varotone

Since the DMT will remain closed for the foreseeable future,

I had to take the exhaust manifold to the shop to get a fitting gasket. Bought japanese used studs and bolts from a recon parts shop. Sourcing parts was not difficult. Now there is a significant reduction in the noise levels and the engine sounds and feels smoother. The engine compartment looks uglier now, but sounds and feels better. Too bad I couldn't find a heat resistant spray paint can!

There is a silencer leak in the car. It is from the gasket between the exhaust manifold and tail pipe. The gasket needs replacement. I went to the silencer repair shops in Pamankada yesterday. They have run out of gasket material. I tried to remove the two bolts holding the gasket in between to remove the old one and get a new one made from the Panchikawattha. Looks like it's rusted in place and needs to be cut off. Any recommend places to fix it? Edit- Installed the gasket DIY! Last weekend I managed to remove the exhaust manifold. The two bolts that hold the manifold to the tail pipe were badly rusted and didn't budge even with copious amounts of wd40. I had to cut off the bolt with an angle grinder and remove the two halves of the nut from the stud. Using an angle grinder in the engine compartment without damaging other parts was a tiring job. Two surprises awaited me when I removed the manifold. 1. There was a fine crack in the under side of the manifold. Even the two silencer repair shops missed it. 2. There was no gasket between the manifold and tailpipe. I had to get the cast iron manifold welded. The crack was small, about 5cm long. But the welder said it should be welded well beyond the crack. So this is the result of the welding. The weld looks hideous. This is the only shop I could find that did cast iron welding. I guess I didn't have a choice. The studs were badly rusted. this is the manifold with the new studs and the donut gasket. I wanted to sand and paint the manifold with heat resistant paint. Once I bought such a heat resistant black spray can to paint a BBQ grill. This time I couldn't find one after shoppin, g for it for two days. So the rusty, shabby manifold went back in

Thank you all for helping me! I want to keep this thread specifically regarding daily driving of old cars since there's a separate thread for the restoration. Looks like there are no 'service warrant' for old cars. How is the service provided by the automobile association of Ceylon? Their life membership costs 23,850. Automobile associations are becoming rather obsolete with online maps and navigation, ability to search for nearest garage online, and forums like this/Facebook groups to meet fellow motorists. Still the road side assistance remains seems relevant. The rather steep fee is what makes me wonder if this is of any value. I forgot about insurance. I'm currently on a third party insurance. Would it be a good idea to have a comprehensive insurance since I'll be using it daily?

Not always when it is heated up. Once it failed to move out of the garage. On another occasion it ran fine with the engine about to boil! I let it sit for some time to cool off and continued driving. On one occasion I paid a mechanics 'golaya' to go with me to Deniyaya just so that he may pickup the issue and would be helpful in diagnosis rather than I describing the symptoms. It drove like a dream up and down the highway!

First a long rant. As I have documented Here, restoration of the mechanical components of my project Lancer station wagon is almost complete. Only remaining mechanical bits is to replace the universal joints, suspension overhaul, and tidy up the brake lines plus look in to upgrading the front brakes to disc brakes. Tinkering and painting is done. I’m satisfied with the tinkering job. But not happy with the quality of the paint work. (hence the reluctance to post pics) Interior is not restored. But everything is working fine. So far, the project took more time than I anticipated. While it is still far from completion, it is back on the road. Given the sheer practicality, ease of maintenance, decent fuel economy and the crazy vehicle prices, I guess I will use it is as my daily driver for a while. While the car is quite reliable, I had one issue that was not fixed after showing to 4 different mechanics. The car would suddenly start stalling and the engine dies soon after. It fails to start again for quite a while. None of the mechanics could find the fault. Twice I was stranded on the middle of the road with this issue. Once I brought the mechanic and when he started, it started from the first crank and drove fine thereafter! The next time it stalled in the middle of the road, I brought the same mechanic and this time it didn’t start. Since he also could not fix it by the road side, it was taken to his garage in a vehicle carrier. The next morning when he started the car again to find the fault, it started and ran well. Then it stalled again a couple of days ago. This time it was very close my home and I managed to push it with the help of kind and helpful passers-by. This time I decided to try my hands with it. Since the petrol flow from the new petrol pump was low even after replacing the petrol pump, I checked the fuel lines. The fuel line was clogged almost cutting off the petrol supply with some sponge bits, some nylon bristles and a very small amount of rust. The petrol filter is good and there was minimal rust or other debris in the petrol tank. The car is running well for now. But I’m still not certain that this is the issue that led to the sudden stalling in the middle of the road, because I think a good mechanic would not fail to diagnose a clogged fuel line based on the symptoms. The issue was very difficult to replicate. All of a sudden it stops and all of a sudden it starts without giving any chance to troubleshoot the issue. Looks like it has got a mind of its own. After this incident, I’m driving in a constant fear of the car breaking down in the middle of the road. Now, to my problems. 1. Is there any service that provides road side assistance like minor mechanical repairs and towing/carrier service available round the clock? There is a subscription-based website and an app that says they do towing/carrier services round the clock, island wide plus road side assistance. I’m not impressed after talking to the customer care. Automobile association of Ceylon claims to offer these services plus help fellow motorists. I would like to know your experiences with AA before forking out the life membership fee. Any other perks of being a member of AA? 2. Any good garages that offer a kind of service warranty for cars of this vintage? I mean if I get it repaired at them and fix every bit that they say that needs to be fixed/replaced, they sort of guarantee that the car will keep running till the next service. I didn’t check with the Un!t€d motors if they still repair cars this old. Do they provide a superior reliable service compared to other mechanics? 3. Any recommendation for a mechanic/garage to get the car checked to reduce my anxiety? 4. Any other tips on daily driving an old car? In a summary what I’m looking for is to keep daily driving a very old car while properly taking care of it. In return I am looking for it to be reliable. And in the odd chance it breaks down in the middle of the road, I want someone to come try fix it roadside or take it to a garage while I use a taxi till my car is fixed.

Time for a long overdue update on the project. It's back on the road. Actually, it was on the road for a little more than an year now and clocked 25,000 km after the (partial) restoration. Project had to be finished off quickly because I needed a beater car as soon as possible. So, I decided the cosmetic aspects can wait a while (hence the lack of photos of the car). Soon after the full tinkering and painting, rebuilt the engine, serviced the transmission and differential and it was on the road. Upholstery, seats, carpets can wait. I wanted a fully functional safe and fairly comfortable ride and I'm not disappointed at what I got. I had to do some renovations/repairs on my house and this car was immensely helpful with hauling stuff around. If I count the number of cement bags, putty buckets, paint buckets, celling boards and other building material at different times, I might have recouped the cost of purchase already. Just because I used it as a beater car, it doesn't mean I neglected caring for it. Engine oil got changed every 2500-3000km and oil filter with every other oil change. Undercarriage washed and oil sprayed monthly. Timing belt changed on time. There are times the car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Once after travelling about 80km out of city to pickup some wood carvings without a hitch, the battery was flat. So I had to "thallu start" and drive back with load carvings occupying the cargo area and the rear seats. All I had to do the next day was to get the battery charged and tighten up the alternative belt. On another time, the charging light came on while on the highway. Stopping in the middle of the highway was not an option. So I drove on. Then I noticed that the temperature gauge was rising. Still I went on and took the exit that I had planned. Stoped at the first battery shop just to see what had gone wrong. When I popped the hood the fan belt was shredded! I let switched off the car, removed the fan belt and drove the car to the nearest spare parts shop, bought a belt and drove it to the garage without the fan belt. Temperature was high, but the engine didn't boil! Came back home after replacing the belt. I had driven more than 100km in the highway without the fan and alternator spinning! Once when I turned the key the key turned full 360° circle without cranking. I could turn the key all around with nothing happening. No ignition, no cranking. I bought some flexible wire from a nearby shop and supplied current to the ignition coil and starter motor directly from the battery. The car started and stayed on till I came home and removed the flexible wire! I had to replace the busted ignition switch the next day. All in all, this has been a pretty reliable wild ride! But lately I'm having an issue that makes this car unreliable. After some time it misfires/sputters like it's running out of petrol and stalls. I've tried two different garages. One said it's the distributor and fixed it. It reappears after driving about 40km. Then I went to the next guy who said it is the carb. Still the issue is there. Any competent mechanics around Mount Lavinia/Attidiya area who will be able to fix this?

Since the comfort of your mom is a priority, I'll share my experience. My grandma lived with arthritis for quite a long time. Almost every vehicle in the family were vans. Lite ace, Hiace, Delica, Vanette... The first time my granny rode a car after crippling arthritis was a 121 corolla. My grandma had enough of cars after one trip to matara from galle. Corolla was by far comfier than any of the old vans. But the seating position and the space wasn't comfortable for her. She said that a three-wheeler is better than a car. We judge the comfort of the rear seats mostly by the ride comfort and how plush the seats are. Arthritis patient prefer a car that's easier to get in and out and seating position doesn't put strain on her bad joints. If you are planning on frequent short trips to the hospital, the ease of getting in and out of the car would be more important than the ride comfort. This might sound silly. But take your mom for a test ride. Both carbs and efi have their own pros and cons. But even a monkey with a screwdriver and a wrench can dismantle and mess around with a carb. So most carbs are screwed up by grease monkeys who don't know what they are doing. Efi ecus aren't easy to mess with. At least it takes more than a screwdriver and a wrench to fiddle with the electronic stuff. So the ecus aren't messed up as carbs. Better buy a ecu car.

Looks like this involves quite a lot of custom work to get minimal boost. May be the guy does it in two days because he has done the same thing over and over for quite a while. I dreamt of turbocharging my poor old lancer with a diy bolt on turbo kit😅. Even if there was ready made kits for proton wira available, it wouldn't fit my 4G12 with a longitudinal engine. Nonetheless, it's cool such turbo kits exists!

😳 Plug and play kinda stuff? Someone tell me this is true!

🇯🇵 Toyota Raize. 🇱🇰 Jeep 🤦‍♂️

Start by filling the overflow bottle to the correct level when the engine is cold. Start by checking for visible leaks. Radiator core, tanks, overflow tank, coolant lines when the engine is warmed up to operating temperature and thermostat is open. Is there oil in the radiator? Is the radiator cap good? Correct specs? Loss of compression? Water in the engine oil sump? A bit of foam is normally created due to the circulation of coolant. Excessive frothing or bubbling with oil can be due to a blown head gasket. It will also make a lot of white smoke. Steam to be more specific.

Tourers are rare I presume. They tend to rust to the ground quicker than the regular ones. Most available for sale are regular cars after chop jobs with shady papers. A good example would fetch around 1mil afaik. 2.5mil, leasing can be arranged... A typical quick site advertisement. May be the guy thought that someone will buy at this insane price to export

Sponge Bob passed his driver's test wearing long pants. So, wearing long pants might help. @DineshKalu it's not necessary to be able to ride a bicycle or a motorcycle to be able to drive a car. Good riders aren't necessarily good drivers and vice versa. There's no shame in diving around with L boards till you get the hang of the vehicle. Find an experienced diver who can help you get accustomed for a couple of days. Going around road cones in a ground is not sufficient. Get out on the road preferably very early in the morning. Always be patient on the road. Take your own sweet time! Just because a bus is honking like mad while tailgating you doesn't mean you have to go faster. Slow down and let them overtake you. Drive at a speed that you are comfortable with. Have a spotter when parallel parking and doing 3 point turns. It will become muscle memory eventually. Learn road rules and etiquette. Stay calm. You'll be fine!

Congratulations on your purchase and best of luck with the mods! Nice write-up @matroskaI had several bouts of breathless laughter while reading this. Level of dedication needed to maintain the uno, color scheme of riced up Nilkamal civics... ?Oh man! Where can I read more of this stuff? I read Komisiripala's book only recently and I wasn't disappointed ?

Apparently, this one was among the best condition celeste in the island. And the fire was not easy to put out. A couple of months back the Lotus Espirit burnt to the ground?

Welcome to the forum! Galant would be a good choice if you managed to find a good specimen. It has a reputation for being little thirsty and being engine swapped. Have you considered Mazda 323, Lancer C11, CK1? They were little more popular, hence the chance of finding a good specimen is little higher. If you are looking for a car with good build quality, take in to account that these cars are older than the maruti 800 and may have deteriorated due to poor upkeep. Still they age better. Are you looking for a daily driver?

Distributor rebuild I wanted to do some preemptive maintenance on the distributor even if it was working fine. Just to check and adjust the contacts gap, check the capacitor, and lubricate the shaft. I ended up removing the distributor and dissembling it. These were the problems 1.contact gap was too small 2. Contact electrodes are pitted and covered in carbon 3. Screws holding the contacts had stripped heads. Doesn't tight enough. 4. Capacitor was good. 5. Vacuum advance canister had a damaged diaphragm. Doesn't work anymore. (Initially the vacuum line in the carb was also blocked. After the carb rebuild, I was aware of this problem. Temporary fixed by plugging the vacuum hose) 6. Mechanical advance mechanism was probably never lubricated enough. It was not freely moving. 7. Oil seal in the distributor shaft was leaking a little. 8. Shaft and bushes were in good order. Wear was within tolerance limits. Here are pics when I took it apar Following maintenance was done 1. Fully dissembling and thorough cleaning. The centrifugal advance was very tight. Had to clamp down to the bench and remove with vice grips. It is ment to spinn freely! 2. Replaced contacts and capacitor as preemptive maintenance. 3. Replaced the oil seal. 4. Shaft has a spiral grove that helps to draw engine oil up the shaft and lubricate when the engine is running. Thoroughly cleaned the grove. 5. Replacement vacuum advance canister was available. Fixed it and connected the vacuum hose from the carb. 6. Set the static timing when fixing the distributor 7. Adjusted the contacts gap. Spec is 0.45-0.55mm. I set to 0.50mm with a feeler gauge. 8. Checked the dynamic timing with my DIY timing light. I can't verify that dynamic timing due to the lack of a RPM sensor. I'm sure that the centrifugal advance works because of the advancing timing when revving up. Applying suction to the vacuum line further advances the timing. So, the vacuum advance also works.

Spare parts prices are on a whole new level! Do shop around. I was quoted Rs. 800 for a rotor. A few weeks later I bought it from the same shop for Rs. 350. How was the technician at Kaduwela? @The Don shared contact details of a carb mech. in Piliyandala. Thankfully I didn't need to go to him.

1. I bought it from W!ckr@m@ motors, Panchikawatta. 2. The brand that I bought is "Keyster". There were a few other brands also. They didn't have the other brands fitting my carb. This was my very first attempt at rebuilding a carb. So, I don't have any baseline to say how good or bad the kit is. Thankfully everything fit well. gaskets and all. (Also I bought this kit amidst the COVID lockdown. Didn't even bother to shop around or look at other brands. I just grabbed the first kit that fits my carb and hoped for the best) 3. Carb kits are readily available. I had to go to a few places to find one that fits mine. In addition to the carb kit I bought a gasket paper, again readily available. My kit came with everything that I needed. So, I didn't have to shop for other bits like jets, needles and stuff. I suspect that such parts are also available to be purchased individually. Glad that I could help. Thanks for the wishes. Best of luck with your project!