[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by s4ch

A question regarding the Jeep logo at the front: Why is the ‘P’ in uppercase whereas it is in lowercase at the back? Is this intentional or significant in anyway?

Well spotted! I certainly had not notice it before.

If you check earlier images, prior to the front respray you will see it was fine then. So I think the guys who did the respray made a light error when they put the lettering back on. ��. Looks quite cool, now I know of it! If anything it makes my Jeep unique!

Jeroen

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I needed some more tools.

Is this not the nature of life?

Originally Posted by Jeroen

If you check earlier images, prior to the front respray you will see it was fine then. So I think the guys who did the respray made a light error when they put the lettering back on.

Ha Ha, I wish I had got as far as reading this post! I did my own detective work on the logo, and came to the conclusion that it is not a l/c "p," and that the lettering had probably been (re)applied wrong. There is possibly a very minute difference in the vertical alignment of the J and the P. There is definitely a slight error in the alignment of the two "e"s which can be seen when moving rule lines to the cross bars.



But hey, this is like pixel-peeping photos: really pedantic stuff that I cannot imagine anyone ever noticing in "real life." And it does have a nice, unique look.

Never mind: I enjoyed my detective work

[Jeroen]

Work on my various engines continues.

I visited Marc’s workshop last week to see how work on the Spider’s engine is going:

The engine has been completely stripped down to its very last bolt/nut/component. It had just been sprayed with a de-greaser and was waiting to be cleaned:



Look at the four cilinder liners. The inside looks almost polished. Which is really bad! So it is a good thing we are replacing these. It was also probably one of the main reasons for the high lubrication oil usages.



Marc had already send the cilinder head away to be skimmed a tiny bit.

All other parts have been cleaned and inspected. New parts have arrived too. Two shelves full of parts make up one engine!



Lots of stuff that will be discarded, including the pistons, pistons rings, liners, cooling liquid pump, motor mounts, valves, valve seats, distribution chains etc.



As soon as Marc gets the cylinder head back he will start re-assembling the engine. Finally the engine will need to be put back into the Spider and hooked up to all the sensors, connectors, computers etc.

Hopefully week after next it will be ready for me.

In the mean time I have been doing a bit of work on the Volvo F16 Truck engine.

This is a BIG model:



I have just attached all the parts loosely. I will take everything apart for painting again.



I am very pleased with this model. It is very simple to put together, the quality of this kit is not all that great, but I think the end result will look very good indeed.



As they say, third time lucky. I got the third rear light unit from Edwin. This time it was the correct one, so I fitted it right away. Three little bolts, not much to show, but at least the Jeep is done now.

This coming Friday spanner mate Peter and I are heading over to Essen, Germany to visit the Techno Classica. http://www.siha.de/tce_uk.php?m=1&ms=1

It is still the largest oldtimer classic show in Europe I believe. Both Peter and I have visited it multiple times in the last couple of decades. But we haven’t been together to this show for some years. We are staying over in Essen on Friday night. That saves us having to drive back on a Friday evening, which is always very hectic and busy. We have booked a nice little hotel in Essen. So I am looking forward to another enjoyable and interesting day!

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

I went to see Marc again last Friday. The engine is back into the Spider. Still some work to be done though!



I had asked Marc to have a good look at anything else. So he also replaced the mount of the gearbox, with the engine mounts also being replaced this should give a smoother ride and less vibrations from the engine. The gearbox mount was very hard. Marc also replaced one of the universal joints in the prop shaft and the intermediate prop shaft bearing. And he hacksawed my exhaust system in two, to get it to align better with the mounts and the engine. There should be no tension on the system, none whatsoever.




And Yes, that is a Ferrari on the lift next to my Spider. Marc works on all sorts of cars, some pretty exclusive ones.

When everything is done Marc will take the Spider for a 40-50 kilometer test drive himself. Just to ensure everything runs fine, no leaks, vibrations, resonance etc!

I should be getting my Spider back in the next couple of days. Can’t wait!

Spanner mate Peter and I went to visit Techno Classica in Essen Germany. As always one of the great classic cars shows here in Europe.

I only took one image. I send this one to my wife, with the request to buy it. I thought it would be cool and very handy. We live in an old farm and getting up and down our drive from the dike can be really slippery, especially when it is wet and freezing. Also, grand kids would have loved this. She vetoed it though, can’t think why?



If you are interested in classic cars, you might have come across the fact that recently a massive "barn find” was discovered in the Netherlands. The complete collection was bought by father and son Aaldering. They run their own classic car show room near Zutphen. (Have a look here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/beyon...car-mecca.html (The Gallery Brummen, Netherlands - Vintage Car Mecca))

From their website:

Mr. Palmen started collecting cars approximately 40 years ago with a yellow Lancia B20 being the first car. Over the years his collection grew substantially. The variety is more than eclectic. He had a refined taste and extensive knowledge of rare and special cars as he was professionally dealing in similar cars from the mid 60’s before he started collecting.

The collection was stored in a church and two dry but dusty warehouses. Mr. Palmen was starting the cars on a regular basis to keep the engines from being seized. Most of the collection is in an unrestored and original condition. He kept the cars how they were when entering his warehouses and he almost did not sell anything after it was added to his collection. He rarely showed the collection to anyone, so very few people knew of its existence. The maintenance was mostly done by himself. You can definitely call it one of the best kept secret car collections of Europe.

Mr. Palmen loved Italian cars like Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari. Plus, French Facel Vega’s and German BMW’s, Mercedes, and NSU’s. The British are well represented with Jaguars, Aston Martins, and Rolls-Royces, while American classics include Chevrolets, Cadillacs, and Fords. The collection also features Tatra, Monica, Moretti, Matra, Alvis, Imperia, and Villard.

In total there are more than 230 cars brought together in the main warehouse.

Due to the age of Mr. Palmen and various circumstances the collection will now be sold.
We hope the new owners will cherish them as much as he did.

It is unlikely that anyone will ever see a collection of this caliber and condition again in their lifetime

There are some viewing days in May and I will try and go and have a look. Aaldering always has a massive stand at Techno Classica and they were drawing a lot of attention with their special “Barn Find” as you can imagine.

Finally, I am making good progress on the Volvo engine!



Found some very interesting decals on Ebay, specially made for this model!



Jeroen

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I only took one image. I send this one to my wife, with the request to buy it. I thought it would be cool and very handy. We live in an old farm and getting up and down our drive from the dike can be really slippery, especially when it is wet and freezing. Also, grand kids would have loved this. She vetoed it though, can’t think why?

Attachment 2442974
Jeroen

I don't know if I have said this earlier in so many words. In case I haven't here they are:
Through your words, you transport readers into the driver's seat, allowing them to feel the exhilaration and passion that you have for automobiles. Furthermore, your incredible photos capture the beauty and detail of each, showcasing your impressive eye for detail and composition. It is clear that you are a master of your craft, and your dedication to sharing your rich automobile experience is truly admirable.

That half track van would be a great addition to your collection. I have seen these American M3 Half tracks and the German SD.KFZ half tracks only in World War II movies. There was one small sized half track parked in Ootacamund near Collector's office when I was in school.
These half tracks would go where even SUVs would not dare.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I don't know if I have said this earlier in so many words..

Many thanks for your kind words and appreciation. It is a pleasure posting these jobs. It is all part of “fiddling with cars”.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Picked up my Alfa Romeo Spider from Marc earlier this week. Marc (https://specialcarcare.nl) and his team did a great job. I am hugely impressed with them. After all the work, Marc drove my Spider for about 450 km for a proper shake down and final tuning of everything. Very happy with that, because I know from long experience that cars tend to have some niggles after a major overhaul such as this.

Although I left my Spider with Marc for an engine overhaul and wheel alignment, after Peter and I had re-installed the overhauled steering box, along the way, I agreed with Marc some additional work. When you have an engine out and a car on a lift, it is a lot easier to get at some parts.

So here we go on all the work done:
Complete overhaul of the 2.0L engine, which means:
New pistons and piston rings
New cilinder liners
New piston rod bearing
New main bearings front and aft
New head gasket
New front and aft crankshaft seal
New axial bearing
New distribution chain long
New distribution chain short
New inlet valves
New Outlet valves
New valve guides and seals

Couple of small items on the outside of the engine were renewed too, eg. spark plugs, rotor,

The cilinder head was skimmed and the crankshaft was grinned as well.

Based on the state of various components, we decided to also replace the coolingwater pump and the alternator. With the V-belt removed there was a tiny bit of play noticeable. New V belt too, obviously.

Various rubber hoses were replaced too

Marc had a very good look at all the various rubber mounts. With the engine out, we decided to replace them all, so the engine mounts and all the mounts for the gearbox too.

Anorak fact: The very first jobs, spanner mate Peter and I did together on both our Spiders, was to replace the engine mounts. Some 22 years ago!

Also the rubber mounted central bearing for the prop shaft was replaced. Including various of the universal joints in the prop shaft.

Marc also cut the exhaust system into several pieces and re-alligned the complete system with no tension on it, after the engine had been re-installed. Very happy with that, as it sits much tighter against the chassis now, without rattling.

As part of the alignment, we had already agreed he would replace two of the steering ball joints. But once he got going, we decided to replace all the steering ball joints. Just to make sure they are all good for another 20 years of Spidering.

I arrived at Marc’s workshop around 10.00 o’clock. First thing Marc did was to take me for a test drive. Engine runs really nice, steering is great, most of the annoying resonance is gone too. Next, Marc put the Spider back into his workshop, opened the hood and we went through everything he did. Then ont the lift and we inspected everything underneath.

Again, I am very impressed with Marc’s immense knowledge and how he works.

It took about two hours before Marc was done explaining what he had been doing to my Spider and why!



I need to put about a 1000 km in total on it and take it back to Marc for an oil and filter change. He will re-torque the engine head bolts too and any other niggles I might have encountered. Well I passed the 1000 km mark yesterday and I have an appointment with Marc next week Friday. Well in time for our annual Spider trip to France!!

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Yesterday I drove over to Spanner mate Peter. We had various jobs to do on his cars. Also Peter had to appraise my Spider for its insurance. Very happy to see the value of my Spider has risen considerably. Obviously, a large part is due to the work that has been done to it in the last few months, but the intrinsic value of these little cars has been on steady increase the last couple of years as well.

First job was on Peter’s Spider; replacing the cable for the boot opener. Peter had already installed a new cable, but it was not working properly. way to0 stiff.



We re-routed the cable, which made some difference. But we also found the handle on which you pull to open the boot, was broken. So Peter is going to order a new handle and also a shorted cable. The current one is way to long anyway.

Next we did some more work on his Jaguar XJ. As you might recall we managed to get the engine running again, but not very smoothly. And lately it would not start at all.

First thing we did was to check whether all the spark plugs are working. I had this nifty tool we tried last time, only to found it was broken. Peter got me a new one, and we had spark to each spark plug.



We were suspicious of the fuel quality and this car had been sitting idle for years. So Peter had gotten a jerry can with fresh, new petrol. This XJ has two tanks and two petrol pumps in the boot. On the dashboard there is a switch to selects either left or right tank and respective pump. One of the pumps was not working either. So we removed it, checked voltage, which was fine and put it back together to find it had started running as well. Probably just seized a bit or corroded contacts or so.



We disconnected the suction line of one of the pumps and put it into the jerry can with fresh petrol. Checked that we had proper fuel flow and pressure at the carburators. Run about two liters of fuel through the system to flush out any bad old fuel. Next we tried to start. Although the battery is good enough to turn the engine properly and we were getting spark, the engine would not start at all. Not a cough!!



So I got some starter fluid and injected it straight into the carburators with Peter starting the engine. The engine started right away, but I had to keep spraying starter fluid into the carburators or it would die right away.

So this was good progress. I also noticed that there is was a noticeable difference in response to me spraying starter fluid in the forward or the rear carburator. The latter gave a much, much better response. Also, when I sprayed starter fluid over the carburator body/housing the engine RPM picked up as well. Which suggest there is a vacuum leak on the butterfly valve rod/bush.

So all in all, good progress. We are pretty confident it is down to the two carburettors. So Peter is going to order all the parts and will bring them to my workshop so we can overhaul both of them.

I had driven up to Peter in the Spider as I had to rake up some mileage, see my previous post. Can’t take too many tools in the Spider!



A final, but somewhat different job; Peter had ordered a weed whacker and it was delivered as we finished up our other jobs. I had been looking at these as well. We both have the same problem, lots of weeds and grass between the tiles of the garden terrace.



So we quickly put it together, not a very technical challenge for us.

Works great, I will order one too!!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

... After all the work, Marc drove my Spider for about 450 km for a proper shake down and final tuning of everything. ...

A 450km test drive! This is incredible!

I'm sure this guy must be in the top class of automobile engineers anywhere, any brand, in the world.

And your Spider really is reborn

Wonderful.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

A 450km test drive! This is incredible!

It is. To be fair, he als used it for his commute and to visit some customers. But of course, that is just to make the test drives as efficient as possible!

It is quite remarkable.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Yesterday I took the Spider back to Marc, for a few checks after the engine overhaul and all the other work he had done on it.

I had three items on my list; A small oil leak, Some pulling to the right when braking and I also wanted Marc to see if he could adjust the front wheels slightly, so the steering would be a little more easy.

Next to that Marc would refresh the engine oil and filter, re-torque head bolts, check tension on the distribution chain and a few other things.



The oil leak came from one of the little bolts holding the sump. Marc put some more anti leak paste on and retightened it. But then he was not satisfied with how the sump protector had been installed and it might have been rubbing against the little bolt. So he took it off and grinned it down a bit, to get some clearance.



A couple of images from underneath my car. You can see all the nice new shiny parts!







Marc took the cam cover off and broke out his fancy digital torque wrench. I was surprised to see how much some of the nuts turned. Some up to 30 degrees!



Also tightened the distribution chain. On the Spider this is a very simple mechanical tensioner. New chains always stretch a bit. Of course the will stretch more as they wear down. But that is an extremely slow proces. Valve clearance on these engines is checked every 30-40K km. In order to adjust the clearance you need to loosen the distribution chain tensioner as the camshaft have to come off in order to adjust the clearance by means of shims.



Marc also has this fancy piece of machinery. A balancing machine for cam shafts. He does almost everything on engines in house!



It was interesting to see how Marc undid the oil plug on the sump. He kept pressure on it whilst unscrewing it. Next he very carefully lifted it a tiny bit of the sump and its threads. He wanted to make sure there was no (cooling) liquid in the engine oil, which would have accumulated right into on top of the oil plug as it is the deepest point in the sump. All was well, also no debris on the magnets on top of the oil plug.

Marc spend quite a bit of time trying to fix the pulling to the right. The steering has become lighter, and it pulls less, but it is not perfect yet. But it is good for now. In a couple of days we are off on our annual Spider trip to our friends Annelies and Cees and their Bed and Breakfast in Buxerulles, France.

I drove home via all kinds of rural roads and a “pontje” (ferry) as one does in rural the Netherlands.



On the way home I also stopped at Alfa parts guy, Goos and picked up some nice new shining wheel nuts. Looks much better



The old, originally galvanised, but now rusty, wheel nuts.



The new nuts are slightly taller, about 5-6mm. So at some point in time I might get my old nuts nickel plated.

I had also noticed the left window rattling a bit. So I took the door card off, once again.



I found the rubber inside the window guide rail had come undone. So glued it back in and everything seems fine once again.



I had already washed, polished and waxed my Spider. Just a last few more details to sort and I will be ready for France!! Looking forward to it.

Jeroen

[AKTransAM]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Yesterday I took the Spider back to Marc, for a few checks after the engine overhaul and all the other work he had done on it.
Jeroen

Interesting rear diff set up on the Spider Jeroen. I'm used to the diff cover always facing the rear-makes opening it up so much easier!

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by AKTransAM

Interesting rear diff set up on the Spider Jeroen. I'm used to the diff cover always facing the rear-makes opening it up so much easier!

Italian engineers live in a different universum from the rest of us.

You can open up the bottom plate. It has a drain plug, but you can also take that whole plate off. When doing an oil change it works really well, as you are able to drain all oil very easily and inspect the gears.

These diffs are by and large very well made and sturdy. Although the limited slip function won’t last more than 30-40k kilometers. But you don’t really need a limited diff on these cars anyway.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

I have been quite busy with cars and driving cars the last week or so.

Last Wednesday we started our annual “Oude Garde” Spider trip to our friends Annelies and Cees who run a lovely B&B in France. ( https://www.leparadis.nl ). I have written about this annual trip many times. We meet up with our fellow Spider friends the night before near Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands. The next day we drive to Annelies and Cees, sticking to rural little roads. Unfortunately, my wife could not come along this year. She had to stay with her mum, who is quite ill.

We spend four nights together. Every day we go for a long drive across rural France. We stop at all sorts of interesting or pretty place. Enjoy a lunch, or a picknick. A few images along the way.

This was on Wednesday afternoon. I met up with spanner mate Peter and Alex and Bianca along the motorway A2. It would also be our first, small, repair on one of the Spiders. The inside door lever had fallen off, so Alex could not get out. Easy fix.



Lots and lots of churches and some cathedrals in this part of France.



This was in one of the many, charming little towns. We stopped for a quick coffee. We had brought our own in thermo flasks. It is not always that easy these days to find a cafe in these rural parts of France.



This year we had two picknicks. Always very enjoyable. Peter always brings this magnificent formal picknick basket. He also keeps a mini fridge inside it!



My Spider drove well. Every day the braking became straighter. At the end of our trip it did not pull to the right at all. But it does use quite a bit of oil, still. So I am going back to Marc next week.

The other thing, in the morning it would not start. When I turn the ignition key, I could hear the bendix on the starter click, but it would not turn. A few more attempt and it always started. It only happened first start in the morning. During the day it started fine. Initially we suspected the battery. My battery is easily 7-8 years old. We measured the voltage, which was good. However, that is not always a reliable indication of the capacity of the battery. Cees had a battery/altnernator tester. It showed the battery was good, but I think this is just a voltammeter and does not put load on the battery.



When I got home I had the battery properly tested and it needed replacing. Got a new battery straight away and installed it. Still the same problem. So it is the starter motor. I will check with Marc what to do. I don’t want to fiddle to much with the Spider myself till he sorts the oil problem.

Some more images along the way of our Spiders





We always lunch out, during the day (or picknick). In the evening Annelies cooks for us. But one evening we go out for dinner. That means two people are assigned to be the Bob (Dutch person who is the designated driver, and does not drink, so everybody else can.)

This year Niek and Cees volunteered. Cees would be driving his Volvo V50 and Niek took Peter, Bart and myself in Cees old Citroen 2CV. Always a hoot to drive!



Note the Alfa 33 steering wheel Cees installed to drive the 2CV even faster!



Another picknick or coffee stop along the way somewhere.



France is well known for keeping beat up old cars on the road. Still in use this one, by the looks about to take some garden rubbish to the tip.



Bianca had another problem with her Spider. One of the brackets on her front bumper tore off. It is fixed in rubber, so the rubber perished over time. Not a huge problem, but we had to figure out a way to secure the bumper so it would not rattle.



All in all, another very enjoyable long weekend. We had lots of fun, lots of driving. Only a few minor problems with the Spiders. When I arrived back home I had driven a total of nearly 1600 km. On top of the earlier 1000 km Marc and I did after the engine revision.

Once I got home, I did do a couple of tests on the various engine sensors. I had spoken to Marc on the phone earlier that day. One of the reasons for the high oil consumption could be the engine running to richt. So I checked the O2 sensor, the engine temperature sensor and also the cold start and idle sensors. Apart from the O2 sensor everything checks out, I think.



One day, my Spider would not start at all. I appeared it had lost electrical power completely. When I checked the ground clamp on the battery had become loose. I have this special quick release clamp. If you look very carefully you can see that one corner of the lever had become rounded. So it would not fasten properly anymore. Fixed it with a tie wrap. Luckily I had a spare at home, so I swapped it. It must have come undone when we drove over a very bumpy, unpaved 8-9 kilometer long dirt track. I remember seeing the volt meter on my dashboard swinging about. That is when the clamp probably came off, perhaps still touched the battery a bit. Remarkable, my Spider just kept on driving. I did have the headlights on. Most modern cars/engine will simply stall when a battery is disconnected whilst running.



I also changed the oil and the oil filter on my Jeep. Done well over 8500 km in about 14 months, so time to get some new oil into it.





Bernd called the day arrived home and the next day I went over to help him out with one of his cars. His beloved 1953 Austin Somerset A40.

There was a strange, knocking, noise coming from the engine.





I checked everything around the engine and transmission with my stethoscope. Definitely something going on. So we took of the cam cover. And I had Bernd start the engine one more time.



The problem was very obvious. One of the locking nuts on the rocker adjustment screw had come undone. I could turn it by hand. The adjustment screw was all the way in and the rocker hardly moved. For good measure we checked all the other valve clearances and found most of them, way to large. So we adjusted all of them to 0,4mm. For good measure we cleaned the spark plugs and checked the rotor and contacts. Started her up and she ran beautifully once again!



We took her out for a little, very enjoyable test drive. We bumped into another Austin along the way! Bernd knew the owner, so we had a little chat and admired his Austin Healey, 3000 Mk1, completely restored and for sale for Euro 72000.



Whilst parked I noticed some wet spots underneath Berndt’s Austin. Looked like we had some fuel leakage from the fuel pump. When we got home we wanted to swap it out for a spare one. Unfortunately, the spare one did not fit.



Berndt has two of these Austin and the fuel pump on his other car was broken too. So I helped him find two overhaul sets on the internet. For good measure we also ordered some overhaul sets for the brakes. I noticed a bit of brake fluid seeping outside the front right drum as well. Still braked well, but it needs seeing to.

Back home I checked my wife’s Ford Fiesta. I had noticed the AC was not working. Did a few tests and suspected the system was empty. So I took it over to my AC specialist neighbour Jack.

Sure enough the compressor was leaking, so we ordered a new one. Another job on the to do list.



This Saturday, spanner mate and classic car valuer extraordinair Peter and I will be visiting the Palmen Barnfind Collection in Dordrecht.

From the Gallery Aaldering Web site: https://www.classiccar-auctions.com/palmen

Mr. Palmen started collecting cars approximately 40 years ago with a yellow Lancia B20 being the first car. Over the years his collection grew substantially. The variety is more than eclectic. He had a refined taste and extensive knowledge of rare and special cars as he was professionally dealing in similar cars from the mid 60’s before he started collecting.

The collection was stored in a church and two dry but dusty warehouses. Mr. Palmen was starting the cars on a regular basis to keep the engines from being seized. Most of the collection is in an unrestored and original condition. He kept the cars how they were when entering his warehouses and he almost did not sell anything after it was added to his collection. He rarely showed the collection to anyone, so very few people knew of its existence. The maintenance was mostly done by himself. You can definitely call it one of the best kept secret car collections of Europe.

Mr. Palmen loved Italian cars like Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari. Plus, French Facel Vega’s and German BMW’s, Mercedes, and NSU’s. The British are well represented with Jaguars, Aston Martins, and Rolls-Royces, while American classics include Chevrolets, Cadillacs, and Fords. The collection also features Tatra, Monica, Moretti, Matra, Alvis, Imperia, and Villard.

In total there are more than 230 cars brought together in the main warehouse.

Due to the age of Mr. Palmen and various circumstances the collection will now be sold.
We hope the new owners will cherish them as much as he did.

It is unlikely that anyone will ever see a collection of this caliber and condition again in their lifetime.

Should be interesting!

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

This morning I had a quick look at the steering of my Jeep. I noticed it has some play in, despite having all the various ball joints replaced.

I looked up whether the steering box can be adjusted. My Jeep Workshop manual has a whole chapter dedicated to taking it apart and putting it back together again. But I am unsure how to adjust it, when not having it taken it apart. It does appear to have a very similar adjustment as my W123 Steering box and also the Alfa Spider original ZF box. I checked on the Jeep forum and people confirmed you could adjust it.

In all honesty, adjusting steering boxes is never a good idea. My experience is, if a Steering Box needs adjusting it is almost on its way out. It might last a bit more with a little less play, once adjusted, but it won’t last.

Very easy to get access to the adjustment bolt. I just had to take the electrical fan out. Two bolts and an electrical connector that’s all.



Next I marked the original position of the adjustment bolt/locking nut. Undid the locking nut and turned the adjustment bolt till I felt no more play.



Took the Jeep for a quick test drive. I felt the steering was a bit too tight. The steering wheel would not return back to neutral after taking a corner. So I backed off the adjustment bolt a bit. Had to do so a few times. In the end I was reasonably happy. Still some play left, but no stiffness felt anymore.

I have contacted Rini, the guy who also overhauled my W123 steering box. He can do the Jeep box too. But I can also get a new one in the USA for only a little extra money. So I might do that. I just need to make sure I get the correct one.



AC specialist and neighbour Jack called. The Ford Fiesta AC compressor has arrived. We will be installing it next Monday. Stay tuned!!

Jeroen