Practically Classics Forum

For the 20 minutes my stomach was not going nuts, I brought one
of the 14 steel rims inside and set about putting the clips on it.
I couldn't have done more than the one rim as I ran out of the wide
washers I used. I will get some tomorrow when I go into town I hope.





And just to double check that I got the clips bent right, I fitted one of
the mini hub caps two different ways. The first was by accident, and the
hub cap is held by the clips around the outside of the hub cap. It did the
job but didn't look neat and tidy.



The second way was with the clips on the inside. The was much neater,
even if it was a little hard to get over the clips. The hub cap was a tighter
fit so less likely to come off. However, in order to get the hub cap off, I had
to push it off by using the bolt holes.

There is a way to get hub caps off which the classic beetle and bus owners
do. They have one or two holes in the side edge of the hub cap where they
use a hook to pull them off the clips. It will be something to do later after the
wheels have been clipped, re-tyred balnced, and fitted.

JPB wrote: And not forgetting "quit footering about with toys that do nothing for the prospects of the car and get the darned thing running!"

That's pretty much what goes through my mind every time I look at this thread.

PRIORITISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Richard Moss wrote:

JPB wrote: And not forgetting "quit footering about with toys that do nothing for the prospects of the car and get the darned thing running!"

That's pretty much what goes through my mind every time I look at this thread.

PRIORITISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+1

I have prioritised getting the car so it can be moved, so I need to get
the 14" steelies finished so Christine can roll when pushed out of the
way. The 16" rims have the wrong tyres on so are wedged on at the rear,
hence I had to use the winch to drag it out a little previously.

A couple of better photos on the rim and hubcap. The clips holding the hub
cap on the outside.



And the hubcap clips on the inside doing ther jov properly.





This little one knew I wasn't feeling too well and wouldn't leave my side.
The steel rims have all had the hub cap clips fitted now, I was egged on by
Cassey.



When I felt well and able enough I sat at the bench outside to tackle the
back box. You can see why it needs to be redone.





A wizz around with the wire brush attachment on the drill, then cleaned and
it's first coat of silver VHT spray paint.





As the family have been clearing out the relatives house more and more
stuff has migrated into the house and dad's garage. So much stuff so that
You can not get into the garage. And now even my little tool shed has now
started become storage!!!!!!!!!!

With the welding equipment being half way down the side of the garage, I
can't get the exhaust pipes sorted to the back box, or the screw hole for
the lambda/O2 sensor after the cat.

So wheels, before dad complains, then back to the wiring.

You don't need to play around with paint and hubcaps to put the wheels on. Your chrome hubcaps may "look pretty" but when you are fiddling with a 1.5 tonne garden ornament rather than a car nobody cares as nobody will ever see them. Go to your local tyre place and get some rubber on them, job done. An hour max.
Get your meter out and get your engine wiring sorted. If you can't get that ECU unlocked, don't procrastinate with other things. Bite the bullet, bin it and get another one or build your own. You have friends in the states where those v6s are common. Ask one of them to find you an unlocked ECU or to get one unlocked for you.

+1

The danger is that you will eventually get to point where you have to do the wiring and try to get the car going. Then you'll either have forgotten what you were trying to do or what you have done, have to start again and get fed up. The car becomes a pile of scrap rather than the project you started out to do.

I suspect that's what happened to the Porsche on last night's Classic Car Rescue - and the original owner must have lost thousands there!

I've seen a few projects go the same way and my model railway seems to be heading in that direction for the same reasons!

Mother finally cleared the back of here volvo out, so the tyres and steel
rims could be put in the back.

The Steel rims and tyres were taken to the garage this afternoon and were
fitted together along with new valves, and then balanced. Cost £20.00

Mother had to help me switch the wheels over, and she was having to jump
up and down on the breaker bar to make sure the lug nuts were on tight
enough. This is because after I had fallen over for the third time I was in no
fit state.



The Chrome trim rings need a degrease and polish but that can be done
much later. Christine has now been moved and I have full access to all
of the engine bay again.

Mother had to help me switch the wheels over, and she was having to jump
up and down on the breaker bar to make sure the lug nuts were on tight
enough.

your mum is a star!! buy her a longer breaker bar for christmas??

Rich it's her birthday next week and she's in her mid fifties, and 4 foot
10 and a half inches tall! She never lets me forget that half inch.

A few things needed to be done, so I started off giving a light sanding
down and clean of the back box. Then As gave the back box a second
coat of VHT spray paint, the wind changed and the front bumper which
was sitting on the floor got covered in paint too! So that had to be
cleaned down before it set.



While the paint dried I popped the 16" vw beetle steel wheels in the back
of mothers volvo and dropped them off at the local garage to have the
tyres removed. When I get them back tomorrow they will go in storage.

The paint was touch dry later that day so the masking cover was removed.
So you can see what it looks like before it goes back under the car.



Moving the vw wheels put me out of action, the twisting and lifting did my
back and legs. I might have better look tomorrow.

well thats her birthay prezzie sorted then! or you could splash out on one of these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24v-CORDLESS- ... 2a237fbc67

nothing shows you love her more than when you give power tools