Begbie won. I bought him the most tasteless set of smiley dust caps imaginable as a prize, when I saw them I decided to look for something else!
I have a chance to get on with the car again, can do about an hour and a half before the body sleeps so progress is only slow but now persistent. Tons of life stuff happened which i`ll stick in the comments in time.
Covers came off yesterday, car looks good despite 2 years or so covered/damp in places. This is due to the involuntary hypnosis I was subjected to earlier in the year which caused all manner of arm and wrist complaints and cost £120 in detailing products. Car still smells in places like the sound of a gay viking rock group!? (No prizes)
Hoovered most of the garage, great unless you happen to be a spider. One of the stupid [cloud9] has webbed all over every possible bit of the felt sections of the car interior.
Then I fell asleep for 3 hours. Restarted by putting up plastic sheeting above car to make things cleaner, went wrong as one man and no timber to fix to at one end, ran out of sheeting and staples/patience etc.
Of what I was planning to do at the last update, I managed to remove one nut. I did do some other things though but was then taken very ill again which i`ll go into in comments when I can face it.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1575196 27/05/201619:5527/05/201619:55
I tried to make an update last night when I had a few moments, but couldn`t get any images off the card. Today I have no time and only one shot to test a card.
Back soon.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1576975 13/06/201621:5613/06/201621:56
An abundance of le detail arriving en masse dreckly.
What with the life laundry and general time of year I don`t have time to come on here much right now, but as I don`t do the Suckerbugger fan club I`ll be here more in the future I hope. As for that social nertworking phenomena - I changed my name to Han, the last three letters of my first name. Jon didn`t sit well with the new surname of Don-Kok. I have no friends.
I cleaned the CCD but still on £50 lens!
The last shot is taken with me lying on my bed. You don`t sleep with your coupe, no?
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1577088 15/06/201601:1815/06/201601:18
This shoddy bit of afterthought needs a proper route to the bonnet switch. No grommet was present at A-post.
Look like pro crimps. Shame about the speaker cable and the choice of terminals. No strain relief and shoddy insulation job at ECU.
There may have been an intermittent short at the diodes, also noted one pin looks suspect. Can`t help wondering if the author of that piece of loom destruction has a website which says something like..."probably the only competent auto electrician in the whole world".
Fortunately, some gnomes had done this overnight.
So that is where IT went. Then I did a lot of work. No time for pictures though. Going back out now, full engine bay should be done in a couple of weeks.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1577763 21/06/201617:5421/06/201617:54
Having brained myself on the o/s door on Saturday I haven`t managed to do much, so now downed tools to re-supply to do some electrical bits, hydraulics and try to finish the running gear. The induction system needs some work as there is a different intercooler as a temporary measure. I want to look into some chiller technology to see if suitable to adapt to a cooler(charge). On the surface a 230v product but if it looks in any way a go i`ll buy one and strip it. Then if I haven`t killed it in the process, see what it can do. The brace came out well, I just hope the finish will last.
One of the black boxes to manage wiring came from regular supplier the other seems to have been original on the Thema 16VT. Both from same manufacturer.
Clutch slave, reservoirs, the gear selection issue and absent hydraulic lines look like my next targets. Bit more than 2 weeks.
Edit - Just noticed you can even read my helpful wiring notes!
Last edited by KBT; 22/06/201615:59. Reason: added edit
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1577827 22/06/201600:3822/06/201600:38
What to do when a fellow forum member and former coupe owner has overwhelmed you with their good will? Embarrass them in public isn`t it?
Thank-you again,O Many Angled One. (?I hope that is acceptable form)
I managed to find a picture(not mine) of this car on the internet, used by a car mag (I think) in their Titty feed back in March. I have toyed with the idea of contacting them and might look at what they do to see if the publicity would be good or bad. Lets face it, unless the photography, scene and car are very good, one red LE looks like not a Vinci.
I used the 3:1 shrink i`m a fan of on the pins of the body pinin badges. Are they supposed to have clips? Mine didn`t, the badges I replaced but also got stick ons as I think i`d prefer wonky to rusting again. Until Joe has done a (ha ha) series of sub rosa`s on the car she is pretty scrap and parts only. The dash badge needs a chunkier shrink i`ve yet to determine. Plus to all this is the badges remain sealed but push fit. Nickable but without damage.
I have the odd part to sell like a 14400 mile clean brake/clutch fluid reservoir, and I got some new parts that I don`t think this car deserves like the last new rear reflector...Also pair new front fog clusters. etc. In time i`ll list.
Sort of on this note i`ve become nigh on demented about a few key areas of the car which I can influence like the B-pillar badges, wheel centres, mirrors, lights and grille. We monkeys are very pattern driven, getting the key details right can really help to distract the attention away from the non original, damaged glass, the melted rubbers, hanging off bodykit and deranged bodywork which I can`t fix overnight if at all. (Sorry, we sophisticated monkeys) Oh yes. PlastR/X. Amazing stuff. Having removed the dash strip to try to remove glue from clock faces from previous clock rings and discovered damage also, the polish has done a good job. On the boost gauge which had also collected scratches, my fault I think, I was more thorough and result is amazing, almost without flaw. If i`d bought a black one i`d have called IT Nemesis.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1578259 24/06/201612:2324/06/201612:23
I thought perhaps, maybe, just one of you might appreciate this. It`s my Facebook profile picture. As you can see I was in the process of getting mashed and I may be gone for some time due to being nursed excessively.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1578807 29/06/201618:5929/06/201618:59
I actually looked like that after having a mixture of brake fluid, olive oil and garlic splurted into my left eye. If you want to know how to achieve this feat i`d suggest just getting a friend to do it manually with a syringe. Then I got into trouble about my blood test results so i`m back on the meds., not in remission.
I`ve decided i`m not fussed about originality so won`t be refitting any of these bits. I understand the damper was fitted to LE, VT6 and plus and that the slave can be removed from the bracket after the circlip is removed. I have been on tenterhooks since I ordered this as the last time I used the service the pipe was too long. I didn`t approach the problem constructively and received a replacement pipe of the same length to the mm!
This pipe also proved to be 76-80mm too long(sort of inner /outer radius). I observed that my quoted measurement occurred across the unbent length so have mailed them and am going to return and they will shorten it. They must have this problem often but the discrepancy will vary depending on the specified bends it would seem. Perhaps not at all if the fittings are straight. I investigated the odd noise the throttle cable makes. Turned out to be the sound of the cable sawing its way through the adjuster. Had a read of what looks to be a useful how to by bockers and also been looking at motor bike throttle cables which often have a curved metal section. Found a cheap enough metal adjuster so with any luck can cobble an uprated thing together.
Last edited by KBT; 29/06/201623:40. Reason: added
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1579617 09/07/201600:3809/07/201600:38
These have been knocking around for 6 months. Bracket still needs corners rounding. I drilled a 6mm hole in the car to mount. Close as I can get to original looking bolts arrowed, in 12.9. M TECH quick shift fitted. Shift is very positive, will post some pictures of stick positions. Shame it`s purple.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1580103 14/07/201623:3514/07/201623:35
I didn`t like the location of the reservoirs. I also realized something else that needed to be done, so back to the drawing board for about 2 minutes. Plan B can`t be any worse but won`t happen overnight.
I can`t be the first person to notice this.
Hopefully the second image although exaggerated shows what I mean. It was with some trepidation that I sawed off the adjuster because at the time I was thinking all wrong. This part isn`t unavailable as such, just obsolete.
The spring of the throttle body is strong but the real problem with this cable is the maniac on one end and the shit design. I reckon I can cobble something way better than this together with second hand Chinese moped spares. I`m serious.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1581721 05/08/201602:0705/08/201602:07
Long story ... I went underground a few weeks ago as I had slightly exploded as a result of a situation brewing in my life. Due to the illness i`m very affected by stress and can react badly and just be unpredictable generally so when i`m out of hand I retreat into my quarter acre now dubbed `the lost gardens of hooligan`.
edit - much text removed as nobody needs to know about what is now the past
So in a fit of emotional damage limitation I had to visit the car.
I have literally slung that plate in, cocked up and drilled a hole in the wrong place. Bit tricky to measure on the curve but I did that quite well, shame about the cut-bit of a sanding needed at o/s. Needs to be finished of course but i`m waiting for a couple of items to finish the mounting for the latest unseen transdogrified fluid reservoirs.
Nice one to DavidL on the bracket, shame some fool messed up the finish instead of waiting for a new tool.
To save some money I had to buy a hobby heat gun as opposed to first choice. Been busy rebooting the electrics, i`ve only toasted one female plug so far as been unable to find my extraction tool, will try to do a bit of a walkthrough for those interested.
Made some other progress for next time, been 19 hour day..... required
ps. Sorry i`m unable to be my usual happy if provocative self. I hope for a return to form quite soon. *FAO C.Bangle Dear Sir, I was wondering if you might be able to tell me why there are two gender confused plugs at the bulkhead end of the headlamp loom on my 1998 Coupe LE. A man in the pub told me the reason is because the LE model has lunar panels secreted into the lamp surround. Is this true? If so then I fully understand the need for a reversal of established disconnected state protocol. Best Regards. Jon
Last edited by KBT; 05/08/201617:37. Reason: multiples
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1583041 22/08/201612:1822/08/201612:18
How boring is that eh? Except that now `tis a pass without having to blow the inspector, or whatever it is people do. I remember. Wiggle the wires. Having remade these, I decided they were a bit garbage so i`m poised to make up the first pair at a revised spec. The wire colour won`t conform to keep the cost minimal, leaving scope for shrink boots as the lamp ends are vulnerable and the environment is harsh. As i`m about to make a complete new set of brake pipes for the car I asked Joe as to how the circuits were arranged originally. His answer also sounded like advice which I pretended I would ignore. I haven`t made any pipes yet as i`ve been unable to locate my fangs so I dug out the flexible brake lines which came with the car. I know I said before that these are ok as long ass pinned at the strut but i`ve changed my opinion. The arrowed union isn`t handed to the support so doesn`t need to swivel. As it doesn`t need to swivel it can be shorter. What the hell were HęL thinking?
Sorry it`s just a trickle and lookout. When the damn bursts...
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1585642 28/09/201621:3828/09/201621:38
So much for that as I may not be doing any more to the car this year. I have to give my all to setting up my model making/animation/all round production entity Emission Probable.
I am well into my second 5 axis plus lens rig and the conclusion of the car project may well just be time and motion lapse depending on how busy I get.
Here are a few images from the model shop/studio. Ciao for now.
edit...silly me forgot the significance.....
Motion control camera rigs only need a bit of adaption to become computer controlled manufacturing and machining products. Depending on what motors i`m using I can position an axis to a minute % of a degree. Finally.
Last edited by KBT; 28/09/201621:55.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1626605 31/10/201819:0331/10/201819:03
As this is a good night for things coming back....there may be typos, it`s very dark.
Thanks largely to the efforts of others on respective projects i`m making some progress with mine.
I`m still fairly batshit but hopefully in a good way. I have an RI appointment Dec.17 and i`m already on edge about it. The TED became very serious with 25mm proptosis, I have refused the decompression twice as it is very serious surgery. So that`s my bit.
As for the car. Or, my car spares project should the shell prove unviable.
New pro alloy front mount fitted but the route for the pipework is redundant to me so I have to put the short routes together still, it looks like the leg will get re-profiled. The ally pipes are still wrapped and the hoses still bagged! I also have another new redundant punto version. I`m thinking of some kind of jumbo sale oneday.
I put in a cable for the screen wash to the o/s rear corner behind the velcro flap. The tank is tiny and I have to bracket it yet. I might fit a reversible pump so it`s dummy proof or I refit rear wiper. I sent the cable for the widget with it, the route got a bit fussy through wing extensions and front crossmember and may change.
I got new bonnet struts. After about 6 months I dared to close it again. I came up with a fix for (my type) gear cables joggling in the engine side bushes. Hi ratio glue shrink. Still hope to just replace the pair though. The shaft through the top of the box is seized and i`d like to be able to sort as I have the reamer. But it has occured that this is the bit that can be removed and modded to reduce sway. (?) I swapped the headlamps to the LE sort. There be more at the front to add like the entertainment of abs free pipework when I get some pictures hosted again. I`m still hoping to swap the front sub. and a/r bar before the car goes to Joe. And the rear.
I finally dropped the fuel tank. This was a couple of weeks ago, I can`t smell fuel anymore but I got a bit ravaged. I have prepped a whole new unit with a Walbro255, the guide didn`t match the pump but that`s another story. I didn`t match the one that was fitted already. I was fairly sure the basket was holed and it certainly is. However, the basket was more of a basket case than I knew. So the question is what is the dirty secret? And there is the clue.
More as soon as I have some pictures again.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1626607 31/10/201820:1231/10/201820:12
Hope Joe still has tank straps and a fix for the tin can ally bit I destroyed, the 2 brassy fittings survived the onslaught. (and a boot seal anda bias valve spring)
Now i`m a covert to por15 i`m slowly doing brackets. I dipped the 2 rear brake pipe angles and the finish is epic. I didn`t know how tough the stuff is and had to use a diamond bit to then fit the pipe to the first one. The second was better, the two which carry pipe/ and hand brake cable fitted straight off. The next two I didn`t get the paint to key yet. I bought all new FIAT clips as I found the cheaper/stainless not to my liking.
I made both swing arm pipes in cunifer, the o/s was the first brake pipe i`ve ever made. Must have been a zen thing because the next one I made was crap but so was the template folllowing van assaults coupe? I adjusted it and the equally bent bracket. I damaged the forward of the rear heat shield fixings and the shield in a wild moment but then I managed to buy a new one and the fixing can be fixed. I also got a new one in front of rear wheeel. Waiting for a refurbished rear sub. I have new Boge dampers, KYB I think springs, rear ARB, bump stops, bias valve, stone guards and probably SKF bearings. I got the subframe polybushes but will go with what Joe rates. I still have pipework to do, it is hard to get inspired under there. I also have the inevitable n/s p bracketand a new oil cooler. (not fitted)
I grafted the rear wiring to the later type of number plate lamps. There is still a question mark over battery location and type and whether the car has a spare wheel has a bearing on this. I refurbished the handbrake console. I have a throttle cable and can make a spare from an outer and bits.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1633798 09/07/201916:3009/07/201916:30
The last 7 months have not been great. I got sick on the back of the treatment which hasn`t even worked. My eye disease didn`t flare up at least but I developed chalazia over 3 lids. My dad died. R.I.P. MR. My car, bought a year ago £3200, had a head gasket failure during MOT so I bought another, wiping out restoration fund.
I have become very determined to get the car finished for a number of reasons, however i`m still not just slinging it back together but attending to as many details as I can. In the last days I re-booted the injector plugs as I found some perfect fit in a soft rubber but a quid a go, however the result is easily worth it. (I had already replaced the boots) Will wrap the coil cables tomorrow and loom repairs/alterations complete. I chewed the 2 main rear arb bolts so need 14 so far from FIAT. Struggling to get any pictures, as I want to stay under wraps for a while yet and it just looks like a red LE in a garage. Here is one though, pro alloy now fitted but still not really to my satifaction. Better update soon.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1633799 09/07/201920:1709/07/201920:17
There was one more picture which i`ll add next time. Pics. are LE in garage, injector boot detail, bonnet catch etc. detail (for Simon :)), to do still in bay and short route insight, wiring to finish in dash end.
So I managed to get a bunch of cables through the dash really easily by going through o/s dash end in the space below screen with length of ring main. Neutral for preference. Comes out above passenger footwell and consists of 9mm convoluted, 7mm pipe, 5mm cable and 2 flat cables. Boost controller is visible, input module at stereo blank plate with cable up through by clocks as too short to go with the rest and I didn`t fancy altering it. The only reasons I haven`t finished these bits are I ran out of tape and I decided to fit superseals to the incoming cables and boost guage, widget and boost controller.
The only brake pipe my car has fitted all the way is the one that is almost never replaced on a coupe. Mine can be swapped in 15 minutes, but the others are all still buggers. They should be fitted in the next few days, not 100% happy with the fronts but I can redo much better second go now I realised how. Some bits of loom to tidy and need to find absent wiring clips. All boots replaced where possible. Hope I haven`t cocked up the cable orders as when I did these jobs I was flying. Slowly trying to tone down the red.
The n/s sill cover which I couldn`t get off came off. I drilled the heads off the screws then used very small vice to remove stubs. The channel clips could do with replacing or the new screws will corrode, not found any as yet though. Sill not corroded. I think this was caused by the A to B seal having come away. I have a replacement for someone to fit. And a spare pair. I grazed the door while doing this and the o/s wing has a mystery dent.
I couldn`t find the fixings for the B-pillar covers which I think must be spinning washer nuts, minor snag I know. Haven`t decided whether to be badgeless yet but both the pillar badges and rear quarter are just begging for magpies. 20 is the number of bolts as i`d forgotten to count the top mounts. The short shift is as short as a modern car but I still have no side to side movement in the stick. Trying to move it seems to damage the end bushing of the cable as well as the cracked plastic thing.
Have decided not to do any subframe removal as beyond me, but as i`m prepared to commit to the restoration costs the bill just gets bigger. Worn out. More soon.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1633997 17/07/201915:4517/07/201915:45
Decided to only add the odd image from now on, because I have started shooting a motion control epic of the coupe and hopefully build from here on. Of the first 8 passes I only used one repeat - bonnet shut then open. I`m using a modular (read grafted shot by shot) (up to) 10 axis digital system so can do some interesting shots, however the space is very limited, solo set-ups not easy as supports very heavy and the background is an untidy mess. (I`m working on this) Add fluctuating natural light and colour temperature issues it`s a miracle I only binned 2 of the shots, i`m no displeased with the others.
Got under the back end at last. Much as the car has at least 10 areas I can name which need professional repair, it isn`t as bad as my mind had painted. I also understand the construction at the boot seams now and long lasting repairs should be possible.
Only one of the brake pipes came away from the compensator, even using fluid/heat and mini vice. I removed the valve with pipes attached without doing any damage I noticed. I had bought 2 new pipes on ebay and the quality is way better than I can achieve. Seems to lack wisdom to fit them as all four pipes in this area have either started to seep at about 15 years or have areas which are about to fail. I had planned to copy them. I also removed the nut/washer finally from the damaged rear heat shield fixing. I think the POR 15 will hold it in place without repair. Long story short, I don`t think there is any corrosion on the body or rails between the rear subframe so i`m going to have a go at getting it out for the refurb. I also fitting the n/s air intake, which isn`t possible without seriously altering it of course. For that `factory` look.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1634223 27/07/201901:1227/07/201901:12
Not much progress as been solving problems thrown up bringing equipment out of lay-up. Duff battery and the lens I need to use has got too stiff for the zoom drive. Many days wasted. Now have 5200k lighting though. Needed an unusual head for some shots so made a pan/roll/tilt from some abandoned bits. Facing redundancy again which has turned work nasty, people may `off` each other before the hammer falls. I`m up really early to get a load done this w/e. The duct looks like this, unfinished untill bumper trial fitted. More soon.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1634603 10/08/201910:0710/08/201910:07
so 3 weeks till notice(probable). Dare not do any jobs on the car as too on edge to do anything well. Made a bunch of camera passes though, now in the middle of a quantum upgrade as i`m planning for what I do next......
Made big improvements in the garage as now a `production enviroment`, main reason was to clear the frame and improve reflected colour balance. Did that after these shots! Here are 3 frames from passes, including one `you can`t do that shot`, at least not with the bonnet on, can you? (baybacktrack frame34, frame 1 of curves/reflections, frame 151 of bank shot with wrong lens, can only get at 9.30 on a Sunday morning when the light is right)
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1634677 12/08/201914:0012/08/201914:00
Trial fitted front bumper yesterday. No problems with duct but headers still foul at the lower vents, already took the sander to. I can move top mount forward and lower by a couple of mm, this means more rake - clears vents but then fouls at rad. support. Wondering if the spec. got updated. Leaving for now, sure i`ll have a solution in time. Made a shot of it too, here is the first and last. Now the pace needs to increase, and I definately need a haircut.
(NB grindersfail refers to hastily made mark 3 lens drives which are now in the bin, mark 4s built for the weekend)
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1634911 20/08/201918:0620/08/201918:06
Refitted the front seats and sat in them both, belted up. Can feel the wear in driving seat, was struck by how pleasing the interior is. The dash strip really sets the clocks apart. Refitted n/s door seal and noticed the A-pillar cover has pulled through fixings. There is no written list but the snagging on this car goes on and on. Both doors rattle when being closed, hope to deal with as this sounds nasty. I was going to do a quick job on the o/s shower screen but had good win today so going to buy some double sided tape. Maybe. Had a look at a few pro alloy installations, including the one done with a chainsaw. Have decided to just reshape the lower bit which fouls, hopefully the result will be in keeping.
Far from shooting faster i`m down to 4 secs./week, made most distorting dolly zoom in cinema history and I know it`s a dubious claim.
Cleared most of the intruding vegetation on the plastic above the car and discovered a nice crop of Blackberries, and maybe a million aphids. Early notice tomorrow, either way is good news/bad news.
Re: LE 30 Project Thread
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#1634978 25/08/201917:0125/08/201917:01
I fitted a shower screen of sorts to the o/s door, didn`t come out perfect but better than no screen for sure. ( Assuming there isn`t one on the n/s either but will leave till I have some space to work) I didn`t allow for the intrusion of the door card so will have to redo. Had forgotten there is no lower fixing for the interior door pull so there still isn`t, i`m thinking rivnut when I redo. The door shuts without a rattle, this side was just the plate at the inner handle when unsecured. Investigated n/s A - pillar trim and the circular backs at the fixings fell out in small peices as I removed. Didn`t see any for sale so I rebuilt - quite tedious and doubt they will last many fitting/removal.