Fresh Dutch Midas owner

[Rich]

Of course. I never thought of that!
Well, the oil was very old, so that could have been the problem.

Doesn't fix the tractor-like sound above 3000revs though, but at least people will hear me coming :p

Is the tractor effect a mechanical noise or is it induction?

[astonmartine]

A mechanical sound.

[Hans Efde]

In Joure on the breakers yard there is now a very pretty Metro with a very sound engine that I wanted to buy. But because of the new trade a wreck scheme is was taken of the road in favor of a Peugeot 106. The breaker wants 250 euro for the engine. So maybe interesting for you. I was going to buy the remains as spares, but am now spending my money again on my Rowbike. Can only spend it once!

[astonmartine]

Thanks for the tip, Hans

Meanwhile we discovered more very dangerous stuff. The deeper we dig, the more surprised I am that we're still alive after driving it from London to the Netherlands :s
Turns out that one of the hoses of the breaking system was attached far too close to the exhaust pipes. It could have burnt a hole in the braking system, causing the brakes to fail.
The fuel tank was strapped to the body with something that looked like an old bicycle tire, the same goes for the exhaust pipe.
One of the hoses near the fuel pump was leaking, spreading drops of fuel in the engine bay.

And the latest trend" Tuned by Gardena". Some hoses of the heating system were tipped with the ends of a watering hose. Interesting :s

One thing's for sure, this is no boring project!

[astonmartine]

Progress is getting along quite well.

We recorded the sound of the engine:
http://www.fileden.com/getfile.php?file_path=http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/7/27/2522853/MidasGoldNoisyCam.mp3
The strange rattle can be heard at 0.26 and 1.11.
We already checked the valve clearance and the fuel pump, it's neither of those.


And another question: What's the normal way for attatching the rear side windows? Mine are currently stuck to the car with double-sided tape :s
Are they normally attached with window rubbers?

[Hans Efde]

Hi Martine,
Indeed a loud engine sound. If the valves are okay, perhaps the wrong size pistons, creating a piston clapping or slapping. But I suppose the wrong size pistons would create high oil consumption and low compression.

Concerning the rear windows, there are 2 options:
1) H-type seal where the windows sits in just like your front window.
2) Later (and also described like this in the build manual) is a bigger type window that is bonded on. On the edge of the glassfibre comes a U-type seal (or a S-type cut in half as the manual says), then a black stripe has to be painted on the window and then it's glued in with Sikaflex. The manual says to make a black edge by smearing sealant on the window. This is wrong and the reason why your windows are taped in. The UV light damages the Sikaflex (it becomes brown) and lets loose. So you have to make an edge with special etching primer. The best way is to go to a Glass fitter like Carglass or Autototaalglas and ask/buy a small amount of etching paint since it is expensive and you only need a bit. It's best to have the fitter bond the window in to prevent leakage afterwards.
Because with my first Gold I had to work on the streets on the windows and body edge and had to close the car every time, I had made perspex windows that just bolt in.

perspexwindow.jpg (600.4 KiB) Viewed 4413 times

Margo van Vooren has now the glass windows fitted again. If you fancy these "racing style" windows you maybe can buy them from her.

[astonmartine]

Does anyone know what kind of fueltank is originally fitted under the Gold? Mine now has the tank of a Mini Van, but it doesn't really fit.

[manifold]

its a metro fuel tank.

[astonmartine]

Thanks, but which type? I see 3-door tanks and 5-door tanks on Ebay. Is there a difference?

[Rich]

Hi Martine,

Interesting noise!

Does the engine have double valve springs? If so, I'd suggest checking the inner springs because it sounds like you have nine instead of eight.

With regards to the fuel tank, I'm assuming the Coupé uses the same tank as the Convertible so it's a 3 door metro tank you need. The complete build manual is here http://87.82.64.76/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=243 courtesy of Hans.

Rich