Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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well, last Wednesday the kitten failed its MOT on: - head lamps too high
- head lamp switch was intermittent
- nearside steering rack gator split
- offside front upper ball joint badly worn
- nearside front lower ball joint badly worn
- emissions where through the roof!
- hand brake was rubbish
- inadequate repair to offside chassis
so i set out on the hunt for the ball joints, i was pretty sure i had some but didn't know if they would be any good, after a few phone calls (thanks jonny69) i had found nothing, but the kitten owners club could do them for about £75 for a bottom, and £56 for a top... at this point i decided i would see what i had in the shed, and luckily i had 2 good usable ones. few. I thought i had the steering rack boot but it turn out i did not, kitten owners club even drew a blank on that one... but halfords not only had them on their list, but had some in stock! all be it a cut to fit universal type lol, but it works fine. the guy in there was probably in his 30s and was rather useful... credit where credits due! head lamp switch was easy, turned out i had 5 in the shed, soon fixed that one! unfortunately i have no pictures of any of that work. i then decided to look at the hand brake, popped the drum off, and all the linkages where stiff, covered in curse word, and the shoes where nearly at the rivets, so i decided to strip, clean, and rebuild the brakes with plenty of copper ease: Adjuster refitted, am off to get new shoes tomorrow morning, am abit concerned that they wont be bedded in for the MOT and therefore still might not make the grade, but seeing as the road past my house is 'closed' due to it falling off the hill side further up i might have to take it for a few test runs to wear it in, seeing as i have my own empty A road to play with!!! The previous owner had 'fitted' a tow bar, the term fitted is used loosely here, as it was fooking crude to say the least, i have long since cut it off leaving some bits behind which on the offside i had cut back even further, meaning the MOT tester through it was a bad repair! how ever he did not question the huge piece of angle iron hanging from the other side!!! so i ground it off the offside so it looks like it should: Will probably do the nearside tomorrow anyway, makes it all look alot better under there! And last but not least i cleaned and checked over a SU carb ready for it, so tomorrow i Will change the carb, and check the inlet manifold is sealing onto the head, the new carb also has a much more lean needle, so that should stop it running quite so badly and rich. Sorry about the essay! i will keep it updated over the next few weeks as I'm on easter break so things will be picking up now!!! Re-test on Wednesday!!
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:)Well done mate..looks like you're getting on well. I've worked on loads of Reliant 3 wheelers,but never a Kitten. What sort of front suspension and steering do they use? Are they much different mechanically apart from obviously everything to do with the front wheels?
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that looks like a nice garage you have their good pics, and good luck with the re-test
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Kerwality job mate, hope it passes ok. Where do you get your free re-test? My garage only does a free re-test within 24 hours now, the lat time i got the white imp MOT'd i took it in no less than 6 times in one day. I swear that he only passes it at 4.55pm just to get rid of me he was hiding when i arrived!!! How come you car gets tested for emissions? I would have thought that it was old enough to just have a visual check? J
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Last Edit: Apr 3, 2006 7:18:43 GMT by Blown_Imp
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Aye, good luck with the retest
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Cool! Cheers for the progress pics, it's great to be able to see what everyone else is up to. Best of luck at the MOT.
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Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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What sort of front suspension and steering do they use? Are they much different mechanically apart from obviously everything to do with the front wheels? engine, box and axle, are all the same, the main difference if the engine in the kitten is further forwards (where the wheel of a robin is) so there was more room inside. basically anything from the B pillar back is pretty much identical. althogh they do change odd things such as the rear brakes on the kitten are different, this is fine except a kitten hand brake cable is rare, one on ebay £75 at the moment!! as for the front susspension, its reliants own double wishbone with coil overs and drum brakes (from a mini), as far as i can tell the ball joints might be the same as a bedford CF, and there was mention that the rack was a modified herald one, although no one has ever proved it. Kerwality job mate, hope it passes ok. Where do you get your free re-test? My garage only does a free re-test within 24 hours now, the lat time i got the white imp MOT'd i took it in no less than 6 times in one day. I swear that he only passes it at 4.55pm just to get rid of me he was hiding when i arrived!!! How come you car gets tested for emissions? I would have thought that it was old enough to just have a visual check? J P.E.T's down on the industrial estate, near raferty newmans - i can dig out their number if you want. i spent ages phoning around trying to find somewhere that offered a free retest. Lol, did you get an MOT on it in the end? thought it failed on the rot? its 1976? i don't know what the rules are about emissions testing, Daverapid? thanks for the kind words guys.
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Last Edit: Apr 3, 2006 9:01:19 GMT by Mr K
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This was 2 years ago that it passed, i put the engine in and i needed to drive it to uni that evening. It failed on rust that time too i was welding untill 4.50pm got it in and just got it through the test. Me and a mate then ran the engine in by driving to wales on B roads, it took us untill 3.30am around 7 hours!
My 72 car only gets a visual emissions check, but 76 might be a little tighter regulations?
J
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Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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hmm, we might have to look into this emmisions rules. fitted new shoes, and lubricated lots of bits... just got to fit the wheels and adjust them now. also removed the tow bar from the other side, so now it looks like: wearing a coat of hammerite primer... well, I'm off the change the carb and adjust the brakes.
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At the time of writing, for vehicles first used between 1st August 1975 and 31st July 1986 (P to C registration), the CO level must not exceed 4.5% by volume.
With the CO within limits, HC emissions for vehicles first used between 1st August 1975 and 31st July 1992 (P to J registration) must not exceed 1200 ppm.
Looks like your just inside the emissions checks, harsh!
J
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Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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haha, my HC was 3200ppm! which is a tad too high - sucks about the dates too. just finished the brakes, and fitted the carb... so will test drive it and check all is well! the carb all cleaned up: the old one had alot of wear in it, and i would say the needle was worn badly too.
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Last Edit: Apr 3, 2006 19:04:49 GMT by Mr K
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SidewaysGTM
Part of things
Spending my time at the Race track, Pub or in an Engine
Posts: 227
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Chap just a quicky but in this pic the left hand shoe is upside down, the hand brake lever doesnt go in the slot on that one but the d shape, and the other side is a mirror, i use to run them this way round and struggled with the handbrake on the GTM after getting my mini i noticed they were fitted like i describe above, and it seems to be a bit easier to get the handbrake through on the GTM now i can actually do handbrake turns now. so may be worth swapping that around if you get yourself a haynes manual for a mini you will see what i mean in the pictures. then again it may make sod all difference which way round they are fitted ;D WEST
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Live life sideways, Honda Powered GTM Coupe, you better belive it GTM Coupe VTEC Constant progression and acceleration 67' Triumph Vitesse 2ltr [finally decided what to do with it, at the planning stage] 92' Mini nearly std [SOLD and Missed] GTM ownersclub forum
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Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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Cheers GTM, i will change that, i just fitted them the same way as they where when i took them off, the shoe that came off was nearly at the rivet at the top, but still had writing on it at the bottom! i put this down to them not being seated properly and being badly adjusted... the previous owner was a fool, with such creations as a wooden roof rack bolted through the roof, which when he drilled the holes he missed!! then did a repair with bath room sealer! he replaced the only air vent on the dash with a clock!!! and opened the hole out so that you cant refit the air nozzle! and some of the body repairs had been carried out using resin and insulation type fibreglass!! last night we popped around the block, hand brake worked alot better, and everything seemed fine and fixed... except the emissions where still high and it still ran like wibblepoo! so I'm off to change the cam, this is abit of a mission in the tight engien bay but i think its possible!! check this out But to cheer me up i got this in the post: a reliant key ring!!
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SidewaysGTM
Part of things
Spending my time at the Race track, Pub or in an Engine
Posts: 227
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No worries chap just to add with how i described it it was like i was looking at the right hand side drum, as cant really tell which side I'm looking at with your pic, that may explain why the shoes were wearing odly then if one was on the wrong way round.
WEST
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Live life sideways, Honda Powered GTM Coupe, you better belive it GTM Coupe VTEC Constant progression and acceleration 67' Triumph Vitesse 2ltr [finally decided what to do with it, at the planning stage] 92' Mini nearly std [SOLD and Missed] GTM ownersclub forum
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Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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yup, i have just looked at the haynes, and you can just about make it out... the side with the handbrake lever needs to be up the other way (the pic is off the near side, therefore its the right hand shoe that needs turning over) its not helped by haynes drawing it and back to front and upsdie down!? maybe the drawing is robbed from a mini manual? thanks again. Just booked the retest for monday, so that gives me an extra 5 days
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Why do so many Reliants have towbars? They are hardly the most obvious towcar. No doubt it is a pre-requisite endemic to the mindset of the beardy tightwad ‘Old Spice’-wearing ferret-fanciers that used to drive em I guess. I suppose once you have your limited-mobility wife installed plus two apologetic-looking children who are bullied at school you need a trailer to carry the weekly haul back from Fine Fare. I even saw one with a tow ball bolted to a bed-iron frame mounted ahead of the front wheel on a Robin once! Obv the lad had a need to often tow a small light trailer ‘behind’ his reversing robin, it’s a normal enough requirement I suppose. Or perhaps it was used for knocking walls down, not sure TBH. Either way, good work for sawing it off.
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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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Mr K
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,993
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Why do so many Reliants have towbars? They are hardly the most obvious towcar. No doubt it is a pre-requisite endemic to the mindset of the beardy tightwad ‘Old Spice’-wearing ferret-fanciers that used to drive em I guess. I suppose once you have your limited-mobility wife installed plus two apologetic-looking children who are bullied at school you need a trailer to carry the weekly haul back from Fine Fare. I even saw one with a tow ball bolted to a bed-iron frame mounted ahead of the front wheel on a Robin once! Obv the lad had a need to often tow a small light trailer ‘behind’ his reversing robin, it’s a normal enough requirement I suppose. Or perhaps it was used for knocking walls down, not sure TBH. Either way, good work for sawing it off. the guy was a weird one - he was pretty old and slightly beardy, also going blind in one eye so was wearing orange tinted safety goggle type glasses, when i bought the car it came with a trailor which he said i could use to get all the spares home in - exactly how i am meant to get a whole shell, chassis and so many spares that it took too runs with a horse box in a 4x6' trailor with not floor and some bad ass rust i don't know. I'm glad its gone... a car that weighs 550kg surly cant tow anything! and a robin wieghs even less! anyway. the worse of the previous owners work had now gone. just remembered that when i got it he said it needed an engine mount doing, when i looked at it the rubber had broken so he just used a bit of coat hanger to hold it in place..... Safe.
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550kg! quality.
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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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SidewaysGTM
Part of things
Spending my time at the Race track, Pub or in an Engine
Posts: 227
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hhhhhhhhhhmmm 550Kg got me thinking again I can hope but don't think I'm going to get that light target is 599Kg time to look for more weight saving ideas WEST
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Live life sideways, Honda Powered GTM Coupe, you better belive it GTM Coupe VTEC Constant progression and acceleration 67' Triumph Vitesse 2ltr [finally decided what to do with it, at the planning stage] 92' Mini nearly std [SOLD and Missed] GTM ownersclub forum
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