Spring has Sprung

[alwayspoor]

Not a thread on suspension mods, just a couple of shots of my 1969 2000TC after a recent run to blow away the cobwebs.

It is MOT time in the next couple of days, so fingers crossed. Next on the cards after that is a service/ tune up and some new window scraper rubbers. I must admit that I am facing this with some trepidation. Mr Haynes isn't very helpful, and although my search on this forum has produced some very useful information, I am still uncertain as to the extent that the door needs to be dismatled to get at the scrapers. Can anyone help?

 

[The Rovering Member]

Nice car.
You only need to slide the veneer out (catch the tension clips as they drop if they're still in place) & unscrew the top trim panel to get to the screws which help to grip the rubber. If you're lucky none of them will be seized & if you don't drop any inside the door you won't have to remove the main trim panel to retrieve them but you probably will. :wink:
It can be a little awkward getting to some of them even with the window right down but it's pretty straight-forward. Once you've done the first one it get's easier.

 

[GrimV8]

As TRM says, it's not the hardest job
Tricky bit can be getting them to sit nice and straight as you tighten the screws back up as most of them now don't have the metal insert as per original.
Bit of lube helps to slide 'em in place :wink:

 

[corazon]

Or for a real challenge, you could try fitting bolt on bullet mirrors like i just did.
Door card off, lying in the footwell, head on the floor, feet on passenger seat, arm at full extension inside the door frame whilst a helpful person holds the mirror in place as you try and match up bolts, only to realise when they come to being fully tightened not many tools fit the space to turn!
(They're done now and look great by the way)

 

[alwayspoor]

Thanks everyone. I'll just get this accursed MOT out of the way and then I'll give it a go.

 

[alwayspoor]

MOT now passed with the only mechanical issues being a new brake flexi and a weld on the exhaust tailpipe.
However, some welding was needed up front and removing the wings led to a new offside hockey stick and headlight splash panels both sides as well as some repairs up into the engine compartment. Since the prep was done at a classic car friendly garage, (Alfa enthusiasts, they know all about rust!), I let them do it.
I have some photos which i will upload when I get time.
Nice sunny day when RSM came home, so took her out for a good blow. All I need to do now is paint the inner wings and reapply the stickers, followed by a good coating of Dinitrol underneath. Then at long last, I will have ago at those scrapers.

 

[GrimV8]

Another year of fun motoring ahead

 

[alwayspoor]

Here as promised, some shots of the messy bits and subsequent repairs.

 

[alwayspoor]

One interesting side effect of the MOT was a letter from DVLA, saying that the MOT testers reading of the VIN number was at odds with that on the Registration Document. Slightly alarmed, I dug out my paperwork and trotted off to the garage. They were right. The final digit was recorded by the MOT man as a 5 (correctly) but was shown on the V5 as a letter S. The F suffix was totally absent from the V5.
I went back to the previous MOT. This was an electronic one and had the wrong VIN on it, as did its predecessor, and so on. Out of the sheaf of MOT's that accompany the car, only a handful were correctly recorded and in recent years, the tester had clearly just lifted the VIN off the previous certificate without checking the car plate. Furthermore, when I went back to the 1969 logbook, that too had the same error.
Fortunately DVLA were okay about it and accepted that it was a simple typo from way back, I was required to fill out a form to confirm the number from the car plate and now have a reissued V5.

A great relief after nightmares about Q Plates, inspections, etc.

 

[GrimV8]

So you're saying DVLA were efficient? :shock:
Funny how these things crop up that would have probably gone unnoticed for many more years

 

[alwayspoor]

It would probably have stayed unnoticed if I had supplied the previous MOT to the testing station.