I've had a howler...

[markw]

Don't try to file out the centre of the bearing!
If it's not going on easily, you're either not tapping it squarely, or you're not tapping it squarely and hard enough, or it's the wrong one!
Use a socket, or preferably a metal tube of the same size as the bearing's inner race and ONLY hit on that. If you do it slowly and squarely it should just ease on quite ..well...easily! Once a couple of threads are showing through, stop hitting it , put the nut on and gently wind it fully home. It's very satisfying to watch that bearing creep up the stub to it's final resting place!
Good luck...

[GingerMagic]

All sorted.

I had a mate come round who does this sort of thing for a living - he just smacked the bearings about 6 times and job done, the git!

He did put the old bearing back part in front of the new bit to protect it from the hammer, nice idea, and I reassembled it all this morning and swapped the front wing, bumper, headlights, grill and old wheels back on ( good tyres ) now everything is as it should be, apart from a still shite handbrake and a smashed ABS sensor..... oh, and must replace rear passenger door at some point next week - if I can swap the door latches at the same time.

My new bumper is from a rapier so didn't have the cutouts for the headlight washers so I just swapped the washer reservoir and turned off headlight wash with PP2000. I may tackle it at a later date. Will need to refit the Welton panel too.

Will readjust the shoes in a day or so and then MOT on Monday...

[Doggy]

Good work Kelv.

I'd be tempted to leave the headlight washers. In the winter I seem to spend half my life looking for safe opportunities to turn the headlights off / clean the windscreen.

[GingerMagic]

Thanks Doggy. Again I feel that if an option came with the car then it should stay with the car, even if they are a pain.
Its only because I don't trust myself to put a correct size/shape hole in the right place, on a perfectly good colour matched and hard to find bumper, with a rusty drill and a dodgy eye....

[grasmere59]

What you will have to check is if the Rapier bumper has the mountings/lugs to screw the washer jet bodies to before you cut the holes.I'm going to pull the fuse on mine in the winter months because I fed up with wasting washer fluid everytime I wash the screen with the headlights on,my Bmw only washes the headlights every 5th or 10th(can't remember which) time the screen is washed with the headlights on which makes more sense

[GingerMagic]

Yes the bumper had the mounts, think it is standard, but I can't be arsed to plumb it all in.

Good news, the car passed the MOT. It needed 1 rear shock absorber - £40, handbrake sorting ( I used WD40 to lube all up but was a bit 'generous' with it ) and the front number plate fitting properly ( still had old number plate underneath it ).

Graham the Pug mechanic also replaced my ABS sensor - £25, that I smashed to bits.

Grand total was £197. Less than I thought it would be. I always say if an MOT is less than £250 then it is acceptable. Glad I did the backplates first or would have been a whole lot more....

The advisories were 1, rough strut top bearings - will fail next year I should think and 2, back indicators not quite orange enough

Bonnet is being swapped Thursday evening, diesel out tomorrow evening, maybe the Welton panel too, and then the donor car is good to go.

At least I got my moneys worth out of it..

[Doggy]

Well done Kelv!

Trust this means you'll be at Pugfest?

BTW if your donor car has still got it's handbrake lever and the ratchet's OK, I'll buy it, (if you've time to rescue it).