I've started her off easy, seeing as SO many changes have been made in the past year, none of which could be tested as completed.

Here are a few pictures from her First trip to town since recovering from her Major surgery.





No trip to town is complete without a stop at the "local" HF store!



She's enjoying her outings and is behaving Very well.

When we were at the gas station, a woman about my age at the front pump said, "Pretty car," as she gazed at Nix with great appreciation in her eyes. Nix blushed demurely and said, "Thank you."

At various intersections and stop lights, wherein somehow Nix just always seemed to be at the front of the line, heads turned, both men and women of all ages. And even someone's kid about 10 years old was pointing and telling his mom to look. Mom followed us in the other lane for several blocks, just far enough back to get a Good look. Nix purred.

On the freeway, several cars Decades newer, hurried to catch up and then passed us slooowly as we prepared to peel off to surface streets. The construction crew all watched her go by, and at one store where I parked relatively far away to avoid door dings, I came out to find a fella in a Huge 4x4 Ford looking appreciatively at her fluid lines.

It was a good day, and she came home loaded with Booty, Plunder and Loot.

I think I hear her still purring out in her stall.
(';')

 

Wow LnrB, spectacular especially the last photo.

 

You have that pic with the sun glinting thing pretty much nailed :-)

 

Looking good Elinor, great to see you & Nix out and about.
She is so photogenic.

 

Looks great; congratulations


Cheers
DD

 

Thanks, Fellas,
As is true with any Shakedown, a few problems showed themselves. There seems to be a leak on one of the trans cooler lines at a junction fitting. Easy peasy.

The remote locking function is compromised by stiff locking mechanisms. There's a Rude buzzing noise. I see removal of all door liners in my future. Bummer!

There seems to be a leak in the high pressure fitting on the back of the power steering pump. Drat! Not so easy peasy.

There is a small drop of something, I suspect brake fluid, under the rear center. Hopefully it will be easy to reach if it's a caliper fitting.

I've mentioned the speedo doesn't work but I'm sure I know why. When I put the Thermo-Flex tubing on the transmission cooling lines I think I might have disturbed the cable. I knew it was broken at the 90 degree adapter, the sheath was broken when I got the car. I'm sure I jiggled it so the cable itself no longer engages the adapter.

All these, except the first two, require the car be jacked up again to access and repair. None of us is looking forward to that, but there simply is no other way to deal with it. On the Plus side, these *Should* be the last items to address before she's well and truly Ready For the Open Road long term!
(';')

 

Very nice indeed to see you enjoying her............just great!.

 

Just got to get the bigger headlight conversion and all will look perfect.

 

Stunning!!!! I have no better adjectives!!!! Maybe I should seek an adverb, as NIX and stewardess are on the move...I


It des show why our cars were imported as compacts. Note the brown "whatever"' along side in one picture.


Shake down cruise is a Naval or maritime term for new or overhauled vessels out on trial. Exactly, as you've found some ."punch list' items. From another craft?
whip out the small rachet, some extensions and the 3/8" socket and clamp down.


Run it up on a pair of HF ramps. Easier and for the most part safer, if you don't forget to chock the wheels like I did!!


I've not messed with speedo cables for decades. Usually trouble free.
Project: Move to an electric speed????


Took a while for the adrenalin rush to quiet down, huh????


Carl

 

Agreed, for a car that seems so big on its own. It still surprises me how small the compact saloons look next to other cars.

 

It's all been said Elinor, but looking great and good to see her out on the prowl! Nix is obviously providing a nice distraction for many (just hope she doesn't cause too many collisions )

Cheers,

 

Well, ya see, Clarke, it's like this...
Those headlight conversions aren't exactly readily available in Merca, I certainly can't find any at a reasonable cost.

And besides that, husband got me some Really Outstanding patterned lenses for the outer lights, that act almost like pencil beams on high, but cut-offs on low, so oncoming drivers aren't blinded but I can see what's about to jump out of the ditch at me. They are SO superior to what Wart has, that I'm reluctant to change them.
(';')

 

Thank you, Tony, but part of that attention is because none of those people have seen her. As I begin driving her regularly, there will be less of that attention I'm sure, because she'll become part of the traffic pattern, and although they'll appreciate her as a pretty car well kept, they'll have seen her before and only perhaps make a mental note.
(';')

 

Thats what I am looking for at the moment. I drive mainly in a rural area and early morning and early evening are bad times for crossing paths with wombats, roos and occasionally deer. My high beams are quite OK, but low beam is very average and I always feel exposed whenever limited to them.

Will go over the connections and earths to make sure I am getting all I can. Next I will see whats a round in higher performance H4 sealed beams or conversions I can get new generation bulbs into.

 

Last night after supper, we went out and jacked Nix up on both ends in preparation for work today after each of us got home from our Other duties.

Also yesterday, husband brought home some copper washers, dead soft, to seal the fluid leaks in flare fittings.

He got two sizes, 5/16 and 3/8 inch. Each fitting took one washer of its own size, but as you can see, he got some spares.

They're quite thin (apologies for picture quality and trashed nails),

about 1/2mm. They're also Very soft as mentioned, so they're easily deformed in a steel on steel flare fitting which won't seal for whatever reason. I had never heard of this trick.

This afternoon I got right at it as soon as I could. I had to remove the fitting from the trans cooler tank and lose a bit of trans fluid, but the smaller washer fit Right into the hole on the radiator, the fitting threaded Right in and I made it as tight as I could. Running test showed No Leaking!

I put a bigger washer into the back of the PS pump (AFTER it had drained the reservoir and peed PS fluid all down my arm), threaded in the fitting, tightened it up Stout, and it sealed! This one was needed because when we changed the steering rack husband had to have custom hoses made, especially for the high pressure side.

The man didn't have a thick flare nut so he put on what he had and there weren't enough threads to seal the flare. That fitting has leaked from day One but not until yesterday did I have any idea how to fix it. I admit I made it as tight as I possibly could, using one of the extra long wrenches I got for the IRS and pulling against the suspension. When I fired it up for testing, NO DRIPS after Several minutes!!

I also found the brake fluid leak by a single drop of fluid on the bottom of one rear caliper. It was an insufficiently tightened cross over pipe from the inside of the caliper to the outside. In order to get a wrench on the fitting I had to remove the last of the bell guards but Grant says they're really not needed. (The other guard was gone when I got the car.) I was able to tighten it 1/8 turn! That doesn't leak now either.

Husband still has to work on the alternator but I'm thinking tightening that belt will go a Long way fixing that problem. I know new belts work loose in time, but this one was Way loose! No wonder it squealed! Neither of us works tomorrow so I think I'll suggest that.

Later this evening I'll crawl under and reconnect the speedo cable. It's good to know how far in excess of the Suggested Velocity one is traveling so as not to be taken by surprise.

It's been Such a good day that husband dug out the last bottle of Sparkling Shiraz (a product of Oz) and we had a small celebration. Nix may be well and truly back on the road by Saturday, Sunday at the latest.
(';')

 

Everything on this list except for taking the doors apart has been repaired, readjusted, tightened, cleaned, or otherwise resolved! The remote locking function merely needed repeated on/off to wake it up. I've fixed the speedo cable so it won't come apart until I want it to.

After I get all the fingerprints off, we're well and truly On The Road Again!
(';')

 

I bet that you missed a fingerprint or two, and that is why you've had a few teething troubles!?!?


We all know clean cars run soo much better!

 

Something very satisfying in getting even small niggles fixed, eh? Now, just turn up the volume and cruise!!

Cheers,

 

Not to mention FASTER!! Mine has a 130 mph Paint Job!
I got all the fingerprints off this time I'm sure, Andrew! So there's No excuse for not driving the wheels off!
(';')

 

Thank you, Tony,
Yes, *Very* satisfying!
No volume though, the radio didn't work when I got the car, and I soon learned that neither the antenna nor speakers were connected. That's OK though, because I dislike a radio in a car. They're so distracting that I can't hear the engine and/or what's going wrong. So I took the ca. 1986 radio/cassette player out of the dash and chucked it into the Used Electronics pile for disposal. I plan to build a drawer for the hole.
(';')