Easter Weekend Overhaul: Advice Please!

[Kezzieboy]

Evening chaps.

So I've decided Easter weekend is when I'll go home and return my car to standard. This involves all manor of jobs, most of which I have tackled before, but a couple that I haven't. I just thought I'd run it through in my head and ask for advice as to what odd tools and replacement parts I might need, what bits might cause me trouble, and how much time I'm likely to need.

So the list comprises of this:

1. Remove ZX steering wheel and refit standard item
2. Replace airbag ECU
3. Remove full exhaust from turbo and re-fit standard item
4. Replace rear beam with standard item and with new mounts (also need to refit shocks to the beam that's going on)
5. Replace front struts with standard items
6. (Possibly) remove remap and put standard map back on
7. Remove alloys and put steelies back on, with a pair of new tyres and a lick of paint
8. Refit standard headlights
9. Refit standard bonnet badge
10. Refit standard boot badge
11. (possibly) remove roof vinyl
12. Full service with engine and possibly gearbox oil, air, oil and fuel filters.
13. Replace front wiper motor
14. Replace indicator relay
15. Sort out check straps, at least replace driver's, preferably the lot
16. Rear wiper

I think that's it, so a reasonable list to get through, but hopefully nothing too taxing.

I've looked at some guides for the stuff I haven't done before and I think I've got most of it squared away in my head, with a few exceptions.

1. Is fitting shocks to a beam, while both are off the car, as easy as it seems? Do I need to buy any new fastenings?
2. If I am replacing a disk beam with another disk beam, can I avoid bleeding the brakes, and fiddling with the handbrake cables?
3. Is replacing the exhaust fairly straightforward, or should I allow for this being a nightmare due to seized bolts etc?
4. Can anyone suggest an order in which to tackle all this? What is likely to be the most time consuming?

I think that's it for now, but I may update this list as I think of other things that need doing, as I'll use this for a reference.

Also if anyone has link to any particularly good guides for ANY of the above then I'd be very appreciative if you could chuck it in here, as I am by no means a mechanic and need all the help I can get!

Thanks chaps.

Kez

[Poodle]

I'd suggest buying a new exhaust fitting kit, that's the only thing really likely to cause problems with seized bolts. Doing the beam will be a lot easier if you get a mate to help, fit the shocks to the beam once it's on the car as it's almost impossible to get them on with it unloaded. You don't really need new nuts for the rear shocks, although i'd get new nylocs for the shock pinch bolts at the front. I'm not sure it's possible to detach the brakes from the beam assembly and swap the beam without disturbing brake unions or handbrake cables, got a feeling the bracket for the flexis isn't removable. I would expect the most time consuming jobs to be: beam, front shocks, exhaust, in that order. Hth.

[Iceman299]

Exhaust is easy, as mentioned just get a new fixing kit incase the bolts on the turbo snap. I've always used a 4post ramp so not sure what its like using axle stands

Edit: also a tip that was given to me was to copper grease the fire ring to stop it squeeking

[Kezzieboy]

Where is best to buy the fitting kit? Ta for the advice!

[welshpug]

pug dealer.

[Kezzieboy]

Cool, need to add a service to that list, so I'll get all the filters and the exhaust fitting kit together. Anyone got a part number/price?

---

Also, I only just noticed my new tag, when did that change??

[Iceman299]

It's about £11-£12 from the dealer for springs/bolts/nuts/fire ring. Local places can get it without the fire ring for ~£6-7

[THE_Liam]

Ask the lefty, communist, liberal twat society for help?

I kid, I kid. Get the car up in the air and soak every fixing you're going to remove or loosen in WD40 or something similar, it really does make a difference when you can just unbolt something rather than dicking around with a blowtorch for hours.

As for the order of play, do the underneath stuff first, struts, beam, exhaust, then the rest of it is stuff you can do in a spare hour here or there.

How come it's going back to standard anyway? You selling it?

[Kezzieboy]

Added front wiper motor and indicator relay.

Liam, I take lefty communist liberal as a compliment, dude!

Ta for the advice, I'm giving it to my girlfriend to learn in, and she won't be able to insure it with it modified. I've got the Volvo now.

[THE_Liam]

What Volvo? Love Lolvos

[Toms306]

The backbox at least needs removing for the beam, so drop the whole exhaust off first imo.

Way I'd do it -

Jacked and supported
Wheels off
Exhaust off
Swap beams (you can leave brakes on car but takes some effort and precision to not damage anything like that)
Exhaust on
Front struts
Battery off (to give 'drain' time)
Put wheels back on - (steels if you like though standard for a Meridian is Swallow/Laser alloys)
Change steering wheel and airbag ECU
Put battery terminal back on and check all good
Test drive up to temp to check suspension work and warm the oil
Drop oil/full service
Odds and sods - badges/wiper motor/etc

I think it's optimistic to expect to do all that over the easter weekend though, theoretically you could but in reality things will be seized etc. Also bear in mind shops like ECP will be shut on Sunday if not the BHs as well.

[Kezzieboy]

What Volvo? Love Lolvos

V50 T5 AWD

The backbox at least needs removing for the beam, so drop the whole exhaust off first imo.

Way I'd do it -

Jacked and supported
Wheels off
Exhaust off
Swap beams (you can leave brakes on car but takes some effort and precision to not damage anything like that)
Exhaust on
Front struts
Battery off (to give 'drain' time)
Put wheels back on - (steels if you like though standard for a Meridian is Swallow/Laser alloys)
Change steering wheel and airbag ECU
Put battery terminal back on and check all good
Test drive up to temp to check suspension work and warm the oil
Drop oil/full service
Odds and sods - badges/wiper motor/etc

I think it's optimistic to expect to do all that over the easter weekend though, theoretically you could but in reality things will be seized etc. Also bear in mind shops like ECP will be shut on Sunday if not the BHs as well.

That seems pretty logical, I reckon I'll go with that. It doesn't all need to be done that weekend, I've a little space up here I can work on the car if necessary, just not enough to do all the suspension bits really, enough for the service though.

I think I can get it done though, I'll be starting by noon Friday and will have until around 3 on Monday to get it all sorted, should be able to do all the suspension stuff within two days, and the service in about 2 hours. I can borrow a pair of hands off my dad for any tricky bits too.

Speaking of tricky bits, you say it's feasible to leave the brakes attached, how would one go about this? Cable tie them up in the arch somewhere? Probably a good time to enlist my useful assistant.

[bigcheez2k3]

It's not tieing them up that would be the problem, it's that the flexi hoses and hardlines are attached to the rear axle.

[Toms306]

Yeah there are guides on it on other forums, think one was a 205 forum that I looked at? Not sure now, but either way I don't have the precision required and only one pair of hands so thought it was safer not to try it that way myself lol. I just ended up wrecking brake lines by removing brakes instead.

The hoses aren't actually attached to the beam as it seems, they have like U clips on them.

[Kezzieboy]

I reckon I'll have a good look, and if there's any way of keeping the on the car then I'll do that, saves a bunch of time/hassle/mess.

Need to find myself a Peugeot garage up here and order in some parts methinks.

[Kezzieboy]

Just been going over this, checking out the advice in the Haynes manual and it reminded me I'll be disturbing a lot of Nylocs when I do all this. Ideally I'd replace the lot, obviously, but is it entirely necessary? If so, are they all going to be different sizes? I should be able to obtain them for cheap/free, but I need to know what sizes I need in advance.7


Also my drivers check strap is totally buggered, the bracket that attaches to the body has actually snapped. The rest of them are pretty rusty and creaky too, to be fair, what's the best course of action, replace just the pins in the salvageable ones, and find a second hand bracket for the broken one?

[Poodle]

The nylocs wil probably be fine, use your judgement. You can check the size of each with calipers without needing to take them off. Thought you were supposed to be an engineering student. And yeah, that's what i'd do with the check straps.

[Kezzieboy]

Still have to take the wheels off, and there's no complete guarantee that the size of the hex corresponds to the thread!

[RetroPug]

The nylocs wil probably be fine, use your judgement. You can check the size of each with calipers without needing to take them off. Thought you were supposed to be an engineering student. And yeah, that's what i'd do with the check straps.

Don't you know that engineers will do anything to find something out without putting down their coffees and getting up?

[Kezzieboy]

Think I've got everything now, exhaust fitting kit (2 of these, in fact, as apparently they only supply them in pairs, so I'll have one to flog), droplinks, engine oil, oil filter, brake fluid. Picking up exhaust, suspension bits and wiper motor on the way home.

Wish me luck boys, I could really do with this going relatively smoothly, as long as I can drive it home on Monday I'll be happy.

[Toms306]

Never heard of fitting kits being supplied in 2s before lol, I've bought a few singly from the dealers.

Good luck though! Looks like the weather is on your side at least.

[Poodle]

Still have to take the wheels off, and there's no complete guarantee that the size of the hex corresponds to the thread!

Er, get on your back and stop mincing? You can use the calipers on the threaded part of the nut/bolt too, you know.

Good luck, sounds like you might need it.

[Kezzieboy]

Cars washed, in the air, exhaust is unbolted from turbo, but one of the washers is caught so I can't quite free it up on my own, waiting for the old man to get back to give me a hand, any tips or just brute force? I've tried moving it around using the trolley jack but just can't seem to get it free.

Also wondering how the hell you're meant to line up all the washers, springs, studs and nuts when getting the bloody thing back on, it's fiddly as hell!

I'm dropping the exhaust in one piece as it's easier than trying to free up the slip joints while it's just on axle stands. Once it's off I'll break it into 3 bits.

[bigcheez2k3]

Whenever I've done it on a DT I've done it from the top, just squeeze both arms in the gap. You can hold the bolt/washers/spring in one hand while you get the nut on. As for the weight of the downpipe, I think if you have it mostly attached, just loose at the mid pipe it should be ok.

[Kezzieboy]

gave it a good bash and wiggle and it came free in't end. Made a good start to getting the beam off, too, calipers off (after a faff with a rounded bolt holding the disk on). Had some fun getting the shock bolts off, they're tight as chuff, so had to use a massive breaker bar, but they're nearly off now, so they'll be first off in the morning. Then it'll be brake lines off and secured with cable ties, beam off, new beam on etc.


Only outstanding question, any tips for getting the old fire ring off the turbo? It's pretty well baked on there!

[bigcheez2k3]

Poke it vociferously with a screwdriver/pry bar? Or if that doesn't work, screw in a self tapper and pull.

[Poodle]

As above, pry bar and a hammer does the job well. Small pump grips and good for holding the spring and washer assembly compressed while you get a nut on the stud. Sounds like you're making good progress, hope you've got better weather than what we had yesterday.

[Kezzieboy]

So just brute force and ignorance then Access is a bitch, but it's doable.

Weather was horrendous yesterday, thankfully it's dry under the car anyway It's mercifully dry today, however, so hopefully we'll make good progress. I've commandeered my dad to help, as with all the bolts being so seized it's really been a 2-man job so far. Hopefully we can get all the suspension and exhaust done today, with the car in the air and half the bolts loosened it should be feasible.

[Kezzieboy]

Rear shocks and exhaust seal are off, can gather the nylons and head to ECP shortly.

Only snag we've hit is that there is one bracket for the brake lines that I can't see a way if getting off without undo-ing the lines, and consequently losing fluid and taking in air.

Not too much of an issue, just means I need to buy a c-spanner and bleed kit, which is just more money I'd rather not be spending! 

[Toms306]

Is that bracket solid? Not got a thin opening the other side when the clip is pulled out? Odd as I've definitely seen it done without having to remove brake lines.