From Montreal to The Cosmos

[Scooblitz]

That’s a nice wheels suits it perfectly

Was a bit apprehensive with fitment and style as they would never be my ultimate wheel fitment. I think i'm going to aim to be able to run two sets of wheels. Next set needs to be at least 9j in the rear. Summer winter setup but all in good time as i got other things to save for.

As for the outgoing 18's. The other 3 wheels are actually not as bad as i was anticipating. There is one buckle/dent on the front right which i was expecting. Other two are reasonable. Going to be on the lookout for another wheel to complete the set as i think the bad wheel needs binned. tyres are all good around but strange size of 225/40. Better for 8j.

Note to self: 8j 225/45/17 with 9j 255/40/17

 

[Stevo7682]

Mmm bit of a mess to be honest

@DavidM why the dislike ???
Do you disagree and not think that the wheel is not in a bit of a mess when it's obviously has been hit dented in, split then welded it is not exactly in good condition in my opinion.
Stephen.

 

[Scooblitz]

This fails at being a wheel on the basic requirement of being round!

@DavidM why the dislike ???
Do you disagree and not think that the wheel is not in a bit of a mess when it's obviously has been hit dented in, split then welded it is not exactly in good condition in my opinion.
Stephen.

I think it's a dislike to the condition of the wheel. Knackered.

 

[DavidM]

@DavidM why the dislike ???
Do you disagree and not think that the wheel is not in a bit of a mess when it's obviously has been hit dented in, split then welded it is not exactly in good condition in my opinion.
Stephen.

My fat fingers- I must have hit the D button whilst scrolling - I have removed the dislike.

 

[Stevo7682]

My fat fingers- I must have hit the D button whilst scrolling - I have removed the dislike.

Sorry wasn't a pop at you just wondering what it was for thanks .
Stephen.

 

[Dino D]

Was a bit apprehensive with fitment and style as they would never be my ultimate wheel fitment. I think i'm going to aim to be able to run two sets of wheels. Next set needs to be at least 9j in the rear. Summer winter setup but all in good time as i got other things to save for.

As for the outgoing 18's. The other 3 wheels are actually not as bad as i was anticipating. There is one buckle/dent on the front right which i was expecting. Other two are reasonable. Going to be on the lookout for another wheel to complete the set as i think the bad wheel needs binned. tyres are all good around but strange size of 225/40. Better for 18x7.5j.

Note to self: 8j 225/45/17 with 9j 255/40/17

To fill out the rear you just need 20 or 25mm spacer most likely.
I run a 25mm with 7,5j at the moment, almost flush, could actually take 30mm, think it’s et43 on mine right now.

You can fit wiiiiiide wheels in a MK1 2.8 arch!

 

[Scooblitz]

To fill out the rear you just need 20 or 25mm spacer most likely.
I run a 25mm with 7,5j at the moment, almost flush, could actually take 30mm, think it’s et43 on mine right now.

You can fit wiiiiiide wheels in a MK1 2.8 arch!

the guys fitting them did mention spacers as well but im a touch apprehensive about fitting them by adding strain on the rear subframe and axle. By going 8j on the rear with 17 on et30 has meant that there is now more negative camber on the rear. My thoughts are that perhaps a 9j wheel on the back will allow a bit more wheel width on the inside to fill out the car. Looks a lil skinny on the bum. Not bad but not 9j. On the hunt for some new ideas. Thinking style 32 in a staggered mix. Might need spigots

 

[Scooblitz]

Last weekend i took a trip down to my home county of Ayrshire to see 'Dr Z' - @Stevo7682 for a check up. Axle stands out for a look underneath the car and the prognosis was good. Looked reasonably clean underneath all things considered. Always some things to maintain but i was very pleased to find minimal rust, so far. So thanks and well done to @Taz Horton who has maintained the car for the last 8 years. She's looking good for it.

Met new member, @Iain C and his 2.2 also in black and looked in nice condition too. More Ayrshire Z's and Scottish Z's is always a good thing.

As always, thanks to @Stevo7682 for giving away his time to look over my car. Picture with his lab coat on. Also got a picture of the thermodynamic paint in action on his M44. Gave me some ideas for a caliper refresh. Very cool or should i say, Very Hot.

 

[Scooblitz]

Out this weekend Z'ing but it has come to a abrupt and soggy end. Literally.

The front bumper underside tray had been oblitered by a combination of the uk roads and me forgeting that i had taken out a structurally integral cable tie. Mostly the later. @spurs fan in a coupe sent me a better condition item and managed to get that in place after a bit of a fiddle. Looks much better now the front trim pieces are all back in place. Missing a few plastic mounting points so the trusty cable tie is used again. Back to where i started.

Today's Z'ing was all about the hood and seats. However from start to finish, today has been a bit of a sodden, z-disaster. Finally took the hard top off after leaving it on all summer waiting for a good moment to get a few seat related items organised. Managed the hardtop no problems but it would appear that the soft top is stuck in the closed position and will not travel more than 20cm of its parabola to close.

Thought i'd get back to that and work on the seat bushings, height adjustment, redye and hoover. Seems a good plan untill what can only be described as a monsoon tore through. With no helpers to get the roof on, the z is absolutely soaked inside. Pulling water in the drivers floor, seats and in the centre console, an inch of water.

So helplessly i went to run and get towels and rugs to cover the car but it was all too late and not enough to stop all the rain getting in. One step forward 2 steps back.

Some further steps back would be that i simply cannot get the seat kebab spindle to house into the nut after installing the bushes. To make matters even worse, after 25 mins of 100 sandpappering the bushes. I've sanded 2mm too much and i will need to start all over again with that one as well it seems. And all my sand paper is mush.

So today has gone well. Pics to follow.

 

[t-tony]

The only way is up mate. Possibly the roof frame may be bent out of shape or partially seized. When you have some help try manually assisting the roof.

Tony.

 

[Stevo7682]

Mate really sorry to hear about today's setbacks.
Have you got the hardtop back on now ???.
Cant remember is your hood electric
If so did you try turning off the pump hydraulics and close the roof by hand .
You've got my number give me a bell when you have a minute lend a hand if you need it.
Stephen.

 

[Scooblitz]

Thanks @t-tony . I guess we have all been there and days like today are sent to test us. One of those days when turning a nut took 20 minutes. It was laural and hardy sketch today with me as the punchline and no audience to laugh. Just frustration. A soggy mess.

However, pleased to have sat down at quarter to 11 at night for my lunch and dinner and have managed to get the seat bushing on drivers done as well as the seat height adjustment. At least it wont be like driving the worlds lowest van now.

Got the hard top back on with clamps and 2 bolts so at least the car is more water tight. than it was 4 hours ago in the monsoon.

Time for a breather.

 

[t-tony]

Have a better day tomorrow mate.

Tony.

 

[Scooblitz]

Mate really sorry to hear about today's setbacks.
Have you got the hardtop back on now ???.
Cant remember is your hood electric
If so did you try turning off the pump hydraulics and close the roof by hand .
You've got my number give me a bell when you have a minute lend a hand if you need it.
Stephen.

Thanks Stevo. Managed to get just about everything done. Strange that every job i did today was something i had done before. Got there in the end.

 

[Stevo7682]

Thanks Stevo. Managed to get just about everything done. Strange that every job i did today was something i had done before. Got there in the end.

Good stuff what are your initial thoughts about the roof

 

[Scooblitz]

Good stuff what are your initial thoughts about the roof

Really couldn't get a good look at the condition of the soft top. I could see some amount of dirt and green mold but nothing that a renovo won't smarten. As for the fabric looked ok. no rips in the hood that can be seen. The window sticitching is my main concern but i didn't see any loose zips.
The rear window is poor. I'm guessing it's ripped in different places maybe even a few small holes. On the shopping list.

The mechanism looked to be in ok condition. Nothing out of place. I gave the main hinges cloesest to the door a dose of wd40 as i thought that might have been the culprit. Me pushing up may have just been the push back from the elecitrc motor which was not operational. Got a feeling its the same as the seats, just stuck in a position for a while and the mechanism can't move.

I'll have a footer with the car tomorrow, weather permitting of course, to get the drivers seat back after squeezing out the water from the floor pan. Praying for sunshine tomorrow morning so i can open her up to the morning sun. Had a feel under the carpet and the foam is soaked through sadly. Could have been from before but today certainly didn't help.

Im still in touch with Taz, the old owner so im sure i can send a few questions to him no problems.

Onwards.


I'm getting de ja vu from Montreal.

 

[Scooblitz]

Managed to get yesterday behind me and pressed on with the odds-jobs. Had a few pictures of the car.

Happy with the hood condition over all. It's better than i had expected but i do see some issues with the rubbers. Mechanism working as it should, fabric in need of a clean.
Had a laugh when the window unfolded. It is quite possibly the worst rear screen i have ever seen. I immediately unpicked the zip and threw it away and popped the hard top back on. After this weekends work, no more interior niggles.

With Summer drawing to a close, most likely she's going to have to wait till next year before i address the rear window and the electrical issue.

 

[t-tony]

Wow. See what you mean about the rear window, not a pretty sight. A replacement soft top looks like the best option.

Tony.

 

[Scooblitz]

Wow. See what you mean about the rear window, not a pretty sight. A replacement soft top looks like the best option.

Tony.

A new softtop would be nice but not in the budget for this year so restoring the best i can will need to be the option. I have already done this job before with my m44 and was pleased enough with how it turned out. Second time round should be much easier.

 

[Scooblitz]

Had some serious issues over the last few weeks with my drivers side front brakes. Took the car to work which is only a 2.5 miles trip in the city centre and after i got out the car, i had a feel of the alloy and it was scholdingly hot. It had been happening on and off but with 800 miles of Skye around the corner, a distress call was sent out. @Stevo7682 to the rescue. Reposition of the caliper and alligning everything back up seemed to do the trick and instantly could feel the difference on the road. So with 2 sides being done, i can hopefully rest easy without worrying about my brakes catching fire. Thanks to Stevo. Much Appreciated. Also a decent reminder that the vanity projects can wait before dealing with mechanicals first.