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Author Topic: What the .... were they thinking?  (Read 11048 times)
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St Volumex
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« on: 03 February, 2011, 09:44:47 AM »

Over the years I've come across some amazing 'bodge jobs', quick and dirty deeds done cheap, instead of fixing it properly.

Whenever I do, I say, "What the .... were they thinking?"

I hope that many of you will add your experiences to this thread, my most recent being on removing my Appia coupe's engine and gearbox to discover the rubber joint on the gearlinkage held together by a jubilee clamp.  Roll Eyes



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Guy McDougall
www.facebook.com/RetroPart
Rare Parts for Rare Machines
Appia Coupé S3 (Rosina), Appia Berlina S3 (La Giaconda), Fulvia 1.3S 5 spd coupé (Tigger, belongs to Carol), Beta Spyder S2 (Vivaldi), Montecarlo Spyder S2, HPE VX (Pugsly) etc
fay66
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« Reply #1 on: 03 February, 2011, 10:10:55 AM »

A case of anything is better than nothing if it keeps you on the road?

Brian
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Own 1966 Fulvia 2C Berlina since 1997, back on road 11-1999.Known as "Fay"
2006 Renault Megane 1 5 Dci Sports Tourer
Dedra Technical Adviser
DavidLaver
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« Reply #2 on: 03 February, 2011, 06:31:45 PM »


Any idea what the gear change was like?

David
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David Laver, Lewisham.
St Volumex
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« Reply #3 on: 04 February, 2011, 06:19:15 AM »

Strangely enough, it felt as nice, precise, and notchy as a Ferrari's with one of those little gearchange gates!  Smiley
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Guy McDougall
www.facebook.com/RetroPart
Rare Parts for Rare Machines
Appia Coupé S3 (Rosina), Appia Berlina S3 (La Giaconda), Fulvia 1.3S 5 spd coupé (Tigger, belongs to Carol), Beta Spyder S2 (Vivaldi), Montecarlo Spyder S2, HPE VX (Pugsly) etc
St Volumex
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« Reply #4 on: 04 February, 2011, 07:57:08 AM »

Here's another horror story from our saved Montecarlo 2 series.

A previous owner needed some welding repairs to the custom branch exhaust, and removing it must have seemed too difficult.  So they simply cut a hole 300 mm x 180 mm in the bodywork with an angle grinder.  Shocked  The welding repair looked like a a pile of guano from bird island too.

Afterwards the whole iniquity was covered by an aluminium plate pop rivetted over the hole!


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Guy McDougall
www.facebook.com/RetroPart
Rare Parts for Rare Machines
Appia Coupé S3 (Rosina), Appia Berlina S3 (La Giaconda), Fulvia 1.3S 5 spd coupé (Tigger, belongs to Carol), Beta Spyder S2 (Vivaldi), Montecarlo Spyder S2, HPE VX (Pugsly) etc
DavidLaver
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« Reply #5 on: 04 February, 2011, 10:09:02 AM »


I actually like these things.

That gearchange seems to have worked well and lasted so "hats off" to whoever managed to get all the bits togeather and keep them that way.

With the Monte the structural integrity of the panel was retained by welding and because it looked a mess a neat little cover went over the top - it could have been only the plate and rivets or just leave the hole.  Someone was up against it and did the best they could, and if paid by the hour I expect a lot more than they really should.  How much longer does it take to make a repair disappear?  How long would it have taken for engine in and out?  If the customer didn't have the budget what would have happened to that car?

I'm remembering the Peter Ward attitude "if you can't afford to look after it properly (his properly) then you shouldn't have the car at all" compared with Barry Waterhouse who'd ponder and do his level best to help keep people keep their cars on the road.

With my everyday car I've given up the five year struggle to make the sunroof reliable and weather proof.  Its now gooped up.  Should I have sold the car to someone willing to pay to have the work done properly?  The scrap yard was a more likely destiny for it.  However we are going to treat it to new front wings and rear arch lips costing more than the book value of the car.

So keep them coming - I'm enjoying these!!

David   
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David Laver, Lewisham.
St Volumex
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« Reply #6 on: 06 February, 2011, 03:39:01 AM »

Dear David,I'm glad you're enjoying this!  

Here's a picture of the 'neat little cover'.  Note sacking material - an attempt to provide thermal shielding which failed dismally (they also cut through the factory heat shield, while they were at it), so the exhaust fried the CV joint, parts of the air filter, and even the back cover of the RHS taillight!

I'm glad that partly as a result of these repairs, we were able to buy the car for £1,000, and our son Matthew (in photo right) is enjoying every minute he spends restoring it.  You can't see it in the photo, but the baggy surf shorts I'm wearing (that's me on the left) bear the logo "Lost Enterprises"!  Grin

As you can see, accident damage was also part of the deal - put right by fitting a good second hand door, door glass, and rear fender which I got from a friend in exchange for two Pininfarina badges.  Matthew made up a new replica factory heat shield from scratch in aluminium, and I had a factory spec stainless steel exhaust made for £150.  Insurers have now valued the Montecarlo at £3,500 - previously a 'write off'.  IMO, time and money well spent, and a lot of fun too.


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« Last Edit: 06 February, 2011, 03:49:01 AM by St Volumex » Logged

Guy McDougall
www.facebook.com/RetroPart
Rare Parts for Rare Machines
Appia Coupé S3 (Rosina), Appia Berlina S3 (La Giaconda), Fulvia 1.3S 5 spd coupé (Tigger, belongs to Carol), Beta Spyder S2 (Vivaldi), Montecarlo Spyder S2, HPE VX (Pugsly) etc
ben
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« Reply #7 on: 06 February, 2011, 06:54:08 PM »

Did Mathew get his foot chewed off in the accident?
PS I have a shed full of  "what were they thinking of" contributions most of which are all my own work. Just need to get the camera out.Watch this space!
                                    Ben
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St Volumex
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« Reply #8 on: 07 February, 2011, 06:30:54 AM »

Ben, it was the previous owner had the accident before we bought it - shows how strong a Monte is!

Looking fwd to your contributions.
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Guy McDougall
www.facebook.com/RetroPart
Rare Parts for Rare Machines
Appia Coupé S3 (Rosina), Appia Berlina S3 (La Giaconda), Fulvia 1.3S 5 spd coupé (Tigger, belongs to Carol), Beta Spyder S2 (Vivaldi), Montecarlo Spyder S2, HPE VX (Pugsly) etc
fay66
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« Reply #9 on: 07 February, 2011, 10:02:08 AM »

Alan Cooper just sent me this OMG  Shocked What horrors to impose on a poor unsuspecting Dedra. Roll Eyes
Brian


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Own 1966 Fulvia 2C Berlina since 1997, back on road 11-1999.Known as "Fay"
2006 Renault Megane 1 5 Dci Sports Tourer
Dedra Technical Adviser
DavidLaver
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« Reply #10 on: 07 February, 2011, 11:28:03 AM »


Ah - not so neat...

In terms of what to cheer and what to boo the ones where its done behind the customer's back are obvious boo-hiss.  The ones to cheer the mechanic has had his arm twisted by the customer to show some creativity to keep it going, or a repair "on the road", and all the better if its part of a competitive event be it a rally or a race paddock.  The very best of them its in a nasty bit of runoff area at LeMans.

I wish I could remember some of the David Piper Porsche 917 stories...  By the time HE'D give up on them they was nothing left but bits of beer can, string, and gaffer taper.  Then again you'd have to be crazy to get into a new one of those let alone one with 10yrs of bodge over bodge over bodge and I'm talking lashing the crankcase with fence wire type stuff.

David
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David Laver, Lewisham.
Harvey
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« Reply #11 on: 07 February, 2011, 06:50:14 PM »

Alan Cooper just sent me this OMG  Shocked What horrors to impose on a poor unsuspecting Dedra. Roll Eyes
Brian

A tragedy. Cry
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DavidLaver
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« Reply #12 on: 08 February, 2011, 01:45:19 AM »


Now just HOW was that Dedra's door hinge repaired?   

David
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David Laver, Lewisham.
davidwheeler
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« Reply #13 on: 11 February, 2011, 05:10:53 PM »

Long, long ago, John Maltby dropped a valve on his Lambda (a fairly common occurrence in those days).  It went through the piston.  He dropped the sump, took off the head and removed the piston and rod.  He then wrapped the big-end in leather secured with a Jubilee clip, put it all back together and drove home on three cylinders.  They were giants in those days...
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David Wheeler.  Lambdas, Aprilia, Fulvia Sport.(formerly Appia and Thema as well).
JohnMillham
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« Reply #14 on: 11 February, 2011, 09:44:06 PM »

Long, long ago, John Maltby dropped a valve on his Lambda (a fairly common occurrence in those days).  It went through the piston.  He dropped the sump, took off the head and removed the piston and rod.  He then wrapped the big-end in leather secured with a Jubilee clip, put it all back together and drove home on three cylinders.  They were giants in those days...
I remember that, but can't find the photo I took of him "repairing" the Lambda. He had to drive home from the VSCC Welsh Trial - quite a drive. Years before that, he and I drove NGP 50, the Farina bodied Aprilia, back from Weymouth at the dead of night without any brakes apart from the (extremely feeble) handbrake. These days, most of us have RAC recovery or similar, but I did once drive back from the Wessex trial in the 30-98 Vauxhall without the clutch disengaging, rather than use them. We had to find a way back with minimum number of trafic lights, etc.
Regards, John
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