Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rootes75]

It was nice to take the Hillman out for a nice run on a sunny day and get together with everyone for a good chat.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Rootes75]

Another good couple hours down the yard. It's lovely to be working on the Commer engine, nice to once again be getting our hands dirty as they say.

Managed to remove all the con rod cap nuts today. The caps though will not budge so we've left them all soaking for a few days now.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[MikeEdwards]

After a few days of avoiding the workshop first because of the state of the roads, and then because it's just cold, I've been and done a bit of weld grinding. I'm also trying to clean the paint off a pair of plastic sill trims - someone had painted them gold, but hadn't used any kind of plastic primer, so most of it is coming off easily. It's not a priority job, but I can do it on the bench with the heater going. I've lost track a bit of what I need to do next, so this is just to be doing something, anything, that is one less thing left on the list.

I'd like to wash the daily Audi, but I'll leave the yard like a skating rink so I'm leaving it for now. Also it's already damp inside, so I don't want to spray a load more water at it.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[Rootes75]

Another frustrating morning trying to free off the con rod ends caps, all locking nuts are off but the caps are not budging.

We managed to free one off but that's it. Will look to apply some heat next weekend to try to break them free from the con rods.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[MikeEdwards]

I was finally able to wash the daily Audi off at the weekend, of course it got dirty again on the way home but at least I've cleaned some of the previous few weeks of dirt and salt off it.

I've also added a second charge wire to the Sports Hatch, which has been displaying some seemingly-random battery voltage drops. It'll drop as far as 11.5v then come back up again, but I'm always concerned about what if it doesn't? The only wiring difference between that and the Firenza is that the latter has two charge wires from the alternator, so let's see if that makes any difference. It may allow more current out, but also it adds a by-pass wire so if there's something like an internal break or a dodgy connection that I can't see, the other wire will take over. When it gets dry I'll take it out for a road test and see what happens, though the nature of random faults is that it's difficult to be sure they've been fixed.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[MikeEdwards]

Moved the cars around so I can get the Audi into the front of the shed tomorrow to replace a sensor, and discovered that the additional charge wire hasn't fixed the intermittent problem in the Sports Hatch.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[MikeEdwards]

Didn't need the front of the shed - the daily Audi went from starting intermittently to not starting at all while parked at home, so I've spent the day trying to change the sensor on the drive. It's a real pain of a job because of poor access, but I've got the old one out and the new one in, just trying to bolt it all back together but stopped when it started going dark.

On the plus side, it was nearly five o'clock, so there's that.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[Vintage Fly Guy]

Yes, the days are starting to draw out noticeably now, but still quite a way to go until spring. I just wish we could have sunny and cold rather than damp and gloomy, which the weather seems to be stuck on at the moment! I might be able to find the enthusiasm to wash the everyday car then, rather than feeling half asleep all the time due to the gloom!

[bjacko]

You can have some of our heat. Today it is forecast 45 deg C here in Melbourne and 49 300 miles north or my grandson can give you some cold as he has temperature of Minus 25 but warmer tomorrow at minus 16 ! He is at college in Escanaba Michigan USA
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1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP

[MikeEdwards]

Got the daily back together yesterday morning and it seems OK, I need to drive it about a bit to be properly confident in it as it appeared completely dead when I tried to start it, only to come back to life having reset all the things that get reset when the battery is disconnected. Maybe it was a bit low from trying to start it a few times and not leaving it running long enough once I'd done the job.

The charging problem didn't appear again while I was using the Sports Hatch to ferry parts and tools home and back to the shed, which indicates more how random the problem is than anything else.
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1976 Vauxhall HP Firenza, 1976 Vauxhall Sportshatch (x2), 1986 Audi coupe quattro, 2000 Audi TT

[Rootes75]

Well, after many weeks trying to remove the seized con rod end caps from our Commer engine, I designed and machined a small puller that is small enough to get into the seized crank shaft and by tightening pull the end caps out evenly.

It worked, and within half an hour we had all 6 end caps off where heat and tapping didn't budge them.

We managed to get two pistons out, one other free but with the crank shaft seized the con rod can only move so far. The three other pistons are well seized.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[consul 57]

hi rootes
did you know your large hill man was in a practical classics 'classic spot section' last year?
did you want the mag?

[Rootes75]

[consul 57]

[consul 57]

after 8.5 years and not new when i got the car i had to treat the consul to a new battery.
mind you it does turn over much faster now as well.
the winter will always test a car battery i suppose, ready for the sun when it does appear!