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Having emigrated from London many years ago, I forgot what a pleasure it is to work on cars with lots of corroded or rusty bits and rotted sills!
Well done on getting the caliper removed without other major issues! Make sure on reassembly you use anti-seize on the threads of the fasteners so in the odd situation where you must disassemble the calipers again, skinned knuckles and rounded bolt heads are a distant memory.
Just to make you feel slightly better about your "caliper-gate" situation, I had my own challenge tonight!
A last-minute decision on Thursday to shoot down to Cornwall for 4 days meant a 650-mile trip in my 2006 C-Class Diesel Merc. 51 miles per UK gallon was great but I ended up with brake warning messages and squealing brakes by the time I got home. A quick examination and I realised I needed new rear pads, and new pads and discs for the front. I can't complain as I haven't touched the front brakes in the 60k since I bought the car!
So with new Brembo parts from EuroCarParts ordered and picked up today at a good price, I then realised that I'd bought rear discs instead of front discs. Ah well, the front discs are bit lipped but perfectly smooth so I decided I'd change the pads and live with the discs for a bit longer. So, I made a decision at 7.20 this evening that I'd do the front end, allowing 2 hours before the sun disappeared. An hour each side? How hard can it be?
The nearside went well, everything was tight but came apart ok. The caliper windback tool worked well and the piston moved smoothly. With the first side done, wheel torqued up and jack let down, I moved to the offside. This is the one with the wear sensor. With the pads out, I tried to salvage the original sensor from the old pads but it inevitably broke up. Never mind, I decided to change the pads anyway and I'll buy a new sensor and fit it tomorrow. And that's when I looked at the 2 remaining new pads and my heart sank. I couldn't see any cutouts for the sensor on the pads. Had I really fitted both pads with cutouts on the nearside (which doesn't use a sensor) or had Brembo supplied pads with no sensor fitment capability? A torch and a mirror enabled me to check the pads I'd just fitted on the nearside and that's when I gave myself a virtual kick up the ****! Yes, I'd fitted the 2 cutout pads on the nearside!
Now the race began! I refitted the offside caliper and wheel, let the jack down, raced to the nearside, whipped off the wheel, fitted an axle stand, undid the caliper and swapped one cutout pad for a plain one. Caliper re-torqued, wheel refitted, axle stand removed, jack let down, wheel torqued - I was on fire!
As the sun started to drop fast, I raced back to the offside. With everything removed, new pads installed, my speed on the caliper windback tool would have embarrassed Red Bull's 1.9 second pitstop at the weekend! White grease on pad backs and mount brackets, copperease on the bolts and hub flange, caliper re-torqued, axle stand removed, wheel refitted, jack let down, wheel torqued, all tools put away and I poured the first G&T exactly on the 2 hour deadline as the sun disapperared!
One to put down to experience! I'll do the rear pads and discs tomorrow evening, and try and avoid the same mistake!
That's the Main thing, another one who doesn't know the meaning of can't do!
Same on my own Merc 190e last year that I've had for 22 Years!
New Pads and New Discs all round, a fairly easy little job on a Merc
Unlike the Fuel Pump! Let's not go there shall we! a Total PIA Job to get to under the Car and I have got through Six of those over the Years!
But I'll never sell my Merc it's my Favorite Car of all time, nobody took any notice when I bought her but now loads of people come up to me just to talk about her and wish they had one!
She's still in Showroom Condition, although She's my daily driver and my Workhorse, the Boot is always full of Junk aka Useful bits and pieces including a 3000 Watt Generator that for some strange reason I carry around all the time and am always using it for something
I very seldom wash the Merc as us Merc Drivers are too busy 'Wheeling and Dealing' and even when She's filthy dirty, She somehow looks just right!
Unlike the Jag that I'm always obsessively fussing over
Unlike Yesterday today, went as smooth as silk and all the Calipers are all back together and the Discs freed off, at least they were last time that I looked so I'm going to give her a Test Drive around 'The Mythical' Orange Blossom Towers, which was a name that 'Greg' thought up
No doubt inspired by that Photo of 'Nigel' and 'The Don' but it sort of Stuck, ironically like my Calipers did on my Jag, so now my address is officially
'Orange Blossom Towers' How Cool is that!
Anyway perfect timing on your part, as I need to get a couple of Brand New Tyres for my 1995 XJS Celebration Convertible and I believe you were saying that you use Hankook on your Jag
As usual there seem to be different types, so please could you tell me the Size and the Type that I need, as I've got the Diamond Cut 16in Celebration Wheels
Not forgetting that I promised you the GF's recipe for Toasted Shredded Wheat! which I am totally hooked on now, as the perfect Snack when you are in a hurry! (the previous GF couldn't even boil water!) but this one is a bit Ace, so that makes her a keeper
Split the Shredded Wheat in half and then put them on the Grill Tray (nearly said drill tray) Convex side down and toast for a couple of Minutes and then Toast them Concave side up for about the same, or just about turning brown
Everyone's gonna hate on me now, cause it could make everyone hungry but you could either spread a little bit of butter on, or else you could cover them with Honey, although my own Special Favorite is 'Wilkins' Morello Black Cherry Jam, once again ironically the same Color as the Jag 'Morocco Red'
Lest I forget, here's a Pic of the Tool, that got me out of the Guano, with the rounded off Nut or do I mean Bolt, on the XJS Calipers
I've had this thing Donkey's Years and never ever used it, as things that you buy at Exhibitions never seem to work when you get them Home, although this one did!
So hopefully now I've fixed it, this sort of mark that I made on the Grass, will be a thing of the past!
'Grass on a Summers day at 'The Towers' maybe I should did this up and flog it to 'Damian Hurst'
Off to get a Midnight Snack! of Toasted Shredded Wheat and Black Cherry Jam, with a nice Cup of Tea!
Don't knock it till you've tried it, as you'll all be buying some of this Tomorrow (or is it Today?)
Alex,
I had to ask Google what was a Stillson Wrench as I've never heard of one before and thought it might be something Really Special.
I found a photo, and that's nuthin but what Mercans call a Pipe Wrench!
I can understand how you might feel backed into a corner so that you would consider such an Extreme measure to remove that caliper, but on the farm in your situation (farm equipment has Lots of seized, rounded nuts/bolts) we always carried a pair of good curved-jaw Vise Grips with us.
In fact, I still do in Nix's trunk/boot and certainly on my work truck, just in case I encounter a nut/bolt/screw that I need to remove road-side or on the job and don't have the correct wrench/spanner.
On my work truck I even carry a selection of sizes, along with a selection of pipe wrenches, because, When I roll up on a job I come Fully Equipped.
(';')
You've probably already guessed the end to the story....
After a troubled night where I reflected on the shame I may have brought on XJS owners by fitting new pads to the lipped discs on my Merc, I woke up this morning determined to do the right thing!
So, back down to EurocarParts to replace the incorrect rear discs for a nice shiny pair of vented Brembo front discs!
Tonight I changed one of them. It all went ok apart from the 30 minutes of my life that I won't get back trying to hammer off the old disc. Then I remembered my dear late Dad's technique of hammering the old disc tighter onto the hub to shock the rust. 2 mins doing that and the disc fell off. (My Dad would have been horrified anyway that I even considered fitting those pads on the old discs!).
So the natural order of things has nearly been restored. One side done and I'll do the other one tomorrow. I'll sleep easier tonight...
You just can't beat the look and the feel of a set of Shiny New Discs, to the point where its almost a shame to put the Brakes on but then I guess that's the General idea!
I used to have a Ford Fiesta MK1 Estate, that was given to me by a GF's Father, who had bought a New Car and wanted it out of the way, although I didn't want it either, as I was MGB 'ing' at the time so I stuck it down the Garden and basically left it to rot (sacrilege I know) as it would be worth a Fortune now
Except that it didn't end there, as I was watching an Episode of Top Gear in Iceland, where if one of your Tyres goes Flat, then you pour Petrol round the Rim and then once having done so 'Strike a Match!'
Whereupon I somehow had a sudden and inexplicable urge to try this on the Fiesta!
Not quite sure where I went wrong but as we didn't have Video Recorders back in the day, I couldn't rewind the program in order to be able to retrace my steps but needless to say it didn't end well especially for the Fiesta that turned into a Fireball
So if I get a Puncture on the XJS then I think I'll go about it in a slightly different way!
Talking of which, the other day I very nearly killed myself (metaphorically Speaking) by trying to put that very heavy XJS wheel back on the Car, that as I may have mentioned took me Two Hours to do, although to be honest I think it was nearer to Three!
So having already done that Gig once, I really didn't ever want to go through that again!
And so as it was too Windy to do too much else, I made myself a Gadget for Changing the Wheels that now turns this back breaking job into a 'Walk in the Park' and it only took me a couple of Hours to make it, with no Welding required!
In fact there was virtually nothing required, as I knocked it up from some junk that was laying around!
The First thing you need is a Hole Saw like this, that I think was 24mm and then you Hammer it down the Shaft of a Long Socket Extension
Then once having done so, you find a Scrap Piece of Scaffolding Tube about 12ins Long and then hammer a Thick Washer in the end
Then having done that you Slide the Extension Socket through the Hole and out the other side
Having done that you then put a 27mm Socket on the end of the Extension, so it looks like this (see photo below)
The Socket needs to be the same Size as the Nut on the end of the Hub (sorry about the mess!)
Then you roughly line up the Wheel with the Hub and insert the 'Device' through the Wheel
Once the device is through the Wheel, the Socket on the end of the Extension Bar goes onto the Hub Nut
The other end of the Socket Extension Bar is then supported on an Axle Stand and after that you just Rotate the Wheel to line the Studs up with the Holes and Slide it on!
While maybe jamming the base of the Tyre with a piece of Wood, so that it doesn't step out while you push the Top of the Tyre in
Zero Effort required to do this and I couldn't believe just how easy it was!
Having Tested The Prototype Of My Wheel Fitting Device
Now I Know That It Works I Am Going To Make The MK11 That Will Require 'A Little Bit Of Welding'
The MK11 Version is going to be a much more simple Construction and will utilize a longer Two Foot Length of Scaffolding Tube, that is going to be Sealed off at one end, either by using a Blanking Plate or Else that Heavy Duty Washer, that I hammered into the end of the Tube on the Prototype
Having done that, the next thing will be to find a 'Black Iron Socket' in my box of bits to fit on the Nut of the Hub (27mm) and then all that I will have to do is Weld it on to the end of the Scaffolding Tube that I 'Blanked Off' as nothing else apart from that and maybe a Coat of Paint will be required
Then once having done so I can carry it around with me in the Boot/Trunk as while there is never a good time to break down or get a Puncture, I would hate to try and change one of those very heavy wheels by the Side of the Road
Cheers! ok will do, as I've got to take that Wheel off again anyway, in order to Bleed the Brakes and Change the Brake Fluid, as although I did that once it still looks a bit Cloudy
Even with my MK1 Prototype, taking those heavy wheels on and off was easy!
I'm sort of thinking of sorts of things like going out to Dinner, where you may be wearing a Jacket and Tie and on the way you get a puncture and have to change a wheel by the side of the road, where you don't want to go to the Restaurant looking a 'Bag of Spanners' all covered in grease
Always open to ideas, so show me what you've got and I'll try and make it
Been one of those muddley sorts of days, where you have to go Shopping, so progress has not really been as fast as I would like it but slowly but surely we are getting there
Believe it or not that was the First thing I tried but I couldn't get the Tubing to go through the holes in the Wheels, I'll see if I can get a Pic of me not able to do that
Meanwhile back at OB Towers, I'm working on MK 111, although I've only just got back from ironically Shopping Trip No:111 of the very same name but if I can get MK 111 to work, then with any luck its going to be, simply simplistic and awesome!
Out of the Blue an Overseas Buyer Wanted to make me an offer to buy my XJS Celebration Convertible but should I be seeing Red Flags?
This potential buyer is from an EU Country that is not known for it's Scammers although you never know and wanted to agree a price beforehand, which does sound quite reasonable to me and if I was the Buyer then I would do the same
Now while I want to be fair with this Guy, as I do not know him or have ever met him, I also need to protect myself against any potential problems that could arise, as I've heard that if Certain Methods of Payment are employed
Then once a buyer gets hold of my Car, then they could and sometimes do ask for their Bank to get either all or some of their Money Back, in the event that they may dispute something that was incorrectly stated in the description, even though they were given the opportunity to check it over
So apart from any suggestions that some of you may have
What for me is going to be the Safest method of Payment for me to accept, as in these uncertain time not to many people would be inclined to turn up with that amount of Cash
Though I've done that myself before now in one of the most Hilarious Transactions that I've had when buying a Car
And so before I tell you what went wrong and what went right and had the Seller Crying Tears of Laughter!
I make no apologies for having a 'Warped' Sense of Humor!
That could be an essential ingredient for anyone else who is thinking of joining this Forum (you decide)
But long Story Short I wanted to buy an XJS from a well respected dealer and so all he needed now was for me to pay him and then I would be on my way, which I agreed to do on the following day
Though as it was an awful lot of the 'Folding Stuff' I wanted to have some Fun with it before I said good bye!
And so I went down to my Bank and told them that I wanted 20 Grand in Ten Pound Notes!
They said are you Joking! And I said 'No I'm Not!
And also I want you to put it in here, plonking a real leather briefcase, on top of their Counter Top, which sort of Shocked them in a way, that I would find hard to describe
As apparently people didn't do that sort of thing, except of course I never got that Memo!
Though they went to great lengths to tell me that this was ill advised, which was one of the nicest things that I can remember they ever said about me
But the sight of all those Ten Pound Notes carefully placed in my Case was nothing less than Music to my eyes
So ill advised me, grabbed hold of my Case and then went off to buy myself that Car!
Making both of my dreams both come True at once!
As I not only wanted to buy the Car but wanted to do so the way that they do in the Movies!
So turned up at the Showroom, put the Case on the desk then Flicked the Catches open, Lifted the Lid and then proudly Announced 'It's All There'
Slight XD Shock on the Salesman's face, which turned into a Smile as he Counted the Cash!
Where everything was going OK until he went and did something that was so unforgivable, that it still haunts me to this very day!
He only went to try and hand the empty Briefcase Back!
Which straight away had me thinking, What the Heck is Wrong with this Guy!!!
It's Not On! It's Bad Form! It's Not Etiquette, as when they do this in the Movies, they don't do things like that!
In the Movies it's not done! the Bad Guys always get to keep the Case!
How many Bruce Willis and Jason Statham Movies has this Guy never seen!
And so not wanting to waste a moment as good as that on Someone who quite plainly 'Didn't Get it' so to speak
I grabbed the Case, took the Keys and drove off in the Sunset to use the Case to buy another Car another day!
Your "Warped sense of humor" is what keeps us coming back, Alex!
In your shoes (which I will Never be in your shoes) I would employ an Escrow company to hold the money until BOTH parties are satisfied, as is done in US for Real Estate transactions.
Then when the money has been cleared of any suspicion and the car has met the buyers expectations and a Lot of paperwork has changed hands, the Escrow company gives you the money and he gets the car.
(';')
Also that's a very good idea! as although I'd like to give this Guy the benefit of the doubt, it would be a risky thing to do with someone that I've never met and someone I don't know and so I think I would rather sell her to someone in the UK
If you want even more of a laugh than you have hopefully had at my expense
06-06-2023, 08:08 PM
