We can stop now!

We done the brakes ! We now have fully working stoppers on all four wheels and a handbrake too. The brakes refused to bleed with my one man bleeding kit when I tried earlier in the week, and I was at the point of condemning the master brake cylinder as faulty. I thought I'd have one my try this weekend with Thomas assisting, and doing the old fashioned two man method of bleeding. With all four brakes having been off the car for new seals to the front and new complete cylinders to the rear there was an awful lot of air in there. The fluid that we pumped out was fairly clean, although it's at least ten years old, so we flushed a whole bottle of DOT 4 brake fluid through there, replenishing the entire system. The result is a satisfyingly firm brake pedal with no creep under pressure, no leaks and a firm handbrake with no binding. It took time, patience and a few false starts but the brakes are now finally off the to do list.

Also today we have removed the rust and repainted the exhaust manifold heat shield, and re-fitted the freshly painted radiator shroud which adds a bit of glamour under the bonnet. Little jobs like this give an impression of progress and keep the momentum going. It makes the engine bay look a bit more cared for too, although each item that's cleaned and refreshed makes the one next to it look even more shabby and neglected. 

With the brakes completed I turned my attention to the next item on the list; the wipers. Replacing the fuse caused the heater blower to come alive, as it shares the same fuse, but the wipers remained dead. I knew the blower was working becasue it squealed like a piggy, and the squeal got louder with the three speeds, until I got a well known brand of lubricant into the bearings, and now it's as quite as a church mouse. A quick and easy result.

The motor for the front wipers proved to be seized, and stripping it out and dismantling it reveals it's also burnt out, so I expect the previous owner let it seize and then applied power for too long trying to free it. that was no doubt why the fuse had blown. A replacement motor is now being sourced. 

Replacing the perished washer tubing allowed water to be directed at the front and rear windows, the system being otherwise in fine fettle. The rear wiper was also dormant and a check of the wiring showed why. A wire had fractured within the gaiter between the body and the hatch lid, but re-joining this didn't cure it. Continuity checks showed the repair was good, but an earthing issue was stopping the electric getting through. With the earth cleaned up and made good we now have a fully functioning rear wiper motor. It's a shame then, that at present we have no rear wiper arm, although now it's working I'll buy the one I've been watching on eBay.

With three twelve hour nightshifts looming that'll be it for this weekend, but tune in for the next exciting episode - we have pencilled in a visit tomorrow to see our new friend Matt who is breaking a car for parts. Hopefully we can pull the gearbox to switch in to replace our broken cog-swapper.