One of the few driving conditions I'd prefer an oldskool diesel with mechanical injection pump for.

Reminds me of one holiday on 'Shell Island / Mochras' in Wales as a kid, it's a peninsula and the only link road to mainland is a tidal causeway... I canoed over abandoned cars with headlights still lit on that causeway

I've now got a supposedly good engine on a pallet in the garage.
After I'd bought it the scrappies told me that if I want to know anything about the engine I could ask the dad of the bloke who wrote the car off... the dad runs a local garage and should be in the know! Oil in it is a bit black, would've thought a bloke who had spent so much on custom parts for his car and is also the son of a garage owner would have changed the oil before it got like that.
Scrappies removed it with the front subframe and gearbox, they asked me if I wanted to buy as an assembly.... If the price was right I might have if it was the 4wd version but this was the 2wd setup so the gearbox didn't have the transfer case I might have wanted, plus they (or the crash) had bent a bottom arm. If mine was 2wd and I was definitely going to go with Gilbert's method of putting in from underneath with the engine on the frame I might have paid the extra but I'd probably rather split the engine and gearbox than get into the unknown realm of seals etc between gearbox and transfer case on this setup.
No local mechanics I've asked so far want to take on the job of fitting the engine (begs the question why not?) so I'll probably end up doing it myself. Just two more garages to ask including the dad of the bloke who rolled the car. I'll ask him about the engine and if he says it was a good 'un I'll ask if he wants to fit it, if he says there was something amiss with it I might end up digging into the engine myself before I still end up fitting it myself.

Would love that sort of adventure even if sleeping outside with the crocs hehe.
But sods law says the next bit to go wrong will be a part he doesn't carry, crank sensor or something.

Morat wrote:

Lpgc wrote:
realised I may have some time toward the end of this month.

Oh, you do, do you?

(just kidding, they're both running great - thanks!)

Argh hehe!

Really need to do some work on my own stuff.. have an Elgrand that still has a dead engine, ML that needs at least one wheel bearing and probably a driveshaft, I write this sat in my 'outside office' Chrysler Grand Voyager with busted radiator, bad nsf wheel bearing and needs a battery (although I bought a new battery that I made sure would fit the GV on the caravan). Out of the 3 the GV would be the easiest fix unless MOT man found anything else wrong with it... I'd better check it's sills. I've been pestering the girlfriend to learn to drive for years but now she's up for it.. so will probably buy a little manual car for her before starting on the ML so will at least have a working car while others are off the road.

Gilbertd wrote:

Dropping the subframe is the best bet and you've got the gear for doing it already. Just unbolt it and let it sit on the floor then use your chain block to lift the front of the car off it.

The only place I can attach the chain block is on the girder above the high garage door, there's a bit of a rise on the ground under this area but it is the same place I've had many engines out of cars. The more I think about it the more your idea makes sense and I might end up going that route if I do the job myself. I may yet do the job myself, realised I may have some time toward the end of this month.

The last engine I swapped was a Sierra's for a mate, I assembled the engine we put back in with hepolite pistons, fast road cam etc and ported head according to one of David Vizards specs. Used the same gear I'd always used to shift engines, just a chain block suspended from a high beam.. had loads of heavy engines out with that over the years including a straight 6 Senator engine still attached to the autobox so quite a long combined unit..

But I've never had a proper engine hoist, don't need one for work as I only do LPG stuff. The Elgrand engine sits further back than the windscreen, it will come out forward and upwards or can (most say more easily) come out by dropping the entire front subframe.. I don't have the gear to do either method but will buy an engine hoist and use the forward and upwards way if it comes to swapping the engine myself. I'd rather pay someone to do it because I'm so busy with LPG work, if I take time out from that it'll probably cost me more than paying someone else who has gear to get it done faster.

So far I've only put a deposit down on the engine, hopefully they won't think it's worth more than my offer and 'find a problem' that'll prevent the sale going through. The scrappy's mechanic is back at work on Monday when hopefully he'll start removing the engine... and I'm wondering if he can remove the engine could he also fit one... or would it be a bad idea to task someone who might be used to removing stuff with a crowbar and angle grinder to fit stuff. Asked a few garages I know if they'd be interested but seems none are interested in fitting engines these days.

Gilbertd wrote:

Spitfire

Second time today Spitfire engines have cropped up in discussion, both times my head went off track and I was at first more impressed than I should have been!

What's that film where Clint Eastwood carries a small iron block V8 with one arm across his scrapyard... lol.

I remember that too, but the cheapest VQ35DE Elgrand engine I've seen advertised anywhere has been £950 and they go for up to £2500 without having being reconditioned. Jap import stuff though bah!

Phoned the scrappies today, he still put the onus on me to suggest a price so I said £500 engine removed by them and he accepted.
I'll pop in tomorrow, check the dipstick for metal flake and emulsion and if all seems OK put a deposit down on it.

Locking wheel nut turned up today cash on delivery.
I'm very pleased but also surprised because it was explained to me that I'd have to collect it! Plan was to collect it on Saturday on the way to pick up my daughter but I couldn't make it Saturday because had a few customers coming to collect / drop off vehicles and one was late.
Delivery guy said most of the firms he'd tried delivering to today had no-one around to deliver to, wonder why that is...

Know what you mean but I reckon whatever price I offered (unless it was very high) he'd have ummed and ahhed and told me he'd get back to me tomorrow... and maybe either think I'd tried to have his pants down or think I was more desperate than I am (hmm do I need to rephrase this? lol).

I get that... I wonder if they had an oldish bloke winding down toward retirement in the fitting bays it'd be a good idea for them to swap jobs.. Or for fitting bay guys to occasionally work the parts dept. Maybe they do and that's why it takes them so long to answer the phone... although the parts dept lad was suited up and had immaculate hands so I doubt it ;-)

I did a favour for a stranger on the Elgrand forum the other day, picked some secondhand custom Elgrand bits up from a scrapyard very near me (and much nearer to me than I though when I first offered... the guy said Wakefield area and that could have meant up to maybe 15 miles away but it turned out the scrappies is 1 mile from me), stranger sent me money by Paypal, I went to the scrappies and paid cash, boxed the bits up for him, he arranged collection. At the scrappies I saw the Elgrand the bits were being taken off, highly customised and in decent condition before it was rolled... and it still has it's engine! So, because of the favour I did I learned that there's a VQ35 engine (specific due to the Elgrand due to block engine mount casting position) only 1 mile away. So of course, while at the scrappies I asked how much for the engine... Wouldn't give me a price but asked me to make him an offer. I said I dunno, not only would I have to buy the engine I'd also have to fit it and rather than all the expense/time/messing I might just scrap mine. Scrappy said phone him back tomorrow and he'll give me a price (I suppose when he's researched how much they sell for), that was a few days ago and I haven't phoned him back yet... I don't want to seem over keen but haven't had much time anyway. I'll phone him back sometime next week and find out what price he's come up with.

Yeh, can read a few implications into what you've said and would agree with them. Dial the number for the Merc dealer and the recorded message (press 3 for parts dept etc) sounds like a well spoken professional young lady.. and I'm sure that if I pressed 1 or 2 or waited to speak to someone the phone would be answered very soon... But I had to press 3 so had to wait 10 minutes for someone to pick the phone up, their answerphone system trying many times to connect me to someone in their service dept between the music and unfinished messages advertising they'd pick my car up to service it etc (presumably if I'd bought a fairly new Merc from them). Surprised that the young lad didn't know that locking wheel nuts slot in at only one position (around 360deg) though.. In his box the masterkeys were all facing key side up and given the shapes of the key it should have been a bit obvious... They make toys for 3 years olds where shapes only slot into holes at one orientation eh!

It was OEM but reckon I'd struggle to tell the difference. Glad it was or it'd have been a wasted trip to the Merc main dealer.

Thanks Chris but don't send me it yet...

I took your earlier advice, took it to a Merc main dealer today. The young parts dept lad did finally find a key that fitted out of the master set of 30 keys and I've got that key on order. He set about finding the correct key wrong way though! When trying each key he didn't rotate it through 360degrees so missed the correct key and at one point said he'd found the correct key until I pointed out that it didn't slot in to the bolt far enough. Had to tell him to go through all the keys again rotating each one full circle to see if it'd slot in fully... then we found the correct one lol.

Having found the correct master key on a locking wheel bolt I haven't attacked with bolt removal tools etc I tried the master key on the bolt I have been bashing and it slotted in OK, When I get the new key I'll remove the bolts I haven't bashed before trying to remove the bashed one. I'll give all the bolts a good jet washing first to get any crap out that might prevent the key slotting in fully.

Bit of work to do on customer stuff now then I'll be under the ML seeing if I can find what's up with it's drivetrain.

Not having any luck trying to get the locking wheel bolts off at all!
Tried various tools including (in this order)...

Locking wheel nut remover that has the left hand internal threads... Might have worked if the bolt wasn't so tight but ended up just spinning and chewing the circumference of the locking wheel bolt.

Locking wheel nut remover 'bash on' type that's very similar to a broken hex nut removal tool in having internal spiralled spline except this type is thin walled and only 3/8 drive so as not to foul the wheel itself. This tool broke apart but it was 19mm when perhaps 13/16 would have been better if I could have got hold of this type in 13/16. Only 3/8 drive.

Heavy duty 1/2 drive bash on hex nut removal tool, which does foul on the wheel itself. At least this hasn't broken apart and can get a fair amount of torque on it but it still ends up slipping and has marked the wheel.

Pretty sure the OSF wheel bearing needs changing but there's also an increasing rumble from mid vehicle and now no drive to the front wheels (supposed to be constant 4wd) so seems I've got a few big problems to sort out with this car. See if I can get some time on it today / tomorrow.

no10chris wrote:

I hope it was fixed free of charge, half of the half wits that work on cars shouldn’t go anywhere neer them.
Most probably got there nvq and think there qualified mechanics.

Problem is, get their NVQ and they are qualified mechanics lol.. Still, the NVQ is probably slightly a better sign of experience and aptitude than any supposed sign in my (LPG conversion) trade! I used to deliver NVQ's for a chamber of commerce training dept, would agree they don't mean much. Learners varied a lot in terms of previous experience, aptitude and attitude... but most passed. You know the story already, at one end of the scale were kids who had been slotting V8's into Fiestas with their dads (and then by themselves) since they were 6 years old, loved learning mechanics / electronics and computer stuff / lots of aptitude and great attitude. At the other end of the scale were people with no experience and every opposite trait who'd been coerced into a course they weren't really fussed about... Both types might end up working as a mechanic, both might work for themselves, both might say the same things when advertising.

Morat wrote:

Welcome :) I'm jealous of your off-road opportunities already - send more pics :)

Thought you might have done enough off-roading in a previous job?

At least Gilbert didn't tel you it was your round already... as he told me when I first joined this forum. Not really my place to say it because I don't even own a P38.. but welcome from a resident LPG (propane) conversion specialist!

I've seen a few cars on bricks in out of the way public car parks, owners not very happy when they return!
Can see why people enjoy having a vehicle that stands out (vehicle model / nice wheels / etc) but any vehicle that stands out will be the first to draw attention of thieves/vandals.. such concerns would detract from my enjoyment of a vehicle. I've seen people driving around supermarket car parks trying to find 2 empty spaces so they can park their expensive/special/sports car on the line between spaces (to leave space at each side of the car so nobody opens a door onto their car), caused me to wonder how much they were enjoying their car at that moment and if they'd be having a better time in a car they didn't worry so much about.