My other red rallye resto......

[Ben_w]

So, now I'm home, clean and have had a cider or two, I'll explain today in a bit more detail…..

The guy who runs the tyre place I help out at had organised for us to go to a track day at Mallory Park on Sunday. All was fine and we were working steadily on the Rallye to get it done until i got my operation date, which was supposed to be Thursday 5th November. Thinking I wouldn't be going, progress on the Rallye slowed. Tuesday this week, I got a call to say it had been cancelled and I'd be having it next week, on the 11th November. Realisation dawned that I would be going track day racing!

Now the Rallye hadn't got an MOT before today. Having spoken with my mate on Thursday, it was clear it still needed a lot of work. Jobs included replacing the rear beam, replacing the main front to rear brake lines, finishing the welding, sorting the wiring for the lambda sensor, replacing the wiper blades, service it, replace the cambelt, replace some bulbs and a couple of other small jobs.

We decided that the service and cambelt could wait, but everything else needed doing. And doing today. By 16:30 as that was when it was booked in for MOT!

We got to the unit at 06:30. Cup of tea and got cracking. The unions attracting the main front to rear brake pipes to the rear beam and the abs sensor wiring had been undone previously. The beam was ready to remove. Up on the lift, off with the exhaust, spare wheel cage, heat shield and it was time to undo the 6 bolts holding the beam on. Dropped the car back down onto the stands used to do tracking, undid the bolts and lifted the car clear. Beam off and it's only 07:15.



Then set about transferring all the brake lines and as sock bits to the new beam. Discovered two brake pipes were shot so ended up remaking those. At approx 10:30, the rear calipers I'd bought turned up (I'd managed to knacker the ones which came with the beam by shearing the bleed nipples, despite being careful and using loads of heat). Fitted them and got them piped up. By this time, the rest of the welding was underway. We also got quite busy for tyres so got busy doing those. By about 1pm, the welding was done. Next job was replacing the front to rear brake lines. I used the old lines from my other rallye as replacements but had been unable to disconnect the lines on the case from the pipes from the abs pump where they met in a union on the front bulkhead. Ended up disconnecting the pipes from the and pump to give decent access to these unions, then separated the pipes and replaced the main front to rears. Took a lot longer than expected due to access issues and the old pipes came off in so many pieces as they were so corroded but got there in the end.

By this time it was approx 14:30, two hours to MOT and we were feeling the pressure. Went to fit the handbrake cables to discover Parker's had send us Phase 1 306 cables….no go there. Rang them, they said they'd have the right ones to us by 16:30….same time as I was due for MOT….bugger.

No time to waste so by this time, it's 3pm. Car has no rear beam, no brakes, lambda sensor wiring still not sorted and no battery box or ecu. Eeeek.

Lambda sensor took about ten mins to sort. Cut off the old plug, tinned the ends of the loom and new plug cables, joined and used electrical tape around each connection. I'll go back and use proper heatshrink soon. Refitted battery box and reconnected the ecu then moved onto the beam. Dropped the new beam, complete with wheels onto the tracking stands and lowered the car back down onto it. Fed the mount studs through the holes, bolted them up, reconnected the brake lines and then the abs sensors. By now it's 4pm. Shoot.

We begin to fill the brake system with fluid and fill it up. Just one slight weep from a union which was soon sorted and consider how much of the brake pipe system had been apart, I was pleased. Then began the process of bleeding…..painful but had to be done right. At 16:35, it was done. We refitted the exhaust, lowered the ramp, threw in a battery, and drove it off the ramp. Parker's turned up just at that moment so grabbed the cables, threw them and the new wiper blades in the boot and shot off to the MOT station….made it just in time…...fitted the handbrake cables and wipers and then got it onto the ramp…….and it passed.

An epic day of spannering, welding and other bits. Not worked that hard and fast for so long on a car ever. Over the moon though as she passed. Couldn't have done it without the help I had though.

So, where are we at? It still needs a cam belt and a service. We've a Gates Powergrip belt kit (OE belt manufacturers), a water pump, oil, oil filter and fuel filter to do tomorrow. Once that's done, we are at a track day Sunday, then I need to arrange for it to go off for some paint. Then it will be sold…..