Mechanicing like a lady :)

[Rhiannan]

Well I started on my 2 yesterday since it was a nice day

Managed to take some stuff off and spent a very long time searching for the hundred and 1 bolts holding the front bumper on
I got hungry and then it started to rain so I didn't get it off but I will next time it's a nice day, I think I know where the last couple of pesky bolts are No hurry I suppose since the replacement bits are not here yet.

Before you laugh I havn't done any car stuff before So I'm learning as I go along

Thought I'd let you see my workings - this is how the ladies do it

I bought a beach mat to work on to save my bum getting wet



Light covers were easy!


LOLOL!! Look at his grumpy face! He had just cut himself getting the wheel arches off....I guess me taking his picture at that time did not help



I'm keeping all the bolts for everything together by using sandwhich bags and felt tip pen


Bolt number 469.....


It's pouring with rain today so I can't continue I was enjoying it

[monkeymax]

Good work Rhiannan! It's a good thing to start mechanicing on in my opinion - should (hopefully) be fairly straightforward!

I've only recently got to the point where I'm confident of stripping down an engine - though it's taken a couple of years of simple stuff... Just to make you feel better...:

I bought a beach mat to work on to save my bum getting wet

I may be a bloke but I still use camping mats/old carpet strips on the ground. Although admittedly this is to make it more comfortable to lie under the car on concrete/gravel, than it is to keep me from getting wet... (Muddy clothes? Meh, don't matter... )

I'm keeping all the bolts for everything together by using sandwhich bags and felt tip pen

I've done this too and it's very good practice in my opinion! It'll make it much easier to put it all back together... Although I've done so many I got lazy and now have a few bolts that I don't know where they go...!
An alternative (that I've also been using) is to loosely screw the bolts back into the holes where they belong - obviously without the item they hold being in place. This way it's impossible to mistake where they all belong!

However, well done! Good going!

[Spittinflames]

Good girl

[C50]

very organised

[splintermcinnes]

good work girl. well done next thing you know you'll be swaping out engines in a heartbeat, lol!

love working on the two, i have heard the front bumper is a nightmare to do, i havent needed to yet!

my next thing to do is sort out the hooooooje birds nest that someone has installed!! the stereo stopped working, so took it out and jesus christ the state of the wiring behind the thing is just crazy, im just gona cut it all back and re wire the whole lot!! the A-pillar guage is also bodge wired in via the cigarett light er and the stereo, the boost controller is in the mix to! its gona be a nightmanre to sort properly, but, start one thing at a time unitll its all done, ill get there i the end!!!

[Rhiannan]

I guess I was lucky, when I changed out my stereo it was really easy, just unplug old and re-plug in new

Yeah the bumper is tough, I think it will be the hardest out of all the its I've got to do.

The 2 is actually great to work on since all the bolts are coming off so easy, my other half is used to old fords so was expecting everything to snap and be seized.
I'm so impressed the the condition of my car, it's like brand new, everything is wax oiled

[splintermcinnes]

good good, my car wasnt so good, when i first bought it a few years back taking off the under trays and nearly half of the bolts snapped on every pannel, so just left them off! i only have the ones in the middle now! front and rears are gone!

i also realised that when doing the stereo having the dash pannels out, the T-bar seals with various other internal pannels out, and in the spare wheel well, i have found sooooo many screws and clips thigys missing its unbelievable!! i need to go to the scrappy and go to town on a few beaten up ones, pinch all clips and fixing screws i can find!!

put all this and the fact the engine blew its self up (well, it had a bit of help!) i bought a bit of a lemon! oh well! haha a few years on and around 7 thousand pounds latter, im still finding little niggling things to do! lots of interior stuff, and exterior! oh the list goes on!! i dont like to think about it!

one day it will be sorted! but it will never be finnished! haha, i will always want new toys for her!

you gona be working on her today??? or is the weather crappy there today? really nice here, gorgeous sunshine

[Lauren]

Thought I'd let you see my workings - this is how the ladies do it

Speak for yourself.

But joking aside taking an anal approach is a safe bet if you haven't done much bearding before.

NB: Any form of working on a car is known as 'Bearding'.

[coverco]

I'm keeping all the bolts for everything together by using sandwhich bags and felt tip pen

That takes all the fun out of it, I throw all the nuts and bolts into a plastic box it makes it much more fun when you come to put it back together

It is good fun though and think how much money you have saved by not taking it to a garage

[Steve-O 2007]

well done but dont let the rain put you off. Once your wet you get used to it. I was outside changing my clutch cylinder and taking my exhaust off yesterday in a rain storm and out again today while it was raining putting my new exhaust on. Just make sure you have a hot bath ready to get in when your finished

Have fun putting the bumper back on

[The-Shield]

NB: Any form of working on a car is known as 'Bearding'.

By who? I've never heard it before, except from you.

[Rhiannan]

I've noheard of Bearding either
Maybe it's a southerner thing

[Lauren]

NB: Any form of working on a car is known as 'Bearding'.

By who? I've never heard it before, except from you.

You obviously need to get out more.

Noobie.

[splintermcinnes]

just tryed a quick google of the phrase, came up with nout! i have never heard anything like that before!!!!

[splintermcinnes]

I've noheard of Bearding either
Maybe it's a southerner thing

dont tar us all with that brush!!!

[The-Shield]

NB: Any form of working on a car is known as 'Bearding'.

By who? I've never heard it before, except from you.

You obviously need to get out more.

Noobie.

Yeah, obviously

I suppose it's like your abbreviation's. Everyone uses them according to you yet nobody knows what the xxxx you're going on about,

[toxo]

love working on the two, i have heard the front bumper is a nightmare to do, i havent needed to yet!

Front bumper IME wasn't too bad... I did have a problem getting to the bolts that attach it to the front wings as my hands wouldn't fit in the holes to get anything onto them!! Then again I have an aftermarket bumper that only attaches along the top edge... I really wish I took your approach to storing bolts when I did my decat lol. Keep up the good work, I find it very rewarding knowing that I did something constructive to my car

[Rhiannan]

I think I need to remove the fog lamps next and there's a couple more bolts in awkward spots in the corner, then fingers crossed it should come off
The wing looks like it will be a piece of p1$$, just a few bolts. I'll be soooo glad to get that wing off and chuck it in the skip reminds me everytime I look at it how screwed over I've been!

Cannot wait to have it back on the road, better then ever!!

[SamUK]

glad to see your getting her back on the road!!

i feel for ya with the insurance. its now been 1 year and 11 days and i still havent been fully paid out for mine.

[Rhiannan]

I don't think I will get a penny from the insurance, the van which hit it was technically stolen so it's very unlikely the rental company will pay out

After weighing up all the options, I decided that fixing it myself out of my own pocket is the option which will cost me the least amount of money.
That car is in such amazing condition that it's too good not to fix