I had a few things to sort, the bushes I would have done but I don't fancy swinging a hammer under my car, on my back, on a squelchy driveway, on a hill in case I end up wearing the Cortina as a hat when it inevitably falls off the axle stands. I really want some void bush pullers / pushers.
The brakes on the other hand I am happy to do. I like to refresh my memory as I forgot about the cling film over the filler cap on the master cylinder last time, this makes the job less messy and stops any air from getting into the brake system which would need to be completely bled through.
At least I have the manual the right way up, that's a good start!
The last fail was due to a twist in the N/S brake hose which sometimes happens when they are incorrectly fitted in the past - I can only blame myself here as I was rushing to do the job last year when trying to get the brakes operational. A twisted pipe can just corkscrew lightly so check this is not a mistake you also make as some garages will not award your car with an MOT over a twisted hose. The brake hoses were not damaged but I decided to replace them anyway as I had some in a box of spares I bought from a very generous gentleman who sold them, plus a load of other parts I need, to me for a superb price.
Mmm new old stock parts!
This is the brake pipe straightened out but it is getting replaced along with the other side. I am no expert on brakes or Cortinas but one tip I can offer is to douse the joints in penetrating fluid before the job because it's possible to knacker something trying to unscrew hoses with corroded threads which haven't been undone in years, even with penetrating fluid it can happen. I was very fortunate, someone had been periodically covering the lot with loads of grease which means the pipes and the threads were like new. It just meant a lot of cleaning was involved.
I usually give the area I'm working on a bit of a clean first, I don't know if it makes much difference but I always think it's best to do this first rather than allow a load of crap to get in somewhere when you start loosening off bits.
Notice the block of oak I stuffed this under the front clip as a safety precaution in case the jack lets go; I have had that happen before when working on a defender axle, the seals in the jack just popped and it started lowering quickly but on that occasion I had my axle stands and a second jack in place as a precaution - so just a warning it can happen, jacks can fail!
Ooooh look at that handsome beast.......... and the hairy ape leaning on the wing.
So lets hope I walk away with an MOT pass tomorrow now the jobs have been sorted.
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