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Hirst Cabs - Your Number 7 Choice For Quality


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It would actually be great if I stuck it on eBay like that, as currently it is without a grille too - removed to look sporty innit! (though mainly to gain access to the bonnet release, which wasn't working)All this effort is down to that it is temporarily taking over daily driver duties whilst the Galant enjoys an overhaul. However, I don't want to people to think I'm on the ratlook bandwagon (something I'm increasingly annoyed at), so it is getting a good tidy up! Not a concours restoration by any stretch of the imagination but it should take it from tatty to smart, admittedly now in "dealer runout special" format.Now all I need is a dodgy pinstripe and a dreadful special edition name and I'm ready to open up Hirst Motors (specialists in intermediate-sized executive saloons).

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Good news: The bonnet release cable is fixed, it had fallen out of its little slot thereby meaning it had little leverage on the release spring when you pulled it. Now it "busts a move".Bad news: We left it running today to see if our radiator repair had worked (it had a pinhole leak) and with the temperature gauge dead in the middle it started to boil over like a kettle; the fan hadn't kicked in at all. We then turned it off and watched it send steam out of the radiator like a car breaking down in a 1930s film. Sadly I don't have video evidence as I'd left my camera elsewhere.So where does this leave us? Well, once it cooled down it ran fine so I don't think it has damaged anything, but it would seem the fan switch and/or temperature sender thingy need replacing. I would say the latter as the gauge read normal operating temperature, which it was obviously not, but I'll replace both.Hopefully this will cure the problem, if not I intend to paint the cast of "Wizadora" onto the bonnet and drive it to Naples whilst dressed as a Wild West Sheriff.

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Apparently her real name is Wendy van der Plank and she comes from Leeds (NOT A LIE!). She has completely faded into obscurity after Wizadora, perhaps you'll bump into her next time you're at Morrisons (she'll be on the checkout probably).

 

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An interesting bit of Wizadora trivia is that one of the central characters was George Roper from Man About The House/George and Mildred - he divorced Mildred after she attacked him with a coathanger, but decided to bunk up with Wizadora instead. Sounds like a fair deal to me, Mildred was a bit of a leathery old bint in comparison.

 

This post is a bit lacking in shite, so here is some crisp Bertone styling:

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Nice Daewoo. Scary how similar it looks, from that angle, to an early Xantia:

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Not unknown on minicab fleets, so not entirely off-topic despite its non-far-Easternness, unless of course Citroen entered into some dodgy licence-built agreement with Dum Sim Automobile Mfg Co Ltd.

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An interesting bit of Wizadora trivia is that one of the central characters was George Roper from Man About The House/George and Mildred - he divorced Mildred after she attacked him with a coathanger, but decided to bunk up with Wizadora instead. Sounds like a fair deal to me, Mildred was a bit of a leathery old bint in comparison.

Brian Murphy.

 

Wizadora just got on my nerves, she was far too cheery!

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And now back to the Stanza (audience groans).Today I sanded down the leading edge of the bonnet as it has some rubbish brush painted bits, then Vicsmith started making repairs to the wobbly underside of said bonnet (which already feels a lot more rigid). After applying a bit of primer, I started reversing the car back whilst pondering how much beige paint I'd need - I have to do the fuel cap and underneath it, leading edge of the bonnet, bottom edge of the bootlid and a few other little touchups. I then spotted an enormous can of Holts "Nissan Beige" on the passenger seat which I had previously assumed to be de-icer or something - it should be easily more than enough to sort the entire car out. After Saturday's kettle-esque situation, it's a bit of a result.I also unscrewed the scuttle panel to assess why it had a load of bathroom sealant on, it turns out it has some small rusty holes in. I can't get it off without unbolting a wiper arm so I've left it for now, but once removed it'll be an easy fix, which makes a nice change on this sodding thing.Hopefully this upcoming week I can get the parts in to stop it boiling up and see how it goes from there - if that is the solution, it'll still be on course to replace the Galant before the MOT on it runs out. If it doesn't, it could be a bit of a sod indeed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Abbreviated from OJC - now it looks like this:

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RATLOOK! I don't want to drive it around like this because people might think I'm cool and invite me to parties where everyone wears really tight trousers and "ironic" T-shirts. Seriously though it's more tidy now, check that fuel filler cap and bonnet front edge! Also the bootlid lip has been repaired, just need to stick the weatherstrip back in and we'll see if that has cured the big leak it had.

 

Need to stick the grille back on too, unless I'm going to be like that RWD Carina owner who took it off for presumably drifting-related reasons.

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Abbreviated from OJC - now it looks like this:

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people might think I'm cool and invite me to parties where everyone wears really tight trousers and "ironic" T-shirts. .

What is it with kids and their chuffing trousers. A disgusting fashion trend.

 

(Note, I am not bitter, really. This is not envy connected to my 'Old Speckled Hen' belly and oversize tree-trunk legs that won't even fit inside 'regular' trousers....)

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  • 7 months later...

Didn't really want to open up a new thread for this. Some of you will know that over a bank holiday weekend (one before last) I cracked on getting some paint done on the Stanza.

 

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Only with spraycans, looks alright-ish for now. It's the wrong beige. I think ultimately the car could do with a full respray but that might not be happening for some time yet.

 

However, this isn't the reason I dragged this thread up - the news is that I've booked an MOT for this old crock:

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Hopefully should be OK, it has been off the road since late 2007! It was started and moved around in that time though. The battery is all charged up and the tyres are inflated properly and it is back on its standard wheels complete with scummy Runway-brand tyres. Let's see what happens eh!

 

Either way, can't wait to take it kroozin' through Wakefield city centre now that the temporary traffic order has ended and cars can drive past all the clubs again. GR8 4 ILLEGALLY TOUTING 4 FARES

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I took this on it`s celebratory drive home after the MOT, I was not sure what to expect at all and found it to be a highly enjoyable driver`s car that reminded me a lot of some of the smaller RWD Fords. It is certainly with good reason that this is Hirst`s special occasion car, he always wears a T-shirt Tux when he drives it, and he made me wear one too.

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