Fixing previous owners fixes - What have you fixed?

[ozriderp5]

Hi All

What 'Previous Owner Fixes' have you had to fix on your cars since you bought them.

Mines has had so many 'cowboys' working on it over the last 50 years I've named it 'Yee Ha'.

Here's my list so far. (to be fair it has been a Rat Rod for the last few years.)

Broken bonnet latch fixed with cable ties
Torsion bar adjusters removed
Front bumpstops ripped off
Dodgy wiring - everywhere
Alternator fitted out of alignment and wired wrong
Seat bolts so big the seats wont move
Home made centre consol
Home made gear shift for manual kickdown
Pod air filter too big and rubbing against pipes
Gauges fitted  to centre glove but not connected
Painted vinyl and dyed carpet (used to be grey)
Home made door cards covered in postage packing wrap and vinyl
Accelerator pedal fixed with bits of scrap metal and pop rivets
Rear exhaust section replaced had holes around the welds at the coupling and exhaust tips
Inspection cover in the tunnel for the transmission not there, just a big hole open to the weather. 

[enigmas]

Oz a lot of repairs, fixes, modifications and seeming restorations are dependent upon the skill and mechanical aptitude of the individual or company carrying out the work. It's not what you do...it's how you do it and the attention to detail the task is given. There are examples on this forum of virtually straight up restorations and P5s being modified and repaired to very high engineering standards. Most times the quality of the fix/repair/modification is purely in the eye of the beholder, the primary questions in my mind are, does the engineering and aesthetics of the modification hold up to reasoned critical assessment not bias.

[ozriderp5]

Jun 17, 2017 23:16:07 GMT enigmas said:

Most times the quality of the fix/repair/modification is purely in the eye of the beholder, the primary questions in my mind are, does the engineering and aesthetics of the modification hold up to reasoned critical assessment not bias.

Your last statement sums it up nicely, what appears to be perfectly acceptable by one person may be frowned upon by others who set different standards.

Mechanically things should be functional and above all else safe, aesthetically, each to their own.

[richardlamsdale]

Most (all?) cars go through a period of just being cheap 'old-bangers' before becoming classic cars (whatever that means) so they're subjected to quick fixes ("I'll do it properly next time"), bodges ("its not worth spending the money to do it properly") and downright bad workmanship ("nobody will ever know"). I guess that's partly why why 'barn finds' have become so sought-after, as its one thing dealing with the ravages of time, quite another to dealing with poor workmanship, although both will ultimately be expensive to make good.

[djm16]

Ker-rikey, where do I begin?
There are Heath-Robinson fixes which are functional if ugly, and then there is just sheer stupidity or ignorance leading to expensive damage.

My P3 is supposed to have a rebuilt engine. True, when I pulled off the sump to check, I found what looked like new big ends and main journals. However there was white metal in the sump and the bearings were showing signs of wear after less than 1000 miles. Why? Most significant probably was the lack of oil pressure because the adjuster was screwed all the way out. However there was also a nasty vibration from an unbalanced clutch.

I have had the clutch and flywheel off and rebalanced, however it was showing around .2mm of run-out. I thought must be due to dirt / paint / rust on the mating surfaces. Unfortunately, when the PO had it skimmed, it was skimmed not-flat, so there is a .2mm variation in thickness of the flywheel. Aaaargh! It is back on now and shimmed to compensate. The gearbox drive flange was missing one of its specialised bolts and it was replaced with a plain (lighter) bolt, again not helping smooth running.

The head gasket was stuck down with silicon sealant, so blew!

There was no oil in the king pins.

There were no split pins on the brake linkage.

The overdrive cable was cut too short and frayed.

And on it goes. Good job it is a pretty car!

[richardlamsdale]

My P5 previously had a small engine fire that damaged some cabling under the bonnet. The previous owner had paid a lot of money to have it fixed, but rather than replace the loom the garage decided to cut the loom at each end of the dashboard and use bits of a loom from another (different) P5 model, just leaving the unused cables dangling from the loom in the engine bay. It took me some time to realise why there were so many uninsulated spare wires under the bonnet.

They also joined the looms with a mass of individual bullet connectors, so almost every time the car went over a bump different things would stop working as the bullet connectors moved around. I'm now replacing the whole loom with a NOS one. Of course I only found all this some time after buying the car.

I also couldn't understand why one rear door lock was up for locked and down for unlocked. Only when I took the door handles to pieces did I work out that someone had fitted a right hand side mechanism on the left hand side.

Fortunately most of the rest of the car was original, but was in need of renovation.

I now do as much work as I can myself, as at least I only have myself to blame if something isn't right. I also have no intention of parting with my old cars  - they're far from perfect, but at least I know all the important things are done correctly.

[enigmas]

I've been collecting pieces for and building up a second P76 V8 which I intend to fit a ZF4HP22 automatic to and this combo will eventually replace my current P76 V8 and BW35. The engine I've slowly been restoring had extensive damage some of wbich included piston breakages and some sort of fragmentation in 2 cyls. Some pitting within the cyl heads is still apparent but will have no effect on performance. A friend of mine Basil (a qualified engine reconditioner of long standing who specialises in cyl heads rebuilt them for me). All the exhaust valves have been replaced with new and the guides machined to accept top hat oil seals. Something missed by most amateur rebuilders is that all the valve stem heights are equal and the valve spring pressures matched by shimming. Some things I do and some as critical for engine performance like a cyl head, I out source to specialists in the particular field.













Damage to the engine included the PO shimming the bearing inserts and damage to the centre thrust faces of the block. At very reasonable cost I approached a well known engine building firm known by the name of Crankshaft Rebuilders and they machined the block for a custom centre insert to restore the thrust faces of the block for alternate thrust bearings.

[Deleted]

I've found none on my rover but I did have a Mk2 consul with wooden sills.

[lagain]

From time to time I come across things that were done to my car 40 years ago that I am not happy about.
Unfortunately it was a young me that did it

I was a great fan of those blue connectors that actually do not always connect very well.
Perhaps the worst thing I did was to link the fog/spot lights to main beam. No doubt it looked very impressive when they were flashed and fortunately the switch and wiring survived !

[Colin McA]

Scotch lock connectors, work of the beast and first thing I bin with any new project.

I have had a few belters over the years particularly upsetting was the fuel return pipe have been damaged in a few places and patched in with bits of pipe and jubilee clips. It was a poor repair at best.

Have picked up a modern project. found the heater switch which should be powered via a ventilation module had a permenant supply, soctch locked at one side and chocolate block a the other. also found the abs and srs lamps rigged to the oil pressure lamp. all very complex for what after a read of the diagrams turned out to be a duff relay...

[petrolhead allan]

I remember that, years ago, freezers with lift-up lids (amusingly known as chest freezers....) used to be constructed with a dimpled aluminium lining.

Strangely enough, the front 1/3 of the near side spacer sill on my P5B happened to be made of the same stuff. It was attached to the inner sill with pop rivets. Top job.

[ozriderp5]

Jun 19, 2017 14:31:00 GMT @kevbacon said:

I've found none on my rover but I did have a Mk2 consul with wooden sills.

Worked with a guy 25 years ago that used Laminex to cover the rear valance on an SD1 so the cops would leave him alone.

[richardlamsdale]

The memories are flooding back. I have an old Alfa Romeo, and after buying it I found there was no air coming from one fresh air vent on the dashboard. Looking under the dash revealed no rubber hose from bulkhead to vent, and a neatly rolled-up pair of underpants jammed-in the bulkhead hole. I wonder if they belonged to the retired gentleman I bought the car from, or an owner before that.

[enigmas]

Jun 20, 2017 21:33:22 GMT richardlamsdale said:

The memories are flooding back. I have an old Alfa Romeo, and after buying it I found there was no air coming from one fresh air vent on the dashboard. Looking under the dash revealed no rubber hose from bulkhead to vent, and a neatly rolled-up pair of underpants jammed-in the bulkhead hole. I wonder if they belonged to the retired gentleman I bought the car from, or an owner before that.

I hope they were clean!

[enigmas]

Jun 20, 2017 13:46:24 GMT @dicky said:

Nothing much really since taking over the car 37 years ago but I know someone, back in the 1970's who filled the rusty sills of his Hillman car with concrete

Do you still run the original engine Richard or has it had an overhaul after all the years of service?

[enigmas]

That's amazing longevity Richard for the engine trans combo most likely due to a gentle life (no towing horse floats) and the low mileage of your car.

[Deleted]

I remember a pal who bought a ford anglia. The big ends rattled and the mains rumbled but the oil light went out straight away and didn't even flicker at low revs. The fact that the charging light didn't work should have been a clue to the true state of affairs,its bulb and wiring now resided in the oil lights hole.The wire from (or should that be to) the oil light had been cut ,neatly bound in tape and left to wave at the rear of the instrument panel.
He ran it on half 20/50 to half EP90 for a few weeks,it sounded like a load of blacksmiths working themselves up into a frenzy when he revved up.It ended up in a car auction,he used to work nights,I bet his neighbours slept better when it went.

[ozriderp5]

I've just found myself creating a future 'previous owner fix'.

I've cleaned up the previous owners clock and dash housing and created my own temporary one until I can source a new clock.

If I ever get around to it..