3rd Time Lucky; E36 M3 Evolution Saloon
Discussion
Feels a bit like Groundhog Day in here eh? 
After two false starts now with a 328i and a 3.0 M3, I have picked up an E36 M3 Evo in Estoril Blue. It's great. But as always, there are issues. That's why it wasn't massively expensive. It does of course mean I'm only marginally better off than I was with the 3.0! I'm currently trying to sell that after being let down by the first winning bidder
I don't have any great photos yet, but this is the car:
I originally thought it was all sorted underneath as three of the jacking points look to have been welded up and there's underseal everywhere. Unfortunately it is a bodge up as I have now managed to find the first bit of rusty floor:
The exterior looks pretty good - it's obviously had a blow over in the past. The wheels look pretty good, despite a missing centre badge or two but the budget tyres won't be on long. I may do one track day on them to destroy them and then swap them out.
I've got straight to work as per, and have done a few jobs already. Added some front undertray/air deflector bits:
I swapped the old standard air box out for the Dave F induction kit from the 3.0:
I also managed to swap the standard Evo backbox out for the Scorpion from the 3.0. It started off in a bit of a state, but it shined up real nice
:
Side by side with the standard Evo item. The Scorpion weighs around half as much!:
Looks nice:
I have a set of HSD MonoPro coilovers lurking in here. They were a bargain at £450 with 2.5k miles on them:
I'm very focused with this one. I've sounded out a few places with regards to a few jobs, namely the rust, fitting Powerflex subframe bushes and setting up the coilovers and I think I'll be paying Track Torque a visit at Tockwith. Not a million miles from me, which is great.
I also have a Z3 steering rack for this one and I plan to go Powerflex black all round. I have certainly had a few setbacks and my impulsive nature hasn't helped, but I feel like I know exactly what needs doing on this and how to achieve it. Finding proper rust was a real blow if I'm honest, but it's a bloody M3 Evo Saloon and I can't wait to start driving the bugger.
So, 3rd time lucky.....
After two false starts now with a 328i and a 3.0 M3, I have picked up an E36 M3 Evo in Estoril Blue. It's great. But as always, there are issues. That's why it wasn't massively expensive. It does of course mean I'm only marginally better off than I was with the 3.0! I'm currently trying to sell that after being let down by the first winning bidder
I don't have any great photos yet, but this is the car:
I originally thought it was all sorted underneath as three of the jacking points look to have been welded up and there's underseal everywhere. Unfortunately it is a bodge up as I have now managed to find the first bit of rusty floor:
The exterior looks pretty good - it's obviously had a blow over in the past. The wheels look pretty good, despite a missing centre badge or two but the budget tyres won't be on long. I may do one track day on them to destroy them and then swap them out.
I've got straight to work as per, and have done a few jobs already. Added some front undertray/air deflector bits:
I swapped the old standard air box out for the Dave F induction kit from the 3.0:
I also managed to swap the standard Evo backbox out for the Scorpion from the 3.0. It started off in a bit of a state, but it shined up real nice
:Side by side with the standard Evo item. The Scorpion weighs around half as much!:
Looks nice:
I have a set of HSD MonoPro coilovers lurking in here. They were a bargain at £450 with 2.5k miles on them:
I'm very focused with this one. I've sounded out a few places with regards to a few jobs, namely the rust, fitting Powerflex subframe bushes and setting up the coilovers and I think I'll be paying Track Torque a visit at Tockwith. Not a million miles from me, which is great.
I also have a Z3 steering rack for this one and I plan to go Powerflex black all round. I have certainly had a few setbacks and my impulsive nature hasn't helped, but I feel like I know exactly what needs doing on this and how to achieve it. Finding proper rust was a real blow if I'm honest, but it's a bloody M3 Evo Saloon and I can't wait to start driving the bugger.
So, 3rd time lucky.....
Small update before I go away for the rest of the week.
These arrived:
Fitted a little filter onto the intake pipe for the secondary air pump. The Dave F heatshield has a hole already in the metal, and the previous owner had opened up the hole a bit anyway, so it made sense to me to rig this up like this and fill the hole rather than leave it open, letting hot air through:
Will hopefully fit the HSD's when I return and take it up to get the rust looked at.....
These arrived:
Fitted a little filter onto the intake pipe for the secondary air pump. The Dave F heatshield has a hole already in the metal, and the previous owner had opened up the hole a bit anyway, so it made sense to me to rig this up like this and fill the hole rather than leave it open, letting hot air through:
Will hopefully fit the HSD's when I return and take it up to get the rust looked at.....
Not much more to report in the way of progress yet, but I did manage to get the new dust seal on the back of the wheel bearing I replaced on the old car, ready for its collection this weekend. I do hope this buyer doesn't let me down as I really need the drive space.... Plus the cash will go to helping get any welding done on this one.
I must admit, after having realised that both rear jacking points have been done and the bit I thought was a hole covered up is actually where someone has tried to mitigate the rubber grommet coming out, I felt a bit sad that I'd given up on it and not continued.
But the chance to buy an Evo in saloon form was just too much to pass up. I ordered some more service items today, in addition to buying some spark plugs from an M3Cutters member yesterday for just £35 delivered.
Things I've got ordered but have yet to receive:
Plugs
Oil
Oil Filter
Fuel filter
OMP flat bottom 350mm steering wheel - I am excited about this and hope I haven't gone too big. Research says that the standard wheel is 370mm though so it should be just right hopefully.
Powerflex Black Front wishbone bushes
Powerflex Black rear trailing arm bushes
Things I have that need fitting:
Z3 steering rack
Goodyear Eagle F1 rear tyres
Goodridge braided hoses - possibly not the right ones as they list a separate model number for M3's but other manufacturers produce 6 hose kits for all E36's
HSD Monopro coilovers
Z3 rear strut reinforcement plates
So a fair bit to be getting on with. Hopefully I can update more soon. I do hope that I can get the rust looked at/welding done soon.
I must admit, after having realised that both rear jacking points have been done and the bit I thought was a hole covered up is actually where someone has tried to mitigate the rubber grommet coming out, I felt a bit sad that I'd given up on it and not continued.
But the chance to buy an Evo in saloon form was just too much to pass up. I ordered some more service items today, in addition to buying some spark plugs from an M3Cutters member yesterday for just £35 delivered.
Things I've got ordered but have yet to receive:
Plugs
Oil
Oil Filter
Fuel filter
OMP flat bottom 350mm steering wheel - I am excited about this and hope I haven't gone too big. Research says that the standard wheel is 370mm though so it should be just right hopefully.
Powerflex Black Front wishbone bushes
Powerflex Black rear trailing arm bushes
Things I have that need fitting:
Z3 steering rack
Goodyear Eagle F1 rear tyres
Goodridge braided hoses - possibly not the right ones as they list a separate model number for M3's but other manufacturers produce 6 hose kits for all E36's
HSD Monopro coilovers
Z3 rear strut reinforcement plates
So a fair bit to be getting on with. Hopefully I can update more soon. I do hope that I can get the rust looked at/welding done soon.
Bit of progress made this weekend, although not as much as I had hoped.
First up, I fitted the new bonnet struts - no more wooden bonnet prop!:
Annoyingly, the tops of these struts from ECP are a slightly different shape to the OEM units, so the cable tidy that clips to one of them doesn't fit perfectly at the top. Surprisingly the old ones came off with very little effort required. The last time I did this it was a real battle, so that was a nice surprise.
Unfortunately the rest of my weekend wasn't going to go that smoothly....
Got under the car and fitted the X-brace I have had in the garage seemingly forever. I used new bolts for this:
After that I moved onto the front coilovers. Having never fitted coilovers before, I took my time to understand how everything worked/adjusted then set about the task.
Removed a very crusty old shock first:
With a 5mm spacer up front, they cleared but only by a milimetre or so.:
I felt this was too close and tried the 15mm spacers I had in reserve. I am now wondering whether I should try to get some 12mm items due to how close this puts the wheel to the arch:
I got the wheel sitting like so:
This looks like it might be an OK ride height at the front although I would like it a touch higher. My main issue is that I have had to make the driver side coilover about 12mm higher than the passenger side one just to get the same ride height on both sides. I'm quite concerned about this. I can't see how or why that would be the case. It also means that the ARB is almost touching the wishbone because on the side that's 12mm lower there's not really any way of raising the drop link bracket any further.
I'm hoping that when I get it to the place that will do all the setup and geo they can assist with this, but I can't help worry that something is wrong somewhere.....
First up, I fitted the new bonnet struts - no more wooden bonnet prop!:
Annoyingly, the tops of these struts from ECP are a slightly different shape to the OEM units, so the cable tidy that clips to one of them doesn't fit perfectly at the top. Surprisingly the old ones came off with very little effort required. The last time I did this it was a real battle, so that was a nice surprise.
Unfortunately the rest of my weekend wasn't going to go that smoothly....
Got under the car and fitted the X-brace I have had in the garage seemingly forever. I used new bolts for this:
After that I moved onto the front coilovers. Having never fitted coilovers before, I took my time to understand how everything worked/adjusted then set about the task.
Removed a very crusty old shock first:
With a 5mm spacer up front, they cleared but only by a milimetre or so.:
I felt this was too close and tried the 15mm spacers I had in reserve. I am now wondering whether I should try to get some 12mm items due to how close this puts the wheel to the arch:
I got the wheel sitting like so:
This looks like it might be an OK ride height at the front although I would like it a touch higher. My main issue is that I have had to make the driver side coilover about 12mm higher than the passenger side one just to get the same ride height on both sides. I'm quite concerned about this. I can't see how or why that would be the case. It also means that the ARB is almost touching the wishbone because on the side that's 12mm lower there's not really any way of raising the drop link bracket any further.
I'm hoping that when I get it to the place that will do all the setup and geo they can assist with this, but I can't help worry that something is wrong somewhere.....
Edited by TroubledSoul on Sunday 31st January 23:03
Slowww progress after yet another weekend away!
I haven't finished fettling and fitting the coilovers yet but I hope to do so tonight or tomorrow night. Failing that (I'm not hardcore enough for getting soaked every night these days!) I'll do it this weekend as I have a free one coming up finally.
But yesterday I managed to fit the new steering wheel. Unfortunately the slip ring from the OEM wheel didn't line up 100%, so I could only attach it with one screw.
I don't believe it will cause a problem, but it was quite annoying.
I tried to fit the wheel once already, but found the original boss I had bought was for the older, non airbag equipped cars, and didn't have the slip ring fitting or airbag resistor.
Original wheel sans airbag:
Momo boss with fitting for slip ring:
OMP wheel with airbag resistor fitted:
Bit of spade connector butchering for the horn push:
Wheel fitted!:
So yeah, only a small job but another job done nonetheless!
I haven't finished fettling and fitting the coilovers yet but I hope to do so tonight or tomorrow night. Failing that (I'm not hardcore enough for getting soaked every night these days!) I'll do it this weekend as I have a free one coming up finally.
But yesterday I managed to fit the new steering wheel. Unfortunately the slip ring from the OEM wheel didn't line up 100%, so I could only attach it with one screw.
I don't believe it will cause a problem, but it was quite annoying.
I tried to fit the wheel once already, but found the original boss I had bought was for the older, non airbag equipped cars, and didn't have the slip ring fitting or airbag resistor.
Original wheel sans airbag:
Momo boss with fitting for slip ring:
OMP wheel with airbag resistor fitted:
Bit of spade connector butchering for the horn push:
Wheel fitted!:
So yeah, only a small job but another job done nonetheless!
To be honest, it wasn't very expensive, and the flat bottomed bit is important because my Mrs is a little taller than me, thus has longer legs! Once we have fixed buckets in there, this should make it a touch more comfortable for her when sitting in the same place I do.
I may well buy a nicer wheel in the future, but this is a massive improvement on the huge stock wheel.
I may well buy a nicer wheel in the future, but this is a massive improvement on the huge stock wheel.
I am still agonising over whether to change the spacers.....
My options appear to be; for the 5mm and live with a very tiny amount of clearance or get some 12mm items (I'm told anything less will not be hub centric) and spend more money to bring the wheels back in by 3mm....
Cant help but wonder if I'm being silly but they just seem too far out to me.
I really want to make some progress this weekend and that means as a minimum getting those coilovers adjusted to a reasonable level and the rears on, the two sets of bushes done and possibly the braided brake hoses on.
I'm determined to push this forward now because I'm going out of my mind not being able to get on track with it....
My options appear to be; for the 5mm and live with a very tiny amount of clearance or get some 12mm items (I'm told anything less will not be hub centric) and spend more money to bring the wheels back in by 3mm....
Cant help but wonder if I'm being silly but they just seem too far out to me.
I really want to make some progress this weekend and that means as a minimum getting those coilovers adjusted to a reasonable level and the rears on, the two sets of bushes done and possibly the braided brake hoses on.
I'm determined to push this forward now because I'm going out of my mind not being able to get on track with it....
Great, cheers guys.
I can't believe people hate the wheel but I didn't even think about what it looked like when I bought it
I sure as hell didn't buy it for the looks, I bought it to replace the bus sized wheel and because it was brand new and fairly cheap! It's a functional purchase for sure.
I think I would rather just buy new spacers than bother milling the others. It's not a massive issue. Booked in for the geo and coilover setup finally, that should be happening on the 27th of July. 10mm spacers would probably be a perfect medium but unless they come with extended bolts, I'd be a bit nervous about using them. I will look into what's available.
I can't believe people hate the wheel but I didn't even think about what it looked like when I bought it
I sure as hell didn't buy it for the looks, I bought it to replace the bus sized wheel and because it was brand new and fairly cheap! It's a functional purchase for sure.
I think I would rather just buy new spacers than bother milling the others. It's not a massive issue. Booked in for the geo and coilover setup finally, that should be happening on the 27th of July. 10mm spacers would probably be a perfect medium but unless they come with extended bolts, I'd be a bit nervous about using them. I will look into what's available.
Christ, what a day yesterday was.
I decided to tackle the adjusting of the front coilovers and fit the front wishbone bushes at the same time. Yesterday taught me a huge lesson in not tackling a job without the correct tool. I managed to get one of the bushes off by hand and although it took quite some effort, I thought fair enough if it saves me buying a gear puller.
So I moved onto the other side. Oh dear god, I wish I hadn't started. It took me hours and hours of trying to twist the bugger off and I ended up giving up late on, with grazed arms, sore hands, etc. etc.
Tonight I arrived home with a three pronged puller and I took the bloody thing off in seconds. I'm absolutely fuming with myself for yesterday!
But nevertheless, progress has been made.
Unfortunately, the bush removal kit I have also got broken yesterday. I got too enthusiastic and had the threaded bar that goes through the middle the wrong way up. When the nut reached the end of the thread and I gave it some welly, it sheared. Luckily there are two threaded bars but it really grates that I've broken one through my own carelessness. I don't know who makes the kit so I doubt I will get a replacement if the other goes at some point.
Anyway, here are some photos of the job:
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Also found out that the water bottle is bloody leaking around the washer jet pump. This has obviously been going on for years as it has caused a serious bit of rust below it which will also need fixing:
But yeah, onwards and upwards. Next job is to fit the rear trailing arm bushes and the rear coilovers. Hopefully will start this on Weds. Car is pencilled in for the coilover setup and geo on the 27th and hopefully a quote for the required welding. I might make it to a track by August at this rate!
I wanted to change the front wishbones for new items, but have decided that I need to focus on getting on track before this year is lost completely. The wishbones can be a winter job.
I decided to tackle the adjusting of the front coilovers and fit the front wishbone bushes at the same time. Yesterday taught me a huge lesson in not tackling a job without the correct tool. I managed to get one of the bushes off by hand and although it took quite some effort, I thought fair enough if it saves me buying a gear puller.
So I moved onto the other side. Oh dear god, I wish I hadn't started. It took me hours and hours of trying to twist the bugger off and I ended up giving up late on, with grazed arms, sore hands, etc. etc.
Tonight I arrived home with a three pronged puller and I took the bloody thing off in seconds. I'm absolutely fuming with myself for yesterday!
But nevertheless, progress has been made.
Unfortunately, the bush removal kit I have also got broken yesterday. I got too enthusiastic and had the threaded bar that goes through the middle the wrong way up. When the nut reached the end of the thread and I gave it some welly, it sheared. Luckily there are two threaded bars but it really grates that I've broken one through my own carelessness. I don't know who makes the kit so I doubt I will get a replacement if the other goes at some point.
Anyway, here are some photos of the job:
Also found out that the water bottle is bloody leaking around the washer jet pump. This has obviously been going on for years as it has caused a serious bit of rust below it which will also need fixing:
But yeah, onwards and upwards. Next job is to fit the rear trailing arm bushes and the rear coilovers. Hopefully will start this on Weds. Car is pencilled in for the coilover setup and geo on the 27th and hopefully a quote for the required welding. I might make it to a track by August at this rate!
I wanted to change the front wishbones for new items, but have decided that I need to focus on getting on track before this year is lost completely. The wishbones can be a winter job.
So Sunday was horrendous.
I decided to get on and do my RTABs. I also wanted to fit the rear shocks and springs. This was not to be. Basically, I looked at the bracket for the brake pipes on the trailing arms. The small 10mm bolts looked a little suspect, but I decided to have a go at them.
After the first one slipped the spanner right off, I thought f
k it, I'll do my braided lines and just disconnect the brake hoses at the union higher up.
Well that was easier said than done! The blasted things were rusted to holy hell. Wire brushing the nuts just couldn't bring them back to how they should be. The flare nut wrench was useless on them and so it was time for the trusty mole grips. These basically disintegrated the nut and no amount of effort or swearing could move it. It's done.
I took a look at the other side, and found a rusted, non nut shaped nut there also. I didn't even bother messing with it.
As if that wasn't enough, the driver's side rear droplink was found snapped in two. Removing the drop links was huge fun.
I decided to get the brackets off at the top too as they looked like they were going to be tough to unbolt. The nuts on the tops of the brackets both needed grips as they were too rusty and the spanners and sockets couldn't bite on them.
To top it all off, a bracket that the handbrake cable runs through right next to the front subframe bush completely disintegrated. That looks like a replaceable part under normal circumstances, but the nut for that also looks quite screwed. I predict another disintegration or a good ol' fashioned shearing when I attempt to remove it.
All in all a really stty day and no real progress to speak of, more a step backwards.
SO..... There's been a rethink. I've had to accept that there's just too much to do to keep clinging to the idea of getting the car on track this summer. It's a far bigger job than I thought at the start and it needs a major root and branch overhaul. I've reached a turning point here and I either go all out or I keep trying to patch holes (quite literally in some cases!) and limp on.
As a result of this, I am now going to take the rear subframe assembly off seeing as the rear suspension is already off and the RTABs still need doing. It seems like the best time in the long run. I can then check on and remedy any rust and seal it all up and get the bushes done here.
As a further consequence of this, I am switching from Powerflex Black to Strongflex yellow bushes for this build. These are 90 Shore and so stronger than Powerflex purple but a touch less than the black series at 95 Shore. They are less than half the price and I feel it's a worthwhile sacrifice.
I am all set to order the following:
And today I bought this (terrible photo!):
A high lift, low entry jack. This will really help me and will be a nice step up from the crappy little £30 trolley jacks I use now.
I also ordered new rear drop links and a lower temp switch from a 318is so that I can do the viscous fan delete. New nuts and bolts and other whatnots are also on the way as part of the rear overhaul.
I plan to cut the brake pipes and flare them with new nuts. I've bought this for the job:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Expert-23313-Hand-H...
Anyway, enough waffling. Yesterday it felt like the end of the world, today it feels like I have to just keep going and the reward will come if I stop putting the pressure on myself and take it one step at a time.
Some pics of the carnage:
I decided to get on and do my RTABs. I also wanted to fit the rear shocks and springs. This was not to be. Basically, I looked at the bracket for the brake pipes on the trailing arms. The small 10mm bolts looked a little suspect, but I decided to have a go at them.
After the first one slipped the spanner right off, I thought f
k it, I'll do my braided lines and just disconnect the brake hoses at the union higher up.Well that was easier said than done! The blasted things were rusted to holy hell. Wire brushing the nuts just couldn't bring them back to how they should be. The flare nut wrench was useless on them and so it was time for the trusty mole grips. These basically disintegrated the nut and no amount of effort or swearing could move it. It's done.
I took a look at the other side, and found a rusted, non nut shaped nut there also. I didn't even bother messing with it.
As if that wasn't enough, the driver's side rear droplink was found snapped in two. Removing the drop links was huge fun.
I decided to get the brackets off at the top too as they looked like they were going to be tough to unbolt. The nuts on the tops of the brackets both needed grips as they were too rusty and the spanners and sockets couldn't bite on them.
To top it all off, a bracket that the handbrake cable runs through right next to the front subframe bush completely disintegrated. That looks like a replaceable part under normal circumstances, but the nut for that also looks quite screwed. I predict another disintegration or a good ol' fashioned shearing when I attempt to remove it.
All in all a really s
tty day and no real progress to speak of, more a step backwards. SO..... There's been a rethink. I've had to accept that there's just too much to do to keep clinging to the idea of getting the car on track this summer. It's a far bigger job than I thought at the start and it needs a major root and branch overhaul. I've reached a turning point here and I either go all out or I keep trying to patch holes (quite literally in some cases!) and limp on.
As a result of this, I am now going to take the rear subframe assembly off seeing as the rear suspension is already off and the RTABs still need doing. It seems like the best time in the long run. I can then check on and remedy any rust and seal it all up and get the bushes done here.
As a further consequence of this, I am switching from Powerflex Black to Strongflex yellow bushes for this build. These are 90 Shore and so stronger than Powerflex purple but a touch less than the black series at 95 Shore. They are less than half the price and I feel it's a worthwhile sacrifice.
I am all set to order the following:
And today I bought this (terrible photo!):
A high lift, low entry jack. This will really help me and will be a nice step up from the crappy little £30 trolley jacks I use now.
I also ordered new rear drop links and a lower temp switch from a 318is so that I can do the viscous fan delete. New nuts and bolts and other whatnots are also on the way as part of the rear overhaul.
I plan to cut the brake pipes and flare them with new nuts. I've bought this for the job:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Expert-23313-Hand-H...
Anyway, enough waffling. Yesterday it felt like the end of the world, today it feels like I have to just keep going and the reward will come if I stop putting the pressure on myself and take it one step at a time.
Some pics of the carnage:
Cheers, just hoping the bushes don't take too long to come.
Luckily I noticed that I only had 1 of each in my basket for the rear control arms before I ordered! Changed that to 2. Almost £200 but hugely cheaper than Powerflex. I read a few reviews which satisfied me that they were worth going for.
I think that I will also look into giving the brake calipers a proper refurb and paint too seeing as I'm going to do all of this properly now.
Luckily I noticed that I only had 1 of each in my basket for the rear control arms before I ordered! Changed that to 2. Almost £200 but hugely cheaper than Powerflex. I read a few reviews which satisfied me that they were worth going for.
I think that I will also look into giving the brake calipers a proper refurb and paint too seeing as I'm going to do all of this properly now.
Something arrived today!
My comprehensive set of Strongflex 90 shA bushes. Subframe, diff, rear arms, rear drop links, ARBs etc. The hard work will soon start! I actually have a few things to do before I start removing the rear axle though. I need to build my shed and free up a bit of space in the garage. The rear axle will need somewhere to sit while it's off the car.
I'm hoping that after this weekend I can really get stuck into this and make quick progress with it, but who knows how long it will end up taking?!
The thing I'm actually most eager to get to is the chassis above the subframe so that I can really check the rust situation up there and rust proof it if all is well.
I think that I should probably take the whole lot apart, get the diff carrier stripped and painted, even if it's just with Hammerite and it might be pertinent to do the diff seals etc. I haven't decided yet, but it's one of those jobs that seems like it should be done when an opportunity presents itself.
My comprehensive set of Strongflex 90 shA bushes. Subframe, diff, rear arms, rear drop links, ARBs etc. The hard work will soon start! I actually have a few things to do before I start removing the rear axle though. I need to build my shed and free up a bit of space in the garage. The rear axle will need somewhere to sit while it's off the car.
I'm hoping that after this weekend I can really get stuck into this and make quick progress with it, but who knows how long it will end up taking?!
The thing I'm actually most eager to get to is the chassis above the subframe so that I can really check the rust situation up there and rust proof it if all is well.
I think that I should probably take the whole lot apart, get the diff carrier stripped and painted, even if it's just with Hammerite and it might be pertinent to do the diff seals etc. I haven't decided yet, but it's one of those jobs that seems like it should be done when an opportunity presents itself.
So yesterday I found out that my work contract is being ended 2 months early, due to a lack of workload coming in. Not the best news, and all my money is tied up in the M3 instead of savings currently!
If I end up stuck at home for a couple of weeks, progress will certainly speed up, but it's not a nice situation to be in. I hope to find a new contract fairly quickly.....
If I end up stuck at home for a couple of weeks, progress will certainly speed up, but it's not a nice situation to be in. I hope to find a new contract fairly quickly.....
Yesterday saw me attempt the rear axle removal!
Started off OK, took the centre console apart to get at the handbrake cables. I had been advised that pulling them through to the outside was the best way to disconnect them, as taking them off at the hub end is a nightmare.
So, as I've mentioned before, the terrible state of the nuts on the brake lines meant cutting the hard lines. They are already copper on this car, so I aim to reflare and re-nut. Hopefully I will get the hang of this on the practice pieces I have.
The bolts that hold the brake lines to the rear trailing arms were also unwilling to play ball, so I had to use some extractor nuts on them. But they came off in the end. Unfortunately the hard lines on the brackets have the same problem as the ones on the car and while I was able to undo one of them with grips, the other needs cutting off. I'm not sure if I can reflare these and just reshape them enough to stretch them out a bit so that they can be reused. I do hope so.
Dropped the exhaust:
I knew that the ABS sensors weren't going to come out of the hubs, and indeed the bolts on them don't look too clever. I imagine if these end up needing to be replaced, it will be taken to a specialist and they can drill it out etc. for me. For now, I simply unplugged the loom connectors instead.
I started to lose the light as I came into the home stretch:
I moved onto the trailing arm bolts and had a hell of a time with them. Most of them were very difficult to undo, but not impossible, although I did have my breaker bar bent with a nice curve to it a few times. The worst one, it just would not move. It claimed the life of my impact gun! After much on and off with the gun, trying to get it to turn, the gun blew. Great. So everything after that was by hand. Thankfully after much sweating and swearing, the bolt gave and I was able to remove it. I will be replacing all of these bolts!
I then got underneath the car and undid the 6 propshaft to diff nuts. I kept coming out, putting the car in gear then undoing two of them. Them taking it out of gear, turning the prop and repeat.
I was all set to drop the subframe finally. With some trepidation I got under the car, sprayed the nuts/bolts with release agent and set about the task. 20 years of crud and crap made its presence felt and I had to hammer sockets on, going down 1mm at a time until I found the correct sizes and knocked the crud off the nuts/bolts.
I found that I was able to turn all four of them and was delighted! It was about to happen! Then disaster struck.
One of the sockets I'd had to hammer on was properly stuck. I started to really wrench at it with the ratchet so that it might come off the bolt.
Well, come off it did. And my thumb went hard into the side of the jack, splitting it right across the front and down to the side. It was bleeding like mad.
After cleaning it and putting a big plaster on, I went out to continue but I soon realised that I didn't feel quite right! I cleared up the tools and resigned myself to leaving the axle loosened but in place.
I'll get under there tonight and drop it. I'm happy that progress has been made but I am gutted I wasn't able to complete the job last night. I'm dying to see up under the subframe because I need to know the condition of the shell up there. If it's good, I'll clean it up and carry on. If it's bad it might mean having to consider a reshell. I don't want that to be the case so my fingers are firmly crossed on this one.
Started off OK, took the centre console apart to get at the handbrake cables. I had been advised that pulling them through to the outside was the best way to disconnect them, as taking them off at the hub end is a nightmare.
So, as I've mentioned before, the terrible state of the nuts on the brake lines meant cutting the hard lines. They are already copper on this car, so I aim to reflare and re-nut. Hopefully I will get the hang of this on the practice pieces I have.
The bolts that hold the brake lines to the rear trailing arms were also unwilling to play ball, so I had to use some extractor nuts on them. But they came off in the end. Unfortunately the hard lines on the brackets have the same problem as the ones on the car and while I was able to undo one of them with grips, the other needs cutting off. I'm not sure if I can reflare these and just reshape them enough to stretch them out a bit so that they can be reused. I do hope so.
Dropped the exhaust:
I knew that the ABS sensors weren't going to come out of the hubs, and indeed the bolts on them don't look too clever. I imagine if these end up needing to be replaced, it will be taken to a specialist and they can drill it out etc. for me. For now, I simply unplugged the loom connectors instead.
I started to lose the light as I came into the home stretch:
I moved onto the trailing arm bolts and had a hell of a time with them. Most of them were very difficult to undo, but not impossible, although I did have my breaker bar bent with a nice curve to it a few times. The worst one, it just would not move. It claimed the life of my impact gun! After much on and off with the gun, trying to get it to turn, the gun blew. Great. So everything after that was by hand. Thankfully after much sweating and swearing, the bolt gave and I was able to remove it. I will be replacing all of these bolts!
I then got underneath the car and undid the 6 propshaft to diff nuts. I kept coming out, putting the car in gear then undoing two of them. Them taking it out of gear, turning the prop and repeat.
I was all set to drop the subframe finally. With some trepidation I got under the car, sprayed the nuts/bolts with release agent and set about the task. 20 years of crud and crap made its presence felt and I had to hammer sockets on, going down 1mm at a time until I found the correct sizes and knocked the crud off the nuts/bolts.
I found that I was able to turn all four of them and was delighted! It was about to happen! Then disaster struck.
One of the sockets I'd had to hammer on was properly stuck. I started to really wrench at it with the ratchet so that it might come off the bolt.
Well, come off it did. And my thumb went hard into the side of the jack, splitting it right across the front and down to the side. It was bleeding like mad.
After cleaning it and putting a big plaster on, I went out to continue but I soon realised that I didn't feel quite right! I cleared up the tools and resigned myself to leaving the axle loosened but in place.
I'll get under there tonight and drop it. I'm happy that progress has been made but I am gutted I wasn't able to complete the job last night. I'm dying to see up under the subframe because I need to know the condition of the shell up there. If it's good, I'll clean it up and carry on. If it's bad it might mean having to consider a reshell. I don't want that to be the case so my fingers are firmly crossed on this one.
Edited by TroubledSoul on Monday 17th August 11:36
Edited by TroubledSoul on Sunday 31st January 23:17
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