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Showing content with the highest reputation on 24/05/19 in all areas

  1. I have a unit! Pretty much living the dream then. It's not on my doorstep, but then my doorstep won't exist from October. Should easily swallow up my fleet and all my associated crap as well.
    21 points
  2. theshadow

    new collection

    well dvla logbook,dont know where extra seats are,noises from engine,cost only fiver to fix all that from belt,drivers window not working,passenger side does,drives great,new sparkplugs just turned up.other service goodies from euro,...x,created by this
    16 points
  3. Finally home, it does fit on the drive and I managed not to reverse it into my mate's Mini. (Reversing up the slope for the first time in an automatic was interesting) The verdict so far, it's quite comfortable, bar the hard plastic on the door armrest and centre console which made my elbow hurt. The car reminded me of something and I finally worked out it is a Rover P5B. It's fine on the motorway but feels very big on minor roads. It has a daft contraption fitted with electrically operated exhaust bypass valves. Apart from wanting to try to wake the dead, I'm not sure what you'd use it for. Still not quite sure why I bought it, it's probably wasted on me, but I'll hopefully have a bit of fun with it for a while. Look out for the for sale thread (in a few weeks/days) when it finally sinks in what I've done
    13 points
  4. One year ago, two hairy Autoshiters jumped on a plane to Bulgaria.
    12 points
  5. mrdelmonti

    A French Fancy

    As some of you might have seen in Chaseracers for sale thread, currency has been exchanged and I am now in possession of a fine specimen of a 205. Bucketeer kindly picked it up and delivered it to me with a smile on his face, likely from enjoying the power steering and finely honed suspension. Dropping him back off to his car I'd mentioned I wanted to get a photo of both of the 205s together and surprisingly (I've not seen one on the road in years) another had appeared. Once back home I tried to convince the wife of its delightful charm but she was having none of it. So once that little argument was over I started ordering parts. I've pressed it straight into daily duty and took it to work this morning. Parts have started to arrive Still waiting on both v belts, a thermostat and fuel filter to arrive. Coolant temp light is flickering on occasion so hopefully a service of the cooling system will sort that and if I can find it I'll fit a digital temp gauge I've got. Bucketeer has also convinced me that a cherry bomb might not be a bad idea ? I'm sure some other little bits of fettling will occur. Not entirely sure about the current seats or the wheel trims but we'll see. I'm also thinking about taking it to the festival of the unexceptional.
    11 points
  6. Was unexpectedly sent to hospital on Friday, and kept in for 2 nights. Released on Sunday and was liable for 2 days car parking. Explained my situation to the Security on the hospital desk, as I had no money to pay for the parking. He told me to just drive up to the exit, press the call button on the machine and explain my situation So I did. The conversation went like this: " I had to park in the car park for 2 days as, they kept me in for 2 nights and would not let me go home. I have no money to pay for the car parking charges" He asked me who had told me to call him and I said I was told to do this by a guy on the security deslk. He says:" Let me get this straight. You want me to let you out for free"? I said "Yes" He says. " All right then", the barrier goes up and off I go. I was surprised. I guess those who do not ask, do not get!
    10 points
  7. What you need to do is convert it to RWD and fit a Peugeot 403 engine.
    9 points
  8. That is a common affliction on these hallowed pages.
    9 points
  9. My car is mainly one colour, I’m sure my neighbours love me especially given the fact I did this on the road. Not to bad considering it was about an hours work..
    9 points
  10. Well it’s been a hell of a fucking year so far. Massive shout out to all our wonderful NHS staff and particularly the neonatal heart team at Glenfield's in Leicester. After a six hour heart op my niece’s 6 day old daughter is doing well. Massive relief all round.
    8 points
  11. JeeExEll

    eBay tat volume 3.

    Look at this fucking tart. Slightly rough and ready, but, Fwwwwoaaarrrr "Hiya, wanna buy me a drink???". "Wanna come back to my place??? Lets go". "Door's wide open for you. Wanna come inside??". "Do you like my nice plump rear?". https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1983-LANCIA-DELTA-1-5-LX-Genuine-Barn-Find/223528558605?hash=item340b57200d:g:GdwAAOSwtzdcng0Y&redirect=mobile
    8 points
  12. RobT

    eBay tat volume 3.

    Feeling brave? SD1 2300 for £650. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-2-3-S-ST1-for-restoration-or-spares/183816174214?hash=item2acc4c3a86:g:JsAAAOSwcvRc3xr0
    7 points
  13. News of the day is the Gamma has been taken back to the garage that returned it to the road to investigate why the engine made such a horrible noise and bought the car to a halt. Our Metro now has a new MOT just needed one repeater bulb. Due to drive congestion the 2CV has gone back into storage already.
    6 points
  14. JohnK

    The new news 24 thread

    Slightly drunk last night I agreed to a purchase, the hungover reality was a bit of a shock. A very early Type 19 on a B plate. Mind, it is only a rolling shell. Crazy engine build plans afoot though - looking forward to how this will pan out....but to get it how I want there is going to be some cash injection needed, so some of my fleet is going to have to move on to release funds. I drove a Mk2 GTi with a mental engine conversion recently and I will be replicating that build into this - which will make a stupidly fast car. Pretty much solid, just a couple of small bits of welding required.
    6 points
  15. I really shouldn't look at some of the threads on here. I don't really need another car and certainly not this one. Until a few weeks ago I had never been to Scotland, today I'm heading there again, hopefully I shall be driving back this evening.
    5 points
  16. Had another cross city trip today in the Invacar, nothing to report aside from befuddled looking pedestrians and other drivers. With 50 or so miles of actual driving done I decided that it was time for another change of the oil & oil filter. In addition I wanted to drop the oil pickup strainer as I was expecting it to be full of slime again. I wasn't disappointed. That's just nasty. It's not actually immediately obvious there, but there is a lot of gunk inside the strainer itself too. Looks far healthier now. Hopefully on the eighth attempt that image has actually been inserted where I told it to. Definitely goes to show that when an engine has been forgotten about for a couple of decades that a carb rebuild and a couple of oil changes just aren't enough, there can still be a load of crud floating around in the engine. I will probably pull this again in another fifty miles to check again - basically repeating until it stops accumulating slime between checks
    5 points
  17. Basically because one of my friends back up north was someone whose approach to special cars was that they were pointless to own if people couldn't enjoy them, and he trusted my driving. I was stuck for wheels for a week while I was waiting for a part to arrive, and he always be a few things kicking around that were looking for a new home, I knew at that point that there was a Sierra and a Bluebird round the back of his place and was expecting one of those to be lent to me. I got home with my folks that afternoon to find a Ferrari in the driveway and an envelope on our doorstep containing the keys and a note simply saying "Have fun :)" Only cars of his that nobody was under any circumstances allowed to drive were the Ferrari Daytona and his orange X plate Escort 1.3 2-door estate. The first new car he ever bought, and possibly the most pampered mass market car ever to have existed. Anything else was fair game for me, which meant I had a shot of some pretty exotic stuff over the years as he always had something interesting, but tended to change the exotic motor in the fleet every few months.
    5 points
  18. Well so far the car is going better than I am, I'm knackered. Decided to stop for the night, currently at a Holiday Inn just off J15 of M6. I'm just not used to 5 am starts anymore.
    5 points
  19. As per the intro thread, I have the pleasure and pain of living in Italia. Thought some may be interested in how car /bike buying works here. Used cars / bikes are much more expensive here, people on average keep vehicles much longer and what in UK would be valued at £500 costs at least euro 1500 if not 2000! There is more! To change ownership involves burocracy and money. Each region charges different rates, here in piemonte a scooter or motorbike is flat rate of euro 183 Car ownership transfers are charged on rated horse Power, minimum charge seems about euro 450 for a 60 hp panda. The burocratic tax /charge goes up lots for more powerful cars. So you see the problem. You find a cheap by Italian standards car for 1000 euro, straight away you must add approx 500 euro to change ownership, to change ownership takes time, non of this turn up after work cash in hand stuff. Both buyer and seller must go together to nearest large town with an official agency office and wait in the queue and then sign all paperwork ( and pay the rip off fees and declare price paid for vehicle). But there is more! Even if the seller has the registration document in his/her name only but is married, yes you guessed it, their partner has to come into the agency to sign documents also. In summary : View vehicle. Arrange time with seller when both ( and partner) are free for half a day to go to nearest agency. Get extra bank loan to pay rip off fees. Arrange another day to be able to collect. All in normally needs at least 2 weeks to get everyone together. But there is more! In Italy there is no road tax, instead there is a possession tax. This means even basket cases have to pay tax every year to retain registration documents. None of that there Sorn over here. Would Sir like to pay extra to check all taxes have been paid up to date before taking ownership of vehicle (and any fines and unpaid taxes). You guessed it again, there is more. Non residents in Italia can not buy a car here because the seller can not sell it to them. I am not sure how it works to sell to a non resident but I do know that the seller must pay fees to export the car, non of that simple signing v5 doc to state that car had been exported. To those who think the dvla are difficult to deal with, come spend some time dealing with the equivalent Italian dept. A few years ago I imported a UK reg car to Italy and lost quite a few hair follicles. In next few weeks I am building up the courage to attempt importing a UK reg motorcycle into Italy, my wife is I think secretly looking forward to a change of husband from long haired turnip to a bald headed style icon. Count to ten. Grazie Sir Chocolate Teapot
    4 points
  20. dome

    Stance hilarity

    The P6 is ok but to me old school stance means the front should sit higher than the rear by a bawhair(officially recognised unit of measurement in Scotland) I humbly submit my shonky old e28 for your consideration. Lower at the rear than the front so it looks like it's going fast when it's standing still. Stick an inch taller springs on the front of that P6 and it's a winner. Oh and it needs the spare wheel on the boot lid, because that's fucking cool on those.
    4 points
  21. So at 146600 miles a new Cam belt has been fitted along with a new aux belt As we had a nice day yesterday with the sun blazing I decide to smarten up the front corner of the bumper. With the heat and wind the basecoat dried a bit to quick from the Can and most was blown away. so on the corner it's a bit tiger stripey it was done relatively quickly so it's a good enough repair for now. The clear ran but I nibbed this out tonight and whipped over with some 2000 grit and a blob of compound.
    4 points
  22. .. Thanks Captain Yeah a shame ..but these things happen sometimes and most of us make a mistake or three now and then. And perhaps we might even take a short cut ..just to get on with life. I'm surprised only so much as the guy who sold it (so presumably rebuilt this motor) is the son of a founder member of the post-war Sunbeam club, so I might have expected more with that family's experience and enthusiasm. hey ho ! Following on from my previous pictorial update, here goes .. ^ this is the crankshafts rear main bearing carrier. The big white-metal bearing (centre) reveals the oil route from the geared pump (bottom right) to the crankshaft drilling which was blocked. While it was off I removed drilling plugs to check and clean inside the oil galleries. I then went on to change the incorrect nyloc nuts used to bolt the pump on. Nylocs are not designed to withstand the hot oil inside an engine. A rectangular section lock washer and plain nut is safest, because if the pump body loosens and lifts just a little then the oil pressure is lost. Another task I did has little to do with rebuilding this engine, aside from the fact that it is an early model S7 (bike # 936), and almost everything subtly changed in 1949 when the S7-deluxe was introduced. Not all the changes were good, and most I'd guess were to reduce costs in production ..but at least the later bike had hydraulic-dampened front forks. Anyway by way of diversion, I took some time out to record many of these detail changes ..which at sometime I'll add to my SunbeamRandR website < here > In the meantime here are just a couple of examples . . This is its gauze filter .. for when one adds oil to the engine. For me it's inconceivable to pour so lumpy an oil into an engine that this coarseness of mesh would stop bits from getting in.! Below is a visual comparison of this early bike's crankshaft versus the later type . . The early crankshaft (left) has been machined with a flat across all three bob weights. The later type had just the central bob machined down either side. The bearing sizes, throw and weight of the two are the same, but because of where the weight is taken off, the early one would give a slightly quicker engine response (having slightly less inertia). However the later type has a little less mass in its central bob, which might have been to lessen crankshaft flexing or else to change its harmonics. Although of the same dimension, the front main bearing was also changed from a ball race to a roller bearing. It's also apparent that its drilling for balance is about the centreline, suggesting the crank with conrods and pistons were originally balanced by hand. The latter is drilled (for balance) on one side of the front bob weight and then right on the opposite side of the central weight, which I suspect would have evaluated by a machine. NB. please ignore their colouring. I've simply cleaned the early one ..before putting in back inside the engine. Moving on.. ^ seen upside down on the bench ; the crankshaft has been refitted complete with oil pump, the rear bearing carrier, and the OHC timing wheel with cam-chain. ^ The back of the engine and timing gear is closed off with this pressed-steel cover. Unfortunately they very often get bent (see edge along the top of this photo) which can only happen when kicking around in someone's garage. Around the screw holes also get pulled into its cork gasket due to the original spec using small washers. As the gasket face which prevents engine oil getting onto the clutch - this cover needs to be suitably flat . . ^ work in progress, panel beating to as near flat as is practical. ^ not prefect but certainly much better than it was. This will now seal against a cork gasket. ^ when the engine seized, and I was trying to free it by rocking the bike (in gear) down a slope vigorously ..the clutch was slipping. Tbh it's surprising that it wasn't slipping more. I really don't understand why someone should spend a lot of time, care, and money rebuilding the engine, only to then put its clutch back together in this state. The friction plate itself is on its last mm before the rivets would start wearing away. NB. clutch plates from the later engine are a direct fit. ^ a little elbow grease, that's all. ^ again not perfect, but I replaced the friction plate, and scrubbed up the pressure plate faces, then cold-galvanize painted the surrounds to keep humidity-induced rust at bay - so again it now ought to be serviceable. ^ fortunately the bore was not badly damaged as the engine seized under no load, but the forward cylinder's piston rings were iffy so I replaced them. Naturally I double checked the end gap on all before reassembly. ^ all clean inside, with new big end shells ( those two pairs of shell cost a whopping £102 + VAT ! ). Fresh oil liberally used during assembly. The pistons are now in and the big end shells torqued up correctly (25 ft-lb) and new split-pins are fitted, cut to short length and folded. This is almost ready to close up ..but first I wanted to do something about the sump's oil filter ..more on that next time.. Tune in - same time., same channel ! Bfg
    4 points
  23. Lankytim

    The grumpy thread

    Rot hole on the drivers side strut top on my 2002 V70. There’s a bit of rust underneath too. Probably not worth repairing seeing as it’s a high mileage clunker. A real pity as I was full on fixorating it to make a reasonably mint daily driver. Also.. In a well known charity shop today looking at old maps and books (one of each I bought) First of all the elderly female assistant pretended to look at books while she kept her eye on me in a pretty obvious way. She wandered off and was replaced by a younger assistant who did exactly the same. When I went to pay the cashier spoke to the young assistant, nodded in my direction and asked if “everything was ok with him” (btw, I can still hear you if you try not to move your lips like some sort of ventriloquist act) Do I look like some smack head looking for my next hit? Am I going to steal a Mills and Boon novel and sell it on the black market to fund my habit? Launceston. IMHO an odd town full of odd people. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    4 points
  24. Ever wished you could tow a caravan and boat behind your mini van whilst transporting an elderly gentleman and two women with unfeasibly tall hair? Not possible i hear you cry! Fear not, step right this way sir! https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=937
    4 points
  25. So it happens occasionally, a Frenchman sells to a Brit! Its a perfect addition to the other R4's here at capsule towers. 1962 all original, up and running, although I will pick it up on a trailer as the last time I tried driving back the car ended up being recovered and we jumped ship and flew back from Limoges. Will keep you updated...
    4 points
  26. That's novel - I don't think I've ever seen a fuel filter made out of black tweed before.
    4 points
  27. So I'm guessing you are now home, what did it taste like? HP or Heinz on it?
    4 points
  28. Didn't think I was gonna get back on this until the weekend, but managed to snaffle a couple of hours on it this evening. Rear valance fettled up, zinc primed on the back, and tacked on. Also plug welded the valance to the lower rear quarters. I'll get it fully welded next time, hunger got the better of me this evening.
    4 points
  29. It's a long way home, just got to first services on M74, over 7 hrs to get home, will probably stop for the night somewhere later. Hardly been over 50mph, 1500 rpm yet due to traffic. First fill up only £67.
    4 points
  30. Once again I end with a Jaguar, this time a proper one with the correct engine. BIN of £3800 but it's been off the road a very long time, you'll need big balls but I like that and may invite you for a manly wrestle, should you buy it.
    3 points
  31. Good evening, FP is here once again to help you find a car fitting your HUGE EXECUTIVE STATUS. Normally, I assume anyone who arrives in an Audi A4 is here to fix the photocopier, so I'll loudly remind you to CHECK THE FUCKING STAPLE CARTRIDGE THIS TIME. However, the colour and the fact this is a CVT would mark you out as something different - perhaps some sort of marketing person who might have some coke to share with me. £1445 with free fucked roof.
    3 points
  32. The Berlina is such a lovely shape, I know just about everyone else prefers the coupe, but they're just wrong
    3 points
  33. Right, well... market revisited... and yeah, I kinda lost the run of myself. Again. I'd bopped over to St George's in the vain hope of picking up that limited-edition white Vanguards Transit, but it was gone (and probably already on eBay for more than my house is worth, because FORD M8). I'd also wondered if maybe those bubbly 1950s Lesneys might, after all, be quite nice - but they were also all gone. Hell's teeth, I hadn't even clocked that... think he was looking a tenner for the stuff on the top shelf. Might not have been there when I went back, mind - the stall was already pretty depleted in the space of three hours. The homemade minicab Lexus was still there, but had an asking price of £15 and, nice as it might be once the wonky lettering's been cleaned off, I don't want to fall back down the 1/18 rabbithole (they're much harder to conceal under the bed, I find). So I consoled myself by going buck daft in the 50p boxes. As you do. So, not just Amishtat suffering a hefty dose of buyer's remorse this afternoon. When will I ever learn? This is what I scooped... Matchbox Superfasts - MB 52 Dodge Charger III (another manufacturer concept car, this one first seen in 1968) and MB 27 Lamborghini Countach - which, at the point this model appeared, also only existed as a single concept car, put together by Marcello Gandini for the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Later prototypes and the 1975 production car came with much more in the way of cooling scoops and whatnot. So both these toys tie in with whatever-it-was I was wittering about yesterday. This version of Matchbox's Countach is also notable as it featured tampo-print markings directly to the body of the models. Previously, paper stickers or waterslide transfers had been used to add decoration to Matchbox toys, but this method allowed more intricate designs. Tampo-print Superfasts were referred to as 'Streakers' and came in unique packaging (even though they were pretty much copying something Mattel were already doing). MOAR Superfast - the Soopa Coopa in a belated attempt to appreciate it for what it is, and also because I've never before found one with both glazing and engine intact. The Saab Sonett III (SNAP with Amishtat) is almost as good as a fantasy vehicle, given that they were made in such small quantities and not officially sold in the UK. For years, I thought that this was some sort of prototype, as I'd certainly never seen one. But, although an unusual choice (and the only Saab ever modelled by Matchbox?) it certainly had the right long-nose, short-tail look for the speed demon image Matchbox was pushing in '73. The Red Rider is a much later model, a 1980s reissue of the Pie-Eyed Piper from the previous decade. I had this as part of one of those 20-car bumper gift sets; though I think it may have been sold individually too. Note the crude 'Made in China' modification to the base, erasing any mention of Lesney and 'Made in England'. I like that Dodge Commando Pepsi truck; real versions weren't all that common, and I owned one of these when I was very small. One for the nostalgia box. The two Unimogs are missing tyres but otherwise not that bad. I'm not sure why I took these, other than grabby-hands syndrome. From Lesney to Playcraft… some from the Corgi stable now. The Husky Aston DB6 has bits of bumper missing and gained a repaint, but is still a handsome model and the suspension is intact. This casting enjoyed a very long life, still popping up well into the 1990s. The Mercedes Benz C111 was part of Corgi's new-found efforts to appear cutting-edge: ditching the Husky name and buildings models of the cars of the future, not just replicas of Auntie Edna's Mini. The C111 was a Mercedes rotary-engine concept car from 1969, so Corgi were doing well to get it on the front of their 1970 catalogue. Corgi made a version of the C111 in both 1/64-ish Juniors scale and in 1/43 scale. The blue thing is simply called a 'Can Am Racer', and is a basic enough little thing BUT does feature a 'Growler' mechanism - a rasping device not unlike sticking a playing card in the spokes of your bike wheel, which I believe were meant to approximate exhaust noise. I'm not sure how successful these were (I had a Ford GT90 in both Growler and non-Growler versions - dunno which came first) and the whole enterprise does smack of Corgi feeling a need to produce something reasonably cheap and just a little bit gimmicky, as a retort to Lesney's (gimmicky) Rolamatics range. Still, it's in surprisingly good nick, this model. Though four securing rivets to the underside does feel like overkill, maybe? Now here's a bit of a rarity... Yes. Matchbox did produce an Alfa Carabo - Bertone's amazing contribution to the 1960s wedge wars, and which ultimately influenced the Lamborghini Countach, with its scissor-action doors and near-flat lines - but this one is by Corgi. A Corgi Rocket, no less. Built to beat Hot Wheels at their own game with their intricate race tracks and 'tuned for speed' tagline, Corgi launched the Rockets range with great fanfare and scooped 1971's Toy Of The Year prize. With bodies made from electroplated chrome oversprayed with coloured lacquer, they were also fast and eyecatching - even if their much-vaunted 'strip n tune' function basically consisted of putting a drop of oil on each exposed axle. Unfortunately for Corgi, Mattel held a patent for this kind of flexible track, and a court case determined that Corgi had infringed it. They were permitted to sell existing shop stock, but manufacture no more. A year after coming to market, Corgi Rockets were gone. (I'm not sure why Matchbox didn't get a tug too, since their Superfast track was also the same basic idea - unless the case hinged on some specific feature of Corgi's track.) Rockets sets are, apparently, amongst the most valuable pieces from the Corgi Toys oeuvre by dint of sheer rarity. Vectis Auctions has achieved four-figure sums for some of them - with the James Bond gift set, containing unique iterations of the Ford Escort and Ford Capri, achieving 'Holy Grail' status amongst serious collectors with deep pockets. Hot Wheels and Majorette, now... The Chevrolet Vega is a recent release and has suffered a bit of toybox wear, but still a tidy wee casting. I'll keep this for a bit, I think. The 'Minitrek' camper is one I used to own when I was a kid, and I swear I was just thinking about it on Wednesday afternoon, wondering where the hell it went as I really loved it and I would never have got rid of it - yet I can't remember seeing it much past 1986. At a guess, it was a casualty whenever my dad demolished the greenhouse (cos my brother kept falling through it) and I spent a while hiding cars in the 'caves' left by the broken-up founds, before it was all rotavated and grassed over. I know I lost an ERTL police car in that episode, through being too good at hiding them and not good enough at finding them... maybe that's where my Minitrek went? Tampo prints have rubbed off, but it still looks good in AS team colours, you'll agree. The Majorette Toyota Lite Ace... erm... At the market: "Wow! It's got pink wheels!" Back at my computer: "Oh... it's got pink wheels." Sorry, really dunno what I was thinking. Was this something like a Majorette equivalent to those 'My First Matchbox' cars? Bigger scale stuff, now... A Hot Wheels branded BMW 635, in 1/43 scale... weren't these essentially rebranded Polistils, or am I confusing them with something else? I owned a few of these, along with their Bburago competitors, but found them not quite as sharp as Bburago, castings wise. This one's picked up a few scrapes but the sticky residue should clean off ok, hopefully. I probably should have left this Mustang, as it is fucked - missing door, missing A-posts, and cracks to the sills just behind the (missing) side rivets. But, y'know... 50p. ? And, ultimately, I did pick this one up too. Possibly just to make it up to a round tenner for Blokey I have no need of this (like the others, pretty much) but figured that maybe someone on here could use it? Yargh. Remorse, remorse, remorse... I'm full of it. Oh well. I probably should try to sort the Box Under The Bed (you can tell it's bad when it becomes capitalised) this weekend, and offer out my assorted OMG MARKETFIND M8 diecasts to any folks here who can rehome them. Then I'll go out next week and do it all again. I am a silly sausage. Watch this space.
    3 points
  34. Post work quick bits done. Connector for the headlight arrived Electrical kit out Old connector off New ceramic one fitted Drunk will also ordered a door bush set. I hadn't remembered I had ordered them so was quite surprised when this package arrived The old rubber ones get worn so some cheap 3d printed ones from eBay appeared today. The doors then bang and flex when pushing on Old ones They go into this metal enclosures Old bush off and compared to new New one on and given a squirt Doors miles less bangy now.
    3 points
  35. Private swimming pool, surely?
    3 points
  36. That's a bummer - if it'd had running water you could have moved in.
    3 points
  37. Uncle Jimmy

    I boughted a Saab

    They're an 'aquired taste' the 96, in the same way as a VW Beetle a Fiat 500 or a Mini, after all they were the 'people's car' in Sweden. A marmite car perhaps. They have an awful lot to recommend them to a novice restorer on a budget however, they are still fairly cheap, are very well put together and near enough 'hand built' so they come apart in a fairly logical progression. There are also a fair number left so parts aren't too much of an issue, there's also a lot that can be done to tune and improve them, not that there's much wrong with them as standard, unlike many cars of that era they can be still run as an everyday car.
    3 points
  38. What you need is an LDV Maxus. Plenty of those for under £1.5K, and they don't rust like Transits either. The body panel dent if you sneeze within 10 feet of them, but you can't have everything.
    3 points
  39. Remember what I said last week? Bollocks, I was only right and all. HUGE amount of new diecast on the stall this morning. Mostly old stuff, but lots of other curios too. Only I was running late because TRAIN and didn't have time for a proper guddle. Heading back over there shortly - here's what I snapped earlier so if anything appeals, sing out quick and I'll do my best! ^^^Mostly repaints of variable quality Also repaints? Weird bubbling happening on these, but at £2 a pop, maybe they'll do someone? Can't see these being offered out at much more than £1 or so. Heh, I remember those Sindy beach buggies; seems that everyone's sister had them in the mid-80s. The massive hardboard caravan's a new one on me, though. Lexus LS400 cab is an unusual version... I'll assume a cackhanded Code 3 with Letraset. Bizarre Corgi 'Turbine Truck' thing I ain't never seen before. ^^^ Lone Star E-Type: possibly the worst diecast rendition I've ever seen (yet, still strangely appealing nonetheless) Modern-ish stuff. ^^^ I should have bought this ^^^ And this too - I'm not really doing large-scale stuff these days, but wasn't someone on here looking a Bburago Merc 190 recently? ^^^ 50p Boxes were overflowing again with 70s Superfasts and Whizzwheels; most of 'em utterly bollocksed, naturally, but some still looking salvageable. I'll have my phone on me to read any pleas for diecast succour! Updates to follow...
    3 points
  40. louiepj

    Dumped cars in your area

    Found these while out walking the dogs. What's left of three cars all parked in a row in the woods behind a housing estate in East Grinstead.
    3 points
  41. Glad to report that I know of one Leyland DAF 400 which is still earning its keep! The red one is long gone now, but the blue one is as far as I know still with us...and from what I've heard it would pretty much take an Act of God to take it out of the hands of the current owners as there are quite some stories and memories attached to it. "Upgrades" include but are not limited to an actual US locomotive horn hidden above the back axle. Apparently anyone within visual range will jump an average of two and a half feet straight up when the button that activates that is pressed. I've no idea what they've done to the engine either - I was following it to the convention a couple of years back and I was doing an indicated 80 (as far as my nerve will stretch on the motorway in these days of speed cameras every ten feet) and she was vanishing into the distance as if I was standing still.
    3 points
  42. Uncle Jimmy

    I boughted a Saab

    Bit more done today, whipped the sump off, gave it a bloody good seeing to with an angle grinder and wire brushes, rust stabiliser and some stove paint. Then pulled the old oil pump and pick up and replaced with a new one. Replacing a sump gasket upside-down is actually easy enough, the gasket sealant sticks like the proverbial shit to a blanket. What puzzled me was that the jack shaft from the oil pump connected to nowhere in particular inside the block. Turning the crank over yielded no motion so I began to think I had lost a part from the block end of the shaft....arse cheese.... Then in a moment of clarity I realised that the distributor lies directly above the oil pump and is the type driven by a pinion from the camshaft. On further inspection the business end of the distributor revealed a hex shaped hole for the oil pump shaft to run in. The distributor on inspection has a bit of play in the shaft so I may need to go to electronic ignition to get really accurate timing.
    3 points
  43. Forgotten I'd taken this photo - the old and the 'new' : the 420 and a random HHR in a car park in Bulwell - the 45 actually parked next to mine whilst I was shopping for cat food or some other shizzle
    3 points
  44. When we bought the car 8 years ago I thought: twice the sunroof, twice the leakage and twice the gaffer tape hassle. But no. Both proper working all these years on. Not only doing the the tilt, they do the FULL SLIDE too.
    3 points
  45. Safe to say a replacement fuel filter was somewhat overdue on the poor old Astra. The fuel that was drained off from the housing was the colour of Guinness too. Considering it's common rail and all that It's done well to keep soldiering on so well. Old filter was date stamped 2012 which was at least newer than the 2004 stamped pollen filter I pulled out last week (it's a 2004 car). The car was also treated to a used air con radiator fan to replace the completely seized original. Air con is still fubarred as expected but hoping this might cure the intermittent engine fan dashboard warning light that's been coming on after startup. Replacing the fan was easy thanks to most of the bumper fixings having been replaced by cable ties and self tappers. It's totally secure so went back together that way.
    3 points
  46. Spent a few days traveling Wales south to north via the lanes with some friends. We got lucky with the weather. I love the place even more now. What a country.
    3 points
  47. I like it when a plan comes together! The VP 1500 came without music not even the string quartet that I believe was standard on these cars! It is a 1976 car and my spare 1990s radio CD looked hideous in it and a period radio with FM costs a fortune so I decided to fit the cheap Radio with USB, jack plus SD card slot I had bought for the Gamma. While very cheap and looks it, much better than the 1990s alternative. I had pushed the new radio in the open hole last Sunday to take it to the Allegro show and tonight I set about wiring it in as the plug left in the dash did not fit my radio. The plug there was simply wired into chock blocks both for power and speakers so I changed the old plug for the new ones that came with the radio and bingo it all worked first time with one speaker in the front and two in the rear parcel shelve. Even my ipod plugged straight in to the USB and played now controlled from the radio unit. Now for me the next bit is a step too far in an Allegro, a remote control for the radio!
    3 points
  48. Uncle Jimmy

    I boughted a Saab

    Bit more done today, I gave the block a good dousing with Jizer followed by a scrub with some turps and later on a coat of some ancient motorcycle high temp engine paint, rather pleased with my patent engine trolley! Next job will be to remove the rocker covers and sump for painting and get to work on the manifolds.
    3 points
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