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MOT and tax sorted. Finally back home after 4 years away.

Erm, seem to have bought an old Vauxhall... ...a 2.0 Super Touring. It's pretty bad body work wise (the kit didn't do them any favours) but they're a rare old thing now.

decided also to pull the car out the garage, do a lot of checks and check the lights BEHOLD! ILLUMINATION! all illumination seems to work, the washers still seem to work excellent well, all ready for the big day tomorrow, which i am not looking forward to! but i get to drive it properly for the first time which should be fun

Decided to take a punt on an early MOT for the 205. The corrosion fails were somewhat expected. The CV boot just needs cleaned up apparently. The oil leak isn't an oil leak, it's leftover from when I changed the fuel pump and the car had been previously fuelled with [undefined], and it ran all down the back of the engine. The brakes are an odd one as it has a new master cylinder and the system has been pressure bled. I've had one of the wheel cylinders off and it seemed to work OK, so that's going to need investigation. As for the rust, guess where my weekend went. This. Turned into This. Likewise for the other side. A lot of this has come about from shitty previous repairs as seen here. This is why you don't bang a patch over rust. It just makes it worse. The nearside took a fair chunk of metal. The wind really picked up and I could no longer weld using gas, so I went out and bought a roll of flux core. That was a bit of an experiment as I'd never tried it before, but it actually turned out pretty well. It's messy in some places, but it's strong. I had to turn the voltage right down as it penetrates far further than the shielded welds, but that's no bad thing. Driver's side. The rust on the driver's side extended down to the front panel, which has a coolant hose running up against it. So I had to dump the coolant before I cut it off. I guess I should've found a bigger bucket.. Front panel cut out. New panel tacked in. I ran out of time to finish this off, so I'll have to find some gaps in the weather this week to get it sorted so that I can get the free retest. On the plus side the car won't have a single bit of corrosion left once this is done.

Sorry to hear about your breakdown @trigger Ive just gone into town to collect a pizza and managed to (badly in the excitement) park next to the wobbed up wolseley I sometimes see for a BL CARS group shot

Pre MOT checks done this morning - only problem found was one of the washer jets was blocked. Did a couple of miles up and down the farm driveway to scrub the new brakes in a little, they work better already, so hopefully they'll be up to par by the time I've driven it to the test centre. The underside is now sporting some dirt, the minty freshness is already a thing of the past. It was alas inevitable. MOT booked tomorrow......

Both Chieveley and the green Favorit are on their first holiday with us. Of sorts. We thought we'd start small so it's just a couple of nights in a cabin on a farm in Dorset, less than two hours drive away. You have to think about what you're packing more when the dog is taking up the back seats. It looks very farmy in this direction. There's also an interesting looking Merc 190 round the corner which I shall have to investigate later. The view the other way is much greener. The paddock up to the fence is ours. It is supposed to be dog proof but we don't entirely trust Chieveley, he can be very inquisitive so we've got him on a 60ft lead. Mrs Yoss has gone for a walk down to the local Spar so he is ignoring me completely at the moment. Edit: The Merc.

T25 was dropped off in Beverley on Saturday morning for a spot of welding, just a few bubbles near the rear jacking points but I might as well get it sorted properly so there's fill inner and outer sill panels in the back, just in case 🤕 Just don't have the time or space to do it myself at the moment - I can do a decent job but it would take me a week to do a days worth that an actual skilled fabricator can do. Fingers crossed he won't uncover too many horrors. I didn't take it to the pillock who cut the sill off my Talbot before looking at the repair panel and deciding it wasn't big enough. I had missed driving it, and 2 hours on the motorway was noisy but surprisingly pleasurable, apart from going over the massive bridge on the M62 near howden - I'm scared of heights and there was roadworks on so we were on the hard shoulder, and in a lifted LHD truck I was sat well above the barrier and looking right over the edge into the huge drop, serious sweaty palms!!! Onto the T6, I was advised to do a haldex oil change as VW never do it, but it's usually ready after 30k miles. The oil came out minging and look at the filter! Totally clarted up! I did a re-teach after the oil swap and tested it on gravel and it's definitely a lot keener to kick in than before, which is good. Oh and I fitted the wheel arch trims:

Spotted this wee beauty while out working today. Looked really clean.

I had a day of mixed emotions on Friday, I sold my Dolomite to a farmer for close to the asking price I dropped it back to my dad's barn for the new buyer to collect it and to bring my Astra home I was cruising down the A12 where I lost all its drive just as I passing Colchester and broke down on the side of the busy road. Where I ended up having to call Essex police for a road closure and a tow behind a BMW 550 to a BP garage. Thankfully dad turned up with some tools and a tow pole where we found the spring for the points had snapped and he had to tow me home, I've now ordered a few ignition set up for about £15 so should be back on the road again. I'm now not sure if I should spend some money and get the car professionally painted on both sides to really smarten it up or just buy something else, trouble is everything is so bloody expensive at the moment, cars I was paying £2000 for a couple of years ago are now £7000+. I was bidding on this 8000 mile Ital which was the car that made me want to sell the Dolly in the first place and that sold for £7000 in auction

Did some small bits recently to the 407. Enjoy. Tyres: The car always had a mixture of tyres on it. I hated this and as the front tyres were beggining to harden and wear more, I got a couple of Michelin tyres shod up at the front now, the rears are to be done at the end of this month with some Michelins so all tyres match. Screen: Been the bain of my life since I got this car. All screens were £silly money, the ones I did purchase, despite being the same part number did not have Bluetooth connectivity or were the wrong ones which were sent back. Thankfully @iainrcz came to the rescue recently with a free screen so now I have a working screem with Bluetooth connectivity! Window: Passenger side windows couldn't always be arsed to work, my passengers seem to be unable to get the window down. Given that the window always worked well from the drivers side, I made a wild guess that the switch wasn't all that good, despite taking the switch apart and cleaning the contacts (they were very clean anyway) it made no difference. A couple of quid on a second-hand switch, arrived and now the window works exactly when it's asked to. Centre console lid: Some, few or even none of you may remember that I dashed a screw into my centre console lid when it refused to shut when I got the car. It did well for a while but then got quite loose. The lid stayed shut no bother but I decided to try and sort this once for all. I found a small piece of rubber which I fitted into the console lid hole where the screw had been. It shut and closed very nicely and was no longer loose its not pretty but does the job and does it well. Result. Gear gaiter: Yeah, so after the KNOB (yeah yeah) debacle. The gear gaiter was still a tad tatty. I could feel it ay the top where the fake leather had ripped and dug into my finger when changing gear. So a cheap eBay special (I really must learn) later and much difficulty of fitting, it finally got fitted and looks a bit better. Old gaiter: New gaiter: Fail: My drivers door squeaks from inside whenever I close the door or go over an bumpy road. This is annoying. I have some foamy-type packaging material that I've had for some years. The squeaks come from the window rail mechanism that is bolted to the door, but because of its location, it is very difficult to track down the the source of the noise exactly so I can pack it out with foam material. Another job maybe for next year when I can be bothered with it again.

RIP Dennis Waterman, one of my TV heroes as a kid. Loved watching the old Flying Squad when I was younger with my Dad, great memories those. Dad fondly remembers seeing the series back in the 70's on Thames, a great bit of nostalgia for him as my Grandad had a Ford Consul when it first aired. Absolutely gutted to hear the news today.

Just in case a Metro wasn't quite grim enough, here's a diesel one. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/515738453586052 If I had the room, absolutely would.

I found my old Atlantean boot badge buried in my dad's loft for 20 odd years. I used to have it attached to my wardrobe door when I was a kid

The door hardware is now assembled and fitted to the door, and I've insulated it also. One of the welds around the handle mechanism has a crack, so welding that up is all that's stopping me fitting it. I started to weld and promptly ran out of gas, so will have to go and get some tomorrow. It's struck me that a possible reason for the long brake pad life could be the fact the caliper pistons are rusty! This is pretty disappointing, as I fitted new calipers in 2013, and I rarely take it out in the salty winter. The pistons don't even seem to have any plating, so have rusted at the first sign of water. The dust seals had popped off on this side, being (not) held on by a wire spring clip. The new seals have a rigid portion, which is a slight interference fit on the caliper body. If the effort to fit them is an indication of how well they'll stay on, they should be ok! Both pistons are now moving freely, so onto the original job of pad replacement. One side down!

It's not going to be a quick job, but today we've started the polishing process! Probably around 2-3 hours work, and I've done the band extending to the edge of the door. This is just the first pass too, with coarse polishing compound. But it's exciting to make progress at last!

On a similar theme, I’ve just pootled in the Toledo to get a pizza And did a spot en route…..

Wow, thanks for the updates @wesacosa @Shite Ron! Brilliant to see it’s still there. I think they had to be MOTd to get tax exempt but not sure. Managed to have a walk under mine this morning whilst it was on a lift and relieved to see it’s 100% solid but has a number of leaks!

Perhaps I'll consider it when I can find a source of disposable time! As soon as Brian is on the road my spare time is going to be invested in the next project which got put on hold three years back. It's a lovely riveted steam boiler which was left to me by my Dad and a dear friend of his, sadly neither are with us now. The boiler is a relatively small unit and has already been stripped down prior to Brians arrival, new tubes are currently on order. To the left of the boiler is a small steam engine powered genset which the boiler will be powering.

These are utterly glorious.

"Exhaust's fucked".

Good idea to use PPE when you're doing this sort of work.. note my safety chins, glasses, and protective stubble

Bit harsh, she looks alright to me.

yes i'm not afraid!

So, you were obvs afeared that your reputation for having cojones like spacehoppers was on the slide, hence you took your XM's electrics apart... ...THE DAY BEFORE AN MOT???

This looks like a cracking V70 for reasonable money given the current market. Would be buying this if it was closer. £2300, 160,000miles, PURPLE!!! Alfreston. Someone buy it then sell it to me in a bit tacheersthanks. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144546408149?hash=item21a7a326d5:g:QjMAAOSwTb1iSX6Z

I hereby present the mighty DBS Handy 2610. Power and style in one attractive package. Made I Norway!

Went to a big flea market outside the Swedish town of Alvesta and found almost nothing... I was quite interested in a Mercedes 240 D with caravan in original box. But it was too pricey. So I bought this instead.

Corgi model club just dropped this pic - excited for the Beetle!

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1452955

'as you can see in the photos its in a very sorry state 1989 HONDA CRX 1.6 | eBay

I've got anthracite Empis on my bug, part way through a quick refurb on them as the lacquer on the rims has crazed. Not spending too much time on then, partly because refurbing wheels is a chore but also as I want to change them at some point.

Cute However, seller is one of those fucknuts who uses a big font because they think it increases excitement and amplifies the price.

Very early 3.0 Ghia from 1974, no door-mirror. The only Modena green Ghia I've ever seen.

A couple of days ago I treated my Tipo to four new tyres. The old ones still had adequate tread but the sidewalls were cracking - as 7 year old budget tyres tend to do. £204 later, my Tipo is resplendent with Chinese budget finery. Whilst I was at the tyre place, a Tesla owner phoned for a quote and was complaining about the rate at which his car consumed tyres. The quote was £218 each corner. That made me feel better. I've had occasional non-starting behaviour from the Tipo since about a week ago, usually cured by a sharp clout on the starter solenoid. It drove on to the ramp at the tyre place just fine, but was dead when the tyre fitter tried to drive it off after fitting the new tyres. He seemed slightly amused when I told him there's a hammer in the boot - just clout the starter solenoid. He did so and the engine started. The bonnet stay came off in his hand. I told him to chuck it in the footwell and have rehomed it this evening. I've also polished the rear offside door now that the patch I de-rusted, primed, painted and lacquered has hardened. It looks smart enough at a couple of paces. I may replace the starter if it continues to misbehave. A remanufactured unit is £58 on eBay. That would do.

Skin now rolled.

Here she is, in all her glory* It's a Vito 109cdi, XTRALONGBOI. And long it is: Although it's only 10-15cm longer than my former Scudo according to t'internet. It was used by a bricklayer to cart his crew around and it looked like it inside. We spent much of last weekend cleaning the inside to get to this stage: One thing that attracted me to it, other than the price, was the fact it has the Viano seat rails in the back. You can adjust the rear seats backwards and forwards, one thing I found a little restricting about the scudo was you could only fit the rear seats in 2 fixed positions. It came with 2 rows of rear seats but I'll bin one off as we only really need 5 seats. Condition wise it's like a 2004 van with nearly 250k up made from 2004 Mercedes steel. Has these lovely alloys which I gather are off an SL or SLK, one tyre goes down very quickly as the wheel has been cracked and welded together and re-cracked again. Also: now paying out on all bets on YES to black death. I am still pleased with the van overall. The bits of rust are just cosmetic, sills etc are still present and it drives fine so should get through an MOT. Plans are, to fix the black death (possibly via paying a man), further clean up the inside, and if it's still proving reliable in a few months do a mostly removable camper conversion including pop top roof. I've watched some YouTube videos on fixing black death that make it look super easy, so for starters I'm gonna fire some oven cleaner, brake cleaner and any other potions I think of at the clag to get the area cleaned up and if this goes well I'll tackle it myself.

Update - The cars back on the road for summer duties and a wash was duly needed, now ticked over 115k Service items and preventative maintenence ordered and arrived (oil, fuel and air filters, new oil pickup pipe and replacement bolts): Unfortunately when trying to take the sump plug out to complete the work I encountered a bit of an issue in that it wasn't unscrewing after a couple of turns! It appears to be an issue with the thread so rather than making life harder or trying a work around I tightened the plug back up as it had got to a point where it wasn't leaking. Ordered a replacement sump to be on the safe side, the beauty of this engine is replacements are fairly cheap. I'll get round to fitting the new sump and bits on Friday. On the plus side this did give me time to replace the broken mirror switch: Its as good as new and I can finally adjust my mirrors!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205095512007?atmobcid=soc3 £17250 for a 520i with a bent valance and no mot since 2008... HFM indeed!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205075459762?advertising-location=at_cars&sort=datedesc&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&radius=1500&postcode=cb12az&price-to=1000&include-delivery-option=on&year-to=2005&page=5

I was back in Hull for first time in ages. The infamous yellow Cortina is still there. I would love to know the story on this

This is a better picture of the offside paintwork. The primer on the top was the last owners work. The patches around the arch are me picking at it 🤣 I suspect the last owner did exactly the same thing as me by picking the scabs and then realising he needed to put something back over to protect it. The bits I picked was the rusty finish straight under there. It's actually solid and quite thick metal, just brown... When I get a chance I will run a wire wheel over it. My suspicion it was poor prep and then being under a cover caused it to go like that. Thankfully the level of filler on most of this is minimal! Like you said, it could well have tack welded panels on over the rust. Hopefully not as I've got that fight on the Dolomite to put right and I want this back on the road ready for summer! 😳

Posh Beetle, Ford and a BMW coop

The Capri got a wash, which also allowed me an opportunity to get some pictures of the worst bits. I'm hopeful that it'll go into the local garage in October for the winter. Depressing to look at and probably will be expensive, but can't be put off...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125304122495

will there be an unleaded sticker for the rear quarter windows?