Stuff you have fixed today

[bricol]

Today I fixed the wipers on my Alfa 159.
The driver's side was juddering and on closer inspection I noticed the arm was hitting the bonnet.

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I suspected the spindle was worn so I took the motor and linkage off for a look.
The bulkhead drains were blocked so there was a bit of a pond ecosystem going on.

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Anyway the spindles and ball joints were pretty much perfect, however the plastic spindles are crimped into the linkage tubes and the drivers side had worked itself loose.
No problem though I, I'll just tighten the crimp but on the first squeeze I heard a crack and the plastic insert let go completely.

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Oh bother said I, what to do.
New wiper linkages are almost £400 from Alfa, pattern parts and secondhand linkages are available, but I thought I'd have a go at repairing it (as you do)

I had a look in the scrap bin and found suitable material.
First job was to measure everything up then turn off the broken stub on the spindle.

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Then turn some pipe to fit over the reduced spindle, a steel stub and replacement section of pipe for the linkage frame.
I then welded them together.

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I cut off the damage section of the linkage frame and welded in a short section of pipe.

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Tacked it up and had a trial fit.
It looked ok and I was doing to weld the stub into the pipe, but then I thought it might be useful to have some adjustment so made a clamp to hold the stub inside the tube.

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After another trial fit I used Araldite to glue the spindle into the steel sleeve.

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With the glue dry I was able to reinstall the linkage.
Slackening the clamp allows the spindle (and so the wiper arm and blade) to be rotated so that the wiper blade sits perpendicular to the screen.
Normally the wiper is just twisted to set the blade angle but with this I can make sure the wiper arm clears the bonnet as well.

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With a bit of adjusting I've got the driver's side working perfectly, plenty of clearance and a good quiet wipe.
The passenger's side was always good so I'll call this a fix.
I still needs to paint the wiper arms and the linkage repairs but that can wait for a day or two.

A lot for work fixing a part that's available, however I do like fixing stuff and I'd say this is possibly an improvement.

Mine did the same - I might have been slightly more gentle on the squeezing back of the crimp though I drilled and pinned it too. I see you already have the bigger washers over the rubber mounting bushes to stop it twisting away from the screen - took me a while to work out why my drivers side wiper didn't wipe the centre 6" of the blade - whole mech had tipped away from the screen and the arm had bottomed out on it's downward travel, so no actual spring pressure to hold the blade on the screen.

Had to remove the whole thing to get to the bleed screws on the brake master cylinder around the V6 engine - and still couldn't fget decent access. Seems a bit excessive to remove the engine just to be able to bleed the brakes!

Still dislike the fact it has three auto settings, not three settings for intermittent - always seems to be going like the clappers on a dry screen, or resting in a downpour.

 

[Keithmac]

Rode the H2 yesterday after sorting some wiring issues, looks lovely!.

Straight into an RD250 LC (get running, fit oil pump and make it roadworthy again).

Did a VTR 1000 Firestorm manual camchain tensioner(s) conversion and valve clearances.

I do quite a lot of manual camchain tensioner jobs now, luckily the VTR was still in time on both cylinders.

 

[Onoff]

A couple of lights up the pub. Like for like with a 20W LED mini floodlight.

Then slapped up a solar powered twin spot I'd been given & had kicking around. This in place of a playing up mains pir lamp. I'll go back at sometime when I can have the power off to remove the old mains lantern.

Total expenditure was less than a tenner. Paid in beer worth more.

 

[badabec]

I miss the scream of a two stroke in its power band

 

[Farside]

I miss the scream of a two stroke in its power band

I love the smell of two-stroke in the morning.

 

[dobbslc]

That first waft across the misty paddock can't be beaten.

 

[MattF]

That first waft across the misty paddock can't be beaten.

I think I'll try that as a chat-up line, someday.

 

[addjunkie]

I think I'll try that as a chat-up line, someday.

If that is your best chat up line celibacy is possibly in your future.

That above looks a decent unmolested example of an LC. But the H2 is just pure sex, and would benefit from the very rare twin disc conversion kit.

 

[MattF]

There's no possibly about it.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

This Monitor Camping stove ambled into my procession.
It is complete, but it also had extra bits.


So we did the basic safety checks and tried to fire it up.

It leaked more fuel than it burnt.

The burner fits into the body and a lead seal is used to make it fuel tight. This is the old one.

All new seals fitted. Along with a new cup washer.

It is now fuel tight and burns well.

A quick polish.

Tined was cleaned up.

 

[Keithmac]

If that is your best chat up line celibacy is possibly in your future.

That above looks a decent unmolested example of an LC. But the H2 is just pure sex, and would benefit from the very rare twin disc conversion kit.

It's funny you mention the twin brake disk conversion, that's on the card in the future once he's put some miles on it.

LC is all original, needs a bit of work mind..

 

[Onoff]

Yesterday I threw another just over £100 on 4 cans of grey acrylic roof repair compound. Only used 3 in fact.

https://flic.kr/p/2pySKZt

Ripped, wrinkled and basically shot. Minimal falls etc. It's needed redoing for years but keep putting it off until we go for planning permission to bring the dormers out.

 

[Danez]

Replaced the rear upper wishbone on the jaaag

Supervision making sure a do i good job on a fellow cat

 

[minimutly]

Replaced the rear upper wishbone on the jaaag
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Supervision making sure a do i good job on a fellow cat
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looks like mine. Did you have to re-allign it?

 

[lchris21]

....fixed the rusted chain slider and chain guard fixings on my bike. One was was an utter pain to get out, siezed solid and inaccessible. 45 mins of hammering, swearing, and hitting of thumbs later it was out. Took less than 5 mins turn some new locators to replace the rotten ones.

 

[ajlelectronics]

The car I am working on has been horribly bodge modified. I have been trying to figure out why the throttles weren't closing reliably and so took it apart. Before and after (after with one coat of black over white primer, still wet. It was all I had.)

In case it isn't clear, the throttle cable bracket had been cut apart and an extension piece put in by a flock of welding pigeons.

 

[Gragson]

Really productive day today.

Full serviced mower,
2 chainsaws plugs and carbs and chain sharpening,
Garden blower carb service & plug,
Compressors drain and oil change x 2
Genie oil change, plug and carb clean
Pond pump clean out - yuk

Working from home while boss is on holiday
Also did a sh*t load of paid for work, still am...

 

[Migmac]

I never took any photos, didn’t think to. I got asked if i could get a Stihl MS 170 chainsaw running. Said I would have a look, problem was obvious. The spark plug wasn’t in the spark plug hole! I laughed longer than it took me to “sort” it. I think the son had removed the plug to stop his mother using it !

 

[qwakers]

more work lights and a light bar for the lorry...

and added a battery maintainer so the battery in the race car wont go flat when stored in the back, which it seems to be doing more and more recently.

 

[qwakers]

and yes i know it badly needs a wash...