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PollyMobiles Rebuild
- Thread starter pollyp
- Start date
Hi Paul, off the top of your head, your forged pistons, how much did they decrease your compression?
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pollyp
Club Member
How to replace BC V1 coilover pillow ball top mount
Extracting spare bearing
Received the new top mount for a BC BR top mount to swap the similar spherical bearing
reoiled & swiveled the bearing around to loosen it up so it doesn't simply bind up stiff
removed cover and looks like the same bearing
since the top side hole is chamfered tapered over the outer bearing case so I can't just fit a socket in there, instead I'd have to make this shaft to fit in the bearing hole to push one way
whilst I use this brake piston to push the casing the opposite way
and removed the bearing
Swapping the bearing
remove the 17mm top bolt
unbolt the mount from the camber plate
jack up the chassis and let the strut assembly drop clear off the top mount
remove the pillow ball mount00
unbolt the bearing cover
press the old bearing out
compare & looks the same
push the new ones in
bolt the cover on
applied some grease
reinstalled
and fitted the dust cover back on
Extracting spare bearing
Received the new top mount for a BC BR top mount to swap the similar spherical bearing
reoiled & swiveled the bearing around to loosen it up so it doesn't simply bind up stiff
removed cover and looks like the same bearing
since the top side hole is chamfered tapered over the outer bearing case so I can't just fit a socket in there, instead I'd have to make this shaft to fit in the bearing hole to push one way
whilst I use this brake piston to push the casing the opposite way
and removed the bearing
Swapping the bearing
remove the 17mm top bolt
unbolt the mount from the camber plate
jack up the chassis and let the strut assembly drop clear off the top mount
remove the pillow ball mount00
unbolt the bearing cover
press the old bearing out
compare & looks the same
push the new ones in
bolt the cover on
applied some grease
reinstalled
and fitted the dust cover back on
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pollyp
Club Member
urm I'll have to look back afew hundreds pages lol, just a sec...
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pollyp
Club Member
Love you Paulalways here if you need a chat
bless, thx chloe. I'll certainly give u a buzz to letcha know whenever I'm gonna head that way
(thats not a pun or metaphor for those with naughty minds btw lol)
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pollyp
Club Member
found the spec list, tis 8:1
https://www.micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/page-58#post-523614
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pollyp
Club Member
the manifolds been leaking & could smell it so off it comes
yep been leaking heavily round the weaker warped front/rear sides
for easiler access to a stubborn blocked nut at the back of the flange, I grinded this edge of the manifold smooth to fit my fingers through
a look at the crack below the prev welds
grind it all back reveals the gap
after several rusty welding attempts, figured my best method all along was the old 1sec pulsing motion
to try flatten the very warped flange, fixed a g-clamp on a pole to counter weight the manifold and spent hrs sanding it, got close as I can then gave up lol
smear of copper sealant
that nut bolt at the back of the mani flange is always a pain to access with normal long spanners so modified an old one
assembled
lets assess & clean the alloys. the melted power coat had briefly bonded the alloy to the disc so a hard yank got it off and yeah the melted hard paint will need chipping off
got a bottle of that wonder wheels spray stuff in halfords that antony suggested, got the very loose surface brake dust off but it looks like the power coat was actually still uncured soft when I was bedding the brakes and the red hot discs really softened it allowing the dust to simply embed deep into the paint so none of the weak dishwasher soapy stuff will get it off.
even tried stuff as harsh as oven cleaner but that just left some water-droplet like dots all over the black dusting.
only thing that came close to removing the black haze to reveal white paint is carb cleaner with a clean rag but that actually Melts! the surface into a sticky tacky goo, attracting more dust.
so I ruined my new wheels then, best leave it now
in the aftermath of finding out I've been friendzoned other night and basically felt really really down,sad, angry n depressed, sitting around just made feeling worse, coulda almost cried..
needed to get away (crazily thought of driving 5hrs down to hand over her bday prezzy then leave, even after I said to her I best not go to save my sanity, but that would be crazy wouldn't it? as some say that high emotions = low IQ, I was a thick upset wreck that day)
instead went for some random long drive down at the twisty hilly whitby & moors for a hard blast to release steam & enjoy driving
boosting hard up a long steep hill obviously blew the turbo mani copper sealant again but meh. stopped over to check things over
spotted the ground wire on the alternator had fractured off and could've drained the battery dead once again like recently
so roughly stripped & reattached the remaining wire to get home, then watch eurovision with the lads for a laugh
yep been leaking heavily round the weaker warped front/rear sides
for easiler access to a stubborn blocked nut at the back of the flange, I grinded this edge of the manifold smooth to fit my fingers through
a look at the crack below the prev welds
grind it all back reveals the gap
after several rusty welding attempts, figured my best method all along was the old 1sec pulsing motion
to try flatten the very warped flange, fixed a g-clamp on a pole to counter weight the manifold and spent hrs sanding it, got close as I can then gave up lol
smear of copper sealant
that nut bolt at the back of the mani flange is always a pain to access with normal long spanners so modified an old one
assembled
lets assess & clean the alloys. the melted power coat had briefly bonded the alloy to the disc so a hard yank got it off and yeah the melted hard paint will need chipping off
got a bottle of that wonder wheels spray stuff in halfords that antony suggested, got the very loose surface brake dust off but it looks like the power coat was actually still uncured soft when I was bedding the brakes and the red hot discs really softened it allowing the dust to simply embed deep into the paint so none of the weak dishwasher soapy stuff will get it off.
even tried stuff as harsh as oven cleaner but that just left some water-droplet like dots all over the black dusting.
only thing that came close to removing the black haze to reveal white paint is carb cleaner with a clean rag but that actually Melts! the surface into a sticky tacky goo, attracting more dust.
so I ruined my new wheels then, best leave it now
in the aftermath of finding out I've been friendzoned other night and basically felt really really down,sad, angry n depressed, sitting around just made feeling worse, coulda almost cried..
needed to get away (crazily thought of driving 5hrs down to hand over her bday prezzy then leave, even after I said to her I best not go to save my sanity, but that would be crazy wouldn't it? as some say that high emotions = low IQ, I was a thick upset wreck that day)
instead went for some random long drive down at the twisty hilly whitby & moors for a hard blast to release steam & enjoy driving
boosting hard up a long steep hill obviously blew the turbo mani copper sealant again but meh. stopped over to check things over
spotted the ground wire on the alternator had fractured off and could've drained the battery dead once again like recently
so roughly stripped & reattached the remaining wire to get home, then watch eurovision with the lads for a laugh
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frank
Club Member
corsa pistons give about the same c/r paul, and are very det resistantCheers Paul
you can see the pockmarks that the detting left (but the ringlands survived intact)
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pollyp
Club Member
Cheers Paul
let's hope u have better luck than me at getting the rings bedded correctly
corsa pistons give about the same c/r paul, and are very det resistant
View attachment 41982
Ah thanks Frank, I was thinking of putting them in my CGA3 and supercharging or turboing the jenveys through a plenum, trying to get my head around flow maps.
10psi max to give me that but more torque. 180 /190bhp maybe
let's hope u have better luck than me at getting the rings bedded correctly
Hope so Paul.
Sorry to hear about your bad luck but I'm with you that a good long drive can real clear your head
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pollyp
Club Member
I don't like rollercoasters - too scary being out of control
I prefer trackdays where I'm in control of my beast (urm that's not a metaphor either
)sticking with the fishing metaphor:
all the nice fishies I've ever seen are most probably taken up by some fisherman (girls unavailable),
some that ain't caught yet or wriggled free r either impossible to catch (not interested) or an old boot (fugly)
yea I know there are most probably more available fishies out there in the big ocean but first I'd have to learn to leave the docks in my own boat (move out & find new better job),
and then learn how to fish (learn about social interaction with women).
indeed my focus should be purely about getting kasandra ready for germany and sorting out my income job beginning with andy then life (makes u question what life & destiny is about).
being distracted by women (our friggin preprogrammed animal human biology/psychology trying to procreate) has only ever lead to pain & set backs :/ )
reality is so far away from original dreams & expectations.
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pollyp
Club Member
btw guys, just went to see Mad Max.
imo if ur expecting anything that even just touches the original, dont waste ur money, worse plotless pointless film ever.
first film where I'm actually bored, editing was eh, director just likes ooh slomo gurls, bewbs, gore, M bay action slomo, costumes, but sooo many meaningless plot holes where I'm like What?
plot coulda been written by a boy toddler.
imo if ur expecting anything that even just touches the original, dont waste ur money, worse plotless pointless film ever.
first film where I'm actually bored, editing was eh, director just likes ooh slomo gurls, bewbs, gore, M bay action slomo, costumes, but sooo many meaningless plot holes where I'm like What?
plot coulda been written by a boy toddler.
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pollyp
Club Member
the old upper alternator mount seemed abit bulky n getting in the way of andys plan for the turbo mani plumbing so lets improve it
CAD
heating & bending a 10mm bar
trying out oil quenching
one piece alternator bracket fits nicely & solidly
now to clean up this wiring mess
using these spare brake line clips to secure the loom to the engine
tried shortening & soldering the thick cable together but the iron just can't get it hot enough, not even with a bare flame
this heavy burnt oxide layer won't help the solder
had to search all over garage to find some similar thickness clean copper cable
trying to re-use the end connector rather than buying one, so carefully chiseled the old cable off
I tried to solder the new cable to the connector but once again there's not enough heat cos the thick cable just soaks it up.
so resorted to trying something radical and tested stick welding it on and lol it worked
before we attempt to join the cables, lets test if we can even solder these new cables...
nope the gas iron simply doesn't have enough power
remembering how I did my battery cables, lets crimp the ends together instead.
some old 8mm fuel lines fit over it
crimped in vice and it works
so crimped the new cable to the loom
and the shortened ground wire
and just have to neaten it up
CAD
heating & bending a 10mm bar
trying out oil quenching
one piece alternator bracket fits nicely & solidly
now to clean up this wiring mess
using these spare brake line clips to secure the loom to the engine
tried shortening & soldering the thick cable together but the iron just can't get it hot enough, not even with a bare flame
this heavy burnt oxide layer won't help the solder
had to search all over garage to find some similar thickness clean copper cable
trying to re-use the end connector rather than buying one, so carefully chiseled the old cable off
I tried to solder the new cable to the connector but once again there's not enough heat cos the thick cable just soaks it up.
so resorted to trying something radical and tested stick welding it on and lol it worked
before we attempt to join the cables, lets test if we can even solder these new cables...
nope the gas iron simply doesn't have enough power
remembering how I did my battery cables, lets crimp the ends together instead.
some old 8mm fuel lines fit over it
crimped in vice and it works
so crimped the new cable to the loom
and the shortened ground wire
and just have to neaten it up
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pollyp
Club Member
this morning was debating whether to get solid bucket seats that'll feel very secure but require harness too & unable to recline sleep & time to make a new subframe..
or just find another of the same seat and 5min swap.
decided to find a similar seat on ebay since trackdays could happen soon.
the blue bucket seats I have appear bout £150 new or £100 used but it had a tear hole on the base.
found a pair of red ones for £100 appears in good nick and tis very local. offered £80 and won so I'll be collecting these on wednesday
or just find another of the same seat and 5min swap.
decided to find a similar seat on ebay since trackdays could happen soon.
the blue bucket seats I have appear bout £150 new or £100 used but it had a tear hole on the base.
found a pair of red ones for £100 appears in good nick and tis very local. offered £80 and won so I'll be collecting these on wednesday
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pollyp
Club Member
what's happening there?
depending on if friends / family has any plans here, can't say for sure cos afew factors against it:
running out of savings n trying to save up under zero income (working on getting new job) for trip to germany so need to reduce any unessential spendings,
it's a long way there & back = alot of ££ fuel & oil fillups & any entry fees,
definately not going on strip cos:
rear dampers broke and new ones not arrived,
manifold totally warped & leaking so not good for boost and new manifold ain't ready,
track wheels not ready,
really don't fancy launching & breaking the car on strip before important trip to germany and cos car was not meant for drag.
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pollyp
Club Member
thx m8, I'm just hoping this is the end of bad news and the year starts getting better.
just gotta get the important life stuff and major organised stuff sorted out the way before I begin any recreational trips to more tracks or santapod etc afterwards.
there's always another time to catchup
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pollyp
Club Member
job-wise I've been playing it safe all along (local jobs & living with parents), but there come a time when we all have to risk leaving the nest for better fishes.
the focus of getting kasandra ready for the big ambitous german trip and some side jobs with andy is what's keeping me sane at the mo with no job.
the brief drop from a certain lady recently was just a hiccup of insanity.
after germany I really have to complete my CV & start thinking bout life/job seriously
SirChris
Educated Bodger
Its always a bugger doing the balance between fun work and rest of life work eh. I am stuck thinking about but at the moment. Do you up and leave for other things?
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pollyp
Club Member
Do I up?
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pollyp
Club Member
At the moment it's all work and no play for me, get yourself sorted then worry about work
I just wish I had a normal 9-5 design work I once had n loved, then normal life after work with holidays n all.
the past 8-9yrs in digital software tbh had mostly been a waste of my professional potential and money. I may have gained alot of digital exp & skills but tis irrelevent to the actual car industry stuff I'm interested in. twas only due to my hobby in kasandra which has maintained/developed my automotive skills.
so now I have exp faffing around from another industry, I just have to build my confidence to believe that it can help me to step into a much better paying, proper established (non-startup!) design/engineering job I was trained for but missing exp.
tis like I'm back to square one
Might sound stupid but could you not see about volunteering at a company to build experience, might even end in a paid job
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pollyp
Club Member
well that's another life choice dilema too.
stay home & work in moms takeaway:
Pro
- develop my non-existing cooking skills
- learn to run already established business
- potential for business to be successful & carry on family legend
- have steady good income
- comfy stable home obviously
- can work on kasandra in own time
- low living costs
Con
- doesn't help my real career
- doesn't fire my interests/passion
move away to pursue career & life:
Pro
- better job & girl oppurtunities
- progress my career
- more exciting & poassionate work
- potentially better income
- learn to be independant from parents
Con
- high living costs
- high risk
- poor quality of life
- competitive market
- insufficient life skills
- less time for kasandra (may need a normal daily car)
I'm trying to work on a hybrid transition
Welcome to my world
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pollyp
Club Member
that's what I working on with andy. help him out with afew projects, build my automotive exp & skills, start at least on min wage, build the business and hope it flourishes, if it works out then gradually move down there and take career from there onwards. that's the dream but reality will be different
h701micra
Deactivated Account
The business sector I've somehow fell into is very niche.. and extremely tight knit. There's many people who would love to do what I do and in the future but unlike a general mechanics where there's moderate applicants for a moderate number of jobs. . This sectors has an extremely high number of applicants with very few jobs
The biggest problem for anyone in my position if I were actively seeking employees. Is looking for those who see beyond the glamour of shiny parts and have true skills n dedication to bring to the table. If I've to babysit for the first month or 3 I'm not getting what I pay for. I expect a few days orientation time but thats all. I personally run a very strict ship anyone who's worked with me realises I'm unfortunately not all smiles (unless customers present). There's about 5/6 folk that come down every so often to help out. Some just because they're about and others for the opportunity. In case future opportunities arise
My advice to you Paul where this business sector is concerned. Is to create yourself a portfolio of relevant experiences. You can go as far as getting qualified too.. as many businesses ask for a bit of paper that meant you fell asleep on a desk and fluked an exam at the end (not a fan of qualifications over experience).
I did an open university course on automotive chassis technology n engineering. I've got to have at least something to look reputable
You have the potential Paul.. there's 100+ pages of that but not every employer can see your blog. Get a portfolio created. Bit like a PollyPs best bits. The windage being one of my personal favourites and the corner weighting because there's a mix of problem solving, design, research, fabrication etc
That then becomes your "I am capable and here's proof" a cover letter bores me. Saying you've done something and proving it are 2 different things
The biggest problem for anyone in my position if I were actively seeking employees. Is looking for those who see beyond the glamour of shiny parts and have true skills n dedication to bring to the table. If I've to babysit for the first month or 3 I'm not getting what I pay for. I expect a few days orientation time but thats all. I personally run a very strict ship anyone who's worked with me realises I'm unfortunately not all smiles (unless customers present). There's about 5/6 folk that come down every so often to help out. Some just because they're about and others for the opportunity. In case future opportunities arise
My advice to you Paul where this business sector is concerned. Is to create yourself a portfolio of relevant experiences. You can go as far as getting qualified too.. as many businesses ask for a bit of paper that meant you fell asleep on a desk and fluked an exam at the end (not a fan of qualifications over experience).
I did an open university course on automotive chassis technology n engineering. I've got to have at least something to look reputable
You have the potential Paul.. there's 100+ pages of that but not every employer can see your blog. Get a portfolio created. Bit like a PollyPs best bits. The windage being one of my personal favourites and the corner weighting because there's a mix of problem solving, design, research, fabrication etc
That then becomes your "I am capable and here's proof" a cover letter bores me. Saying you've done something and proving it are 2 different things
h701micra
Deactivated Account
This is what n where
https://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/teaching/mechanical/module/MECH5185M
Furthering it with motorsport engineering when I can afford to
https://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/teaching/mechanical/module/MECH5185M
Furthering it with motorsport engineering when I can afford to
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pollyp
Club Member
my entire career view has been I dunno exactly what the job title I wanna do is called, I only know what I enjoy doing and done and go with the flow of oppurtunities.
no one or nothing defines ur destiny, suppose it's like the mega road trip I used to do, explore unaided unguided and see the beauty of what's there urself.
following that wake of oppurtunities over 10yrs from product design wayy over to 3d software development here without looking for jobs elsewhere has pushed me well off course out to sea but shows that given the right amount of learning space & time & mindset, u can utilise existing skills to develop & specialise in another entirely different sector.
metaphorically my career may have veered off slightly from the past smooth public motorway onto the rough new unknown b-roads/offroads and tis only now that I decided to get back onto the original motorway but at least I could use that past exp to say to future employers on the motorway that I know how to offroad or drive single lanes
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pollyp
Club Member
one day, have yet to learn how to access & program software for ODB, abit beyond me at the mo.
my 3D app skills are more towards building 3D games stuff and using simple javascript/c# to make stuff work, like that corner balancing tool I wrote.
programming for accessing the complex IO protocalls of the consult is another type of fish
but once I learned bout it, then it opens new doors into possibilities.
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pollyp
Club Member
The business sector I've somehow fell into is very niche.. and extremely tight knit. There's many people who would love to do what I do and in the future but unlike a general mechanics where there's moderate applicants for a moderate number of jobs. . This sectors has an extremely high number of applicants with very few jobs
The biggest problem for anyone in my position if I were actively seeking employees. Is looking for those who see beyond the glamour of shiny parts and have true skills n dedication to bring to the table. If I've to babysit for the first month or 3 I'm not getting what I pay for. I expect a few days orientation time but thats all. I personally run a very strict ship anyone who's worked with me realises I'm unfortunately not all smiles (unless customers present). There's about 5/6 folk that come down every so often to help out. Some just because they're about and others for the opportunity. In case future opportunities arise
My advice to you Paul where this business sector is concerned. Is to create yourself a portfolio of relevant experiences. You can go as far as getting qualified too.. as many businesses ask for a bit of paper that meant you fell asleep on a desk and fluked an exam at the end (not a fan of qualifications over experience).
I did an open university course on automotive chassis technology n engineering. I've got to have at least something to look reputable
You have the potential Paul.. there's 100+ pages of that but not every employer can see your blog. Get a portfolio created. Bit like a PollyPs best bits. The windage being one of my personal favourites and the corner weighting because there's a mix of problem solving, design, research, fabrication etc
That then becomes your "I am capable and here's proof" a cover letter bores me. Saying you've done something and proving it are 2 different things
yep unlike an established generic garage who's staff can cater for wide range of car models, yours is very very specialised field & a small new company, so this is exactly the same type of situation as my last job in a startup. except now I'm more aware of the ups/down & internal runnings of a startup and tis a sector that I'm more passionate about.
indeed it may seem all fancyful on the surface but as with every single company out there, it's a business at the end of the day.
we help service our customers in exchange for cashflow with enough profit margin to keep the company & family sustainable (for both employer & employees).
an employer "invests" in employees to efficiently distribute & satisfy the workload coming through the doors with no hassle.
metaphorically suppose it's like hiring a car for commuting to work.
you don't wanna spend a fortune on an unassembled F1 car, that'll take years & many £££ before it even reaches work, once.
you just want a low cost, ready to go, simple & focused, reliable, flexible commuter.
indeed I'll have to refine my portfolio with "Well that's what I call Pollyp 2007-15 Greatest Hits" lol
I once sent off my CV with a portfolio including my oil control design which I'm proud of. collating the best bits in the blog will be interesting, ain't short of sources
and yeah it'd be way more interesting than a boring letter, I hate writing all professionally formally, seems forced. Engrish literature ain't my biggest strengths, took me hrs to plan & type & verify each email or making calls at my last job to keep it proffessional, tis just not me but I try (worry maybe I'm abit autistic?
).prefer clear fun textbook-like pics & descriptions just like my blog.
getting extra quals is an option but with 3 Alevels, 1 Bsc in car design, 1 Masters in design, 10yrs in 3D software, heard some would say I'm overqualified?
I've lost out alot of savings over the wasted 10yrs and I'd rather utilise what skills I have now in getting any paid job to stabilise my life than invest more time/money/debt in further education.
thx for the +ve advice andy, that's most invaluable
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