Leaderboard

Jeepers!

Thanks for the offer, it all went swimmingly though so I was able to sort it on my own. All the tyres inflated and the brakes were free so it was a case of pushing the Cit out of the garage and onto the road then getting it on the dolly. Overall condition? It looks great, a quick look over and there doesn’t seem to be any rot- I need to have a proper look though to see what’s what. Interior looks great, engine isn’t seized and hopefully should run. I’ve seen images of rotten boot floors on 2CVs but this looks good. Overall it’s a massive result!

Bought…..😱 the fact that the unobtanium trailing arms are in excellent condition sealed the deal….

Hi ShitterZ. "How do mate, do you fancy an old motor?" A few weeks ago I had a call from my Dad. It's a bit of a convoluted story but the short version is that his friend has been asked to clear a house belonging to a distant relative who was in his 90's and recently died. The relatives two sons both live in New Zealand and just want the house cleared so they can sell it. Apparently there's an "old car" in the garage that hasn't been outside for 25 years or so, it's a Citroen but nobody seems to know much about it so I won't know for sure what it is until I get there and open the garage doors and all will be revealed. Whatever it is it's got to go so I'm taking my towing dolly and an air compressor to inflate the tyres. It's travelling a couple of miles across Birmingham to my Dads house where it can live on the drive until I decide what to do with it. I'm setting off down to Brum tomorrow and will update the thread with plenty of images of "the grand reveal"! Anybody taking bets on what this old shonker is going to be?

Dad wasn’t too sure about leaving this on his drive as it might get interfered with. It towed fine on the dolly so decided to drag it back up to Stoke. It was all pretty uneventful. I don’t miss Birmingham inner ring road in rush hour though. I’m glad to be back in Stoke where sanity prevails!

Well it does have some corrosion, both rear seat belt mounts are rotten but I can’t find rot anywhere else. The inside is an amazing place to be! It’s about as basic as you could imagine.

Gerard, the previous owner was a 2CV nut and had a couple before this one. He had them meticulously maintained and parked this one up after an operation apparently. The garage was nice and dry with wooden doors both ends which allowed air to circulate. I think it’s barely deteriorated while it was stored. I’m very lucky as it could’ve been in a right state when I opened the door. The spare wheel looks hardly used and that boot floor… no welding required here…

I finished this today. Only Sunbeam Lotus I'll ever own.😁

A door looking pretty much the same as it did before. But wait. Aren't those hinges? Do you mean it actually... Yes it actually opens. And closes. And stays exactly where I put it so the fit lines are still spot on. I am very, very pleased with this because I am a woodworking incompetent and the wood for this body wasn't exactly given away so if it went wrong I'd have been in schtuck. There is a middle hinge still to go in but I wanted to get the second door on to minimise the risk of painful rework if I'd put things in the wrong place. You can't get hinges that look right any more so we made these. The design of the hinge means that they fold back quite close to the body. Close enough to hold them in place with a reasonably stout tie bar - if the wind catches these things they will really hurt someone. They are very, very heavy. While I am here we popped down to Preston(ish) to pick up the headboard that someone made for us. Although it was pretty simple it really needed a bead swaged onto it top and bottom and we didn't fancy stumping up for a swage for just one job. It's made in four pieces. I'm messing about at the moment trying to pull the curve to match the curve on the cab roof. Some had headboards as advertising space but they made a useful place to throw rolled up tarpaulins. The main reason was that they look quite good when you have a big body on the back. This is the short section which makes up the rear section. It doesn't hold the same height all the way round but drops down and gives it a bit more shape. You can see the beads that have been swaged on. And finally the boiler is getting stripped down for its annual inspection. The thing hasn't had a fire in it since the last hot inspection and it's being inspected again. *rolls eyes* That's it for this time. Not much but I wanted to show if the opening door cos I'm dead proud of it.

Gold Peugeot 605 with undisclosed HGF?

Phase 1… leaving home. Late already due to mithering daughter.

How long's the garage?

BIRMINGHAM ACHIEVED. Just having a cuppa with Dad then we’re off to Olton to have a look at this… whatever it is.

Always wanted one of these…. Viewing tomorrow….

House and shed by circus spotlight.

Picked up this playworn but still nice Corgi Mustang on my recent travels to Norfolk. Paid a hefty £7.00 for it,but I like it so what the hell. 😊

Open the garage and it's Johnny from Fifth gear covered in dust. Make a 30min video talking about stuff with a calm tone but not starting the fucking car.

Panda mixing in exotic circles at our work's annual vehicle enthusiasts day

I’ve been painting today before, blistered paint and just looked a bit crap so yes, I decided I’d fix it, no real prep of course as per usual looked good halfway through, surprisingly good! laquer time im rather surprised at how good this looks, needs another coat of lacquer so will do that soon overall I’m relatively pleased im going to sort the rest of the bodywork, try to get it looking good otherwise it’s still working! Lasted long enough that my 6 months tax I put on it will need renewing soon

I'm gonna need a code for this to put on my timesheet if he takes any longer.

Nice! Let's see it then... ??? Wrong photo m8 Weird, lets try again m9 Ummmm okay, top hedge m10 I ... ummm... what.. Oh look! There it is... FFS. Crazy idea, maybe list it for sale next week? LOL

Now that I have a small amount of spare time, I set about making good the 2 wheeled Superfast Mini I got from @Jona couple of weeks ago. He gave me a pair, one was in excellent condition with a missing front axle and the other was complete but had paint issues. I had originally intended to use the front axle and wheels from the rougher example but apart from a small amount of sand corrosion on the shell, which just scraped off, its far too good for that. The axles are straight and the glass is intact so it's a good candidate for a repaint in the future. Now that I have a very nice regular wheels Lesney Zodiac, from @Datsuncog, complete with bonnet, I have no need for the bonnetless Superfast example I got in a swap in the 1980s. There was just enough free axle protruding for me to snip it off. I didn't want to drill the good Mini's rivet so it had to be this way. I had to glue the wheel to the axle so it doesn't turn but with some silver pen, it now looks very presentable. The Zodiac's wheels are a very small bit larger than the Minis but I don't think its too noticeable. I'm right pleased how it has turned out.

I want to keep hold of it, it looks like it should be easy to get going. Anybody want a Visa???

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1510917

There was some filming going on in the disused hospital next door to work, biopic of Clark Gable apparently starring Jason Isaacs. Some pretty cool old stuff had been shipped in, had a good chat with the owner of the Willys

So compare and contrast... When I first got the van: Most of the debris hoovered out: I managed to snag a Bissell spot cleaner, which is ace, one pass on the seats has them looking like this; Still another clean of the hard surfaces required, but definitely more presentable. Now taxed and tested, just need to track down the p0089 code which may be a leaky fuel filter seal.

As per my post in @spartacus's Panda thread I took it to our work's annual vehicle enthusiasts day. some other pictures from the day, and yes those RS500s are the genuine period group A Touring cars Not much AS worthy metal, so the Panda got a fair bit of attention as one of the "haven't seen one of those for ages/ Mum used to have one" cars

Sit down grandchildren, let me tell you again about the day I won autoshite

Galaxie. Not the looker that the 2dr is, and only the little engine, but it is ready to roll and is in Birmingham. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195405871701

What I want to know is how these cunts manage to strip a car so effectively in such a short space of time. They can steal the front end off a car in 20 minutes, meanwhile it takes me all morning to remove a single panel because none of the fucking fasteners will come out.

Maybe there's been a mix-up, there's no car and it's actually just a small lump of Citrine.

Ah, well now I see you've got a Renault tow car and a recovery dolly then I can only assume that you're picking up a Traffic camper!

This is literally the most exciting thing to happen since the time someone leaked a sex tape of Sally from Home and Away. On tenterhooks.

Assuming it’s a big garage

Green bin day tomorrow. Fuckin huge hedge needs trimming again on top as a) current workshy next door never does any trimming and b) bastard hedge is 5 foot thick due to 20 years of renting to workshy cunts. A bit back I bought a 5 in 1 petrol chopping thing from aldi as long reach, so will be easy* to chop all 5 foot thick hedge. Sadly it's a bit shit, so I'm doing the rev it to max and wave about hopefully thing while overstretching. No, I didn't fall off the steps. Got too close to the exhaust, burned a hole in my jumper and singed my left boob.

A different look at a Peterbilt all lights and air horns. I've no idea how that happened but I think it's kinda ok. A bit more clarity perhaps.

Enjoyed reading about this one today, well done! Heartwarming stuff, this could so easily have gone the other way and you've have heard about it just after it'd been given to the scrapman or some flipper. An honest, interesting car in decent condition, with good parts availability and club support, what's not to like?.....

Owned it since it was 14 months old too by the looks of it.

Feeling a whole lot better about the condition of ours after seeing this one. Obviously dropped the seller a message since there are a couple of tiny items on this that ours would benefit from. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364010959862

What was Sally doing on tenterhooks?

Wee update: I've done over 300 miles now in the month I've had it, and I'm still absolutely in love with it. I fitted a new alternator, as the quite new one fitted failed, leading to an FTP when I went give my pal a shot and she immediately stalled it. My calculation that I had just enough juice left in the battery was way off, but thankfully I had jump leads was going again in 10 mins. My Freelander burst a turbo pipe and is going into the garage for that, yet another wheel bearing and MOT when I'm only holiday next week so I wanted the Toledo drivable, therefore I just bought a new alternator off ebay for £50. Taking the old one off I discovered the nut holding the terminals on was AWOL, so I might be able to fix the old one and have spare. Finished sorting that this morning and took it to get some new Uniroyal Rainexperts fitted. The old tyres had plenty of tread, but in addition to, or because of being old AF they were utterly terrifying in the rain - locking all 4 wheels was hilariously easy. The gearbox sounds like a skeleton orgy, but I've sourced all the bits for a Dolomite Sprint gearbox swap (box, axle, prop, gearbox tunnel, overdrive gearknob) which will happen next month once I have time to pick them up from down south. I've done a few little bits like tightening up the mirrors so they don't point at the pavement every time you shut the door, fitted a phone mount. After a few bleeds and checking temps with a laser thermometer I'm pretty sure the cooling system is running fine. It handles excellently for an 70's runabout. Always amazed with these that I'm driving semi conservatively being aware I've got a NCAP rating of instant death, but then realise I'm going about the same speed I would in a modern car. However the back end crashes badly over bumps in town. It might just be how it is, but I want to give the suspension a good going over to be sure. Current theory might be the mix of soft suspension or polybushes, or tyre pressure being too high - I've got them all at about 30 or 32. Steering could be a bit more direct, particularly at motorway speeds but once again it could just be me driving too much modern shite. TODO List, partially as a reminder to myself. Sort cooling system New Tyres New alternator Wash it Refit old headlights with H4 bulbs in place of LED lights. I have the bits, just need time. Fit sprint gearbox Fit an overdrive light I can actually see while driving, as I've done round the swallow roundabout a few times in overdrive wondering why it's lugging 🙄 Sort out the rust on the jacking points (It's just surface rust from jackstands taking the paint off I think, so I want to nip it in the bud) New engine mounts Smaller steering wheel Service it and check check the carbs are tuned properly Give the steering and suspension a good going over, then get it aligned. Sort out some winter storage (I've got a few options, but not secured anything yet) Longer term / maybe List: Fit sprint speedo, rev counter and make a panel for aux gauges below the heater controls Find & fit seats with headrests Fit battery cutoff switch Fit a new fusebox and relay box Add a thermostat switch to the fan wiring, but retain the ability to switch it on manually Give the wiring a tidy Fit rear seatbelts Fit spotlights Fit Brantz trip meter in case I decide to do any classic or night nav rallies. Better stereo & speakers, either retro looking or hidden. I think I can tuck some 6x9's under the dash but I've not measured it up yet. Maybe even a sub in the boot just for a laugh. I've tasked my Dad to search the shed for parts, as we have most of the bits already. New tyres, and road muck to shame me into washing it. Super high security steering wheel lock, GPS speedo on the right and phone mount where the rev counter used to be on the left.

2CV with a broken frame and an owl living in it.

SANTANA PS10 VAN OFF GRID CAMPER ( ONE OFF UNIQUE 4x4 VEHICLE) | eBay Is it coincidence how the interior looks like an old lady's knicker draw... ...and Santana Van Off Grid is an anagram of 'Daft for nans vagina'? Make your own mind up.

Went back to the Internal Fire Museum yesterday for the first time since #SF2014 for their end of season crankup event... the gas turbine has gone but they do now have a retro radios communications telephone exchange hall! (the electromechanical exchanges actually all worked and were great fun to play with)