Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Feb 17, 2022 17:10:19 GMT
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Mini hasn't had a working stereo since I bought it. There was a (really, really bad) amplifier in the boot and someone had spliced some wires for the cheap JVC stereo to 'work'. Unacceptable. I hate other people's wiring  Honestly most of these pulled apart by hand, so since I was intending on running a decent amplifier I just pulled most of it out, including the car speaker wiring as it was redundant. Rather unhelpfully Minis don't have a switched live in the loom so all I needed from that mess was the permanent live and ground. I ran a separate switched live from the sunroof fuse (some poking about with a test light identified that as a switched live of decent amperage).  Turns out the only speakers connected to the amp were the factory Harmann Larson 6x9s, and they sounded awful. Whether this was down to the speakers themselves or the amp (which is what I suspect) I still pulled them and replaced them with Alpine aftermarket ones that fit exactly the same. Handy! 4 torx screws and the door cards pop right off  Normally I'd spend a few hours creating my own speaker rings to accommodate the aftermarket speakers, but in a rare moment of generosity I treated myself to some actual prefab plastic ones. Made fitting the new speakers a doddle. One period correct Alpine stereo fitted, with a Bluetooth adapter connected to the cd changer port for modernity.   Whatever happened to single DIN stereos with awesome graphics of zooming cars, volcanoes, dolphins and the like? I miss them. Ideally I'd have gone for a double DIN with the modern bells and whistles but I can't see how one would fit without significant and irreversible modification...and the popout screens would cover many of the switches and part of the Speedo. No good. The best part is, for me at least, that it looks bang on and pretty much unmodified. The 4 channel amp powering 6x9s and 6.5" fronts creates a warm, bassy sound in a pretty small cabin all told, and there's still enough room in the boot for 2 carrier bags 🤣 |
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thomfr
Part of things
Trying to assemble the Duett again..
Posts: 677
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Feb 18, 2022 18:30:01 GMT
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What kind of amplifier did you use? Classic or digital?
Thom
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73' Alfa Giulia Super
64' Volvo Duett
65' Volvo Duett
67' Volvo Amazon 123GT
09' Ford Focus 1.8
20' VW ID4
71' Benelli Motorella
65' Cyrus Speciaal
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Feb 21, 2022 13:37:29 GMT
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What kind of amplifier did you use? Classic or digital? Thom Standard (not digital) InPhase 4 channel jobbie.  Needed a ground loop isolator to get rid of some really annoying hum...it's now 90% better. Drives so much better on 16s with 55 profile tyres than the 17s on 45 profile. |
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Feb 25, 2022 10:09:43 GMT
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Loving the sheer variety of this thread!!
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Feb 28, 2022 22:09:48 GMT
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Whatever happened to single DIN stereos with awesome graphics of zooming cars, volcanoes, dolphins and the like? I miss them. I've still got one! Well, two actually...  I too miss those days - there's very few head units nowadays which actually look good IMO. |
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Sometimes, others may not understand why you like a car so much. Sometimes, you may not even understand why you like a car so much. But none of that matters; all that matters is that you like the car, and having it makes you happy.
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hairymel
Club Retro Rides Member
avatar by volksangyl
Posts: 1,081
Club RR Member Number: 207
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 So as usual I enlisted hairymel to support. Your post lists all the work done to get the hijet on the road. The implication seems to be that with a bit of moral support you bravely struggled through. I feel you are under-emphasizing how vital the contribution of others was in the quest for roadworthyness. Disregarding my valiant efforts, it's important to note for the record that, your 5 year old son did half of the brake line reoair - particularly the flaring of the pipes as he has better grip strength than you🤣 |
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whats that burning smell?
oh curse word :-(
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hairymel
Club Retro Rides Member
avatar by volksangyl
Posts: 1,081
Club RR Member Number: 207
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Also did you tell MrsPaul that you raised the asking price of the polo by 50% before you sold it to (obviously desperate) me?
I haven't mentioned it to you before now, but I'm publicly calling you out because I'm keen to hear your justification/rationalisation 😂😂😂
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whats that burning smell?
oh curse word :-(
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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So as usual I enlisted hairymel to support. Your post lists all the work done to get the hijet on the road. The implication seems to be that with a bit of moral support you bravely struggled through. I feel you are under-emphasizing how vital the contribution of others was in the quest for roadworthyness. Disregarding my valiant efforts, it's important to note for the record that, your 5 year old son did half of the brake line reoair - particularly the flaring of the pipes as he has better grip strength than you🤣 Lots of potentially libelous comments there Mr Mel, although granted my son does actually make better flares than me. I seem to recall that when you left the new fuel pump was jetting dinosaur juice all over my block paving and the HiJet was a rolling bomb... |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Also did you tell MrsPaul that you raised the asking price of the polo by 50% before you sold it to (obviously desperate) me? I haven't mentioned it to you before now, but I'm publicly calling you out because I'm keen to hear your justification/rationalisation 😂😂😂 Ahem...I raised the price on FB with the intention of warding off interest. Did you even try to haggle?  |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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So another Mini update... Gave it a wash - not bad for an old girl  Went to the local meet, felt a bit embarrassed that mine was these pretty much big standard alongside some of these beautiful motors  She wet herself in shame  Went to investigate and - remarkably - I think I got away with one here. The leak was coming from the top hose of the radiator, however I knew the rad was quite recent so wasn't convinced it had popped a leak. On closer investigation the top hose is held on by two bolts...and I managed to get another couple of turns on each one to tighten the seal (daren't go any tighter for fear of snapping something😬)  Best picture I could get - there is negative space in this engine bay. Toight! So far, so dry...will monitor. If it needs a new gasket/seal it's a front bumper and crash bar off job 😳 Got round to replacing the front brakes too...I guess these early R53s didn't get brake pad warnings (or mine has been shorted and hidden somewhere) as the NS pads were down to metal 😬  Much better  Started peeling off the patchy chequerplate stickers from the roof. This is going to be a chore   This is 15 minutes work with the hairdryer and plastic scraper method...still managed to go through the paint at one point. I've got a caramel wheel in the garage...much messier but likely to be quicker (although the cleanup and polishing may take longer). Will have a go and report back. Also found out why the bonnet wasn't opening properly...the latches were totally gunked up.  Cleaned and regreased for the next time I have to investigate them in a pub car park 😁  Also (for those who are interested in such things) I added a new chariot to the fleet. forum.retro-rides.org/thread/221325/2001-dodge-dakota-finally-pickup She's big, thirsty and I love her already ♥️ |
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Last Edit: Apr 7, 2022 16:37:03 GMT by Paul
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Today's job was a messy one...  Really needed to remove the roof squares. The heat gun / scraper combination was really really time consuming, although far less messy than the option I went with...the eponymous caramel wheel.   The most effective method seemed to be Hit it with the caramel wheel Then clean it down with adhesive remover (a special magic potion that my detailer next door neighbour gave me...magic stuff) Use the plastic scraper on any stubborn bits. Where it was too near some trim (above the windscreen for instance) I resorted to the heat gun and scraper. About two hours later this was the result  Most pleasing. Now the picture doesn't show the up close detail. There's a fair bit of shadowing and hazing so I'm going to break out the machine polisher if the weather remains favourable and then seal it...but I think with that and the matching mirrors it looks much, much better and less like a toy car 😊 |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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This morning's job...change the washer pump in the bottle. BMW sure don't make it easy...luckily for me most of the pop rivets in the wheel liner are already missing 🤣  It shouldn't be this awkward...but it is...  Old one disconnected, new one offered up. One of these is not like the other.  This wasn't even the cheapest one on eBay 😂 Wrestling it into place and then this happened  See that crack? It's a crack 😬 So not to be dismayed I liberally applied some plastic epoxy to the crack, wrapped the end in about 300ft of PTFE tape and wedged it into the bottle. Success! At least for now... |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Doing a couple of outstanding jobs to get the Mini MOT ready...last MOT highlighted worn pads/discs all round and perished ball joint covers. I'd already sorted the brakes, so with some Covid-imposed isolation time I set about the ball joints.  Yeah I'd say this offside one was knackered  One 19mm bolt, two 13mm and some persuasion with a splitter and we're out  Nearside one looked no better  That's more like it.  Wiper blades were all smeary and unpleasant so out with the old...  And in with the new...  Now inside the little box was a cool thing...  A 3D printed phone mount that fits over the hazard switch. Unfortunately it's no good to me - it's not rated for my phone's weight (I knew this but thought I'd take a punt) so it won't stay. Shame as it's a perfect fit and design. Now to get the MOT booked in 😬 |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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 And relax. Oil leak I knew about...they all have them. Thought I'd fixed the coolant leak though 😬 Well, got a year to investigate 😊 |
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I've got one of those phone mounts,they were 3d printed if i remember correctly.
Mine's been on a year or so and is holding up well.
Like you say, they all have oil leaks..
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Funny how these things happen, the Dodge Dakota also needed a ball joint which I've done this week to take advantage of the Plati Jubez time     Decided to set about fixing the coolant leak on the Mini too. This must be what they call 'service mode'  Looks worse than it is - the bumper is held on with a variety of bolts and torx bits, the aircon condenser is only on with 2 10mm bolts, and the radiator sits on a little plastic shelf held in with 2 plastic bungs. Here's the offending leaky flange   The flange is nowhere near flat against the radiator and no amount of tightening those two little bolts would draw them together so I replaced the (now flat) O ring and slathered it in gasket  Left to dry overnight and refitted this morning - reversal of removal. Oh, those rubber bungs?  Yeah they clearly have a habit of deforming  So I'm calling this the Peter C fix, in honour of the man who inspired it.  Ran up to temp with the top bleed valve open and no apparent leak - but I need to take her out for a decent spin to test it properly. |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Well clearly this thread is WAY overdue an update, so here goes. Firstly, we've said goodbye to a couple of stablemates...  Realised I'd only stuck 800 miles on the Mini in a year which, given that the tax was nearly £40 a month just didn't make a lot of sense. But before selling she got a new alternator and radiator as I never properly fixed that leak...went to a young enthusiast to use as his weekend/show car. Truth be told they're great little superminis but I don't miss her - I just never really connected with it. Can't say why, it was a fine motor. We also bid goodbye to the CROWN Victoria which honestly was a real wrench...  She was running well and a joy to drive - remarkably efficient and smooth - but needs must in order to make room for a new arrival...  455 cubic inches of California muscle in a 1973 Buick LeSabre...you may have seen her at the Weekender - and she has her own showcase thread. Elsewhere the Dodge Dakota continues to bimble along producing remarkably little power or torque for a 3.9 V6 😂😂😂  If I'm being honest this will probably be next to depart the fleet as I drive it once every couple of months and it lives on my dad's driveway, which is doing the paint and bodywork no favours. Still fires up first time, every time. Elsewhere the camper conversion continues its duties despite definitely being in the last chance cambelt saloon 🤣🤣🤣  And the Porsche got a lovely new set of Techart shoes like these:  Currently the fleet is running really rather well, but I'm awaiting the next issue...really need to change the cambelt on the van as I have no idea when it was done last 😂 |
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Last Edit: Jun 2, 2023 12:44:02 GMT by Paul
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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I've been obsessing too much over my Buick and realised my thread of general tat needed updating. First I bought a (sort of kei) car by accident. It was on sale literally walking distance from my house, and I'd driven past it time and time again with a 'For Sale' sign on it. I assumed it would be out of my (very low) price bracket but I ran past it one evening and made enquiries. I slept on it, made an insultingly low offer (from which I refused to budge) and the seller eventually relented - an imminent long distance house move, and too many cars to clear, made him a very motivated seller.  2001 on a Y (so JUST qualifies as 'Retro' on here), Suzuki Wagon R+ with the big fire-breathing 1.3, 4 months ticket and only 59k on the clock. In my few days of ownership she's had the dry rotted steelies replaced with MX-5 5 spokes and a coil off each spring on every corner. Also a damn good clean (she's been living in a hedge apparently) revealed one parking trolley bash and some blown paint on the roof, but other than that she's remarkably clean and straight. This is the safe bet for transport to the Gathering if the weather remains poopy. |
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Last Edit: Aug 8, 2023 16:41:25 GMT by Paul
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Elsewhere the fleet hasn't been so kind. The Dodge failed its MOT today, initially on nothing too drastic  Although the emissions is a bit of a concern. Flashing the ECU indicated a healthy number of codes 🤣 P1494 - evap leak. Very common, I'll throw a new fuel cap on her and see if it helps. Will have a good look for loose or split pipes, but honestly I'm not that fussed. P0051 - pre-cat O2 sensor. That'll be why it I'd overfuelling so much. Okay, let's get one of them in the shopping basket. P0121 - throttle position sensor. Interesting. I wonder if it's linked to... P0720 - output speed sensor. Now here's where things get interesting. Buried under the back seat is a visibly old output speed sensor, which suggests someone has been playing around under there already. Even more interesting, I threw my multimeter on it and found it to be good. My guess is that a previous owner drove it, it threw the EML light, they flashed the code and the $8 part didn't fix it - so they pulled the EML bulb instead since none of the above are causing the check engine light to come on. Helpful. So I'm leaning towards giving it a transmission oil service since I'm not sure it's ever been done (one of the ball joints - an advisory - is still one of the original riveted ones which sort of tells a story of minimal maintenance) and go from there. Changing gear is clunky sometimes but I'd put it down to being an agricultural old truck. The good news is I fly to America in less than a week so I'll be getting a lovely Rockauto shipment (most of these parts are cheap) to the hotel and save on some postage 🙂 Better be a magnet in there... Apologies for the wordy update - next time will be more picturesque! |
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Last Edit: Aug 8, 2023 18:32:59 GMT by Paul
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,945
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Oct 30, 2023 21:40:34 GMT
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So I've been procrastinating but the Dodge goes for a retest tomorrow with: New fuel cap New speed sensor Gearbox flush and fresh filter New TPS New O2 sensor ...so that's the codes all sorted (or so I hope) Also fresh front shocks since the old ones were clearly last their best and these cost me the grand total of £20 from a local ex-Dodge owner  New Upper ball joints  New drop links  Here's hoping... |
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Last Edit: Oct 30, 2023 21:43:15 GMT by Paul
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