|
|
Apr 23, 2013 20:44:15 GMT
|
düdo: The BXagon is a big reason for saving the car, it has the most unique history of any car I'm likely to own and I'm proud of that, even though it wasn't me that did the trip. Overall, the car is in very good shape because DW looked after it for the most part, it just has a lot of niggles to work through. dodgerover: I'm fairly certain it's directed at me, the car has received other minor damage like constant mirror adjustment, bashes to the bumpers, that sort of thing. I can't prove anything, but I have very strong suspicions of the culprits as they've not been shy about who they have problems with, though their reasons seem spurious. @everyone else: There would have been more bodywork update, but I ended up having to tidy the shed up instead. The actual shed, that is, the BX is as tidy as it'll get. We'll be getting some welding supplies tomorrow, all being well, and more work can happen then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 27, 2013 22:58:52 GMT
|
Today, I have mostly been dismantling the BX. First though, I dumped the bottle of LHM I had into the system to make things happier. A litre of the good stuff made the STOP and ! lights go out and the car rises much faster now. Tick time is back up to 10-11 seconds too, which is acceptable. No fresh leaks apparent under the car either. Little yellow bobble is where it should be. Need to clean the top of the drum, it's all covered in oily gunk of some sort, not sure what that is. I had difficulty removing this in the past, I couldn't find all the bolts for the crusty oil all over it, but with a manual to hand I managed to find the other 4 bolts I couldn't find and lifted it free. The whole thing is covered in engine oil and there's oil in the top of the inlet manifold that bolts onto the engine. So much oil. Rocker cover removed too. The gasket has gone hard and doesn't seal at all, it's a wonder any oil stays in the car at all really. It's on my list of things to order from AEP later this year so I can fully sort out the engine anyway, in the meantime I'll clean it all up. I can now see a bit better what I'm doing. You can just make out in the middle of the head where I've cleaned some of the gunk off, it's really quite thick but does come off easily enough once you get around all the pipes and whatnot. In the meantime, I've put some tissue in the inlet holes and a plastic sheet (not shown) over the head so nothing can get into the engine while I'm cleaning the rocker cover and top box. All the bolts were put back in their respective holes so I don't misplace them. With the air box off, I could see a bit better where possible leaks would be. The return pipe from what I assume is the diesel pump is perished and in need of replacement as are one or two other hoses that look a bit past their best now. It's much the same job as I've done on the Princess so it'll be a case of replacing just about every rubber component I can find to freshen everything up and get the engine back into good health. The other thing I noticed is what looks like a missing pipe on the thermostat, there's no sign of it knocking around the engine bay so it might not be supposed to be there, but it seems a bit odd to me that there would be a flanged pipe with no hose or blanking plug attached. I've also found where my water is escaping from for definite. Once I have a new thermostat I'll split and clean up the housing so it doesn't make this mess everywhere. It seems to leak most at start up and then seal as the engine gets hot which means it takes a while to lose enough water to light up the dash, but doesn't lose enough at once to leave puddles. Easy fix this one, I've had to do it on every car I've owned. Once I've cleaned all the excess oil off I'll put the engine back together so that I can perform regular Citaerobics. Happily, I can report the height adjuster is getting easier and easier to use and while I still plan to remove the rear adjust to clean it fully, in the meantime I'm happy enough that I don't have to fight so much with it to keep the car off the grass. I've not had chance to practice welding any further or to cut out more metal in preparation for repairs as I've had some health issues to work through. Doing less involved work is the order of the day for a while, but as long as I do something it'll help with therapy and with getting the jobs worked through on the car in readiness for returning to the road later this year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2013 20:12:24 GMT
|
Wheels. I've got some Lancia wheels that were going on the Polo, but I kept them back as I thought they might come in handy in the future. I've got a few more measurements to make, but they're looking likely as a candidate for the BX. So, Lancia is a 4x98 while the BX is 4x108 so there's going to need to be an adaptor, I also need to space the Lancia wheels by 20mm to make them sit where the BX steels sit. Centre bore measures 62mm on the BX steel and 58mm on the Lancia alloy so that needs to be taken into account as well when ordering the appropriate adaptors. The Lancia wheels are only a 13", so I need to be extra sure they clear the brakes as at the moment I can't do that with the car sat on the floor and the engine in bits, I need to be able to make use of the uppy-downy lever to stop the jack getting trapped, you see. I can make up the difference in wheel size with tyre sidewall without it looking comical and it looks to be a readily available and affordable size. It's still a way off as a plan, I've got to refurb the alloys, buy the tyres, source and buy the adaptors, make sure all the measurements are correct... it's a fair amount of stuff and money still to spend and quite low priority, but it keeps my brain busy. What started this off was my brother wanting to swap the Lancias and the Tarantulas around as we've got limited storage and he has plans for the VW alloys. Propped one of the Lancia wheels against the car and oh look, that's not half bad. What else? Polishing, really. There's not a lot I can do at the moment beyond that and it's good to keep myself busy on something. The electric drill died just as my brother and I were starting some polishing efforts and I've really needed something monotonous to do today so I made a start hand polishing the rocker cover for the BX since it's a nice lump of solid cast aluminium. Needs more work as there's still some minor peppering of pits on the polished side which is keeping it from a full mirror finish, but it's okay for about an hour's work. I'd've done more, but it turns out I have some sort of contact allergy with something I was using and with no gloves to hand I didn't want to exacerbate matters. It's a bit silly really, polishing the rocker cover, as you can hardly see it with the normal BX set up. However, Peugeots 309 and 405 have the same engine with a different air intake set up that does put the rocker cover on display as well as improving general engine access which is something I plan to investigate further as I do like a clean and tidy engine bay. It's kept me out of mischief at least, weather has been miserable today so it's been good to have something to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2013 20:18:06 GMT
|
|
|
Click picture for more
|
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2013 20:30:05 GMT
|
The Roland Garros are nice, but I prefer the look of the Lancia ones. It'll probably cost more to buy a comparable set of RGs than get the Lancias refurbished, fitted with tyres and on the car... that's my logic anyway.
Thought I might leave half the car unpolished with the rocker cover as my reference point. That's a cool thing to do, right?
EDIT: Actually, the more I've looked at the Roland Garros wheels on other cars, the less I like them. I don't know exactly what it is about them, they're just the sort of thing I would normally like, but they just don't work for me.
|
|
Last Edit: Apr 28, 2013 21:39:47 GMT by Deleted
|
|
Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,253
Club RR Member Number: 160
Member is Online
|
|
|
The Roland Garros are nice, but I prefer the look of the Lancia ones. It'll probably cost more to buy a comparable set of RGs than get the Lancias refurbished, fitted with tyres and on the car... that's my logic anyway. Thought I might leave half the car unpolished with the rocker cover as my reference point. That's a cool thing to do, right? EDIT: Actually, the more I've looked at the Roland Garros wheels on other cars, the less I like them. I don't know exactly what it is about them, they're just the sort of thing I would normally like, but they just don't work for me. Factor in 120-odd quid for adapters, probably 100 for tires.. They stop looking so cheap. 13"s on a BX is highly likely to not work due to the rear brakes. And do you really want the car to look that under-wheeled? Mine makes 16"s look tiny at running height..
|
|
|
|
Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,253
Club RR Member Number: 160
Member is Online
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2013 12:45:55 GMT
|
Muuuuuuuuch more ugly. There's plenty of easy options out there, but there's few I really like. When I've got the engine back together I'll get the car up in the air and check clearances again as I'll be able to get the wheels off, but the Lancias don't look that small on the BX due to their design, they're one of those wheels that look a bit bigger than they are. I've not found another wheel I like quite as much as these Lancias so it could just be me being stubborn and wanting to make a thing work because I've got it.
All in, I'm looking at many hours of labour refurbishing the alloys and about £300-ish for adaptors and tyres and whatnot. If I can and do use the Lancia wheels they'd be my summer wheels and I'll get the steels refurbed for winter use, painted in the original off-white and with black centre caps most likely.
|
|
|
|
Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,253
Club RR Member Number: 160
Member is Online
|
|
Apr 29, 2013 22:43:04 GMT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
They're a great wheel but they're a bit.. boring? At least on a BX, they're the easy option and you know I'm incapable of doing anything the easy way.
|
|
|
|
|
Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,253
Club RR Member Number: 160
Member is Online
|
|
|
They're a great wheel but they're a bit.. boring? At least on a BX, they're the easy option and you know I'm incapable of doing anything the easy way. Boring? I can't think of any other wheel similar off the top of my head If you want to persevere with the Lancia ones, it's your car and fair play. Just popping up financially and technically easier interesting wheels
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2013 10:02:20 GMT
|
The Lancia wheels really don't look in proportion with the rest of the car to me, added with the fact they're a very non-angular design it's a bit of a clash with the car shape.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2013 10:46:24 GMT
|
A car like this shouldn't be rolling on wheels... It should be bouncing along on Space Hopper's...!!!
|
|
***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
|
|
|
|
|
We'll see what happens with those Lancia wheels, I'll be refurbing them anyway because I can, a 15" version would be superb, obviously. Funnily enough, those BX Speedlines aren't so much a boring wheel out of context of the BX but once I see them fitted they look just as everyday to me as BBS lattices on any VW. I guess it's a personal thing. Now, getting Spacehoppers in anything like remotely the right dimensions would be a battle! ____ A mixed bag today, I seem to have spent a lot of time getting nowhere. I discovered quite by accident that Astonish brand bathroom cleaner, which is only £1 per bottle, is the best engine degreaser I've yet used. Applied carefully with a toothbrush and then wiped off it removes all the crusty stuff with surprising ease. You can also use it in small quantities to shift grease and oil from your hands, just be sure to wash your hands with regular soap afterwards. Here's a close up to show what it shifts with a single application and very little effort. This is after I'd done what I could reach of the head and the inlet manifold. I also removed the bonnet and scuttle for ease of access and to investigate for rust, of which I found nothing new, happily. I can also get some of the awkward bits of the plastic panels cleaned up and look at reinstating the spray bar a bit easier now. Bolted the freshly polished (needs more work yet) rocker cover back on which seemed to seat better than when I removed it, the gasket seems more flexible too, just so I could get the car started and keep it off the grass as much as possible. It's a shame the stock airbox obscures this polishing completely, but that's why I'm looking at fitting the Peugeot alternative that was used on this engine, I just have to investigate further as to what does and doesn't fit this lump and what other changes I might need to make. So, you'd think it would be a simple case of reinstating some pipes where they were disconnected (no fluids lost or drained) and bolting the six bolts back in that hold the airbox to the inlet manifold, right? Wrong. I managed to drop one bolt down the back of the engine and because it was getting dark and the car is sat on the floor at the front I couldn't see it to find it. I think I've also managed to cross thread a bolt and by this point was fast losing patience with myself. Things were seated well enough that the car should at least start, or so I thought. It made a spirited effort but I just ended up draining the battery to the point that it won't start now, just churn lazily. When I can be bothered/it's light outside I'll have a proper look and put it all right again. It'll be something stupid, it always is. I did discover that the feed pipe from the pump to the first injector is just starting to collapse on one end so they'll be up for replacement, as is the diesel return pipe from the pump as that's perished at the pump end. I'm very tempted to drop the engine fully as I also need to do the timing belt and water pump, it would give me an opportunity to give it a clean and replace anything that might need it while also getting a good look around the engine bay without it being sat in there. However, I don't want this to turn into a full restoration, I'm only supposed to be fixing things to get the car back on the road in solid, MoTable condition as soon as possible. in summary: yay shiny bits! Boo, I broke something.
|
|
|
|
Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,253
Club RR Member Number: 160
Member is Online
|
|
|
You don't need the plenum or runners to run the diesel if you just needed to scoot it about, just make sure nothing can fall into the lower runners. Sorry to point that out now as it sounds like it could have saved you a little faffing around!
Also, timing belt replacement is easy in situ. Just need to remove the starter for better access to the flywheel locking hole and 3 8mm bolts to lock the cam, crank and IP.
Also also, I wonder if an XU (petrol) manifold might fit? Only issue is proximity to the bulkhead and bonnet.
|
|
Last Edit: May 2, 2013 7:06:22 GMT by Rich
|
|
Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,253
Club RR Member Number: 160
Member is Online
|
|
|
Wait.. What..? You say the feed pipe to an injector is collapsing? The STEEL feed pipe? You aren't talking about the rubber leak-off pipes are you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More good progress being made there Vulg', it all seems to be coming along very nicely indeed.
I'd be tempted to go for a full on resto' but be strict with yourself and limit things to the 'make-good and use' plan as this car should just be put back into daily lugging as soon as possible!
It's good to see it coming back to life...
|
|
***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
|
|
|
|
|
rich: I thought the rubber ones were feed pipes, my bad. It'll be a return pipe, it's the skinny one that joins the pump, the end of it is just falling apart internally while externally looks perfectly fine. grifter: it's hard to know when to stop sometimes. You get into that mode of just taking a little extra bit off to get to that bit that could do with fettling (but isn't actually broken) and before you know it you've got a pile of bits that used to be fitted together in the shape of a car.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So, today I finally got my in gear and set to on Stripey again. I decided that I'd check the health of the battery before charging it and discovered it needed a wee drop of de-ionised water just to hide the little feet inside. Nice to have a battery I can do this with, I'm sure it'll have a longer lifespan than a sealed jobbie. Gave the primer a test push and realised I had indeed been a derp. So I unbolted the airbox, discovered I have cross-threaded one of the inlet manifold threads, and rebolted it down less a bolt in the cross-threaded hole. That'll be the bolt that's under the car somewhere. All went together without a hitch and the rocker gasket is, unsurprisingly, already leaking again but I can at least see where from now. Not worrying about that in the short term, it'll be fixed before the car is returned to the road. While I waited for the battery to charge I had a go at removing one of the front wings. I wanted to see how bad the common grot spot was. I did have a bit of a scrape on the inner arch where there were some bubbles and was quite surprised to find solid metal beneath. Looks like it's going on this seam and I expect I'll have to drop the suspension to do all the repairs in this area which I'm not looking forward to. VIN plate modified to hide identity, it doesn't actually look like that. Bashed the door pin back in which I'd been meaning to do for ages but found easier with the wing removed. That counts as a problem fixed, one point to me. So, that wing. On the whole it was fairly easy to remove. The front bumper has had a bash on this corner so it was unseated from its mount and was therefore easy to move out of the way. Crud catchers were a bit of a battle, but not as much as the upper A pillar bolt whose captive nut wasn't and which was cross-threaded making for a right ballache of a job. Got there in the end, but it's made a bit of a mess of the wing bolt hole when the captive nut span and chewed it up and I'm going to have to weld a new nut in as the old one is fubarred. Otherwise, there's not really any rot under here. Yes, there's the usual grot spot where the arch lip has crumbled away, but it's not the horror I was expecting to find and I was quite jabby with the screwdriver. Looks like it's going to be a fiddly repair rather than a large one. Because the inner arch has been well treated with black gunge there's no rust to find. For all I was expecting this to be quite a rusty car, it's really not that bad. Certainly, having to weld patches measured in inches rather than feet is a surprise. I'll remove the other wing and the bumper to fully inspect the front end, but it might make more sense to get the front repaired, cleaned and rebuilt before sorting out the mess at the back because of there being that much less to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hmm... I guess a closing chapter would be sensible.
We all knew this was a rusty car, that's why it was so cheap. We also knew it was borderline but I was under no illusion that I might be the last owner. I've seriously enjoyed my brief BX ownership and haven't been put off the prospect of owning one again but I got to experience just why there's so few of them left. Sadly, this one has had to be scrapped but it was a decision I didn't hesitate about once I got stuck into finding out the extent of the rust damage.
When my brother and I started to make an attempt at fixing the bad rear wing we thought we'd need to put a large patch in, but it wasn't particularly daunting as the rust seemed localised and we thought there was a good amount of decent metal. However, what we found was that the entire rear quarter needed replacing as the rot had got in between the metal and the underseal and whenever you got back to anything like good metal you'd find the back of it coming off in flakes and what you thought was good metal was a tissue-thin layer of steel over rusty flakes.
It was actually quite alarming, I had expected some extensive welding but I hadn't expected the car to be quite so bad. Other places we took back where there was tiny blisters in the paint we were getting holes of 1"-3" diameter in the metal, again with the panels having rusted from the back where you can't see and making the metal really thin and impossible to weld to. Some of the good looking metal was so thin you could push your finger through it without even trying.
We decided to cut our losses when we realised just how much of the car needed rebuilding. The thicker structural steel in the chassis might have been good, but everything between wasn't. The sills were soft in more places than expected, the front inner wings needed quite large patches, the windscreen needed coming out for repairs, it needed at least one entire rear quarter and large patches in the inner rear wings. The boot floor was worse than it looked at first and the rear cross member was toast.
Add to that the fact it needed a clutch, LHM pipes, new tyres, various bits of trim and niggly engine bits, ball joints... it was just too much to take on even before you factored in the worth of the car against the cost of the work. I didn't scrap the car with a heavy heart, I did it with considerable relief if I'm honest. Everyone knew it was bad, but nobody expected it to be quite so terminal once we started picking it apart for repairs. An MoT would have been extremely difficult to obtain had they even thought about prodding it, I'm pretty sure they'd've given me a car back covered in yellow chalk.
When we took the car to the scrapyard we got a really good price of £160 - I have no idea how - and the yard owner asked us why we were scrapping such a good car. Once they lifted it with the forklift to move it into the shed for draining the fluids he got to see what was hiding under the shiny paint and was heard to say "ah, yeah, that's dead." and if a yard owner says that then it probably is.
I have no regrets though. Turns out that the car returned me a tiny profit a it prevented me from having to hire a van, I ran it almost exclusively on used veg oil which was free, got £40 back from the road tax and got to experience a car that I've wanted to drive since the late 90s. Yes, I'd have another BX in the future, but perhaps one that isn't quite so rusty as this one turned out to be.
There wasn't much I could salvage from the car as it had to be driven to the yard, but I do still have the parcel shelf, the tools that were generously sent to me, the HBOLs and the timing belt and waterpump I never got the chance to fit. I also kept back the wheel brace and bottle/screw jack as they're good bits of kit to add to my meagre collection.
|
|
|
|
|