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StormDrain posted:Pulled my ground and positive cables, threw the positive away, cleaned and put a new terminal on the ground, then put all of my tools away without installing them since it started raining. Job status: incomplete. Personal status: unsatisfied. I know the feeling. I'm just staring out the window. I need to prep a car for a trip tomorrow but it's cold and raining so I can't take my little boy outside so I can do it. I'm stuck. It's a choice between two vehicles. The Fairlane which should be okay but it has very poor wet weather manners and really needs new rear tyres too because they are balding and multi-plugged messes. They are special order, can take weeks to get hold of and are expensive. It has ABS. It has play in the steering. Rear brakes are questionable. It fogs up like a bitch. lovely headlights. Cooling system doesn't really leak currently but the heater bypass fitting on the water pump is held together with rust, JB weld and hope. The Niva which has done a maximum of 80km in a day previously, had the fuel pump replaced with one that I've had in two cars previously and has been sitting a long time, and a grumbling transmission. It has commercial tyres with heaps of tread, and very good wet weather manners. I have a tube of Nulon G70 waiting for me to dump into the transmission (center trim and gearstick off to do because of the transmission overfill. Big pain to do) to keep it happy a bit longer because it hated the Castrol gear oil. It has progressive front brakes designed for better control over braking in low traction conditions. It has play in the steering. Rear brakes are questionable. Doesn't tend to fog up. Great headlights. Slightly leaky radiator and a few other bits on the cooling system. I really hate long trips. Got maintenance to catch up on with both vehicles now the weather is getting better.
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Sep 16, 2013 01:33
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It sounds like you desperately need a cheap honda for non-awesome car duty. I know what you are saying, goddammit, I don't need ANOTHER car... but your Fairlane is too awesome and eccentric to do dumb poo poo in, and your Niva seems suited to only do dumb poo poo in. First World Problems.
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Sep 16, 2013 01:44
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Carteret posted:It sounds like you desperately need a cheap honda for non-awesome car duty. I know what you are saying, goddammit, I don't need ANOTHER car... but your Fairlane is too awesome and eccentric to do dumb poo poo in, and your Niva seems suited to only do dumb poo poo in. Cars are cheap. It's registering them that's the killer. The Fairlane is a good long range cruiser. It's got long gearing, all the bells and whistles. The Niva is better for short range and offroad. But everything fell back into maintenance debt with everyone having a really bad run medically over the past few months. In all honesty I think I killed the Fairlane's back brakes bringing the Niva back when I bought it. The gear oil smell every time I accelerated was worrisome too. Hell of a trailer. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was all I could get on the day because of a change of plan. The trailer was built to transport plant machinery which that company specializes in renting. I could have just about fit two cars on it.  I want to sell the Fairlane. Someone would appreciate a super rare limited edition vehicle more than I would. Kids and that sort of thing don't mix either. If I could find one at a good price I'd sell it and get a Grand Vitara for my other half because she quite likes them. At any rate they are more affordable and practical than a Jeep Wrangler or an Alfa Spyder. which are her other choices for a car.
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Sep 16, 2013 01:56
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Just bought a set of rear brake shoes for the Niva and a couple of brake bleeder nipples because there were a couple of messed up front ones. Had to pay the Australia Tax on them but it cuts a couple of weeks off shipping. Also asked about radiators. They don't stock them because they are practically indestructible. Wish someone had told that to the gorilla that squashed some of the top tank, cracked a solder seam around the top hose, kept driving it after the radiator cap rusted through and ran it off rusty mucky muddy sludge. Oh boy am I looking forward to separating the aluminium drums from the steel hubs.
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Sep 16, 2013 04:58
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General_Failure posted:Oh boy am I looking forward to separating the aluminium drums from the steel hubs. Heat is your friend here, aluminum expands a lot more with heat than steel does, so take a torch to them and they should break the rust pretty easy. Just don't linger too long if you plan on re-using them.
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Sep 16, 2013 05:20
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installed an x-brace, car was missing it originally. Found a guy on CL parting an MR2 out. I guess he picked the car up from some doofus in San Fran who skidded into a ditch. Returning at some point later on to grab a "mint" sunroof visor for $150. Seems kind of steep but I haven't looked elsewhere and I can't take much more of being blinded while driving.
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Sep 16, 2013 06:02
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Got rear ended in traffic at a stoplight in my IQ today and pushed into the back of a Silverado that was in front of me. The driver of the trailblazer the hit me didnt have insurance.... The truck in front of me had no damage thanks to his trailer hitch. No real bad damage, the back bumper cover on my IQ is chewed up a little and on the front the little gray "IQ" front plate cover has a nice imprint of a 2" receiver on it. Traffic wasn't moving very fast but drat did it ring my bell for a minuet when my head bounced off the head rest. Ill have to take some pictures after work if there is enough light.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:01
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I hope you at least got the rear ender's plate number at the very least...
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Sep 16, 2013 22:08
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I've had it a month and a half and I started cleaning it up to sell since I figured out there is no way in hell I can live without a motorcycle.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:18
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Finally, got Wilma's wheel alignment done. Much better now. Only rear bumpstops left now and i can leave her the hell alone and only drive her. What a relief..
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Sep 16, 2013 22:33
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Fucknag posted:Heat is your friend here, aluminum expands a lot more with heat than steel does, so take a torch to them and they should break the rust pretty easy. Just don't linger too long if you plan on re-using them. I hope it doesn't come to that. Funny thing with this car is the operations manual and the service manual have different procedures for things. The service manual uses a big puller. The operation manual says two undo the two retaining bolts and screw them into the other two holes to push the drum off. That was nice of them. might try that first and hope the aluminium doesn't strip. Aluminium drums *grumble grumble*. Speaking of which that's the sound the back brakes are making! I can't see any aluminium dust on the wheel rim so fingers crossed. I know I haven't done it yet, but I think I'll do the adjustment on the rear drums because that should shift the contact patch I hope to where there's some meat left. Odds are it'll be next week before the shoes arrive. Today's trip isn't happening because my son's health took a dive. Chronic asthma sucks.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:50
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Detroit Q. Spider posted:I hope you at least got the rear ender's plate number at the very least... I was expecting him to run off so the first thing I did was snap a pic of his plate. He stayed, kept going on about how he was going to go to jail. kept going on about how he cant work because he is disabled but cant get disability so has no income and dropped his insurance cause he had no money and that his parents passed away and just kept going on. The cop was cool, he stated that it sucks the the most he can do to him is write a ticket for no isurance and had to let him go. 15 years driving and its the first time I have been hit by another driver...
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Sep 16, 2013 23:10
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evilnissan posted:I was expecting him to run off so the first thing I did was snap a pic of his plate. Do you not need insurance where you live? I know it varies from state to state in the US. (including no-fault states?) Over here no insurance means your car get seized on the spot, and you get points on your licence and a fine.
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Sep 16, 2013 23:15
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Mooseykins posted:Do you not need insurance where you live? I know it varies from state to state in the US. (including no-fault states?) You are required to have at least a minimum amount of coverage. It is up to the state to decide how dire the consequences are. evilnissan posted:15 years driving and its the first time I have been hit by another driver... Over 20 here.. and they almost took me out of the shitposting pool for good. 
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Sep 16, 2013 23:20
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West SAAB Story posted:You are required to have at least a minimum amount of coverage. It is up to the state to decide how dire the consequences are. I see. Is the mimimum coverage for personal injury if you were to cause an accident and injure someone? Our minimum here is 3rd party, which covers only the damage caused to the other person's car if you're at fault. Works out the same for me to have fully-comp as it does to have 3rd party, and they sold me some extra poo poo that i didn't understand, but it was £30, so whatever.
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Sep 16, 2013 23:32
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Pretty sure that most of your questions can be answered here.
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Sep 16, 2013 23:35
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Finally found some new wheels for it. Because i can't leave well enough alone, i'm probably going to pull them back off and plastidip the centers gold, leaving the lip chrome.
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Sep 16, 2013 23:49
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Powershift posted:Finally found some new wheels for it. I'm torn... I want to encourage your ridiculousness, but at the same time, I've always loved 540s and wouldn't mind having one myself...
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Sep 16, 2013 23:51
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EVERYWHERE 
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Jacked it up then read the brake adjustment procedure. It's a two person job. One person needs to stand on the pedal while the other turns the cam adjuster. I'm hosed unless I can figure out a way to keep the pedal down without any give. What a waste of time.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:21
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2x4 wedged between the brake pedal and the driver's seat frame. Used this before when I didn't want to lower a car back down to remove the lug nuts and didn't have my air compressor / impact set up, and had a conveniently close-enough 2x4 length. Even easier if you have power brakes.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:34
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IOwnCalculus posted:Even easier if you have power brakes. And/or a power seat.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:46
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IOwnCalculus posted:2x4 wedged between the brake pedal and the driver's seat frame. Used this before when I didn't want to lower a car back down to remove the lug nuts and didn't have my air compressor / impact set up, and had a conveniently close-enough 2x4 length. Good point. I'm sure I have a sacrificial bit of wood somewhere I can lop to size. Really I can't even remember the last time I came across a cam adjuster. Usually they are stars. The shoes are hosed but I'm banking on them being out of adjustment so I can shift the contact patch and remove that wonderful sound of steel on aluminium until the replacement shoes arrive. Also tossing up whether to chuck the new pads on the front even though there is heaps of pad left. What I can't get over is how the discs are still brown even though the brakes have clearly been working and the surface is shiny.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:57
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It's the only thing a scissor jack is good for.
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Sep 17, 2013 03:10
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Another oil change. Waaay overdue and still I feel like I just did one.  Maybe next weekend I'll do the gearbox and diff oil.
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Sep 17, 2013 03:23
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evilnissan posted:I was expecting him to run off so the first thing I did was snap a pic of his plate. Thankfully, the one time I was rear ended, the damage was so minor that we just shrugged. Small ding in the rear bumper of my Civic, broken fog light on the Volvo that hit me. Car in front of me slammed on their brakes when someone ran into the crosswalk, I stopped in time, then Mr Volvo came along and relied on my brakes to stop him.  In Texas, if you're caught without insurance, even if you're just asked for your insurance during a traffic stop, the cop has the option of impounding your car on the spot. There's a state-wide insurance database available to cops, so even if you don't have proof on you, they can verify it (though they can forget about using that db if you're an rear end to them). Hopefully you have uninsured motorist coverage.  Previa_fun posted:Another oil change. Waaay overdue and still I feel like I just did one. I should probably do an oil change soon. Last one was in April with Mobil 1, though it's only been about 5500 miles. Definitely need to do the gearbox soon, I doubt it's ever been done.
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Sep 17, 2013 03:30
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wallaka posted:It's the only thing a scissor jack is good for. That is an amazing idea. I have to pull the right drum off at very least before I start because with the back up in the air something just doesn't feel right when I turn the right wheel. It needs investigation.
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Sep 17, 2013 04:16
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Last thing for a few weeks... Need my bank account to recover before I can have a shop install my tie rod ends and ball joints  @meGas charged strut for my engine lid... Car was completely missing a hood prop so this was a worthwhile upgrade.
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Sep 17, 2013 04:30
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some texas redneck posted:
I do! I'm not sure about the specifics it covers but I should be getting a call today from who ever is assigned to my claim. The visible damage doesn't look bad, the bumper covers are dinged up but I'm afraid there is some amount of unseen damage in the rear. During my drive home the rear end fells weird going over some of the larger bumps in the road.     I took a peak under the back of the car but couldn't see much due to how the bumper cover attaches blocks the view of the bumper and the mounting points. It was a solid hit to the rear and even to the front where the receiver mark is, I was expecting to find the cover popped loose on both sides.
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Sep 17, 2013 13:08
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Not what I was expecting to see.  
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Sep 17, 2013 13:27
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is that a steel insert in the alloy drum? Doesnt look SHOCKINGLY bad in there- unless im missing something. I fitted 6 new injectors to the 80 series tonight- Ripped the injector pump off last night and dropped it in to be re-sealed and recalibrated after the ultra low sulphur diesel made the seals all leak. Hopefully have it back tomorrow or thursday and spend friday fitting it up and getting it started again.
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Sep 17, 2013 13:48
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Ferremit posted:is that a steel insert in the alloy drum? quote:
Good luck on keeping all the fluids where they belong!
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Sep 17, 2013 13:53
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A week ago I bumped into a corner backing into a spot at my work's parking garage. It was a spot I never park in so I was unsure of how close I was and it put a small crinkle/dent/ripple in the bumper and took a little paint with it. I don't want to shell out for a whole new bumper cover at this point so I just did a silly temporary cover-up.
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Sep 17, 2013 14:25
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If you're near Philly, I'm sure someone will help make the rest of the bumper match. :/
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Sep 17, 2013 15:05
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Asked a buddy to come by and help me with bleeding the clutch. He pulls up with this flapping off his left rear.
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Sep 17, 2013 16:26
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Asked a buddy to come by and help me with bleeding the clutch. He pulls up with this flapping off his left rear. Could be worse.  Not quite sure how this held air, the last kilometer it was on the car i tried busting it loose to no avail. The next time there's a burnout competition near here, this babby's comin apart.
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Sep 17, 2013 16:51
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I re-RTV'd my rear diff cover. What a pain in the rear end to re-do. I messed up the placement the first time around and it slid and smeared a bit, I knew I should've just taken it off then and re-done it. The leak was just enough to annoy me into fixing it.
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Sep 17, 2013 19:36
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Pictard of x brace and gas prop installed, and my OSH-rigging of bypass valve recirculation. could probably use degreasing... 
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Sep 17, 2013 20:31
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General_Failure posted:Pretty sure it's all aluminium. The chunks out of the outside of the drum aren't great. Nor is the reason the back end always smells like diff oil. I may have also been mistaken but I doubt it, the bearing seemed fine from a freeplay perspective but it sure didn't feel right. Like the crank on the old Hills hoist in the yard. It may have just been the diff but pretty sure it was the bearing. Attempt to stick a magnet to the braking surface. That'll tell you. Looks like a steel or cast-iron insert to me, but hard to tell from a picture. Aluminum would suck as a friction surface. It does look like the shoes were rubbing on the front inside surface, though. Maybe that's your noise?
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Sep 17, 2013 21:03
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Darchangel posted:Attempt to stick a magnet to the braking surface. That'll tell you. Looks like a steel or cast-iron insert to me, but hard to tell from a picture. Aluminum would suck as a friction surface. It does look like the shoes were rubbing on the front inside surface, though. Maybe that's your noise? You're right. Didn't use a magnet but did some reading. I saw that scuffing and am totally nonplussed. Both sides were similar in that respect. All the brake hardware appeared present and correct. Besides the weird cam adjusters it's just a standard drum setup. I can admit I'm wrong But still those chunks missing out of the edge are a bit concerning.
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Sep 17, 2013 21:43
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Not today, but on Friday night, I pulled my front bumper again to install my new grille. New in that it's an OE stock S4 grille, but I had a friend disassemble it and paint the base grille brilliant black to match the car, then reassemble all the brightwork. Before:  After: 
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Sep 17, 2013 21:53
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