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MOT in on the 14th. Tracking is out, camber is well out, chopped springs, and two mullered exhaust studs. So I buy some new springs, and set about removing the old ones. Two allen head bolts that hold the balljoint wishbone in place, proceed to turn to poo, and are now refusing to move, the allen key simply spins round in there. There is no space to get a grinder in, and no space to get grips on. So tommorrow will be spent welding nuts to the suspension, drilling and tapping the freshly broken exhaust studs, and replacing, and tidying up the mechanics of the old brick. Bloody rusty old VW vans, makes me wonder why I bother, I could just buy a modern car, and be done.
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The lurker formerly known as Cappuccinocruiser.. or wedgedout..
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Should've bought a Datsun
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They rust even more, and if there is one thing I don't like, it's welding.
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The lurker formerly known as Cappuccinocruiser.. or wedgedout..
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ohh curse word.BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Allen bolts are the creation of Satan himself. It seems the more exposed to rust an assembly is, the more they use the b*stard things! I ended up welding big feck-off nuts onto the top and spannering them off. Or cutting the b*stards heads off with a grinder!
I know they have their applications - you can torque them up more and that, but it still doesn't stop me detesting the fuggin' things!!
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Can you torque them up more? I just thought they were designed simply to be a pain in the ring.
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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ohh curse word.BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Can you torque them up more? I just thought they were designed simply to be a pain in the ring. So I've heard, although I could be talking b0llocks. Also, they're good if space is tight and a regular bolt couldn't be easily accessed. But yeah, they are a huge pain in the a$$. Second only to Torx bolts. What is the fuggin' point in THEM?!
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ohh curse word.rustingdeathtrap
@GUEST
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I'll let you into a secret with allen and torx head bolts. If you buy cheap sockets your gonna have problems but invest in some snap-on or mac tools ones, or basicly the more expensive end of the market you'll find you have a lot less bother with them. I've noticed time and time again when we get apprentices starting at work with cheap micky mouse tool sets the amount of rounded of nuts and bolts they produce is phenominal. Another thing is to always make sure the opening in the bolt is clean, I normaly tap the socket in with a hammer just to make sure its home before putting the ratchet on. Also with torx bits it can be tricky to find the right size because sometimes a bit one size too small can feel perfect untill you've got a foot long bar with all your wieght on it.
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ohh curse word.BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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True that, rev. I got a Snap-On hex socket for the Merc head bolts. Trouble is after undoing 40-odd of the f*ckers even that was starting to round off ( ). I know they exchange them for free but I can't find anywhere to hand it in (I'm not in the trade). Tapping it with a hammer is a really important one too, just making sure it's "home". I've also found it helps if you can (somehow) keep the socket perfectly in-line with the bolt - again, not that easy when you got a couple of feet of breaker bar on the b*stard! ;D
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ohh curse word.DarrenW
@darrenw
Club Retro Rides Member 74
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Slight tangent... But you know those spanners that are weirdly shaped? So that the force goes on to the flats of the nut rather than on the corners, theoretically reducing the risk of them rounding off? Well, are they actually any good?
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Right, is this on a t25.
This sounds familiar because i've been here.
Undo the top wishbone, remove the big long bolt ( you might have to move the solid brake line slightly ) and the whole lot should drop down a bit so you can grind the allen bolts off, i then cut through the ( buggered anyway ) balljoint to get it off.....
Had to do both sides, the second time didn't take half as long.
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And don`t buy cheap breaker bars - I got one from our local bargain hardware shop for £2.99 and it was cr@p ! Notice the word "was" ... All my weight on it and it broke with an almighty crack - my ears were ringing for hours afterwards Went to Halfords and bought a nice £15.99 one and it undoes everything sooo much easier
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I find the biggest problems with allan and torx headed bolts is when someones been there before and chewed them to bits I think the main reason for both is regards to space rather than torque and I think they are cheaper to manufacture than the older spline headed cylinder head bolts. Torx heads are supposed to be less prone to rounding than allan heads but thats only if you can keep it completely in line. I also get sick of snapping T55 bits on peugeot diesel engines the curse word
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Slight tangent... But you know those spanners that are weirdly shaped? So that the force goes on to the flats of the nut rather than on the corners, theoretically reducing the risk of them rounding off? Well, are they actually any good? If you get decent good quality ones they are okay. Halfords professional spanners are designed to run more on the flats than the corners but its still possible to round them off on very rusty nuts . Metrinch ones were supposed to be quite good but I havent seen anything of them for a while. When possible I always try to use a short hex socket thats as tight a fit as possible and if I expect them to be stuck and there is a high risk of shearing either try to turn in the opposite first or shock start them.
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ohh curse word.BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Those Metrinch ones aren't bad - I've got a few spanners and sockets of theirs. They also fit loads of different sizes in one - Metric / AF / Whitworth....
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ohh curse word.rustingdeathtrap
@GUEST
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I know they exchange them for free but I can't find anywhere to hand it in (I'm not in the trade). Stick it in an envolope and post it to me or give it to me next time you see me and i'll get it changed for ya
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ohh curse word.BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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I know they exchange them for free but I can't find anywhere to hand it in (I'm not in the trade). Stick it in an envolope and post it to me or give it to me next time you see me and i'll get it changed for ya Cheers mate! Could do with a decent one as I'm commencing re-build sometime this century ;D .. can I post it to you? PM me your address and I'll stick it in a jiffy bag
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thanks for the feedback people. I've welded nuts to them, removed them, and now have new ones in. I've also got a set of halfords profesional allen sockets, infact I went a bit loopy on the tools front, and I've ended up with a fair bit of new kit, but you always keep tools, so I guess thats a good thing right? new springs are in, the exhaust turned out to be satans work, causing removal of the engine to get a decent drill in, and retap of the thread, but is now quiet enough to notice the kippered release bearing grumble , another job!, at least the exhuast isn't leaking, as I decided to re weld all the dodgy looking bits. I also put new antifreeze in, the old stuff was still pretty pink, but you can't be too careful on WBX engines. I've got some ankor wax too, brilliant stuff, goes on shinny, then begins to dull off as dust sticks, gives that barn find look to any rusty motor, and seals it all in, so it'll remain ratty but solid. all in all, it's been productive, so hopefully we'll be rolling again really soon.
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The lurker formerly known as Cappuccinocruiser.. or wedgedout..
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