NickP
Member
- Messages
- 1,623
So some of you may have noticed I've suddenly come back to life on this forum, having not heard from me in a while, and you'll have noticed I've got a few issues going on.... A bit of background.
So my car has been off the road for over a year while I replaced the rad, new water pump and sorted out various issues at that end of the car. Anyway all sorted and took it in for the MOT thinking I know it needs some tyres, and I know it needs that air bag light fixed, anyway, I got a page list of failures, which is odd considering I hadn't used it since it was last MOTd....
Anyway, the dreaded cracked control arm(s) has now happened to me, given the car is 20+ years old, fine, but rears went at the same time in the same year, without being driven.... Garage think that water/ice and contraction/expansion over a winter may have done this, anyway see pics and make up your own mind.
Alongside, control arms, the ball joint boots are gone on both arms, which is ok given I now need new arms.
Then I also got told my brake lines are corroded, ok great, I'll make these myself, never done it before, but isn't hard (watch this space).
Two new tyres at the front, fine, it's been sitting motionless for a year, the fronts split but the rears are fine, whatever.
Wipers - no problem.
Rear brake shoes - somethings up the retaining pin is poking out the inspection hole - fine whatever.
Brake light doesn't work - hmmm new switch £15 sorted.
Rear ARB bushes need replacing - sh1t now I have to properly drop the sub frame not just a few inches but totally - new parts bought.
I could have got the garage to sort all of this out but they wouldn't do the extra things I'm going to do, and its not economically viable in my opinion, the cars not worth what the repairs will cost. So its DIY time.
Anyway, I've now dropped the rear subframe, fixed the brake light, fixed new brake shoes and repaired the brake retaining pin as part no longer available.... This was the state of things when I dropped it
While disconnecting everything I've broken a bolt that holds the ABS sensor in a hub, broken a brake hose where it goes in a calliper, broken the exhaust joins where the tails meet the mid section, and I'm looking to replace the handbrake cable assembly. One of the control arms was seized in one bush which I had fun cutting out with my grinder and saw as seen in pics above.... I'm also going to try and restore the rear sub frame, remove rust, treat with PO15 and paint the whole lot again. I'm not taking the transmission out while I'm doing it, but this will do for my needs and will last.
So far I've bought 2 x control arms from a Swedish scrap dealer for less than £200 off a car that got front ended after doing 15k miles, they look fine condition, I'm happy and the price is unobtainium to most, ppl charging £750 each for refurbed one of these need to take a look at themselves! I had to ship via my brother in law in Denmark and buy him some Scotch..... even so a bargain.
I've got two new drop links coming from Poland as I think these need changing now anyway.
I've sent the ARB and coil springs & sub-frame mounts away for blasting and powder coating as they needed it and would look odd once everything else is sorted. I'm going to get my dampers and shocks refurbed while they are off the car.
Some things I learnt along the way so far....
1. Take the fuel tank out if you want to get to the drivers shock without either killing yourself or your partner in frustration as its such a bad thing to get too. Put an old towel over the boot gate and ideally drain the fuel first to make this a one man job. Its an hours work, there is no way you'll get that shock off in that time without a) punching someone, b) rounding off a nut, c) putting a dent in the wheel arch or something.
2. You can simply unhook the brake rigid / hard connectors when dropping the sub frame, its easier than trying to get them undone for the first time in 21 years.
I'll post updates here to share the pain and hopefully the success...
So my car has been off the road for over a year while I replaced the rad, new water pump and sorted out various issues at that end of the car. Anyway all sorted and took it in for the MOT thinking I know it needs some tyres, and I know it needs that air bag light fixed, anyway, I got a page list of failures, which is odd considering I hadn't used it since it was last MOTd....
Anyway, the dreaded cracked control arm(s) has now happened to me, given the car is 20+ years old, fine, but rears went at the same time in the same year, without being driven.... Garage think that water/ice and contraction/expansion over a winter may have done this, anyway see pics and make up your own mind.
Alongside, control arms, the ball joint boots are gone on both arms, which is ok given I now need new arms.
Then I also got told my brake lines are corroded, ok great, I'll make these myself, never done it before, but isn't hard (watch this space).
Two new tyres at the front, fine, it's been sitting motionless for a year, the fronts split but the rears are fine, whatever.
Wipers - no problem.
Rear brake shoes - somethings up the retaining pin is poking out the inspection hole - fine whatever.
Brake light doesn't work - hmmm new switch £15 sorted.
Rear ARB bushes need replacing - sh1t now I have to properly drop the sub frame not just a few inches but totally - new parts bought.
I could have got the garage to sort all of this out but they wouldn't do the extra things I'm going to do, and its not economically viable in my opinion, the cars not worth what the repairs will cost. So its DIY time.
Anyway, I've now dropped the rear subframe, fixed the brake light, fixed new brake shoes and repaired the brake retaining pin as part no longer available.... This was the state of things when I dropped it
While disconnecting everything I've broken a bolt that holds the ABS sensor in a hub, broken a brake hose where it goes in a calliper, broken the exhaust joins where the tails meet the mid section, and I'm looking to replace the handbrake cable assembly. One of the control arms was seized in one bush which I had fun cutting out with my grinder and saw as seen in pics above.... I'm also going to try and restore the rear sub frame, remove rust, treat with PO15 and paint the whole lot again. I'm not taking the transmission out while I'm doing it, but this will do for my needs and will last.
So far I've bought 2 x control arms from a Swedish scrap dealer for less than £200 off a car that got front ended after doing 15k miles, they look fine condition, I'm happy and the price is unobtainium to most, ppl charging £750 each for refurbed one of these need to take a look at themselves! I had to ship via my brother in law in Denmark and buy him some Scotch..... even so a bargain.
I've got two new drop links coming from Poland as I think these need changing now anyway.
I've sent the ARB and coil springs & sub-frame mounts away for blasting and powder coating as they needed it and would look odd once everything else is sorted. I'm going to get my dampers and shocks refurbed while they are off the car.
Some things I learnt along the way so far....
1. Take the fuel tank out if you want to get to the drivers shock without either killing yourself or your partner in frustration as its such a bad thing to get too. Put an old towel over the boot gate and ideally drain the fuel first to make this a one man job. Its an hours work, there is no way you'll get that shock off in that time without a) punching someone, b) rounding off a nut, c) putting a dent in the wheel arch or something.
2. You can simply unhook the brake rigid / hard connectors when dropping the sub frame, its easier than trying to get them undone for the first time in 21 years.
I'll post updates here to share the pain and hopefully the success...
