spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Oct 20, 2010 8:13:13 GMT
Don't you just love not having to stick to the official Euro plate and no extra text with these cars? ;D Certainly do love it! ;D (My number plate font measuring eyes tell me that's the post-2001 skinny font too ) Your font measuring eye is spot on - it only has to be "substantially" the correct font for these plates and I think the narrower one looks more elegant
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Nov 11, 2010 13:00:14 GMT
So am I but, between a new arrival, moving storage / workshop, OU assignments that really need to be done and other (apparently) important stuff it's still on the to-do list I'm afraid
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Nov 11, 2010 14:24:41 GMT
She'd better not - she's booked for an 880-odd mile round-trip to Devon at the end of next week!
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Post by bettyskeeper on Nov 11, 2010 14:53:06 GMT
Betty won't break down cos she's a good girl and she knows once Matilda's done its her turn for the all over treatment. Guess I'll get to drive a 32 to Tesco's for a while
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Post by bettyskeeper on Nov 12, 2010 16:58:36 GMT
She shouldn't get jealous as Matilda will only be used in place of her when she is off road. The plan is Matilda is not going to be an everyday car, I guess things may change but I doubt it
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Nov 12, 2010 17:00:04 GMT
If Matilda lives up to hopes, Sheila may find herself going into semi-retirement.......
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pauldaf44
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Post by pauldaf44 on Nov 12, 2010 20:48:42 GMT
If Matilda lives up to hopes, Sheila may find herself going into semi-retirement....... She wont take kindly to that. Expect epic strops and constant complaining. Going from Bruces normal reaction when Gladys gets attention ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Nov 24, 2010 20:24:24 GMT
And so ends another 847 mile adventure for Betty. Absolutely perfect apart from half a dozen or so random misfires. No real pattern except they seemed to happen more often when she'd been on power, then eased off - a sudden cough (no splutter) and away again. Felt like a complete cut of ignition for half a second or so each time. Will have to dig around and find out what it is but should be nothing to worry about seeing as she sat happily at 50+ for about 5 hours non-stop motorway (apart from loo breaks) each way - plus the hilly bits at each end of course Who says old cars can't be used? ;D
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pauldaf44
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Post by pauldaf44 on Nov 24, 2010 21:38:15 GMT
WOO GO BETTY.
These air cooled DAFs are real glutens for high mileages and just think Betty is on the road in the place of some nasty modern euro box and thats got to be a good thing ;D
Gladys is quite susecptible to the odd misfire or hesitation and its normally down to ignition timing being slightly out.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Nov 24, 2010 22:25:23 GMT
I'll go with Paul there, I get the odd occassional mis-fire on lift off with Gavina.
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Nov 24, 2010 22:47:37 GMT
Fair comments, but timing is right (did it myself ) and she's never done it before this trip so she's not allowed to start now. Under pain of the birch if she tries to.... ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Feb 13, 2011 22:44:05 GMT
Been a long time since the last post on here, mainly because we tend to just take Betty for granted now - she does what's asked until something goes wrong. The last one was the half-shaft back in September and she's done another 7k miles or so in the 5 months since then!
So she made up for that last week with an exhaust blow that got rapidly worse, apparently from the n/s flange between the heat exchanger and silencer. As it turned out, the flange had cracked off the heat exchanger and the end had cracked off the cross brace as well. Both seem to be known weak spots - possibly because of the weight of the silencer and lack of other supports??
Anyway, having spare bits after our raid to Manchester earlier in the week, I started taking her apart today. The heat exchanger came off incredibly easily (after the 3 studs in the head came out) but from there it went downhill. One of the flange bolts was seized to the point I had to shear it off - not easy when it's hanging on a silencer that's only supported by the flange on the other side!
The planned replacement would not come off the head it's attached to, so I had to weld up the existing one for now. That ended up as a slightly messy, but reasonably gas-tight, joint so I welded the brace together and started to reassemble.
I'd got the angle slightly wrong on the brace, which made it quite difficult to fit but it went together ok until I realised that I'd put it together with the brace between the heat exchanger and the silencer. So it all came apart again. Finally got it back together and sealed (with a little help from Gun-Gum) about 7 o'clock this evening, only to notice her o/s main beam's blown on the way home.
Still, I'm pretty sure I ordered a spare 6v Halogen bulb. If I can only find it........
Bahhhhhhhh!
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Feb 14, 2011 10:37:43 GMT
True John ;D
More to the point, she does have a nice habit of only throwing on-day jobs when she does go wrong - the sort that you can sort in under a day. And she's not yet thrown one that actually disabled her. Which is nice.
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Post by Nick the man with a daf.... on Feb 14, 2011 13:33:45 GMT
The Humber suffers from this. . The random misfire thing. .
I found it finally and it was caused by the points sticking open slightly From time to time
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Bob Scrivens
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Post by Bob Scrivens on Feb 14, 2011 22:15:13 GMT
Hi Joe with that misfire, have a look at the wire braid that connects the movable plate to the fixed plate that the points are on, had somethink like that and found the braid was broken when the vacuum moved the points plate to a certain position. Betty's done a good spell of motoring this last 12 months and pretty good for its age. Alway used a graphite pencil to Lub the pivot points, John don't collect the dust and muck.
Bob.
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pauldaf44
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Post by pauldaf44 on Apr 18, 2011 17:26:23 GMT
Did you know we like updates. Updates are very nice you know?
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 18, 2011 19:34:30 GMT
I know, Paul, but the only update at the moment is that I've been suffering stomach cramps all day and can't face doing anything. Have cleaned up the workshop ready for her but that's it for now I'm afraid
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Apr 18, 2011 19:47:25 GMT
Sorry to hear that Joe. I think there must be some sort of lurgy around at the moment - I had it last week for four days. I don't mean to p!ss on yer chips, but if the pain moves from one side to another, or is constantly on the right side then consult your GP, as that could mean a grumbling apendix. Hopefully you'll be over it soon and get back to business as usual. Talking of which, a couple of posts ago you mentioned a back-fire on Betty but it wasn't timing related as you'd set the timing yourself. Well, I sorted out a couple of pressing matters on Gavina yesterday and whilst she's running much nicer for it, she still has the occassional misfire on lift off. Like you, I set the timing myself so I know it might not be correct (dwell angle/listening/revving the engine adjustment). ;D
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pauldaf44
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Post by pauldaf44 on Apr 18, 2011 20:06:35 GMT
Yes as Pete says get that checked ive had a appendicitis its very very painfull and if it ruptures its life threatening. Dont take a risk if your unsure
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 18, 2011 21:17:19 GMT
Hopefully won't be my appendix cos I went to work for about a week 10 years ago with screaming stomach cramps then had it removed when the boss decided that there was probably something wrong. Apparently it was the bursting bit (in A&E after they'd decided to send me home cos I kept trying to pop out for a fag while waiting for the doctor) that made it worse ;D On second thoughts, if it is my appendix then there's probably a good claim against the surgeon
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 20, 2011 21:34:17 GMT
And so it begins (sort of). Betty is now inside the workshop having connected Sheila's seat back to her floor again this afternoon: That's it really cos didn't have time to actually get started on her but I did go round and take some pics to give an idea of what I have to deal with before 14th May (that'll be 3 weeks on Saturday then ) Bootlid: Driver's door top (passenger's similar): Lower front wings (both): OS rear wheelarch (NS not so bad but needs some work): OS B post (holed at base, MOT fail on that for seatbelt mount): Driver's door window seal (passenger similar): Driver's front wing top: Passenger front wing top: Top of rear valance (comes in tow bar mounting prescribed area): As well as that little lot, there's a worrying whine from her transmission, a serious remake of her exhaust, hopefully reduce her oil consumption and the main front / rear brake pipe that needs replacing, plus about a 6 inch length of outer sill on the driver's side that's kind of disconnected itself from the inner although everything is absolutely solid - don't quite get that one!) Oh, and a towbar to adapt and fit, all to be done in 23 days with real life and a computing assignment to get in the way. That means that she won't be getting the lots of fresh metal treatment that she deserves but will have to make do with some ruthless filler work anywhere that ain't structure. Proper metal can always be done next time round! So, the books open, what odds for me getting her out on time? ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 21, 2011 10:56:55 GMT
I agree to a large extent, John, but it's a matter of practicality. Looking back at my post I maybe wasn't totally clear about what I'm intending, though. By "ruthless" filler I mean that there'll be no attempt to put "pretty" plates in except where they're really needed. They clearlt are needed around the windows but the rest will get the rust removed / neutralised (the really important bit) followed by either quick plating and filling for profile or bridging and filling depending on whether or not it needs the strength of metal under it. I simply haven't got any chance of doing nicely shaped plates that will only need a thin skim in the time available this time round but that doesn't mean I'll be slapping the stuff on over active rust! Think the sort of filler repairs that no-one knows are there until they crack 10 years later in a parking bump
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 21, 2011 20:21:45 GMT
Of course I will, John - my life won't be worth living otherwise So, dismantling started today to assess what needs doing more effectively. It's really not looking as bad as I'd feared - there are a couple of nasty bits but I was worried they were all going to be nasty bits so a couple is fine by me ;D First off, the seats and carpets came out to reveal two not-bad-at-all floor pans. Nice to see that the repair I did to her driver's seat mount area last year is still solid: The rear floor area is also good (she's really not as rotten as she looks, Guv! ) So next the access panel to the prop came off because I've been genuinely worried about the transmission noises and wanted to get a feel for the front vario bearings. As I was getting at the plate, I sort of pushed the exhaust a little. Good job it was on the "replace" list anyway cos it certainly is now ;D Anyway, with the plate (and exhaust) out of the way, it was pretty clear that the prop was hard back against the nose of the vario. It wouldn't move forwards at all, so I hoped that the belts turned out to be at the full limit of their adjustment. Apologies for the poor photo here but it was seriously restricted access!: Seems quite likely that having the prop that hard against the input shaft will be creating / transmitting extra transmission noise because all the rubber bits won't be doing their jobs properly. Pulling off the top vario cover (I'd removed the welds and replaced with screws a couple of years ago confirmed that there was no adjustment at all left on the belts: So the new belts that are lined up will hopefully cure all. Good job they were planned seeing as the ns one was looking like this: That's a little disappointing to be honest seeing as they both looked fine last time they were checked back at the beginning of Feb. Still, I suppose it only takes a second for them to break! Having satisfied myself that the noises are unlikely to be anything scary, it was time to get the rear windows out. Again, one side at least was better than I'd feared. The ns has just a small hole: But the os is going to need a fair bit of metal, especially around that B pillar - that's way too close to the belt mount to have holes: Finally, a little dig around underneath showed why the outer sill was moving under the driver's door: That's actually not as bad as it looks - the floor is still firmly attached to the inner sill and the outer itself is also sound. So (as long as we don't think too much about invisible details like the inner membrane panel) there's plenty of good metal close by to plate to. You know, I reckon it might just be doable on time....
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Apr 21, 2011 21:07:14 GMT
That's not too bad at all Joe. Well, not for you anyway! I thought you'd already had a go at one of the front wings previously? Winters must be harsh over there... At least you have the benefit that she's still mobile. I'll be interested to see the rear window / B post / door top renovations as they are all places where Gavina needs attention, not to mention front nearside wing, headlight surround, windscreen scuttle, etc etc...
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 21, 2011 23:26:55 GMT
I did attack the driver's wing last April, Pete, but it came back. The nasty at the back is because I couldn't weld the back edge of the repair to the lead filler Daf had used in that area and it lifted, cracking the paint. This time it's getting hammered in and filled over. The stuff along the top is where the steel was a little thin and has perforated from the back over the last 12 months. It's only pin-holes but the rust runs soooo visibly on white!
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 22, 2011 10:22:42 GMT
Yep, the Triumph has the same flaw, John. They tried to improve it on the dolomites by adding arch liners but all that does is make it impossible to wash out what does manage to get in! When I put the repair piece into thedriver's wing last year the reinforcement was still sound so I'm hopeful that there won't be any big problems underneath - will mean cutting a bigger hole if there is
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 22, 2011 20:41:07 GMT
Non photo update today because I'm tired, slightly fed up, and I don't want to post incriminating photos of me beating Dafs to within an inch of their lives. Yes, it's been one of those days! Had great plans to pick up some sanding disks then spend the afternoon sorting Betty's brake pipe and pulling her engine. When I got to the sanding disk shop, they were closed for the weekend. Only, by now I'd remembered (not having used her for a while) that Sheila has developed a fuel supply problem and essentially gives up the ghost if she has to go uphill for more than about 100 yards. There are lot of long hills between here and the paint shop. So I limped her into Bangor to pay over the odds for disks at B&Q (£8 for 10 instead of £20 for 50) and managed to bodge her fuel supply so she ran ok on the way home (she's sucking air but tie-wrapping the in-line filter higher seems to improve things). When I got home, Sian needed to pop out to Tesco so I dog-sat while she went. Only to get a call at about 4 O'clock because Matilda wasn't working. She'd also decided to stop working just after she got onto the A55 (70mph dual carriageway) where there's no hard-shoulder. Engine was running ok but no drive and a nasty noise if you try to move. So off went Sheila and I, with dogs and a tow rope, to get her moved back to the workshop where a quick engine pull confirmed that she's eaten the back joint on her prop-shaft So Betty's engine needed to come out to donate a prop, then Isabel's will need to come out to get Betty mobile again, then we'll need to find one for Isabel who, thankfully, isn't urgent. Got the spanners out at 10 to 6 this evening and, as of 8 o'clock, there are 2 Daf engines on the floor with one ready to go back in tomorrow. Happy Easter everyone! ;D
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 25, 2011 18:42:04 GMT
Finally got to make some progress on Betty today. The plan was to start with the main front / rear brake pipe that needs replacing but plans never seem to go to plan As I was getting her jacked up and stripping stuff off to get at the pipe, I remembered the cracks in the n/s rear suspension spring seat that needed attention: So out came the welder, followed by some rather fetching blue Hammerite smooth: Of course, having got the welder set up I decided I fancied doing a bit more metalwork rather than crawling around on my back with brake pipes, so I cut out the damage below the n/s rear window: and slapped a quick plate in. This is what I meant by "quick filler bodge" by the way, John. No attempt at all to blend the new metal in, or to seam weld it: because a quick splodge of filler will make it all go away again ;D : I then decided that the n/s rear corner of the bootlid that was cracking may as well be done while I was in that area: Not a bad fit for about 20 mins work and, again, a bit of filler will hide the poor levels nicely That was all for today - it came to about 4 1/2 hours work in all - but it feels like progress and it's two panels (the n/s quarter and the bootlid) with most of their rectification done apart from a little filling and smoothing.
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spunkymonkey
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Post by spunkymonkey on Apr 26, 2011 18:40:22 GMT
Managed another couple of hours welding time today and she now has all windows secure - if they were still fitted, that is! The outer door window seals were pretty well not attached on both doors, which isn't nice for the door bottoms cos it lets a lot of water down inside: Luckily, the important bits were ok on both of these: so, with the help of a cutting disk, off they came: And on they went: The donor driver's door also donated a strip of steel for the os rear window base: While a first coat of filler was setting over those, I took the chance to dig out around the rear wheel arches with a flap disk: Neither look all that bad once the surface nasties were taken off - they've both been filled in the past and will get the same again this time - with a little more care taken over rust treatment and making sure the edges of the metal are well buried in the filler this time to minimise the chance of nastiness returning. New arch panels will be the order of the day eventually, just not today!
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Apr 26, 2011 20:22:32 GMT
Good progress Joe, and what a result finding good edges on those spare doors! Even if she turns out only half as pretty as Matilda by the end then she'll still look good.
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