|
|
Post by spunkymonkey on Jan 31, 2012 14:14:55 GMT
Yep, save 5 screws, 5 captive nuts and a rubber seal. Must be all of a tenner per car in today's money. Personally I'd prefer that they kept the good design and put the price up by £15 to compensate, but what would I know? ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by macplaxton on Jan 31, 2012 16:37:29 GMT
Must be all of a tenner per car in today's money. Doubt it would be anywhere near that. Unless you mean 10 pence. ;D Maybe a two pounds tops. It's ridiculously cheap to just to manufacture a car. It has to be to pay for all the other things along the line, be it R&D, big-boss high-backed chairs, dealerships with big windows, dolly birds at motor shows, etc. etc. It is amazing though how cars start out. Compare a Mk1 Hillman Imp from 1963 to a Mk4 from 1976. One can marvel at the engineers' work in one and the Chrysler accountants' work in the other. |
|
|
|
Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 2, 2012 7:46:56 GMT
We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of MOTs.........
|
|
|
|
Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 2, 2012 10:05:40 GMT
Fail on 3x track rod ends, including both of the l/h thread inners  By the time we can afford to order some and get them delivered we'll miss the free retest as well. But I have a cunning plan...... |
|
|
|
Post by mattsdafs on Apr 2, 2012 13:05:01 GMT
Joe,full list to us pls and we will try an get in the post asap
|
|
|
|
Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 2, 2012 17:02:53 GMT
It's ok Matt, thanks - I found a set of 4 (2 each thread) I didn't know I had!!! All fitted and happy again. There was an advise on an engine mount and a balljoint, but I'm really not worried about them. She's booked in for about 3 tomorrow afternoon for the retest and celebrated by running out of fuel on the way home while telling me she still had 1/4 tank on the gauge!
It's also prompted me to have a closer look at the track rod ends (which I'd been meaning to do for a while) and I can now confirm that they CAN be stripped and that the only wear in even pretty bad ones is the nylon cup. You just know where this is going, don't y'all? ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by mattsdafs on Apr 2, 2012 17:20:51 GMT
;D...Yep,we know Joe  ...Good luck with the re-test |
|
|
|
Post by Nick on Apr 2, 2012 18:32:28 GMT
turning nylon seats and crimping them in?  |
|
|
|
Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 2, 2012 18:35:18 GMT
That's the plan, Nick. Or possibly cast poly ones - there's still some of he material left from when the guy did a runner and the mould should be easy enough. Would be a lot quicker that way. There must be LOTS of worn ball joints out there that could be nicely renovated if the crimping back in can be got right!
|
|
|
|
Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 2, 2012 22:00:52 GMT
Ok, got around to uploading the pics so here's how to strip a track rod end. I destroyed one with a grinder first to see how they went together, and used that to develop this more technical approach: Take your TRE and place it, taper up, in the jaws of a vice so that the jaws are supporting the forged body just outside the "ring" near the edge:  That was the technical bit. Now hit it bloody hard with a big soft mallet. If you don't have one use a big hammer and a block of wood to protect the thread:  Repeat until successful. Congratulations, you have now successfully dismantled your joint:  If you look beside the ball you can see the remains of the nylon cup that's meant to support the back of the ball pin. I'll be working on replacements soon. As for reassembly, the cap fits back quite nicely with a gentle tap:  It will need tightening because driving it out will have "closed" the edge slightly but I'm hoping that punching it with a ring punch will spread it back into its original groove. Just in case it's successful I don't want try that till I've got a new cup in there  |
|
...Good luck with the re-test 
