Vulgalour's Vehicles - 10/03 Ignition Switch Woe

Post pictures and stories about your cars both present and past. Also post up "blogs" on your restoration projects - the more pictures the better! Note: blog-type threads often get few replies, but are often read by many members, and provide interest and motivation to other enthusiasts so don't be disappointed if you don't get many replies.
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vulgalour
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#111 Post by vulgalour »

The very early interiors are ace, particularly the chevron-stitched vinyl in the base L models. Do like an interior made exclusively of Brownium.
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Been steadily plodding along. My camera has been troublesome too so I'm low on snaps. Anyway, had a stroke of luck finding a full set of rare contrast-piping HLS seats and 2 full carpet sets in brown for £1.98 which sorts out the interior on the red car very nicely.

The carpet I liberated from the brown breaker in Liverpool has been fitted, though I have no pictures of that yet, and is very plush and new smelling and feeling which caused some problems getting things fitted properly as the old carpet was flat and threadbare. The driver's seat from that car has been fitted too and is a vast improvement over what was in though I'm still in the process of getting it set correctly.

It was too dark to get pictures or to finish fitting the other seats, but that proved useful for aforementioned HLS interior collection as the car was pretty much a van. Speaking of, the hundred mile round trip to collect the seats went smoothly with not a complaint from the HL at all, though my headlights do need realigning as they presently seem to point at the front bumper which isn't fun driving on unlit country roads when they're only sealed beams.

Before fitting the new carpet I removed the draught excluder boot that I knew was damaged, I'd grabbed the really good one from the Liverpool car 'just in case' which paid off.
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The new one fitted and I can report that a lot of the oily smell in the cabin has gone now and passengers no longer complain about exhaust gas odour. I also have less issue with fogging up so it's probably cured quite a few things in one fell swoop.
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Today the wheel nuts arrived and they're the correct size happily, my only issue is that the not-locking sleeve nuts have shanks that are about twice the length they need to be. I think I'll be okay just cutting the shanks down to the right length so the nut sits flush with the wheel face. I'm hoping to have a go at this before the next Retro Rides meet on Monday as I'd love to turn up with the Lotus alloys fitted.
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vulgalour
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#112 Post by vulgalour »

Got all the seats in today, driver's seat was already in place as was the lovely new carpet.
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Front seat in too. Needs a bit more of a clean, but I just wanted it in the car, I can clean it properly in situ.
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Unfortunately, the back seat is made up of my original seat back and the seat base from the brown Liverpool car as I couldn't liberate the seat back from that car before it got squashed. A blanket disguises this fact well enough, but I'm on the look out for a correct seat back which should be just about impossible to find.
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Fitted the boot rams also liberated from the Liverpool car and applied copious amounts of WD40 to make them work as smoothly as possible. I'm not sure what's in these rams, but they feel like they have springs instead of oil or gas in them. They work exceptionally well, at any rate, so I'm happy with them.
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While I was in the boot I fitted the tatty trim taken from the car I got the axle from. It doesn't look great, but it's better than having nothing there at all.
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Finally, a picture of the car up at the proper height again. Looks weird because the front arch liners are removed and there's no black underseal in there. I'm going to go around and double check everything as I put on the miles, but it seems to be okay.
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JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#113 Post by JPB »

Excellent stuff! That interior looks most inviting. :thumbs:
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:
rich.
Posts: 6893
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:18 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#114 Post by rich. »

mmmm beige.. :D
vulgalour
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#115 Post by vulgalour »

After having had them on for about 60 miles, the Lotus alloys have to come off again. I've been regularly checking them for any sign of movement and up until now there has been none, but the hub is very definitely off centre by a marginal amount now (it's less than 1mm, but it's still enough to be off centre) and I don't want to risk running these wheels until I've bought spigot rings to keep them centralised. Tyres on the steels are okay and they'll see me through the winter if need be. It's a shame to not be running the Lotus alloys yet, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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Topaz
Posts: 246
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:52 am
Location: Derby

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#116 Post by Topaz »

rich. wrote:mmmm beige.. :D
A guy I know on the local Mini Owners Club Forum described his Beige car as "Jewish Racing Gold"

See http://www.thejc.com/news/the-diary/the ... -backfires

Mike
vulgalour
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#117 Post by vulgalour »

All beige/pale gold cars are JRG, it's a classy colour :lol:

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I've been trying to find out what else could be amiss with the fitment and I've come to a few conclusions. I know the offset is okay and I know the PCD is identical. I know the sleeve nuts and locking nuts I bought are the correct length and thread for the wheels and I know I'm getting no banging or other horrible noises or generating any heat in the wheel nuts even at higher speeds, which would lead me to believe there's no untoward stresses on them.

I suspect I've measured incorrectly, there's a trick of the light making things appear wonkier than they are or that the sleeve nuts are actually a little too thin allowing some movement. I'm also not sure spigot rings are the answer because there's no shoulder on the rear hubs for it to locate on anyway, just the hub nut cover which I don't think the spigot ring is designed to locate against.

I have to shelve any spending anyway, I'm all spent up now until after I've done the Maidstone meet, but research is generally free.
vulgalour
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#118 Post by vulgalour »

The wheel fitment issue has been discovered and it's down to shank thickness. I've since discovered that Lotus had wheel nuts made specifically for these wheels and they have a slighter thicker than normal shank so regular sleeve nuts will allow the wheel to move off centre quite easily when fitting. With no shoulder on the rear hub to utilise I can't make use of spigot rings for helping me line things up either.

So I'm on the look out for 12 Lotus Elite or Eclat specific wheel nuts. Places that have listed them online - usually at around £55 for 12 - are out of stock and Dad is presently chasing up a potential supplier to get this sorted.

I could continue to run the car on the existing sleeve nuts but since the fitment is less than perfect I'm not going to. The wheels are the only thing keeping me and the tarmac apart so I want to make sure they're on the car properly.
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JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#119 Post by JPB »

vulgalour wrote:£55 for 12
:?

:idea:

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I've only ever owned one ADO71 but mine certainly had four studs per hub. ;)
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:
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TerryG
Posts: 6757
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: Austin Morris Princess X2

#120 Post by TerryG »

You are so demanding John, F1 cars only use 1 nut per wheel so I can't see a problem with doing it on your daily driver. That would mean you could have enough for £18.34. Plus the weight saving must mean better economy and more performance. as it is un-sprung weight that you are losing the handling will improve too ;)

(Barry logic at it's best, coming soon to a McDonalds carpark near you)
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
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