DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

[Gibbo2286]

A pair of these will move most of them, through the holes in the wheel and lever against the hub.

[moizeau]

Size 11 boot, back heeling horse style (so I don't break my toes) on the tyre.

[Paul-R]

Some of the stuck alloy wheels that I've removed in the past would have laughed at a rubber hammer/ I have two methods of removing stuck wheels.

The first relies upon the tyre still being inflated. I slacken the wheel nuts/bolts and then drive the vehicle slowly and pulling the steering wheel from left to right and back to put extra sideways force on the wheels. If the tyre is deflated then there's nothing for it but to bring my trusty sledgehammer into play and, with the relevant wheel raised off the ground, give the tyre (not the wheel) a good whacking from the inside. Never been known to fail for me!

[NewcastleFalcon]

One of the tips on you tube which I discovered didn't involve hammering, levering, or applying the size 11's and no danger at all of damaging the alloys with a stray hammer blow or crowbar/levers pressed against the alloy front or back.

Never tried it, I'll shove the vid up later. As per your method Paul bit of a variation on the same theme, but without the driving. Will rely on the wheel being inflated I would have thought

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I used to use a trailer tie down harness and a slide hammer, something like this:

Own work

[NewcastleFalcon]

Very useful bit of kit the ratchet strap tie downs, I have used them for many a purpose they were not intended for

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Several vids with variations on this method.
No recommendation, make your own mind up.

Important to ensure the wheel bolts/nuts are just loosened enough to allow the wheel to free itself from the hub but retain the wheel. Looks like it was a particularly well stuck example.



Neil

[bobins]

Size 11 boot, back heeling horse style (so I don't break my toes) on the tyre.

Are you a ballet dancer or something ? I find size 12s infinitely preferable

[CitroJim]

Not an alloy but once I had a steel wheel well stuck and I used a big three-legged puller on it... The holes around the rim being big enough to admit the ends of the puller...

It was on a small French car but I can't recall what now...

[mickthemaverick]

I had a busy day down the mancave today. Sadly no pictures to tell the tale but basically they wouldn't be anything special anyway. The recent MOT on my Legacy advised wearing front pads and wearing rear pads and discs, as well as rear tyres approaching their wear bars. I ordered two new tyres last week so they will be replaced next week probably but today it was the brakes.

I sourced a new pair of Mintex, my favoured brakes, rear discs and pads all round and, having received them last week, today was the first chance to get over to the mancave to sort them. Started with the offside rear, both sliding pins were very tight so a full strip, clean and regrease was in order, other than that no problems. Then the nearside rear which only had one iffy pin which turned out to be a real pain to remove but eventually done by using a 17mm open end spanner against the lip and appropriate use of the rubber taposcope! Fitting the new discs and pads gave no problems so that was one axle done.

The front offside was far simpler, replacement of pads only and the pins were fine, and after that is when the real trouble started!! The nearside had a piston seized and a fair bit of invention was involved to free it up and get it functioning properly. Having achieved that, the brake was reassembled with the new pads and a mental note to refurb the caliper with a new pair of pistons and set of rubbers in the summer!!

Having completed the work it was pub o'clock so we headed for the Lazy Pig in the Pantry and consumed pizza and beers!! I'm pleased to say the brakes felt perfect so a job well done!!

[CitroJim]

An excellent bit of work Mick... Good to know the Legacy now has good brakes

'Taposcope'... Love it

[moizeau]

Just a quick update on the sandblasting, not finished, few bits of grime stopped the sand doing it's work but.....
before

after

Also while I was in there had a niggle about a tight spot when rotating the exhaust cam. These engines are line bored. Then realised that I had another ex cam, better but not as free as the inlet. Then I remembered that the inlet and exhaust cams are the same, it's just the cam sprocket position that changes to align the marks for timing and I have another inlet cam, fitted that and as free as a bird. Looks like I have 2 slightly bent ex cams.

[CitroJim]

Wow! That looks properly good Pete Excellent work!

[mickthemaverick]

Does anyone know how heat resistant the epoxy pellets, like the ones in the picture below, are?
My dipped beam bulb holder clamp spring mount shattered so the lamp was not being held in its place properly. I have 'squidged' it back in place with a couple of the pellets which have worked well but I'm not sure if they will tolerate the temperature of the metal casing of the halogen lamp.
If it deforms or melts and no longer does the job I'm fine with that, I just want to be sure about its flammability. Any ideas?

BFTW

[Stickyfinger]

No very, epoxy will soften with heat...there are "types", cheep stuff is not normally very good.

[mickthemaverick]

OK thanks Alasdair, I've done it now so its a case of see how it goes!!

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It dawned on me today that Bob and I are off to a classic car racing day at Thruxton on Sunday and I hadn't got round to having the rear spoiler's red fade, as witnessed by Jim and James, sorted out. So realising that I only had today and tomorrow left because there is a ceremony on Saturday, and I would feel disrespectful working on the car during that, I decided to have a go at it this afternoon. So I colour sanded it with 1200, 1500, 2500 and 3000 grit paper, rinsed it and dried it and then applied some super resin polish. The result is probably not as good as it could be but it is certainly good enough to take to Thruxton!!:

Own work which wrecked me!

Own work which wrecked me some more!!