eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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She's HOME!! She's officially resting in her own private sanctuary....also known as a powerless one car storage box of a garage, lol... The trip was great and in comparison to the earlier ones without much fuss. I made sure me and my neighbour, who was kind enough to drive my van back home following the Granada as backup as well, were at the barn with at least some daylight left. Of course the drive was blocked by a huge van. Turnes out the occupants of the neighbouring house were either selling or moving some large furniture items. We helped them load the biggest and then asked if we could ever so kindly pass. And with that we were on our way... I had my 10 year old son with me in the Granada. I'd promised him the very first ride along so he was quite excited if not a little scared. He's not used to us braking down roadside and of course that is exactly what had happened on the two drives I'd had with the car. So he settled into his seat quite anxious. Within 500 meters from the barn, the car started squeeling, a high pitched metal on metal noise. Turns out that the brake dust shield on the side that had the caliper bolt come out was now rubbing the disk. A quick push and it was solved. My son who was at first a bit afraid this would be the end of the trip was soon pretty impressed that good old dad was able to fix the problem in 1 minute. That boosted confidence. Also so far I could both hear the rear pump run and I had not felt any hesitation at all. Off we went again. We accelerated to 80 no problem for a few km's (of course we never played with the go fast pedal, oh no not us decent folkes) before deciding to turn to the motorway...slow down for the turn and then hammered the pedal to get to 120... A bit of smoke out the exhaust but the car went off like a rocket. The kickdown works very well! And the car pulls nicely and that was still in economy setting of the gearbox. Let's just say the car was definitely fun to drive!! The engine and box feel a little less refined than in the scorpio, but I put that down mostly to that car being 25 years younger and a lot further developed. Body work had better seals, thicker door panels and what not. Also the gearstick hole in the tunnel is not yet sealed enough. So some roadnoise enters the car there as well. It's the little things to now finish up. But boy was it fun!! My boy could not get over the V6 sound with the straight through pipes ending in one back box (as opposed to three boxes total originally) We got home without any issues and I showed the car to my wife, daughter and the neigbour's wife. They were all well impressed. Finally I put it away for the night in its new home. From the backup vehicle, lol. Apparently I liked playing with the pedals a bit too much for a decent pic... And my neighbour couldn't remember what button to push on the Transit to get it to go faster than 115.... lol.   |
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meltdown
South West
Isn't letting old age get the better of him, still making the same bad decisions with vehicles.
Posts: 687
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Great stuff, I remember days like that with my Dad so pleased for you n the little one  |
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Powered by biscuits
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,287
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Excellent, excellent, excellent!
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gess
Part of things
Posts: 220 
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Congratulations on getting your ride safely home. It is a pity that "Winter Is Coming", but it might not be as bad as here in Norway. The roads here will soon be full of metal eating salt and no classic cars should be exposed to that.
I guess you really impressed your son by fixing the squeeling noise so quickly. it is nice to show the little ones that one is capable of resolving problems on the road :-)
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Anyone else a little sad that its over? Wait, its a classic car, its never over, we're just into the next phase...keeping it on the road!
Congratulations though, I am seriously envious of your skill, patience and attention to detail, the end result is something that you should be rightfully proud of.
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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This feels really, really good to read. Congrats mate, I'm not sure how you manage to sleep at night knowing you have your car in the garage ready to be driven!
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Oct 17, 2016 14:44:50 GMT
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Well another week has passed. A week with the car at home! Is that interesting? No, maybe not, but to how I feel it's made a huge difference!! I now do not have to feel bad for taking up valuable space in the barn or other workshops etc. That released the pressure of really having to go to the barn and work on the car, even when I was actually not in the mood. The good thing about that though was that it was the proverbial stick to push me to get it done. And of course being allowed into that community for the months it took was also very welcome. The barn was a life saver, I would not be where I am today without it. And I'd like to express my gratitude here once more! Anyway, I don't think the car got much use during the week. Work means it's dark when I get home. But friday I got to use the car a bit again. I'd by now noticed that during the restoration the tyres were quickly thrown back onto the rims to have the car mobile. I felt in my steering wheel that they were not balanced! So Friday I had them balanced. Long story short, they did a good job of it, playing with the weights so they were as out of sight as possible. Top job. That was finished just in time to pick up my son from school in the Granada. He was literally jumping for joy when he saw the blue beast come up to him. The drive home is only a very short drive, but for him it was more about being picked up in front of the school kids in this car... Looking cool I hope. At least one of his friends commented on my fantastic new car. At which time I told him it was 44 years old actually... He loved it and I guess it upped my sons cool status a notch. Not a goal in itself but always nice in the cut throat world of school. Me and my wife parked the car in the garage and enjoyed the walk home. Having the car home and me being home even more as a result has also sparked some romance again... Which is nice!   Saturday I set out through the rain to buy a new dash led for the missing indicator light. I couldn't get one, so I left with only a new audio lead. And then I was so beat feeling lousy that I just crashed on the couch and watched movies most of the day... Not a bad passtime either for a change! Sunday fortunately was a great day with sunshine and 20+ degree temperatures. So early morning it was out with the granada to park it in front of the house. I decided to wash it first. it was dusty and it had accumulated some bird $h1t on the roof and c-pilar area's (yes barn members, the tough hard black spatter stuff that did not respond to cleaners, washed off with shampoo with relative ease). Next I cleaned the windows, no luxury as they were very very dirty. That quite transformed the look of the car. I had some rain-x left from my mustang owning years to help the wiper system cope, so I thought it couldn't hurt on the granada as well if it still worked. Cleaned the wheels as much as possible and that was that. During this time, several neighbours first layed eyes on the car and came over to have a quick look. A lot of praise was gotten from them as well. Nice...   The afternoon a drive was planned with my friendly neighbour so I wanted the car to be as ready as it could be. I took out the dash binnacle to try and find the missing dash light, but it has dissapeared for now. I tested a theory of mine regarding the high reading temp and fuel gauge to no avail. I refitted a light for the indicator and put it all together. Felt good to have that complete once again. Finally I quickly added the new lead for the audio and fitted the HU. The new lead is a bit of a dudd, but sometimes it works and when it does, the sound is awesome! Really great! Mi wife was well impressed, as was my friend. That meant for me the dash area is almost fully done: need to fit a switch still and hook up the carkit for the phone. And with that it was time to just enjoy the car for a bit. So I took a drive to my parents to show them the car. Showing off the car's performance to my friend.  I'm the potbelly in the black shirt... I let my friend drive us home. Of course that was when the car drew most attention. It does turn heads by the way. Even women! Hahahaha...not really used to that lol. At one time we beat an audi a3 and a vintage motorbike by 4 busses from the lights. And not much later a ricer honda with customary pie cutter on the back! That dude could see the fun in what had just happened to him lol. Beaten by 40 year old massive iron! Good times! I made a small clip, unfortunately a bit after the facts, when only 50km/h was allowed.... But you get the jist from how it sounds and runs. It's now parked in the garage again waiting for the next installment of detail finishes...Oh, and it hasn't stalled or sputtered once since my work on the fuel system and tank. Trust is building! |
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,287
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Oct 17, 2016 16:20:13 GMT
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"amber means put your foot down!"  Sounds really, really nice. |
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Oct 17, 2016 17:09:36 GMT
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Looks amazing after the clean - not that it wasn't before, but the shine really helps.
Love the sound of the engine.
Good tunes too
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Oct 17, 2016 17:35:40 GMT
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"amber means put your foot down!" Sounds really, really nice. In my defence, I wasn't driving... I'd have stopped personally... but that would have been a stretch in this case I think! |
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Oct 17, 2016 17:38:18 GMT
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Looks amazing after the clean - not that it wasn't before, but the shine really helps. Love the sound of the engine. Good tunes too I agree a clean did a lot for the car very much so the glass... The engine sounds great with only one muffler! Yeah, good old queen is always good! In the Granada I have a thing for the old stuff, but my friend wasn't into it that much...so choose a little more mainstream! |
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mk2cossie
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 3,063
Club RR Member Number: 77
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Oct 17, 2016 18:00:20 GMT
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Does indeed look better for a cleaning session, shown up by the reflection in the clean windows the most  Also love that it has still got just one standard looking tail pipe as well, not a massive pair of 2.5inch pipes sticking out the back like some 
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Last Edit: Oct 17, 2016 18:00:58 GMT by mk2cossie
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Well, just caught up on this and what a brilliant (interim!) conclusion.
Great, great work and good to see it being enjoyed at last.
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Does indeed look better for a cleaning session, shown up by the reflection in the clean windows the most Also love that it has still got just one standard looking tail pipe as well, not a massive pair of 2.5inch pipes sticking out the back like some
I've been on the fence regarding dual exhausts on this car. The fact of the matter is that the fuel tank is pretty large and there is not a whole lot of space to do it, but it could have been done. I once actively sought for the piece of valance needed to have the exact same exhaust cut out if I would do it. But I wasn't willing to pay what people were asking for 20cm of a banger car. In the end I decided against doing it... I've now got straight pipes from the V6 block to the original exhaust back box. Sounds nice, looks standard. I do think if I ever find an affordable piece, that I'd like to put on a dual exhaust tip. But the problem there is finding one with the right diameter input tube and matching (not crazy looking) sized exit tubes. But since those oval tips and 4" round tips have come in fashion, what I'm looking for is harder to find. And I hate those oval ends or the fart can type large diameter round ones, that's a personal pet peeve. Even on bentleys etc. that is always the one thing I don't like... Thanks for your comments! |
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Just a non update really this week...
To be honest, after last weekend's update nothing was done to the granada at all! And that was actually a nice change of pace!
So what did happen, well...as the weather is changing and as I want to do some small finishing touches before showing the car at work, it's been parked in the garage for most of the week.
Wednesday we had a family appointment at the hairdressers and as anyone knows how chatty hairdressers are, it'll be no surprise that we've been talking about the Granada for months. So with it now legal my mind was set on finally showing her what the talk had been all about.... weather all day had been bad with plenty of rain (yes I'm not ready to purposely drive it in the rain yet now I can pamper it in a dry garage) so it was looking bleak, but end of day it cleared up some. So I took a chance and we took the Granada on it's first night outing. Thankfully she behaved well, no strange things with lights or battery or anything. Even the rear screen (and now also mirror) heating worked.
Funnily enough the hairdresser had not noticed us arriving at her house. She'd heard a loud rumble for a moment, but was keeping a lookout for our van, so thought nothing of the noise. When she came to greet us, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the Granada and things clicked in her head. Let's just say she was well impressed with all of my hard work. Which incidentally has been how most people react to the car.
Anyway, that was a nice little trip and the family and I enjoyed playing with the throttle and leaving modern cars buslengths behind during acceleration.
I parked her up in my garage again and walked home, feeling pretty good.
This weekend the weather was too cold and misty and wet to do work on the car. That is the biggest drawback of having the car home. There's only room to work outdoors. I guess the final details will be a bit slow to get done. Still having the car legally driveable and close is great!
I hope to update with some more detail work soon.
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Not checked in here for a while - great to see it on the road and the feedback you're getting. You've done real justice to this fabulous car, nice one!
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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well done Alex ... lovely machine, credit to you for your hard work ... p.s. you might want to look at the exhaust tail pipe, looks a bit wimpy compared to the rest of the car!  |
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Last Edit: Oct 25, 2016 8:23:59 GMT by westbay
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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well done Alex ... lovely machine, credit to you for your hard work ... p.s. you might want to look at the exhaust tail pipe, looks a bit wimpy compared to the rest of the car! Plan was to cut the current end short and fit a 2-way end piece. But havent found one yet that I like to pay the price for... |
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Oct 25, 2016 11:25:49 GMT
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[/quote]Plan was to cut the current end short and fit a 2-way end piece. But havent found one yet that I like to pay the price for...[/quote] Thought you'd have a solution !! sounds just right Do you know anyone who could weld a couple lengths of stainless pipe together(side by side with 'Y' piece) ? |
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Took the Granada to work for the first time yesterday!! People were anxious to see it after hearing me talk about it for years.... As the miles rack up, confidence in the car is growing, as well as the list of little niggles... Anyway confidence was high enough to try for work with it. The trip to work would mean motorway driving speeds, which were holding me back. I'd not yet taken it past about 90-100 before, so when I had a chance sunday I did a short test on a piece of straight motorway that I needed to get off after 1 or 2 miles. That went well enough. No new niggles! Monday evening saw me and the wife (and dog) walk to the garage for a "pre-drive checkup". I checked that wheels were still on tight, fluids were up to correct levels, spare fuel was present and battery charged. Took off the car cover to save some time in the morning. After finding everything in good order I was dedicated to driving the Granada to work. Next morning I cycled to the garage, and traded vehicles... The drive to work went well. The car drives like a modern car almost so had no trouble weaving through traffic. I felt more and more relaxed as the miles piled on. It's not a very far journey though so about a good 10-15 minute commute depending on traffic. At work I took the opportunity to take some pictures. The next few hours I'd get the occasional call and desk visit from people wanting to comment on the car. It wasn't until lunch brake that I was really bombarded. I took a co-worker for a quick round over the industial complex and he was well impressed! The thing is pretty fast once it's moving. And happily revs high... Everyone was very positive about my creation praising most often the colour, next the interior and engine and surprise surprise they loved the high tech mirrors! At least not a single bad word was spoken. The car made a huge impression and I guess that reflects on me as a person as well. People suddenly know how capable you are of doing something. In this case something that for most is way too far out of their comfortzone. So that's nice.     So, niggles then! Yes there are some.... 1. A vibration felt in the seats: most likely the lengthened driveshaft that I did not yet have balanced. So probably an easy (winter) fix. 2. The central locking/folding mirrors don't always open anymore. This was suspected to be a power issue, but I now have good reason to believe it's the motor not signaling the system. I suppose the microswitches are either not triggered or have failed. I have replaced one motor before for just this reason. First step though is double checking that the connecting rod hasn't shifted, that would also have the same effect as rod travel may not be far enough anymore to trigger the microswitch. 3. I have an intermittant issue with the indicators. They seem to flash at a normal rate most of the time, but sometimes they speed up. Usually when the throttle is pressed to raise revs, the speed returns to normal, although this connection may be in my head. The intermittant nature may also prove this to be completely untrue. Not had the time to check if all lights are blinking at the time it speeds up. The one time I was at the garage and tested the indicators they behaved normally. But worst and needing the most urgent attention: 4. A wobble in the steering wheel under braking, really only under braking! Warped disks are an option, yet these have only a couple of hundred km's on them and never showed any sign of being warped/wobbly before the restoration (yes they are the one recycled part of all mechanicals). I'm looking more at them being mounted slightly off centre on the hubs. The hubs were coated and for the disks centre bore to fit they were sanded down slightly. Just slightly but we all know that is not a precise process. That is why I consider this a possible cause. The kicker is that this wobble is or seems a little erratic. When the car is cold and speeds stay under 50km/h at first it's hardly there. When the car is warm/hot it seems more noticable even at slower speeds. At higher speeds it's there as soon as the brakes are touched, always. The steering wheel is pulled or pushed (don't know which) left first, then back to centre or possibly a little past. It's not pulled right as far as it is left. And it always pulls left first. It never feels unsafe and the car stops in a straight line, but it makes the steering wobble. So there you have it. The first few things the shakedown has reveiled. I'm not worried about any of it except for the wobble issue. I am a little miffed that even with so much care taken to do a seriously thourough and good build, I still end up with stupid little stuff to correct. I'd like to focus on finishing the interior pieces so the car is really 100% ready (as far as that is ever the case), but instead will have to rip out things like doorcards etc. that are in place very well just to resolve/check for simple issues. And I hate that mostly because those are rotten jobs with too much potential of damage to the panels etc. Anyway, I'll make a list and just tackle them when I can. Systematically and with regard to common sense timing. With snow on the ground I won't be driving it so the driveshaft can be missed for a while for example. Although loyal friend spot is already helping my thought process in regards to these point, opinions or solutions are welcomed. See, no need to fear this thread to be dead just because the car is now legal, lol! |
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