I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

[BenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

This why I avoid my local vxl dealer like the plague, I'd have to say it's very widespread across many makes main dealers tbh.

My local independant parts place is very good, If I have a problem with a part a new one is dropped off to my door asap. It's not to much to ask for is it, for just a little customer service???

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Update to Battery warranty ..... Phoned VX early in the week to ask why no update from them since leaving the battery with them back in mid Feb??

Service was engaged so would call me back, 2 hrs later called back short discussion ... "sorry Warranty girl not at the desk right now, I'll get her to call you back in a while" ............ So that was Monday and no callback since so called again today got the same bloke "Ah yes she is here now ..... {background chatter} ... Err hello? yes its been approved, just waiting for the refund to be approved and issued and we will arrange a cheque to be sent to you"


So I guess we are on target for 6 weeks as they said before I would see a refund if it was found to be faulty...... Be interesting if they try to reduce the refund by the length of time it was good for (bought mid August 2011, covered 1k miles and standing for no more that 10 days without being started).

....... to be continued ...

Laurie.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

I'm riding with a high clutch pedal since the car has been back in service, I have a new cable as its a bit less than smooth operation and prevents quick shifting. From memory a high pedal indicates the pressure plate is expanding more than usual and so could be needing a clutch pack in the near future, no slip or anything at the moment just the high pedal and a tacky feel to the cable operation.

I'm so tempted to try it on a track sometime "just for a safe and gentle play mind" (but would hate to think of breaking anything so still in two minds if to or not) but I would replace front disks and pads and fit a new clutch pack before if I did .....

On that subject what's the risk of oil starvation due to hard cornering on a track day (anyone know?) do we have baffles in the alloy sump to resist dry starvation due to hard breaking or cornering?


Laurie.

[BenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Erm the risk is high, but depends a lot on track layout and your speed. Cadwell killed my big ends

There is no baffle plate in them, just the windage tray that scrapes oil off the crank. In addition to my oil pressure gauge I will be fitting a higher pressure oil light switch @25psi and a very bright big led! As that will flick on quicker and let me know. But I have added baffles to my sump so I should be ok.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Long time no post .... Well that's down to good old father time who has been playing tricks with my back and since Good Friday ....... only now getting it back under some sort of control ....... So cutting a long story short I had to use the Astra to go to the breakers on Friday to pick up a part for the Jeep "that let me down to the point of needing a AA recovery home {barsted!}", So took the cover off and moved her out and could smell petrol, checked under the back and could see a drip on the pressure diaphragm unit, so anyway used it for the short journey to the breakers and back. Ordered a new diaphragm unit Friday night and just waiting for it to be delivered.

Anyway the petrol smell became stronger over the weekend so today I had a quick look under the back and could see it dripping from the tank to Pump pipe (that 11mm ID one with the 90% bend by the tank), so I pulled the MGB off the ramp and popped the GTE on and had a closer look .........

When running the diaphragm regulator was weeping and it looks to be almost rusted through .......


DSCN0196 by easytrans, on Flickr

Also its clear that the tank to pump pipe is leaking .....


DSCN0203 by easytrans, on Flickr
Once removed you can see why! .......


DSCN0205 by easytrans, on Flickr

So ordered a new genuine pipe 90136596 from Autovaux and hope it will (along with the diaphragm from vauxhal-car-parts) be here by the weekend ....

Meanwhile we will remain double stacked (I hope) .........


DSCN0204 by easytrans, on Flickr

I just wonder if the boot was on the other foot would I be trusting this ????? (it does have a big fence post under one corner to trip the ramp safety lock should it start to sink).


EDIT: cant get Flicker images to show so using URL's for now

Laurie

[BenH]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

That thing is just a damper to smooth out the flow and make the injectors quieter, it can be removed compleatly with no problems caused.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Yes thanks Ben I had seen that a few times but I always say if they put one on there must have been a good reason for doing so .... but if cost was an issue maybe I'd bypass it indeed !!

And so far I've kept as much as possible as standard with (where practical) anything removed being replaced

Laurie.

[dongaz]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

That's a great workshop you have there Laurie,wish I had a place like that I have a tiny garage which is hard work trying to work on the astra inside. But it is better than nothing I suppose. Same for the ramp, my ramp is one trolley jack and four axle stands and with the work iv done on the car its been a real struggle, I would of loved a ramp like that. Would have made it all a hell of a lot easier.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Thanks dongaz, as I've said before ...... "with my tired old bones I'd never have managed (let alone take on) the restore of GTE and more recently the MGB". I admire all of you that work from the ground it's a young persons game crawling around under cars.

I've had a special relationship with that Bradbury ramp since 1968 when it was in the garage business that my dad bought back then and I lost sight of it for a few years when we sold the business but chance had it that the people wanted it out of the way somewhere in the late 90's so I took it off their hands planning to put it up outside but it sat in the grass for 4 years and then I realised I could just squeeze it into the barn/shed so that's where it has stayed and sitting on top was the GTE from around 2002 - 09/2011 (so the car thinks its her "safe place" whenever she gets back up there ... {excuse the Horse-wispering terminology creping in here } )

Anyway I think all domestic garages should have a ramp or a Pit.... the domestic garage Pit is also a thing of the past you used to see them all the time back in the 70's ... I guess that the gradual decline of repairable parts and the common wealth of Joe Bloggs made such items redundant?

Anyway I can't do without my ramps one for cars one for the bikes (and even the Chinese tractor will probably visit the ramp next week when I change the fluids) anda:

Laurie.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Right, the new tank to pump pipe arrived yesterday morning (ordered via genuine parts search {Autovaux}) great service confirmed the order on Monday and delivered direct from the dealer Thursday. As for the damper, I had to call vauxhall-car-parts as I had ordered a week ago and had 2 mails regarding the order being processed but nothing to say it was dispatched, apparently they were out of stock! however they just had one turn up on Thursday morning and would post it out there and then ... I just wonder if I would have waited longer if I had not called ??? I give then their dues it did arrive this morning Friday as they said but still not 100% sure of them (second time I've ordered what was a stock item from the website but they have not actually been in stock) but maybe I'm just unlucky.......

So fitted the pipe and the damper tonight and I'm sure apart from the usual purr of the pump it sounds much quieter under there now I'm sure the old damper was chattering......

As for the question someone asked re: "The damper", 1) there's no literature comes with it 2) it looks to be pre-set as its security marked on the locknut with white paint. No indication of a direction but basically I followed the square shape pressing in the bottom of the unit matching it with the direction the old one was removed., you can blow either way freely when not fitted but I guess it works as a damper once under pressure.



DSCN0211 by easytrans, on Flickr

So I just need to decant back the 20 ltr, of fuel that drained when removing the pipe from the tank (looks like just under 1/4 remains) and does not syphon when that pipe is removed.

Laurie.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Got a reminder call from the local garage to remind me G567 was due for MOT test in a weeks time

So booked in for Thursday .....

{ my dear late dad used to get so wound up when someone said they were going for a "MOT" (without the Test part) because as he rightly said MOT stands for "Ministry Of Transport" and unless she was 23 years old, blond and blue eyed then why would someone ever go for a Ministry Of Transport ?? }

Obviously I'm not so anal about the correct use of words "am I" ? lol

Well actually there is one thing I had literately beaten into me at school and it seems to have stuck so much that I have to correct anyone that says it ...... and this is;
"All of a sudden" ...
I was told there was no such phrase as "all of a sudden" it was "suddenly" and therefore all my work was marked down because of it ... Amazing as I never learned anything else at school ... and you hear that phrase everywhere these days ... maybe they just had it in for me back then!

Anyway I digress ......

So back to the test ..... as I was given just one advisory on last years ticket, I thought it was time (12 months later) that I fitted those new front flexi break hoses I bought the day after the test ...

So "all of a sudden" Opps! I mean "suddenly" I had the car on the ramp and the pipes were fitted, best tool used was the Air chisel to rattle the old union housing as I leaned on the 10mm break pipe nut spanner and it undid without too much effort or rounding of the nuts.

So swapped the pipe over and allowed fluid to run through as I fitted the pipe back to teh caliper and then finally bled through with the Easy Bleed can on the nipple one by one and job done.

Finished up with a squirt of underseal from a rattle can on the union/pipe so that should last another 10 years.

The old hoses were not too bad but did have signs of cracking and the plastic "pad sensor wire" clips had made their mark over the years .....


oldbreakpipe by easytrans, on Flickr


Laurie.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Well MOT Test day came and went and a PASS with just 2 advisories (well as the cable is one piece then its only one advisory really) but anyway..


001 Nearside Brake cable has wires broken but is not significantly weakened [3.5.1b]
002 Offside Brake cable has wires broken but is not significantly weakened [3.5.1b]

Ah well "hands up" I'll take that for a car that had been standing for 10+ yrs till last Aug


Oh an you remember the failed GM Battery scenario? well it was only last week and 7 calls to the local VX dealer (including 6 broken promises to call me back) I managed to get a cheque from them for £54 under warranty ...

Ok so what's been happening lately? Well tied to order a handbrake cable from vauxhall-car-parts and yet again despite them showing parts in stock then they mailed me to say they were out of stock of one of the parts I ordered ...... So this is the third time so I think they will now drop down on my list of part suppliers in future.

.... Just uploading today's pictures ...

Laurie

[tiff_lee]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

You getting a mk2 cable or just going for a mk3?

Good news on the pass.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

Ok so time to bite the built and crack on with fitting these bump strips .....

Got some alloy strips to use as guides (as theses probably only one shot at fitting these) from B&Q last week in prep and also a bottle of surgical spirit to clean the surface. I have not (wax) washed or polished the car since respray as I didn't want any wax on the car until I had fitted the bump strips, anyway first off thanks to John for finding me the two door strips as fitting these new has made a much better job than if I'd tried to refit the old ones back.

So I think I'll let the pictures do the talking .......


First off get into the barn and away from the rain then her-in-doors helped me remove the first door .......


An expensive pile of rubber (lucky I had 4 items already bought 10 years ago) and a cheap bottle of surgical spirit from any pharmacy ......


added a bit of masking tape to the alloy strips to prevent any scratching and clamped them so the strip was correctly positioned when dropped in between and left it with the flood lights warming everything up (probably an overkill and it can still go wrong believe me even with that locating grove and rubber lip! .....


Parallel or what ?


just then the heavens opened and my gutters overflowed, I must fix that door !!


nearly straight ......


Removed that stupid Spirawrap and added some self amalgamating tape but forgot to take a snap after ;*)



Once door was back on I added the front wing bump strip ....


Then finally the rear 1/4 strip, I'm really pleased I did all the work on the arches to get the correct base shape for the rubber to sit on and now (from above) I have the correct (almost original) curvature I was looking for instead of a flat strip like some I have seen ......


Same process for N/S door and much easier this time ......


in progress ....


I also fitted the front Griffin as that had been kicking around ......


The gaps under the lights are usually filled with a rubber mounted on the bumper well I had ordered some seals and fitted a length on each side but not that you would really notice from the next picture but the next size seal was just too fat ...


With seal under headlight and indicator ....


Also fitted the bonnet stop rubbers (thanks again John) ....


I think its looks great now the strips are back on .....


Bugger got down here to take a photo and not sure I can get back up again .........


Anyway, did a couple of other odds-n-ends but the list has now got'n a lot smaller ....... thought still quite a few small items remaining.

Oh and last week I found why my alarm is silent even though the Immobiliser works, the hazards flash and the door locks .... I think we had a bit of a fry-up in there .....


This unit was fitted by a friend of the previous owner and it was what they fitted to Volvo's in the 90's, unable to find a direct plug-in replacement so its something else to save up for.



Laurie.

[easytrans]

Re: I suppose its only fair I share my 16v GTE part restoration with you all

You getting a mk2 cable or just going for a mk3?

Good news on the pass.

Trying for a MK2 one though I'm not sure the one they think it is is correct so bought another one which is probably also not correct but won't know till I see and try to match them up ....


So does the MK3 cable fit the MK2 16v GTE ?


Laurie.