Car D.I.Y.

[Deleted member 26715]

The car was only bought last September! I thought the days of overpowered tyre guns were behind us, but obviously not.

Might be a VW thing, son has a LT35 flatbed, we torqued his wheel nuts up to 110, tried to get them off a few weeks later even a 450 impact gun wouldn't touch them, ended up with a 3/4 drive breaker bar & a 6ft pole with his 18st bouncing on it.

 

[figbat]

I might be tempted to put a long breaker bar on, have it resting on the ground or a brick or block of wood, and then either push the car or, if really wound up, get in and slowly drive it so the breaker bar turns the nuts anti-clockwise.

Many years ago I used a similar technique to free an alloy wheel from an iron hub - slackened the nuts a little, put it in gear and dropped the clutch. There was an almight ‘crack’ and the wheel was free.

 

[Bazzer]

Might be a VW thing, son has a LT35 flatbed, we torqued his wheel nuts up to 110, tried to get them off a few weeks later even a 450 impact gun wouldn't touch them, ended up with a 3/4 drive breaker bar & a 6ft pole with his 18st bouncing on it.

Didn't have a problem with my last Golf and Mrs B's wheels haven't been a problem at any time during the last 2 1/2 years of her ownership, despite those wheel studs being torqued to 120nm.
I'll ring the garage in the morning. My main sockets are 1/2" and although I have 3/8 and 1/4, I don't go up in size and with the 1/2" and a steel pipe on the extension bar, it didn't feel as if it was going to take the full weight of 75kgs hanging off the end.

I might be tempted to put a long breaker bar on, have it resting on the ground or a brick or block of wood, and then either push the car or, if really wound up, get in and slowly drive it so the breaker bar turns the nuts anti-clockwise.

Many years ago I used a similar technique to free an alloy wheel from an iron hub - slackened the nuts a little, put it in gear and dropped the clutch. There was an almight ‘crack’ and the wheel was free.

If it was a single stud I would be tempted, but I've 18 refusing to move.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

So up at 6am, coffee out to transporter which refused to start in the minus temperature, a frantic 15 minutes later & some carb cleaner it started, got to the test station with 15 minutes to spare, which was okay, but more stress than I would have liked

Unfortunately a fail before it got into the garage on the first 2, but not a bad result.

1. The wheel arches are in the correct place, but I read the regs wrong, the arch has to cover between 30 & 50 degrees, about 150mm of the centre line which how I did them, what I didn't realise is there has to be some cover on the 150mm, but it's quite an easy fix.

2. The windscreen is from a 1973 VW Beetle 1303, it is laminated, but it does not have an E mark, or state it's laminated, so another fail

3. Emissions, not sure why but the hydrocarbons were fine, the Lambda is fine, but the Co2 has to be less than 0.3, it was 0.7, but interestingly it got very hot & the fan did not cut in, so it could hopefully just be the temp sender for the ECU, the gauge & the ECU use different ones.

4. The seatbelt anchors below the seat, I used a nut & bolt, but apparently it has to be a bolt with a welded nut, you have to be able to remove them with a single spanner, so you can release the person in the seat, WTF you wouldn't just put a knife through the belt I don't know, but I'm not there to argue.

5. There is a slight weep on the rear NS brake line where it goes from hard pipe to flexi, never seen any fluid on the floor so I suspect it's only when under pressure, hopefully it can be nipped up, or the hard pipe flare remade.

 

[Bazzer]

So up at 6am, coffee out to transporter which refused to start in the minus temperature, a frantic 15 minutes later & some carb cleaner it started, got to the test station with 15 minutes to spare, which was okay, but more stress than I would have liked

View attachment 583733

Unfortunately a fail before it got into the garage on the first 2, but not a bad result.

1. The wheel arches are in the correct place, but I read the regs wrong, the arch has to cover between 30 & 50 degrees, about 150mm of the centre line which how I did them, what I didn't realise is there has to be some cover on the 150mm, but it's quite an easy fix.

2. The windscreen is from a 1973 VW Beetle 1303, it is laminated, but it does not have an E mark, or state it's laminated, so another fail

3. Emissions, not sure why but the hydrocarbons were fine, the Lambda is fine, but the Co2 has to be less than 0.3, it was 0.7, but interestingly it got very hot & the fan did not cut in, so it could hopefully just be the temp sender for the ECU, the gauge & the ECU use different ones.

4. The seatbelt anchors below the seat, I used a nut & bolt, but apparently it has to be a bolt with a welded nut, you have to be able to remove them with a single spanner, so you can release the person in the seat, WTF you wouldn't just put a knife through the belt I don't know, but I'm not there to argue.

5. There is a slight weep on the rear NS brake line where it goes from hard pipe to flexi, never seen any fluid on the floor so I suspect it's only when under pressure, hopefully it can be nipped up, or the hard pipe flare remade.

Unlucky, but at least fixable.
Unless kit cars have their own regs, the seatbelt anchor regulation has been in place for many years. It was something I hadn't actively considered, but came across it when I stripped my Stag (72 reg). It stuck in my mind because one of the bolts was a particular barsteward, which ultimately sheared in the captive nut and had to be drilled out.

 

[Drago]

So up at 6am, coffee out to transporter which refused to start in the minus temperature, a frantic 15 minutes later & some carb cleaner it started, got to the test station with 15 minutes to spare, which was okay, but more stress than I would have liked

View attachment 583733

Unfortunately a fail before it got into the garage on the first 2, but not a bad result.

1. The wheel arches are in the correct place, but I read the regs wrong, the arch has to cover between 30 & 50 degrees, about 150mm of the centre line which how I did them, what I didn't realise is there has to be some cover on the 150mm, but it's quite an easy fix.

2. The windscreen is from a 1973 VW Beetle 1303, it is laminated, but it does not have an E mark, or state it's laminated, so another fail

3. Emissions, not sure why but the hydrocarbons were fine, the Lambda is fine, but the Co2 has to be less than 0.3, it was 0.7, but interestingly it got very hot & the fan did not cut in, so it could hopefully just be the temp sender for the ECU, the gauge & the ECU use different ones.

4. The seatbelt anchors below the seat, I used a nut & bolt, but apparently it has to be a bolt with a welded nut, you have to be able to remove them with a single spanner, so you can release the person in the seat, WTF you wouldn't just put a knife through the belt I don't know, but I'm not there to argue.

5. There is a slight weep on the rear NS brake line where it goes from hard pipe to flexi, never seen any fluid on the floor so I suspect it's only when under pressure, hopefully it can be nipped up, or the hard pipe flare remade.

I see you stuck a £20 note on each tyre for the tester

 

[Tail End Charlie]

What sort of kit car is it? I had presumed you had a Phaeton.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

What sort of kit car is it? I had presumed you had a Phaeton.

This one is a MEV Mevster, one of only 20 ever made, we only know where 9 of them are, MX5 based. Yes built a Dutton Phaeton back in 1980 & put it on the road in 1981.

I see you stuck a £20 note on each tyre for the tester

Maybe I should have tried £50's

 

[Deleted member 26715]

No1 on my list addressed today

New one ordered, just waiting for delivery information.

 

[Gunk]

That is a nuisance having to change it

 

[Deleted member 26715]

After the debacle of the transported not starting for the IVA test, I went out with trepidation to see about changing the glowplugs on it. Armed with a brand new 6 sided 10mm socket & a can of Plus gas. gave the based a good spray, then tried to back each off, then tightened again, back off & tighten a few more times & each came out. Once changed it started 1st throw of the switch, but it wasn't minus 2, so we'll see if it has any real effect. Put each of the old ones across a battery & the tips did glow red, so they weren't completely shot, although the wiring was damaged on No4

 

[Badger_Boom]

No1 on my list addressed today

View attachment 584004

New one ordered, just waiting for delivery information.

Could you not just have etched 'Laminated' on it somewhere?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Could you not just have etched 'Laminated' on it somewhere?

I suppose I could, but that would have had to have been in the back & would have been obvious if you scratched it with a finger nail, whereas the new one has it etched into the front screen of the laminate so you can't feel it. It's £90 plus fuel costs to go back for a retest, or £93.25 for a new one, plus a tube of Tiger Seal, one is risky the other not, I chose the non risky option.

 

[Drago]

Reading the regs it seems the screen only has to "bear" the mark.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Reading the regs it seems the screen only has to "bear" the mark.

It's done now, but I am having a nightmare trying to get the CO level within limits, I'm going to see a dyno specialist tomorrow to see if he has any clues, what's happening is just not logical.