After the painting comes the flatting and polishing. It's slow progress, but I'm glad it's not a van!
Vive le rust porn
- Thread starter renaultvation
- Start date
No, the Punto is currently SORN. I was going to get it MOT'd when I sold the XK8 a couple of months ago, but other things have got in the way. Is There is a twin to ours though which I know did attend, but it has a cream roof whereas ours is blue. It's also a month older than ours which makes it the oldest survivor, with ours second. I can't get used to the idea of going to a show in a car which was nearly new when we bought it, although we did attend the Auto Italia event at Brooklands a couple of years ago where we were parked on the concrete banking.
Reassembly is slowly commencing, which can be confusing as the car was fully dismantled when I bought it. Fitting the windscreen went smoothly with able assistance from Mrs renaultvation (liz). I had to work out how the opening windows behind the louvres fitted as well as the rear side windows. There are two types and I had a mixture of both. It came down to trying them until finding one which fitted. Dashboard is in and outer panels are being fitted. I am still waiting for the quarterlights to come back from the re-chromers before I can fit the front windows. I have checked a couple of motors for the windows and they are all working.
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I thought it was about time I updated this thread. Looking more complete on the outside, but still lots to do inside. I have a set of Amil allow wheels which I have refurbished, then I can tackle the original steel Fergat wheels.
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Thank you, there is still a long way to go, but at least it now looks like a carThat really is a lovey job
Looking cracking, amazed how lovely these old French cars now look
After much searching, I managed to find the correct wheelnuts from a supplier in France for the Amil alloy wheels I refurbished . Not cheap at £82 for a set, but with new tyres fitted they are on the car. I can now start to refurbish the original Fergat steel wheels. It also has most of the interior fitted now, but still struggling with the electrics.
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About time I gave an update. Before I start thinking about getting it to go, I thought I had better make sure it can stop, so I am gradually replacing the whole braking system, only to find that one or two elements are unique to this particular variant of the 17 which was in production for only a couple of years before being replaced by the Gordini. This includes the servo and the master cylinder. I am hoping that the servo is fine, so have just cleaned and painted the exterior. I managed to find a refurbishment kit for the master cylinder, but found some minor pitting on the bore, so took it to Past Parts who are local to me and they have re-sleeved it with stainless steel. I managed to find a new offside front caliper and successfully rebuilt the nearside caliper. I have also made new brake lines, replaced the flexible lines and rear brake compensator valve. Rear brakes calipers are removed and ready to be sent off to Bigg Red in Worcester tomorrow for refurbishment. While I was working on the front brakes I took the opportunity to replace both track rod ends and ball joints. Surprisingly I have yet to find a seized nut or connector.
I do have a habit of disappearing from here for a while, must do better!
Update time:
Brakes are finished and fully functional. Next task was the fuel which includes a gallon or two of leaded petrol from 1985. I drained the tank and removed it from the car. The petrol was all still very liquid with no sign of gum, but all very dark brown. I don't know which smells worse, stale fuel, or gear oil! As an experiment I poured some on a cloth and ignited it in a safe place and discovered it is still highly volatile, so every precaution needs to be taken. The interior of the tank had a layer of rust, so I pressure washed what I could reach, although the baffles prevent much access. I decided to remove the rust using electrolysis. I tried it for 24 hours then another 20 for good measure. I am very pleased with the result as after a good rinse out it looks as good as new.
The Bosch fuel pump was non functioning and long obsolete. I did find one on a Porsche site in the USA for $1400, or alternatively spares or repairs on Ebay in Germany. I watched a video on YouTube on how to recondition a similar one, so decided to have a go. I now have a fully functional petrol pump. I blew air through the fuel lines and they are clear. I have bought new braided fuel hoses for all connections and will replace them all. I am just awaiting delivery of a load of hose clamps before I start reassembly. Hopefully the fuel injection is ok as I think it is beyond my capabilities.
That's all for now.
Update time:
Brakes are finished and fully functional. Next task was the fuel which includes a gallon or two of leaded petrol from 1985. I drained the tank and removed it from the car. The petrol was all still very liquid with no sign of gum, but all very dark brown. I don't know which smells worse, stale fuel, or gear oil! As an experiment I poured some on a cloth and ignited it in a safe place and discovered it is still highly volatile, so every precaution needs to be taken. The interior of the tank had a layer of rust, so I pressure washed what I could reach, although the baffles prevent much access. I decided to remove the rust using electrolysis. I tried it for 24 hours then another 20 for good measure. I am very pleased with the result as after a good rinse out it looks as good as new.
The Bosch fuel pump was non functioning and long obsolete. I did find one on a Porsche site in the USA for $1400, or alternatively spares or repairs on Ebay in Germany. I watched a video on YouTube on how to recondition a similar one, so decided to have a go. I now have a fully functional petrol pump. I blew air through the fuel lines and they are clear. I have bought new braided fuel hoses for all connections and will replace them all. I am just awaiting delivery of a load of hose clamps before I start reassembly. Hopefully the fuel injection is ok as I think it is beyond my capabilities.
That's all for now.
With fully working brakes and new fuel lines it was time to see if she would start. Fuel pump primed and a spark at the plugs we fired her up, but nothing. She turned over, but no sign of life, so we tried a short blast of easy start and she briefly coughed into life. Looks like there is nothing coming from the injectors. Checked the fuel lines and pump and there were no leaks. Gave it another try and the engine was locked solid. Dropped a little oil down the bores and left it for a week. Removed and tested the starter motor and tried to turn the crank pulley, but nothing was budging, so a full engine rebuild has been scheduled. Bit of a setback, but could be a blessing in disguise as I will end up with a better car and complete a full tidy of the engine bay. It is booked in with a highly recommended specialist in Wolverhampton in October. He asked if I minded waiting that long. I told him that it has taken me 23 years so far, so October is like tomorrow! On a positive note, I removed the radiator and discovered that the front crossmember is as good as new.
No, it's a good old fashioned chain.
Mystery of the locked engine solved.
Removed the engine and discovered a loose bolt sitting in the bellhousing which had jammed in the ring gear. I have since found a bolt missing from the water pump directly above the little window in the bellhousing for setting the timing. There should be a little rubber cover for this window, but it is missing. I have since stripped all the ancillaries from the engine and it is ready for rebuilding. Engine bay now looks very empty, but no horrors revealed.
Removed the engine and discovered a loose bolt sitting in the bellhousing which had jammed in the ring gear. I have since found a bolt missing from the water pump directly above the little window in the bellhousing for setting the timing. There should be a little rubber cover for this window, but it is missing. I have since stripped all the ancillaries from the engine and it is ready for rebuilding. Engine bay now looks very empty, but no horrors revealed.
