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I had the day off, so I could go up to Normandale in daventry to get Vikki booked in for her paint job.
Up early, so I could avoid he weather. Everything was going swimmingly until I hit a patch of diesel on the exit of a roundabout, and pirouetted off down the road into the Armco.
The front offside wishbones are buggered, as is the headlight. Both off side wheels are buckled, and the rear fog light is broken, along with the bumper being bent out of shape. The rear tub has a small crack down the bottom near the wheel, as does the rear wing on the face that smacked the barrier.
I'll also be needing a new front mudguard stay as well. And a new track rod end and steering arm
I'm beginning to think a higher authority doesn't want me to get her painted.
I'm guessing that Normandale would be able to fix the fibreglass for me when it's painted. It's just ordering the parts from Marlin that will be an issue, due to their lead times.
That's gutting. Hopefully it won't take you too long. Did the wishbone take the force or has some been transmitted to the chassis and upright? Just wondering if it's worth you getting the chassis alignment checked too in case something has twisted
No, all the force went through the wishbones. The chassis looks as true as it always has been. A testament to how strong the chassis is!
I'm buggered if I know what happened to the headlight though, as the case and lamp is fine - it's just the front ring that's gone. The rear fog light is a goner, as is the bumper. The tub is cracked slightly at the lower back, and the face of the wing has a split in it. A lot of the gel coat has flaked off as well in those areas.
I hope it doesn't make the cost of the paint job spiral...
I'm going to need this lot from Marlin:
Driver's Rear Bumper
Driver's Side Wing Stay
Driver's Side Top Wishbone
Driver's Side Lower Wishbone
Steering Arm (I'm guessing they'll want to sell me a whole new rack)
Suspension Top Bar & Nuts
And to top it all off, I need two new alloys - as both of them on that side of the car are buckled.
Just picked up on your unfortunate news. As others have said it really is about you being ok though. A colleague of mine recently hit one of these new mid road safety refuges as you enter small villages, apparently not at a great speed, as is no longer with us to tell us what he bent - so whilst you may not see it now, you are the lucky one.
Is it an insurance job? Or are Barclays paying for this too?!
Is there anyone with a sportster build in progress that could loan you the wishbones etc.. to get yours on the road whilst Marlin get some built?
Could you not have the wheels straightened?, I had a pal who curbed his 3 series and buckled the wheel but he managed to get it straightened out by a wheel specialist, turned out as good as new.
You should be able to get your steering rack repaired. I had the one off our Fiesta refurbished by a small outfit in B'ham.
They are happy to accept pound notes to keep cost down, but keep quality up.
...and they are very straight. I took the power steering pump to them expecting £150 bill. It had been run dry, due to the rack failing, but when they tested it with a proper oil supply, it showed it was in good nick. So they charged me nothing for testing it!
Hi Jason.
Very sorry to hear about your disaster but as others have said you are ok. Car bits are replaceable but you are not! Only time (so far) that I have ever "lost" my Hunter was also on a roundabout, also where some diesel had been spilled. It had just started raining too so perfect skid pan ingredients. Luckily in my case it was second gear at about 20mph and plenty of empty road.
Further to Cabrioman's suggestion maybe Marlin have a Sportster in mid build from which they could let you have the wishbones?
Peter.
Just spoken to Roger Clinton at Kerry Clinton Engineering (The link that Mike provided), and he's going to fix the steering rack for £70 - that's two new tie-rods either side, as I'm not happy with the amount of thread going into the rod ends. If you look at the pics, you'll see that it's only a couple of turns!
So I'll be taking the rack off and sending it up to them, as it's one less thing to sort out with Marlin.
That's good news, let's hope Marlin have a couple of wishbones in stock.
I've got a pair of spare track rod ends if you get stuck, but there are usually quite a few on eBay or your local motor factor.
I suspect you might need a couple of new ball joints (judging by the angle of your upright). I recently got some genuine QH ones from here... http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/ You need QH-QSJ1060S
Finally, I've got some 280mm long M10 bolts which could be a temporary fix for the top wishbone mounting rod if you can't get one from Marlin. (I say temporary because being bolts they are only 9.9mm diameter so a bit of a compromise solution).
Thanks Pete - much appreciated. If I need to prevail on your offer, I'll drop you an IM.
The top rod mount - I wonder what material it's made out of? If I recall, it's just a rod with thread cut at either end. If it's just mild steel, it's probably something I could sort out myself at engineering class. If it's hardned, like a bolt is, maybe not...
Thanks Pete - much appreciated. If I need to prevail on your offer, I'll drop you an IM.
The top rod mount - I wonder what material it's made out of? If I recall, it's just a rod with thread cut at either end. If it's just mild steel, it's probably something I could sort out myself at engineering class. If it's hardned, like a bolt is, maybe not...
No problem.
Looks like your top rod has snapped and I stripped the thread on one of mine as the thread was badly cut, so probably just mild steel.
Not snapped - bent in two different directions! To get it out, I'm going to have to chop the top wishbone, and then slide the separate parts off. The eyes look ok, so I may be able to reuse them.
........... as I'm not happy with the amount of thread going into the rod ends. If you look at the pics, you'll see that it's only a couple of turns!
Yes, and the fact that the Marlin special welded in extension piece looks like its bent like a bit of old electrical conduit!
But I guess it was whacked by the wheel with 750kg of car behind it and by bending may have prevented less damage to the steering rack and chassis mounting points.
I'm down in crediton this weekend, visiting my Mum - If they've got anything stock, I could pick them up whilst I'm down here. I've ent Terry an email....
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