StreetTrim Shop Truck

[FC427]

Mark; you're right - it's naughty, but sometimes the only viable solution....

 a (well-deserved!) lecture from FC427 re the evils of wheel spacers...  

(seriously though, Mark; aside from spacers being illegal, I would really appreciate and value your opinion on the possible  consequences of using them, and what sort of driving may induce or hasten these problems, and what steps, if any, those of us who choose to use them may take to minimise any problems...  I'm using best quality new studs with plenty of thread available for the nuts after the spacers are fitted; other than taking the spacers off, are there any other precautions I could be taking?)

Jack no lecture I'm not the wheel spacer police   Craig is correct XU1 used spacers  about 2.5mm thick I think  ; I have had the wheel studs brake on a couple of my cars my FC included from using wheel spacers, if you have to use them turn up a set that fit properley [not the  universal shity ones]  the same as the mounting face of the mag you are using and glue them with together  once nice and clean with a hi temp Anaerobic Adhesive such as ThreeBond 1375B so at least it's not a floater spacer and always run hub centric wheels but as for me I will never overload my studs again with wheel spacers .....FC427.....

[jack_fc]

Thanks Mark; good info... do you think that running wheels with big offsets and/or spacers may impact on wheelbearing life?

cheers, jack

(sorry Stinky for butting in on your thread...  )

[mcl1959]

As Mark has inferred, the major problem with spacers is that the wheel no longer locates on the axle or hub along with the fact that some punters do not change to longer studs when fitting spacers. You may remember also that some mag nuts are designed to lock against the axle or hub as well.
Now, that said, not all wheels have the same problems and not all mag nuts have issues. Rather than list a whole lot of different scenarios of what can and can't work, it is easier just to make spacers illegal.

Ken

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Front seat mods.

Early 1990s(?) Tarago far rear seat adjustment mechanisms, the initial plan was to cut the FC seat and weld brackets to mount these to.


Plans changed  this is the bare frame from the Tarago seat, after some more measuring the dimensions were close enough to incorporate some of the Tarago seat frames.


Closer inspection of some the seat springs and experience from the FE Sedan had me leaning towards a more modern foam base.
Restorers look away now  I removed the bottom spring set from the frame.


One thing led to another and I chopped the back off the frame, why not have an updated backrest to go with the base.


Assembled Tarago seat frame placed on the butchered FC seat base. Whilst the base comes up short the back rest is close to the original height of an FC backrest. A commondoor rear seat base (in the background) is currently being eyed for the bottom seat foam at the moment.

[Ed]

Nice,neat mod Stinky.
 

Cheers

Ed

[FCRB26]

The only downside would be 2 people to change it or can you reach.

Or do i have no idea what im jibbering on about.

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

There is a rod that runs through the rear frame rail that activates the opposite side, One man operation 

[FCRB26]

I just thought it might kill the moment with a lady friend  OI just pull that lever would you.

Nice work looking good.
No cars for a while for me we have bought a new house so have to pack projects into containers but there is a upside i get a new shed fully decked out.

[Ed]

Stinky,

what's the best way to "lower" a FB seat. I was thinking of just using cable ties to pull the std springs down.

Cheers

Ed

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

what's the best way to "lower" a FB seat. I was thinking of just using cable ties to pull the std springs down.

Chop the springs  but seriously, there are 4 coil springs at the sides then there are the rows of "zig-zag" springs holding up the front of the seat. The coil springs could be tied down, but the "zig-zag" springs should be able to be bent to a lower position.

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Put a solid day in today (plus a couple hours yesterday) to get the wiring sorted, two steps forward and one back in most cases. Got the dash in and the car running, then went to run it around the back paddock to get it up to temp and see if the Thermo fan switch works, backed it out of my garage-on-high and clipped the retaining wall in the squeeze 



CRACK!


Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

 

Then I drove back in the shed 
Ripped a nice big hole in the side wall of the 245 wide Yoki, I'm sure it can't be repaired and finding another might be a bit of task. Some days I wish I had taken Golf more seriously 

[JB]

Ouch that really sucks!! Can't fix sidewalls... hope you can get another one. 

Good to see a couple of posts here, been missing no updates on the projects sections!

Cheers
JB

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

A few more wins!
- Pinched the sway bar out of my son's "EK Wagon Project"  this allows me to run an engine fan, otherwise the fan would foul on the sway bar that was fitted.
- Cleaned up the water pump and thermostat housing, new gaskets and a new thermostat.
- Pinched the known good temp guage and sender from the FC Wagon.
- Modified the top radiator support (after cutting it out  ) so that the radiator can now sit vertical instead of a slant.
- New Petrol tank sender and fuel guage lettering.
- Replaced the rear wheels  need to find something for the front that'll match now.

Once the radiator and cooling system are buttoned up it's the gearbox. I think I have spotted the problem with 4th being 2nd, in the picture of Alex's gearbox below the linkages are both attached in upper positions on the gearbox, I have one up and one down 

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

What do you do when the handbrake cable fouls the exhaust?


Squash it until it doesn't 

Arse end is now a little closer to terra firma 




Much better, if I can get the correct profile tyre I'll put these on the front and run the larger wheels on the rear.

[jack_fc]

All good, Stinky 

BTW, that shed is looking a little cluttered - maybe you should consider expanding it a bit?

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

BTW, that shed is looking a little cluttered - maybe you should consider expanding it a bit?

That's only one half, you should see the other side 

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

90% of the way through the customFC shifter mod, using a Speco Twin-Stick shifter. Forward gears are sorted, reverse not so much  the new position of the shifter up on the box means the separate reverse shifter is directly over the reverse thingy. I can get it to shift reverse but the lock-out wont work properly  More work  or the lock-out is getting turfed.

[EffCee]

90% of the way through the customFC shifter mod, using a Speco Twin-Stick shifter. Forward gears are sorted, reverse not so much  the new position of the shifter up on the box means the separate reverse shifter is directly over the reverse thingy. I can get it to shift reverse but the lock-out wont work properly  More work  or the lock-out is getting turfed.

I am doing the same, using a Speco Twin Stick shifter and having it forward mounted to clear the seat. The way that I want to put the reverse linkages is to have a pivot point at the rear where the shifter originally mounted to ensure that I was able to run the shifter correctly and still use the lockout. HTH

Keith

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Thanks Keith, that's set the cogs turning again (pardon the pun  )

A game of pool anyone? The 8-ball is a aftermarket item that I had lying around and the 11 is from a bloke on the FB-EK forum who sacrificed a set of pool-balls.

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Hmmm, even though the interior will be red and black, I might do a green felt/velour shifter boot