Is my wagon a wagon?

I was toying around about seeing if progressive springs were available. Here's the estimate I got, for a full set. 30% is just a number I pulled out of a hat. I really have no idea, as to how to judge these things

 

The 30%, IIRC, is the softening of the outer ends so that the ends roll up small road irregularities without getting a jarring ride; the other 70% is the heavier suspension actions and load carrying.

 

So, those are bellowing springs. There is plenty of room for them, in the rear. But, front strut space would be limited. Compressing bellowing out springs would also be tricky.
If they know what they're doing, why are they asking me, as to what percentage is best? When I stated that the smaller irregularities are sticking out, shouldn't they be the ones to determine percentage?

 

It's in general, starting with a percentage such as 30, and then based on your vehicle and your wants, they'll fine-tune it. 30% for an 8800 kg. truck is not the same as 30% for a 5700 kg. small car.

 

I just bagged me a couple headlamps and the level regulator, for when the plastic ones become extinct. The donor was a Renault Twingo. I measured samples from another car, a few months ago. They're ugly. But, better than driving it around blind. Fitting them in will be tricky, if room is tight. The plastic screws circled are the adjustments.
The yellow line is where the turn signal lights will have to get amputated.
The level regulator is the dial-shaped switch with the number in a window



I was lucky to shake down an older one



Units from a later version would not have fit, since they ended up incorporating the turn signals behind the glass

 

They're now sawed-off

 

It's back from the shop, now. If I could have gotten my hands on an acetylene torch, I could have saved a grand and have done a better job than these mig welders can do. I'll get back to it, later.
The driver's seat seemed to have sagged. Luckilly, the upholstery of both seats are interchangable. So, I went ahead and tore into it



Both upper- and lower halves were held together with hog rings of which I substituted with cable ties, for the re-assembly. These were much easier to do than doing the same job on my old Skoda. The Skoda seats were much more comfortable, than these, though.
The seat skin on the upper half of the driver's seat was pretty well rubbed almost to the point of tearing. Even if the foam had not sagged, swapping skins would have been necessary, despite



Even the bottom halves would be interchangable, had the mounting nuts been welded to the exact mounting hole selection

 

I read every page and looked at each photo. I have voted.---> I don't care. It's not mine anyway

Comparing this THING with other station wagons, SUV's and other similar vehicles it may actually be a station wagon , for small stations.
Even my Chevy Impala can haul 8' 2X4's with the rear seat folded and the cover behind it raised to give access from the trunk.
To haul a 4X8 piece of plywood I would have to use a saw.

 

Well, the roof is almost as long as the car itself

That's actually the correct answer. Most just haven't realzed it yet

 

I bagged me a pebble screen for my radiator. It looks like it took enough of a beating. I'll cut off the frame and break out the rubber hammer, in order to shape it



Does anyone know why this beer barrel-shaped spring is fastened to the end of these upper caliper retaining bolts?



Getting back to the import deal, if you ever contemplate importing a vehicle from the Netherlands, here is what you have to beware of. First of all, look up the garage which has performed the yearly safety inspection. Above circled is the garage, below circled is the cirtifier and in between the company adress. Unfortunately, until I get Windows 95-8 installed, I have to rely on my dashcam for scanning. This particular garage is boasting images on Facebook

 

As soon as I get all the part numbers, I'm going to add them all into the pdf drawings

 

This is where the inspector found rust-through. The second inspection even found one more:

 

That beer barrel shaped spring is a rubber bushing that installs over the end of the caliper slide pin. My guess is it helps with vibrations and rattles. Most late model calipers use a similar setup.

 

If you're referring to the rubber bushing on the bolt's end, it's to center the bore over the pin to help the caliper move and not bind.

 

Oh. So then, it's important. That's probably why the braking capacity readings weren't near identicle for both sides. This one's not rubber. Rather, it's a barrel-shaped metal spring. I might be able to replace it with an o-ring of some sort and still get the mechanism to function properly. That's the first reading, way below in the yellow box. It looks like 160 left front against 200 right front, when clicking on the image for enlargement