Excelent cheers, I got lots of pics of the beam off but non from when it was under the car so be expecting a PM soon
Excelent cheers, I got lots of pics of the beam off but non from when it was under the car so be expecting a PM soon
Excelent cheers, I got lots of pics of the beam off but non from when it was under the car so be expecting a PM soon
No bother buddy, PM away!!
Cheers bud, I hope this will inspire peoples to do their own cars or atleast give it a try
Just read the whole thread, looks like you have ran into some problems along the way, but the hard looks to paying off,
The joys of modifying!
The joys of modifying!
Aye I've posted as I did it.
I've got nothing to hide
I'm learning all the time, I've never done this before.
There will always be problems no matter how experienced you are at these things.
I've got nothing to hide
I'm learning all the time, I've never done this before.
There will always be problems no matter how experienced you are at these things.
Just read your entire progress thread mate. Lots of excellent tips and procedures and some great work in progress photos. I have maximum respect for people who do their own work on their car.
Thanks Ross, TBH this was driven by a few things.
1. Being sick fed up of getting shitty service from all and every garage that i have used, bar none.
2. General interest in knowing how my car works
3. Having served my time building, fixing and testing multi million pound systems and knowing that I could do it myself, as dum feck grease monkeys can do it
4. Not paying a fortune for stuff i want done but wouldn 't pay someone else to do on my car
1. Being sick fed up of getting shitty service from all and every garage that i have used, bar none.
2. General interest in knowing how my car works
3. Having served my time building, fixing and testing multi million pound systems and knowing that I could do it myself, as dum feck grease monkeys can do it
4. Not paying a fortune for stuff i want done but wouldn 't pay someone else to do on my car
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Other than number 3, I am exactly the same myself mate. Call it being a frugal Scotsman, Ayrshireman to be exact. Stamps in a book mean nothing to me, they are just that, a stamp in a book. My current car has FSH with stamps and receipts from Charles SEAT and Jabba. The Jabba stamp holds some water and I'm glad it was them who did the cambelt, waterpump and tensioners because I can actually trust them to have done it properly. I wouldn't have the same confidence in the SEAT dealer or any back street garage.
I do all of my own servicing now and I'm not worried that I won't get any more stamps in the book. I keep receipts and if practical, photos of all the work I do and I itemise these events in the Service book. That way I know its been done with decent kit and its been done properly at a fraction of the cost I'd otherwise incur. Who is going to look after your car as well as you would do yourself, nobody.
Keep up the good work mate and I look forward to seeing this thread progressing. A big cash windfall and a bucketload of spare time might see some more rapid progress on my car too
All the best mate,
Ross
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Have to agree too, I'm fitting the baffled sump myself, doing my own servicing, oil changes, etc. too for most of the above reasons. I've invested in a set of EZup ramps to do this type of work:
http://www.restorationramps.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/ramps?opendocument&part=3
http://www.restorationramps.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/ramps?opendocument&part=3
They look very intresting, are these workable with very low front ground clearance? Looking at some of the pics i think i mat have trouble getting on them.
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Your work in this thread and your approach to your car Junior is superb, i look forward to every update.
Nice find Rob, does the Sealey car jack not do the business though.
Nice find Rob, does the Sealey car jack not do the business though.
Cheers guys,
The signature ideas a winner.
Looks like I'm not the only one pissed with the so called 'service' we get.
I think in the current climate garages will have to vastly improve there 'service' or else more people will be DIY'ig.
Car back together nd back on the road, getting alignment done today.
Write up to follow.
The signature ideas a winner.
Looks like I'm not the only one pissed with the so called 'service' we get.
I think in the current climate garages will have to vastly improve there 'service' or else more people will be DIY'ig.
Car back together nd back on the road, getting alignment done today.
Write up to follow.
Well as above car is back on the road.
Got a Seat technician to press in the bushes to the swing arms (with a massive pole and a big assed vice, not way I could have done this at home) and these were fitted with new bolts to the sub frame. the rear subframe bushes were not chnaged this time but will be changed soon. These are £35 a piece so a little bit too much just now to change.
The track rod ends were removed, these were very difficult to do but with a bit of heat and determination they were measured, marked removed and new ones fitted in place. It was very difficult to tell if the hubs were pointed bead ahead so the rod ends were fitted in the same place as before and tightened inplace.
I didn't get all that I wanted to change done because I was in a bit of a hurry to get the car back on the road for a track day at Knockhill with Scottish VAG. During the refit it was becoming more aparent that the track day wasn't going to happen for various reasons. So I dropped that idea.
The subframe was shown up to the car, in the ELSAWIN guide there is a dolly frame and rear subframe mount guides, these would have made the job so much easier.
so without these pieces this was a PITA to do. With the dolly frame the mount would be lifted square and the guides would do the alignment bit. But without these and only my trolleyjack and my unwilling dad as help it was difficult. The worst bit was the steering rack TBH. As I had fitted a 23mm ARB this wasn't leaving as much space for the rack so had to remove the drivers side of the ARB to get the rack fitted inplace. I really didn't want to have to do this cause fitting the ARB bushes and clamps is a total PITA. But the subframe was bolted up, the rack was bolted and so was the ARB, eventually!!
With all of this back together the DBM was fitted. Using ELSAWIN as reference there was not torque settings for the bolts from this to the gear box. decided to use 17 ft-lbs with 90 degree further rotation to stretch fit the bolts. when doing this there was a dodgy cracking sound which I initially thought was the DBM. this later proved to be me stripping the threads in the forward mounting point. these are getting helicoiled on Wednesday.
With the track rod ends done it was time to fit the 2 piece discs.
This kit requires a calliper spacer, as these bolts had never been out before, they were a bit tight. Thankfully the Seat/Brembo designers decided that this needed to be a 10mm Allen key headed cap screw, anything smaller and I think it would have broken. With the calliper off the mounts it was obvious that I have a slight leak on one of the 4 pots, ELSAWIN has the stripping guide to this so yet another job on the list.
The discs fitted very well and this job was a breeze.
Next the wheels were fitted then the alignment started to show, it was very toe out on the drivers side. The place that I ws getting the alignment done was 60 miles away so it would have to be a gentle trip to there.
Well all in all this was a bit of a difficult job to do but very worth while.
The car feels so much better in the corners but due to the DBM issue I've been very careful so far. The brakes felt great from the offset but due to the DBM and winter tyres the full bed in schedule will have to wait a bit. I had hoped that the knock I was getting would have gone with the bits I have fitted but it aint.
I still have to change the outer CV joints anyway so these and the ball joints will be the next big thing. Hopefully this should cure the knock.
Got a Seat technician to press in the bushes to the swing arms (with a massive pole and a big assed vice, not way I could have done this at home) and these were fitted with new bolts to the sub frame. the rear subframe bushes were not chnaged this time but will be changed soon. These are £35 a piece so a little bit too much just now to change.
The track rod ends were removed, these were very difficult to do but with a bit of heat and determination they were measured, marked removed and new ones fitted in place. It was very difficult to tell if the hubs were pointed bead ahead so the rod ends were fitted in the same place as before and tightened inplace.
I didn't get all that I wanted to change done because I was in a bit of a hurry to get the car back on the road for a track day at Knockhill with Scottish VAG. During the refit it was becoming more aparent that the track day wasn't going to happen for various reasons. So I dropped that idea.
The subframe was shown up to the car, in the ELSAWIN guide there is a dolly frame and rear subframe mount guides, these would have made the job so much easier.
so without these pieces this was a PITA to do. With the dolly frame the mount would be lifted square and the guides would do the alignment bit. But without these and only my trolleyjack and my unwilling dad as help it was difficult. The worst bit was the steering rack TBH. As I had fitted a 23mm ARB this wasn't leaving as much space for the rack so had to remove the drivers side of the ARB to get the rack fitted inplace. I really didn't want to have to do this cause fitting the ARB bushes and clamps is a total PITA. But the subframe was bolted up, the rack was bolted and so was the ARB, eventually!!
With all of this back together the DBM was fitted. Using ELSAWIN as reference there was not torque settings for the bolts from this to the gear box. decided to use 17 ft-lbs with 90 degree further rotation to stretch fit the bolts. when doing this there was a dodgy cracking sound which I initially thought was the DBM. this later proved to be me stripping the threads in the forward mounting point. these are getting helicoiled on Wednesday.
With the track rod ends done it was time to fit the 2 piece discs.
This kit requires a calliper spacer, as these bolts had never been out before, they were a bit tight. Thankfully the Seat/Brembo designers decided that this needed to be a 10mm Allen key headed cap screw, anything smaller and I think it would have broken. With the calliper off the mounts it was obvious that I have a slight leak on one of the 4 pots, ELSAWIN has the stripping guide to this so yet another job on the list.
The discs fitted very well and this job was a breeze.
Next the wheels were fitted then the alignment started to show, it was very toe out on the drivers side. The place that I ws getting the alignment done was 60 miles away so it would have to be a gentle trip to there.
Well all in all this was a bit of a difficult job to do but very worth while.
The car feels so much better in the corners but due to the DBM issue I've been very careful so far. The brakes felt great from the offset but due to the DBM and winter tyres the full bed in schedule will have to wait a bit. I had hoped that the knock I was getting would have gone with the bits I have fitted but it aint.
I still have to change the outer CV joints anyway so these and the ball joints will be the next big thing. Hopefully this should cure the knock.
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