2 sensor out of my old cat section. it's not really an issue as it's not used in my install, it just plugs the hole!!


So, I'm going to speak to the sellers and see what they can do, but to be honest I think i'll tkae it to a local engineering shop and get the holes enlarged, and the O2 sensor port fixed and welded shut.









On the plus side, I got to the bottom of the issue with the rear light (water ingress has taken out the bottom 2 bulbs) so I'm sorting that.

I'll probably also do an oil change whilst I'm in this deep.

I have a wheel alignment and the tyres booked in, but now pushed back to next week - so the car had better be back on the road by then!!

Heath Robinson would disown that piece of sh!t. 

Hope it's a cheap fix.

Sorted: Welded up and holes enlarged by my local tame engineering shop. Got the car back together tonight. A quick test drive has confirmed that it's much quieter with a functional exhaust!!



The Engineering shop - Spray Blast Engineering in high Wycombe, did the modifications/fixes in under an hour. Epic service as always with these guys. He cleaned up the spatter as well, couldn't stand to see it!

Installed:


List now looking like:

• Fit new catalyst exhaust section
  
• Repair bulbs in rear left light - Was water ingress that had taken out the bottom two bulbs. Taken out, disassembled, cleaned and dried, bulbs replaced and resealed and refitted.
  
  
  
• general fluid service, oil, filters and a full brake bleed.
  
• general condition check of suspension and torques.
  
• fitting 205/45 r16 yoko ad08-r's on the front.
  
• realignment at wheels in motion
  
• Fix rattly roof
  
• straighten up the steering wheel a bit more again - it's better but it's not 100%! I know the wheels are straight ahead cos the old wheel was fine and nothing has been adjusted since then!
  
  Getting there. I considered draining my oil today but the filter is stuck WELL on! I might use this oil for a last hurrah at Bedford (circuit of DOOOM!) and then change it pre Nurburgring.
  
  Still, I'm ahead of the game and have some time. I've also spent well over 100 hours lapping the 'ring on my sim now... Every time you think you know it, it throws you into a wall. Not sure how much of the learning I will be able to translate to commitment in the real world. It's a scary place and confidence breeds casualties....

Quick test drive out after the shakedown trip with Skyla Fett on board!

Much happier with the car now. Almost refined when pootling about. Brakes feeling good but need a bleed. Tyre pressures checks and adjusted (31 rear, 26 front for now, fronts about to get swapped out anyway).

Got an oil cooler coming, looks to be a right PITA to fit away in that vent hole, but I think it will be wise for track work anyway. I might pay a man to do it.

Hi, where did you get gauge from and what day in may you at bedford?

• straighten up the steering wheel
  
• general condition check of suspension and torques.
  
• fitting 205/45 r16 yoko ad08-r's on the front.
  
• realignment at wheels in motion
  
  Did all that today. First impressions of the tyres are very good, there's less weight in the steering and response seems slightly sharpened. Might need to pull another 5mm out of the front coil overs for looks but I'll check re rubbing first!
  
  All in all from my driving about today I'm as happy with the car as I've ever been.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Still to do: (the list never gets shorter)
  
• general fluid service, oil, filters
  
• full brake bleed.
  
• Optional when servicing: fit oil cooler
  
• Fix rattly roof
  
• screw sun visor back in properly!
  
• polish headlights.

My sun visor kept unscrewing itself too.
Loctite is your friend.

Hi, where did you get gauge from and what day in may you at bedford?

Quote from: KRAMSNEHPETS on April 16, 2019, 22:44
Hi, where did you get gauge from and what day in may you at bedford?

Which gauges? THe Stack Oil and Temp ones? Demontweeks via ebay If I remember correctly.

May Trackday - Pm'd you.

I enjoyed reading what you've done with the car. It does sound like an ideal alternative to a Lotus Elise, you can drive harder knowing that it won't cost the earth to replace.

If you come to sell again let me know (don't know if you'd have to post another classified ad).

Completed Friday Evenings Trackday at Bedford with ease. Did 50 miles on track, not a huge amount as I didn't want to wring it's neck, and also it started raining in the last hour, so my co-driver needed to get away for his motorbike ride home!!

Car performed flawlessly.

• general fluid service, oil, filters
  
  Did this before the trackday, with 5W40 Castrol Edge Fully Synthetic.
  
  
• full brake bleed - really needs doing, couldn't get time with a mate to do it before the trackday. Brakes worked well but lack feel with a slightly soft pedal.
  
• Optional when servicing: fit oil cooler - Really in two minds about this now, before the 'ring trip. It would be ideal, but I'm fast running out of time, and I don't want to run an un-proven mod on the toughest track [Clarkson]... in the world!...[/Clarkson]
  
• Fix rattly roof - Considering options here, Looks like the simple shortening of barrel adjsuters may not cure it. So I'm considering some Nylon or similar tubing around the clamp bar to take up the slack and dull the rattle?
  
• screw sun visor back in properly! - I look at this every time I get into the car and think 'I really must get around to that'.
  
• polish headlights. - Now optional prior to the 'ring.

I was very happy with the difference that putting some thin metal over my soft top roof clips has made. I covered them with some gaffa tape to help keep them in place and make them look a bit neater.

I also fitted Devs door bushes at the same time though so hard to tell the individual effect but much less wind noise from the edge of the roof so the metal is definitely doing something. Only takes minutes as long as you can find some suitable bits of metal.

So, tomorrows the big day: Off the the 'ring for my 2019 trip! Got the car well prepped, shaken down on track, all fluids checked, brakes and tyres sorted... she's ready, I'm ready... just drive home from work tonight and we leave tomorrow first thin....



Bo***cks.

Stupid car.

I'm hitching a ride there and hiring something when I arrive.

(clutch slave cylinder gone I think, won't go into gear, but no hope of a fix before I need to get there.)

Gutted for you. All that prep.   

Very sorry to hear this.

I suppose the only positive is it didnt happen while you were there, cant imagine what the recovery costs are on the Ring!

I could of sworn I replied to this...

Anyway - very sorry to hear this man!

Are you SURE it's clutch related.  Could be a loose retaining clip on a gearshift cable....  Worth checking?

Quote from: Carolyn on June 10, 2019, 10:17Are you SURE it's clutch related.  Could be a loose retaining clip on a gearshift cable....  Worth checking?

Hi Carolyn, I checked the linkages and they're all fine. It shifts normally with the engine off, but won't go into gear when running. Still has fluid in the clutch mater cylinder, and to be honest the clutch feels normal ish but just isn't doing anything.

My garage reckon master cylinder or slave cylinder. No way to get parts and I'm on the ferry in an hour!

Gutted I can't take my car but I'm not letting it spoil my lads week away.

Gutted for you mate.
Sometimes I wonder why we bother modified cars really are trouble.