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Dot the big bottomed C+C

N

novocaine

Figured I'd start one these here blogs.
Daughter named Dot the day we bought her, because she's small. When I got her the husband selling it asked my wife "is it for you then?" His face was a picture when he found out it was for me. I call her the least masculine car on the car park and she is only beaten by my colleagues baby poo brown fiat 500.
IMG_20220411_174311_633.jpg
 
Same engine as the sr. She was a POR when I bought her, because ST had fallen off the sport badge. As is the way, it left behind marks on the boot lid that no amount of buffing will remove. So now she's an SR. I have some fun toys in my arsenal.

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The sr is yellow, but you can't really tell in this image.
 
Now the different size bolts makes more sense the Sport, SR and CC models have slight different parts fitted to them.
 
random stuff I've changed or fixed since having.

- number plate, the back one looked like it had been underwater for 50 years. now on plastic screws, with hole through metal correctly sealed.
- fuel cap loop (The bit that stops it going missing) I printed a new one in TPU.
- fuel flap lock, it was kaput, but nothing a good strip and clean of the motor and a bit of grease didn't sort.
- wheel bolts, all have caps on now, much neater (Again with the printer)
- top mount caps, again with the printer.
- bluetooth to FM transmitter hidden in the dash so my phone now talks to the original stereo.
- phone holder in the CD hole (3d printers rock).
- heater knobs, again 3d printer, but I went back to stock, I will redo them in PETG as PLA degrades in the heat of the car.
- wobble wipers, a large plastic washer to take up the slack in the knuckles and a couple of shims (beer can shim stock) to remove the wear in the arm hole.
- plastic arch liners off and cleaned behind/repaired
- sill step covers (vinyl)
sure I'm missing stuff, but it's not a bad list for now.

stuff I'm working on.
- windbreak for between the role hoops.
- fluid refreshment, especially brake fluid
- painting the underside, nothing major in terms of rust really (build up round toe eye but still solid and some surface rust around usual spots) por 15 is great for this.
- leak in to boot, reckon it was the bumper drain hole but keeping an eye on it for now.
- bubbled window scraper seals, replacement is really the only option.
- general random tidying of stuff and removing the grime and slim that appears on a car that hasn't been treated especially well for most of it's life.
 
Other side done and brake fluid changed out.
Brakes still get a bit woolie, so vacuum checks next before pulling the rear drums off to check the adjusters are free and working. They work fine and pull up OK they just lack bite.
 
working on a new part. Thing number 2 complained of hair being blown about, so time for a wind break for between the seats. I have 4 little joining strips to print and I need to find 2 more velco loops, but you get the idea. I will at some point put a netting across it, but for now we shall see how it goes.
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I know it's it's silly little touch and I know it's fake carbon and that's just sad. But it's also the hardest wearing vinyl in terms of not looking scratched and it's a bit of protection against long nails (and hides the lack of protection from the past 15 years). I also happened to have a half sheet left from wrapping someone else's bike a few years ago.

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Had to replace the drivers side wishbone. The bush fell out after a month. Whoops.

Stripped the rear brakes and gave them a good clean up and service.
 

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Did the drop links this weekend. That means all front suspension bushes are now replaced. Next is a yearly service and MOT. I expect 3 to 4 advisories on that. As long as it passes or only fails on minor stuff next month I think parking sensors and rear shoes will be the order of the month.
 
fresh ticket for another year. 1 advisory, back box is deteriorating. knew about that.
didn't pull me on corrosion on rear springs, but they are to be changed in the next year anyway.
now I'll have to service her.
 
nothing interesting I'm afriad. having passed her MOT, Dot got a service.
oil and filters only, nothing else needed doing. been awhile since I serviced anything myself (wife takes her car for MOT and service and my other car isn't on the road) so I was somewhat taken aback by the price of oil these days, gone are the 15 quid for castrol GTX that's for sure. :)

still, she's running nice a quiet and ready for another year. next month I'm going with some shiny new mats and maybe parking sensors, also known as essentials. :)
 
oh woh as me the shame of it all.

got a puncher, something decided to get close and personal with the side wall. :(
I've had to drive round on the space saver for a day while waiting for a new tyre to arrive.

I feel so dirty.
 
the exhaust fell off. :O
ok, not quite so dramatic, the back box had been showing signs of corrosion since before I bought Dot. it was the only advisory in last years MOT so I knew it was coming and it was the original so it's done well. snapped at the inlet to the box. I was 70 miles away, so I drove home without it. not as noisy as I'd have thought.
Got a GT Exhausts OEM (ish) backbox from an ebay seller. not a sports exhaust but does have a little bit more grunt to it than the original (could be all in my head though). doesn't have the stainless end pipe, so that's been cut off the original for fitting to this one to keep it looking the same.

this month, auxiliary belts me thinks.
 
For those who want to change their stereo but want to keep steering wheel controls. Here's how to do it on a headunit that ypu can teach the buttons to. You need to male a mini loom to take the 3 wires from the wheel down to 2 wires. This needs a 10k resistor on one of the 3 wires. Here's a piccy.
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This goes to the brown wire on the new stereo. The other wire goes to earth.

I now have a double din touch screen in Dot. Annoyingly it's got mirror link not android auto. So it's going to get changed again.
 
not sure how I've made another year, but I have. :) nothing major for this year. MOT flew through.
I did replace the front discs and pads and service the calipers, along with new shoes and springs in the rear.
had to do a ball joint, but meh.
also did the subframe front mounts while I was down there, which lead to doing the outer tierod ends so the tracking could be done, as it had obviously been done with shagged subframe mounts. picture taken just after I'd finished, hence the floppy string. this **** used to be so much easier with a flat garage floor.
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There's a whistle developed on rundown which I suspect is the drive belt tensioner, that will get done soonish, worst case it's not and I have to change the alternator or water pump next but I think it's the tensioner, which I should have replaced when I did the belt to be honest.

my Micra badge finally fell off a few weeks ago during washing. I could have reattached it, but I decided to go a different route and match the DOTsr badge instead. no idea which bit of the car is Nismo, but I did it anyway. :)

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