EB II Ghia picked up...First drive impressions. (Long)

[biased99]

Well, we "acquired" this car over the w/end, and I drove it back here (from Melbourne to Canberra) yesterday.
Firstly, it presents well for a '93 model car. However, whilst it WAS owned by an old man (from 1994 up 'till Saturday), I wasn't impressed with the way he drives...dry steering the car everywhere, VERY hard on the brakes - needlessly so, IMHO, and very "lurching"in the the acceleration... : This had me worried about what mechanical gremlins may be hiding in the car, and the creaks and groans from the front end were a little disconcerting. (Esp. as he had apparently replaced the shocks all-round as part of the RWC check during the preceding week!)

Anyway, we got back to his place (eventually), and I checked over the documents etc. It appears that, apart from shocks, he had the front disc rotors replaced last week (and they definitely were - they still have the "cross-hatch" marks of brand-new rotors on them). Also, the odometer showed around 139500 when we picked it up - it just clocked over the 140,000 mark on the way back to Canberra. Apart from the afore-mentioned suspension/bushing noises (Had these checked out when replacing the tyres today - nothing obvious, so does anyone have any idea what it could be?), the car drives quite well for what it is. At slow speeds, the steering assistance is less than, say, my old man's Verada, or our V8-powered Cressida, but at open-road speeds, it is quite OK. The seating is reasonable over long distances, albeit a bit firmer than some I've sat in. Obviously, compared to a 1UZ, the Windsor isn't something you'd want to rev the tits off, but when you're turning approx. 2200RPM at an indicated 120KP/H (110 in real terms), you don't need to rev it! The transmission appears in good order and shifts surprisingly smoothly for a Ford unit - although this is probably helped by the fact that it has only been driven on country roads in touring situations, and Ford, to their credit, chose to fit a reasonable transmission cooler from the factory. Fuel consumption was quite good, considering I set the A/C to around 22 degrees when I got out of Melbourne metro and left it on until just prior to Yass, where I put a small amount of fuel in to get me the last leg back to Canberra. I had travelled 616kms at that stage, with an indicated 60 or so kms of range remaining.

Everything works (although the Driver's side window needed a couple of goes on the switch to go up this afternoon), and apart from a couple of paint blemishes here and there, the car presents very well for it's age.

I washed it this morning and noticed some condensation in the front blinkers, so they'll need replacing. (Luckily I've ordered some clear items - just don't tell my wife!). The tyres were pretty much on the wear marks, and were starting to feel it, with the ease of sqealing tyres from traffic lights and around corners becoming a little embarassing, so I got some new tyres in 215/60-15.

Only other things I really need to do are to scrap the clutch fan for some decent thermos, fit the new blinkers, properly detail the thing and (possibly) look at freeing up the exhaust a little.

So, a couple of questions...

Has anyone retro-fitted thermos to one of these? If so, and advice would be appreciated. Also, if I want to improve the exhaust "on the cheap" can I retain the 4-1 style headers and look more towards the cat-back section of the exhaust, or do I need to consider proper 4-2-1 headers and a full system? Also, any advice re: the front-end noises would be appreciated...as stated previously, the tyre blokes couldn't see anything obviously wrong, but with it's previous owner dry-steering it all over the place, I am a bit worried about the steering rack and other front end components...

Sorry about the lengthy post!

[Damo]

Nice intro. Welcome.

What is dry steering ?

Oh and heaps of people have fitted Thermos (generally EF-EL Thermos) a search would get heaps of results.

[biased99]

Originally Posted by Damo

Nice intro. Welcome.

What is dry steering ?

Oh and heaps of people have fitted Thermos (generally EF-EL Thermos) a search would get heaps of results.

Dry steering is where you turn the steering wheel whilst the car is not moving (either forwards or backwards) resulting in increased drag from the front wheels, and commensurately increased wear on the steering rack and other related components.

As for the thermos, I thought the EF/L ones would be the go (I have a set of these in our Cressida, and they're a good bit of kit); I was more interested in what people have done to put them in an EB...Still, I'll have a search around on the 'morrow and see what I come up with.

[neb]

http://users.tpg.com.au/adsleq58/thermo/index.html

this should help you out with the thermos

[svo347]

http://norcom.net.au/~bpt/Thermo%20Fan%20Kit.htm
Grab one of these kits mate, Comes with a custom made wiring loom.
Very proffessional & very much worth the $$
I have fitted one to my EDXR8 & havent looked back since!!

[Sundeep]

Front suspension squeaks are usually caused by the bushes at the tops of the strut towers. The rod from the shock goes through a metal plate which bolts to the strut tower, there is a bush at either side of it and a metal washer to stop (obviously) the road vibrations going through the body. When the bushes have worn they start squeaking.

To see if this is where they are coming from spray a little RP7 in the tops of them.

I hope you know what I mean.

Sundeep

[Walkinshaw]

upper control arm bushes also squeek over bumps, but Sundeep is correct, top shock bush is the major cause.

[XR Martin]

Lower Ball joints and all front end bushes (with polyurethane) will probably need replacing after 10+ years of service, it will eliminate the noises and greatly improve front-end feel and handling.

[JADED6]

So you did end up buying that one with the ED front on it?

[biased99]

Originally Posted by JADED6

So you did end up buying that one with the ED front on it?

Yes, that's the one.

Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated.

[bindi]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Lower Ball joints and all front end bushes (with polyurethane) will probably need replacing after 10+ years of service, it will eliminate the noises and greatly improve front-end feel and handling.

Yeah that polyurethane makes you squeak like an ex taxi UGH! But lasts longer than rubber - actually, can you even buy rubber anymore? The last time I bought some was for my HZ, many years ago.

Hi Biased99, sounds like a fairly decent car ya picked up. Fix the few bits and she'll be bewdiful :

Oh and dry steering? I thought only women with Volvos did that.

[XR Martin]

All the bushes in my XR are polyurethane and they dont squeek?