Lock down work

[Razor61]

Well, as I’m working from home for the next 3 weeks for the most part I decided to do some stuff on the LS400. Things that I had planned to do anyway at some point and now I have the time. I had planned to remove the cill covers and have a look at any damage and rust, mainly the rear arch issue I have. I did this today and below are some photos of what was underneath before I did anything apart from the bottom of the off side rear arch which I removed all the gunk and rust. Pretty good condition I have to say and was pleasantly surprised. I also removed the off side wheel to investigate the rear bottom arch rust problem which wasn’t as bad as I thought. Near side may be worse when I remove the fibreglass patching. Anyway I’ve wire brushed and rust treated anything I could find on the cill seams etc and will post after pics tomorrow.

I have bought some plastic clips to fix the covers back on, all the plastic clips broke apart from 2 or 3. I knew about this so bought a bag full of them. Not tried them yet though so I hope they are right ones!

[The-Acre]

I guess lots of us will have a chance to get things done that we've been putting off.  For me it's laying new lawn and (if) I can get sand and cement some repointing!

[Razor61]

Yep, what I’m doing on the car isn’t the most important thing in the world. Following government advice is though, which I am doing. But I need to occupy myself doing something and doing stuff on the car is my way of occupying myself. My wife works at Sainsbury’s so is out of the house a lot of the time, customers in retail can be difficult in normal circumstances but at the moment it’s pretty frustrating for staff in supermarkets. And that is putting it very very mildly, people can be so moronic and stupid which beggars belief!

[Malc]

Paul, I'm incredibly impressed with the near perfect state of the insides of your cills .........  just goes to show what amazing build quality came from Toyota / Lexus 24 years ago

Thanks for doing this, it gives me so much confidence that I shan't be worrying about mine ever 

hope the plastic clips work ok .....  

Malc

[Razor61]

14 minutes ago, Malc said:

Thanks for doing this, it gives me so much confidence that I shan't be worrying about mine ever 

hope the plastic clips work ok ..... 

No problem, I’ve tried to find the clips I bought but I can’t find them anywhere! I need to turn the garage and the house upside down to find them but I may have left them at work. I don’t think I have though, I may have thrown them away somehow and will be a bit miffed if I have. They weren’t expensive but at the moment I may not be able to get some more. Anyway some more pics below.

 

[Razor61]

Work today, rear bumper removed which took me a couple of hours. There are 2 x nuts holding the rear bumper on (plus all the others in the boot) which are in the arch, plenty of patience needed to get them off without snapping the bolts. Plenty of Plus Gas, undo until it stops, wind back in and repeat until they come off. This took the most time. Degreased the bodywork underneath once bumper is off and washed. Scraped all the rust off that I could from the bottom of the arches, cleaned and rust treated. I’ve got the stuff I need to repair the holes into the boot and the other side. Aluminium mesh, body adhesive/sealant and a glass fibre kit if needed. Pics below.

[steve2006]

Question is....did you eventually find the clips or was it a case of tentatively asking the other half “You know those clips I bought, have you seen them anywhere” then increase social distancing while waiting for a response. 😀

[Razor61]

1 hour ago, steve2006 said:

Question is....did you eventually find the clips or was it a case of tentatively asking the other half “You know those clips I bought, have you seen them anywhere” then increase social distancing while waiting for a response. 😀

🤣 I haven't found them yet, I ordered 50 x of the cill cover clips and a 500 piece box of all different Toyota clips. I can't find either of them, I did ask my other half and the look I got wasn't pleasant!!! I'll have another look today in the house. I haven't looked properly in the house yet, I'll wait until my other half in back in work at Sainsbury's and do it then...........

[steve2006]

Been think...well plenty of time for it....could you post up the details of the clips you have bought both the door moulding ones and the universal kit please. I may have ago myself if I can get some mail order.

[Razor61]

Here you go, I’ve ordered some more anyway.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F323160849691

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F174217768859

[JamesIS220]

Not bad for a 24 year old car.

My P Reg Volvo 940 petrol Auto is good. Every few years I underseal it. Just the body needs work as previous owners scraped the OSR quarter. 203,000miles. It was scruffy when bought in 2016 for £250 but a great workhorse for my business and ever since purchased goes through the MOT with no advisories.

Never had any welding yet.

My 1989 240 GLT auto had both jacking points patch welded twice on the passenger side in 10 years. cost was around £100 a time. Sold it on and still on the road today. 234,000 when sold.

Hope my 2015 Auris remains rust free!

James.

[The-Acre]

13 hours ago, JamesIS220 said:

Not bad for a 24 year old car.

My P Reg Volvo 940 petrol Auto is good. Every few years I underseal it. Just the body needs work as previous owners scraped the OSR quarter. 203,000miles. It was scruffy when bought in 2016 for £250 but a great workhorse for my business and ever since purchased goes through the MOT with no advisories.

Never had any welding yet.

My 1989 240 GLT auto had both jacking points patch welded twice on the passenger side in 10 years. cost was around £100 a time. Sold it on and still on the road today. 234,000 when sold.

Hope my 2015 Auris remains rust free!

James.

I know told you in the past about my old Volvo ownership, and as I've now got time to do the jobs I've been putting off I was in my garage last week and hanging on the wall, covered in cobwebs, was the timing belt removed from my 740GLE all those years ago!  Although I've no idea why I kept it. A shame all timing belts aren't as easy to replace.

[Malc]

1 hour ago, The-Acre said:

 

 

1 hour ago, The-Acre said:

Although I've no idea why I kept it. A shame all timing belts aren't as easy to replace.

well, strange though it may be ...  I carry my old one in the boot at all times ......  just in case i go on a big trip somewhere and the ( new 24k miles ago now ) timing belt snaps and I'm in some god forsaken place where one's just not available ...... middle of sub Sahara or summat ............  probably get one in Timbuktu though !

But by then of course the engine will be knackered and I'll have to buy another car maybe to get home !  or maybe my RAC breakdown and recovery membership will do the honourable thing and get me home 

Maybe I'll just bin it, the old belt that is !

Malc

[Razor61]

Finally got to the bit I was dreading, the wheel arch with the glass fibre which looked more like straw😳

pics after the ‘straw’ was removed😪 Looks worse than it actually is, that’s what I’m telling myself anyway! But once cleaned up and treated, I think I’ll be able to sort it out with aluminium mesh, adhesive/joint filler stuff and some time to make sure it’s all sealed and looks pretty. Maybe some glass fibre as well, not decided the best way forward yet.

[ambermarine]

Paul

Best treatment for the strength in place is the aluminum mesh soaked with epoxy resin then applied as a plaster,this will bond better than fibreglass and will wear better.

When it as gone off build it with more layers and shape into the contours.

[JamesIS220]

21 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

Paul

Best treatment for the strength in place is the aluminum mesh soaked with epoxy resin then applied as a plaster,this will bond better than fibreglass and will wear better.

When it as gone off build it with more layers and shape into the contours.

Sounds a good plan! Or cut out fully and get a new piece welded in? Depends if keeping car long term.

I tried the fibreglass filler to fill over my Auris Cat cover bolts and its awful stuff to work with. Mesh bonded in the resin, then filled over sounds the easier and best option.

The older Volvo models are easy to change the timing belt as easy access at the front of the engine. I have never been confident to do it myself but buy the genuine Volvo timing belt and as car new to me the tensioner. Garage charged me £60 Labour. I change it every 50k miles. Apparently most rwd Volvo engines are non interference, but not all. I used to do the same with the old service items on my 240, I would put them in the boot cubby holes as spares just in case.

A funny story. 5 months earlier changed the spark plugs on my 240. Drove down the A38 at 70 in the fast lane and suddenly a massive bang and engine misfiring! Pulled onto hard shoulder and lifted the bonnet and saw the disconnected HT lead and no spark plug! It was nowhere to be seen. Got an old one from cubby hole and fitted fine and was on my way! Never found the plug!

James.

[Razor61]

9 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

Paul

Best treatment for the strength in place is the aluminum mesh soaked with epoxy resin then applied as a plaster .this will bond better than fibreglass and will wear better.

When it as gone off build it with more layers and shape into the contours.

Good advice thanks,  I’ve got Tigerseal, Sikaflex 221 and aluminium mesh and the plan was to stick the mesh on in pieces if needed, gluing just on the edges to start with, then when cured cover with whatever is the best. I’ll get some epoxy resin as well, I don’t fancy use glass fibre to honest.

[The-Acre]

4 hours ago, Malc said:

 

well, strange though it may be ...  I carry my old one in the boot at all times ......  just in case i go on a big trip somewhere and the ( new 24k miles ago now ) timing belt snaps and I'm in some god forsaken place where one's just not available ...... middle of sub Sahara or summat ............  probably get one in Timbuktu though !

But by then of course the engine will be knackered and I'll have to buy another car maybe to get home !  or maybe my RAC breakdown and recovery membership will do the honourable thing and get me home 

Maybe I'll just bin it, the old belt that is !

Malc

Sentimental value!

[steve2006]

Thanks Paul,

I have now ordered the 2 sets of clips from the links you kindly provided, they both said delivery by Monday but with the present situation they arrive when they do. I have another 10 weeks on the present standby rota so plenty of time to do the job.

Looking at the box of 500 I will have enough for my lifetime and several generations to follow so if anyone needs a clip or hundred around Derbyshire please let me know and I will be glad to provide FOC if collected.

[Razor61]

3 hours ago, steve2006 said:

Thanks Paul,

I have now ordered the 2 sets of clips from the links you kindly provided, they both said delivery by Monday but with the present situation they arrive when they do. I have another 10 weeks on the present standby rota so plenty of time to do the job.

Looking at the box of 500 I will have enough for my lifetime and several generations to follow so if anyone needs a clip or hundred around Derbyshire please let me know and I will be glad to provide FOC if collected.

No problem, I received mine today so you should be ok.

[Razor61]

So after much scraping and treating over the last 2 x weeks or so I've finished sealing the 2 x holes into the boot and the off side corrosion to the the cill. The os bottom of the arch at the cill side wasn't that bad, after removing all the crud it looks like just the original sealant between the inner arch and the cill had failed. I say this because once I scrapped away everything it left a neat gap of approx 4mm between the inner arch and the cill, all nicely rounded. I don't know whether this was originally welded which has failed, tidied up and then sealant applied or it was bonded originally. So I've used the same method on that which is - aluminium mesh stuck on with Tiger seal round the edges - once dried fill in the bigger gaps - smoothed off as best I can and it's now setting/drying.

os bottom of the arch at the cill side before applying mesh and sealant then mesh and then sealant all over.

Same for the holes into the boot area.

It may not be pretty but I'm 100% sure it's waterproof and will do the job for a long time. After I took the photos I placed some plastic sheet on top so I could smooth it out better and once dried the plastic should just peel off, I've tried peeling off a bit this morning on a section that has dried and it does just peel off so once the thicker bits have dried it will be fine I think.

The worse side though (pic below), on the ns bottom cill side, I'm going to get a plate welded in then apply sealant/resin etc. It's too big for the aluminium mesh and sealant method. Although it would work, I think a metal plate is better if possible

 

[Malc]

hope you make a tidier job of it all in 2044 when it needs doing again 

Malc

[Razor61]

3 hours ago, Malc said:

hope you make a tidier job of it all in 2044 when it needs doing again 

Malc

If I need to do it again ever I’ll be disappointed🤪 it will look neater when the plastic is removed, anti chip paint sprayed on then the whole inner arch under sealed. You won’t know I’ve touched it then😃

[Razor61]

Had a look at the glove box area today to try and figure out where the annoying rattle is coming from. The nuts on the upper glove box hinges were loose, the rh one very loose and the lh one just loose but not as bad. This might be the cause but time will tell. They are hidden by 2 plastic covers which need removing first then tighten the nuts, I used a Teng mini ratchet/socket set which is a very very useful set. Video of b4 and after are below along with a picture of the Teng mini ratchet/socket set.

[Razor61]

Inside the boot now sealed as well. Again, it’s not pretty but who cares.............I certainly don’t as it’s sealed both sides now, wheel arch side and now inside the boot. Before I sealed inside the boot I washed the car, got the hose on the inner wheel arches where the holes had been fettled and gave it a good soak. Checked inside the boot and I couldn’t detect any water so I think it’s pretty much waterproofed. Pics below are before I sealed inside the boot and after, the near side was the worst and you can see the aluminium mesh. The off side wasn’t as bad at all.