Mr_Red
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2017
- Messages
- 62
- Country Flag
For the past 6 months I have been the proud owner of a 1995 HDJ80 and this is the first car I have ever actually owned (not counting driving mum's Nissan Micra to work about 8 years back). Having spent 11 years on a farm, it has certainly seen it's share of hard work.
Long story short, this time next year, I am planning to do a 10 month long overlanding trip in the 80 and will post another thread going into more detail on this soon.
When looking for an 80 series, I made what could be regarded as a foolhardy decision to go for a car that needed some work doing, as opposed to something that was ready to hit the road. The logic behind this was the hope that working with the support of more mechanically inclined would help develop the mechanical knowledge I so desperately need. I knew I needed to start somewhere. To provide some context, my current mechanical knowledge and skill set includes knowing how to watch someone change a car tyre and my tools consist of an adjustable spanner, a Philips head screwdriver and a 20 watt soldering iron.
Before joining this forum and talking to and meeting some of the kind and very knowledgable folks here, I was feeling rather overwhelmed. That said, I still feel I have bitten off more than I can chew as living in central London, I am lacking the 3 key ingredients required for car restoration: knowledge, tools and workspace.
After one of my initial pleas for help, Scott came to the rescue and after initially being slightly surprised by just how little I knew about cars, enthusiastically took to showing me the ropes. I learned how to inspect the car properly, carry out a basic service including filter and oil changes. Cheers Scott, I owe you a beer!
The car was inspected thoroughly and my 'to-do' list steadily grew. I decided to make this thread to capture the restoration process and hopefully also the development of my knowledge from non existent to somewhat mechanically competent.
Anyway, to the car!
The second thing I purchased (after the car itself) was a Haynes manual and although I like the simple diagrams and step-by-step it doesn't go to anywhere near as much detail as the FSMs.
and the 'to-do' list..
A simple look under the wheels suggested the the seals in the front axle have blown, with grease and axle oil mixing and leaking out onto the brake pad. Solution: Front axle rebuild (Chris? Help!)
We then drained the front axle oil to inspect the damage and found these...
We weren't sure whether these were shavings from a bolt. If it was part of the drive train, would we expect to see chips and teeth?
I explained to Scott that I always heard a loud 'thud' whenever lifting off the clutch suddenly or changing gears and I was soon pointed in the direction of the prop-shafts.
All Universal joints were found to be completely worn and with excessive play. This may be due to the years of work this cruiser has put in at the farm. All universal joints need to be replaced.
I also bought up the fact that the manual transmission operates like an utter bar steward...
A quick look at the clutch slave cylinder suggested it was in desperate need of replacement. I noticed recently, when driving up a steep hill that the clutch doesn't engage fully with the clutch pedal completely pressed, which contributes to a laborious gear shifting experience. I don't know if the slave cylinder is responsible for all this or if it's the clutch itself.
"Let's check your power steering pump" - Suggested Scott
"Wow! I have power steering?" - I replied
Turns out most of the fluid had leaked through the pump. Any tips on replacing/ rebuilding the pump welcome!
Scott also noticed that most bump stops were missing, which would land me in trouble if I ever attempted some offroading.
Additional problems, which haven't been photographed include:
1. Cam cover gasket failure - Should I take this opportunity to get a gasket kit and replace all gaskets or should I just stick with the cam cover gasket?
2. All electric windows run very slowly and get stuck - Thanks to ChapelGate for the new window rubbers!
3. Various bolts missing
4. Radiator is severely corroded and needs replacing
Long story short, this time next year, I am planning to do a 10 month long overlanding trip in the 80 and will post another thread going into more detail on this soon.
When looking for an 80 series, I made what could be regarded as a foolhardy decision to go for a car that needed some work doing, as opposed to something that was ready to hit the road. The logic behind this was the hope that working with the support of more mechanically inclined would help develop the mechanical knowledge I so desperately need. I knew I needed to start somewhere. To provide some context, my current mechanical knowledge and skill set includes knowing how to watch someone change a car tyre and my tools consist of an adjustable spanner, a Philips head screwdriver and a 20 watt soldering iron.
Before joining this forum and talking to and meeting some of the kind and very knowledgable folks here, I was feeling rather overwhelmed. That said, I still feel I have bitten off more than I can chew as living in central London, I am lacking the 3 key ingredients required for car restoration: knowledge, tools and workspace.
After one of my initial pleas for help, Scott came to the rescue and after initially being slightly surprised by just how little I knew about cars, enthusiastically took to showing me the ropes. I learned how to inspect the car properly, carry out a basic service including filter and oil changes. Cheers Scott, I owe you a beer!
The car was inspected thoroughly and my 'to-do' list steadily grew. I decided to make this thread to capture the restoration process and hopefully also the development of my knowledge from non existent to somewhat mechanically competent.
Anyway, to the car!
The second thing I purchased (after the car itself) was a Haynes manual and although I like the simple diagrams and step-by-step it doesn't go to anywhere near as much detail as the FSMs.
and the 'to-do' list..
A simple look under the wheels suggested the the seals in the front axle have blown, with grease and axle oil mixing and leaking out onto the brake pad. Solution: Front axle rebuild (Chris? Help!)
We then drained the front axle oil to inspect the damage and found these...
We weren't sure whether these were shavings from a bolt. If it was part of the drive train, would we expect to see chips and teeth?
I explained to Scott that I always heard a loud 'thud' whenever lifting off the clutch suddenly or changing gears and I was soon pointed in the direction of the prop-shafts.
All Universal joints were found to be completely worn and with excessive play. This may be due to the years of work this cruiser has put in at the farm. All universal joints need to be replaced.
I also bought up the fact that the manual transmission operates like an utter bar steward...
A quick look at the clutch slave cylinder suggested it was in desperate need of replacement. I noticed recently, when driving up a steep hill that the clutch doesn't engage fully with the clutch pedal completely pressed, which contributes to a laborious gear shifting experience. I don't know if the slave cylinder is responsible for all this or if it's the clutch itself.
"Let's check your power steering pump" - Suggested Scott
"Wow! I have power steering?" - I replied
Turns out most of the fluid had leaked through the pump. Any tips on replacing/ rebuilding the pump welcome!
Scott also noticed that most bump stops were missing, which would land me in trouble if I ever attempted some offroading.
Additional problems, which haven't been photographed include:
1. Cam cover gasket failure - Should I take this opportunity to get a gasket kit and replace all gaskets or should I just stick with the cam cover gasket?
2. All electric windows run very slowly and get stuck - Thanks to ChapelGate for the new window rubbers!
3. Various bolts missing
4. Radiator is severely corroded and needs replacing