298 replies to this topic

[gingerjon]

Cheers Matt, i will take a look.

 

New Relays sourced so hopefully i might actually hear the Tullet at the weekend rather than just looking at it!!!

[gingerjon]

Well Well Well, yes....this project is still moving on. Painfully slowly, but still moving.

 

Many of you will have seen my woes here :

 

http://www.vx220.org...ter-relay-swap/

 

I have no solution, I've been troubleshooting for weeks with no real improvements even after all the (As Usual) incredible help from the .org gang 

 

This is what i'm left with......

 

 

And i've given up.

 

Hopefully getting the car to BOT in a couple of weeks, this was always the plan but i was hoping to be able to drive it onto/off of trailers etc to get it up there. I have a long list of jobs that i need BOT to do, but will have to focus on getting it running 1st!!

 

In better news....i am to be a dad for the 1st time.....and not one to do things by half, its Twin Girls at the 1st attempt!!!

 

With the 911 seemingly out the window now (Although, they do have isofix  ) The VX really needs to be done.

 

So i'll be having a lengthy for sale thread soon to raise the last of the cash needed, the Bodaywork and coupe project will be on hold till next year now, can't bring myself to sell it after all the work. The respray is also on hold (After all the colour choice deliberation!!!) I'm hoping BOT Can fix the issues, finish some small jobs and bodywork, then MOT and GEO so i can use her this summer. Withdrawel symtoms are really kicking in now with the weather changing, its about time Part 1 Of Project Ginge is put to bed and i actually have a car i can use.

 

I'll keep you all updated....for my sanity really!!! it's come a long way since i took ti off the road the change the header tank....maybe one day, i'll be able to come to a meet!!!

GJ

 

 

 

[vocky]

shame you cannot get the car up to me, I'm sure it's something simple 

[gingerjon]

Wish i could have Vocky, you've been brilliant!! 

 

But given the amount of other work that needs doing, BOT seemed the only sensible option this time.

[FLD]

 

........, its Twin Girls at the 1st attempt!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Thats because you stuck it in too far!

Great news though dude, I'm made up for you.

[gingerjon]

Hahaha, Thanks Matt!!

[gingerjon]

And so, the never ending project (Which i may change to "Project Money Pit" continues!

 

Finally got round to priming and painting the Turbo ears i bought ages ago....

 

Colour match is pretty good actually, painting skills average so we'll see what they look like on before passing judgement!!

 

Had new lenses also to sort out, and need to match up my new headlights and apply the new lenses also :

 

Had a patch on the car which i had filled and repaired after the break in a few years back, decided to see how good i was at blending paint......turns out, Not Very......but at least its black!!

 

 

[gingerjon]

And then it was time to do something that maybe i should have done a few months back....

 

Having definitely bitten off more than i could chew with absolutely no knowledge of mechanics whatsoever, i had got to the point where i was exasperated it wouldn't work and out of ideas....

 

With the arrival of the twins in around 2 months, it was now or never. So, with a Pile of remaining parts collated :

The bloody front tyres didn't arrive in time!!!

 

Graham from Plans came down to collect the car, he will have her for around a month i would have thought and can hopefully solve the issues, put her back together and get that MOT Certificate ready for me to drive her home!

 

I've had to cut the plans back a bit, the coupe rear and louvres are not happening now, the SC will need to wait and the full Respray is also on hold....but at least i'll be able to drive her!

 

Who know's maybe i'll get round to the other bits one day in the future.

 

 

The frustrating thing is...it looks like she works!!! 

 

Check out my for sale post from the clear out, some bits people may be interested in!

 

 

See you on the other side.................

 

 

[CocoPops]

I wonder if it's worth you ordering the full loom from the lotus motorsport auctions? £50 iirc Might be useful for Plans to chop in bits that are doubtful?

[Kieran McC]

Would be better to fit a new loom for that money. Bonding new to a 10 year loom 😨

[gingerjon]

Thanks Guys. I had raised this with Graham already and is the only thing i hadn't done! He thinks it could be Immobiliser related so will look at that first.

 

GJ

[Nev]

Gawd, you've had bad luck, if there is one thing I fear on a car it's electrical gremlins. Hopefully they will find it fast and cheaply Good luck.

[gingerjon]

Cheers Nev, i hope so too.....it'll turn out to be something stupid which i should have fixed....but was literally prodding around in the dark at things i didn't understand in the end.... 

[Andrew aka Stuwy]

shame to see your selling the coop conversion after so much work

[gingerjon]

Thanks Stuwy, 

 

Yeah it's annoying but the Car is at Plans and needs more doing to it than i thought, the respray is on hold so this is a little redundant at the moment and the money goes a bit of the way towards the repair, just want the car back on the road 1st and foremost!

 

J

[Nev]

So what's the diagnosis on the electrical gremlins ?

[gingerjon]

It's been 6 weeks since the Car went off to Plans and, as expected from this car, it wasn't just a case of putting everything back together!!

 

The electrical issues turned out to be a combination of things that i never managed to all get right at the same time. The 2 batches of relays i bought...one was faulty, therefore as i was swapping them around and testing them off the care to make sure they fired, when they went on the car they wouldn't repeat it. An ECU earth wire seemed to be another biggie, whilst i had earthed the one on the ECU itself under the security plate...the Main Strap Earth was connected properly.

 

All in all an easy fix but a lot of tril and error from me made the combination of issues worse, therefore that "Little" issue will be a chunky bill of Hours with the fault finding.

 

I had some cracks in the subframe which i new about, they have been fixed which is good news.

 

One of My GAZ shocks was leaking, (I'd not noticed) so they had to come back off and sent back to GAZ, i realise a lot of people have had issues with them i've not used them before but they have been refurbed and upgraded at no charge to me apart from the time to take off and put back at Plans so i can't find fault with their service as others have mentioned.

 

Then the biggest problem.

 

I replaced the engine for one i bought from here, ad only done around 55k and had the chains changed meaning i could swap it for my 100k unit and carry on my merry way. Once plans had got the car running they realised it was sounding odd.....

 

A follower under the CAM had snapped off. Joy.

 

3 real options :

1. Fix it - A hefty labour bill

2. New Engine - An hefty unexpected cost

3. Sack it off and have the car returned to sit in the garage until funds allowed.

 

1 wasn't an option, 3 would be a pain and would mean when the girls arrived it woudl never get finished and probably split and sold. Not the best way after all the work.

So option 2 it was. I looked on the Bay - everything seemed to be 80-90k and no real history. Then i noticed Dan's thread on here after his issues and got in touch. So a quick chat later and a deal was done. he even took it up to Plans for me so thats very much Dan if you're reading this!!

 

It's a 2.2 with around 62k on it, been looked after really well and Dan had all the history.

 

It also came with something called a "SuperCharger" plus ancillaries and ChargeCooler, ECU etc........

 

  It would seem i am joining the Club.

 

I spent more thna i wanted to, i'm dreading the bill from Plans as it looks like it will be north of £3k as it stands.

 

The engine was going in last week, then the suspension back from Gaz, finish a couple of bits of body work, new tyres fitted then we'll see if it makes it through an MOT.

 

I have wanted to SC for a couple of years, having had my hand forced somewhat i'm excited but a little apprehensive at the overall cost i have put into the car in the last 3 years since i took it off the road. I think i could be at around £15k all in.....not including the original cost of the car. I've never been one to to worry about the money side but with my other half finishing work last month for the Twins.....you can imagine how popular i am with the car in the garage!!!!

 

Anyway, hoping for an update this week, really need to pay for it, forget about the amount and drive the thing.

 

I'm glad i upgraded everything i had as otherwise the SC would not have been an option without the groundwork on Brakes, exhaust and handling done 1st.

 

Maybe its what i was hoping for all along.................

[Sticky]

Good news (with some bad on the way) Pleased you've got all the issues sorted and got an SC at the same time. Some things are just meant to happen I think!

[vocky]

that follower has just popped out, easy job to remove the cam and refit it 

Edited by vocky, 16 August 2015 - 04:52 PM.

[Sticky]

that follower has just popped out, easy job to remove the cam and refit it 

Was it 2 on my engine Neil? I've tried to block that afternoon out!