Mk1 BX 19RD Estate RHD! A new home

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 6:46 pm

I'm not sure it's so bad it needs a full strip down. It does need to be garaged - at least until the water ingress is dealt with. I suspect the washer bottle muck-trap/inner arch corrosion to be a likely candidate here. That said, if someone had the time and inclination, an off-the-road session would absolutely transform it I suspect.

A reason for selling at the moment is that there's a lot of T&T left - so if someone fancied a rolling resto or an off-road rebuild, you'd have time to play with. Either way, it's hard to find a rarer car!

Willy · Post by **Willy** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:55 pm

You need to believe to achieve!

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:19 pm

Ian, don't give up mate. Just wait till it stops raining at least. Being the owner of a Mk.1 estate that was borderline who almost gave up I know it's worth it.

I can't imagine who else would take it on anyway. It's your ride and one day you'll look at it's current 'shed' status and laugh.. once it's sorted you'll know it was worth it. Now you know why there's no Mk.1 estates left - it's a commitment.

Caffiend · Post by **Caffiend** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:41 pm

Blimey this thread has been a real rollercoaster recently. So many ups and downs.

No-one is the boss of you, but looking in from the outside, I'd wait until it EVER stops [expletive deleted 'cos I can't decide which one to use] raining before you decide one way or t'other - rather than making a snap decision to "get rid" when you're pissed off from being wet and cold.

If you do decide to move on to a turbo diesel, this one looks like it could be a good un! - though not an estate.

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:47 pm

Caffiend wrote:Blimey this thread has been a real rollercoaster recently. So many ups and downs.

That's hydraulics for you!

Seriously though, this has taught me a lot about projects. And reminded me that I really don't like them! Mind you, it's very rare that one of my projects makes it onto the road, so there's something to be proud of!

Caffiend wrote: If you do decide to move on to a turbo diesel, this one looks like it could be a good un! - though not an estate.

That one has caught my eye funnily enough...

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Tue May 01, 2012 2:28 pm

Driver's door now opens both inside and out. I think a control rod must have got bent. Straightened it out again and it now works fine. Put the right-rear handle on as the spring had broken on the original. Decided to put it back together anyway and dropped the tiny circlip. Lost! I still have a request for a replacement in the For Sale section...

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Wed May 02, 2012 1:59 pm

Latest pics. Wheeltrims temporarily fitted. (I've got the correct 'black splodge' ones somewhere...)

New door fitted. Much better!

Mat gave the engine a thorough clean at the weekend. Thanks! Still looks great.

Inner wings are remarkably solid. There is some rot in the seam on this side, but only a bit.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Wed May 02, 2012 3:26 pm

Good lord those front spheres look like they came off the titanic!

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Wed May 02, 2012 3:56 pm

Incredible aren't they? Even more incredible is the fact that the ride is really pretty good! Though not perfect...

jonathan_dyane · Post by **jonathan_dyane** » Wed May 02, 2012 5:43 pm

Was it originally a petrol then converted to diesel? I only ask because of the non original wiring to the stop solenoid on the injector pump.

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Wed May 02, 2012 5:53 pm

No, she's always been a diesel. It's not the original engine though - it's a Mk2 lump. I think the wiring is something to do with the fabled 'big red button' on the dashboard, though it doesn't actually seem to do anything at all. I suspect the occasionally-iffy starter issue was a reason for the extra wiring but have never really got to the bottom of it.

Mothman has spotted (as had I) that there's signs of leakage around the fuel primer. This might be where my mysterious air leak is coming from. Does anyone have a spare primer head?

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Thu May 03, 2012 8:11 am

You've also still got the in-line diesel heater connected up there and these are a well known cause of air leakage. Ken used to be the one for pointing this out but as he's defected to Fiat I'll have to carry the mantle!
I've removed two of them now.. requires a new length of fuel pipe, fifteen minutes and a bit of diesel in the eye unless you find a length of tube to bridge the space left by the removed heater.

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Thu May 03, 2012 9:55 pm

It's another possibility Todd.

Anyway, some Mojo spirit has returned. I'm not saying she's not for sale, but I'm going to keep going with trying to improve her. Starting with taking her to Derbyshire again this weekend!

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Sun May 06, 2012 4:14 pm

A nice weekend in Derbyshire, only slightly tainted by the failure of the alternator bearings on the way home. It was sounding so horrific by Shrewsbury that I cut the fan belt off (not having any suitable tools with me) as I didn't want the thing seizing in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully the rain pretty much held off, so getting home by battery power alone was not an issue. I don't think the output of the alternator is all that healthy anyway so rather than try and find new bearings, I'll have to replace it entirely.

Notchy steering remained throughout. Large bills are certainly looming...

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:55 pm

How about trying Hydraflush before you start worrying about the hydraulic pump etc?