New Floor in today

[Cyprus Andy]

Well that's one big job out of the way ! A new floor in front and rear on the drivers side front brakes checked and adjusted up but found I need 2 brake hoses as these look a bit perished .........One step at a time ! Will check the rear brakes tomorrow and the hoses and prime and paint the new floor maybe get some Body Shultz sprayed underneath before it rains ........in about 5 months

 

[Cyprus Andy]

UPDATE on the work so far............A good day today all the floor painted in red lead then Hammerite and spray undersealed with body shultz yesterday, so today was re-upholstered seats and new mats fitted, seatbelts back in, heater repaired and back in, electric screen wash fitted and wired up....just the rear brakes to check and replace the hoses and she should be ready for the MOT.....Hope the new rear lens arrive next week !

 

[Cyprus Andy]

The new front and rear indicator/light lens have arrived from ebay and been fitted just waiting for rear brake parts coming to get the MOT sorted, then and only then , after it is insured and MOT'd can I get it registered in my name !..........
Still need a speedometer head ( not for the MOT ) just so I have some idea of the speed I am diving ...speed ! haha its only 850 ! but still, they are fitting speed cameras into the island this year
The first one, in the capital Nicosia, caught 2000 people in one day !!

 

[Cyprus Andy]

I have noticed a lot of people have cute names for their cars so after a day under the bonnet I have decided to give my R4 a name. Henceforth she will be referred to as the "Bitch", because just like my x-wife everytime I do one job she throws up another !

 

[Cyprus Andy]

A very BIG thank you to member Angel who found me some new window channel and the gear lever bush kit I needed which have all been fitted today .........A good day has been had all round as I found all the air leaks on the fuel/carb system ( I think) and now she seems to be running very well , the rear bumper brackets have been straightened up on the left hand side so the bumper is not touching the bodywork anymore .......

BUT I noticed the top of the engine seems to have very little oil around the rockers when running on high tickover ( looking down the oil filler on the rocker box) and the oil light is coming on ( the tickover is not too slow)
mmmmmmmm more investigating needs to be done.o_O

I might drop the oil and fill it with diesel fuel to flush it all out.......about 2 or 3 mins on fast tickover when its warm should flush it out. Then a new oil filter and use diesel engine oil for a month or so ( diesel engine oil has detergents in it to clean the engine) and see what happens after that o_O

 

[petak]

Nice one Andy! Can you tell me are window rubbers brand new or second hand and what is their price?

 

[Cyprus Andy]

they are brand new I got them from Angel a member on this forum .......he is in Greece

 

[petak]

I know him!
TX Andy!

 

[mojobaby]

hi Andy
have you any photos of your floor replacement in front? I've just temporarily repaired a hole with fibreglass, but I think later this year I might put in a new floor, but I've no idea how its done. Did you fit it over the existing floor or did you remove the old floor and put the new one in?

 

[Cyprus Andy]

Hi mojobaby, I did not have access to the new floor panels you can buy in the UK so I had one made up and cut the old floor out to remove all the rust areas up to (and just beyond the pedals) If you fit it over the existing rusty floor you are just asking for trouble as it will come back over time. Once fitted it was sanded to provide a key for the red lead ( we can still get that here) then double coated with smooth hammerite and the under side then got sprayed with underseal (bodyshultz). Once this is all done you have to (make as sure as possible)it all water tight, I replaced the window channel as the glass was just so loose it was letting in water and also went around the bulkhead inside and under the bonnet and sealed all the holes that are there for cables wires etc to pass through as water can enter the interior via these and collect in the footwells.
If your lucky enough to get the new floor panels you can lay them on the old floor and mark the edges with chalk so you know where to make your cuts to remove the old floor, I had to remove the floor then make a panel to fit !
I will post some pictures today when I get time for you. Good luck with it its a time consuming job but worth it

 

[Cyprus Andy]

Just looking at these I think I had better get out and give it another coat of Hammerite inside !:eek:

 

[mojobaby]

Thanks Andy, looks pretty watertight now. Are the new panels welded to the old panels or did you use adhesive? Looks like a time consuming job, when I eventually repair my floor, I think I'll get the panels from der Franzose

 

[Cyprus Andy]

they were all gas welded into place, not too bad really just one day to cut out and replace the floors front and rear divers side and a couple of days to sand and paint them, just took time for the drying time between coats

 

[pepper]

You don't really want to be running around with a light oil in the engine really as modern oils don't allow the oil pressure to build up which it does sound like you may be having issues with already. This could cause you even more problems!

 

[Cyprus Andy]

thanks Pepper , I know but it has stood for a few years before I got it and I am worried the top of the engine is running dry possibly blocked with sludge although there is no sign of any in the rocker box, actually theres no sign of any oil in there at all ! .........I was going to give it a warm up and drop the oil and filter then 2 mins on a fast tick over with diesel fuel in the block instead of oil ( an old trick I picked up to flush any crap out of the system ), then another new filter and run it locally for a week on diesel oil to see if it cleans it out. I will replace the diesel oil with 20/50 "if" I can find some here ????.......It might be a faulty oil pressure switch but a search on ebay has turned nothing up but if I can find one I will replace it. A friend in the UK is bringing me a Mini temperature gauge and a full face oil pressure gauge when he comes over for a holiday later this year so at least I will be able to keep an eye on everything....hope there is room to fit a "T" piece in the block for the oil pressure switch and a gauge o_O

 

[Cyprus Andy]

just out of interest how many people have tools like this in the tool box ? A modified 10mm for the rear brake cylinders and a modified 17mm for the front flexi brake hoses !

 

[Cyprus Andy]

Well some progress has been made today ...........I have brakes at last ......
Everything bled through as I fitted new flexi pipes and wheel cylinders and shoes all round.
Not quite sure how good they are supposed to be as I am used to a servo assisted Merc with all round disc's and this is a slightly different driving experience to say the least.
It stops in a straight line , has a good hard pedal, but will not bring you to a dead stop with one press, even a hard oneo_O ? It slows you down and gradually stops you in about 2 car lengths at 30mph...........off to see the MOT guy on Monday see what he thinks of it....fingers crossed they are not too particular here and it lasts 2 years if she passes. might look at a remote servo sometime if I can find one on the island ?!!

 

[mojobaby]

just out of interest how many people have tools like this in the tool box ? A modified 10mm for the rear brake cylinders and a modified 17mm for the front flexi brake hoses !

I did the same after messing up one of the nuts at the master cylinder. It rounded off so easily!

 

[Cyprus Andy]

really desperate for some clips if ANYONE can help ?
I need the 3 clips for the inner wing to hold the jack handle and the small one for the bonnet support arm
Also a cover for the fusebox ......all costs and shipping paid if anyone can supply some or tell me where they are available please

 

[angel]

Don't expect that "dead stop" from a drum-braked R4 :-)

A remote servo like the Lockheed one will make a great difference in feel, especially if you are used in modern cars. Brakes will still be prone to fading, though.