1972 Granada Mk1 coupe build - Still going... 14-10-2024

[Deleted]

Alex - I feel your pain if it's any consolation - I have a 73 Rover 3500 - its a two owner car - 23,000 miles from new - never messed with - all original - and I have owned it 15 years - I have lavished £££ on it over the years - it should drive like a dream - it doesn't - the bl88dy thing has fought me every inch of the way - it started play up again a few years ago with running problems / ignition issues - then would not go anywhere when it failed to restart - at the time it was half on the lane - half on the drive and I was suffering with severe sciatica - I pushed it has far I could manage on to the gravel drive and left it - much to my shame it's been there ever since - the business / work on the house / club commitments / everybody else's car / planning permission - in fact you name it it's all got in the way - On Saturday I found a couple of hours to see if I could get it running which I did but only for 60 secs before it cut back out - I also had a closer look at it and was horrified to find the windscreen had been leaking and that the carpets are probably dead - the paint is very flat, chrome has started degrade and the door seals all but perished beyond use - stupidity yes but I had nowhere else at the time to store it other than outside - and certainly not had any time to address the running issues on it. Frustrated with myself now has this was all preventable - I need to get it running in the short term and then get it into storage at the barn - I will have space for it in 2 weeks time when one of the clients cars comes out - I could kick myself but instead need to concentrate on preventing on any further degrading and getting it sorted.


So head down time and some logical thinking on how to resolve it and find the time - I will get there much like you will - keep at it

[SamJ]

Feb 25, 2019 15:03:49 GMT eurogranada said:

Thanks Sam, I think it's time to actually take you up on your continued offering...

Working on getting the car moved as we type. I'll see how that develops.

You've got my number, I'm sure we can sort something out. Another pair of eyes can often help with these problems. Plus maybe it will help me find motivation for my own projects again.

[eurogranada]

Feb 25, 2019 20:05:51 GMT SamJ said:

Feb 25, 2019 15:03:49 GMT eurogranada said:

Thanks Sam, I think it's time to actually take you up on your continued offering...

Working on getting the car moved as we type. I'll see how that develops.

You've got my number, I'm sure we can sort something out. Another pair of eyes can often help with these problems. Plus maybe it will help me find motivation for my own projects again.

I'll give you a call as soon as I get it home! And this time I really will, although I always feel a little guilty for taking time out of your equally busy life. If only to do something about the feeling of always working alone. Besides, as you've been to my old place you can see if my new place has made it all worthwhile. ;-)

So far, my friend has let me know he would have helped me but seeing as his trailer is currently parked pretty far away from my home it's more economical to rent one close to me for a morning. It feels a bit silly as the car will probably make the 5km's on its own, but it's just not legal to do so. Now I only have to find a driver who's allowed to drive a trailer of this size as my license does not permit me. Oh and then manage to bring them together on the same date. Something on the wishlist still as I hate the added difficulty of having to depend on others.

I've decided that this weeks work at the house will consist of building the back garden flower beds out of all the pieces I have waiting prepped and ready on friday afternoon to keep the wifey happy. Then Saturday will be the big garage cleanout. This will know it's own set of little challenges (like where to put certain stuff) but should be doable. It will also help in preparing for other jobs around the house and on the car as everything will be easily found.

Funny thing, this misfortune has sort of spurred me on, got the juices flowing again to become more active. My brain is running overtime with all the new stimulants. And I think that having the car at home with power and light available will make a huge difference in my desire to attack the car's issues.

[Deleted]

Alex - Surely you must have a local one man & recovery transporter to hand that will do this for a sensible fee - I have one local to me and he does whatever I cant find the time to do with my own trailer - he has never charged more than £100 for 2 - 3 hours work - and will save you from the reliance of friends / trailers / tow vehicle availability on the right day at the right time

[eurogranada]

Thanks @grumpynorthener. I know I'm not alone in how I feel or what I experience. It does help feel a bit better though... And good will come of it in my case, I can already feel motivation coming back. Maybe the weather being also exceptionally good and the sun being out a lot also helps. I'm not a winter man I'm now sure of that.

I can only have loads of respect for what you seem to accomplish in your life. I wonder if you even sleep at all seeing how much you always seem to get done. You may be a very busy man, but you seem to enjoy life for the most part and in particular the car brand you love so much. Especially now your workshop issues are over. I think that is one thing I really missed so far, being able to enjoy the hobby by using the car in events, trips and shows. This should have been my year, so let's hope I can make it so!

[eurogranada]

Feb 26, 2019 9:27:28 GMT @grumpynorthener said:

Alex - Surely you must have a local one man & recovery transporter to hand that will do this for a sensible fee - I have one local to me and he does whatever I cant find the time to do with my own trailer - he has never charged more than £100 for 2 - 3 hours work - and will save you from the reliance of friends / trailers / tow vehicle availability on the right day at the right time

Never really looked into that as because I have a van, I always just rented a trailer and used a friend as driver for these kind of things... I could try and find out of course.

[SamJ]

Alex, the place I use in harmont charges about €25 per hour to rent a transporter that you can drive yourself. At least that was the case when I last hired one a year ago. I'm away this weekend, but if you aren't sorted by the end of next week I can see about hiring the transporter and helping.

autotransporterhuren.com but the site seems to be down at the moment, I have the guys number though.

[kevins]

Shame you can't fit epas in, finding a usable unit to recondition and good quality seals is a massive problem for older vehicles.

It is possible to convert most PAS racks to manual by removing the seals(and ideally the piston) and greasing all the running surfaces as you would on a manual rack.

The code you list seems to be used to identify ignition issues on Ford vehicles (it is a manufacturer specific one) given you only have 2 wires linking the EDIS and the ECM I would start by very carefully checking these at the Edis module.

[eurogranada]

So, the week and weekend have passed. This leaves me to review where I'm at currently....

Well, I actually had a pretty productive week. After making my daughter a little happier by hanging new blinds that actually blind and a tv mount that means she can now comfortably watch tv from her bed I was ready to get to the stuff I myself wanted to get out of the way. I can be long about it...........but I just got things done. Got on with it. So this weekend saw the flowerbeds in the backyard get made from the pile of puzzle pieces I had made previously. That was actually a pretty fun job to do and required only two small adjustments to fit exactly as planned! The wife was happy with them. Now to line the insides and fill them with sand and plants. But that will be another day (soon though).







After that I took a break and yet still managed to motivate myself to start cleaning/clearing the garage in preparation for the Granada finally coming home. It took me most of two half days and an evening, but I did have something to show for it. I can now get to my tools, I can get the car in (I think), and I can get to the materials needed to finish my girls room and the plinths. The pictures are from a little before being fully done.


(introducing our new rescue pup Karma from Romania now 6 months old)


I only need to find a solution for the ladder, which I want to hang on the side wall using strong brackets or something.

With that out of the way I can now see if I can get the car home, hopefully soon. The benefit of hiring a full on transporter is that I can do it myself. On the other hand I still need someone to help me guide te car on if I have to drive it on. Pointing up at the sky seeing nothing is quite nerve wracking and wit little experience warrants some supervision. If the car can be winched on it may be a different story. SamJ, I'll be contacting you soon for the number as the site is still out.

[peteh1969]

We have these to hold our ladders out of the way www.screwfix.com/p/smith-locke-ladder-storage-brackets-black-190mm-2-pack/6922r#_=p I know it may be difficult for you to get but It may help you some how?

[eurogranada]

Thanks! That looks a lot like what I was thinking of!

These are sold locally as well so should be a possibility.

[rblote]

Mate, je zit er netjes bij!!

[eurogranada]

Whooohoooo!!!!!!!!

She's coming home!!

I would have liked the circumstances to be a little different, say having an MOT and under its own power, but I'm glad she'll finally be home. Her long time home....

And I know that the problems are surmountable and of a temporary nature. The car in and of itself is well put together. I'm confident in that. The rack may take a little time but at least that gives me time to do the other things that have bothered me.

Being the wise man that I am (*cough* *cough*), I decided to farm the whole job out. SamJ had two contacts I could try and having learned from grandmaster @grumpynorthener to factor in time as well I calculated the scenario's through in my head. Spending less on the hire, but 3-4 times more on time, I decided that the extra 10 euro's would be well worth the fact that I myself only have to invest half an hour or less in this move while the transporter will be spending about an hour and a quarter. Much more convenient as well. And no hassle of needing help etc.

So Saturday at 9 am the car will be picked up, I suspect it will be home no later then 9:30.

I have invited SamJ for an initial check over if he fancies. So maybe I'll have some more to report on after the weekend...

To be honest, biting the bullet a week ago to just go ahead and get this all arranged, spurred on by the kind folks on this board has done me good. It gave me just enough motivation to actually get stuff done.

Now in preparation for Saturday I will go and get some ladder brackets, some plastic foil to protect my new drive and the garage floor and then I think I'm ready for it to come. Funnily enough I'm most anxious to see if the car actually will get in the garage with everything where it is now (bar the wood to the side wall that has been moved).

[gess]

I am certain this will be a good thing for you, it is so much easier to work on a car that is practically in your house.
Outsourcing is often a sensible choice, people who do stuff for a living often know how to do their job, (not always) and can get it done in less time and with less effort than you.
Really hoping you get your steering rack in working order before too long!

[spot]

Mar 5, 2019 12:52:09 GMT eurogranada said:

Whooohoooo!!!!!!
She's coming home!!
.....
So Saturday at 9 am the car will be picked up, I suspect it will be home no later then 9:30.
.....

Alex, I was looking all day for an update...
Am I right in thinking the tow well and you're still sitting in the garage making 'broom broom' noises - We need to know!

[eurogranada]

So the (long) weekend has passed and I see that some people are waiting for an update. Sorry to have kept you waiting but as my little girl turned 15 yesterday it was a rather busy weekend with a lot of prep work and a lot to celebrate...


I had taken the liberty of taking 1,5 days off from work, meaning I was free from thursday morning on. Much of that time was planned with activities, but free time was available as well to just come down from working so hard all the time these days. I won't bore you with the visit to the vet, the buying of many groceries for the party on sunday etc...but Thursday went to most of those things... Although as there was no real pressure involved I still really enjoyed the day.

On Friday I had promised my little girl to make some French toast before she'd go to her work experience at the horse riding school. And as I can enjoy these myself as well I had no problem getting in the kitchen. It Would be a repeating theme this weekend... As I also made a chocolate cake...




Full with French toast I started prepping for the arrival of the Granada. Thanks to Pete I had an idea of what brackets to buy for hanging my ladder out of the way. Unfortunately, although the shop should stock them, they were out of them when I was there. I bought some brackets that I deemed would work as well and that can hold 80 kg's a piece instead. My 25kg ladder should be no problem then! The hanging of said ladder was actually rather disappointingly uneventful. Marking the holes to drill, drilling the actual holes, mounting the brackets and having everything come out actually level and not pulling out of the wall was for some reason just a breeze. Maybe because tools were readily available, maybe because the car gods finally would let me have a moment... I don't know really. Or possibly Karma is bringing me some good Karma!



It's up there nicely and hing enough for the car to have ample room. I will be adding a little bracket to lock the bottom of the ladder in place for added security. I must admit to having been a bit nervous about having this big item above my car, but the brackets are well mounted and the ladder had hung succesfully for almost a day before there was talk of putting the car near it.

Friday went and Saturday came after a sleepless night. Funny, I arranged it all to be someone elses problem yet I still couldn't sleep with a mix of anticipation and horror. Karma had no problem helping me out by being tired of her night time bench at 5:55 am so I was up feeding and walking the dogs at 6:20 anyway. I decided to kill some time watching some Discovery shows I'd "recorded".

By 8:30 I left for the Garage and I had just taken the cover off and inspected some boxes with spares that could help diagnose the engine running situation when I got a call. The transporter was on the right street but looking for the right set of garages. I guided him to where I was and as he parked the van and trailer, I backed out of the garage. This all went so smoothly that I could immediately drive the car up onto the trailer. I still think this is a scary process not seeing anything but sky in front of you but with the transporter guiding me on it was quick and painless. Litteraly the car was on the trailer two minutes after it had arrived and it had arrived 20 minutes early as well. So I was doing well on the planning part!

Of course, with the car on the trailer he had to take some obligatory shots and have a little talk about it and a look around it. He was well impressed and funnily enough I got that same response on my facebook as well a few times. So I guess the car is liked in general.

The transporter put some straps on the weels to keep the car from moving and we were ready to go. My tires seem to be a little low on pressure after standing for so long.



I drove in front of the transporter as that would save some time entering the destination into the satnav for this very short journey of 5km's. This was uneventfull of course and within 5 minutes of leaving we were entering my street. He undid the straps, I drove the car off. The car hung itself on the exhaust clamp brackets that are the lowest point of the car and that need changing after having this happen a few times now. Anyway, a gentle lift from the side and I was over the edge and rolling slowly off the ramps...

It was home again...











It looked myghty wide infront of the garage door though....



And then I had a cuppa! Not much later my (our) friend SamJ arrived to have a quick look at the running issue and the steering rack leakage.

With Sam there we were discussing taking out the plugs to assess them when I thought I'd first check if all plugs are dry. The BOB engine has deep seated plugs and long stemmed plug leads. Turns out two of 6 valleys were wet still. We proceded to blow them out with the air gun (oh how nice hwen you have power, lights and tools to hand!!), dry the leads and try again. The engine immediately was idling smoother. Letting it idle for a bit you could also feel the engine warm up evenly. A little test drive around the block in a little bit spirited way confirmed no more popping in the exhaust, not 100% full on power yet either, but no popping. We let the engine warm up some more before shutting it off so it wouldn't be so hot one could not examine the steering system properly for fear of touching something hot. As long as it ran, it was more and more responsive and smooth. Well don't I feel dumb!! I was so sure I'd cleaned out the plug holes after washing the engine bay but I must not have or not well enough... I do love easy fixes though. I cleared the ecu code so we could see if it would reappear.

On to the rack. We were quite a bit puzzled by the leak. There was a steady stream of fluid dripping on the passenger side of the car (mind that is your driver's side). Yet it wasn't obviously pushing fluid out the bellows and although some rack connections and a preload cover plate were sweating a bit, the important main pump to reservoir connections and the like were dry. No obvious leak was found at first. We inspected the wet connections further and under the right angle I was able to deterime that the dril fell from the lowes point of the rack tube connecting the left and right castings. It seemed that the top connecting tube caused a leak from being bent (it had always been like this) and not applying enough pressure to seat properly. I bent the tube a bit and we cleaned the areas well. The drip was gone. So another easy fix!

Unfortunately I was still convinced I'd lost too much fluid to just be this drip and I felt the gaiters were filled as well. So we opened them up and confirmed a big leak. There was at least a litre of fluid in the gaiters/tube that drained into a pan. So that is the rack broken again then. A rack out job to follow. Well the good news is I'm experienced at doing this with the engine in the car...

So now I just have to find time to contact the builder and get the rack out and shipped to him.

We sealed the gaiters again. And then came the moment of truth. Would the car fit the space I had available?? With Sam's extra eyes and an inch to spare between the mirrors and the side pillars I drove it in. It fits!




It fit's with room to spare. I can get the door open and I can get round the side and front! It was an amazing feeling to see the car inside for the first time. Funny how such a trivial thing can make a person happy.

And when I go to feed the dogs, get my coat or something from the freezer I am greeted by.....




After a good wash, it'll be covered inside as well, but for now this is nice to look at!!

[gess]

An eventful weekend for you I see. Good to see you got your car home at last. I really hope the engine probles acyually are solved and that you get the rack out without too much hassle.
Great car!

[Deleted]

Alex - Very pleased that you have jumped this hurdle - hopefully this will give you the motivation to start to work your way through the list of fixes that are now required to put the car into a turn key & go condition - they maybe some further frustration along the way but at least it's frustration that is now on your doorstep - onwards then

[peteh1969]

Alex

I'm glad that you managed to get the ladders up out of the way, it's good that she's safe and sound at home now and you can work on her at your own pace knowing that all is safe at home.

Very nice, I for one would love to see you and your car at one of the NEC classic car shows some time in the future with some of the other Mk1 Granada's that attend or on a "Retro Rides Stand" at the show, (I think all of us could fill a complete hall given the chance HINT HINT RR Organizers).

[blackpopracing]

don't put a cover on it! quickest way to ruin the paint.