Another newbie...

[ekjdm14]

OK so it's quiet on here these days by the looks, but a wealth of great info on the XUD engines so thought I'd register and say thanks to all who've posted there over the years & thanks to all the folk who keep the place up and running.

Current project is swapping a multiplexed 206 1.1S to a 1.9TD, engine is currently loosely fitted awaiting me making proper engine mounts, and we've got suspension/brake upgrades, gearbox & interior sorted courtesy of a run down donor pre-plex'd GTi.  Wishing I'd kept the GTi flywheel now though as the clutch was brand new but doesn't fit the TD flywheel

We do have a DW10 engine/box out of a 406 laying around and considering using the DMF/clutch off that although I did want to go to a push clutch. We'll work something out.


Anyway, there's a thread running on 206info if anyone's interested.  Cheers again to all the contributors in the XUD tuning scene (and particularly Messrs. Lobb and Mark(?), the other guy with a TD 206, for the inspiration).

[Mighty306]

Welcome to the club! It's good to hear it's still proving useful & is appreciated. You obviously have some good knowledge so hope you can make some further contributions in the future.

[ekjdm14]

Cheers, yeah I try and help out if I can lol 206 is nearly ready for the road now just a lower engine mount to rework (didn't get the driveshaft lined up right first go round) and a cracked water inlet to replace and it'll be pretty much just screwing together standard bits like suspension and interior then we can see how well I can wring out a K14 turbo. Went with a GTi180 flywheel in the end, GTi gearbox and will be stretching the redline out nearer 6k so more back lane blaster than axle-snapping torque monster.

Forum's been a huge help with my gummed up Bosch pumps, never experienced that before now, must've been lucky (or fuel has gone utter crepe the last few years)...

[ekjdm14]

Well now we're officially allowed here, seems a '99 2.0 SE cabriolet followed me home tonight!

It's a car we'd seen about locally for years, but had vanished from the road a couple of years ago.  Our eldest lad spotted it languishing on a driveway under some trees and covered in moss earlier & on a whim I knocked on, expecting the usual story "yeh, I'm restoring it one day just need to find time"...  Anyway, that was not the case & the guy said make him an offer so having looked over the car and heard the back story of how the head was cooked I went in at £150, fully expecting to be talked up to 3... "no worries mate it's yours if you want it at that"      That's not how I expected negotiations to go!

So, as it was only 2 minutes walk from home (and a downhill ride too) I went back up there with cash, a battery and the kids & did the deal.  Fella poured some water in the rad as I hooked up the power, 5 seconds of cranking and it's alive... And running sweet as a nut???

Certainly didn't tally with what I expected from the story of it having a rad failure and subsequent HG failure, so drove it home and gave it a wash while it sat idling with a beady eye on the temp gauge. No bubbles in the rad bottle, heater nice and hot, temperature at 70.... 80.... 90............. 95............. 100c..... no fan activity so shut it down and let it cool while we finished washing it.  After a cursory glance round the engine compartment, problem found, the fan switch isn't in the new rad and the plug was just dangling in the breeze!

So, jumper the plug out & we have a fan. Restart engine, 70c..... 75..... 80..... 80..... 80.... fast idle for a few minutes, 80.... 80..... rock bleedin' steady!

So, couple of jobs to do. There's an ABS lamp presumably rust on the reluctor rings, the indicator/headlamp stalk is snapped off, front reg plate broken & there's a couple of tyres look borderline, then I'll throw it at the MoT station and see what sort of trouble I've bought us.

Honestly doesn't look too bad, roof needs a good clean to get lichen off it so will have to get some mohair care stuff and there's some niggles to sort like 3 of the windows don't work (eleccy roof does though!) and the driver's seat needs stitching repaired but I think it's turned out a real bargain, better than hoped anyway.

will have to get some pics tomorrow, need a shower now after scrubbing mould out of the interior lol. 

TL;DR You can't kick me out now, we've got a 306!

[Mighty306]

We weren't going to kick you out anyway! Well done for rescuing a 306 tho. I think £150 is fair considering all the unknowns & that it had sat a while. Seems like you got lucky with it ...happy days!

[ekjdm14]

Well just to make double sure, a '98 5 door TD has now come to join us! :o Rear beam issues (not cambered but supposedly collapsed and has extremely firm ride, didn't look all that low either though TBF so not sure what's going on yet) but this one has been in use 'til recently and has test until February as well as the right engine.

Couldn't pass this one up, on Wastebook marketplace at £200 and it was only 5 miles down the road! Guy selling it for his mother said he'd had some interest but people offering scrap price for it. Refreshing change for him then as we went in the dark, cursory glance round it and hear the engine start from cold & then the cash was on the intercooler before he knew what was happening! He's happy, we're happy & will look over it better in the light and decide whether to get it all up to scratch or just use the remaining test and then have some spares stock for future projects. I'd like to think it's worth saving though, but at the same time for the price we paid I'm happy with a good running XUD lump and 'box if it comes to that.

Been a busy day today too, going over the cabrio and sorting the known issues, we need a fan switch, replaced the indicator stalk with one I had in the garage, swapped a couple of tyres over and thought I'd got away with the ABS being just a dirty sensor so booked it in for MoT this afternoon. I pretty much knew it'd fail on some bits but wanted an idea of how much more work there potentially was, ABS light came back on on the way to the test, it's a cracked reluctor ring so probably dig a CV joint out of the stash or replace with new. Engine didn't get warm enough for emissions, one knackered handbrake cable, there's a broken front spring, plus one corroded brake pipe and more interestingly the old "rear suspension, pin or bush" chestnut.

I am actually hopeful that it is just a bush though on that, as the wheel isn't cambered or creaking but does wobble fore/aft with a good kick, but will have a proper look when I get a chance. Overall though impressed for what we gave, and it cleans up really nicely. Speaking of which, i'm notorious for being crap at getting photos but I will try and get some pics of both cars tomorrow (assuming we don't end up randomly dragging another one home that is! Never even planned on buying another car today but it couldn't be left to the scrappers...

[Mighty306]

Cheers for the update. Sounds like you should start a project thread ....or two!

[ekjdm14]

Mmm, not sure they're worthy of a project thread of their own but may do. The 5dr rear beam is siezed up solid on the left side and about an inch of movement on the right, this hasn't improved after some speed hump antics nor with bouncing my heavy arse on the back of it so think it'll be a cheapie reman beam for the moment on that & dismantle the original if I can get the arms out to see if the tube is saveable (doubt it, if it's that tight though!)

will just be the usual after that, servicing/oil leaks, repair door loom so passenger electric window and speaker work and a bit of smartening up here and there. The cab might be more of a project as it has potential to be a really tidy car so you may see a thread soon on that, doesn't mean I'll be any better at getting photos though lol

[ekjdm14]

Will try to start a proper thread when I have time, but Cabriolet is now on the road. Our usual garage had issues with their computer so had to take it to Kwik Sh!t for it's test proper, they creamed it on advisories for bs items (including rear discs scored/pads thin, when I'd replaced the things myself!) but couldn't legally fail us so HA!

Got it's issues, but for a £150 car supposedly with a cooked head, it's turned out pretty damn good. Big things on the to-fix list are passenger window regulator cables are snapped, blower fan seized and the roof needs a good clean plus need to get 2 tyres on the Cyclones as we used some steelies for the MoT (because skint lol).

Edit- 50 miles down & no signs of losing/using coolant as yet so hopefully the engine survived it's cook-up (honestly I believe the bloke replaced the rad. forgot to swap across the fan switch & when it boiled up on the drive afterwards, just parked it thinking the worst & that's what might have saved it). Can tell we've got a cab on the road again now though, any time we own a working drop-top the heavens open biblically! At least it'll make cleaning the roof a bit easier as it's already soaked...

[Mighty306]

Great to hear it passed. Good work! Just got mine thro with just one advisory

[ekjdm14]

Haha yeah, this would've had one advisory (rear brake pipe covered in grease) if we'd got back in at our regular garage but the fastfit arseholes make it a total of 19 advisories and one "minor defect" (offside CV gaiter severely deteriorated, apparently... it's supple and not splitting, just dirty).

If we'd bought it to sell on I'd be spitting bullets at management about it, but we knew they were cnuts when we booked & just wanted the car on the road to enjoy the last few dry warm-ish days we can with it, so we took the advisory-fest over waiting for computers to be fixed. Next year, it'll fly through with no advisories I'm sure as I'll be doing the rest of the brake pipes and hoses over that period too.

[ekjdm14]

Sooooo.... Another cab followed us home today...

This one is more of a parts donor than a project though, even though we paid £50 more for it than the green cab. It's showing about 145k miles and has cloth interior/slightly lower spec but it does have a good disc-braked rear beam, decent wiper motor that knows where to park & another set of Cyclones that will go on the silver 5dr and a gearbox that will enable the repair of the dying one in the 206 GTi180. Not to mention there's a working passenger window regulator and un-cracked instrument binnacle that will help out the green cab. The roof is a little bit tidyer round the back window too, but it's a black roof not colour coded like on the green cab, probably still keep hold of it though in a corner of the garage for if/when we want it.

Was hoping it'd have crystal headlamps for the silver car too, being an S reg, but seems it's a ph2.5 not 3 like the green car (shows how hard I looked over it for the price lol) since it has passenger airbag instead of upper glovebox & fully painted bumpers, yet IR locking and yucky H4 lamps... Still well pleased we have some much needed spares now, and my conscience is clear as we were straight up with the old owners who loved the car! Typically, the weather heard the word cabriolet again and promptly downpoured on us so no parts swapping done as yet but will try and get some pics before it gets desecrated too much.

My name is Dan, and I am a Peugeot addict....