83C's Shite-esque Fleet: VXR8 - the Saga Continues.

[83C]

Well, that went well, not.

 

Soon after posting the pic at Chippenham my phone suffered what appears to be a fairly terminal malfunction, hence the lack of updates.

 

Eventually got to Hatfield, collected my latest acquisition (a Merc Sprinter), and headed off into the sunset. Half way back the roof hatch blew out and disintegrated, I found only one wiper works and the diff is not all that clever. I wound up in a Tesco car park covering the hole with duct tape and plastic sheeting.

 

Finally back three hours late and its definitely time for bed.

[RobT]

I've liked the fact you finally made it home, not the shitty bits.

[83C]

Sammeln zwei. 

 

I'm on a train on the dark side of the Tamar. Got some way to go. 

 

Hopefully this collection will be a little more successful....

[83C]

A vastly more comfortable train than the one I’m on next to me at Exeter St David’s:

 

 

In other news, I’ve had lunch:

 

[83C]

Looks like the new wanky-spanky signalling setup at Bristol Temple Meads is working well:

 

[83C]

Progress - passing through my old stamping ground:

 

[83C]

Arse. Connection missed.

 

[83C]

Finally made it to Bewdley, big thanks to red5 for collecting me from Worcester.

 

Pez shot, had to remember to put petrol rather than derv in!

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Excellent. Glad this has stayed in the fold. 

[red5]

Same - would own again.

 

great to see you again chap, always seems to be a rush job !

 

[spartacus]

Cool, which engine?

[Eddie Honda]

In other news, I’ve had lunch:

 

image.jpg

 

[big can] Is that how A.G. Barrs are trying to get rid of their wank new recipe IRN-BRU they've introduced and naebody wants?

[red5]

Cool, which engine?

 

1.8. Engine of winnahs

[83C]

And back in Exeter:

 

 

Full write up tomorrow, bedtime now.

[83C]

[big can] Is that how A.G. Barrs are trying to get rid of their wank new recipe IRN-BRU they've introduced and naebody wants?

Luckily as it’s from Home Bargains it’s the last of the old stock of proper Irn-Bru.

 

Anyway, the collection. Thanks to a signalling cock up at Bristol I didn’t make my connection at Worcester Shrub Hill to Kidderminster where red5 was waiting for me. It would have been over an hours wait to get the next train so Sam very kindly agreed to pick me up from Worcester. Having sorted out the paperwork I left his place in a fine example of mid-90’s far eastern machinery. I was a bit surprised to find the indicator stalk on the left, I’d been mentally gearing myself up for a trip of putting the wipers on by accident. I stopped for a bite to eat with a friend on the way back, fuelled up and aimed for the south west - despite ‘only’ being the 1.8 I found it perfectly adequate for the journey. I arrived in Exeter around midnight after a quiet, bland, featureless trip down the M5 (a rare enough event in itself), happy with my purchase.

 

I’m taking it to North Wales in a week’s time, and then it’ll be up for sale or roffle. I can’t justify keeping it, it’s just that I’ve wanted a gen 6 Celica ever since they first appeared so the opportunity to scratch the itch was too good to pass up. Happy to start taking roffle numbers now at £6 a ticket, or £350 buy it now, but the car won’t be available until May 14th.

[83C]

And one out.

 

The ZZR was collected by its new owner today, meaning I really have to pull my finger out and get the Triumph MoT'd. Since I sorted the back end out and set up the alignment and chain properly the ZZR has been a changed machine - far less noisy and steers much better. I'm sad to see it go, the ride to Exeter from Cornwall on it a few days ago was a really enjoyable trip. That said, I am looking forward to hearing the howl of the Triumph's triple again.

[83C]

A week or two ago I made mention of a van I’d bought, a long wheelbase Sprinter.

 

Lovely old thing, except that on the way home the sunroof blew out. Having duct-tape and cardboarded it to something approaching watertight, I parked it up near the house, chucked a tarpaulin over it and ordered some 5mm clear poly-somethingorother plastic to make a new window out of. Today I got chance to fit the new window. First I had to move the van from it’s parking place, which meant taking the tarp off. I’d always been quite impressed whenever I drove past it that my roping and sheeting skills were good, because the tarp was taut and didn’t flap about. Once I got in I found out the real reason why:

 

 

A good couple of gallons there.

 

Once I’d got rid of the water (by pushing up under the pond) I got the tarp off and drove round to the house. The perspex I’d got needed trimming to size, which took a good hour or so because of a series of small adjustments to make it sit just right, but once it was right, a good layer of clear tiger seal and in it went. Not a bad job if I say so myself:

 

 

All I have to do now is wait for it all to set, then run the hose over and make sure there’s no leaks. And clean the roof - it’s orrible up there!

[hairnet]

steel. rivets.

 

done.

[spartacus]

Wow, you were lucky there!

I use Fenwick's caravan cleaner on my camper, it gets that grime off and restores the fibre glass to what it should be, a couple of hours balancing on the steps beckons I reckon.

[Mally]

Could have stuck a goldfish in for effect.

[83C]

Over the last couple of weeks the Sillycar has provided standard Toyota reliability, carting me over 1200 miles including a jaunt to North Wales. Tomorrow it passes on to another shiter for whom I am certain it will be just as boringly reliable for.

 

I did work out that over the 900 miles it has done in the last 7 days it has used around 95 litres of fuel, a shade over 43mpg. Not bad at all, certainly no worse than the 525d. Sadly I didn’t get a picture in some prime Welsh scenery, so here’s a photo of it in the car park of the accommodation I was staying in:

 

[83C]

Today’s shenanigans: Camper van build.

 

Step one, visit B&Q. Child slave labour for the win:

 

 

Step two: create lots of sawdust with the jigsaw and drill for the frame:

 

 

Step three: create even more sawdust and wood chippings making the bed deck and rear door blank:

 

 

 

Step four: carpet to hide the rough joinery:

 

 

Carpet fitting not finished yet, just fitted enough to not fall down until tomorrow...

 

Tomorrow it’s fit more carpet, make the boot area and fit out the under bed area.

[83C]

Today I got the Tiger MoT’d.

 

Started the day by disassembling the master switch to try and trace a charge issue, apparently the contacts in the M/S can get furred up and make electrickery generation difficult. Cleaned it all, put it back together and still the problem persisted. I put a few things that had been removed back, spent ages trying to find a spare relay for one that has failed, and eventually gave up when I had the bare minimum of time left before I needed to be at the rest centre. On arrival after a fairly serious thrash down some of Devon’s B-roads I found coolant pouring out over the front axle. Turns out the booting it down to the test centre was a bit too much for an old hose clip so this happened:

 

 

The gentleman at the garage very kindly replaced it so the test could continue:

 

 

An hour later, coolant topped up and test pass in hand (big thanks to Guscotts Garage in Halwill), I took the bus back to its storage place for a bath - I’d planned to clean it before going for test but it was so tight for time I had just ended up wiping the green growth off the windscreen and drivers window....

 

 

Sides and back cleaned, and back in it’s space. Next week it’ll get done again all over to really get rid of the crap that was all over it. Interior will get a good going over too.

[83C]

Fleet update time. 

 

In no particular order....

 

First up, the Tiger. the rush to MoT it was down to it being needed as transport for a few folk to a work colleague's wedding a month ago. I'd had a persistent low charge issue for the weeks leading up to the big day, luckily I traced it down to a duff voltage regulator (a new one!) with 24 hrs to go... It also got a serious bath and brush up for the day:

 

 

It went back to where I park it, and I've not set foot on it since - not had any chance to! It needs some paintwork attention where the dark green is flaking along the edges of the roof but is otherwise good. 

 

The BMW 525d continues to provide solidly reliable service, though it needs work with the MoT looming. The rear airbag on the drivers side has a small split somewhere, its more than able to stay inflated when the car is running, but sinks after around half an hour from being switched off. The nearside rear rose bush still needs replacing, and the front wheel bearing is grumbling but that might well be a garage job as they're apparently a pig to do. 

 

 

I will spend a bit of time on it as soon as I get a clear day to do so, it deserves it. 

 

The Sprinter is still half-converted to a camper van, though its converted enough for my needs. The only issue is that its bloody hot in there in mornings, thanks to the sun roof. I need to make a plug out of dense foam that can go in the aperture. I also need to find some curtains for the front of it, although I made the last set for the old van I'd like to buy some this time that have suction cups rather than running net wires along the tops of the windscreen. The cosmetics really need sorting too, though I made a start on them a couple of weeks ago by painting two of the wheels: 

 

From this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

Ran out of primer so only the two offside wheels are done.

 

The Triumph still needs an MoT, I'll get around to it one day....

 

The Range Rover will hopefully be covering for the BMW when the BMW comes off the road for the work to be done for its MoT, so to that end I've hopefully sorted the cooling system on it. Fingers, toes, nerves, wires and bollocks crossed that it comes good....

 

 

 

Still, who wouldn't want to be sat here whilst waiting for the AA?

 

 

I think thats the fleet covered, the Defender still exists in the form of a box of bits and a logbook, and will continue to do so for a couple of years until I can fund a workshop and a new chassis. There is the possibility of something else incoming soon but that can wait for a future update. The wife's Focus also needs cleaning up and selling...

 

Never ending is it!

[83C]

And just to prove the P38 runs...

 

IMG_2200.MOV

[83C]

Today I got chance to take the P38 for a longer run, a 40 mile round trip involving lumpy A-roads, dual carriageway and traffic. The temperature stayed rock steady at half way around the gauge, and the water level stayed steady. I’m still a little bit wary and the heater is very effective - I had it on most of the trip (no fans, just the blend motors set to vent hot air) to give an early warning of water loss. Even after switching the heaters to cold the temp stayed constant. To celebrate the Range Rover got a bath and then the engine bay was cleaned up:

 

 

 

I will say that I’m not entirely convinced the problem has gone, the system does seem to reach fairly high pressures - I went to take the header tank cap off an hour after switching off and it still fizzed and hissed. Still, i’ll fit new hoses and thermostat and see how it goes.

[83C]

I’ve done worse things on a Sunday morning:

 

 

Took the Range Rover out for a bimble around a couple of local byways, even on crap road only tyres it coped fine. I won’t go sticking it in mud holes at the local pay & play site but I would like to take it to North Wales and do the Wayfarers Way and a few other lanes. Better tyres needed before that happens though.

[83C]

Come to think of it, it won’t be the first time I’ve taken a blue Range Rover on the Wayfarer, a couple of years ago I had a blue RRC:

 

At the entrance from the Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant end:

 

 

Heading up:

 

 

Views weren’t bad....

 

 

The summit and the memorial:

 

 

Moooo!

 

 

Also went via Llyn Vyrnwy and did the loop around the lake:

 

 

Parked on the Dam:

 

 

*Couple of years my arse, just realised that was NINE FUCKING YEARS AGO!

 

Shit, I feel old!

[83C]

Another day, another FTP for the Range Rover.

 

It blew another hose after around 2 hours of driving, which resulted in me spending an hour underneath it in Truro Halfords car park cutting out the split section of heater hose and grafting an extra piece in. I couldn’t just replace the whole piece because it’s the complex 3-way heater hose (same hose went before on a different ‘leg’ of it which was cut back and bodged on). I haven’t replaced it yet because I wanted to see where the problem is before replacing things, folding back the remains shows a good few cuts to the inner layer of the hose so I’d say they’re all shot. The ‘heart’ or thermostat that lives at the bottom of the engine bay is ok and isn’t seized shut, but it does take some effort to open. The expansion tank cap has also fallen to bits so I’ve got quite a shopping list forming up.

 

What I need to find out is why it’s blowing things up. The oil is still lovely and brown, and as long as it can hold its coolant it isn’t overheating - it only overheats when it blows a hose. The coolant is blue, no steam out of the exhaust even when starting from cold. It runs very smoothly, no hiccing or popping, no funny noises. Today it had done nearly 50 miles, some hilly A-roads, dual carriageways, through towns, etc before blowing a hose.

 

Payday is at the end of the week so the list so far is:

Hose kit

Expansion cap

Thermostat

 

I want to take it to North Wales at the end of September but I need to trust it first, and it needs to be fit for the job.

[83C]

Moar modern shite:

 

 

The new modern, replacing the E61. Holbeck’s Saaaaab looks positively dinky behind it.