Finally managed to get the other wheelnuts off after heating them with a blow lamp, spraying with penetrating oil and using an extendable wheel brace and all my strength. They were all copperslipped and only tightened with a standard 12" wheelbrace too so god knows why they stuck so bad.
Spent ages today with a dremel fitted with a thin cutting disc cleaning up the threads on the damaged stud, then followed it up with careful use of a junior hacksaw. Seems to have done the trick as i can get a nut on it now. Really needs a die running down it but my set only go up to M12. Painted the wheels silver and got rid of the rover p6 hubcaps for the vw ones off my beetle. Thats me in the reflection not a body double. Another pair awaiting fitment of new tyres: Once i get the two new tyres on i think it'll just about ready for its MOT on tuesday afternoon.
It just seems like everything i've had to do recently has fought me all the way. Simple 10 minute jobs take 1/2 the day, things that should be tight aren't and things that should come undone easy (like the wheel nut) are seized solid. On a plus note, i have found out that under all the loose gravel the camper is parked on is a nice solid concrete floor and footings for a garage.
20 minutes work with an angle grinder with a wire wheel on it then a bit of cardboard to cover the tyre and a few coats of spray paint. They'll probably be rusty again by christmas but will look neat for its agreed value photos.
Cheers. Gonna have to strip the carb again as the accelerator pump isn't working too well giving a mahoosive flat spot which tried to kill the engine dead when you floor it. Scarey as hell when you go to pull into a gap in traffic.
Took the carb apart today and found the accelerator pump faucet/pipe things to be loose. I've knocked it back in tight with a screwdriver and hammer. The R clip was missing from the end of the accelerator pump linkage so its now got a paperclip holding it together. Also found the vacuum hose to the dizzy was split and cracked at the end which can't have helped much. Seems to run a bit better now, though not perfect. One of my newly fitted tyres was flat this morning. Can't find any reason for it and i can't get back to the garage until i take it for its MOT. Spent the best part of an hour unclogging the washer jets as they were full of black slime.
MOT passed today. Wheel rim is porous at the weld between rim and middle which is why its not holding air.
Luckily i've got a mate with a whole set of rims sitting in his shed which i can pick the best one from.
Finally got my stainless silencer fitted (no idea why there isn't a piccy of it bolted on with the engine bar fitted. ???): To replace the silencer i blew apart on the way to Tatton this year: My nice shiny stainless steel tailpipe arrived from Bluebird this morning too. 8) I'm now planning on stripping the rear seat out, removing all the interior panels, sorting the rot along the bottom of the side window (and the floor underneath) and then insulating the bejeezus out of it. ;D Its still got the original westy rockwool loft insulation behind all the panels and above the wood roof lining, so thats gonna go and i'll probably use some silent coat pads followed by so close cell foam, then celotex sheet with a layer of foil faced bubble on top of that. May add a vapour barrier over the whole lot too, we'll see. If that doesn't make a difference then i'm a monkey's uncle.
Had a go at fitting the tailpipe today and it doesn't meet up with the mounting point on the end of the silencer. Offered up my old rotten one and that doesn't either. Looks like the new silencer has the output for the silencer at a slightly different angle than the old one. Only maybe a couple of degrees out so i might be able to insert a steel pipe into it and bend it ever so slightly. Bit of an arse all the same.
Today i had a wee pick at some of the rust bubbles that have formed on the front arch and b pillar. After a clean up with a wire brush on an angle grinder it doesn't look as solid. The B pillar was stuffed with carrier bags and just fillered over. It had lasted over 12 years that i know of though. On the plus side my gazebo arrived today so at least i'll have somewhere undercover to work on it.
Bit more needs cutting out to get to a weldable edge but it looks like i may get away with making a lower outer b pillar (inner is mostly still good), the edge of the arch and the splash panel behind the wheel. The rest of the sill is still solid too as it was just that 4" or so long section at the front edge that was soft so thats good. I MUST REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE GAS BOTTLE FROM BEHIND THAT PANEL WHEN I COME TO WELD!!!
Got some bits made to fill the gaps. Managed to poke a screwdriver through the top hat section behind the front wheel so thats another bit needing done. Thoroughly hacked off with the cold weather. Spent only an hour ourside and it took me 3 to warm up again.
I know. Its a bit i thought was solid before (and wasn't). Its the bottom of the V where the inner arch slopes down and meets the outer skin and was 4 layers of metal one over the other. I just poked it with a screwdriver a little harder and it broke through.
