FZJ80R from Devon

[Richard Turner]

Saw a wheel balancer just down the road for £25 on facebook market place so went and picked it up on the way to work.

Pretty dusty and grimy but apparently working. Its the spin by hand type, but has the computer to work out the weights.

Gave it a clean up and tested it on some wheels, but I was getting crazy results, weights to be added in 100's of grams etc.

Opened it up and gave it a good clean, blew all the dust out with an airline, and cleaned the cutter ring. It works a bit like an ABS sensor, with a force sensor a bit like you would get on a set of electronic scales. Cleaned all that out and tightened some loose connections.

Checked the run out of the wheel mountings with a DTI - all good.

So decided to spin a brand new Mercedes Sprinter rim to check the machine.

Trouble is brand new sprinter rims seem to come pre buckled, at least its not pre rusted like most of the mercedes parts that I unbox.

It spins up with 0 0 now though, before it was spinning at 10 10.

Tried the bent rim that was giving readings in 100's of grams earlier.

Gave me reading of 20 50 this time, I dont have any spare weights so used some scrap ones 25 40, spun it again and got 15 15.

So it seems to be working reasonably well, I will test it properly at home, but pretty pleased with my bargain!

 

[chapel gate]

that is a bargain. looks in great nick too..
im well overdue a workshop treat..

 

[Higgy]

With your skills Rich, see if you can incorporate a washing machine motor to it, An old one mind, You don't want it spinning up at 1800rpm, flinging wheel weights round the workshop....Like CG says im also ready for a work shop treat, Id like a Tyre change machine....sick of getting charged a tenner every time I need to pop one off the Bead... Good find Mate

 

[Richard Turner]

I had one with a motor that never worked as the motor blew breakers, it was a lot bigger and heavier as you had to pull a cover down over the wheel to start the motor. I am happy to spin the wheel myself as at least its less thing to break.

I have this tyre pole with air breaker to change tyres on, it used to be ideal for drifting as I could slide it into the back of the van and change tyres at the track.

Now its a bit of a pain as the bead breaker is too small for land cruiser tyres (have to use the farm jack) plus you wouldnt want to use it on nice rims as you will damage them. So I am on the lookout for a proper tyre machine (but it has to be pocket money cheap).

 

[Richard Turner]

Side project - MR2 Turbo

Got this MR2 from facebook - trouble is...

Its a bit crashed!

So after some mucking about and ratchet strapping the suspension arm forward...

Got her loaded on the dolly and pulled her back home with the cruiser.

The power of the cruiser makes it an excellent recovery vehicle!

If any one is interested I will put a post up on here about getting the MR2 back up and running. As its a Cat C I intend to use it as a car, send myself back in time to when 90's cars were well built and fixable. Its an import and only done 79k mix of miles and km, and the sills and arches are solid. Fired straight up after we connected the battery, it has been sat for 18 months since it was crashed.

 

[chapel gate]

do you still have the GT as well?
itll be like the fast and the furious Tokyo drift round your place..

 

[Richard Turner]

I have to be fast to keep clear of furious wife!

Yes still have the GT86, as well as the MR2 turbo trials car, MR2 N/A road car, another MR2 N/A which I shall cut to repair the new turbo MR2, 200SX drift car with blown up engine, and of course the FZJ80R!

 

[Richard Turner]

Put the 80 in for MOT, it passed first time which was nice, emissions test very easy to pass with the LPG,

Couple of advisory, the o/s/f brake pipe is pretty rusty, will have to do something with that, not sure what yet though.

Also have been soaking the window rubbers in oil of wintergreen to make them soften and expand.

Seems to make a difference, but only from 'window not working' to 'window working but slowly'

I am trying to stop the front windows from making a drumming rattling sound whilst driving down a bumpy road with them slightly opened.

 

[Chris]

New motors and regulators fix that. Make it like a new car. Once the damage has been done to the quadrant in there then even if you take the rubbers out completely, the windows still don't go up and down smoothly. Best £50 I've ever spent on parts.

 

[Richard Turner]

Just had a look on Milner 4x4 at the rear window regulators, they seem good value, the only pain is that on mine the metal track (for the roller on the end of the arm) is rusty and twisted away from the window, (presumably the regulator arm is bent) and it doesnt come with that piece. I think that is why when the window is 2/3 down it is pushed outwards in the frame. The rear windows go up and down ok with the soaked rubbers, so I will probably live with them. The rear window regulator is quite a crude design as it only has one arm and relies on the glass fitting in the channel to keep it square.

On the front window you can see how much the rubber has shrunk as the lighter shaded area of the rubber should be in the corner above the mirror.

So its in the wintergreen bath now to see if it swells enough.

 

[karl webster]

i have second hand or can get new rich and can also supply new rubbers ect if needed.

 

[Richard Turner]

Thanks Karl, I am on an ultra tight budget at the moment as Baby is due in April, I might have to get a new drivers front window rubber as the rattling of the window pane is driving me crackers but I will see how I get on with the soaking first.

 

[Towpack]

Try fitting some sort of padding between the rubber and the doorframe. Anything from along strip of foam rubber,piece of thin rubber pipe etc just to narrow the groove the glass slides in and stop it rattling. I did this as a temp measure before eventually forking out on new rubbers.

 

[chapel gate]

Thanks Karl, I am on an ultra tight budget at the moment as Baby is due in April, I might have to get a new drivers front window rubber as the rattling of the window pane is driving me crackers but I will see how I get on with the soaking first.

Congratulations.
The 80 makes a great family car. The height saves back bending when putting the new co pilot in there seat.
I would highly recommend getting a baby seats that swivels. Makes life much easier.

 

[Richard Turner]

We have a baby seat with an isofix base, but the seatbelt also goes through it. I am planning to make some kind of bracket for the isofix bits to fix to as it helps steady it. You press a button and the whole seat lifts out.

We were planning to use it in the GT86, which does actually have isofix mounts, but the passenger seat has to be fully forward for it to work meaning you couldnt have a front seat passenger. And its very difficult to get the seat in and out through the gap. So Emily is going to use the LC80 and I will use the 86.

Apparently I have to fix a mirror so baby can be observed from the front seat (as the baby seat has to face backwards), not sure how I am going to do this yet, I had a scrap headrest that I could have fixed a mirror to but I chucked it out.

 

[chapel gate]

When ours had to face backwards we had him in the front seat. When he was old enough to face forward he went in the back. I take the passenger head rest off so he has a good view.
Em suggested we got a baby view mirror, I suggested we didn't.

 

[Richard Turner]

Refitted the drivers window rubber, it has almost swelled back to the correct size,

The window goes up and down nicely even with the engine off, have not taken it for a run to see if it still makes the rattling noise. If it does I will have to change the regulator and rubber.

 

[Gav missin]

We have a baby seat with an isofix base, but the seatbelt also goes through it. I am planning to make some kind of bracket for the isofix bits to fix to as it helps steady it. You press a button and the whole seat lifts out.

We were planning to use it in the GT86, which does actually have isofix mounts, but the passenger seat has to be fully forward for it to work meaning you couldnt have a front seat passenger. And its very difficult to get the seat in and out through the gap. So Emily is going to use the LC80 and I will use the 86.

Apparently I have to fix a mirror so baby can be observed from the front seat (as the baby seat has to face backwards), not sure how I am going to do this yet, I had a scrap headrest that I could have fixed a mirror to but I chucked it out.

You can buy them. Just a mirror with 2 adjustable straps to go both ways round the headrest. Not sure where ours came from but can ask the missus when she gets back .

 

[Richard Turner]

I will probably use an old lorry mirror!

 

[Richard Turner]

Sold our dinghy and old Coleman tent and have bought a trailer tent,

We looked at a few and went for this one in the end as it isn't too old and was cheap and local. Needs the lights sorting out and a bit of a cleanup but the canvas and interior is really good.

Its called a Raclet Minto. The advantage and disadvantage of a trailer tent as far as I can see is that you get a very big tent made of heavy duty canvas, which would be too heavy to carry and put up except that it is mounted on a trailer. Which means of course you have to tow a trailer (not so good for motorway and ferry etc)

We will use it this year and see how we get on with it, if its a pain we will sell it and go back to ground tenting.