Dollywobbler's 17TXD Turbo - new home time

[citsncycles]

You'll have half an hour on the Tunnel crossing, a bit of time to kill...

That'll be spent installing the CB, putting oil and water in the engine, and (if this afternoon is anything to go by) bailing water out of the footwells

[Dollywobbler]

Clocked up another 150 miles today. This is no good. I'm going to have to put fuel in it again at this rate! (still got half a tank after 300 miles).

Not going to do many more miles in it until I get the rear arm bearings sorted though. The offside one sounds horrific. Was also slightly concerned to see the low coolant light on at start-up this morning. It wasn't lying...

The more time I spend at the wheel though, the more I like it. Great potential once I get on top of the suspension issues. Though I need to do something about the spray bar. It keeps spraying when I hoon around right-hand bends. Irritating!

[Mothman]

I hope its not losing water bud to anything other than a rubber pipe.

Not fizzing in the header tank either i hope.

Andy

[Dollywobbler]

No fizzing. That was my first concern! I'll have a closer look next week.

[citsncycles]

I'll lay odds on a heater pipe down the back of the engine - seems to be a theme at the moment!

[Dollywobbler]

Let's hope not...

Anyway. Not done a lot with it this week as I've absolutely no money. Still not sure how I'm going to afford the tax it'll need next week. Perhaps some invoices will be paid sufficiently swiftly...

Which would be handy as I've decided I probably need a tow bar for it. Anyone got one? Am considering selling our 4x4 so I need something in the fleet with a tow bar for our trailer.

[Dollywobbler]

A crisis with the Bluebird means that the BX is unexpectedly heading to Sussex tomorrow. I then remembered the horrible wheel wobble at motorway speeds so decided to pinch a few wheel bolts from the Green Tiger to enable me to fit at least the two front tyres.

So, she now looks like this.


Mis-match! I'm using TGD trims just because I have quite a few of them at the moment. A quick test suggests that there's plenty of grip in the dry. The old tyres that came off were horribly worn on their inner edges though. Either the tracking is out, or (more likely I reckon) these wheels were fitted to the rear, where the knackered arm bearings allowed them to rub the edges off.

[Dollywobbler]

1000 miles clocked up in this car already after it stepped in to 'cover' for the Bluebird. Clonks and creaks are really bad, and the front end keeps refusing to lift unless I pull the height lever up to intermediate, but it went beautifully and managed 54mpg. Impressive.

Ran over a football on the way back but fortunately it didn't damage the splitter! Good to meet Mothman while I was in Sussex. Another name/face match-up completed.

[Dollywobbler]

TXD now wears a full set of steel wheels and TGD trims (one of which is a bit knackered but nevermind). Thanks to catsinthewelder for the donation of two steel wheels. A chap on Autoshite kindly sent me some wheel bolts.

Sadly, I attempted to use the standard jack to do the wheelchange. This was a mistake as it slipped off and punched a great big dent in the sill. DOH! Then the bloody thing wouldn't rise up, just to let me know how pissed off it was with my clumsiness - of course it was now so low that I couldn't get my trolley jack underneath it. Me and the BX had a short but fiery debate which involved a certain amount of name calling and pulling frantically on the height control lever. Eventually, my superb wit outfoxed the BX and it gave up and gracefully rose into the air.

I'm taking the TXD to a garage tomorrow as I've had enough of the balljoint clonk. It scares me. Might have a go at the track rod balljoint too and if the garage don't mind me getting in the way, I'll give it oil and filters at the same time.

[mat_fenwick]

The jack slipping is strange - does it not firmly locate in the tabs at the bottom of the sill?

[Dollywobbler]

I thought it was firmly in place, but apparently it wasn't.

[mat_fenwick]

I've had the unfortunate situation of the car refusing to rise after a pump change, with a trolley jack wedged underneath it. Not a problem until the jack failed on trying to lift it. Had to use a really long bar to lift one corner slightly to remove the jack, and then drove a short distance which got the suspension to rise again!

[Dollywobbler]

I find different BXs behave in different ways when it comes to being jacked up. The Green Tiger is quite friendly but this one is a right jack-trapper. My first BX was a pain for that as well.

By the way, can you still get good deals on LHM? Another 5-litre bottle would be nice. Malcolm Lockwood sells it cheap but it only comes in 1 litre bottles and I've now got LOADS of the sodding things filling my garage. Seems a waste of packaging.

[mat_fenwick]

LHM - they've agreed to keep one on the shelf for me, so assuming nobody else has bought it the it'll still be the same price (~£20). If you want I'll grab you some?

[Dollywobbler]

Thanks. That'd be grand. £11.99 for one litre at Halfrauds! (who also want £1.99 for 286 dashboard bulbs. Each!)