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Another Year. FFS.

Last night was MK Modern meeting so it started to rain just in time for the start! Plan "a" was to get the MG TF out for a sunshine evening but the need to take the newly painted Manta wheels to the car meant I was using the Volvo 940 anyway. Hard to believe this young 940 is 28 years old, it felt a bit of a cheat driving it when others had turned out in shiny cars like Minis, Mercedes 190E, Vauxhall Firenza fitted with a V8 engine and my favourite of the night a MK1 Astra estate.

50p well spent! I presume it’s missing an engine cover, but hey 50p 😁

Last month I bought these two Spot On Zephyrs for £10 at a toy fair, the seller said I could make one good one from both. He originally wanted £20 for them and having looked on ebay since then it would not have been too bad' So I have been working on one and ordered parts for the other from Steve. I had to make a bumper end for both bumpers from plasticard and I added people stolen from Mrs Concern's model box and a dog on the back seat which is a Corgi haha Number plate is a random off t'internet and steering wheel from Corgi I'm not Spot Ons biggest fan, but the Zephyr really does look the part This is the best screen with a slight crack centre bottom, it looks to be where it originally came off the sprue The "colour scheme" was suggested by @eddyramrod and can't say it was a bad choice. Not sure what I'll do with the other one, I had thought it would be a white Z Cars rozzer again but now fancy something different.

Yet more Matchbox, but in boxes now. Firstly this Model A, perhaps not the most exciting casting but I really liked my childhood early cream and green version as depicted on the box Seller unfortunately just wrapped the lot in paper so the boxes got a bit of damage - as well as underpaying the postage Coming bang up to date, Modelmatic got a slew of Collectors and Moving Parts Finally, I spotted the last of the latest trio of Hot Wheels Team Transports for not much more than Smyths sell them for. No doubt that means there will dozens on the shelf next week

However my itchy trigger finger has been at it again, so there were some parcels at home when I got back First of all a couple of slightly scruffy Volkswagens, the Hot Wheels Sunagon that's quite a difficult one to get at a bargain price And a Dragon Wheels, as it had an unpainted base rather than the usual black However I also found one of the Retro 70s re-releases, I'm very tempted to get this out of the blister for a proper comparison I might also keep an eye out for the others in the series

After I fired up the engine via the battery charger on Monday evening, I left the battery to charge overnight. In the morning, the charger battery level light was still only on amber, which I assumed meant that the battery was refusing to receive / hold charge. Time for a new battery. Getting hold of the correct replacement battery should have been easy but Euro Car Parts, specifically their website, made the process very complicated and it took me two days to source the correct battery. I have been advised that the battery that was in the Sierra was not right for the car. Apparently, the battery was more suited to a diesel engine or a much larger capacity pez motor. I measured the battery. I also measured the battery tray, which has three holes for the clamp bolt, which means that the battery tray can accommodate different sized batteries. Clever. Replacement battery purchased and fitted. The weather forecast for today was dry and sunny so I decided to take the Sierra to work. I got my surveying kit in the boot. I drove from home along the M40 and M25 to Old Windsor, then into Windsor, then along the M4 and A404 to Marlow, then to High Wycombe, then back home, approx 65 miles, I think. The exhaust fumes smell has been fixed. Evidently, exhaust fumes have been getting past the old gaskets / loose manifold and downpipe fixings and replacing the lot has fixed the problem. On route home I popped into Wickes to buy a fence post. Which fitted easily inside the cabin. I have a few more jobs in mind for the Sierra but you will hear about them next week as I have non car related plans for this weekend.

Well that was a more than averagely productive lunch break.

Sticking with Matchbox, I gained a couple of Laser Wheels As well as a Super Kings K70 Porsche Turbo, I'd been on the lookout for a decent example of this release for a good while. It has had a couple of touch-ins on the "sunroof" sticker etc which an annoyance

Another one picked up this week, an early Omega V6 with just 68k on the clock.

Pulled the trim away tonight and discovered the PREMIUM SOUNDS. That runs the speakers in the doors. There's wiring for a sub amp. No idea where it is though. However, that can go on the wish list. Light bulbs in the dash were a success. Phil

For aslong as I can remember I've wanted to be directing my own path in business but never had the actual confidence to overcome huge self doubt and fears of failure, in 2021 when I nearly met with my mortality thanks to covid I remember hating that I'd played things safe as houses like a boring nobody and literally despite continued health maladies I feel that I've got a second run up at life , so I'm starting from nothing at 35 and want to get pushing forward with what is abit of a dream for me . So basically my sister and I have teamed up to create a new garage/engineering works of which provides the usual bread and butter garage services and also more specialised work less commonly found like large manual machining capability and welding. We're looking to stock up on a range of common classic parts too so that we can take on most project work without waiting on parts turning up in ebay etc albeit limited space prevents stocking a vast amount. So far over the last 8 months ! Obligatory huge lathe brought back somewhat inappropriately Company car brought down , inappropriately Lathe electrical rebuild done because it was dangerous as hell, 415 through the soaked push buttons etc ,,horrible ! Once cleaned and generally setup it's been put to work straight away! this s100 k series swap was quite aquite to drive, getting one to fit the earlier car isn't bolt in like with the estelle and rapid ! Cambelt snappage job on an iveco 2.3, lots of new valves and lapping required! loads of work done, and loads more hopefully to come !

Before I finished off last night I spent a few minutes pumping furiously on the driveway. My thought process being that if I primed the fuel system before going to bed then when I woke up in the morning I would be able to check that everything was still hard. I gave it a few pumps and it still felt fairly rigid which is encouraging. Hopefully I’ll get this all wrapped up tonight and have her running. If I can get her starting reliably I will be well chuffed, as the laboured starting and not knowing if it would actually start was really spoiling what’s otherwise a pretty decent car (I hope). Provided she starts and runs ok then I’ll do the ABS sensor on the off side rear, give her a quick once over for any obvious faults, give her a wash and then get her in for a ticket. I’d quite like to try the nearby* ‘no pass no fee’ place, @grizz is this who you use? https://www.thetestcentre.co.uk

The Corona only made a brief appearance as its now switching storage spaces with the Z3, which is reawakened from its slumber over the winter. The Clubman isn't mine, neither is the Rover 200 convertible rotting away just outside the frame. Today was actually the first time I could have a really close look at what I bought at Mathewsons back in October as the car went into storage not all that much later. A wash was badly needed, even under a tarp the dust quickly built up. So yeah, impressions are still very positive considering the silly low price I paid. There is a little bit of bubbling on the passenger front wing panel and outer sill. Since pretty much every exterior panel is bolt-on on the Z3 this should be a rather easy fix however, if I do anything about it at all for now. There's a scratch on the rear quarter and a few stonechips on the very large bonnet, other than that its really just very minor stuff for what is now a 25 year old car. I've managed to clear the airbag light (driver seatbelt tensioner) and will keep an eye on any fault codes coming up over the next few days. The plan is to take the car out for a weekend in the Lake district tomorrow, plenty of time to get a little more familiar with it then! The cheap floormats will go in the bin once I got a proper OEM-like set. I want to replace the center console dials/shifter trim with the burl wood variant as well to brighten up the interior a little, if I can find a sensibly priced set for a facelift dash that is. The chromeline package helps a little but the less matte black plastic the better. Its incredible to think that these were sold side by side in a BMW showroom back in late 2001/2002. With its E36 origins the Z3 feels easily more than a decade older inside, the E65 still feels somewhat fresh today. Speaking of the E65 - the 18 quid pedal assembly actually fixed the limp home mode. It sucks that things appear to break all the time. At the same time parts are so plentiful and cheap that it almost doesn't matter. With the running issues sorted I was able to confirm that the windshield was sealing properly after all, no whistling sounds noticeable at any speed. That meant the A-pillar trims could go back on for one last time: I've also had a moment to replace the bonnet badge. They are all prone to fading and its surprisingly hard to find a badge that's not clearly Chinese junk sold as OEM part, fake packaging and everything. That's much better: Still plenty of other things to sort but this was a satisfyingly easy improvement for once.

+1 It’s absolutely pathetic childish behaviour being like that. What a bitter little wanker! If you don’t want the item to go for 99p on eBay… then don’t start it at 99p!?! Not difficult really.

Some people really are utter wankers, I do wonder how folk are happy to be like that.

Sierra Base! Sadly with painted grille. All Suffolk Police I imagine, they always did favour Ford back then. I suspect that photo is taken on the old skidpad at Martlesham Heath. I think they've built another facility on it now, but I went on it a couple of times in the '90s with the local IAM group and my dad did the same some years beforehand:

R5 hovercraft

Youngest son next to a stunning ERF about 20 years ago, my once boss is part of the family who ran this in fairground days..

I’m having a lovely long weekend away. I’m in Mittenwald, Bavaria, almost on the border with Austria. Colin is also here making his usual demands. „Gib mir Vögel und Kastanien, Frau.“

13.5 metres floaty thing https://www.troostwijkauctions.com/l/larc-xv-6-amphibi-voertuig-A1-17881-9?utm_source=marktplaats&utm_medium=referral Cars can drive on and off, clearly it's the ideal collection/recovery vehicle:

Just before I went away on Monday, a box arrived... Some ebay bargains; all from one seller and tbf, most of them were a job lot. Only the boxed Vanguards Rover was an individual sale, and after bidding on the job lot, I just added a couple of singles to make up the parcel. The Rover was the only one I won, of I think three or four. But then I don't bid very much! And then another box arrived! Now this one, wrapped in Happy Birthday paper, is bloody heavy, what can it be? A Birthday box from @FakeConcern, that's what it is! (And like the Danbox recently, I did actually send money for it.) I don't know what to do with the yellow Dinky caravan. I mean, I want the interior for another project, but apart from not having a door (normal) it seems too nice to break. The beige and blue caravan behind it, on the other hand, looks nice enough but the blacked-out windows mean no interior anyway, so I have no qualms at all about breaking that one up. In fact tonight I've been measuring it... The Express Services truck is something I already have, but now I have it on both types of wheel: the early spun hubs, and the later cast wheels. Happy bunny. Oh and two trips to the charity shops have brought in some more treasure too. Yes, a third yellow truck to go with the two I picked up recently. I'm guessing they were a set from new. Transporter (rigid chassis) with what looks like a Mercedes cab, but wait, is that a Corgi Toyota Supra in 1/36 scale? Why yes, so it is, and in very very nice condition too. The parcel shelf has got a bit displaced which is why the tailgate is up; but I've now fixed that with a pair of small pliers. I may have to start spreading my 1/36 fleet over more shelves! Oh and the pop-up headlights still work. Speaking of work... You don't need much in the way of words really, the pics tell you enough. Two batches through the stripping baths, and some shells in primer. Now here's something different... what would you think if you walked into a Carers' Support Cafe and saw this? I had arranged to run a quiz at today's meeting, just for fun, no prizes. Two lines of cars, ten from films and ten from TV. Each one identified on its tag, along with a star or two from the relevant production. All the carers had to do was identify the film or show in question. Actually there were 21 cars because for one film I used a matching pair, which was a clue in itself. From a possible 20 points the winner scored 10.5, which was pretty good considering my entire audience was Women Of A Certain Age, one of whom didn't even live in Britain when half these shows were on the air. It certainly got them thinking about something outside their usual "care" routine!

Postapocalyptic Iveco Daily AI, write a death metal song about the mighty Iveco Daily: Excellent.

When I left school my first job was with Sparshatt & son coach builders in Havant. We used to alter the length of brand new trucks. I don’t remember ever doing big conversions like adding axles or anything but we definitely would alter length. They usually came in as new chassis cabs direct from the manufacturer then got built up into whatever the customer wanted. One of the biggest rolling contracts they had was with John Lewis. We’d get a few new Mercedes rigid chassis cabs delivered a week for building into box delivery trucks with a tail lift. They’d come into the workshop and the first job was removing the light bar from the back, measure up and slice off a few feet of chassis. The other favourite was removals trucks. Usually they came in as used trucks so there was always a variety of lengths involved depending what their previous use was. There was quite often an amount of demolition involved in them getting them ready for the new body. Then they usually got a chassis stretch to maximise the space in the back. Someone in the office did all the paperwork though so I’ve no idea how or what was involved with all that, but the customer would usually turn up after the vehicle was finished and drive them away.

I made sure to staple a business card to my CV. Do you know what, it was a woman of a certain age on the counter too. I'm halfway between their two shops, distance-wise so I'm quite literally ideally placed for location and neither are particularly far away from current home. There's been a couple of funeral director vacancies come up too, as usual the hours are the problem since they do tend to be a bit all over, which would be fine if the pay was a bit higher so I could afford to just have that as a job so I didn't need to worry about juggling current job and the weird hours. Funeral work doesn't particularly bother me, it's a career path I've tried to get into before, but the hours and the need to have a very reliable car to get you where you need to be at short notice has always been the difficult bit. Happily, not in a mega rush here so I can be a little bit picky. Hopefully something part time will pop up that will work well alongside my current job and give me some work variety and wage security which is what I want most. I'm literally looking for the sort of job that doesn't expect me to work towards climbing the corporate ladder, or Being Part Of A Team, or whatever. Just a job that pays a wage and expects nothing more than my regular attendance and sunny disposition.

Our shunter is OAC. 4x2 tractor unit.

The grille is too small on that. By 2030 BMWs will just be one massive grille that somehow encompasses the whole car. You'll have to sit in it and peer between the bars like a prison cell.

thats very interesting! that does not actually line up with any Model 70 that I am aware of, I look forward to seeing anymore details you can grab next time round a bit more then read the book, I have been in direct communication with him for a little bit now it turns out when he went to the Coventry archives to look at their registration records, even tho he himself is not an IC enthusiast per say, he noticed the large blocks of Tippen Delta's and made note of the earliest blocks and the last blocks, data which he very kindly shared with me and has proven to be most awesome to have it will be getting a write up in its own time, but it confirmed I was very much correct/on the right track when it came to my Tippen Delta block finding, and has provied me with a wealth of additional information, especially on the early blocks and confirmed that indeed OVC412H-OVC511H was both the last block of Petrol Tippen Delta's but the last block period, before Fred Miller Limited took over with their rebuilding scheme I then proceeded to blow Mr Mar's mind when I told him Tippen Delta's could reverse he says Non reversibles is exactly how its described by coventry themselves so he finds its (very understandably so) very curious that Delta's could indeed reverse I have got another for him like that which I have yet to pass on, but its funnily enough also with regards to Tippen Delta's the Fred Miller Tippen Delta machines, its well known on these beige pages those are petrol machines rebuilt and re-registered anew into electric machines, but note, ATD567J for example, is *not* in Lancashire's rebuilt series, none of the rebuilt Tippen Delta's are

2010 Crompton Electricar presented at the geneva motor show

1993 austin maxi chinese launch ad

I managed to make a bit more time for tinkering this eve. Not many photos I’m afraid as I just wanted to crack on. First up was that breather hose. The part listings online had the specs for it as an 18mm id. I did not bother removing one and measuring the hose tail. I lived to regret this. It turns out the ends of the hose are a larger ID than the main body of it, so the 19mm oil hose I ordered didn’t fit. I don’t want to wait for Autodoc to deliver a proper hose, and all the spares on eBay etc. are also located in Europe. I had a scout around the garage and I discovered that my manual shite water pump that I keep handy in case of small floods has the perfect sized oil rated hose attached to it. Bodge time: It’s better than it was at least. The original pipe had cracked around about 75% of its circumference, and fell off in my hand. I’ve just cut it back to make it fit into a sleeve I cut from my hand pump. Job jobbed. Then after some fucking around, swearing and pulled back muscles, I managed to get the spare pump in place. Im really bloody hoping that woodruff key is located properly. It’s all gone into place so I’m hoping that the key is still there and hasn’t been mangled. Once it’s all back together I’ll leave the timing cover off temporarily and bar it over first. Im hoping to finish up tomorrow, all being well.

Happy Rotter in his Anglia RV at MaccyD's.

1956 land rover “suez crisis” edition brochure

Found nothing much locally, still dithering over that Matchbox 5 pack with the Minor in Morrisons but I don't fancy much else in it. Might as well see if they drop the price... Only real 'toy' shop I've bothered with lately is Smyths, and it did nothing to dissuade me that our local one is the dumping ground for all the shite that doesn't sell in other branches. They've also completely done away with Matchbox mainlines, with only a couple of 5 packs reduced to clear remaining. Nothing really of interest among the hot Wheels premiums other than the Porsche set with the VW T1, but didn't really want to blow £24 on it. No Team Transport whatsoever either. Only other bit of interest was that they had that new run of Neon Speeders in, and for once they had the whole range in. I got a few of them, the ones I had most interest in, and the RX-7 too, as there was only one of those left, As mentioned on here before, they're not everyone's cup of tea, but this run at least has some good castings in, and being half-premium, they do at least have some good detailing, Suppose this type of colour scheme suits the RX-7 the most, One of my favourite HW castings, but I wish they'd done it with the standard rear arches as theyre one of my favourite bits of the real car, The tail light detailing and the little GT R badges make this one for me, Another winner of a casting, I also recently found another couple of these Fast& Furious ones, the two I've been looking for after bunglebus kindly supplied me with the Jetta. For F&F cars, they're fairly nice and subtle, I had been tempted by the premium version of this casting, but I'm glad I got this one. I always think these Novas are handsome things, especially with a bit of slight modding, and as mentioned on here before, this one's almost as good as the premium one, but less than half the price,

No, Korean. Not the one that has "democratic" in the name, the one that rather is. Yes, one pond is almost 6 RON. Now I'm hungry again! But behold what I've got for myself. It's my third: