Getting Her Back On Track (1988 Mk4 Xr3I)

[Guest RQBBAN]

My first automobile bought in september 2011 failed inspection in december, due uneven braking power on rear brakes, but was still allowed to drive 2 months. Since then the exhaust system seems to have gotten a small crack while at my parents place, the roads there are in a really bad shape.

 

I was thinking of getting rid of her, but then I stumbled upon this forum here and you with all your projects motivated me to get her fixed (for better or worse).

 

Now, I can't afford to send her into an expensive mechanic so I suppose I'll have to learn the trade myself, currently the project is only to get her back in traffic, but if it all goes well I think she'll have a spa and a restoration as complete as I can make it.

 

List of priority:

 

#1 get brakes fixed

#2 get exhaust system changed

#3 fix the trunk

#4 Pass inspection

 

Budget: about 500€ over the year.

 

120407

 

Today I recieved the spare parts I needed, two brake cylinders as the rest of the drum brakes seems to be in functional condition, the weather has been sunny and warm all week until tonight:

 

 

This was quite a downer as I have to work on the parking lot until I pass inspection and can drive her to the garage I have to my disposal at work. However, I've seen heroes on this forum making complete restorations on the side of the road so I guess I'm lucky right?

 

 

This is what the drum brakes look like, it needs a bit more love and tending than I'm about to do now, but I really just wanna pass the inspection before I decide to make this a complete restoration project.

 

 

The plastic bag is just to protect the nip while I was away with the cylinder to make sure I got the right stuff from store.

 

A previous 2nd lieutenant of mine always used to say "If you're too lazy to make yourself comfortable, you're too lazy for your own good", well I didn't have much at my disposal but at least I could use the plastic bags to keep me from soaking myself with the melting snow.

 

 

Now, naturally I got too excited and fired up in the work I forgot to take more photos, but the short story is that everything went kind of swell. A friend helped me by braking out the air in the new cylinders and after a number of bloody duels with the different springs I even managed to assemble the brakes after having recklessly disassembled both brakes at the same time without taking photos or any other precaution as to how they should be mounted again. Thank you Haynes "do it at home" repair handbook with illustrative pictures.

 

Lessons learned:

 

Always take photos before disassembling stuff, and if possible leave at least one equivalent assembled for future consultation.

 

If you feel like doing it, you can most likely do it and with good spirit it might even be easier than it seemed at first

 

Anyways, that's all for today, next post estimated at thursday when I managed to persuade the inspection agency to let me make a free test of the brakes, (not really something you test at a parking lot).

 

Any hints and anecdotes are warmly welcome

[Guest escott1973i]

thought it would be cold here messing with cabbys lol glad we got no snow gl with the car m8

[Guest athens13]

In Sweden it`s too cold for a cabby, in G.B it`s too wet, and in Greece it`s too hot! Get sun stroke in 45mins. Nice to see a cab being given new life, good luck!

[chaz]

Good to see another cab getting a new lease of life.

[Guest RQBBAN]

I went to the car inspection today.

 

I turned the key, the engine started with a nice gentle burr as if it was new. Put in reverse and loosened the parking brake, a worrying "klonk" came from the brakes as the car started moving, no worries, the car's been standing still for 4 months, never the less it's not a confidence builder, especially as the warning lights for the front brakes lit up, aw well those are easy and cheap to change. Well at the inspection, they told me that there was still some difference between the rear brakes but nothing that would affect a real inspection result (as this one was off the record). I figure a bit tending and loving will do the final touch.

 

Now, this was the most important thing to me as it seemed the most advanced, remember I'm completely new to fixing vehicles, everything I do with this car will be a first timer.

 

Basically what I'm going to do next is fixing the front brakes, apply the closing mechanism for the trunk and change the exhaust system.

 

Haven't decided wether to do the exhaust system on the parking lot just for the heck of it or drive the car to the garage at work, which is barely legal as the law says I'm allowed to drive the car to car inspection and/or a workshop. In swedish the translation of workshop "verkstad" can mean either an authorized repair workshop, or you could have a private garage meant for repairing fitted with tools and then it's a verkstad (workshop).

 

Driving the car back and forth from a "do it yourself" workshop at work might be stretching it?

 

Thanks for all the support! I'll upload new photos as soon as I start repairing again, currently waiting for spare parts.

[Guest RQBBAN]

Hi folks!

 

Been some time, but I've managed to fix quite a few things on the car since last time.

I had ordered this locking mechanism to the trunk, only thing is...

 

As you can see, they are not the same... Turned out that the non-cab escort uses another mechanism than the cab. So, if anyone need or want one, just PM me and you'll get it for the freight, to me it's just junk anyways.

 

 

 

So, I managed to fix the old mechanism, just took some bending and hitting against the asphalt. Now you'd think that'd be the end of the mechanism business, but no sir. I managed to assemble the piece incorrectly, result? Locked out of the trunk with all my tools, and as you probably know you can remove the back seat, but the button is in the trunk...

 

After an hour of trying different things, one crazier than the other, I just sat down in tha back seat to think, as I sat down there was a "click" and the lower part of the back seat came loose.

 

 

from this little hole I managed to reach the wire to the upper lock and remove the back seat.

 

View from the trunk. Off picture is an elderly couple, surprised as few from the event of a random trunk opening up and someone climbing out from inside.

 

 

 

Right, a few weeks later, the locks arrived. The car has been broken into during a previous owner, and I felt that the opportunity makes the thief, so while it's fully possible to rip up the roof it's not as practical as opening a unlocked door.

 

 

 

 

Now to the real deal! After having travelled by train for hours, argued with a taxi company over... well, I'm not sure what their point was, but they weren't nice at all. The argument ended with me telling them to cancel the cab and then I started walking those 20km. After a few hours of using my feet, I finally arrived at the junkyard that had "exhaust system in mint condition" (they must've meant the flavour, the exhaust system was a bit rusted but perfectly worth the 60€).

 

Yes, the wrapping says Volvo, but they just took what they had at the junk yard. The package is about 1.80cm, that's almost 5cm taller than me (1.76). The bus driver wasn't too excited about it, but I had a pre-bought ticket in case he would start an argument.

 

Now I'm back at my beloved parking lot, after a few handshakes with the tailpipe I got it off, look at all that rust! makes me shiver at the thought of what else I haven't noticed on the car...

 

The mid-section was harder, way harder... After all these years, the catalysis and the mid section had rusted together, so despite half a bottle of 5.56 during 3 days, it still wouldn't move a millimeter. Only one thing left to do, buy a hacksaw.

I reverted the blade and actually mounted the hacksaw on to the exhaust system as sawing upside down is... well, can't find words for it but if I could, they would probably be the worst words in the vocabulary.

 

An armsore, a rainshower and 2 hours later, finally the pieces were gone.

 

This is the piece that had rusted together with the catalysis, the catalysis looked fine though and I took some 5.56 on it just to be safe.

 

Note!

This time I did not elevate the car, but when I do. I never trust the jack, always keep the car resting on something else than the jack. I usually use spare tires, but there are many different things around that one can use.

 

Thanks for this time!

Now I'll just need to change the front brakes and buy me som summer tires, then I'm off to Turkey. Yes, with this car. If it survives (which I sincerely hope and think it will) it has earned a complete rust fixing and protection. But I think I'll let that one to the professionals.

[Guest El87cabi]

Well done matey, and i agree about with you about supporting the car with something other than a jack, personally i use cut down railway sleepers, 3 either side and you can drop a fuel tank with ease, lol.

 

Keep up the good work