--- James Carruthers <j.carruthers@rave.ac.uk> wrote:
> I never thought I would have such a reaction to having my car back....
> you
> don't realise what you've got till its gone (at least for a few days)
> But
> some odd feeling that someone has been poking 'round MY motor too....
I always read up on what the garage will be doing before they do it, and
then get paranoid that they won't do it right like not torquing the bolts
properly or doing stuff wrong. I had 2 months of not driving Saskia when
I did the front suspension and that was a great feeling getting back
behind the wheel again....until 6 days later when the engine broke. Then
it was depression for 2 months until I got around to getting the new
engine in, which happened 2 weeks ago and after a tentative start she is
really flying! (touch wood, touch wood, touch wood....)
> Anyway, stuff that they found; one flange was bent and had been welded
> fixed -
> on the other, 2 of the threads were broken. And they had both worn
> against the
> wheel. So they replaced those 2 (60 pounds for 2 secondhand) They had
> to
> replace the trunnions - can't remember why that was - and of course the
> UJs -
> oh and a wheel nut. And a bush & bolt from a radius arm that had
> siezed.
>
Sounds quite bad, good that it's fixed now though
> They fitted both the half shafts and bearing kits that I had already
> purchased. - The shafts had worn - they showed me them and they had
> worn past
> the hardening.
>
> All of this cost #330 - in cash - which they reckoned was 8 hours work
> plus
> all the stuff I mentioned earlier (except of course the shafts and
> bearings)
>
> They also informed me my diff was weaping (Could my car be like Herbie
> and
> feel my pain, like the pain in my wallet at the moment? It'll be
> driving by
> itself soon... or maybe I've just been talking to my car too much) -
> and a
> downpipe gasket may have blown.
My diff was leaking and unfortunately terminal. I got an alledgedly
re-con one from the spitfire graveyard for #80 which has been going fine
since (touch wood!) except for the usual whine that most diffs seem to be
afflicted with. When my diff was on it's last legs the whine got louder,
turned into a rumbling sound and smelt of creosote. When off the car I
turned it round by hand and it was really lumpy and definitely dead!
The down pipe gasket always blows, I'm on my 3rd gasket in a little under
3 years, it's not blowing at the moment although I don't think it will be
long before it is again. I would love to find a permanent solution to
the problem!
>
> So all in all Im happy - no more clonking around corners - even more
> happy
> after reading Richard description of a UJ faliure. I'll just have to
> check
> everything's fine and dandy tomorrow and give her (she is officially a
> she now
> - don't tell me how I can tell - however "she" doesn't have enough
> personality
> for me to give her a name yet) a damn fine thrashing.
>
My car is definitely a she : she always wants me to buy her things and
has a strop and breaks down when I don't! ;-)
Glad to hear she's back up and running again, hopefully you'll have a few
thousand miles before the next thing to go wrong...
cheers
John
http://www.spit1500.co.uk/
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