Generation Cyb

 Following yet more work on the brakes CHO is treated to a new set of wheels!

Last month I left off saying the brakes had been completed at last. This was not strictly true as I actually wrote the report before bleeding the brakes, and as I should have expected no job is as easy as it first appears! Firstly I used the old method requiring help from an assistant, but this produced no more than air and a lot of wasted time. With the car at its low height it had to be raised from the ground and supported on stands at the front as the engine and sump are so close to the ground making it impossible to fit underneath. My one man bleeding kit method also failed (basically a one way valve).

The solution to the brake bleeding problem was thanks to Eezibleed’s excellent piece of equipment. This works using pressure from the spare tyre to push the fluid out removing the need for pushing the brake pedal repeatedly. As usual the bleed screw at each wheel is loosened and the length of tube attatched (ensuring this leads into a recepticle). The fluid container supplied with the kit is then filled with clean brake fluid and connected over the brake fluid reservoir ensuring there is no opportunity for air to leak. Then all I had to do was to simply connect up the kit to my spare tyre and the pressure pushes the new fluid into the system and the old fluid out as simply as that. Job done – the brake pedal now feels much more responsive and I’m pretty confident the brakes will get through an MoT.

NEW WHEELS
One thing letting CHO down in terms of looks was the wheels. The car came with a set of the 14″ steel wheels with an incomplete set of tatty wheel trims. Since the rear tyres were completely illegal, I had always been determined to fit the alloys that MG saloon cars should have. I soon sourced a good set of the later 15″ cross spoke alloys with legal tyres at a reasonable price (thanks to Martin Woods) from a Maestro Turbo. There is obviously reason to be very careful while buying used tyres considering these are the only part of a car that will touch the road, and many would not touch part worn tyres with a barge pole. However, I remain unconvinced there is any problem provided the tyres have been carefully selected. The way I see it, you are buying a set of part worn tyres every time you buy a used car, so there is surely no difference in buying part worn tyres alone. Although this set were not perfect, I could see no obvious problems (except the spare which is illegally worn).

The only other thing I needed were the special Rover alloy wheel nuts to hold the wheels on, as the standard steel items are too small. There are two types of alloy wheel nut, and although both are the same size the later type, designed with the cross spoke alloys in mind, had a shiny head for reasons of appearance. Unfortunately I was only able to get hold of the earlier open ended alloy wheel nuts (thanks to Neil Turner) salvaged from an MG Montego. Breakers seem reluctant to bother selling such small items, and I found them very raely available. I fitted all the wheels (most worn at the back as the front tyres wear quicker) and inflated all to the recommended 32psi. Total cost was 129.60 and the difference in appearance is quite incredible. The larger wheels seem to have raised the car an inch also. The only real problem since is that one of the front tyres appears to have a slow puncture, so I may need to get that replaced now, but despite that one problem I’d say it was well worth doing.

With most of the major problems that I can cure now out of the way I can concentrate more on the minor but irritating problems, and there certainly a fair number of those. One thing I have already done this month was to replace two of the wiper blades, and I’m pleased I did it because the old blades crumbled as I removed them. Next month I’ll be taking a look at some more problems on the list such as why the sunroof won’t open and why the rear door locks have ceased up.