Everyday Appia

[simonandjuliet]

Winter is actually one of the busiest times for us - We have about 12,000 vines now and each one needs pruning and it takes me about a minute to give each one a nice back-and-sides. I get some time in the garage, but very little time to post about it

So a belated catch up.

After dismantling the axle on the car I found that there was too much wear on the parts for me to be happy, so I bought a "new" axle at Christmas and it was delivered in January.

This has now been dismantled , cleaned, checked, repaired and re-assembled - all good homework for my "Idiot's Guide". It took about 1.5 hrs to dismantle, a couple of days to clean and paint and then an afternoon to put it back together. BUT and it is a big "BUT" , nothing was seized.

Now it just needs to be exchanged with my worn axle .......  hopefully over the weekend

Couple of photos of the tools needed, most of the axle in bits and then a nice , new, shiny axle to go back on !

[lancianut666]

Impressive stuff Simon!

[will]

Simon

Can you tell me are the springs on you axles marked
for which side of the car there for ?

[simonandjuliet]

Will, there was nothing obvious and they were the same length. I think that they may have been replaced because they were hardly marked.
Having said that , they were the correct , chamfered springs

If you don't mind, I won't be taking them out again to look more closely !

[simonandjuliet]

Busy old day today, re-organising the winery today which meant that I needed to move the furgoncino.

At the end of last year I had a brake cylinder leak and have been waiting for a rebuilt cylindre to arrive ( a very long story of woe, worry and wonder that I may recount at some time ....) anyway I took the furgoncino back to the garage to fit the new cylindre.

It fitted nicely under the front of the Berlina which is on the ramp, just careful not to jack it up too high ! All in all a very quick job because you don't have to remove the shoes and if you clamp the flexi, it takes no time to bleed with the plunger. Also I remove the wheel cylindre with the flexi still attached so that you don't disturb the copper/flexi junction and let air in, you just unscrew the cylindre from the flexi

The cylindre that had been leaking was a brand new, repro unit supplied by a leading European supplier.

Back to the Everyday Appia - I took off the drums/brakes , hung them out of the way, dropped the steering arms and then the old axle.

It is always a worry replacing axles just in case one or other car (donor or recipient) has had a bump at the front end that has moved the frame or bent the axle. It only needs to be a mm out and it won't fit without body rams. Mercifully everything lined up first time.

It was a bit of a fiddle to do on my own, but now just need to be finished off, hopefully tomorrow

[simonandjuliet]

Back on the road !

Lovely "new" suspension, supple and quiet. As a bonus, the steering is very precise and light, I replaced one of the spring bearings which was a bit "graunchy" and then greased them

Very happy !

photo of road test this morning

[lancialulu]

Well done!

Looks nice. You sure you want to sell it??

[chriswgawne]

I love this time of the year because of the clear sunny days here which seem to justify all this 'old car' stuff we immerse ourselves in.
Lots of jobs outside Simon as you say (but we only have 2,000 vines) and also a list of car related jobs to do as we don't really possess a young car.
The front axle work you have just completed seems to have provided lots of additional benefits which maybe you didnt expect? Thats all a bonus isnt it .....or maybe the car just telling you it doesnt want you to sell it.

In that vein, a few weeks ago I decided that our 330k mile 1997 Toyota 8 seater Landcruiser Amazon ( 4.7l petrol automatic) which we have had from new and which is lovingly known as the 'car that wont die' should be superseded. Its worth nothing of course but is mechanically 100% and bodily 98% with great canvas seat covers from S Africa as the leather is a bit cracked.
It gets a lot of use here with visitors, the family and as a general utiility vehicle for compost, trees etc etc.
I found a manual petrol lhd Landcruiser ( my ideal spec) online whilst travelling in Jan/Feb and Jacky and I both had the same thought when we collect our old one from 6 weeks off-airport parking at Venice Airport that it would probably sulk and let us down.
Of course not - as always it started first time and went like clockwork.....so we are now yet again having 2nd thoughts on the proposed change.
Chris

[stanley sweet]

I'm a great believer in keeping good cars until they are absolutely  beyond sensible repair. If it's reliable and keeps the rain out why risk a change? I think I've only sold about 2 cars and one of those was a Mk 1 Fiesta that I bought for £200 and sold 4 years later for £100. Top work as usual Simon and a lovely little car. If you do sell it I hope it goes to a good home.

[chriswgawne]

Then we think alike Stanley.
However I do get momentarily ever so slightly peeved when friends and acquaintances show off their new acquisitions (which generally depreciate like a stone and are sold/traded on by our friends at 5/6 years old with max 50k miles on the clock) and mutter about Jacky and I 'having' to drive old vehicles. They never seem to grasp it is our choice.
Chris

[Mikenoangelo]

Agree - my daily motor is a 1999 Isuzu Trooper 3.5 petrol V6. Done 176,000 miles and apart from routine things like discs, pads etc it has needed only a new starter motor at 150,000 miles, never even a clutch reline. Now needs an EGR valve for the MOT but really it owes me nothing. It was a bargain when I bought it because petrol, green and short wheelbase which the punters don't want but all of which suit me. Green particularly is very useful when looking for the car in the supermarket car park. 

My Augusta is now registered and just awaits the departure of salt before taking to the road. The DVLA were pleasingly quick in issuing an age related number - 12 days from posting my application to the arrival of the V5.

Mike

[DavidLaver]

Mercedes 300TE - brown, plastic seats, counting down to 250,000.  Gets me lots of breakfasts at Ikea etc when friends need big stuff moving.  Load liner for the boot shifting compost and dump runs.  Four roof rails.  Self levels.  Tows a Flavia, at least 87% of a Flavia...

[stanley sweet]

Then we think alike Stanley.
However I do get momentarily ever so slightly peeved when friends and acquaintances show off their new acquisitions (which generally depreciate like a stone and are sold/traded on by our friends at 5/6 years old with max 50k miles on the clock) and mutter about Jacky and I 'having' to drive old vehicles. They never seem to grasp it is our choice.
Chris

Yes - I remember arriving at work in my newly purchased 6 year old Xantia in perfect condition with a full history for 1700 quid. A colleague said "You like driving old bangers don't you?".

[chriswgawne]

We also have a 2003 232,000 miles BMW type Mini Cooper S in the UK which is still on its original supercharger, never mind engine and ancillaries. A really well made car which is huge fun to drive. Its a London car so small marks on every panel and its worth diddly squat but to replace it? With what and at what cost?
I think we will drive it till it dies like our Landcruiser.
Chris