Changing tires - part 2

It had to be like never before and it turned out to be as always. Almost exactly the same as with our national team as it plays like never before, and lose as ever. Sad, very sad :-). But let's focus on the things of the recent past, because there are so many of them that it is really hard for me to keep writing everything down regularly. Besides, the weather is so nice outside so it is possible to boldly look to the future restoration actions.

The previous post described the first part of the garage change of tires, so it would be just right to complete it of course. Following suggestion given by Mariusz I brought the remaining tires to him later that evening. In order to have a better access to them I had to move the car further from the wall leaving little space for my garage neighbor to leave/enter his car. That’s why I left him a note explaining my reasons and promising him amending the situation soon. The next day when I was getting back home from work I took my tires, however due to substantial amount of tasks in the afternoon I was not able to mount them. When I finished all my chores it was too late for the whole operation to take place so all I did was to take a wire brush and work a little bit on getting rid of excess rust on front discs and shields. Moreover, together with my new friend WD-40 we unscrewed some little screws that haven’t been moved for a long, long time. During these activities I destroyed a heavily rusted wire, which name I do not really know, but I learnt from Piotr that it was responsible for stabilization of the brake pads. The second wire was missing already so the front right pads don’t have any wires at all right now. On the other side of the car both wires are in place, but time has put its mark on them as well so there is a chance they will be damaged or destroyed soon as well. Luckily, I managed to track down a set of brake pads accessories and I am preparing myself for making the appropriate investments :-). I was so lost in the scrubbing and destroying things that I returned home at 1 am ... :-)).

The next day I finished replacing the wheels, which I have to wash, so I'm glad that we are having such a nice weather right now! In addition, Mariusz once again proved to be a very nice person, securing the wheels with rust binder so that at least for a while there will be no need to do anything in this topic. My heart has undergone a massive contraction during the examination of the bottom of the car where I saw what rust did to the car’s body. The fragment is located under the radiator and it is presented in the pictures at the bottom of the entry. I accidentally learnt that there is a need to weld the exhaust pipe, which is barely, really barely holding on some makeshift spring.

Subsequent posts will contain accounts of really nice meetings with even nicer people who share or have shared a similar passion. I invite you cordially to constantly visit and contribute to this site! :-).

The front disc brake on the left side

the wire you can see there on the left side is not there anymore :-)

Under the radiator - I can't look at this it's too painful :((((

the wheel that Mariusz secured with the rust binder

jack in action on the rear axis

a closer look from the other side

the exhaust pipe with the silencer

the rear drum break in the act of scrubbing

the rear drum break after the act of scrubbing

Changing tires - part 1

All recent activities are aimed at bringing the car to a state where it will easily pass the technical examination that is a must for registering the car and using it for driving of course. It is also essential in order to proceed to the next stage of renovation – the issue of car’s body and paint which, let’s face the truth, have seen better days. I do not exactly know how to approach this topic yet and a lot of people is telling me I cannot do it by myself, which is obvious, but it would be nice to at least save some money, do something by myself and learn a new profession :-).

Anyway, what I was about to write is that (only few people know about it) the person responsible for all my latest actions is Piotr. He is my brother’s friend, a veritable treasure trove of automotive knowledge, a person who stretched out a helping hand to a rookie, a great enthusiast and a good spirit. I am totally aware that, if it was not for him, his suggestions, links he sends, checklists he does I would still be like a child in the dark. Thanks to him at least I am not in the dark :-). He puts the necessary structure and order to all my actions. What is really interesting is that he is another Piotr, whose name will be written in golden letters in the history of my Toyota!:-). From this place, I thank him immensely!

After running the car for the first time the plan was to check all the fluids in the car.

Test of the engine oil showed very good results - maximum level, which can be seen in the picture.

There was no brake fluid at all (picture below), that is why I used fluid DOT-4.

 

When it comes to the coolant I am not exactly sure how I should verify its level, but for now it is not that important, because I am not going for long trips in the near future. I will refer to Haynes in the forthcoming days to check it.

The next step was the replacement of tires. With the car I got the following set:
- left front and right front tire - Roadstone (respectively 2004 and 2001),
- right rear - Firestone F-580 (2001) and the left rear Michelin (1995), but the latter was previously a spare one, and Piotr, the previous owner, used it to replace the faulty one. Having two different tires on one axle is something that should be avoided if someone goes for technical inspection. When it comes to TWI (Tread Wear Index) I was only able to find the mark on one tire and it showed 4 mm, so I know nothing about the condition of other tires.

 

I didn’t want to spend too much time on searching for the tires, but luckily Piotr reviewed internet auctions and prepared a list of the offers. We decided to go for the best affordable option - set of 4 Michelin Energy 175/70R13 82T E3B1. Three tires from the end of 2006 and one from early 2007. Tread 3 x 6mm and 1 x 5.5 mm. So far, it is ok - until I can find someone who will sell me Watanabe wheels:-)). I invested some money in two jacks and I could get down to action. Due to the fact that the car didn’t have the technical examination and there was a problem with the air pressure of left front wheel (see first photo below) it was not possible to drive to the mechanical workshop. There was as idea to bring the workshop into my garage, but it would cost me an additional 70 PLN than normal cost of replacement. So I decided on the option to change the tires in the garage by myself and take them to the workshop afterwards. I managed to find one workshop on the way to work and the owner Mariusz was nice enough to stay a little longer. Moreover, it turned out he lives nearby the place I live so he proposed that I should bring the last 2 tires in the evening to him. The effect of my work and the one of Mariusz you can enjoy below.  

The story will be continued in the next post, which is coming soon. Sooner than you would think after my previous performance. Really! :-).

there was air in the wheel, but after my attempt to pump it up a little bit it was sneaking out of the wheel :-)

 rear left wheel

 a front disc and a brake together with a jack!

 a rear drum brake and a jack

 jack at work - the dent on the right is my fault unfortunately...

 a closer look on front disc brake

a front shock absorber

 jacks in action and the car without wheels

 the car with newly placed wheels

 I will have to clean the wheels a little bit :-)

as above