Barge of Frenchness...

[m20b25]

Fairly busy these days!

But I do what I can when I can

Seats back in and its a beaut to sit into :worship:

Got a T-Belt kit and attempted to fit it on... (lack of cameraphone is annoying :bang

11mm bolt on the rear cover was a real c-unit to get at! But I got it :slayer:

All was going well untill I got to the pulley bolt. Jumped 4 teeth back

No valve contact though

I'll get it off...

 

[m20b25]

And its all back together

Belt off

New roller and tensioner Strangely, the old roller and tensioner weren't that old :bang:

Now this was fun trying to get this back...

It tensions the belt. I ended up lowering the engine on the plunger to hold it in the slack position!

And it worked

This was the fecker that wouldn't open...

So I got another pulley and bolt!

So I gave it a test run, back to normal

Keep watching...

 

[m20b25]

Time to sort the wonkey engine!

A straight foreward job... Became a pig of a job :bang: Everything seized!

But I got it out :slayer:

So why was my engine wonkey? Here's the old and the older side by side

Yep, no centre

Cleaned up the new old piece

Fitted and much better

Any opinions onto my choice of calliper paint?

I'll be painting the drums and callipers anyway, just have a range of colours to choose from!

 

[bluejohn125]

Brembo Gold for calipers and drums, every time!

 

[m20b25]

Brembo Gold for calipers and drums, every time!

That'll be a definitely for the 106

That French blue has grown on me...

 

[m20b25]

That French blue has grown on me...

It damned well has grown on me!

This evenings job was to sort the crappy handbrake. So off with...

Drums were then cleaned and painted

When all adjusted up, I put them back on

Kinda works, looks better with the wheel on

While waiting for that to dry, I decided to sort my lack of miles

Off with the trim... This doesn't look right!

I was right, changed clocks at some stage

I cracked on, changed my bulb...

Then after cleaning the speedo we have miles again

Wonder what the original mileage was... :shakehead:

 

[m20b25]

Back to the barge

The speedo that came with it annoyed the crap out of me!!!

So back to the local scrappies and I got more toys (including a climate display and clock )

OUT!!!

Change some blown bulbs...

Then put it in

Note I have now lost 35k miles :bang: I'll put that right someday

But a ha! Nothing is that simple with a French car now is it! Went for a test drive, speedo reads wrong indicated 30mph is actually 70mph

So back out...

Dismantle more...

Oil level indicator

More inspecting...

Then I saw it...

Broken track :bang:

To the garage! First, a vain attempt to solder a wire to the track....

Didn't work!

Next, solder a wire to the pcb direct...

Then using another set of plugs as a guide...

Find the correct wire

Then splice and add another wire

Connect...

Didn't work!

Back to the Alfa Romeo office

Manually adjust the needle using the small wheel....

After a few drives with a sat nav, I got it as right as I want it to be

As she stands

Clutch is knackered now, I'm not looking foreward to that

 

[BANG TIDY]

Nice work mate. I could only ever dream of doing that.

 

[m20b25]

Nice work mate. I could only ever dream of doing that.

You will if you put your mind to it

Back to the barge

Firstly, we get miserable "paddy spec" cars over here. The most basic, crappy, bog standard things no one wants

This car didn't even come with the digital clock! :bang:

And trying to find the plug... I finally found it

Clock now works

Now to get the plug up through the dash... A pig of a job! But I manoeuvred the plug and got it all in situ

Much better

Now onto my next problem: My passenger window didn't work after new switches and a motor. Off with the trim...

DISGUSTING :shakehead:

As you can see, here is what gives French electrics a bad name

Poor design leading to damp build up and corrosion. That was just the start!

This was fun to do, contact by contact, each side and the matching plug

It got messy very quickly

While I had the space I said I'd whip out the relays for the crack. Just as well I did!

A substitute was duly found

Courtesy of BMW take that French electrics! :slayer:

Another relay was also corroded... On the inside too!

And after all that, put everything back together...

It works once more

Keep watching...

 

[BANG TIDY]

You will if you put your mind to it

Ha em.... I dont think so. Im not technicly minded...

 

[m20b25]

Just another day up here...

Bought this on Saturday

Typical French. It's a... Pull clutch :bang:

So today... Time to take my time as I haven't worked on one before

These were a nightmare to take out due to being seized in place! They're for rad hoses

See?

I don't think coolant should be this colour...

What idiote designed this??!

Eventually

Signs of a rough farm life

Dog rough (it stank of dog!!!)

Plenty more room

My old friend...

Lastly before the mounts, remove the grille

For a clean bay

This was fun to get to this stage!

But alas, have to wait to see what the clutch was like...

 

[m20b25]

I should spell the badge backwards for the laugh

Aaaaaanyways...

Note the blue

Not much life left! Also, more blue

Blue= heat

Now the dirt of this...

Couldn't have that!

Then I went in and had a very long phone call...

So today, I saw if the bay was cleaner

Better

I also decided to get a new turbo pipe

Because the old one was a load of...

How convenient eh?!

Part of the old pipe, broke and still bolted to the manifold

I decided, while its out, I'll clean some of the oil out

There too

And decided to clean the rocker cover

Much better

Next, the thermostat

New one

Eventually...

A short while later...

And installing it

Just needs plumbing up

 

[m20b25]

So the other day, I decided to get the car driving again

Balljoints... A pig to get out!

But worth it

Just an example of what year of muck and water do to the calliper sliders with no rubber covers...

Bit empty...

And soon after, on the ground

Now for a hair pulling sight... Ahhhh

To sort 1 wire!!!!! :bang::bang::bang:

At least my windows work beautifully now

 

[m20b25]

French electrics post!!!! Ahhhh

But first, track rod ends

Original ones from new

Next a brake fluid change...

There's why

And that concluded that...

Next, a bootful of crap :spin:

Not wasting any time...

Out!

And the loom too

Handy to clip in

Wiring up the window reg loom

Now the front...

Out with the old...

...when the door is off :bang:

Spot the replacement Seicento...

Not a nice twisty multiplug either

But fitted...

Also fitted rear door cards

Elec mirrors

Both of which don't work!!!

Finally, new drop links

The old one fell out

I'm getting there... Nearly time for this as my daily driver

 

[m20b25]

Ugh...!

Needed a coolant change.... So out with the saucepan

And in with the new antifreeze

Only to find my radiator has shat itself :bang: £94 + vat for a new one but that's for another day...

Decided to pillage a radio out of another car

Out!

Don't leave me...

In!!!

Better

Now... It decided to be stubborn and refuse to rev up properly. Probably being French

Fuelling was the problem.

Decided to start at the back and work my way foreward. Started at the sender.

Bench out again...

Yep, pop riveted :bang:

Drilled out and plastic cover off...

Like something from an archaeological dig

After a lot of swearing and hammering...

Yep, blocked cleaned up and ran perfect

Lastly the car needed a new battery

Starts on the button now

I'm sick of the car already... What have I done!

 

[Devious]

As I'm sure you are aware, the XUD had to be de tuned as it out powered, both in HP and torque figures, the Gti-6. Obv Pug couldn't allow this, a Derv outgoing their sports car. A twist of a screw here, a turn of a valve there and boom, those things fly. I had a 306 sedan, it was great.
Doing a fab job here fella, keep it up and she'll be pristine.
Ta

 

[m20b25]

As I'm sure you are aware, the XUD had to be de tuned as it out powered, both in HP and torque figures, the Gti-6. Obv Pug couldn't allow this, a Derv outgoing their sports car. A twist of a screw here, a turn of a valve there and boom, those things fly. I had a 306 sedan, it was great.
Doing a fab job here fella, keep it up and she'll be pristine.
Ta

Never knew that but alas there are a good few XUD's out there pushing out over 200bhp so that doesn't surprise me

 

[Devious]

Yeah, cos the fueling and boost are manually tuned. Pug306.net have more threads than the shroud of turin on how to do it.
Ta

 

[m20b25]

More Pug stuff!

Lighting issue: No right full beam

Need to find the wires

Found the offender and we have light once more

Cleaned up

My radio fascia arrived

Binning that radio...

Tried to wire up a horn...

FAIL!!!

Next, door lock

The old one refused to work right. It got the bin!

Replaced the door hinge

With a red un!

Then, new radiator and top hose

The old one was.... Beyond its sell by date

Better

Then the passenger door card

Dash trim

Drivers door trim

And scarily, that's the interior almost done....

Just a clean needed and some speakers

 

[m20b25]

Yet more Pug stuff :spin:

I tracked it... Myself.... But I didn't get pics of that!

Sills needed repainting

Other side too

And cobbling the wires to take a normal set of speakers!

Insured today too