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John Mulders

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Everything posted by John Mulders

  1. A while ago I mentioned the technical inspection on the island. I would expect a little leeway for classic cars as I experienced that at that time but today I was flabbergasted. All cars seem to have issues lately. The Toyota Rav of my wife was now running real bad (like on 3 cylinders). Will be looked this Wednesday (presumably the coil) as also the front wheel suspension is making noises due to bad road conditions here. My F150 needed a technical inspection so I made an appointment. My wife didn't want to drive the Rav so she took the Toyota Corona (we keep for our boys). She needed to go with one of the dogs to the vet. I was on my way to the inspection when she called as she just arrived at the vet and steam was coming out under the bonnet. As the inspection is close by I told her that I would come by after the inspection, she would take the dog in. Inspection took a bit of time, wrong queue (seemed the more thorough checkup). When it was my turn the guy checked lights etc and then got in , drove a few meters to check the brakes. Then called over another inspector as there is a crack in the frontwindshield (for many years). He finally got out and told me that there was a problem.... Ok, I said, what is it (expecting that I needed to replace the windshield or that the brakes were not good enough). He said , come over and showed me the rear license plates lights. They worked fine but years ago one of the puppies chewed away on plastic (mudguards etc). So these lights were exposed and would shine backwards. That was no good and needed to be fixed. But, he continued, this guy here can help you, he can spray it black so only the plate will be illuminated. Sure, I said, that is fine with me, so 10 minutes later I paid the guys 3 US$ worth of coins and I got my technical approval. Funny island ! So then to the vet to check , the engine bay was sprayed but I could not detect any tubes that were torn. So we left the car there, took the dog home (she is fine) and went to work. So we just went back, poured some water in the radiator but could not detect any leaks. Decided to drive back home (10 minutes) and temperature was still fine. Then at home filled it up a bit more and then the radiator started to become wet from the top. First thought that I spilled but then saw that the soldered part on top was split open. That was an easy to find thing. Now see whether this can be fixed without spending too much dough ! All in all a very busy day with the cars. John
  2. Finally able to drive with the Wabi club. It rained in the morning but then cleared so decided to drive (side windows are not in). All seem to go well but we got our fair share of water. Wiper did it's best but is very small. We had some stops etc. New club cars are a hot-rod Ford (believe 32) , too low as any speedbump causes issues. A Ford Thunderbird, really nice car. Also a very nice locally restored Packard, he needs to find the bow for the front of the roof (that hooks on the top of the windshield frame), that is apparently not easy to find. Anyway, enjoyable afternoon drive, oil pressure is just under 40 when warm, over 40 when cold. Some pics for you attached. John
  3. Pretty sure Renault had 4 speed column shifters The Renault 16 TX I had was equipped with it. John
  4. Good find. Not an expert but is the stick not pointing the wrong direction (to the front)? John
  5. Think there is room for one more John
  6. Good to see progress, also around your house. In New Orleans you still have areas that haven't recovered. Best way to keep it empty, lock it ! John
  7. Saw the ad for the new 500 (movie) as well. Not sure what size the actors were ? 4' 5" maybe? The car looks way bigger than it actually is. Have great memories of the old version though John
  8. I second that, water pump replacement was one of the first things I did. tight but possible. Watch those knuckles John
  9. haha, good point. of course after the drink , but it was non-alcoholic I will fire her up on Saturday, may crawl under the car to see if there is anything visible there (linkage). John
  10. So I took her out for a drive, keeping an eye out for the weather as there is lots of rain around. When I started her I heard a new noise, some thumping noise. Not sure where it came from and there were some horror stories in the forum so I was kinda worried. I listened in the engine bay but not sure where it came from. Then I sat in the car and pressed the clutch, sound went away. With the clutch up again the sound was back again. I decided to drive and it seems all fine. The sound seems to have gone after the drive. So still kind of worried, what could it be? Drive was fine, enjoyed a drink on the beach and a nice drive back in the dark. John
  11. sorry to hear your dad's passing. John
  12. Randy, red tape is also here an issue, but sometimes it is more relaxed. Go Fridays after lunch, basically cars are waved through. Other times they are really checking everything. During my check one of them made a remark that the rear seat was not in. Should be in he said. I said that I had taken it out due to the water damage and the interior needed to be redone. But it costs money and you need time. He mumbled something about people that have these cars have money to do this anyway. Decided not to comment. anyway, roadtaxes are paid as well, so probably will drive tonight ! John
  13. Now the Wabi is running I could do the safety check. Pay the fees : 35$ and 5 minutes Wait in line : 15 minutes Have the car checked : lights, wiper, horn, brakes (drive and press pedal), check chassisnumber : total 5 minutes Wait for new card : 10 minutes Drive away : PRICELESS ! Now pay roadtaxes and I am fine again. John
  14. would that be 9500 Swiss francs? That would be a nice exchange profit John
  15. Look good, great moment when you hear the engine working again ! Just a question, why doesn't the metal start to rust? If I would leave the car here like that I can start over in a day or so? Did you put anything on the metal? John
  16. is that beer spilled on the fender of the first pic? Really can't stand that, wasting good stuff , beer that is ! Thanks for the pics ! Sounds like you enjoyed yourself a lot. John
  17. Other day has arrived first had to loosen the front brakes (disk) but a little rocking did the trick. Added some air to the tires and drove up & down the driveway cleaning the brakes. Went fine, then couldn't resist and went out on the street a bit (just my street). Steering feels the same , brakes work and engine goes. Now I need to get the wiper to work for the inspection. It works with the wiper lifted , probably spray some soap on the window when I need to show that it works (worked last time). I have one question, not related to the flooding. Before that someone driving behind me said the rear right wheel wobbles a bit. As it was on a stand I let the wheel turn and it is moving a bit. I think it is half a centimeter or .2 inch. I took the wheel of , rotated it 180 and put it on, but then the wobble ends up on the same spot on the drum (not the tire). So I guess this is not related to the tire/wheel. Would that indicate a bent axle? How bad is this? Just for fun , here are some pics on the dam (I am Dutch so I will stop that water) we put on the driveway. John
  18. After the flooding last year I had little time to look at the Wabi. I removed the oil + water and checked the brakes but that was it. Got some parts and Wednesday I did a first attempt, but the battery was basically gone and there was not much cranking. As said in an earlier thread it all seems corroded under the hood. So this morning I got myself a new battery and got some work done, removed some parts, cleaned them and painted them. Then cleaned the connections and put the new battery in. First cranks nothing happened, adjusted the distributor a bit and then it almost started, played a bit more and she suddenly came to life. The sweetest sound and of course it made me feel good. Hand adjusted the distributor a bit so it ran a bit smoother. Then tied that up. Next step was to see whether the clutch would work. When engaging its scrapes a bit (guess some rust/dirt) but it does work. Moved it in gear (back is on blocks) and the wheels turned. Rear breaks seem to work, front disk brakes are not moving (tire is half on the ground) but I think that will be ok when I slowly drive up and down the driveway ( I know). Once everything is done I can have her go through the safety inspection (every two years) and drive on the road again (that is why I use the driveway ! ) So this is a major step again. Time for some fun ! Thanks for the supportive words and advice. John
  19. Got around doing some work. Replaced a couple of wires inside the distributor. I had charged the battery. Put the distributor back , making sure it went in like it came out. Then I tried. Not much happening, guess the battery is no good (several years old and in this environment 2 years is normal). But I also saw that a lot of connectors have corrosion (something I don't recall from last time I worked on the car). So that would be also an important thing to address. Question on the advance and distributor though. I hooked up the new advance but I would expect that the inner works of the distributor could move? Seems pretty much stuck.... Anyway, was able to spent some time on the car instead of repairs around the house. Friend came by who helped a bit so that was good too. John
  20. sounds like a great drive, did you make any pictures ? Mileage sounds good. John
  21. Thanks, I understand the working now and why these shims are there. Now how to adjust, I don't have a manual for the distributor. Before I got the new one the old one was broken en therefor wouldn't work. The line (from the carburetor) to the vacuum advance was rusted and I think it was leaking. Hmm, guess this will be trial & error. John
  22. Hi, preparing for the installation of the new vacuum advance. The unit I took out had a spring and three 'washers'. The spring goes in first but I don't see what the three washers would do? Two seem the same the third slightly thicker So maybe these are a sort of shim? I don't recall a particular order (it doesn't seem to matter anyway). Do I need to take this in consideration or just put the three in the vacuum advance? Thanks John
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