Month: September 2012

Didn’t do much today. I watched the Italian GP. Well done Lewis but where did Perez get that late race speed from?

Anyway after the GP had finished I cleaned a bit more of the car’s interior. AG Vinyl & Rubber Care on the plastic dashboard parts and then AG Leather Care on the leather part of the seats. She is starting to look really quite good inside.

Went systematically through the fuses to try and find which one has blown but they all look ok to me. The drivers handbook says that there are “pictograms” against each fuse. I can see them on 3 of them but not on all. Note to self. Download the workshop manual at earliest opportunity.

Have sourced a secondhand rear top arm ball joint but won’t be able to get it for a fortnight. I shall speak to Alfie and book her in for the suspension rebuild for the following week. The rear suspension squeak is really annoying especially now the engine problem is fixed and I want to jump in and give her a good drive. Acceleration is awesome and the engine pulls really well but the fuel consumption is heavy to say the least.

Some of the suspension parts are a bit corroded so will be getting them shot blasted and repainted as part of the rebuild.

Today I started work on the interior.

Gave her a good Hoover out (except it was a Dyson) and then attacked the door surrounds and all vinyl and rubber parts.

Before

After

I also started a bit of detailing in the engine bay and the badges.

As expected the engine rev problem has been solved by a new MAF (multi air flow) sensor. The difference in performance is incredible and she now accelerates freely and rapidly as she should.

The suspension issue isn’t what we expected exactly. It’s the OSR top ball joint that is causing the creaking. The bushes also need doing. There is also some corrosion to the lower arms that needs attention – removal, shot blasting and re-painting. Cost will be a bit more than expected but not much more.

Unfortunately there is a leak on the PAS. If we have to replace the unit it’s big bucks for a new one or about £100 for a refurbished one from Autolusso. For now have put £10 worth of magic leak fixing liquid into the hydraulic fluid. Fingers crossed.

Today I drove the Cup up to Alfie’s. She’s booked in for tomorrow but we discussed options for the paintwork a bit and agreed that the engine rev problem is indeed the MAF sensor so he has ordered one in for the morning. We will decide about the suspension and anything else after she’s been up on the ramps.

Alfie surprised me by producing a full set of unused Goodyear Eagle F1s at the correct size 225/45R17 with the now no longer produced original tread pattern. I am going to need at least one so we may be doing a deal.

I then did a bit of a turn round the local recommended body shops. Got a ridiculous quote from one place who said that they could really only offer a full re-spray at an extortionate price. I guess they didn’t want the work. Best quote so far is from a local guy recommended by Alfie but it is still a little bit over what I had in mind.

This evening I continued to do some work on the “good” bodywork paint with a layer of SRP followed by some AquaWax. Putting the SRP on has told me the car is going to need claying but i shall leave it until the respray is about to be done. I also polished the glasswork with AG Glass Polish.

Tomorrow when she’s back from Alfie’s I shall attack the interior. Have discovered the interior light doesn’t work – probably a fuse but it can wait until the weekend.

Gave the exterior a double wash with some ZipWax and then some AquaWax just to give a bit of protection pending some serious paint correction. Having been over her now with a reasonable degree of detail I can report that the bodywork, apart from the pink, is in superb condition. I have detected one tiny dent where the paint isn’t broken and in a location where it will take a Dent Devil longer to get the tools out his van than it will to fix invisibly. Apart from the front spoiler there are only a handful of stone chips. The glass is perfect on all sides.

All four teledials are near perfect and certainly wheel refurbishment is not going to be necessary at this stage. 3 of the 4 Goodyear Eagle F1s are good one is near legal limit. All of them have slightly discoloured tyre walls and will need some work.

Haven’t touched the interior as yet but have noticed an oddity. The trip display resets to 0 every time you start the car. The odometer is however correctly recording.

The engine and bay aren’t too bad and I am leaving that untouched until Alfie at HRG has fettled her on Friday. Still thinking MAF Sensor and some bushes. The FSH tells me brake discs, pads and hoses should be good as new because they nearly are. Cam belts have been done twice in her 21k miles. Once by Peak Alfa with pulleys etc and latterly by a local garage. I will be discussing with Alfie.

The biggest issue is going to be paint restoration. She has been covered in winter but under a car port in the summer with her arse sticking out into the summer sun. The rear bumper and spoiler are the most affected. Other plastic parts are also discoloured.
Will be discussing options with a paint shop tomorrow but also with a detailer. My son thinks a detailer can get the colour back but keeping it back is another question.

Post initial clean pictures – picture 3 shows the tiny dent just above the wheel arch but you will have to look carefully.