First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Body parts, seats, dash, headlining, windows and stuff!

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MetBlue
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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by MetBlue »

The wiper module is stuck down with double sided tape. The tape pad is even in the parts manual and has it's own number !
That jobs on hold for now though.

I took on the fight of removing the black dash Binnacle and that impossible nut :!: :!: :!:
Fortunately for me, the pipe was still attached, and was capable of taking quite a large finger generated torque ---- before it split and fell off. :roll
With a mirror though, I could see it was not tight against the fibre glass, and tapping it, it just felt loose (hollow sound).
Image
I marked it with a pen and sure enough, I could move it, but must have taken half an hour to wind out 1 turn. In hind sight, I could have put some thin vinyl gloves on to see it that gave a bit more friction, but didn't think about it at the time.
Anyway, what I could see through the mirror was the nut was only about 8 mm outside diameter and the hole was clearly not must smaller, so all other fasteners removed, then used the stud thread of the "b****rd nut" as a rough file to ease the hole diameter out. Very quickly we had victory.
Then took up Pete's suggestion and made a threaded tube with a button cap head screw pinned in one end.
Image
Quietly confident that I can now use a standard washer and a ball driver for a quick and easy re-assembly - When the time eventually comes.
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Pete Boole »

I'm surprised you remembered that Tony!! It does work though. Still not an easy assembly. I also drilled out the first few threads the improve alignment on the stud.

Pete

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Tanz »

I took the cowards way out - didn't bother to put the screw back in :D :roll: Still fits absolutely fine - can't tell the difference.
Cheers, Phil
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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Hawaiis0 »

Tanz wrote:
Tue Dec 14, 2021 21:39
I took the cowards way out - didn't bother to put the screw back in :D :roll: Still fits absolutely fine - can't tell the difference.
We noticed Phil

:roll: :lol: :lol:
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

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Excel SA
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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Excel SA »

I need to remember all these tricks for when I get to put mine all back together.....seem to think a few nuts were missing on the dash. The plastic screw cover was definitely missing on the center bolt, and the leather strip across the front under the windscreen was terminal - had dried and shrunk itself to destruction.

Neil.

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by MetBlue »

Typical. - - -
Being convinced the black button in front centre of dash was something important and having tried gently with a screw driver to remove, I put up a post about what it was, and simultaneously proceeded to mask off the dash to repaint in the car. - Took over 2 hours, just to prepare 😞.
First coat of colour on, then read answers from the forum that it will prise off revealing one of only 7 screw holding the dash in. - So yesterday, out came main dash panel. Took just an hour! Half the time it took to mask things off!
At least now I can effect some kind of more professional looking solution to the the split leather seam adjacent to the black button. - another of those Friday afternoon half thought out design details. The stress the screw fixing puts on the leather seam is extreme, to say the least. End result is inevitable, just a matter of time.
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

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MetBlue
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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by MetBlue »

I'm in deep now - back to the problem wiper system ( relay chatter on return sweep).
Motor taken out this morning, stripped down to replace the brush plate - and the brushes are virtually new. The taper on each brush is still evident, with around 60% of the taper still evident. So that's not my problem.
Getting the wiper motor and cable / Wheel box off in one unit was fighting me, even with the full dash still out, so I'd disconnected the cable rack from the motor, leaving this part still in the car ( although wheel box out of it's location). With the motor rebuilt, back to the car to pull out the rack cable and wheel box.

What a mess !!
Image.

And once stripped / cleaned, things were not a lot better
Image

I knew the spindle area was one of my biggest leek paths last year for water ingress, but it is now clear this has been a long standing issue.
Needless to say, the spindle was EXTREMELY tight and when turned past it's normal running area, I could barely move it.
So I reckon my problem was that the motor was working so hard and needing to draw more current that it should, which caused the module relay to go into spasm.

The spindle can not be removed for repair, but eventually I got it turning, filled a flat on that rusty outer tube and got one thread cut so I could temporarily fit a grease nipple to pump some grease in.

Moves nicely now, but if I can get a replacement in a sensible time frame, I think I will. Definitely don't want to be going back to do this job again in the future.

Next fun part will be getting it back in. I think that's going to be a challenge :twisted:
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by bash »

Thread a welding wire thro the hole to drag it back into place. You can get the spindle out by drifting it out, I did a thread on it but it was a long time ago and probably disappeared when we moved over.
Bash
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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Pete Boole »

If you remove the spindle you could put a grease nipple on the end and drill and cross-drill the spindle for future grease application. Just a thought.

Pete

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by MetBlue »

Things starting to come back together - just keep finding that extra job.
I got a new wheel box for the wiper from SJ Sports, so that's all built back up and seems good - No more "chatter", so convinced it was the very tight spindle causing an overload.
Then decided that with the dash out, access to the relays / fuses under the dash was never going to be better, so time to investigate the non functioning headlight flash circuit (more importantly shorts across 2 of the relay bases and the relays left out). As posted else where, turns out all 3 of the diodes in the headlamp circuit were toasted. You can still buy the Pektron Diode module if you search hard enough - At over £10 a piece :roll: ), so bought 25 diodes off ebay for £4 and replaced. Head lamp flash now working. :D
Next, a repair to the split in the leather at the centre just in front of the windscreen. Put a patch over that - No photo yet - will come back another day and edit to insert one.
Then moved on to replacing the dash lights, generally with LED's. At best only half the panel lights were functioning, for various reasons, some blown bulbs, others bad earths or in the case of two indicators, the bayonet holding the bulb was broken and wouldn't stay in the gauge ( Took awhile to find, but eventually found some replacement holders ).
Not sure about the LED BA9 bulbs though ( 3 in the Speedo and rev counter). They seem to give a very localised strong light, with little passing around the clock. Particularly noticeable on the Rev counter.
Image
I've now ordered some alternative design LED bulbs, so will soon see if I can improve.
I also tried an LED bulb in the heater panel console, but as the two photo's below prove, looks like it's difficult to improve here on a standard bulb, so will stay with the original here.
Here with a Red LED:
Image
And now with a conventional white bulb:
Image
Maybe a white LED would work better, but I don't have one, so thats for another day.
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Hawaiis0 »

I noticed the same with my LEDs so went back to incandescent type.
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Pete Boole »

I agree - the LED's seem to be too focussed. The final photo with the incandescent bulb looks much better.

Pete

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by MetBlue »

Getting better. An alternative LED design arrived today.
The sharp "intense" LED on the left, the new ones that arrived today on the right.
Image

Like for like photo's of the two types - Firstly the bulb on the left:
Image

And now the one on the right
Image

Definitely alot better with the second type. I can live with that for the time being. :D
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

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Hawaiis0
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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by Hawaiis0 »

oooh Matron. Much better
Nothing is fool proof. Fools are clever!

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Re: First job jobbed - 2 more found !!!

Post by MetBlue »

Nearly there, with a running car back on the road.
What started as a Sunday afternoon " I'll just oil those heater cables" became several months of a full dash strip out.
Along the way though, I have racked up quite a list of repairs / improvements:
  • New Wiper wheel box fitted.
    Wiper motor brushes checked and good as new
    Bodged Head lamp flash electrics repaired
    Whole dash "Gold "leather recoloured
    Split leather stitching in centre ( by the windscreen) covered over.
    Black Binnacle leather recoloured
    All dash bulbs replaced with working LED's
    New Choke cable fitted (that actually has detents and a "Chock On " Switch ( Old one was missing the switch) - Identical to the Rover Metro cable.
    Gear lever rubber gator replaced ( with the MG? one sourced from Ebay and featuring in many links on this forum).
    Oil pressure gauge replaced with alternative - Looks promising that the erratic behaviour is sorted, but first run will be telling.
    The rubber connectors to the heater vents refitted to AROUND the vent, rather than screwed up and blocking the vent.
    Ohhhh - And the heater cables oiled. :D
Two initial snags:
1 : Couldn't get her to run - No spark. At first had nightmares that I'd disturbed something in the alarm / immobiliser circuit, but on investigation, unplugged the Rev limiter module - And she fired first time :D
2: I've now got a red LED on the ICE warning module :roll: I'm thinking though this was unplugged when I took things apart ( it was too long ago and the grey matter's not what it used to be :( )

- Now wheres that sender and module ? There's always another job !!!
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.

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