Day 3 of interior swap: absolutely zero achieved.

Dad lent me a breaker bar but it only fitted large 12-sided sockets that, whilst they fitted the front seat retaining bolt, did nothing except get stuck on the bolts and start rounding them off. I really need to be using a proper 6-sided hex socket.

(Actually it wasn't a proper breaker bar, more like an extendable wheel brace bar).

So now I have to go to Halfords anyway and get either a 14mm 6-sided socket with a bar hole that will fit his bar, or a bar with a smaller end that fits his existing 14mm 6-sided socket.

Unfortunately, having missed my opportunity today, I can't get to Halfords now until Saturday afternoon earliest, so I'm stuck with a two-tone car for at least another two days

Losing daylight at 3:30-4:00pm is also not much help. Winter can kiss my * !!!

S

Yeah a 6-sided socket will definitely work better. Is there a B&Q nearer? Or Wilco? Eurocarparts?

Yeh, it doesn't need to be Halfords specifically, any of the outlets are about the same distance away for me. That's not too far, but it was 2pm and by the time I got back it would be nearly getting dark and I'd be having to pack up anyway.

Also I'm going away tonight, in the car, so I couldn't work late or leave the car in bits! Especially without a driver's seat if I managed to get it out!

Best thing was to give up and try again on Saturday. Ho hum

S

Day 4. I was away since Thursday evening and couldn't get back until 2pm today, leaving me only 2hrs of daylight to work in, but I stopped on my way home to buy an 18" breaker bar, an adaptor set and some other bits and pieces.

Result!!



The breaker bar undid three of the four front end seat bolts first time, and both the rear ones on each seat. The remaining bolt at the front of the driver's seat refuses point blank to shift, and is now becoming rounded off. In fact it's so stuck that it's even distorted the 14" socket. I'm really not sure where to go from here, if my dad can't get it out with brute force tomorrow (I'm stronger in the arm than most women, but even I can't do it). He suggested getting a blowtorch on it to heat it up, then changed his mind when I told him it was next to carpet and plastics.

I thought I'd at least get the passenger seat in before dark, then realised that this was still attached to it:



I guess that's the bracket that would normally stay on the car that the seat came out of. The bolt on the top (one of the rear seat bolts from the other car) is still attached and completely rusted up. I tried all kinds of things but it won't shift. As I don't need the bolt (as it's off the other car) I thought I'd crack it open, but sod's law the cracker won't fit as the bolt lies inside the seat rail



So, no seats in the car tonight, I'm going to have to find a grinder for this bolt tomorrow and hope Dad has some good ideas re. the remaining front seat bolt. I need to get this complete tomorrow as it's my last opportunity before Christmas, and I need all the seats in the car by then as I'm travelling on the 25th and have a passenger

S

Can the runner/rail not be removed from your seat and swapped over? that way save on trying to remove that stuck nut all together. Else soak it in wd40 for a while then use heat, normally works, just protect the leather!

As for the bolt, brute force may just shear it, which is a whole world of pain. Did that on my van and required me to take the entire inlet manifold off to get at it I'm not sure if they protrude under the car, maybe try cleaning it up from that side and again any kind of penetrating fluid. Heat may work from that side if you can get access to it, but again you may singe your carpets a bit with the heat transfer.

As for no seat, put the bolts/nuts you removed back in and go with one cloth one

I'm sure Hughie will have the solution

Jon

I had a good look at the rails on Thursday as I wanted to swap some of the plastics over. I think with a little hassle you can take the levers off, and there are some bolts you can undo but it looks like at least one part of the seat mechanism is welded to the rail so it can't be completely taken off (although if anyone has removed BA seat rails, without a grinder or dynamite, I'd be glad to know how!)

As for getting this extra bracket off, I think angle grinding the bolt is probably the best option now, the bracket is hanging loose so there is room to do it without damaging the seat rail.

Regarding the stuck front seat bolt, I don't want to damage it as I'm not sure that I can get replacements (I'm checking on this as I speak). I also don't want to damage the seat bracket as I'm planning to sell the old interior if possible. The bolt fits into a raised bracket welded to the main shell, it doesn't go through the floor; so I can't get at it from the other side.

And yep, if I can't get the extra bracket off the new front seat tomorrow then I'm going to have to put the cloth one back in again for Christmas, or boyfriend will be sitting on the floor ... !

S

Where he belongs no doubt

I'd say take your time with it, don't rush and break something, so maybe leave it until you have more time and/or don't need the car so urgently. I do find though that giving bolts a good soak in some kind of penetrating fluid really helps; WD40 is the worst I'd use, actual penetrating fluids are even finer. You just have to leave them a while to work their way in, and they can smell a bit too, especially inside a car

Hopefully your dad can fix it, mine always could when I hit that proverbial brick wall

It has been a bit of a rush, but I wanted these seats in so they don't get eaten by the rats in the garage over Christmas! They/mice have already had a go at the electrics in one of the other cars. The little beggars hide up inside the wheel arches, our terrier can't keep his nose out of there.

I've been using Plusgas on the bolts, actually it smells quite nice in a confined space

I can handle most mechanical things, given the right tools, but Dad is an inventor-type so he's great to have as backup. And as a strong(er) arm on stubborn seat bolts

S

which bolt exactly is it thats stuck? i had a nightmare with mine at first, but i only removed the runner bolts when i swapped mine over

It's the front, right hand securing bolt of the driver's seat.

The other stuck bolt is on the rear rail of the new passenger seat, that's the one I'll have to cut off tomorrow, to remove the old bracket.

S

thats the one i had bother with too, and i successfully rounded the thread removing it too, if that should happen to you(fingers crossed it wont), its not the end of the world...i just got a die set and re-threaded it.

top tip, learnt it of a mate who is a joiner....tighten the bolt first, only ever so slightly though, and then undo it. dont know how it works but it does. it also reduces the chance of shearing the bolt too.

Great - I'll try that first of all tomorrow! Thanks

S

Day 5: interior swap COMPLETE!

So, I was back in the garage at the crack of sparrows, to make the most of the daylight.

** Problem 1: stubborn front seat bolt

The remaining bolt had chewed up my 14mm socket, but I found another that fitted: an AF 9/16, 6-sided one in a tin of miscellaneous sockets knocking around in the workshop. I fitted it to the breaker bar, and it did the job in a few seconds (cue trumpets, choirs of angels etc.)




The lesson being, that modern sockets made of fancy metals are no match for a lump of 50-year-old pre-metric kryptonite.

I was lucky to get this out, before it got any worse:



** Problem 2: spare bracket on new front seat

Problem solved in a couple of minutes by my father's loan of this:



Result:




I hoovered the car thoroughly and did some de-rusting on the seat brackets, and then it was finally (FINALLY!) time to get the front seats in the car. I discovered the best way to get them in was to place the front seat approximately in the car, and put it as far forward on its rails as possible, so the bolt holes in the rear rails were visible. Then sit in the back seat and balance the bottom of the front seat on my feet, and manoeuvre the rear bolts holes over the captive bolts in the floor, which lined up the front ones as well. All four bolts in place, put a bit of copper grease on the front bolts in case I needed to take them out again, tightened everything up ... repeat with second seat ... job done in about 10 minutes

Well, almost - I did a quick clean of the seats with some Meguiers, but I'll do a more thorough job when the weather's better and it isn't Christmas




As I said before, the carpet is significantly darker than the camera portrays it, it goes really well with the seats so I don't think I'll need to change it.

You can get a fabric dye spray that would be perfect for the carpet to get it black so it goes better with the floor mats and seats

Well done, glad you got it sorted, looks good. And yup, old school tool do seem a lot better than a lot of today's tat (God I sound old!)

Jon

Excellent stuff, gald you managed to get it all sorted, its totally transformed the inside...must admit, i too like the colour combination.

Thanks guys

A simple job that turned into a bit of a marathon, but the car looks better for it.

Do I need to declare the seats to the insurance company? Do they constitute a mod for insurance purposes, in your experience; or not, as they were a dealer option?

S

Some people do just so they're covered, but I've only ever declared performance mods etc (had a massive list on my old mini ) On the ZXi I've not mentioned any of mine as they're only really cosmetic so they don't really affect it in my opinion, if anything the leather is heavier and makes it slower

If it's an option on the car then I personally wouldn't worry, but it shouldn't affect your premium anyway given the age and value of the car. If you start lowering it and putting big alloys on? then probably worth mentioning it so its listed.

Jon

Cheers, I think you're in the right ballpark. I spoke to them online this morning and I don't even have to record it - yep, I'm one of those people who always prefer to check. I won't give them any excuse to renege on the policy if anything happens - you know what insurance companies are like

S

Nothing wrong with checking - better to ask now, than be told you're not insured if the worst was to happen

You can buy sockets to remove chewed bolts and screws, I have the Irwin set, it's great

I saw them online - they're firmly on my "when I have cash to burn on more tools" list!

S

Sundance failed MOT

The good news is that it's only on emissions: a couple of advisories (worn CV joints; small issue with exhaust). But otherwise nothing. So the car survives into its 19th year. Yay!

The bad news is that it looks like the emissions problem lies with the cat, which I only had fitted last July. The indie garage here in London did its utmost to get the car through the test: ran it around SE London "like we stole it" to get the engine hot, then tried three retests juggling the readings (I was watching while they did it - screen full of red graph bars ). But no dice. I'd never had a problem with the emissions before.

Tester thinks, from the readings, that it's most likely the cat: either it's faulty, not fitted properly, or the wrong one. He asked how much I paid for it, I said £80 and he winced and said "cheap one!" (not that I was given a choice by the previous place).

He wanted to get underneath the car to investigate the cat itself, so I left it there and they'll get back to me tomorrow. I've not used this place before as I'm new in the area, but the place is tidy, they seem efficient & honest enough, and didn't mind me watching the retests, so I'm fairly comfortable that they're not pulling the wool. Plus a couple of general recommends on a local community forum.

S

Have a look for some ceramizer engine treatment, its awesome at reducing engine wear, fuel consumption and emissions. Only problem is you'd need to put a good few miles on it to take effect. I had a volvo v70 and after 600+ miles it had zero emissions after previously being on a borderline failure.

I find most indie garages live and die by their reputation, so it's in their interest to do a good job. Haven't used the likes of Kwikfit etc in years, cant actually remember the last time (though that may be more to do with age...)

I'd also be cautious about adding anything that is meant to cure an emission problem by simply pouring a can of stuff in to your engine. If it was that simple engine and oil suppliers would do it off the bat, that and you risk altering the effectiveness of your engine's oil with who knows what. Motor and Oil companies spend millions getting their recipes sorted to meet strict requirements and legislation etc; cant see the smaller companies doing the same.

Hopefully it's something simple to sort like a sensor or just the Cat not fitted properly

DJ

Each to their own I suppose but it's worked in my cars. My current v6 has had a dose a few weeks ago and having just passed 180k it feels a lot fresher and doesn't smoke as much either. I used to use stp oil treatment and that too made a difference.

Happy days, indie garage fitted a new cat and the car went straight through its emissions test with barely a warm-up

Off to collect it now - and pay a rather large bill for the MOT test, plus a decent quality cat and whatever else they had to do.

So, I have a rather large bone to pick with the place in Reading that fitted the previous one - only 7 months ago

@ Brucey76 - cheers, I'll at least have a look into ceramizer, I wasn't aware of it - good to know these things are an option if it comes to it

DJ - I take your point about adding stuff unnecessarily. I guess it depends on individual circumstances and individual cars. Evidently the problem with Sundance was indeed the cat, but if the emissions started creeping up and it became a regular problem, I might well throw caution to the wind and consider it, if it helped keep the car on the road a bit longer

S

Good news getting through the re test, emissions seem to quite common with our older cars, that's what I only just passed last year....... I've used addatives in the past to mixed results.
As you say though, sometimes needs must

So last week I decided to finally get some work done on the car, before the mini-meet at Hughie’s

1. First job was a wash, de-tar, polish and wax. I've washed the car three times in the last three weeks, as I keep finding half the Sahara on it when I go out in the morning. Also, I'm forced to park under a horse chestnut tree (because that's where the house parking spot is), which causes endless sap and bird crap issues and is indescribably annoying.

2. Clean up included the wheels, which were rank. So they all came off for a wash and degrease, and a soaking in wheel cleaner (not Megs, sorry Howie, but it was all I had available at the time!)



Several hours later and they all looked like this again!



I took the opportunity to do something with the wheel centres. The original manufacturer’s logo (printed ona piece of rubber) was peeling off, so I ripped them all off and was left with this



Which were grubby and boring so I did this:





Note the Scott towel stuck between the centre and the wheel: I used a piece of towel to protect the centre when I put it back on, but a piece got stuck and I had to take the wheel off again, pop out the centre for a second time and do it more carefully. I might do something else with them later, but it will do for now.

3. Next job was to install the new centre console I got from Rhys months ago because the original one in Sundance was scratched to *****. Easy job, just a screw on either side at the back, then remove a couple of blanking plates at the front, to get purchase on it to pop the catches out.



Only then I noticed that whilst the original had no ashtray in the rear, Rhys’s did.



Had a chat with AndyM and Hughie at the meet, both were baffled as to why there wasn’t an ashtray in the original. Strange item to be an option – anyone know? (Sundance is a '97 GXi).

Looks much better anyway:



4. Next, a hoover – only no hoover available, so I brushed everything into one place and got most of the bits out with some parcel tape:



5. Finally I cleaned the leather seats (ongoing job), cleaned the windows, put conditioner on all the rubber seals & trims I could find on the car (including under the front of the bonnet), and also on the air intake pipe, as mine is still in good nick.



The next job is to get the spoiler painted and back on – more on that later.

Nice work Serena
Great to meet you and your F at Hughie's

I finally ordered a spoiler light for the pre-Ford spoiler. Currently tracking it from the States via UPS and hoping it actually fits! It is specifically manufactured for '94-'98 model Lantis (i.e. BAs), however, and the dimensions and fittings appear to fit the recess in my spoiler perfectly. So we'll see.

http://www.spoilerlights.com/spoilerlig ... ler-light/

As per photo, Sundance (March '97) has a post-Ford high-level light on the boot lid, but was still issued with an old spoiler with a plastic cover over the light recess.





There's a hole through the centre spoiler post that allows the light's wiring to run into the tailgate and the existing wiring system. However, when this spoiler was fitted the factory only drilled one hole in the car, the one for the screw, as there was no light and the wiring wasn't needed. The photo below shows the mark on the tailgate after I took the spoiler off: you can see the screw hole in the tailgate, and the dirty black circle is the position of the wiring hole in the spoiler: I guess that on pre-Fords, right there, there would have been a second hole drilled in the tailgate. So, I'll probably have to slightly widen the existing single tailgate screw hole so that it takes both the screw and the wire, as I do not want to drill a second hole now!



I don't think this breaks my "no modding" rule, as the spoiler is the original that came with the car, I'm just fitting the missing light element, and the main reason for doing that is safety: because the car is silver and tends to disappear in fog and heavy rain, the more light on the back the better, as far as I'm concerned (I could rig-up an extra fog light in the back window in that respect, but that's a faff and would restrict the view - the extra brake light will suffice). Also, it's a talking point and I haven't seen anyone else do it In fact, I don't think I've yet seen anyone else with the blanked-off spoiler. Someone else in the club must have one?

I'm keeping the plastic recess cover safe with the car, so the light can be taken out again if Sundance is ever passed to someone even more "no mod" than me!

For those who've pushed me about it , after several coats of hi-build primer and one of test grey undercoat (to check the surface), the spoiler itself is just about ready for a proper undercoat and then top coats. Nail-biting time!

S