Rust, Rubber, and MOT
The warm weather is coming, so I'm getting Küby ready for its overdue MOT...
It failed its MOT last time because of holes in the underbody: I have a hole in the front left wheel arch, and some steel lace on the corner of the floor on the driver's side.
It also failed the inspection due to brake imbalance (which wasn't there before I rebuilt the brakes! 🤷) and a headlight aimed too low... Okay, back to work on the weak points! 😉
Rust
I started with the front left wheel arch. The method is standard: stripping, cutting, shaping a patch from 0.8mm sheet metal, edge-to-edge welding of the patch, grinding, and a coat of rust-preventative paint to finish. While I was at it, I took the opportunity to inspect the inside of the frame rail with an endoscope camera, accessing it through this hole. This hollow section has some surface corrosion, but nothing serious. I cleaned and vacuumed out the dirt and sand that had managed to get in, sprayed on a liquid rust inhibitor (Rustol Owatrol), and then sealed it.
Next I tackled the corner of the floor: there had been a lot of fiberglass masking work done there by the guy I bought the base from in 2006... 😔
After cleaning with an electric file and a rotary steel brush, this steel lacework looks pretty in photos; it would make a nice lamp. 😉 But the MOT inspectors aren't fans of light fixtures... So, it's off to cut, shape, weld, and paint; not my finest work (welding upside down isn't easy), but the floorboards will need replacing someday anyway.
Rubber
Until now, I had Colway C-Trax M/T tires in 195/80-R15. I really liked them; they looked great and were inexpensive. But they're no longer made, and more importantly, I'd fitted them almost 20 years ago (!), and now they were in pretty bad shape: cracked, hardened rubber, giving unsettling road holding, especially on wet pavement. Mud-tread tires aren't ideal on the road to begin with, but now they were borderline (and they were really noisy)...
And then, looking more closely at my original rims, I realized they were 4.5" wide, when I was sure they were 5.5"... Argh! According to the chart on Flat4Ever, you shouldn't go over 165 on 4.5" rims. What an idiot! 🤦
In addition, one of my rims was different from the other 3: it was not openwork, unlike its companions, and did not have the clips for hubcaps...
So I have two options: either I find a 4th rim identical to the other three, I sandblast and epoxy paint everything, and finally I fit narrower tires... Or I change my rims to 5.5", which would allow me to fit up to 205.
And that's where chance (or fate??) intervened: while browsing LeBonCoin (a French classifieds website) for a steel rim, I stumbled upon a set of Empi Enkei Spoke 15"/5.5 ET12 rims with a 5x205 bolt pattern, like new, at a fantastic price... I've always loved their look, the Empi 5 style but a bit more aggressive, but they were way out of my budget new. It was the perfect opportunity to get Küby a gift! 😉
As for tires, after much deliberation, I've finally gone with Toyo Open Country A/T3s, still in 195/80-R15. I'm keeping the raised/off-road look, but with a tread pattern better suited to asphalt (A/T instead of M/T), and hopefully quieter. 😉
The other options would have been Insa Turbo TM + S244 "Cazador" in 195/70 R15, or Nankang 4x4 WD A/T FT-7 in 195/80 R15... A choice had to be made.
I found a set of 12x150 studs and the correct 60° conical nuts (of course, it would have been too easy, specific Empi bolts) and I assembled everything... Only to realize I'd forgotten I was using 14mm bolts and not 12mm at the rear, so I ordered ten 14x150-12x150 studs made specifically for this situation, and finally... Ta-da! Doesn't it look great? 😉
However, the Enkei wheels come standard with a chrome, bullet-shaped wheel center cap, which I think completely ruins their look. I'm designing and 3D printing a wheel center cap that I like better, and off we go! 😉
Prototype approved, I need to print three more... And I might consider remaking them in aluminium when the milling machine is 100% operational.
Engine
The fuel pump suddenly started leaking - it's a crimped model that can't be restored, so I'm changing it... And I'm replacing a few other bits and pieces that I didn't like at the same time.
The coil was a Brazilian Bosch reproduction; I replaced it with a genuine German one (after discovering that they now cost an arm and a leg, and your son's soul), complete with its bracket (the old coil was held in place by a piece of hand-formed aluminum profile 🙄). While I was at it, I installed a higher-quality ignition cables (the old ones were all hardened and brittle), and four NGK spark plugs...
I'm taking the opportunity to clean things up; the oil bath air filter had made a mess everywhere, so while I'm at it I drained it and cleaned the engine compartment.
Hey, I know I could do better aesthetically, but it runs like a dream, so I'm not touching anything - I know myself, it's just another recipe for having an engine sitting on the workbench for the next 15 years! 😅😅
Top Latches
Of course, nothing is ever simpletm, and just as I was about to go for my MOT inspection, one of the convertible top latches broke... Without that part, it's a guaranteed fail at the MOT, so I'm staying in the garage. 😠
Unfortunately, these parts, specific to the 181 (and Iltis), are now selling for exorbitant prices. I'm not completely surprised they failed; their cast aluminum construction always seemed a bit flimsy to me.
So, since I'm already going to lose another kidney in the process (these things grow back, right? 😅), I'm ordering a pair of replacement latches from HGW-Automotive. They're reproductions made of stainless steel, much stronger than the original latches. They're pricey, but ultimately not that much more expensive than the aluminum ones, so...
It's a product that can be found a little cheaper at The Thing Shop, but considering the shipping costs and customs fees to bring them from the US, I opted for HGW in Germany.
Allez, hop, c'est installé, on peut enfin aller au...
MOT / Vehicle Inspection
I went back to the MOT with my head more or less held high (let's be honest, Küby is far from brand new) and the result came in: passed without a retest! Woohoo! 💪🎉😉
I still have a slight imbalance at the front, but it's probably just my brake calipers needing to be broken in... I just need to go for a ride to sort it all out! 😉
