@rtcosic Yep the pins I have are fine - they sell them but not needed. The Frentech caliper kit came today - lovely stuff, really good quality.
Took the upright to the garage where I am freelancing at the moment, dumped the upright in an electrolysis bath for 8 hrs then hit the caliper bolt with an induction heater and a 1/2" windy gun and it came off eventually.
The hub nut was as tight as expected but the special tool is a good fit and has a 3/4" fitting so put the hub in the disk and the disk in a vice. Then added a brace to stop it sliding in the vice and bounced about 80kg off the end of a 2m pole and it moved. Took it the rest of the way with the big impact.
To the big press on Thurs for the bearing as I think it will laugh at my 4T one
Had to take a chisel to the backing plate torx bolts snapped 1, and 2 came out.
With help from the right kit (and the owner!) everything came out and new bearing went in with no issues. It was a 12t press but at a guess only 3-4t to get the parts out, certainly no strain. I did check the wheel before I took it apart just in case the MOT people had written down the wrong side!
ABS nut on tomorrow, then caliper rebuild.
Then I might convert it to a manual gearbox..
I have always felt that the shift points are wrong with the auto box, it never wants to shift to a lower gear unless you give it a lot of throttle with the end result that you don't get the response you want till it finally shifts and gives too much.
Well that was another mission. Hub nut done up to 283nm.
It was all easy with a full set of garage kit to use - but it would have been right at the DIY limit even with my press and tools. I strongly recommend a really good set of circlip pliers as 80mm circlips are something not to be messed with
@RaceDiagnostics
I am kicking around the idea of setting up to offer a conversion service and/or buying and converting them for sale. - Very early days but I think there is a market. From research a Tremec 5 speed box seems to be a solution as the ratios mean you don't have to change the diff. I will need to fool the TCM and ECU into thinking that it still has the auto box, that's a challenge but it is just fake sensor inputs/conversions (worked on my Sandrail!). Might go for a German box though as Tremec would have to be new (2-3K) or a used import.
It has been done in 2007 by "Eliite and performance jags" and later in 2014 ish by Tom Lenthall - both of which now have no mention of it.
Following much research and even talking with those who have gone before, the options are
1) A Tremec box, a custom bell housing was made for this and there are a bunch kicking around.
2) One of the S-type diesel boxes fits (same bolt pattern and plenty strong) but would need a new diff as ratio is apparently way out - much cheaper box but only known diff solution is a Quaife - but there may be a better used diff solution
3) A.N other box that might give me best of the 2 above, would need a conversion plate or bell housing but still crunching the numbers.
Interesting project!
So I think I might have a solution for the electronics, but want to get it MOT'd before I start tearing it apart and adding arduino...
In the meantime now all the MOT stuff is done (unless anything new turns up) thought I would start on the bodywork. In the past she has had a big dent on the rear quarter, this was then filled, faired and painted. Then the same place was hit again, cracked the filler off the metal and this was then left, water wicked in and rusted out a big section.
Out with the cutter!
Before
Now
Looking round the breakers for one with a cutter!
The bottom section where body meets bumper is gone on the other side too.
Shiny new MOT today - 2nd go after it decided to set an ABS light - whilst on the bldy MOT ramp, not having set one previously. Turned out after much hunting due to no codes being set, to be a big flake of rust inside the sensor wire plug - no idea how it got in there though!
Emissions were fine at 0.04% CO (max 0.20) and 40ppm HC (max 200). Wheel bearing and brakes all good too.