Jimmy's Deep Black R27 no.243 - Goodbye kid, it's been a blast.
- Thread starter Jimmy
- Start date
Jimmy
Good cop
I thought it was time for a little update on the thread as I haven't done much for a while - mainly because there wasn't much to report...
First off, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, when I was having the lower ball joint replaced at Bolsover Car Care, the techs noticed that the steering rack arms and bush needed replacing as they had play and it was a potential MOT failure. So i booked back in at BCC and these were sorted out by the very helpful Mark Black and his colleagues. These little jobs, although not massively expensive, meant that I had to put on hold some other plans I had for no.243. More on that later...
This week, I've had a busy couple of days getting some things sorted that needed attention. First off, the front nose grilles had faded badly and they were looking frankly horrible... It was only when I saw what they should look like that I realised they needed sorting asap.
How they looked before:
So following some advice and guides from the forum, I cleaned them up and dried them off and gave them a couple of layers of primer:
Then I sprayed them up using Satin black paint, giving them a few thin layers to build up the paint.
I was really happy with the end result and how easy the whole process is. I was a bit nervous when I first pulled the grilles off the car, but they come out with a bit of gentle force
It is such a massive improvement over what they looked like before. And here they are back on the car:
Next up was replacing the very perished three-quarter window seals. They were quite easy to take out and removing the old glue wasn't too tough either. Just needed to spend a bit of time scraping it all off to make sure the surface was clean for the new seals to go on. The knackered old ones:
Putting the new ones on was also very straightforward. It's just important to be quick making any adjustments as the glue takes hold pretty quickly. I then used a credit card down the back of the seal to press the glue up against the glass. Looks a lot better and although I hadn't noticed any water/moisture in the door shuts, this should make sure that it definitely doesn't happen.
Finally, another cosmetic change, and that was to 'de-tango' the front and rear indicators I bought some Silvatec bulbs from eBay and the swap over is very easy too, at both ends. It also gave me the opportunity to clean up behind the rear light clusters. With the silver bulbs in, I think it makes such a big difference to the front end, it cleans it up a huge amount and looks a lot better. With the re-painted grilles as well, the front of the car has had a bit of a refresh
And they tidy up the rear clusters well too:
So all in all, some small changes have made a big difference to the car imo and I'm happier with the way it looks. Having said that, there are still a couple of areas that need attention...
The wheels are in dire need of a refurb. They have started to corrode in places on the spokes and along with some old scuffs and kerbing, they are far from their best :bored: a place has been recommended to me in Bradford that can refurb wheels to a good standard and they charge by the inch. So quite reasonable really. The downside though is that the process takes 3 days and they need the wheel with the tyre taken off...
As I use the car as a daily, the above is not the ideal scenario... So I am toying with the idea of finding some temporary spare wheels, or just paying more to get the refurb done elsewhere and therefore quicker... A dilemma!
The other thing that needs doing is the painting of the wheel hubs. I should have done this when I got my new brake discs fitted and now they are all rusted, which along with the gammy alloys, makes for a bit of an unattractive sight around the wheels this is something I will be doing in the very near future though.
Lastly, the service and MOT is due next month, at which time I'll also get the brakes stripped and cleaned, the gearbox oil changed and the air-con recharged. This will be done at Harratts in Pontefract, who are a great dealer for anyone in the West/South Yorks area who is interested in a main dealer option.
Thanks for reading, C&Cs welcome
First off, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, when I was having the lower ball joint replaced at Bolsover Car Care, the techs noticed that the steering rack arms and bush needed replacing as they had play and it was a potential MOT failure. So i booked back in at BCC and these were sorted out by the very helpful Mark Black and his colleagues. These little jobs, although not massively expensive, meant that I had to put on hold some other plans I had for no.243. More on that later...
This week, I've had a busy couple of days getting some things sorted that needed attention. First off, the front nose grilles had faded badly and they were looking frankly horrible... It was only when I saw what they should look like that I realised they needed sorting asap.
How they looked before:
So following some advice and guides from the forum, I cleaned them up and dried them off and gave them a couple of layers of primer:
Then I sprayed them up using Satin black paint, giving them a few thin layers to build up the paint.
I was really happy with the end result and how easy the whole process is. I was a bit nervous when I first pulled the grilles off the car, but they come out with a bit of gentle force
It is such a massive improvement over what they looked like before. And here they are back on the car:Next up was replacing the very perished three-quarter window seals. They were quite easy to take out and removing the old glue wasn't too tough either. Just needed to spend a bit of time scraping it all off to make sure the surface was clean for the new seals to go on. The knackered old ones:
Putting the new ones on was also very straightforward. It's just important to be quick making any adjustments as the glue takes hold pretty quickly. I then used a credit card down the back of the seal to press the glue up against the glass. Looks a lot better and although I hadn't noticed any water/moisture in the door shuts, this should make sure that it definitely doesn't happen.
Finally, another cosmetic change, and that was to 'de-tango' the front and rear indicators
I bought some Silvatec bulbs from eBay and the swap over is very easy too, at both ends. It also gave me the opportunity to clean up behind the rear light clusters. With the silver bulbs in, I think it makes such a big difference to the front end, it cleans it up a huge amount and looks a lot better. With the re-painted grilles as well, the front of the car has had a bit of a refresh And they tidy up the rear clusters well too:
So all in all, some small changes have made a big difference to the car imo and I'm happier with the way it looks. Having said that, there are still a couple of areas that need attention...
The wheels are in dire need of a refurb. They have started to corrode in places on the spokes and along with some old scuffs and kerbing, they are far from their best :bored: a place has been recommended to me in Bradford that can refurb wheels to a good standard and they charge by the inch. So quite reasonable really. The downside though is that the process takes 3 days and they need the wheel with the tyre taken off...
As I use the car as a daily, the above is not the ideal scenario... So I am toying with the idea of finding some temporary spare wheels, or just paying more to get the refurb done elsewhere and therefore quicker... A dilemma!
The other thing that needs doing is the painting of the wheel hubs. I should have done this when I got my new brake discs fitted and now they are all rusted, which along with the gammy alloys, makes for a bit of an unattractive sight around the wheels
this is something I will be doing in the very near future though.Lastly, the service and MOT is due next month, at which time I'll also get the brakes stripped and cleaned, the gearbox oil changed and the air-con recharged. This will be done at Harratts in Pontefract, who are a great dealer for anyone in the West/South Yorks area who is interested in a main dealer option.
Thanks for reading, C&Cs welcome
Pav
Moderator
all those little things but what a diff they make..looks really good and i bet i know how great it feels,that you didnt have to spend a fortune on these upgrades..
well done..
wheel hubs can be sprayed or brush painted..think it doesnt make much of a difference..just go for heatproof paint..
well done..
wheel hubs can be sprayed or brush painted..think it doesnt make much of a difference..just go for heatproof paint..
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very nice. looking to get my grills resprayed as well as mine are faded.
defo detangoing mine when time allows - yours look very tidy
defo detangoing mine when time allows - yours look very tidy
Pav
Moderator
Jimmy
Good cop
It was time for service 8 and the MOT on F1 Team no.243 this week, so booked the car in at Harratts Pontefract on Thursday (see my review). I also asked them give the brakes their annual strip, clean and lube, recharge the air-con and change the gearbox oil.
Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped. Turns out that the n/s front coil spring had snapped and also the thermostat housing had developed a leak and was dumping coolant I'd had a funny feeling a day or two prior to the car going in that the spring may have snapped - I'd heard an odd clunk and suspected it could be broken, but didn't think too much of it...
Anyhow, it was decided that if I was replacing one spring then it made sense to do both. Also needed the new thermo housing fitting as well.
It was then touch and go whether all the work could be completed in time for closing today. The size of the final bill was the least of my worries at this point when there was a chance I wouldn't have the car back for the Dales run on Sundayanic::'(
However thanks to the efforts of Harratts they got everything done and I now have the car back home with me :001_wub:
So my wallet is a hell of a lot lighter and therefore the much needed wheel refurb has had to be put back a month or so (plus I will have to nip in the bud my hankering for a cup spoiler ) but the main thing is that I have the car fit and ready for Sunday :thumbup1:
Thanks for reading.
Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped. Turns out that the n/s front coil spring had snapped and also the thermostat housing had developed a leak and was dumping coolant
I'd had a funny feeling a day or two prior to the car going in that the spring may have snapped - I'd heard an odd clunk and suspected it could be broken, but didn't think too much of it...Anyhow, it was decided that if I was replacing one spring then it made sense to do both. Also needed the new thermo housing fitting as well.
It was then touch and go whether all the work could be completed in time for closing today. The size of the final bill was the least of my worries at this point when there was a chance I wouldn't have the car back for the Dales run on Sunday
anic::'(However thanks to the efforts of Harratts they got everything done and I now have the car back home with me :001_wub:
So my wallet is a hell of a lot lighter and therefore the much needed wheel refurb has had to be put back a month or so (plus I will have to nip in the bud my hankering for a cup spoiler
) but the main thing is that I have the car fit and ready for Sunday :thumbup1:Thanks for reading.
Jimmy
Good cop
So another day and unfortunately something else that will push back the wheel refurb again
The rear brakes have been binding recently - at worst, after a short drive the o/s rear wheel was red hot because of the friction. At 'best' there is a constant noise from the rubbing (although this could be my teeth grinding in frustration). This is despite having the brakes stripped and serviced recently.... :blink:
Had it in at the garage today and turns out one slide in each of the rear calipers was stuck. Plus the handbrake cable on the o/s was also knackered. These issues combined have effectively ruined the rear discs.
So the shopping list now consists of rear discs and pads, a pair of handbrake cables and a couple of hours labour. Oh joy.
The rear brakes have been binding recently - at worst, after a short drive the o/s rear wheel was red hot because of the friction. At 'best' there is a constant noise from the rubbing (although this could be my teeth grinding in frustration). This is despite having the brakes stripped and serviced recently.... :blink:
Had it in at the garage today and turns out one slide in each of the rear calipers was stuck. Plus the handbrake cable on the o/s was also knackered. These issues combined have effectively ruined the rear discs.
So the shopping list now consists of rear discs and pads, a pair of handbrake cables and a couple of hours labour. Oh joy.
I feel for you. I'm still paying back what I've forked out this past few months and that's just repairs not mods. All good now...I hope.
