Practically Classics Forum

I ordered this last month and it turned up in the post this morning.



I went to try and fit it to the car only to spend an hour removing 2 of
the 3 nuts and bolts holding the 12n socket in place. I have sprayed
that nut and bolt with penetrating oil.

Time to fit the towbar electrics in the boot, but first to show one of the
current boot lights(another in the same place on the left side)



In between the molded reinforcement is where the 36 led light panel will
be mounted and repeated on the other side in the boot lid.



I started wiring the 7 relay bypass before FedEx interrupted
me, then it was a case of a quick tidy up and strap the car's
cover back on as the weather started to change.

Oh I ordered a new PT Cruiser coolant filler neck
(thermostat housing/water outlet) Dorman 337 902-308 for
£ 5.86
-£0.30 Yorks Yanks discount
£16.97 FedEx International Priority (50p more than economy!!)
£ 4.51 GB Value Added Tax.

Subtotal: £22.53
20.00% VAT: £4.51
Total: £27.04
Ordered thursday delivered today, from Dallas Texas.
Why can't some UK mail order companies do the F**ing same?
We pay them about the same and it gets delivered 3 weeks later!!

First a confession, knowing what my brother is like first think in the morning
(a bomb can't wake him) also what mother is like I anticipated that I might
be knocked out of bed early and have to sit in the front room awaiting the
delivery of a new TV as the old Cathode Ray tube went pop yesterday!

I did not take any painkillers last night so I could be woken up easily. The
weather from last night was rain, strong winds and cold. So on with the fire.
The post today the 3M Headlight Restoration Kit, the electric window switch
for mother's Escort Estate, and the 6 way fuse board for the car.

After the delivery driver had dropped off the new TV.

I popped down to the tool shed to do little things to keep me occupied, not
that I could do much with the weather and my back/shoulder. What I thought
might just be a short break in the weather. I lifted the bonnet and checked
the location of the where the 6 way fuse box would be located. Which will be
between the main fuse/relay box and the Transmission Control Module.



I will drill 2 20mm holes for the wires to go through the box tubing of the
bracket and up under to the 6 way fuse box





I got bored and anticipated wrongly the weather changing again so back in
the shed I wiped down the face of one of the other spare wheels with white
spirit/thinners and stuck some duckt tape around it before wheeling it out
and giving it a coat of grey primer.(it's going to be stripped again later)



Some old cherry red spray paint half and hour later.



I thought that as I wanted to see what it looked like without seeing any rust I
had better do something about the rust water marks on the rubber (even
though the tyre will be coming off eventually)
Some old liquid shoe black and a brush and the side was wall was done.



An hour later and warmer weather and it's totally dry!
What happened to all the rain and strong winds we were supposed to be getting?
I popped back into the shed and got a trim ring and hub cap.

Mitsuru wrote:What happened to all the rain and strong winds we were supposed to be getting?

They missed you out and continued in Northerly direction.

That wheel looks good in the red.

The 6 way fuse box needs connecting to the input terminal on the
neon's main fuse box. I tried a couple of different combinations of
of soldering the wires together, all previous attempts were a mess.



I finally decided on this which is neater, all the terminals in will be
straight to the battery live as required for the following.

1) LPG front kit not yet fitted/bought/decided on
2) Automatic Transmission Power supply
3) Towbar 7 way relay bypass 12n Socket
4) Towbar Electrics 12s Socket
5) spare
6) spare

I have ordered another mini fuse box of similar design but this time a
4 way, so it can be discreetly placed elsewhere in the car if necessary.

You've got to love the colour codes they use on modern cars

Just seen a UN tank with added graffiti to the UN bit!!

Under New Management



It has been drizzling all day not done anything on the car.
The New speakers arrived in the post this morning £10 plus £11.99 postage







I will say this the person who packed them did a perfect job on the wrapping,
either they did it for a living or got plrnty of practice with their family.

I boxed them back up, and put them ontop of the wardrobe out of the way till
I need them, that way they don't get damaged.

Well after mother bought the Volvo V70 T5 Automatic Estate at lunch time.
She had to put me down on the insurance as a named driver so I could drive
it back.

Which means I was able to pop down to Motorcool to pick up the completed
custom made radiator.

I paid a deposit of £150 and the balance was £159 and the total included the
VAT.

I must state that as I forgot to say I wanted it showing the gleam of it's brass
tanks and copper fines they automatically painted it!

The rear of the radiator and it's the correct way up.




The front with the flaps either side which will fix the radiator to the slam panel.





I got soaked to the skin just moving the radiators from the Volvo to the tool shed
so nothing done to the car today.
One less piece of the puzzle sorted.

Well as I have been put on the volvo's insurance for a month(temporary).
It would mean that I could get out and about to sort bit out for the car,
IF I hadn't thought the tracking was out on it and took it to have it
sorted!!

Why because I spent my money on essential parts for mothers car which I
was savings for my car. Volvo's factory fit 16" wheels should have tyres
which are 225/55/r16. And you are aloud to go 10mm either way tolerance
wise so upto 235 or down to 215 wide.

The previous owner had fitted 205/50/r16 to all four wheels!!!!
So all tyres needing replaced, and while the wheels were off I had a looked
at the discs and pads. The discs didn't look bad but the pads looked like
they were almost down onto the metal.

Once the the tyres were off the rims you could see that each one were illegal
to use in different ways, so replacing them was £70 each, 4 way tracking £20.
On the way from M&M tyres to home I stopped of and picked up some brake pads
at Sewells Car Spares in Billingham, I had called them while the Volvo was up
in the air. Brake pads £20 inc vat. I will fit them in the morning weather
permitting.

Bugger I'm deep in the red!!!!!!

I spent a little time loading all the scrap car parts into the back of the
escort estate so we can get a bit of money when it gets weighed in.
All the old neon and voyager cut up drive shafts, suspension springs, rotten
and damaged alloy wheels from around the back of the garaged were wheeled
out.

Sorry for the Volvo moment. With taking the escort to be scrapped, I get to
raid the scrapyard, but it will probably be in the rain.

First task make sure the car is well earthed.
All the negative earth connections to this bolting point on the Battery
tray and fusebox bracket
.


A nice thick cable from the shell to the bolting point, and to the the
headlights.



Yes an extra cable to the rear cylinder head from the bolting point.



Out came the drill with a 20mm metal plate cutting bit, 2 over
lapping holes then filed down the sharp edges. The fixing holes
drilled for screwing the 6 way fuse box down.



I fed the cables in through the hole and held the fusebox down.





A did do some connecting of different wires between the voyager
and neon woring looms.

These arrived yesterday, the replacement front fog lights.



In today's post the 6.5" Sony speakers for the doors came.

After doing the food shopping and abandoning it on the side
in the kitchen. With no tools(big mistake) I went to my
favourite scrapyard.

I had thought I would just look for a spare wheel for mothers
volvo as it didn't come with one as the previous owner sold it
separately.

I forgot about getting the spare wheel when I came across a
6 cylinder sequential LPG kit intact on a volvo, on the v70
they fitted the 6 cylinder kit but only used the 5.

I started cutting off the zip ties that held the LPG wiring loom
to the car, separating from the car as I went along with my nail
clippers. As I progressed round the engine bay it started raining.

I couldn't finish what I started so I spoke to the guys running
the scrapyard I will be back up in the morning in the right
clothes(not just in shirt and trousers) and the right tools!