bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Nov 23, 2012 22:58:38 GMT
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Ive had a few of these recently and thought it could make a good story thread. I'll start with a couple of mine.
A simple job to change the rear leaf springs on a mitsubishi l200. I reckoned on it taking an hour and a half max per side but probably a fair bit quicker. Yeaahhh it wasn't! After 30mins all but one bolt which serves as the pivot point of the front spring eye done and I'm thinking its not gone badly at all a few stubborn bolts but nothing a few soaks of penetrating fluid and big bar couldn't sort. Then to remove the final bolt so that the old knackered spring could be removed. The nuts tight but comes off with a bar and then go to knock the bolt through, it wont! Put a socket and a bar and try to turn the bolt even with me literally hanging on the end of the bar it wont move a micron and still wont hammer out. Next thought cut the bolt on either side of the spring eye and remove it in 3 pieces. No room for anything other than a hacksaw blade which I cant get to cut.
Solution in the end was to cut the head of the bolt off with a hacksaw and then to drill it out, then do the same to stem of bolt coming out the other side. In the end my 3 hour max predicted job takes 8 hours and at the end is only half completed. Other side comes off no problem the next day.
Today a simple lower ball joint change.
Simple remove the ball joint nut, split the joint, drop lower arm off, press out old joint, press in new one and refit job done.
Now what actually happened remove top nut, place hammer position hammer type splitter and whack hard 5 or 6 times, not split, recheck for anything holding it on, nothing doing so other than the taper. Suport weight of hub and spring with jack and continue to lay into ball joint splitter, 3/4 hour later still not splitting. Consider using scissor type splitter which would require the strut and hub to be separated to gain clearance to use the tool, get it out and thankfully check first to see that the fork section will actually fit around the ball joint, it doesn't. Back to plan A whacking hammer through splitter but this time with ones biggest hammer. Twang it releases ball joint splitter flies out and gives me a black eye, note to self wear safety goggles in future when using splitters.
Go on them I'm sure people on here have a few tales of easy jobs that for one reason or another became much harder than they should have been.
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44
1974 VW Beetle 1303s
1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV
1988 VW LT45 Beavertail
1998 Volvo V70 2.5
1959 Fordson Dexta
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Nov 23, 2012 23:02:10 GMT
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trying to remove a seized front anitroll bar bracket from a mk4 escort. 1x17mm nut 10mins tops. nope 1x17mm nut, socket, angle grinder, hammer and prybar took 2hrs and 3 ruined knuckles
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,841
Club RR Member Number: 174
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Nov 23, 2012 23:25:22 GMT
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Why were you using a joint splitter in the first place they're wibblepoo. Couple of hammer blows to the side of the female taper and majority pretty much just drop out. Those join splitters are just trying to force it out in the exact direction its designed to hold on tight to.
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Nov 23, 2012 23:36:43 GMT
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Must be technique but ive never managed to get one to go using the hammer on the female taper up until now the splitters have always done job pretty painlessly for me.
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44
1974 VW Beetle 1303s
1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV
1988 VW LT45 Beavertail
1998 Volvo V70 2.5
1959 Fordson Dexta
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Nov 24, 2012 10:37:43 GMT
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ditto - I've tried beating the living curse word out of a balljoint..nothing Ruined a couple of hammer-splitters Scissor type splitter however, works first time, every time  And for me,the turning point was on ONE car too! And due to needing a lift to get to the closest tool shop (16 miles away!) It eventually ended up taking an couple of days to remove one silly joint! Lol |
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You're like a crazy backyard genius! |
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,195
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nov 24, 2012 15:02:41 GMT
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Same as above. The scissor type splitters have served me well so far . Maybe I am not being brutal enough but the hammer method does not always work for me. Same for the spring tensioned hose clips. Like Chairchild it took one car to make me go out and buy the tool to remove them. No one short of Houldini himself could have changed that house without it (short of removing the inlet manifold/water pump (2004 Ford Mondeo 2.5 V6)). I can see why garage hate working on them to be fair. An Alfa 147/156 & GT's upper arm can be fun to change. Involves taking off the wishbone mounting which sits on top of the strut. Simply taking out the wishbone nut is not an option. |
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Last Edit: Nov 24, 2012 17:55:26 GMT by ChasR
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Mike
Part of things
Posts: 352
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Nov 24, 2012 23:17:47 GMT
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i can relate to the spring beinbg a pain getting the bolt from the front eye, took me donkeys to get them of the MG, can do an engine and gearbox change in less that 2 hours but if I'm going to be doing something "SIMPLE" i make sure i don't need the car for a good while after!!
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CIH
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,466
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Anything suspension or chassis that invloves Mercedes Benz. The complete opposite would be mx5s, save for the odd rusty fitting ofcourse (even the mk3s) !
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sparkyt
Posted a lot
selling stuff
Posts: 1,767
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Brake hoses are a big headache . Just undo one banjo one clip and one joint ....all after noon ..
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Changing an alternator on a Carnival. Even worse doing it on your own.
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Todos con Lorca
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mrluke
Part of things
Posts: 237
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Nov 25, 2012 13:27:02 GMT
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Went to do an oil change, what can go wrong? Drain all the oil and go to refit the sump bolt, hmm looks like theres something stuck to it, oh the threads all hanging off. Awesome.
Replaced a rear hub as it was killing wheel bearings, put it all back together and as I started to do the hub nut up it snapped the end off of the CV joint. Think it stress cracked from having the dead wheel bearings.
Another oil change, this time drained the oil, went to remove the oil filter and found it was blocked in by both the steering column and the chassis rail. Oh the joy of kit cars.
Swapping an exhaust for MOT, joined to the manifold by 3 studs with nuts on. 2 come off fine, the last one spins on the stud and strips the thread. Cant do new exhaust up enough to stop gas leak and couldnt remove the stud. Fail.
Simple jobs always take ages, glad its not just me.
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Last Edit: Nov 25, 2012 13:27:37 GMT by mrluke
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Nov 25, 2012 14:29:46 GMT
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Nothing mechanical is harder than working out how to post pictures on the internet  |
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in |
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Nov 25, 2012 18:21:20 GMT
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Nothing mechanical is harder than working out how to post pictures on the internet Anyone for a pot noodle? |
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Nov 25, 2012 18:46:14 GMT
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done an alternator on a v6 Cougar yet?  involves at least 4ft of socket extension bars to reach over to the n/s wheel arch,and you can be sure you only have half that to hand |
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Nov 25, 2012 19:31:59 GMT
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Removing a ceased wheel from a mates Polo today.
Ended up wedging a scissor jack behind the rim and the rear axel thing and jack it off that way.
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Nov 25, 2012 21:57:58 GMT
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top bell housing bolt on a 2.8 frontera?
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Handbrake cables on MGF - there is 1 inch space to undo four 8mm bolts (seized) between the rear bulkhead and the engine subframe. There is a rubber grommet and a plate you have to remove. I still have the scars. Also clutch cable hook at the top of the clutch pedal on mk3 Astra. Mating pretty much any gearbox onto the engine with it in situ - MGF, Station (RWD) and Astra. -Nearly- mates up but needs a number of g-clamps and longer bolts and nuts to make it shut securely.  |
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Last Edit: Nov 26, 2012 8:08:12 GMT by DavidB
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Fuel filter on a Mazda RX-7 FD. Some people think it's easier to drop the diff and subframe off than try to change it in situ. If you do, you need to have fingers as slender as ET's proctologist, at least two extra joints in your arms, be able to see through solid steel (or work by touch) and petrol-resistant mucosa for when you inevitably get a few litres of leaking fuel drenching your face. Hateful job  One self-inflicted job made hard was when we changed the headlights on a mate's RX-7. There's one bolt that holds the bottom motor mount that winds out into the engine bay cos it goes through a vertical section of the monocoque at 90 degrees to the front of the car. This isn't usually a problem, though space is tight.... unless like his car you have an aftermarket V-mount radiator and intercooler setup. Then what happens is the bolt is slightly too long and the head of the spanner butts up against the side of the radiator... ...which isn't a problem unless you happen to have been using a ratchet spanner... which wouldn't be a problem unless it's one of the sort you have to take off the bolt-head and reverse rather than just flip a lever. And even that wouldn't matter if the bolt wasn't so stubborn and corroded that you can't wind it back in by hand. Because this means you now have to take the entire radiator and intercooler assembly out to get your spanner off the bolt head  |
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Nothing mechanical is harder than working out how to post pictures on the internet Anyone for a pot noodle? How do you get the lid off without the contents falling on the floor? |
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,962
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Anything related to drum brakes!
A bit modern but changing headlight bulbs on a Fiat Stilo (need the fingers of a small child!)
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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