I'll AX this only once... though there is an Echo in here
Discussion
Paint is hard. In my relatively limited experience with home rattle can resprays one thing I have found is that it usually seems to be the clearcoat where things go wrong for me.
The single stage lacquer cans never seem to give me good results, and they stay soft forever.
On my last project I bought a single use can of 2K lacquer (with a valve that you press on the bottom to mix the two parts). It went down really nicely, and was drying fast enough that I could do a slightly heavier pass to finish without any runs. After a week I wet sanded and rotary polished it. The finish is on par with a half-decent smart repair.
The single stage lacquer cans never seem to give me good results, and they stay soft forever.
On my last project I bought a single use can of 2K lacquer (with a valve that you press on the bottom to mix the two parts). It went down really nicely, and was drying fast enough that I could do a slightly heavier pass to finish without any runs. After a week I wet sanded and rotary polished it. The finish is on par with a half-decent smart repair.
Spinakerr said:
Same here - all ok until the last stage! Thanks for the tip.
See how the bonnet goes and perhaps if it really bothers you in a few months take it in (or off) for paint somewhere trustworthy.
The more I look at the bonnet, the more I think that will be the case. Still, I was able to look at the bonnet through the windscreen as I was driving it to test the tacho cable installation.See how the bonnet goes and perhaps if it really bothers you in a few months take it in (or off) for paint somewhere trustworthy.
Something is wrong...the speedo needle doesn't waggle anymore, just reads the actual speed I'm doing. The odometer works as well, so I can tell how far we've gone between fill ups which is handy as the fuel gauge is still on the list of things to fix....
However, we have a full tank of E5, and Lincolnshire beckons!
What a truly excellent day out. I may or may not have spent a lot of time looking at various old French heaps (there were at least 2 other AXs
and more BXs than you could shake a stick at....
A real pleasure to meet Spinakerr in person and get a tour of the Alfa too. A testament to your hard work in the metal!
A good drive down and back, the speedo cable held up nicely (although I really hope it over reads.... gulp) and a 48mpg average - a refreshing change from the Volvo (although the NVH levels were a little higher).
There wasn't a great deal to report in AX world, it had been ticking over ok (good thing too given the state of the Volvo...).
A new indicator was needed following an incident with a branch.
I had been trying to find one, got one delivered that had broken in transit,, but not done anything more. Good thing to really, as I on the way back from Beamish today....well, there's one fewer pheasant in the world, and I REALLY need to find and fit an indicator.
Potentially a new front bumper too, but I think I'm unlikely to find one, so will just end up living with it.
I also had to remove the last of the unfortunate bird from the nearside rear handbrake cable.
A new indicator was needed following an incident with a branch.
I had been trying to find one, got one delivered that had broken in transit,, but not done anything more. Good thing to really, as I on the way back from Beamish today....well, there's one fewer pheasant in the world, and I REALLY need to find and fit an indicator.
Potentially a new front bumper too, but I think I'm unlikely to find one, so will just end up living with it.
I also had to remove the last of the unfortunate bird from the nearside rear handbrake cable.
Having a hole in the indicator was one thing, having it totally exposed following a bird strike was another, so time to get on with replacing it.....
The Book of Lies merely states you need to remove the headlight to get and the indicator and then it's simplicity itself. The problem with the is the removal of the headlight, which involves using pliers on these to free the light from the adjusters....
This is a fiddly job at best, but you can't get to the bottom one without removing the grill.
None of this is tricky as access is easy (no bumper removal here), but more time consuming than it first appears!
I was clearly spoiled by the shocking condition of the off side headlight and the fact that it's held onto the adjusters with goo, whereas this one is actually as the factory intended!
Once you've got access though, it's a matter of undoing the clips and prying the aged brittle plastic from the rusty adjusters near the grill, then moving the light away from the really rusty ball mounting near the wing without bending or breaking it....
This needed caution, but once it was out (without anything breaking - a miracle), then yes, removing the broken indicator was easy.
Having gone through this, I found some orange coating on the inside of the indicator, looked at the bulb, and decided to replace it, rather than doing this again following an MOT failure.
Disturbing the elderly wiring (and possibly original bulb) made the new one only work intermittently of course.... A dose of contact cleaner later though, and sucess!
Just a matter of fitting the replacement unit then. Brilliant.
Of course the replacement unit is not quite right.... The section into which you insert the wiring and bulb therefore prevents the bulb holder from screwing into place. I could glue it, but future me will not thank me for that.
Sigh. The long way it is then, being aware that if I try too hard or too many times, the equally fragile plastic on the bulb holder may also disintegrate and then the whole exercise will have been rather frustrating for no purpose....
There was a lot of filling, checking, filling, checking.... repeat ad nauseum, but we got there!
A liberal dose of copper slip on all the fastenings and ball mounts upon reassembly just in case of further avian intervention, and we're done.
All of this to keep an AX on the road..... Good job I still love driving it!
The Book of Lies merely states you need to remove the headlight to get and the indicator and then it's simplicity itself. The problem with the is the removal of the headlight, which involves using pliers on these to free the light from the adjusters....
This is a fiddly job at best, but you can't get to the bottom one without removing the grill.
None of this is tricky as access is easy (no bumper removal here), but more time consuming than it first appears!
I was clearly spoiled by the shocking condition of the off side headlight and the fact that it's held onto the adjusters with goo, whereas this one is actually as the factory intended!
Once you've got access though, it's a matter of undoing the clips and prying the aged brittle plastic from the rusty adjusters near the grill, then moving the light away from the really rusty ball mounting near the wing without bending or breaking it....
This needed caution, but once it was out (without anything breaking - a miracle), then yes, removing the broken indicator was easy.
Having gone through this, I found some orange coating on the inside of the indicator, looked at the bulb, and decided to replace it, rather than doing this again following an MOT failure.
Disturbing the elderly wiring (and possibly original bulb) made the new one only work intermittently of course.... A dose of contact cleaner later though, and sucess!
Just a matter of fitting the replacement unit then. Brilliant.
Of course the replacement unit is not quite right.... The section into which you insert the wiring and bulb therefore prevents the bulb holder from screwing into place. I could glue it, but future me will not thank me for that.
Sigh. The long way it is then, being aware that if I try too hard or too many times, the equally fragile plastic on the bulb holder may also disintegrate and then the whole exercise will have been rather frustrating for no purpose....
There was a lot of filling, checking, filling, checking.... repeat ad nauseum, but we got there!
A liberal dose of copper slip on all the fastenings and ball mounts upon reassembly just in case of further avian intervention, and we're done.
All of this to keep an AX on the road..... Good job I still love driving it!
Bobberoo said:
Top work and a great and entertaining write up!!!
Thanks very much! Relatively quiet in AX world, although I had a worried phone call relaying that the AX had conked out.I immediately started on the worst case scenarios, before asking.... "how many miles have you done?"
Turns out lots of urban stuff and queuing across town means the absolute steel certainty of 400 miles to a tank at least was wrong. Must get that can of fuel sorted (and mentally readjust the limit to 350.
Apart from that, it was the turn of one of the rear bulbs to drop out. A remarkably easy fix involving undoing 2 plastic wing nuts....
I did look at fuel senders, but of course there are 3 different ones and I won't know which I need until the car is out of action. Also, they seem to all be north of £100.
A can of fuel it is then!
Cambs_Stuart said:
Your fuel gauge issues remind me of my youth when i had motorbikes. That sinking feeling when you turn the tap to "reserve", only to remember you did that a couple of days ago.
Oh yes.... I remember those days from, well, not that long ago! The NC30 which only went in May required being able to reach down and turn the valve by touch, not fun mid-overtake when the throttle went... fluffy. Not much to report in AX world, there's still water getting into the footwell from somewhere, I appear to have put the steering wheel back on with too much vigour as it now rubs the surround (more than it did), and there's a new squeak from the A-pillar trim on the near side....
However, something that really made my day recently, was the note left under the AX windscreen asking if it was for sale.
It's not, but there's at least one other aged French lightweight hatchback fan out there! Must be because I washed it!
However, something that really made my day recently, was the note left under the AX windscreen asking if it was for sale.
It's not, but there's at least one other aged French lightweight hatchback fan out there! Must be because I washed it!
darkyoung1000 said:
Not much to report in AX world, there's still water getting into the footwell from somewhere, I appear to have put the steering wheel back on with too much vigour as it now rubs the surround (more than it did), and there's a new squeak from the A-pillar trim on the near side....
However, something that really made my day recently, was the note left under the AX windscreen asking if it was for sale.
It's not, but there's at least one other aged French lightweight hatchback fan out there! Must be because I washed it!
It must be a nice feeling being asked that!!!However, something that really made my day recently, was the note left under the AX windscreen asking if it was for sale.
It's not, but there's at least one other aged French lightweight hatchback fan out there! Must be because I washed it!
Bobberoo said:
It must be a nice feeling being asked that!!!
It was, they must be similarly tapped! However, there are a few of similarly diseased mind.... We had some friends break their journey between Scotland and Kent in both directions with us over Christmas, and he is from a long line of Citroën fanatics (there's a 2CV in his garage....)
He returned from Kent with a present from his Dad for me... apparently acquired from their local dealership.
This delighted me no end, and is a fantastic thing to have. Possibly more structurally sound than the real thing too....
In the life-size version, I think some prolonged rain has finally identified the source of the wet floors. Looks like some careful windscreen adhesive is needed (or a replacement screen):
Other than that, I've found a replacement fan which will hopefully fit, and have just washed it and taken it for a spin to The Motorist at Sherburn. Nice to enjoy it on some relatively empty roads!
cavebloke said:
Has the red paint of the model gone an oxidised pink in sympathy with the full sized vehicles?
That would be period correct, but it’s just the way my poor camera phone has reacted to the very yellow light in the kitchen….hmg said:
A propensity for exploding rear windows is all I can remember from my ownership experience in the 90’s
I had an early warning from the friend that had one previously (from the family of Citroen perverts)….”when you close the boot, always do so from the centre as otherwise you run the risk of twisting the plastic and popping the rear window out.” Wise words indeed….. Still, you have to get your weight saving somewhere!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff