a1i.c

Hi
I've just registered on here and I'm in need of some help;
I've bought a 1994 LX. It's a Cat 3 insurance so needs some work done - had an accident on the front right, so needs to be straightened and have a new radiator and bonnet. I've done up a cat 3 motorbike before, so figured I can do up this car too. Got a Haynes manual too.

I need to remove the radiator and put a new one on from the doner car (my 1991 Ghia). However, a couple things I'm having trouble with as I'm not that used to cars:

1 - trying to remove the latch of the bonnet - the top 2 screws are so tight that they have started to strip. The bottom one is coming out fine though. How can I get these out? As they are round, I can't use a wrench. Should I dremel them off?

2 - the radiator needs to come off as it's bent and broken (plus it needs to come off for my to attempt the straightening). However on all 3 bolts (2 radiator, 1 rad fan) I started to unscrew them and then something broke and now the screws are just rotating and not undoing. So I can't get the rad off. Is the only way to drill these out?

3 - The pipes which lead the radiator are so tightly on that I couldn't get them off - what do people suggest to remove them off the rad?

4 - when I drove it from the place I got it, there was a horrendous noise coming from the right of the engine - it sounded like metal on metal. It started as soon as I moved the car, and didn't stop until I stopped the engine. The car was in motion for about 5 minutes. I'm assuming as the rad is broken, there's not much liquid in there it's the pump. Will it disappear when the rad is fixed or do I need to use the donor car for this too? Looking at the Haynes manual, there's different types of water pumps, so I'm not sure if there is an option to tighten the belt (if that's the issue) either.

I plan for the donor car to give its central locking, exhaust, radiator too. The sun roof leaks too, so I'm going to be looking at that also.

Thanks in advance for your help.

a1i.c

Update:
Turns out the screws were tox, which I didn't know, but managed to dremel edges to use a vice grip to get them out. Used the donor car's screws as a replacement.

Dremelled the heads off in the end. The donor car's screws were fine (after using WD-40 on them) so they have been reused in the car.

Got them off. As I was using the donor car's radiator, with the initial radiator being broken, I just cut off the pipes from the donor car and got them off easliy enough.

Belt was the issue - had help with from my neighbour, who held the alternator in place which I got under the car to play with the screws. There is no noise now.

Still to remove the central locking from the donor car. There is no problem with the exhaust so don't need that.

Well, used "muck off" to rejuvenate the seal on the sun roof; put a wire coat hanger down the pipes from the sun roof. I tested the right side (dry side) on a jack by pouring water down the pipe to see where the water came out - then, on the left side, I checked the opposite area where the water came out on the right - looks like the holes had been sealed by welding. So drilled a small hole in one of the places, and actualy found some other holes under the sill, behind the mud flap and before the door hinge, so used the coat hanger for that too. Tested it - water came out via the hole I drilled and close to the hole behind the mud flap.

However, as the floor was soaking there (imagnine taking out washing without being spun), and it's rained once since then, so I don't know if my fudge has worked - the roof is dry, so I'm guessing the water can't / hasn't been able to, excape hence the flood inside. Only time will tell really.

Got another issue - the car pulls to the left rather badly; and I need to adjust the right light bracket (or pay for someone to do it) so that the light sits correctly so that the bonnet can close without touching it. My neighbour used a jack (and wood blocks) to get it nearly right.

So the car's getting there!