Sunday 30th October - two steps back!

 So, after my dilemma of the spinning wheel stud on Saturday, I decided there was only one way to resolve the issue and that was by very carefully cutting in the wheel nut with an angle grinder. Obviously, the hub itself is knackered as well, so I now had the job of removing the brake callipers, brake discs, etc on both sides so I can replace the hubs. (I've opted for upgraded alloy ones from retro Ford.)

So, once again the car was jacked up and placed on axle stands (I think it's spent more time in this position than it has driving on the road!) I removed all of the nearside hub first as I was waiting for it to get a bit later in the morning before I started getting noisy with the grinder.

I used the air grinder first of all to cut into the wheel nut but had to move onto the electric grinder in the final stages. It did put up quite fight, but in the end, it was no match for my perseverance. (As you can see below)

With the front wheel finally off, I was able to remove the front brake calliper and front hub in readiness for the newly ordered parts to arrive. So, the Green Cortina has now reverted back to what seems to be its natural position. I.e. In the garage, up on axle stands!

Saturday 29th October - One step forward.......

With all the right parts now in my possession, I set about putting the Green Cortina back together. The first job I tackled was fitting the adjustable shock absorbers that had been repaired by Gaz on Monday. This is an easy enough job, and it didn't take long. I then fitted the new wheels from Retro Ford on the back and took the car down off of the axle stands at the back. Looking good!

I then started on the front end. I fitted the 8inch springs I had bought from Gaz on Monday. With the car lowered on the floor I found it was a bit too low to be honest and also, the springs were coming out of the holders when the car was jacked up. So, I fitted the 'helpers' that Gaz had provided and this raised  the front up one inch, and also took up the slack between the tops of the springs and the upper mounts, so it looked much better

While inspecting my work, I then noticed that it didn't look like the wheel nuts weren't locating in the stud holes on the wheels properly. I jacked the car back up again found that I could rock the wheel even though the nuts were done up tight. Further inspection revealed that extended wheel studs have been fitted on the car and they have longer 'shoulders'. So, therefore the nut was tightening on the shoulders before it was even making contact with the wheel. 

The only answer would be to replace all of the studs with ones with shorter shoulders. So, I started to remove the wheels again. To my dismay and horror one of the front studs was obviously worn on the splines where it fits into the wheel hub and was just spinning round when I was trying to undo the nut. I was stuck with a real dilemma now, because how can I get the wheel off if the stud is not gripping and the wheel nut wont come undone? It was at the point that I called it a day and went indoors. Sometimes when things aren't going right it's best to just walk away and leave it for another day. Plus, I had to have a serious think about how I was going to get this wheel off with the knackered stud. You can't get to it from the back because of the brake disc and back plate, so it's a real problem.    

It was really annoying though, because the car was looking good on its new wheels and sitting at the right height. 

Monday 24th October - A trip to Gaz!

 My first action on Monday morning was to make a phone call to Retro Ford to discuss a leak I had found on one of the adjustable rear shock absorbers I had bought off of them recently. Chris at Retro Ford was helpful and offered to change the item no problem. Retro Ford buy these items from Gaz at Basildon, so instead of me posting it back to Retro Ford, then them posting it to Gaz who would then repair it and post it back to him for him to post it back to me, it was agreed that, as I was going to Gaz this morning anyway, I would take it with me this morning and he would ring them and tell them to go ahead and repair or replace. 

I then had to quickly go out to the garage to remove the offending item as I had forgotten to do this at the weekend. (I actually removed both shocks so Gaz could inspect the other one as well)

On arrival at Gaz I handed the shocks over where they were taken to the workshop to be addressed straight away. (Impressive!) I then spoke to the main man there who advised me to try a set of 8-inch, 200 lb rated springs instead of the 12-inch, 160 lb springs that had been fitted. He also provided a set of 'helpers'. These are very small spring inserts with a low poundage. The reason for this was so that if the 8-inch springs are too short, I can fit the helpers which would then bring them up to 9-inch. Luckily, he had all these items in stock and because I had had the inconvenience of having to take the shocks back off and bring them back, he did the springs for a very good price! They also repaired the leaky shock absorber while I was there. Very good service indeed!  The normal lead time for springs is about four weeks, so I was resigned to the car being off the road for a month. 

 The pic below is an original 12-inch spring, a new 8-inch spring, and a 'helper'. I can't wait for the weekend now, so I can put everything back together.

Saturday 22nd October. Front spring investigations.

 My first job Saturday morning was to take both front wheels off of the Green Cortina and put 10mm wheel spacers on to see if that would then move the springs and height adjusters away from the tyres. it did cure the problem, but I don't like using wheel spacers and extended studs, so this wasn't an option for me. I did give me a chance as well to look at the damage to the two front tyres and confirm my fears that they were ruined. More expense! You can also see where they tyres have polished the adjusters and taken the paint off of the spring. 

The blue Cortina also has coil overs fitted, so I then took a front wheel off of that in order to see what was different as I don't have this problem with that car. I discovered that the springs on the blue car are much shorter, and the adjusters sit much higher up the strut so that they clear the wheel much better. (See below)

I then had a break from the Fords and completed a couple of jobs on my daily driver Renault Clio. It had passed its MOT recently but got a couple of advisories that needed addressing. They were the nearside track rod end, the rear exhaust mount. These went very easily, and I also replaced a rear number plate light bulb while I was at it. 

I then decided to get stuck into the issue with the Green Cortina. I wasn't looking forward to this as I thought I would have to remove the entire front struts, and I know how long this had taken me a few weeks back when I originally fitted them. However, to my surprise and elation all I had to do was put the car up on axle stands, undo both of the inserts and lower them, and then move the struts into a position where I was able to remove the top mounts and pull the springs out. With the springs removed I then put them in the car ready for a trip to Gaz on Monday morning to see what they could do for me. 

 

Friday 21st October - 2nd test drive!

 So, still not happy with the ride height at the back of the Green Cortina, Friday morning before work I fitted one inch lowering blocks to the new rear leaf springs. With this done the drive to work went well and once at work, I parked the car in the warehouse on its nice flat and level floor. 

It looked good and I was happy with it.

However, when I moved the car at the end of my shift in the nice quiet empty warehouse, I could hear a squeaking noise. Puzzled, I looked underneath and found that the newly fitted front coil over springs were in contact with the tyres and chafing grooves into the sidewalls. With this in mind I took the shortest possible route home and drove at no more than 40 mph. The last thing I wanted was a double blow out at 70mph! I then spent the rest of the night on the internet looking at how to resolve my latest problem. Damn!  

Wednesday 19th October. Test Drive!

 Today, I finally had a bit of time to take the Green Cortina for its test drive since fitting the new springs. I was hoping to have good, spirited drive, but today must have been the day that all the 20 mph pensioners were out! 

A leisurely drive up through Rochford, Ashingdon, Hockley and Rayleigh took place instead and I managed to find plenty of 'bouncy' roads to give the suspension a good settling. 

I parked the car in the road opposite when I got home and had a good look at the ride height. I'm not completely happy with it I have to say as it doesn't seem low enough at the back for my liking. Having said that, the road opposite (and all of the roads around my area) is on the slant, so you can't get a decent level reading. 

I'll take it to work tomorrow and park it on our dead flat warehouse floor. That will give me more of idea of what's what. I do suspect though, that I'm going to be fitting lowering blocks to bring the back down another inch. 

Sunday 16th October - The last Battlesbridge Breakfast meet of the year.

 Sunday morning started off bright and beautiful, so I decided to have a run over the breakfast meet at Battlesbridge Antiques Centre. The classic car season is coming to a close, so I thought I'd make the most of it and get another show in. 

I decided to take the Cortina estate out for a run. (Might as well get some use out of the new battery!) I didn't have time to wash it, but it still looked presentable anyway. 

Before long, good friend Peter Silk had arrived in his Triumph and Keith Halstead in his Lotus Cortina. Another Mk1 Cortina arrived which turned out to be fellow Cortina Mk1 OC member Terry from Laindon

 

The sun was shining, and it was even warm for the middle of October. We had a few cups of coffee together, had a good look around at the other cars and had a good old chin wag. Around lunch time we all made a move as we all had other things to do. It had been a lovely morning out though. And probably the last one for a while. Pity. 

Saturday 15th October - New rear springs!

 The new rear springs I'd recently ordered arrived on Thursday, so today was the planned fitting day. Before I started this job, I had another little job to do on the Cortina estate first and that was to fit a new battery. The battery had never been that great on the estate, (or so I thought) so I bought a new one from Halfords and fitted it. However, whilst I was fitting it, I found that one of the cables for the cut-out switch was loose. This could have been providing a poor earth and therefore cranking the engine over slowly which will give the impression that the battery is flat. So, with the new battery in place, I took the old one over to the work bench and hooked it up to the battery charger. The green light came on straightaway meaning that the battery was already fully charged! So, it was the cable causing the problem then! A brand-new battery purchased for nothing! Great!

Anyway, with that dealt with I then started on the rear springs. I did the driver's side first as it's easier. (No exhaust in the way.) The new springs are single leaf instead of the usual multi-leaf spring arrangement. I had also ordered them to be made one inch lower. 

Because I had only changed the springs in the summer, everything came undone nice and easy, and it didn't take me long to change both springs. With the car lowered back down, I then had to adjust the front coil over springs to a similar ride height. This will have to be done numerous times yet though as the car will need to be driven a few times for the springs to settle down. It did look fairly level by the time I finished for the day though, so at least that's a good starting point. 

Monday 10th October. New fuelling for the Green Cortina!

 I'd received a text at the weekend asking if I'd be interested in purchasing some Weber carburettors for my Green Cortina. 

I thought about it over the weekend and decided I would. The carbs in question? A set of Twin 40 Webers. A fantastic piece of kit that will increase power output, look great, and sound fantastic!

I collected them on Monday night and have put them to one side for the time being until I get the suspension finished on the car. Then, they will be rebuilt, cleaned up and be ready for fitting. I can't wait! 

Sunday 9th October - Strut replacement continued.....

 So, quite early Sunday morning good friend Dave Maton arrived, and we wasted no time in starting where I had finished off Saturday afternoon. 

All parts were thoroughly cleaned before being re-fitted with particular attention being paid to the front wheel bearings, hubs and carriers. Once all this was done, we then about bleeding the brakes until we had a decent brake pedal. 

With the brakes sorted we then re-fitted the wheels and lowered the car back onto the floor. Normally we would have taken the car for a test drive to settle the springs and shocks and then adjusted the coil overs to the required ride height. However, seeing as I hadn't yet ordered the new rear springs there was little point as we would have no idea what the required ride height will be until the new rear springs are fitted. 

A small job of replacing the temperature gauge then followed and we then decided to go to the cafe for dinner. It was now gone 1pm and neither of us had eaten, so we were both hungry. 

The sun was shining so I decided to take the Zetec Cortina to the cafe and go for a small run out after. It had been a successful day and we had achieved everything we intended. 

Saturday 8th October - Front strut removal

 Today was going to be a busy day with the planned removal of the two front struts. (Or suspension legs if you prefer)

I was out in the garage quite early and I didn't want to start making too much noise just yet, so I finished another little job I had been preparing. 

Since I've had the car, it has had a 'Twin Cam' badge on the boot. Well, this looks ok, but it's just not right. The engine in the car isn't a twin cam, and I was starting to get tired of people asking me if it had a twin cam engine in it at car shows. 

The power plant that is in the car is actually a Mk2 Cortina 1600GT engine, so I bought, prepared and painted a 1600GT badge and put it where the twin cam badge was. It isn't perfect as it's only an experiment at the moment, but it's certainly more accurate than the badge that was on there. I think it looks quite good too. From a distance! 

With this and another small job complete, it was now gone 9am and I could start making a bit more noise. So, the car was jacked up, placed on axle stands and the process of removing both struts began. This can be quite a time-consuming affair as it isn't just the struts that have to come off, but the wheels, front springs, brake discs and hubs, brake callipers and brake pipes. (Oh, and the strut brace!)

I also had to be done by about lunch time as I had a guest coming round for the afternoon, so I ignored breakfast and just cracked on until I had done what I needed to do. Luckily, everything went to plan and I was finished by 1pm. 

The reason for removing the front struts was because I had recently bought a full coil over set complete with new shock absorber inserts and strut tops. The fitting of these though, would have to wait until tomorrow. 

 

Thursday 6th October - New shocks

 When I recently attempted to lower the Green Cortina by one inch to match up the ride height with the front, I found that the shock absorbers were 'bottoming out'. This means that the shocks were too long for lowered cars and are only really good for standard ride height. 

After shopping around, I bought some lowered and uprated shock absorbers from Retro Ford. The shocks are made by Gaz at Basildon, I went there first, but the lead time on having some made was four weeks, whereas Retro Ford had them in stock. (They obviously buy them in bulk for a cheaper rate and then keep them on the shelves.) 

In the near future I will be getting some new springs as well, but I haven't decided what type I'm going for yet, so the shocks are a good cure for the interim. 

Thursday morning was quite mild, and I had nothing else to do in the morning, so I fitted them before leaving for work. It was an easy job, so it didn't take long at all. I've also set them at quite a hard setting, so the ride should be a lot less 'bouncy' than it has been.