Guinness

What Did You Do To Your Smart Today?

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None taken!  Each bolt has a 3.3 metric tonne breaking strain, so the chances of one failing are so slight as to be incalculable, 2 failing simultaneously would be in the realms of fantasy.  Theyre brand name M8 high tensile, so not so tiny.  In addition I've yet to sort out an emergency bungee arrangement, but I've run the numbers past my Dad who is a retired professor of metallurgy, and he's quite happy.  I'm a keen but unqualified engineer so always seek his counsel on such projects. 

 

The rack itself is level with the bodywork on the (UK) offside, and about 1.5" overlap on the nearside.  The bike makes it a touch wider, but the bike is the same width no matter which car I strap it to the back of.  

 

It's one of my cheaper bikes, about £900 when new... 

Edited by Chopper
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The breakage strain is usually done my stretching a bolt to failure....this pressure is far less than a sudden jolt from lets say a bad pothole type impact....if you get what I'm saying. It's almost like a sheering type break compared to the way they stretch them to failure to get their break point ratings......but I'm glad you at least have thought it through in this manner and not just thought augh.....it's a big enough looking bolt and thought good enough, so to speak.  900 quid eh.....I'd be installing a large diameter chain to secure it also...lol. The washer you are using to make up the hole dia difference is that strong enough then for the pull through pressures also...?

Sorry to question your build, but again would hate to see the car scratched after you taking such good care of it beforehand. I bet the bike will come into contact with it when one side lets go....to hell with the bike, think of the car...lol.

 

Have fun...lol

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Not one washer, but 4 on each side.  Belt, braces, another belt, and an extra set of braces.  Inside the eye of each tow eye is a spacer ground down to the correct width, which centres the bolt within the hole, so there's no scope for side to side or fore and act movement.  It also prevents any of the washers from deformjng and being pulled into the hole. There will be regular inspections, including both before and after actually using the rack.  Old pilots, bold pilots, and ultra cautious large coppers from central England.

 

I'll be very careful of the cars paint.  Inn the 3.5 weeks I've had it I've spent a lot of effort getti g it up to snuff, and I'm not planning to damage it now! 

Edited by Chopper
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Forgot to mention... I've some 5mm thick inconel discs on order.  When they arrive it'll be the inconel discs + 1 x washer. 

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Good to hear about internal spacers etc, so not as bad as what you can see externally...lol...which is what I was seeing...hense my comments.   As I said no offense intended. Just didn't want you to be dragging your pedal power behind you...lol.

 

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Willy, those bolts are not going to have issue holding the dang bike....  :rolleyes:

 

You should see the OEM rack which hoists the bike sideways up ABOVE the roof line, image all the force on the bolts then, albeit they also have a couple extra mounting points up top on a puny thread with a round bolt head holding in place....

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Like I said, no offense implied just looked like it wasn't thought out well so to speak, and a good shot from a pothole could sheer them...?

I haven't see a stock bike rack, as I don't partake in pedal power anything...lol

Not even a rubber ducky at the beach...lol.

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It survives a 6'5", 265lb man standing on them and bouncing, so no way on God's green Earth will a pothole cause a problem unless there's a land mine in it.  They're fine, and I've zero qualms about using the rack.  I've done my maths, and consulted a materials expert, nothing to see here.

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On 7/30/2018 at 6:00 PM, RobCDI said:

Im bleeding the breaks and topping up the AC. Im sick at this point of taking off the front bumper. I have done it twice recently for headlights.

 

you didnt take off the front for the recharge right?

 

low side port on a 450 is fairly easy to access by popping out the grille and removing the right fog light then reach in and get the cap off then reach in with the hose and charge it up

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13 hours ago, LooseLugNuts said:

 

you didnt take off the front for the recharge right?

 

low side port on a 450 is fairly easy to access by popping out the grille and removing the right fog light then reach in and get the cap off then reach in with the hose and charge it up

LOL...only if you have small hands and thin wrists...lol
I'm still sporting the scars from doing that!  Mine will be opened up the next time i need to get my meats in there for sure!  Maybe mine was sharpened by the previous owner just to make life fun for me...lol....Just Kiding Glenn....I don't know how you got your hands in there either?  I should say get them out as that's when it simply shaves meat off my hands trying to get them out.  Plus taking them heart meds I now bleed like a stuck pig....so the car has some leftovers still there I'm sure...lol

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its tight but my fat mechanic hand does fit in there

 

people also always tell me they are impressed with how much patience i possess 

Edited by LooseLugNuts

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So my order of the free-wheeling alternator pulleys never made it out of the UK - and I got a full refund, but alas, I will still try to order a couple of these from a vendor that does not use the useless as crap eBay Global Shipping nonsense...

 

I've managed to keep the P303 code from returning after using the Howes Meaner Power Kleaner, which is like giving your car whiskey after it normally just drinks beer.... worked before, has seemingly worked again

 

I still haven't done much else with the car, but I do not think it will be going on a long trip this summer. Oh, and the AC recharge didn't last, so forget the AC system is going to be my response

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My next jobs are to replace all 6 x spark plugs, coolant, and gearbox oil.  Then I'm looking at fitting a small socket so I can easily plug in a battery charger- Im  a low mileage driver, particularly in the warmer weather, as I'm a cyclist so I like to keep the battery topped up but access under the footwell carpet is a ballache.  To be able to simply plug a charger in to a comvenient socket would be nice.

 

Then that's it, the car will be looking smart and running sweet, time to sit back and enjoy Smart ownership.

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Well yesterday spent 3000$ on a new air compressor, actuator, oill change, brakes.... And still in the process of trying to fix train horn, she running coooolllll now.. have a happy day smarties.....

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after removing all the towing frame scaffolding from the front of Marcie, the final piece arrived today, the centre lower grille which was fitted in 15 mins. 

 

I then thought about the eml light on the dash, so I plugged in mt bluetooth adapter and with the assistance of torque pro found out the one or both the o2 sensors are bad. However if one has gone the other cant be too good, so im shopping for 2x o2 sensors, any recommeneded????

 

sh'lader dudes & dudettes

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- The Cabrio seemed to look like it was being neglected, since I have been chauffeuring my wife and brother in law around in Old Faithful ('89 Honda Civic).  

- So Thursday evening I took it to the Plunkett estate event (photos in the Plunkett thread) and on Friday and Saturday, participated in a nice little two day run, organized mainly by John and Elaine (Adelaide J). 

- Friday covered a no-cost stop at the Dowler-Karn collection in St. Thomas of vintage and antique trucks, oil and gas containers, an impressive collection of model cars and trucks from days gone by and many other items following the theme of providing fuel and lubrication to the masses.  A very competent guide hosted the tour and was able to answer all but the most obscure questions.  (See the photos at the end of this rambling) 

- Next on the list of places to visit was the Elgin County Railway Museum. 

The first thing you see after paying at the ticket wicket is a hand-made diesel locomotive, made entirely of match sticks.  (40,000 of them)  Obviously, Stan Mallia (the builder) had a lot of time on his hands. 

 

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Full sized locomotives, utility cars, rail runners and a one of a kind Locomotive (the RSD-17 Demonstrator).  They only made one and because it was plagued with problems from day one, they didn't make any more.  Also included were several model train set-ups in various parts of the HUGE building. 

 

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- There is one engine that stands out in my mind and that is the K-5-A Hudson. This six-wheel drive locomotive has wheels that are taller than our tallest participant.   One of only five 4-6-4’s owned by Canadian National, #5700 is the centrepiece of their collection. Originally numbered 5703, she was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1930 for high speed passenger service in CN’s Montreal to Windsor corridor. She could only pull eight to ten coaches but was capable of speeds over 100 mph.

Originally slated to be scrapped at the end of the steam era in 1960, 5703 received new lease on life when the original 5700, which was marked for preservation, accidentally had a cutting torch taken to it.

Realizing their mistake, Canadian National pulled 5703 from the scrap line and renumbered it 5700.

 

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- Then on to lunch at the New Sarum Diner in (naturally) New Sarum.

- After lunch a short run up the road to the Mapleton Taxidermy and Cheese Shop.  (photo below)  Others may have more pictures that they might want to post.Mapleton Cheese.jpg

 

Then through the booming metropolis of Belmont and on to St. Marys for a very welcome stop at an ice cream parlour serving Hearn's ice cream and other wonderfully cooling desserts.

- Sadly, I slept in on Saturday so I missed the early part of that run, but caught up with the group at their lunch stop in Bayfield.

- Then some more previously unseen roads and eventually making our way to Lucan, Ontario (Home of the "Black Donnellys") and enjoyed a short video depicting the story behind the legend of the infamous family who terrorized the local area and much of south-western Ontario in the late 1800's.  Included was a tour of a couple of buildings (log cabins) containing furniture that would have been used during that time period.  (see a photo, below, of a tombstone recreated for a TV special and also used in at least one of the four DVD's available)  

 

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science and technologie museum in ottawa had some real nice steam locos at one time

 

probably still there but its been a while

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WPG railway museum has the first western Canadian CPR locomotive!  We were there a week ago.

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Changed the gearbox oil, easy peasy.  Feels even better to drive now.  Wing indicator bulbs changed for new Silvatecs.

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My Smart stands idle for sometimes 8 or 9 days between uses.  The battery manages that ok, but batteries like regular use so it isn't  good for their long term health.  I have an Optimate intelligent charge and battery conditioner, and according  to the instructions it'll handle up to 50Ah.  The Smart battery is 52, so close enough.  I made up a loom and hid the connector in the centre console ash tray.  When I need to plug in I just open the ash tray and, voila!

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Finally got my registration papers back so I could tax it.  £30 paid, good for the next year.

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My mother would've lost it at those locomotive models. She always wanted model trains but wasn't allowed them as a child and apparently secretly still wants to have a collection. I'm hoping one year I can assemble something for her for Christmas.

 

I finally got around to cleaning Dumpling's interior. I lost the narrow attachment to my vacuum cleaner so I tried making one to get between the seats... well... the vacuum promptly tried eating my hand-made piece. Oops. I also found out that it was Meguiar's that made MB's original leather cleaner and conditioner so I bought a little bit to clean the steering wheel and gear shift. I think I ended up cleaning a plastic piece so now it's all oily. Again, oops.

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Installed a set of stainless steel over rubber pedal replacements. Tried to install these

last fall but it was too cold as these have to have some give, to stretch over the pedals.

Feel so much better especially the accelerator as the OEM is just plastic...:D

 

Next job is to install a set of LED foglights to match the LED headlights.

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First thing was take 2 inch screw out of rear tire and plug hole...augh!!!!!   Son of a B____H...!   Damaged the tire  I think so now i have to keep an eye on it and possibly replace it. 
Second, worked on the spare car starting with making up a better metal scoop for the intercooler seeing as mine was trashed. It still can be torn off if impacted without killing cooler I'm sure.
The next step is replace driveshafts and tackle the EGR system bypass......busy day so far.

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Filled up, 57.6 mpg imp for this tank.  Not bad, but hoping to improve on that a fair way.

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