Leaderboard

It is indeed in the hideous tax bracket and it was indeed Tebay. Spied the Legacy on Autotrader and comms were exchanged. @jaypee and I went down a week past Sunday. It was about 5 minutes from Tebay services at a lovely big rural house. The run home was uneventful and we enjoyed a chippy in a very rainy and dark Moffat. Definitely felt like winter was setting in, so was the ideal time to buy a car like this. The chap selling it had a good collection, including an E39 M5. The Subaru had been his wife and his car for the last 12 years and had been a well maintained workhorse. It was competitive money, with a years MOT and a spare set of winter steel wheels with Nexen M+S tyres. There's a fair bit of documentation with it, although he said he had done mostly his own maintenance at his previous address where he had a lift etc. It's an Outback with the 3.0 Flat 6. Nice spec with full electric leather, working AC, Cruise etc and a few nice extras like a detachable tow bar and genuine Subaru rubber mats, boot liner and dug guard. As has been mentioned it's in the hideous tax bracket, although for some reason the insurance was extremely cheap, like less than the diesel Rover 45. Plan for this one is to run it over winter (and possibly next summer given working AC) and spend NOTHING on it, something I'm not very good at.There's a rattle from the front which is probably a drop link, both were advisories and it's taking all of my willpower to not buy parts. I can tolerate plenty shonkiness, but suspension noises make my teeth itch. I know of these things propensity for rust. I poked my head under and I couldn't prod holes in anything, but the sill covers will be staying where they are. It's a weird car to drive. With the 4WD and plenty power it can cover ground quickly. The ride is very, very firm for what it is, but that is combined with pretty light steering, so it's not really a drivers car. Still, it always feels very well planted and surefooted. Hoping for some fairly inhospitable weather this winter to test it.

Frustrating weekend due to the weather and a significant motivation drop because Winter Is Coming™ Received a big delivery of parts, with thanks to @Lacquer Peel and @davidfowler2000 for providing ARSE. (Autoshite Recovery and Shiteshifting Etc). I now have both centre sills, outer sills, and rear outer arch repair panels ready to go. One of the panels was provided for free from a fellow Volvo masochist, although it did have a little bit of surface rust which needed cleaning up. With a going over with white spirit, degreaser, a quick acid bath and a touch up here and there it was perfectly usable. I spent a morning punching and drilling this and an outer sill panel for the plug welds, then zingaing up the mating surfaces. The weather was rubbish so I climbed inside the car and started getting rid of the old sound deadening. After that, a going over with the big wire wheel proved the soundness of most of the remaining floor. Well, I did say 'most'. Y THO? Floor patches made up. I still need to bash down the lower parts to fit the profile and weld everything shut, but motivation was decreasing. In reality this needs a new floorpan section, but this will see it through a little while at least. The floorpan can be replaced on this side at any point without dismantling half the car, so I'm happy to leave it till it becomes a problem. Next job was to blow the bloody doors off and start aligning the centre sill. A fair amount of hacking was required to get rid of old rusty bits and bad welds and allow the new panel to fit. Finally reached a 'fuck it, that'll do' situation and welded it on. Surprisingly, the doors still close. Mint. It's a Volvo I suppose. Even back in 1964 before their safety reputation was a thing, the cars were still over-built. With the sills and steps hacked to pieces and the car jacked up at an angle, nothing actually moves. In the process of plug welding, I managed to snap shut a set of mole grips on my hand, resulting in a surprisingly bloody and gory injury. That really was the end of all motivation, I think I need a little break. At least I still have my Strong Hand, for activities.

Up at dawn and down to Newgale beach. Chieveley doesn't get on well with most dogs so we thought it would be quiet. It was. Wife and dog circled. And a bit further down the road.

Been to the post office now to pick up the relay for the turn signals, just hope it works and fits. Also got 2 books in the post, one about the history and possibly more about these cars and the other about the importer Philipsons who had the Mercedes imports in Sweden and possibly some of or even the whole of Norway as well. My car was sold new through them, and the recon engine in my car also comes from them. So this should be an interesting read, I hope, but it's in Swedish so it's tiring to read. And as I expected and hoped in the Swedish book, there are pictures of taxis and the first one here is probably very similar to how mine looked during its working life in the 1960s. The picture below is from Sundsvall Sweden, where when this picture was taken in 1964, 30 of the city's 38 taxis were Mercedes Benz. And all these in the picture are the same 190D as mine. So I look forward to reading these.

Passed my motorcycle CBT yesterday. Looks like the fleet will get some two-wheeled shite.

And the last of the Hinckley pics... didn't take that many as I always used to find I'd spend the whole day taking photos and not actually see anything myself.

The new turn signal relay fits and works. But one of the lamps would not cooperate so had to disassemble a bit of it and clean contacts. And these only have these big lights on top of the front wings as turn signals at the front. And after that this light worked again and all the turn signals work on this car now. 20221003_141135.mp4

I’ve had a bit of a crisis upon turning 30 (I’m loathe to refer to it as ‘mid-life’, as that seems a pessimistic guess of my life expectancy, however the amount of sausage rolls and Guinness I go through on a weekly basis is helping that dream become a reality), and so decided that I needed one last automotive hurrah, preferably one with a big lumpy V8 and was old enough to be tax- and MOT-exempt and low enough insurance to justify the eye-watering fuel consumption. Enter: this clapped-out ol’ hog: A 1964 Ford Galaxie 500, held together by its own corrosion and some misplaced hopes and dreams. Found on FB for the princely sum of $1,500 (so about £10k at the exchange rates I paid) this has been owned by the same chap since 1974, when it was parked in his cattle shed about 30 years ago and then moved out into the paddock about a decade later when the cattle needed more room. A North Carolina car its whole life, it will live there in my father’s workshop until I get over and am able to spend a couple of weeks getting it into shape and stuffed into a container, destined for the UK and eventually NI. The plans for it include: - a 347ci stroker motor with some go-faster bits like an Edelbrock inlet manifold, Holley 650ci carb, GT40 heads and other odds and sods; hoping that this combo will be good for 350hp or so. - an AOD 4-speed slush-o-matic with some 3.55 rear gears, which should hopefully* make it sprightly enough in its first 3 gears while making for a decent cruiser in its 4th. - painted black (I’m currently undecided between gloss and satin; this will be dependent on the standard of the bodywork, as satin will hide the multitude of sins better than gloss but I feel gloss will look less ‘thuggy’ than a matte satin finish), set off with some painted steel wheels and white-line tyres - some other creature comforts in the form of a Bluetooth stereo, maybe cruise control and a ‘knee-cooler’ A/C unit. I don’t have much else to add right now - I’ll mainly just be making a list of what’s needed and getting all the parts delivered (while also trying not to get completely fleeced by the exchange rate). But I’m excited by this and just wanted to share with the rest of the parish. One final pick for how it sits now - these won’t be the final wheels for it, however they’re definitely growing on me:

Some pictures from this Sundays Chearsley car show:

Discovered a surprise visitor at work this morning. Gave me quite a fright when I switched the lights on and it flew overhead. Is it a tawny?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/austin/austin-allegro-tax-mot-exempt/1399525523

Minor tinkering day yesterday. One dead glowplug on the Merc, which means removing the inlet manifold to get to the plugs. This would normally be a ballache, as there is a "bastard bolt" that can only be accessed from below, so to get the manifold off usually means having to jack up/use drive-on's for the front of the car, undertray removal etc and reach up with a hex-drive to remove the bolt in quesiton. As luck* would have it, the manifold has been off many times in the past, meaning the casting is broken and the bolt missing, so you can do everything from above. Cheeky bonus. The dead one was the second one I checked and the glowplugs were being compliant and came out without fuss, which for an OM606 is a bit of a miracle. Back to starting smoothly on six rather than knocking like a bastard on five-and-a-bit cylinders for the first 30 seconds. Also serviced my housemate's 2018 Fiat 500. Thankfully it's one of the 1.2 models, not a twin-arse model, so it was pretty straightforward. The oil it takes looks like water, and it feels very strange puting only 2.75 litres of oil in a sump (especially when the merc takes 9!). irritatingly had to make a sump key. I've got a 12mm hex-drive somewhere, but could I find it? Of course not. So an M16 bolt had a 12mm hex duley ground into the end of it, and the sump plug came out nice and easily. Changed the plugs too, and it fired straight up, which is always re-assuring. The old oil from her car is now in the fuel tank of mine, to be burned off as part of the 75 litres of fuel it currently has in it. Best place to dispose of it. Still haven't replaced the dead number-plate lamp in the Merc, so it beeps at me every time you turn the lights on. ~3 years and counting on that...

I realised I haven't added any fleet updates for quite some time and that's because....there isn't. Thankfully other than maintenance, which I have made sure I put in the time on, they've been well behaved. I have been incredibly busy this year and my life is basically work and family with very little time for anything else. I have managed to get a few hours on a Sunday to get to the Retroshite meet but ultimately I don't think people are ready for the mighty Cavalier yet. I managed to scrape 5 minutes to replace a brake light bulb on the Cav (as well as take apart and rebuild a diecast Mercedes!) I have booked its MOT for this Thursday. I don't think its too far away from a pass as its had a lot of new parts this year. The handbrake is high but since adjustment requires getting the whole back end in the air, I opted for 'it works' and hopefully it will be sufficient. The cost of living rises in my household are set to be absolutely out of this world, as I'm sure is the case for many. I'm putting the Cav on SORN after its MOT and I may do the same for the Saab. They'll not eat a piece in the garage/drive for the time being. GM stuff just starts right up after lying for months in my experience.

I did a similar thread to this last year, and it seemed to go down quite well. So I thought I'd do it again this year. Basically, there's two Midlands shows near me that always occur on consecutive weekends - The Hinckley BID Motor Show and the Atherstone Heritage Motor Show. I attended both, and focused on taking pictures of stuff that might suit an AS audience - although a few popular classics are in the mix too. Anyway, enough waffle... let's start with Hinckley.

On the BMW front, then. It's been on holiday with the resident welder in the central belt for the past week or so. It failed the MOT when the tester poked a hole the size of my thumbnail in the offside rear jacking point. Gingernuttz has been busy doing some digging. Both rear jacking points weren't too happy, plus the fronts too. As the rears stand now: He still needs to tidy the fronts and repair a wee bit of the exhaust, plus spray some stonechip on. However, the jacking points are now made out of 5mm steel, so they should be fairly sturdy! After I get it back I still need to fit both replacement front wishbones and track rods, plus check the front left caliper...

AS-worthy bodge applied and we can now select reverse again. Removed the roll pin and slid the collar off then cut the top of it straight and drilled a suitably-sized hole in the thickest part of the bulge above the finger groove. Pressed the roll pin through this hole and into the cable ferrule. This means that the collar now sits higher up on the lever so I had to ditch the (broken) plastic bit that fits inside the knob to allow the collar to move up inside it. It also means that I now have to put my fingers underneath the collar to lift it, rather than in the finger groove. But it works. I don't know how long it will last as the 30-year-old plastic has gone horribly brittle but I deliberately drilled the hole at the thickest point for (hopefully) maximum strength. I forgot to take a picture before I bashed the knob back on but it now looks like this: Not a brilliant job but doesn't look too bad and will hopefully last a while until the remaining plastic disintegrates. In the meantime if anyone finds a replacement collar, knob with collar, or complete lever in their spares stash or sees one for sale please let me know. Also, does anyone know if the later gear lever is the same at the bottom end and would fit into the early linkage?

That’ll do very nicely. Flexi had such an insignificant blow he said it’ll last a few months before it needs changing, so as it’s in the boot I’ll change at my leisure.

Well it's been a year since this: So let's do it again hey @sharley17194?? We set off today! My noble steed for this year's trek up nooorf. @sharley17194wae meant to be going in this... But it currently looks like this after a failed attempt to swap the crankshaft in doubly quick time. So instead he is going for something far too modern... 1,500 miles in 6 days. What could possibly go wrong??

I went along to a car show at Fyvie Castle yesterday.

https://myrtlebeach.craigslist.org/cto/d/conway-1987-pontiac-tojan/7529787271.html 1987 Pontiac Tojan ConvertibleThis not a kit car. They were factory-produced, made from an F-body Firebird by Knudsen Manufacturing in Omaha, Nebraska and they were commissioned by GM.

Aaand, we're at the end. Hope you liked.

COMMER TS3 TIPPER TRUCK Lorry Classic Vintage Bedford Dodge Leyland ERF | eBay Mentioned: 'This is a twin ram tipper. Aluminum tipper body. I also have the aluminum sides. Cab needs a fair bit of welding. All cab glass and window frames are boxed up separately and come with the truck, as are the seats. Great project for the right person. Only for sale as I have too many projects at present' Not mentioned: 'Commer tipper truck' is an anagram of Cock trumpet primer. You're welcome.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125477331962?

As mentioned above. The photos. First one is my son in 1980 aged about 2. The plastic double decker is on the floor of his prison cell play pen. Unfortunately, the orange and red taxi lying on its side did not make it to present times. The second group of photos show the bus today in its repaired form. The third group show the two Burago Citroens, one in its battered box, the other played with. The fourth group show the friction drive Mercedes clone, made in China, probably in the late 1980s or 90s. The fourth group show one I did not mention yesterday, a toy made in the USA which dates from 1997. It is not doing a Norev but the plastic is deteriorating. My daughter's Matchbox taxi will have to wait because it is in a different place.

Civic left on the back of a car transporter today.... Holy sh*t did it throw a tantrum to let everyone know it was really dead and ready to meet the scrap man. It seemingly managed to blow a turbo seal AND blow a clutch line on the way onto the transporter so it's went away billowing blue smoke and pissing fluids behind it 😂

Please say you fitted a seat cover before you drove it home 🤢

It's the focal point. I tried to get the houses and church out of shot. I just like bins.

que cor é M8? scouser shell terno azul m8

My 2 year old has finally acquired his first modern hot wheels car. He chose the beetle with wood paneling, which also kept him quiet long enough for me to finish the shopping! I had a rummage in my old childhood car box and found 2 of my well play worn hot wheels, which I have gifted toy sons collection. Also found this lesney VW camper in the box. Very badly painted in humbrol so I had a crack at restoring it. 3 days in brake fluid had most of the paint off. Quiet alot of polishing sort of salvaged the glass.

Vauxhall Nova | eBay 'I got it to put bach on the road'

It's here. I've been through the treasure trove in the back, and all that was promised is included along with some bonus bits as well. It's crusty in parts (it's British and 35 years old) but I knew about these issues and they can be corrected in time. Fuel pump relay is borked, so it's been bodged to be always on which flattens battery. Indicators don't indicate. I suspect stalk. Clutch feels high so I may well start on that first. Get a nice juicy job under my belt to gain some momentum. An AP kit is in the boot, think I'll need a release bearing though. Seems to start ok, coughs a bit but runs and idles. It hasn't been run properly for ages so once serviced I think she'll be ok.

The Maestro arrives tomorrow and I must admit I'm unusually excited about it landing. I was going to borrow my semi-employer's race truck and drive down to Devizes to get it, but that was something of a ballache with it being 2 hours away (in a car), and not really having any time to do it. It's been that long since I saw the car (July?) that the delivery driver that wasn't available due to ill health is now better, so he's driving it up on his truck for £150. It would have been £50 fuel (at least) so that seems alright value to me, for the time saved. I've already been contemplating some 'improvements' but I'd like them to be invisible if possible: - Cassette player upgrade. Would like to keep it cassette-looking while having behind the scenes DAB radio and Bluetooth input. - Electric front windows retrofit (but I can't find any genuine switches - any ideas?) - Remote central locking retrofit with Chinese kit - Adjustable front dampers. I saw some Leda ones on the bay for £300, and seeing as standard ones aren't available it might be a decent choice. I offered £200 and the guy accepted. The car comes with new but standard rear dampers yet to be fitted. Jobs I know about: - Headliner. Had good practice on the Saab, so happy to have a go at this - Sunroof. Changed it on my Celica, easy enough once headliner is out and a good used one is included - Roof corrosion. Prob just temp repair with wire wheel and some zinc primer for now - Brakes overhaul. Some new brake bits are included - Cambelt & water pump. I'm hoping it's not too bad on an O-series - New zorst; a stainless system is included but not yet fitted - Possibly clutch. Again, new one included. I don't know how bad the current one is. - Service, filters, fluids - Rear arches. Maybe I will use my local guy if he can do it for £affordable. Ironically I will be temporarily living very close to his unit soon - Underside rust proofing - Respray wheel covers (does anyone have any tips or a thread about how to do this?

Whaddup. Check this tiny mutha out! It's Pilen No. 509 Bertone Stratos Zero from 1973. Whilst I'm more a fan of '60s and earlier cars, you can't deny the impact this Gandini design had back in 1970. It's the wedgiest of all the wedges and was the template for the Countach and every copycat supercar ever since. It's also another 'original' Pilen model, and perhaps one of the best, although it's quite simple in exectution it just feels 'right' Sadly missing its windscreen and steering wheel, but this is rare to find in any condition and particularly with such good paint. Missing parts can, in theory, be replaced some day. There's not much to it, really, but it's got a beautiful Lancia narrow-angle V4 from the Fulvia HF, couple of a transaxle. Sadly impossible to photograph (by me) but the rear panel includes a tiny and accurate Stratos HF badge. Little bit of base detail. The accurate wheels are different sizes front and back and the whole thing is TINY - just like the real car. I love it!

New pressure regulator purchased and on the way.

I know it's a whole hill of money, but look at it. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1685565685159360

Sunday 2nd October - and the weather was gorgeous in its colours and warmth, so I took the opportunity to get out and about while the season lasted. destination ; Castle Acre, in Norfolk, via the Thetford forest - round trip about 125 miles . . . Nor(se-)folk drivers seemed slower than ever, but when the road was clear it was a pleasant drive. The deciduous trees along the roadside just turning autumnal golds and red. ^ 7th Armoured Division - Desert Rats. From El Alamein to Berlin, via North Africa - Italy - Thetford Forest - France - Belgium - Holland ..stationed in Thetford Forest between January and May 1944, while they prepared for the invasion of Normandy. This was the only time the division was in the United Kingdom in it's entire existence. The division sailed from Felixstowe on the 5th June 1944, with the first tanks landing on Gold Beach on the evening of 6th June 1944. May your glory ever shine. " May your laurels never fade. May the memory of this glorious pilgrimage of war you have made from Alamein, via the Baltic, to Berlin never die. It is a March unsurpassed through all the story of war. May the fathers long tell the children about this tale" Winston Churchill. ^ In this weather it was a pleasant trail through the trees to where the 'Desert Rat's training camp was. Our next stop took us a little back in time . . . ^ Castle Acre's Castle - built soon after the Norman Conquest (following the Battle of Hastings). Although unimpressive in the photo, the site itself is ..because the scale and sharp definition of the earthworks of this round Motte & Bailey castle as well as it's outer bailey defensive embankments are so very intact. ^ even a composite of four of my photographs doesn't give an impression of three-dimensional scale of these earthworks But as a reference Katie is the red dot parked next to the large house / museum to the far right of the photo . I was also nice to walk the battlements and remaining curtain walls without health and safety barriers everywhere. The people in this photo help illustrate the size of this castle's bailey, but doesn't show anything of the very steep ditch that the present wooden bridge walkway spans. - - - I then went around to the other side of this small and historic village, to the fantastical Castle Acre Priory ... ^ This site is again extensive with the church nave, seeming to me, of cathedral proportions. The audio tour was invaluable to explain what each chamber was used for and how.. from the church itself and the cloisters, to the dormitory (for up to 32 monks aside, from the prior), and the chapter house, refectory, infirmary, kitchen block, and two story latrine building, over its own stream ..to flush its contents away. Being of French Cluniac (an order started in Burgundy) monastry (probably England's first) the architecture of each building is impressive at every turn with its masonry detailing superb. Far too much for me to convey here, and of course much of it destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII / Thomas Cromwell in the latter 1530's . . . ^ Still, aside from the ground plan and some walls, masonry details have survived the past 900 years (..and subsequent changes like glazed windows) pretty well. All in all a fascinating and most enjoyable day-trip into the past. It's amazing where a TR can take you ! Our run back was via Downham Market for a cuppa tea with my friend Mathew, from the TSSC, and then I headed back to my local pub for Sunday roast dinner. Katie of course ran impeccably although by 9:30pm, when I got home it was a bit chilly driving around with the roof open. Still I'm very much happier driving her, than a boring modern car. Pete

It's taken enough blood to sustain itself during hibernation.

https://www.custojusto.pt/madeira/veiculos/carros-usados/coupe-cabrio/opel-corsa-b-cabrio-37903230

Had the leaking coupling checked today and found nothing clearly wrong but cleaned everything before putting it back together. After this I tried to get out the bolt I put in where the oil leak is but this is difficult and is tight so gave up on this today. Then I started it and backed it out and let the engine run for 20 minutes and at the end at a slightly higher rpm. And to my great surprise the oil leakage at the bolt seems to have stopped and the leakage at the coupling with the injector has also stopped, there is only a small drop there now which is almost not visible in the picture below. Marked with an arrow as usual. But I wont believe that these leaks have stopped until some time has passed without leaks. So now it's just a matter of getting the turn signal to work and I can drive it again. Will pick up the relay tomorrow.

It's not until you see a Crown Vic up close that you realise just how massive they are!

And more Hinckley stuff...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265916664770?hash=item3de9de4bc2:g:LDAAAOSwMDpjOt0Q

Took the beast camping in the Lake District with some friends. The camp Tarn Hows Sensible Advice Walking The Hill Behind The Camp View From Wrynose Pass Cairn At Hardknott Pass The Beast At Hardknott Pass The Road Back Down The Steam Launch Passenger Lounge Some brave soul taking a vintage MG over Hardknott Pass. We crossed Wrynose & Hardknott Passes in both directions. By the time we got to the bottom of Wrynose the second time, the brakes were smelling smoky and had the consistancy of a large marshmallow, despite being in low gear. Admittedly, we were 4 up with 2 dogs on board. During the week there, the Toyota averaged 22 mpg. We were driving almost always on small backroads and did a couple of minor offroad tracks. On the motorway there and back, I averaged 31.9 mpg.

Son's been home this weekend and asked me to help him with the rear brakes.Bit of a mixed result really. He'd bought new Bosch discs and pads from Autodoc ready to fit. Trouble getting the wheel bolts undone, also one wheel was well and truly stuck on the hub. Wasn't to sure when I suggested refitting the bolts finger tight and driving round the block. Did the trick though. Caliper bracket bolts were rusted up, but my Dewalt impact wrench soon sorted them, once I'd undone the lower shock absorber bolt to give more clearance. The discs were very difficult to get over the handbrake shoes and the drums were thick with rust on the inside. Cleaned everything up, checked the handbrake mechanism was free, refitted the discs with the shoes just clear of the drums, fitted the new pads, result footbrake fine, handbrake very poor. Hmmm. In other news, he's done quite a lot at it, sorting oil leaks and replacing pipes and hoses under the bonnet. He's currently got the passenger seat out trying to sort the electric reclining mechanism and the infotainment screen out as well. It does go very well with a lovely engine and autobox. He says he's enjoying doing it and he's spent less than the payments on his Honda would have been.

The wing has turned shiny. I've hung it back on the chair and I'm using a compact Mac as a ballast.

So having been saved from a Bentley disaster by @panhard65 as related above, i ve realised I’ve not introduced my “other” bmw. An e46 330ci convertible. This and the 730d are my only cars. The e46 with the 3 litre 6 was something I’ve wanted to try for a while. This one was cheap as it was previously a cat D. It was also silver with grey interior, a pretty dull boring combo which to be honest isn’t really what I’d go for, but my arm was twisted by the price. Ditto the auto gearbox. To be honest it sort of suits it as a laid back cruiser. Presumably most “sport” ones had a manual box and were more appealing to owners who like to cane it a bit? As acquired it had been attacked with m badges. It actually is an “m - sport” but I’m pretty sure it left the factory without fake carbon wrap on the kidneys and a crooked M……. Anyway that was swiftly binned, and sure enough under the peeling black stuff on the grille is the normal chrome. I also slapped a cheap cheap number I’d squirrelled away on it (1963 derby reg IIRC) to try and add some more class*. These things need all the help they can as to my eyes they do have a bit of an iffy vibe- although as they get older people have tended to move into the newer shape ones.