After a long silence, it’s time for an update.
After GOCS2024, I returned home and pulled the struts out of the car. With us using all sorts of methods to try to get the centre-lock wheels off, it seems we damaged the seals on the front struts. The front coils were also making a noise, and on investigation we found that the springs were turning in the cups. This was because I hadn’t refitted the sleeves/hose sections around the ends of the springs when I reassembled the car in 2019/2020. I don’t know what changed, but because of the leaking dampers and the noisy springs, I decided to lift the car 20mm all round and change from 175/50R13 to 195/55R13 tyres. Our roads are getting worse by the day, and the bigger tyre gives me a little more cushion.
I had my spare set of Superlites refurbished, along with a set of Compomotive MS wheels. Both are 13x7, but the Superlite is a -7 offset and the Compomotive is a -6 offset. Once I had the suspension back together and the car on the ground, it became clear that one of the two manufacturers can’t measure - the wheels were touching the arches with the bigger rubber.
I opted to fit the MS wheels, which were only on for a very short time before a wheel I’d been after for a very long time became available: the Compomotive CXN in 13x7. These wheels have never been repainted or repaired. I got the CXNs on and did some kilometres around town to make sure all would be in order for GOCS2025. During this time it became apparent that the new Gabriel dampers I fitted are utter rubbish. They’ll be staying in the car for now, though, as I’m busy finishing off other projects and need to route the funds in other directions.
On the day I left for GOCS2025, I made it as far as Jeffreys Bay. After watching the temperature gauge for about 20km. It was a little higher than usual, and when I gave it a bit on a long hill, I saw it climbing. So I did the responsible thing, turned around, went home, parked the car and left for George in the Hilux.
When I got back from George, I pulled the radiator and found little white crystal-like balls in it. I then removed the thermostat, refitted the radiator and flushed the system twice with oxalic acid. I’ll share a photo of what the inside of the cylinder head looked like after two one-hour idle sessions with the oxalic acid in. I then flushed everything properly and took the radiator in to have the tanks pulled, the core cleaned and everything put back together again. At the same time, I fitted a carb kit I got from Clive Wilmot and replaced the rubber hoses.
On GOCS2026, the car ran very well there and back, but a split fuel line meant a quick roadside repair before we were on our way again. It looks like the rubber hose you get nowadays needs to be inspected and replaced at least every six months. The hose that split was between the fuel pump and the carb, and it was only 9 or 10 months old, though I’m not sure how many years it had been on the shelf at the shop.
Anyway, enough babbling. Here are some pics.