Another white 850......in need of TLC

Post 773498 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-05-18 09:43:09

Thought I'd start a thread on this old beast, mainly to keep track of what's been done - if any of you find it interesting then that's a bonus!!- as this will be one of the first times I've gotten my hands properly oily & wielded the spanners in anger, so no laughing at the back. Picked the car up a few weeks back [ATTACH=CONFIG]28926[/ATTACH] Drove it back from Gloucester [about 160 miles or so], bit rough towards the end, developed a bit of a misfire at low rpm, but made it home ok. Gave it a good clean inside & out before starting to attend to some of the more obvious cosmetic issue After a clean: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28941[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]28928[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]28929[/ATTACH] The cars an earlish T5 [Oct '94], manual, approx. 143k. No paperwork apart from an old mot to confirm mileage & the hpi check that I had done [its clean] Mechanically pretty tidy considering it's not seen much of a garage over the past few years. Has a mot until June but I want to get it back into tip top shape ready for a new ticket. It has a CD spec, or nearly, internally. Cruise control, Ac, heated seats etc...but no premium sound system or memory seats like in the later models. No sunroof either. Full leather [in that amazing blue!] with no rips or tears, but in desperate need of cleaning , feeding & re-colouring in places. So, plan of attack: 1. Sort out the interior & return it to as pristine condition as possible 2. Mechanicals - engine bay needs some work, full stage zero then whatever needs doing 3. Externals - new windscreen, new tyres & poss. refurb alloys, sort out any areas of rust, attend to any paint defects. Full cut, polish & wax. Re-colour all external plastics. Replace roof gutter trims. Fit rear spoiler. There's probably more but i'll expand or contract the list as I start working through the car. Cheers for reading, Morgan

Post 773500 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-05-18 10:06:27

I used Gliptone leather cleaner, dampen seats, apply cleaner, rub in well, leave for 10mins then wipe away with damp cloth. This is what the water looks like after 20years of sweaty arses sitting on your lovely leather seats: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28931[/ATTACH] Bought some leather balm from scratch doctor [ebay] to treat light blue leather, you just rub it in, leave for a 5-10mins then buff away. Don't by shy about multiple layers over bad areas, just takes a bit longer. Once I was happy enough with the results I sealed with the Gliptone conditioner. So some before & after shots: Driver seat,Before [ATTACH=CONFIG]28932[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]28934[/ATTACH] After [ATTACH=CONFIG]28933[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]28940[/ATTACH] Not a perfect job yet as the leather was pretty stripped of the colour on the bolster, but another few passes & the layers of blue should build up to make the repair all but invisible. Passenger seat came up better: Before [ATTACH=CONFIG]28939[/ATTACH] After [ATTACH=CONFIG]28937[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]28938[/ATTACH] Pretty pleased with the results, & the interior now has a lovely new car smell...thank you Gliptone :) Cheers, Morgan

Post 773501 by The Flying Banana on 2015-05-18 10:09:30

call it quits there man and sell it before you spend money lol ...I want it !!!

Post 773502 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-05-18 10:23:00

As you will have noticed in the OP the rear light clusters have gone milky white, a common problem on the old 850 units. Fortunately I only live 10mins from Lakes Autos. So off I went last Tuesday [as I was rained off from work] up to see Bernard & get some bits for the car. After a brief discussion, where Bernard denied all knowledge of any 850's in the yard with blue interiors I trudged into the mud & rain to prove him wrong & get some V70 bits as upgrades. Long story short...& much to Bernard's surprise....he has, not one, but two 850s with blue interiors. From these I managed to salvage a load of plastic trim to replace damaged items in the back of mine, a full set of blue floor mats & working load liner - in blue!! Plus a load of other bits & bobs including gutter trim, V70 rear lights..etc..etc.. After being liberated of £200 of our finest currency I returned home & started to get it all fitted. Photos: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28944[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]28945[/ATTACH] You can just see the tip of pile of goodies under the load liner, will get a better photo once it stops raining: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28946[/ATTACH] The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the spoiler, turquoise mind you, that I managed to collect - one of the few raining as a couple of weeks ago a fella went in & bought 5 to take out to Poland!?! - so took a while to find this. Plus I nearly upset Bernard by starting to remove the one of the V70R he's got out the front :) All was forgiven.

Post 773503 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-05-18 10:27:36

I started stripping the engine bay yesterday ready for the PCV replacement & to see what else might need doing. I think I may have found the cause of the misfire: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28942[/ATTACH] close up [ATTACH=CONFIG]28943[/ATTACH] I've got a nearly new ignition set up from one of the lads on here whose breaking his V70t5 so its not a bother, but was amazed the car would even run with the rotor turned to dust inside the dizzy cap!?!? Onwards & upwards.....

Post 773505 by MoleT-5R on 2015-05-18 10:54:51

[QUOTE=Shinsplintz 101;773503]I started stripping the engine bay yesterday ready for the PCV replacement & to see what else might need doing. I think I may have found the cause of the misfire: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28942[/ATTACH] close up [ATTACH=CONFIG]28943[/ATTACH] I've got a nearly new ignition set up from one of the lads on here whose breaking his V70t5 so its not a bother, but was amazed the car would even run with the rotor turned to dust inside the dizzy cap!?!? Onwards & upwards.....[/QUOTE] as you said, it was amazing it would still run like that, glad you've sorted it and nice work on that leather, it looks like new now

Post 773506 by expolicev70t5 on 2015-05-18 11:01:30

That leather cleaner looks to have made an amazing difference. looking good!

Post 773508 by hemihusky on 2015-05-18 11:39:29

that leather cleaner's made quite a differance! may do that to my 740's seats before it gets anything serious as mines just starting to go on the drivers bolster

Post 773513 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-05-18 14:58:17

Oh, & look what I found in the airbox, nut kernels & droppings: [ATTACH=CONFIG]28948[/ATTACH] Bloody rodents will try & live anywhere these days.....wonder if he got sucked through the turbo?? must be worth a few extra bhp :)

Post 773514 by mitchyboy01 on 2015-05-18 15:11:09

Lol!! I can just imagine a mouse holding on for dear life. Looks like an excellent project. I do love the 850's.

Post 773532 by jdavis on 2015-05-18 18:02:00

Looks like a great project. I'd love a manual t5.

Post 773534 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-05-18 18:14:39

[QUOTE=jdavis;773532]Looks like a great project. I'd love a manual t5.[/QUOTE] I just trawl eBay every now & again & they just pop out at me. Just lucky I guess. Probably won't be keeping this as I've got my 855r, so once ive brought it back up to spec i'll be passing it on to be enjoyed & driven by a fellow enthusiast. As long as I cover costs & have a few quid left over to sink back onto the R im happy :)

Post 774963 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-06-03 17:33:45

Little update....no pics, was too busy trying not to lose any bolts into vulnerable parts of the engine :) Jobs completed: New expansion tank & green cap fitted New thermostat fitted New PCV fitted new manifold gasket All vacuum hoses replaced with heavy duty fuel line (4mm ID) Replaced throttle body for one I'd previously cleaned Replaced dizzy, rotor arm, plugs & leads for nearly new set Cleaned ICV Replaced air filter Got spare key cut (and it works, £20!) Put it all back together dropped in a battery, topped up fluids & she fired up first time. Very pleased. Running nice & smooth now. Still need to get the belts & water pump changed, will get Tony at IVS to do that when it goes for its MOT later this month, bit above my skill level atm! I've got a fluids change, oil,,coolant & brake fluid to do still, inc filters. I've given the engine some tappet cleaner to try & sort out the noisey tappets, a result of sitting for fairly long periods over the past few years it seems. A good oil change & some regular driving should help clear it a bit too. Plenty still to do....will try & take some snaps next time I work on the car. Cheers, Morgan

Post 774964 by kmb on 2015-06-03 17:41:36

Nice to see the work going into bringing another one back :)

Post 774965 by Saaamon on 2015-06-03 17:46:33

Interested in the product you used to put he colour back in your seats. How exactly does it work and has it lasted so far?

Post 774967 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-06-03 19:37:28

[QUOTE=Saaamon;774965]Interested in the product you used to put he colour back in your seats. How exactly does it work and has it lasted so far?[/QUOTE] Its a balm, so once the pores are open after cleaning the leather it soaks up. It needs repeat applications to build up the colour. You just buff off the excess once your happy its dry. I do have a clear leather sealant [came with a kit for restoring steering wheels] that I will apply over the areas once I'm happy with the colour depth, just needs a few more applications as the balm was a few shades lighter than the original colour so its looking a little light on the bolster. The sealant just toughens up the surface & provides a bit of longevity imo. Ill post some better shots once its finished & you can see the improvement. There are professional restorers out there who can make your seats look good as new, but it costs hundreds [I had the it done one of my old T5's] they strip, fill, then paint the leather. Smooth as a baby's bottom. However, I like the creased, sat in look of the leather plus for £30 odd quid & some elbow grease you can make a dramatic improvement in the condition of the interior & give it a much better chance of lasting a lot longer. I treated the front seats of my R with the same stuff [obviously in grey & only on the leather, avoiding the alcantara], it still looks great a year later. I do feed & condition the leather every 12months or so which helps too.

Post 775371 by Max M4X WW on 2015-06-08 00:25:53

Hi! Just spotted this thread and as a fellow blue interior owner I'd love to know where you got the seat balm from - mine are fairly bad! Are your roof rails peeling? You don't see many 850 without roof rails and I'm hoping to remove mine by using S70 roof strips. Thanks

Post 775377 by Shinsplintz 101 on 2015-06-08 08:07:56

[QUOTE=Max M4X WW;775371]Hi! Just spotted this thread and as a fellow blue interior owner I'd love to know where you got the seat balm from - mine are fairly bad! Are your roof rails peeling? You don't see many 850 without roof rails and I'm hoping to remove mine by using S70 roof strips. Thanks[/QUOTE] I got the balm from scratch doctor or leather clinic [cant remember which!?!] on ebay. £12 delivered. The roof gutter trims are split out, not surprising after 20years. I've got a replacement set from a p1 V70 to replace. I decided not to go with rails on this one, just adding the rear spoiler. The chunkier rails from, again from a P1 V70 are a direct fit & look nicer imo than the thinner 0riginals that the 850's came with. Cheers, morgan