eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Unfortunately the weekend came and went but my rack never materialised. No update on it as of yet also and I hate to keep bugging the guy. But I also really want to know how it's progressing, if I can expect it back anytime soon...
The weekend was not entirely a waste though, as I did some work on a lowered ceiling for my daughters room and me and a friend put in a nice new and safe breaker box with added groups.
The drawback was that the Granada had to be put outside for this work as the breaker box is in a dedicated "room" that is directly behind the garage door to the side. Pushing it out was a small challenge. Tires needed and got some air (long lives the 50 litre compressor), but the front wheels each steering in different directions didn't help either. Anyway we got it out. So while my friend was doing his thing supported by me, I took some time to make a connecting rod between the wheels. Nothing fancy, just a 20x45mm piece of wood the right length, drilled at the ends to take the longest M8 bolts I had lying around and the corners cut at angles so the wheels could steer without hitting the wood.
As the M8 bolts are by no means a great fit to the tapers in the hubs it's all a bit sloppy, but it worked a treat anyway. Moving one wheel would at least to some extent move the other and because of added drag I think they were also less inclined to move. Keeping the wheels straight went a lot better as well. The only bother was that the two of us were just not strong enough to push the Granada up the sloping drive over the threshold at the entrance. My lovely bionic wife to the rescue as the three of us were able to quickly push the car back in.
In 1,5 weeks I have a bit of holiday time coming up so I do really hope that I can have the car mobile by then. I'm missing easter this year already. That bums me out a little as it is the start of the oldtimer season with several well arranged, well put together tours/car scavenger hunts (for lack of the proper words) that I would really really have liked to attend. And the weather apparently will be awesome to boot...
Just got updated on my rack. Time was not available yet so the rack is in pieces but not yet worked on. A funeral puts paid to it getting worked on today, although hope was expressed that he would get to it tonight so he'd have news tomorrow.
Well let's just wait and see... Although I'm not the best at this kind of waiting. I have no problem waiting 6 weeks on something/someone if one states before hand it'll be 6 weeks. But this sort of unconfirmed and ever changing wait while time keeps passing by is not my forte.
Lets keep our fingers crossed that it'll now soon be remedied and on it's way back to me.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Apr 15, 2019 13:30:47 GMT
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ALways great to see this one! Given this: Does that mean your police plate is the wrong way round? Or is the other one?
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Apr 10, 2019 16:45:07 GMT
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Well that's a disappointment, but hopefully he gets it sorted soon. I have a set of wheel dollies if that might make moving the car easier? Thanks for the offer. I also hope it gets solved and sent back ASAP... Wheel dollies would not matter in this case. They’d still flop about as the wheels aren’t linked. Also they’d have trouble with the step at the entrance as well. If need be I’ll rig something up to link and steer the wheels.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Apr 10, 2019 13:24:56 GMT
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At least hes tested it and isnt happy with it, instead of testing it and sending it back anyway. Or not testing it.. When it eventually makes its way back to you, at least you know it'll be sorted. Right, 100% right! And I try to think like that but it just doesn't work that way... Moving a 1450kg car that can't be started as it would spew fluid everywhere, that can't be properly pushed as the front wheels live their own lives and that simply needs moving out of the garage from time to time to get things on the house done as I need access to tools and materials (like at least twice this weekend) is just a pain... Not to mention possibly missing out on another nice part of the season. But let's not get too much ahead of ourselves. Hopefully he'll be more happy with it tomorrow and it's off to me again.... I just don't dare really count on this, but I can hope for it! If not I'll create a steering connector and bar on the front like a boat's rudder lol... I have to have the car more mobile than it sits now.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Well curse word!
The newly revised and improved rack has been assembled and tested. Despite the rebuilders optimism, it turned out to still "not be good". I presume this means it still leaks. Although another time when he used this expression it turned out that he wasn't satisfied with the steering feel differing between turning right vs. left. The rack leaking is far more probable though.
He'd put the rack aside for a while and will now resume work on it tomorrow. This puts paid to MOT this week for sure and quite possibly even getting the rack back any time soon. This guy is a specialist who knows what he's doing so if he's having such a hard time it sort of scares me...
So curse word! curse word! curse word! curse word!!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Where will they exit? Did you make an extra cutout in the rear valance or will they end before the valance pointing down or? I like the view. Couple of chrome tips and call it good. I had hoped you'd done it like this... excellent! I do agree that it could use tips on them, but maybe you've already thought about that too. For this car I know what I'd go with: simple round ones, but cut at an angle and wit rolled edges to give some body to them...
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Where will they exit? Did you make an extra cutout in the rear valance or will they end before the valance pointing down or?
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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So the rack should be on its way back to me by now and will hopefully be received Wednesday. If so I'll at least try and fit it that evening. I'll see how I get on getting the engine back on its supports with the help of my wife first but if that fails, I know who to call, lol! So I received a few pics of the rack modification. Nothing really great but nice to document for later. The rack was leaking from this end bush which was rebuilt using new o-rings etc. last time around: Main culprit is assumed to be the nylon ring(s) rather than the o-rings. A universal part that could be made to function was proposed: End result. I do not know 100% for sure, but presume that in the end a smaller seal was actually used. Given it was introduced into the bush and the earlier seal shown had the same outer dimensions. The bush seems to have been machined to allow the seal to fit as the outer edge in the final pic looks thinner. The seal as it sits now should be leak proof I am told. So now we wait to receive the rack so I can install it again. Meanwhile I've not sat idle. As a happy wife equals to a happy life (or so I'm told), I thought I'd do something she'd been looking forward to for months and I'd been dreading for just as long: finishing the front and back garden by filling the flower beds and planting some living green stuff. I'd dreaded this as it turned out that getting 5m3 of black sand for flower beds delivered turned out to be real expensive. And than you'd either have a big pile of sand on your drive or several big bags (even more costly) and I'd have to shovel it into the beds by myself. In the end I asked the guy who did our garden work and he turned out to be cheaper and not only that but his rates included his labour to help get the sand into the beds as well. So no doing it by myself then! Win!! So last Saturday at 8:30 he arrived with sand load number one in the back of his multifunctional trailer. We wheelbarrowed that load into the back garden beds and with that those were filled and load two could be gotten. As that was front garden sand we were able to directly shovel it from the trailer into the beds. But one load was not enough so a final load was retrieved and shoveled in. Pfew... what a painful work for my foot, leg and back as I have an injury to my foot that although taken care of creates muscle pains in other areas. We were well on shedule and there was time to also go and get the gravel we wanted in one of the flower beds. So a fourth trip for him and some short lived relief for me ensued. The gravel was quickly wheelbarrowed to the back yard flower bed and distributed. That meant job done!! I'd not expected this final step to happen today and at such low cost so that felt like a real bonus. Although while doing this work I found another problem on the house that urgently needs taking care of (a water leak from a dormer side panel coming loose) which was a little bit of a bummer. Enjoy the end result... On to the next jobs, hopefully this will be the rack...
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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YEs on the Gilbern from me. I'm most curious to see the state of the body and the reasons for blistering like this. I've had a boat with similar issues, but that was in the water a lot which makes it a bit more logical.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Alex & Sam J + anyone else in that neck of the woods (or enroute) I and plenty of others will be heading through Rotterdam enroute to Copenhagen at the end of August 2020 to a international Jowett rally - loads of time yet but an opportunity to meet up on the way there or back with a decent sized Jowett convoy - even if its only for quick break / coffee - don't know how far away you guys are located in NL - Chris I’d be more Thanks happy to try and make something possible. Eindhoven-Rotterdam is very doable and I’d love to both see the convoy as well as get to meet the legend! Let’s keep the thought alive! Give me a shout when plans are more set.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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It looks no different at all, ;-)
Congrats on getting to this point!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Chris, I know you really know your stuff, but to the untrained, the scratches still visible in your finished profiling work still look quite deep... I suspect these will be smoothed by the subsequent paint product layers? Or am I just on the wrong page in the process and is this profiling not the final sanded result before paint?
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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And another small update, on the steering rack! A more comprehensive one I'll do as the rack is mounted. First off, the rack should be back in my posession by Wednesday! That in and of itself is good news. Means I won't be loosing too much of my season. And this means I can probably get MOT arranged for the very near future as well, quite possibly next friday. That will be my goal. Oh I'm just so utterly excited about the rack progress I'm all giddy, lol. Can't wait to get the blue beast back on the road and then finish the final thingies with the help of SamJ. So on to the rack itself. It was diagnosed thouroughly as per standard procedure from the rebuilder. This because last time it was a full rebuild and the fact it had now gone wrong again so soon (the leaks have been present for longer but only became much more apparant when fluid decided to spill) meant he was very interested in finding out exactly what and why it had failed again. The conclusion is that only the right side of the rack is leaking. The end stop, a big metal piece with a brass insert with several 0-rings and a nylon ring apparently is not doing it's job. This means the gaiter on that side filled up. As it did so, the balance tube (which on this rack is external, but positioned between the housings rather than between the gaiters which is also common) which should move air from one side to the other started moving fluid. As both gaiters filled and were sealed tight, there was less room for air to be balanced and this appears to have caused more pressure on the gaiters, eventually forcing some fluid past and also creating pressure in the balance tube, which is why Sam and I saw fluid leaking from there as well. The tube was always slightly bent, so straightening it a little created a better seal but there shouldn't have been any fluid there to even leak. So this all explains why the leak to my untrained eye would appear to be on both sides. As the end stop was rebuilt using a uk supplied kit, the rebuilder suspects minor deviations from original sizes as no components were in shocking conditions. But he's no stranger to these leaks and came up with an idea to put in a modern seal. I think he's going to machine the stop short so this seal will fit. It looks a lot more like the cam/crank seals we all know. But slightly different as it seems to have a nylon insert bonded in. Anyway, he is confident he can get it to stop leaking, well I just hope so....!! All going to plan the rack should be posted Tuesday, but I'm sure he'll let me know how he got on with the modification sooner. So there you have it, I'm pretty stoked, lol. Good way to enter the weekend!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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If it didn't sit right with you then you did the right thing! But the added delay can be frustrating for sure.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Impressive as ever!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Got a very small update on the steering rack. The rebuilder has confirmed it is leaking (d'uh!!). He's ordered additional fittings that allow him to test the rack components seperately and they will be in tomorrow. So hopefully more news soon.
Although I personally have my doubts on what or how components can be tested seperately. I can imagine the pinion housing that normally accepts the to and from feed and exit connections and possibly the piston tube directly. But I wonder what that would tell. I mean it's obvious that the fluid leaks into the gaiters so any leak in my uneducated opinion would seem to be in the piston tube end seals. But as I say I'm uneducated, maybe there's more to the system than I understand.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Amazing!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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No spot, I could never live up to your speed of work and work standards anyway so that has no effect on my motivation whatsoever! At the rate you're going I think most of my neighbours will be dead long before they get to see your super Granny in any proximity to my crappy restored on a dime one.... And now back to our regularly scheduled program...
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Mar 27, 2019 13:40:11 GMT
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Dodged a coronary there, only just!
Good for you!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,492
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Anxiously awaiting news regarding my steering rack. The parcel had been delayed as it had leaked fluid onto other parcels and contents needed to be checked. I thought I had drained it pretty well, I had moved/held it in several weird angles and not a drop was leaked, yet once packaged apparently it did after all. Ah well. Just a delay and no real damage to other people's stuff.
But the rack is now where it needs to be and I really want to find out what is wrong with it this time. I don't want to stalk the rspecialist obviously, but I am curious and I'd like my rack back asap.
It sort of hurts seeing the weather improve, the car in the garage, yet completely useless, lol
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