BiTurbo's Field Trip to Wales: Flight Day (alternately titled: BiTurbo's an idiot and I Orloved my Fiat)

"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228) 08/13/2018 at 13:05 • Filed to: oppomeet 2018, Europpomeet, BiTurbo's Field Trip, Fix It Again Tony

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We left !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in much the same place as we left day 1: a leaking Citroen and a plan formulated over drinks on how to fix it (with the minor detour of an overheating Fiat).

Now, while Duurtlang is clearly bonkers for catching air in the Citroen, he’s paradoxically also rather sensible. During the previous day he’d been scoping out garages near to where we were staying and we arranged some time on a lift to have a poke around.

Quote from the mechanic: ‘What is this? Work on your own car day?’. Yes. Yes it is. All week actually.

Luckily, the very helpful mechanic chappy managed to spot what it was. Or, at least, he discovered a random little tube coming from the strut that wasn’t connected to anything. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like there was much around for it to connect to...

Hum. What to do?

Oh wait. Didn’t we see a BX in the hedge just outside the garage?

Lets have a look at that and see if we can find where that hose goes.

Turns out that the misc hose on mine was one of the return lines from the struts which went to an MIA t-piece connecting both struts to a line running back to the reservoir.

Luckily, this was one of the things I had foreseen and had brought a box of varied t-pieces with me. A little jiggery-pokery with some scrap diesel return line the mechanic had lying around and we had a fixed Citroen!

So off we go again! Late, as usual, but on our way with a fixed Citroen :)

Today was the day when we were leaving the Brecon Beacons and travelling up to the second cottage in Snowdonia. Still a brilliant drive set out for us by Chinny Rac coon. I’d been endlessly impressed by how well the little Fiat performed on these twisty Welsh roads next to the much more powerful MX5, the BRZ which handled like it was on rails, and the MGF which wasn’t far behind the first two.

Power: neck and neck with the MGF

Handling and roadholding: keeps up fine with the 5 and F, and only just behind the BRZ which stuck to the road like it was on rails... or had a bonkers driver...or both)

Brakes: [i] Not quite so good.[/i]

Yeah. Definitely [i] not quite so go od[/i] .

VaderNoooooooooo.gif

Moron.

What happened here is the BRZ, MX5, MGF and Fiat had all been sticking pretty close to each other down this brilliant winding country road. Up ahead there lay a really nasty little section. Three sweepers followed by a little crest then a sharp 90-degree left with some water runoff from the field it skirted.

The BRZ met this 90-degree corner, sharply put on its generously sized anchors, heaved left and made it round.

The MX5 met this 90-degree corner, sharply put on its big 4-pot brakes, heaved left and made it round. Just.

The MG F met this 90-degree corner, sharply put on its big 4-pot brakes, heaved left and made it round. Just.

The Fiat met this 90-degree corner, sharply put on its upspecced but not brilliant brakes, didn’t slow down enough before it hit the water runoff, locked the fronts and plow ed straight ahead through the hedge and fence into a field the other side.

Sigh.

[i]Moron[/i]

Negotiated it out of the field, paid the rather irritated farmer not to call the police (I gathered it wasn’t his first rodeo), mended the fence I broke with some rope we had, and limped it to the nearest town for a tea to calm the nerves and to assess the damage.

I reckon the left hand side took down one of the fence posts as the tie rod was bent fully 45-degrees, meaning I had some mad toe out. Like ‘right wheel poi nting straight, left wheel halfway through its arc’. Not much we can do about that at the moment. Radiator pushed back 4" or so, but seemed to be intact. However, one of the coolant hoses under the car had been split and was leaking a fair amount of coolant .

The other wheel is pointing straight ahead...

Ok, so first thing’s first let’ s have a go at fixing the coolant leak.

The leak itself was actually pretty straight forwards. Loosen the clamps and slide the hose up a little bit so a good section of hose was bridging the gap between the metal pipes. So far so good.

The [i]real[/i] issue came when we went to bleed it. See, the bleed screw on the radiator is only accessible from under the bonnet...which we couldn’t open because the nose cone panel had been pushed up over it. I’d also bought a load of coolant after the near-overheat...which I’d sensibly put in the front boot.

Bugger.

We tried knocking it forwards with a hammer but it wouldn’t budge. Next up was to try prying it forwards with a hammer and later a crowbar a very friendly biker chap lent us, leading to this particularly distressing gif Duurtlang made:

That got us precisely nowhere, so the next step was to punch a hole through the panel with a screwdriver, and use tin-snips to scissor along the front, allowing us to push the top of the panel down and pull the back of the panel forwards. That led to this even more distressing video:

That did, at last, allow us to get the bonnet open.

Unfortunately, because the rad was pushed back we needed more cutting to get to the bleed screw which was now 4" further back than it used to be. This, my friends decided, was the ideal time for some humour ;)

Some liberal application of duct tape later and we were finally ok to get on our way :)

Before that though, coolant to clean up, curry across the road and some phone calls to make. Before I left for Wales I was speaking to some very helpful people at a company called !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! who specialise in X1/9 parts. I rang them up and explained the situation: road trip in Wales, put the fiat through a tree, bent a tie rod. Is there anything they can do to help?

I’d just caught them before their chap took their la st batch of deliveries off to the post office that day, and asked if they could send it overnight. Brilliant people they are they got t hat sorted :) 9am the next day, we’d have a replacement tie rod!

Silver lining: I can now say I’ve overnighted parts from another country (Norwich to Wales, but it counts!).

Still had another 50 miles to go until we got to the cottage, but we got there. Managed to scrub off most of the inside tread of my tyre on the way (initially I thought it was wind noise...but no...it’s my tyre squealing along on the road).

11pm we arrived at the cottage and set to work. Fiat up in the air...

...and bent tie rod off, ready for when the new one arrived tomorrow.

Still, provided the evening’s entertainment, and the sheets of cardboard cleverly brought along by Chinny Raccoon were much appreciated!

Part 4, coming up next! Will we have a day when something won’t go wrong?!

bob and john > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 13:22

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you derped the herp.

FSI > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 13:23

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Excellent read as always! 

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 13:23

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This reminds me of one of the more exhilarating moments of the Nashville Oppo Meet short rally , in which I had the conflicting thoughts “I’m going a bit slow here maybe I should - NO, I’m GOING QUITE FAST ENOUGH BRAKES BRAKES” in a very short flash ahead of a bridge. The Galaxie and its mediocre-for-1963 drums pulled it out, but only just. Had I not, it would’ve been a pitch down off the road into some 5' overgrowth and some trees.

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 13:35

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Great read, as always. You forgot to add:

The BX met this 90-degree corner, sharply put on its pint sized brakes, heaved left, the body wallowed into a lateral 45 degree angle and made it round. Just, but in all comfort.

I totally overlooked the hole in the hedge and only turned around after I saw the MX5s and the MG go into the opposite way.

I believe mister BRZ has some pictures from ‘the site’, however he doesn’t share his pictures much apparently.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2018 at 13:38

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If it gives anyone context of this road and how fast everyone else was going, I got the ISF oil above standard temp and the brakes were very fragrant. Quite a blast.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 13:45

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You’re a hero just for being able to tell this story with this amount of humour! I’m sure lots of people would rather not tell such a story

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 08/13/2018 at 13:46

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The bend at the bridge was the most tire noise I got out of it that day. The up and down maybe a mile before that was where I bottomed out the front suspension a couple of times.

I didn’t do the Dragon Run this past weekend, but I did come out on the roads to meet everyone and got a little rubber talk on the way.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2018 at 13:50

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The big girl dances!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2018 at 13:57

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I remember being glad to be in a nimble car at that bridge, and only later realized how it would have surprised you in the Galaxie.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 08/13/2018 at 13:58

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I’ve toyed with the idea of putting in slightly stiffer front springs. Being a smallblock actually seems to be an asset in terms of overall balance, but since it slumps a little bit left at rest, I know for a fact that the front springs are tired, and if the springs and swaybar for a midblock are heftier and available...

The step after that would be figuring out which 15" wheels will fit the stock hubcaps, and after that... *maybe* looking into factory style disc brake parts.

If I ever go in for a built C4 and a 302 with four-barrel you’ll know I’m going too far. Still, though - seamless bolt-on trickery is very possible.

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 14:15

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Technically, your brakes worked just fine, it’s the tires that were lacking. ;)

Great read!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com 08/13/2018 at 14:30

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No matter how comparatively slow I was , I never got caught by the back marker group, so there’s that. Losers.

Derpwagon > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 14:57

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Sorry to see :(

I will say that the wheels on the Fiat are perfect for the car. Once the front end’s been bodged back together it’ll look fantastic again. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 15:04

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Poor little FIAT! :(

Has the nose been repaired yet? :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Derpwagon 08/13/2018 at 15:11

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Yeah it was a sorry state of affairs :(

Yeah that's the first thing you notice when you see it. The rear wheels especially are just perfect :) it's got some 5mm spacers going on the front to push those out a little so it should look extra-awesome when it's done ;)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Out, but with a W - has found the answer 08/13/2018 at 15:13

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This is true, although I reckon if the initial bite on the dry had been harder I’d have slowed down enough by the time I hit the water :S

I've got some EBC Greenstuff pads going on it now so should be a little sharper now :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 08/13/2018 at 15:16

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Haha you have to laugh ;) it's the only appropriate response to getting away with being a blithering idiot ;)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 08/13/2018 at 15:19

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I know :(

It has! I've got some posts coming about that, but it's nearly there :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 15:24

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Yay! Always liked those little X1/9s! :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2018 at 15:29

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Eek :S the Fiat's brakes are actually alright, but the Uno Turbo brakes on the front have unbalanced it slightly meaning the fronts lock a little easier. You can get bolt-on upgrades for the rears from a 132 which balance it back out, but try finding a 132 nowadays...

Derpwagon > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 17:58

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Please fix her up and post pictures :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > duurtlang 08/13/2018 at 18:59

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I forgot it would have taken you guys by surprise too! The BX has some fearsome stoppers though doesn’t it?

As part of the last post I plan on doing a bit of a ‘so what have we learnt’ thing where I plan to sing the BX’s praises :)

Yeah I remember you going past and thinking 'oh, how do I sort this then? No-one knows I'm here...' ;)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Derpwagon 08/13/2018 at 19:01

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Nearly done with the fixing up, and pictures coming soon ;)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > bob and john 08/13/2018 at 19:01

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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > FSI 08/13/2018 at 19:03

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Thanks dude :)

Dave the car guy , still here > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/13/2018 at 21:15

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What an excellent story. Wish I was across the pond to help you guys. BTW I’m a descendent of Owain Glyndr so I might be accepted even though I’m a Yank.

duurtlang > Dave the car guy , still here 08/14/2018 at 00:41

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There were 6-7 nationalities at out Wal es meet . Including a yank. I’m not a Brit myself either, I had never even driven a RHD car before. No r on the left side of the road. You’d certainly be welcome! For example late next month, when we’re going to the Nürburgring.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Dave the car guy , still here 08/14/2018 at 08:22

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Thanks man, glad you’ve enjoyed it so far :)

And yeah, we had an American with us fo r Wales. Flew over and rented an Audi A1 :)

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/15/2018 at 05:44

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“The Fiat met this 90-degree corner, sharply put on its upspecced but not brilliant brakes”

A bad workman blames the tools. A good workman k nows to blame the materials instead. The discs were probably too shiny.

“the next step was to punch a hole through the panel with a screwdriver, and use tin-snips to scissor along the front”

Well, it was to the guy who carries tin snips in their emergency toolkit!  

“from another country (Norwich to Wales, but it counts!) ”

Technically, Wales is a principality :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > davedave1111 08/15/2018 at 08:48

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Haha right on all counts ;)

It wasn’t me with the tin snips but the guy in the BRZ. If I thought I brought a lot of tools it was nothing compared to BRZ-man. He saved our bacon on a number of occasions j us t by having pretty much any tool imaginable.

I think it came from doing the Carbage Run a couple of years previous (dirt cheap cars acros Europe). Teaches you to be prepared ;)

davedave1111 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/16/2018 at 06:34

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I was thinking that Carbage thing sounds like fun. Then I remembered I drive dirt-cheap cars normally. 

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/19/2018 at 16:42

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Actually, the carbagerun went without any issue. Well, the last part of the exhaust (muffler?) decided it wanted to divorce the rest of the exhaust, so it was loud, but that was it. It did stay put. But yes, mister BRZ loaded the car up with every tool imaginable. We just didn’t use any. No snow either, in that winter rally.

duurtlang > davedave1111 08/19/2018 at 16:45

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We did drive through 8 countries in that carbagerun. In a €500 car, from a country where used cars tend to be more expensive than in the UK. It also was early February and  we drove through the Alps and Pyrenees.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/carbagerun-2016-winter-edition-1770136965

davedave1111 > duurtlang 08/22/2018 at 05:09

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I daily drove a <£300 E30 for a year or two ! It wasn’t worth fixing anything, especially given it was too rotten to jack up safely. Couldn’t do the thing of significantly increasing the value by filling the tank because the tank leaked if it was filled more than half full - and that was one of the g ood bits, at least it half worked.

These days I have a 1989 Camry, which is entirely drama-free, and an MGF. Both were quite bargainacious, neither was more than a few hundred quid. Actually, the Camry would be the most missing-the-point car you could use for Carbagerun; it’s worth about €500, comfortable, fairly nice to drive, reasonably economical, and 80s-Toyota reliab le :)