I'll AX this only once... though there is an Echo in here

[darkyoung1000]

RDMcG said:

Don’t know how I missed this- incredible skill in keeping the car fully operational . Very impressive .

Likewise - sorry I missed your comment, and while kind, it's a pretty basic thing really. TUn engine is fitted to so many things, it's just keeping on top of the rust!

Not much has been happening with maintenance but it proves itself to be as versatile as ever.

Volume 3 of 'who needed a Volvo estate anyway?' - replacing a panel on the car port damaged by Rat Boys:





It did smell gently of bitumen for a day or so afterwards....

We then went on holiday to Wales with the dog - a high risk strategy with the weather at the beginning of March, but it turned out to be lovely and barely rained all week. Cracking cottage in the middle of nowhere, just south of Harlech.





In Harlech, there was this, which of course we had to drive down (it's one way) as well as walking up. No brakes were cooked as it's quite short, but you wouldn't want to run out of stopping power!





Perhaps most importantly, the old sticker was looking rather tatty, so has been replaced:







I have some works planned for Easter, and the weekend after when I'm on call.

One of the rear doors has stopped responding to requests to open - I suspect the rods have become detatched, so that will be a doorcard off job as it will be an MOT fail.
There is a cat to be fitted to the exhaust, as the AX GT exhaust fitted, is of course, before there was such a requirement.
Various rust prevention issues
Some servicing (oil, plugs etc.)

Oh yes...and this cropped up on eBay, so it seemed rude not to buy it. They were fitted to some AXs, seemingly at random, from the 1.0l to the GTi (although the GTi had drop links), just not this one. A 19mm thick ARB (the diesels were 21mm) which might make the dog a little more comfortable on cross country runs. The bolt holes were there in the new wishbones I put on, so according to the book of lies, it's a 3 spanner problem. I look forward to wasting a day on it while hoping that the improvment in handling is worth the 0.4% increase in weight....

[darkyoung1000]

Cambs_Stuart said:

That area around Harlech is amazing, the beach is beautiful. I took my youngest there a couple of times last year. That 40% slope by the castle was interesting in the rain. The legacy was far happier going up than down!

Stunning isn’t it? The dog was in seventh heaven, and the mountain walking around Barmouth was spectacular as well.
Interesting you managed to drive up it, the one way system must be new!

[darkyoung1000]

The MOT is looming, and work has not been kind in finding time off.

Booked in for the stone chip to be repaired this Friday.
Universal 2” diameter 200 cell cat should arrive tomorrow for a garage to weld it into the AX GT stainless system.
A pack of plugs are in the post as it’s not always catching first turn of the key and I can’t recall changing them.

Good job there’s not another weekend night shift coming up, and that my OH doesn’t need the car every day to get to the stables…..blast!

[darkyoung1000]

Investigation work on the underside of the AX today to see whether fitting a cat to the exhaust was possible, and having a good poke around before the MOT.

The upshot I’m going to wait for the MOT and see on what and how badly it fails before working out what to do.

The list of things I spotted were the cat (and therefore potentially emissions), the rear flexible brake hoses….and the potential killer of all old French hatches….the rear beam.
Looks like the offside rear isn’t as good as it should be, and there maybe some play in the wheel as a result of the rear beam failing. That might explain the rubbing on hard cornering too….

Time to start looking for a new axle, just in case.