What have you done to your car today?

[x-driver]

Greased the steering column gear rod with the teeth at the bottom today (the one with the rubber sleeve) did driver and farside. Managed to reuse those clips but in future I'll buy a crimping tool for them I think. Had steering with a lot of resistance and a bit of a squeak and a creak so I've been trying to sort that out. Silicon sprayed the UJ's also, squeak has gone but I still have the 'creak'

Any suggestions on the steering, it's like a rubber creaking as if rubber was rubbing tightly on metal kind of noise?

Google search for "sticky steering ring fix". There is some adjustment ring on the servo motor just under the steering wheel in the dashboard. Moving it for 5-10mm is said to fix the sticky steering problem, might fix the creak as well.

 

[Reamesy]

Soundproofed the driver side door and installed an oem midrange speaker.

That foam backed sound insulation will hold water and rot your door. The door has drain holes as water will get in the top. The plastic membrane you removed is normally a common failure allowing water to get into the cabin area.

A foil backed deadening would achieve the result your are after and make sure you fully seal the membrane when you reinstall it.

As for your creak. Check the wishbone rear and front mounts. Get someone to turn the steering wheel as you put your hand on them. Usually feel them creek. You will need the weight of the car on the ground so it will be tight unless you have a lift.

 

[Ed Doe]

Are you happy with them ? .Looking good to me

I've honestly not driven the car besides nosing it about on the drive - I didn't have time considering I wanted to try and polish it afterwards. Ran out of time for that too but heyho, always next weekend!

Both will be great fun. I’ve still not made it to the ring, but I’d love to drive it one day.
No track days for me for the foreseeable future - work is busy and two kids of one and three and a half years keep me busy at home too.
Hopefully, towards the end of the year I’ll have more time. For now, I’m taking the scenic route home as often as possible

If you do get a 'ring date in the diary let me know - if I can manage to get out there too I certainly will

Yeah my son is 3 1/2 too now, and we've got a second child on the way (not sure if boy or girl yet - due October), so I'm getting the trackdays in this year, as I'm pretty sure I'll be limited to taking the scenic route home too next year! :lol:

 

[steve69]

Soundproofed the driver side door and installed an oem midrange speaker.

That foam backed sound insulation will hold water and rot your door. The door has drain holes as water will get in the top. The plastic membrane you removed is normally a common failure allowing water to get into the cabin area.

A foil backed deadening would achieve the result your are after and make sure you fully seal the membrane when you reinstall it.

As for your creak. Check the wishbone rear and front mounts. Get someone to turn the steering wheel as you put your hand on them. Usually feel them creek. You will need the weight of the car on the ground so it will be tight unless you have a lift.

Hadn't thought about water in the doorframe.

Behind the layer of eggshell foam is rubber and closed cell foam (won't absorb moisture) I've replaced the butyl and plastic/foamlike membrane, but that's not going to stop the eggshell sucking up water that runs through the window seal like a sponge

Foil, closed cell foam and rubber are great at impact sound and vibration-noise deadening but they don't dissipate airborne sound waves as well, was just being super precise, the eggshell foam was to help with reverb and improve the sound quality both inside the cabin and from the midrange speaker.. Can't believe I didn't think moisture absorption didn't dross my mind

Still one good thing is I'll rust protect the inside of the door when I rip it out, and will do the same when I soundproof the passenger side

Thanks for the tip on the wishbones, I have a ramp that'll hopefully help me get some lift, don't fancy the squeeze, I'm not even sure my arms are long enough!

 

[Fred Smith]

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[Fred Smith]

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[j3nks79]

Second job of the day I used heavy machinery (marginal exaggeration) to get the fog light bulbs removed from the front fog lights. With the help of a toothbrush I've removed a pile of reflective metal flakes and corroded metal about the size of a tennis ball from inside the two fog lights. Debating whether to keep poking and prodding to get as much out as possible or whether just blast the inside with a jetwash and then dry it out. I want to do a proper job but slightly concerned about not being able to dry them properly (not that they are completely dry right now.)

I put mine in the dishwasher after I split them.
Rubbed them down and sprayed with chrome enamel paint from Halfords. A good 3 coats and they turned out great.
Then I spray tinted the lenses with a dark smoke.
Got some tiger seal and sealed them back together. No water or moisture is getting through that stuff.

 

[enuff_zed]

[ref]Fred Smith[/ref], sounds like you are going in through the bulb hole?
Facelift I assume?
Dump the whole thing in a bucket of hot water for ten minutes then carefully prise the clear section away from the black part. May take a few dunks to soften the sealant enough.

 

[Fred Smith]

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[Fred Smith]

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[j3nks79]

You don’t need to remove the brackets to split.
As Martin above said. Stick them in a bucket of very hot water and then just pull them apart.

 

[Fred Smith]

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[j3nks79]

Yes the lens is glued to the metal part.
The plastic bracket is screwed to the metal part and not the lens.
The hot water makes the glue melt. Just get some plastic pry tools and work your way round the edge.

I put mine in boiling water for about 15 mins and they came apart quite easy.

Then once split I removed all the loose metal and crap.

Stuck them in dishwasher and they came up a treat.

Then rub the metal inside down. And paint with halford chrome enamel spray.
I tinted my lenses as my mate wanted them on his back car so they blend it.
I used tiger seal to glue them back together.

 

[enuff_zed]

You don’t need to remove the brackets to split.
As Martin above said. Stick them in a bucket of very hot water and then just pull them apart.

Just to be clear as possible... the lights come in three main parts - there is the big plastic lens at the front, and a (heavily corroded in my case) bit of galvanised metal behind, and all of that is held in a black plastic bracket which is used to attach the light to the bumper?

You are saying that dumping it in very hot water should in theory cause the seal to loosen and the plastic lens should come apart from the metal back of the light (and the metal back will stay attached to the bracket)? You're saying there are no bolts holding the metal back to the plastic lens?

Edit - thanks by the way! It is appreciated... I am happy to do half a job on something so hidden and unimportant... but doing a proper job while the bumper's off anyway and my other car is road legal and not in bits makes a lot of sense.

Yes, that's exactly right.
I did a set a while back. In my case I painted the inside black and fitted LED DRLs inside instead.
(Photo on Page 801 of this thread)

 

[Fred Smith]

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[j3nks79]

It will come apart. Keep prying and putting back it the hot water. The hotter the better.

 

[enuff_zed]

It will come apart. Keep prying and putting back it the hot water. The hotter the better.

Yes it sits fairly deep into the groove and there is a lot of sealant. It will work.

 

[TomK]

Fitted supersprint x-pipe and rear cans

I've got an evening slot at donny booked for next Monday

Hope you don't find those two things are mutually exclusive ed.
I had to remove my ss x-pipe as too loud for most tracks and I hear that Donington have 'recalibrated' their meters, not in a good way :roll:
Fingers crossed for you

 

[Ed Doe]

Fitted supersprint x-pipe and rear cans

I've got an evening slot at donny booked for next Monday

Hope you don't find those two things are mutually exclusive ed.
I had to remove my ss x-pipe as too loud for most tracks and I hear that Donington have 'recalibrated' their meters, not in a good way :roll:
Fingers crossed for you

Aah s**t! Oh well fingers crossed! What exhaust are you running these days?

 

[TomK]

Aah s**t! Oh well fingers crossed! What exhaust are you running these days?

Yeah, let me know how you get on, I've heard varying reports... I just have the ss race backbox now, standard everywhere else. Airbox makes a bit of a racket too mind so that probably didn't help.