I'm not one for adding bling but the door bowls were letting the car down and the, long trailed, SOCTFL door bowls are now available.
Firstly they only appear to be on sale from Wards at the moment and they will give SOC members a 25% discount on these items. Their online shop will not automatically apply the discount so you have to add "Please apply SOC discount, member number xxxxxx " on the comment section in the checkout then they will then reduce the total when they process the order.
They look good and for those who haven't been following the story they are made of plastic with a faultless 'chrome' finish.
Fitting (Mk2)
Fitting is always going to be a fiddly job as anyone who has played around with the lock system will know, very little access and hands that are too big. They came with an instruction sheet that supplements the ROM.
Although the manual does not mention it it is almost impossible to remove and replace the bowl without taking the lock mech out. Even with it out access is difficult with the window in place.
The instructions advised using a block of wood to keep the handle pulled up to enable access to the fixing bolt nearest the lock, I found a folded piece of thick cardboard did the job better and was less likely to mark the new bowl.
IMG_2884[1].JPG
Stripping out the old bowl and rebuilding the lift mech into the new bowl is straightforward providing you cleaned up the rods and use a round swiss file to cleanup the holes in the new bowl.
it is worth heeding the note to start the new screws provided (self tappers) before you try to fit the new bowl as they are particularly difficult to get at when refitting, especially the fixing nearest the lock where the mounting is totally hidden 4 inches away behind the lock mech.
You must use the rubber gaskets provided as they are thinner than the original gaskets.
One niggle here is that the new bowls come with a self tapping screw with a 5.5mm hex head. Now I have lived a full and interesting life for 68 years, repairing cars, motorbikes, washing machines and TVs etc without ever using a 5.5mm socket it took me longer to get one than do the job! A cross head screw would, in my opinion, have been much easier to fit as the screwdriver head is much smaller than a socket and allows you to see where you are putting the screw also who hasn't got a screwdriver!
Refitting the screw nearest the lock took ages until I decided to stick the washer, that must be used, to the mounting hole with double sided tape. This allowed me to guide the point of the screw thru the centre of the washer into the mounting. Trying to insert the screw with the washer over the screw prevented you seeing the hole in the mounting.
The result is a massive improvement to the door, the picture above does not do it justice.
Well done Tooling Committee! - Alan
Firstly they only appear to be on sale from Wards at the moment and they will give SOC members a 25% discount on these items. Their online shop will not automatically apply the discount so you have to add "Please apply SOC discount, member number xxxxxx " on the comment section in the checkout then they will then reduce the total when they process the order.
They look good and for those who haven't been following the story they are made of plastic with a faultless 'chrome' finish.
Fitting (Mk2)
Fitting is always going to be a fiddly job as anyone who has played around with the lock system will know, very little access and hands that are too big. They came with an instruction sheet that supplements the ROM.
Although the manual does not mention it it is almost impossible to remove and replace the bowl without taking the lock mech out. Even with it out access is difficult with the window in place.
The instructions advised using a block of wood to keep the handle pulled up to enable access to the fixing bolt nearest the lock, I found a folded piece of thick cardboard did the job better and was less likely to mark the new bowl.
IMG_2884[1].JPG
Stripping out the old bowl and rebuilding the lift mech into the new bowl is straightforward providing you cleaned up the rods and use a round swiss file to cleanup the holes in the new bowl.
it is worth heeding the note to start the new screws provided (self tappers) before you try to fit the new bowl as they are particularly difficult to get at when refitting, especially the fixing nearest the lock where the mounting is totally hidden 4 inches away behind the lock mech.
You must use the rubber gaskets provided as they are thinner than the original gaskets.
One niggle here is that the new bowls come with a self tapping screw with a 5.5mm hex head. Now I have lived a full and interesting life for 68 years, repairing cars, motorbikes, washing machines and TVs etc without ever using a 5.5mm socket it took me longer to get one than do the job! A cross head screw would, in my opinion, have been much easier to fit as the screwdriver head is much smaller than a socket and allows you to see where you are putting the screw also who hasn't got a screwdriver!
Refitting the screw nearest the lock took ages until I decided to stick the washer, that must be used, to the mounting hole with double sided tape. This allowed me to guide the point of the screw thru the centre of the washer into the mounting. Trying to insert the screw with the washer over the screw prevented you seeing the hole in the mounting.
The result is a massive improvement to the door, the picture above does not do it justice.
Well done Tooling Committee! - Alan
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