1987 3.2 Carrera Backdate project - Sladeys hotrod

[sladey]

D-Day!!!

Even though I've only had 5 hours sleep I was wide awake as soon as I opened my eyes (and realise my contacts were still in!)

Got ready for work, got in the one seat I'd installed and turned the key - Click! (John - don't keep clicking the word 'click' that was a sound effect )

Balls!

I've had issues with this battery since it was installed (about 2 weeks before it came off the road). It won't hold charge. It's been on charge for a couple of days so I expected it to work. I used ian's booster battery and it started up fine.

I pulled out of the drive to go to work........

[Nige]

oooooo exciting!

[KS]

And.....relax! Blimey, I was holding my breath all the way through that! Good luck today, although I'm sure you won't need it.

[sladey]

There are a few rattles - mainly because I haven't got the door seal in the passenger side yet. As I've got no carpets the whole thing is also pretty noisy and echoey.

The engine management chip isn't great for the engine - I've still got a lumpy idle.

Ok that's the bad stuff out of the way.

the car PULLS LIKE A FOOKING TRAIN!!!!

I took it up to 5K revs a couple of times and 5500 once. Not so much trying to be careful - just the amount of traffic on the road. It's got bags and bags of torque and revs really sweetly. I'm sooooo looking forward to driving it more and more and more.

So then I got to the garage.

The guy at the garage isn't so much a glass half empty kind of guy - more a 'aint got no glass' kinda guy.

I'd booked it in for the MOT and for the anti roll bar stud to be drilled out.

I knew it was unlikely to pass the MOT with only one seatbelt in. I said to the buy that the interior isn't in 'well we can't MOT it then'. OK.

Then I explained about the anti roll bar. I explained I'd tapped a thread and the tap had snapped "You'll never drill a tap" he said immediately. "OK" I said "well I've drill it through already, and I've gone off centre".
"Oh well if it's off centre I wont be able to do it"
I said "You could oversize it" - we looked at the anti roll bar bracket "Oh no you cant oversize that" he says. I pointed out that you can just by making the hole a bit bigger. Then he said he couldn't do that because the edge is at an angle.
"I'm not making any promises" (no sh1t!)
"I'll have a go"

I've left it at that. He wears me down. If I'd had a tenth of his attitude the car wouldn't be here today.

I've asked them to supply and fit a new battery as well

And I'll bring it back for the MOT tomorrow - tonight I've just got to sort the interior (bit of carpet glue and seat belt mounts) and rig up some sort of way of holding the engine lid down.

Still keep grinning about how it drives.

Only got one pic - the paint on the bonnet looks flat but it hasn't been polished yet

[KS]

Almost there...

[Nige]

Looks great.

What about the door mirrors, isn't that an MOT fail?

[Gary71]

Great stuff as usual I'd be tempted to take it somewhere else for the MoT...

[sladey]

Nige - checked and no it isn't - you only need one rear view mirror and the interior one is fine

Gary - they've been flexible in the past on the number plates, indicators and fog lamps so I'm sticking with them as long as they remain like that. I know what the mechanic guy is like - he's always been like that - it just wears you down sometimes.

[Darren65]

You're running out of hurdles......one last lunge and you'll be over that finish line!

Congrats

[sladey]

Hmmm

just had a chat with Mr Happy. He started to say I need a door mirror. I quoted my encyclopaedic knowledge. Then I printed it off t'internet. then I looked a bit wider and he was right - I need a door mirror (because it's a post 78 car). bugger.

Not a problem


He also said my suspension has loads missing from it. I explained that all the missing pieces were attached to the anti roll bar I gave him

He then said I have a hole just forward of the anti roll bar mounting - so looks like I may have a little welding to do

[Bootsy]

Keep the faith, you'll soon have a ticket and be on route to Hull to join the party boat

[Gary71]

Indeed, keep at it! I once fell out with an MoT tester over my rear ARB as I'd taken it off in advance of the test because the bushes were worn out. My theory was if it's not there they can't fail you, that wasn't his view!

[sladey]

Just had a chat with him and hopefully getting him onside. I went down to visit him as its always better face to face.

There are a couple of holes forward of the anti roll bar. I've asked him to weld on a couple of small patches - he's going to try and fit it in this afternoon (Or I'll be doing it tonight!)

I've also got to turn the mirror pictured above into an objet d'art worthy of my car, or alternatively something that I can clip on for the test and remove straigth afterwards (I am planning on doing a nice door mirror but was planning on it being a separate project and producing something like the Singer 911 door mirror)

So more work tonight but hopefully not as much as the last few nights....

Looking forward to the drive home. Think I'm going to try Wayne's chip in it tomorrow...

[Gary71]

Can't you get a towing mirror with a rubber sucker on it?

[Northy]

You could order something like this: Door mirror - stick it to the quarter light with strong double sided tape and then take it off again? You might get it delivered by the morning?