Latest shite

[wuvvum]

It's home!

 

 

Picked it up yesterday. Engine sounds great, and it's quite solid really. Downsides (apart from the "old boy" style paint touch-ups) are that the clutch isn't currently working (reckon it's either the pipe (plastic for some reason) letting in air or a leaky slave cylinder), the front seat upholstery is Donald Ducked and it has a few of the usual '70s Italian electrical issues (no main beams, no indicators). Other than that I'm quite pleased with it, especially given what I paid for it (although with the cost of trailering it back form Kent and six months' tax it's already starting to add up), and hopefully by next weekend I'll be happily zooming around in it.

 

It was ably dragged back from Edenbridge by this:

 

 

£140-worth of delightfully scruffy Rover 825D. These make chuffing brilliant tow cars - the 2.5-litre VM turbo diesel lump has a huge amount of torque, and because they're so high geared (60 in 5th is about 1800rpm) they're quite economical on a run too. It's tested till the end of August so Imight hang on to it for as long as space permits in case I bag any more non-runners on the Bay.

 

Then of course there's this.

 

 

The ex-Torsten Renner Twelve Estate. Picked it up on Wednesday evening from Torsten's Aladdin's cave in south London, it drove home without missing a beat despite heavy traffic. It's a really nice old thing to drive, not dissimilar to the 304 in a lot of ways - it's slightly less refined and doesn't feel as solidly built but it's appreciably quicker despite being a cc down, and the seats and ride are just as comfortable. In fact I really rather like it.

 

Also bought this:

 

 

Sold my last Transit after it started cutting out on long runs but I was missing having a van and this one came up. Rough as a badger's behind but it's got plenty of test left on it and, being a 2-litre twin cam petrol, it's bloody quick too. Reckon it'd break the ton given a long enough straight. No PAS though, which is a pain.

 

I've got something else coming in the week - I'll post about that when it arrives. I've also got rid of the Saab 9000, got buyers lined up for the white 900 and the Renault 9 turbo (needed a lot more bodywork for its test than I had anticipated - it's sold to a mate though, and hopefully I'll end up buying it back off him when he's bored with it) and the Metrocab will be going on eBay soon, so the fleet size is roughly stable. Well it's still below 20 anyway, unless I'm forgetting any. I'm enjoying it while I can - when I move house it's likely the size of the fleet is going to have to be trimmed substantially.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Good Lord, an Alfasud 5M! The colour is Cilento brown and the 5m stands for 5 Marche meeaning 5 speeds - it was the 1200 Sud with the 5 speed Ti gearbox and L (Lusso) trim but with the standard 63 bhp engine with single choke carburettor. It will have a light grey dash facing and a glovebox. Fantastic car, and well worth the effort of rescuing. With regard to the clutch, it may need a new one. the last Sud I fixed with the 'no pedal' issue had a broken up release bearing and cover.

[STUNO]

wuvvum...Ive got a soft spot for Alfasuds and Rover 800's.Wonderful collecting !

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Ace work wuvz! I was gonna ask for an update cos I wanted to see the sud.Your 825 is a class act as well, I had one identical to that (minus the bodykit) and as you say they have more torque than anyone would ever know what to do with. In fact, if you get fed up of that one, give us a shout (assuming the engine and box are behaving themselves).

[M'coli]

Aint seen a 12 estate since the late 80s! Cool! Drove a 12 saloon (GT? - it had the twinchoke weber and a tacho)briefly in 1990. How much does the gearstick move around when it's in gear?!!

[r.welfare]

Another good weekend then! I am beginning to get a sneaking admiration for 825 diesels, and that one looks good for the money. I do like the late Mk1. Transit twink (one assumes this is the same lump as my dad's old '91 Sierra LX had - albeit possibly detuned?) sounds like a laugh as well, especially on ultra-hard van tyres.Nice to see the Twelve and 304 nestling together - another late one, on a T-plate? Good to hear Torsten is still alive, he hasn't been on here for a while, has he?

[Baz]

Good stuff....R12 estate in particular! Speaking of Your Shite Wuvs....Was that Your pale blue 900 that I saw on display in the old Vauxhall showroom on Aylsham Rd. a week or two ago? Seem to recall there was a 95 about somewhere too!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

give us a quick rundown of the current fleet then wuvz!

[reallyloud]

Wonderful! Love that Sud, I used to get lifts to college in one a few times (it was yellow and identical to the one thrown off a cliff in some car insurance ad(?) the female owner never figured out how to switch the heating on until she scrapped it.

 

Is your 304 wagon of yours the primer gray V reg one off a girl called Zara from Reading university? I too would like to see a current line up of your cars.

 

[wuvvum]

Speaking of Your Shite Wuvs....Was that Your pale blue 900 that I saw on display in the old Vauxhall showroom on Aylsham Rd. a week or two ago? Seem to recall there was a 95 about somewhere too!

Yuppers. The showroom belongs to a Saab specialist of my acquaintance who offered to shelter the 900 to keep it safe post-vandalism incidents. It's now been thrown out of the showroom following his purchase of a Healey 3000, a 1932 Lanchester resto project and a wedding hire Silver Shadow (which he wants me to chauffeur ) but the 900 is in his yard so hopefully still safe. I s'pose it's a silly question to ask whether you'll be able to make it to the Angel on Tuesday? I might well be trundling down in the 12 if you fancy seeing it in the flesh.

[wuvvum]

Is your 304 wagon of yours the primer gray V reg one off a girl called Zara from Reading university? I too would like to see a current line up of your cars.

 

Yup, that's the one.

[wuvvum]

give us a quick rundown of the current fleet then wuvz!

OK, here goes...

 

 

Think that's the lot...

[wuvvum]

Transit twink (one assumes this is the same lump as my dad's old '91 Sierra LX had - albeit possibly detuned?) sounds like a laugh as well, especially on ultra-hard van tyres.

Don't think it's detuned much, if at all - handbook says it's putting out 114 brake. Yes it is a bit of a laff - rear end is quite twitchy. Only problem is that the steering is very heavy and has over six turns lock to lock so catching a slide can be a bit of a problem. And in the damp it's impossible to get any kind of traction off the line. Did have an amusing moment the other evening though when a young chap in an E36 320i found himself having to take his straight-6 right to the redline in first to avoid being beaten away from the lights by a Transit van.

[Richard]

I didn't know you could still get petrol vans in 1997.

[wuvvum]

I didn't know you could still get petrol vans in 1997.

I think you still can now - I know they did a petrol/LPG version of the Transit until very recently, certainly within the last five years. Nobody seems to buy them though for some reason - I'd much rather have a petrol engine in my van than a rattly old diesel. Mercedes do a petrol Sprinter as well, which is insanely powerful (something like 230 brake) and even faster than the "normal" Sprinters, but I've never seen one of those on the road either.

[STUNO]

OH OH OMG iv'e just looked at heaven !

[r.welfare]

Pretty sure you can still get a petrol Transit, new - 2.3 16v (ex-Galaxy and Scorpio, one assumes).114bhp sounds more than the carb Sierras but less than the injection ones, from memory...I'd like one with the 2.9 Cologne V6 but I think you could only have it in LWB minibuses or ambulances, and not an ultimate sleeper SWB panelvan

[Pillock]

I've hired a shape-before-the-newest Transit which was petrol.... fairly lively although they disable the traction control 'off' button on hire vans so no drifty action the girl at the hire place was very eager to make sure i didn't top the tank up with diesel too

[Spottedlaurel]

Brilliant! I can see one or two vehicles that might be handy to have use of if you're able to help me in a week or two, talk more about it on Wednesday.

[Milford Cubicle]

That 825D is marvellous with its mismatched wheels, I thought Mk1 825Ds were pretty rare, but there still seems to be a few kicking about. Really under-rated cars; I saw an indicated 130MPH (most likely wildy wrong) in my MK2, and it would do 40MPG all day long - not bad for something with a diesel boat engine.

[Baz]

I s'pose it's a silly question to ask whether you'll be able to make it to the Angel on Tuesday? I might well be trundling down in the 12 if you fancy seeing it in the flesh.

Do they do it in the winter then? I'm supposed to be working four days a week (trying to cut my hours down ) with Tuesday as my day off....Just agreed to work tomorrow though!