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Growing up there was one of these down my street. a 1.3 GL 4 door. Aged 10 you could keep your ferraris etc, what i really wanted was one of these. I absolutely loved them. Back then they were cheap first cars (around 1990) couple of hundred quid and scrap it when the mot was up. That is assuming it hadnt dissolved already, or been crashed. Then a strange thing happened. They vanished overnight and then slowly they started getting expensive. By the time i started driving they were not mega expensive, but just hard to find. My route to a mk2 escort was avoid 2 door (££££££) avoid uk RHD (££££££ plus most heavily welded or rotten) So here we have a solid LHD import 1.3GL which is being delivered next week…

Now that it's properly spring I thought it was time to dig the Renault 6 out of the garage. It always needs a jump start after it's been sat for a while, and I cleverly* hadn't left any room to get to the bonnet when I put it away - I remember thinking at the time "that's going to be a problem - oh well, fuck it, I'll worry about it in the spring". Well the good news is that my brake repair last year seems to have held as the brakes were still free, and thanks to the new tyre on the nearside front all the tyres were fully inflated. So all I needed to do was climb in through the tailgate, knock it out of gear, climb back out again, grab hold of the back bumper and pull, and out it came. The Rover 75 and a pair of jump leads soon got it running, and I took it for a quick run round the block and was reminded of the issues that had cropped up shortly before it went into hibernation and that I hadn't had a chance to look at properly. So that was the first task for today once I finally got my arse in gear. The first issue is that the bonnet latch isn't locking the bonnet. I couldn't immediately find what was causing this, but removing the latch soon revealed the problem - the mechanism is made of plastic (yes, really) and after 51 years one of the bits had decided it had had enough and snapped off. So that's irreparable then. Of course bonnet latches for Renault 6s are completely unobtainium, but a Google session suggested that the Renault 12 latch is similar - or at least the plastic bits are - and those are available (albeit at some expense), so I'm going to order one - worst case I can butcher it for its plastic bits and make one good one out of the two. For now I've put a Bungee strap on to stop the bonnet flipping up - it's a forward opening bonnet so in theory shouldn't be an issue but aerodynamics can do strange things. The other two were easier fixes. The nearside rear indicator was behaving funny when the lights were turned on - this turned out to be a cock up on my part, when I refitted the light unit after the car was hit last year I put the earth wire behind the clamp instead of between the clamp and the nut, so it was flapping around and barely making contact. The other problem was that the choke wasn't returning properly when the knob was pushed in - this was a slightly stranger one as it transpired that the clamp that holds the end of the cable had come off the carb - I certainly don't remember doing this (and I would have remembered as it was a fiddly bastard) so can only assume that the bolt had vibrated loose and fallen out. One of the three screws holding the end plate on the carb had also vanished, but I found suitable replacements for both in my stash so that's all sorted. I then chucked a bucket of water over it to get the garage grime off - next job is to make a template up for the repair section I'm going to need to make for the nearside front floor, but I didn't get time for that this weekend. Most of the rest of the weekend was spent playing with pushbikes. I did get the Mobylette fired up - it took a few more kicks than last year but still not bad for an elderly two-stroke engine that's been sat for six months - but I didn't get a chance to take it for a spin as I'd been hoping to do, and the forecast looks shite for this coming week so that might have to wait a little while.

Loaded and about to head north.

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.

I hadn’t thought ahead to post so 1st journey already commenced. I’ve got the trailer on, a few podcasts downloaded and off south today. Vehicle 1 is 200 miles from home in one direction and vehicle 2 is 325 miles from home in the other. Plan is to get the first one back into the warehouse at work by mid afternoon today then an early start tomorrow for part 2. Breakfast was Shreddies and a brew with 2. - Loo count is 0 but might have to keep legs crossed and I don’t like leaving car and trailer unattended at the services after losing a trailer before when only running in for 2 minutes once. Left home 7am, came the A46 route to get on M5 so cut a few miles off but return journey will stay on M5 to M42 and M6. Will update when I remember as I go along. I had offers to accompany me but sometimes I just like to do my own thing after having to deal with many people in the week. Start mileage and the rig.

of all the cars I ever owned this is the one I'd love one more drive of

in better REV news, I have been informed the kingpin and bushes have been refitted and everything buttoned back up! I am very pleased to hear this, as this has been one of REV's longer-standing issues that was first noticed all the way back in 2021! so I am glad to see the end of it so to speak and with that Duncan discovered the fun that is the Model 70 fasteners! have to admit that gave me a good chuckle however in the course of putting things back together, this was noticed! which I find most interesting from a “I am a sad bastard who studies every nut and bolt of these machines” perspective because one of the things written in the parts manual is "STY403 Steering top plate (C/W 2x 5/16" BSF bolt x 3/4" long packed in sets) NOTE: For use with Left hand Steering lock when LP 1161 wheels (Store STY 474) are fitted" (Dunlop LP 1161 wheels are the standard 10 inch Mini 21A2744 wheels that later Model 70's like REV have) The thing, I have never been able to figure out what "Left hand steering lock" actually is! It’s not listed anywhere else in the parts manual apart from that note, but I have to wonder if the steering lock, is what Duncan has just made himself? I think this might be something @Zelandeth you might want to check on TPA, especially as TPA is on 10 inch wheels when she started out life on 12 inch wheels and then some other items where sorted out also

You're not wrong, but she has enjoyed a trip on the train. Collection has been achieved - it's a cheap old bus but there is plenty of work to be done so , it needed to be really.

Due to limited access on the road where I collected from, we had to drive it on to the trailer. I’ve stopped and turned it round before heading up the M5 just to make sure we don’t have the tail wagging the dog scenario. I have also adopted a sitting tenant….,

Just been taken out for a spin in this. Fucking gorgeous interior. Mate has paid £2.5k for it which seems fair. The electrics survived the drive to the pub.

Sorted. A folded up bit of paper on top of the battery to press it down more has worked 😂

Loaded and turned round now.

Yes. Yes it is. So it's collecshun day. Still some hours to kill before leaving, so I'm still working. But let's go trough the checklist: Breakfast: coffee and cigarettes Poo count: let's not go there. Lunch: in an hour or so. Weather: nice British weather we're having, a storm was here last night and more rain and heavy winds are expected. Distance to car: google maps says 127 kilometers by car. Mode of transport: multiple. Destination: Buzău.

505 GTI Manuel estate seen at Goodwood yesterday no price but a phone number in window (resolution on here blurs the number so message me if you want it)

The search for a small auto for Little Cookie is over. After weeks of frustrating car viewing and not finding anything suitable, that I can also use, I've bought a car. A big fat German bird to be precise. I've bought the E320 wagon, that @SiC was selling. While its probably unsuitable for Little Cookie, now its on fleet, she can learn to drive in the Mondeo. No collection thread as I forgot but @andyberg and @BerginJR accompanied me to pick it up. Good chinwag ensued and then the drive home. First impressions. Its a big heavy motor. Been a long time since I've driven a big petrol engined slush box motor. Needs a different driving style to the Mondeo. Very comfortable, lovely seats, makes you drive in a more relaxed manner. Lots of buttons, no idea what most do. Car exactly as described, as I expected, given I'm a repeat customer. Mrs Cookie likes it a lot. She has always wanted a mercedes, seats are comfy and cosseting for her bad back and heated. She had a big smile on her face. Not taken her out in it yet, as have to save up for petrol @SiC kindly threw in some parts, engine mounts, transmission service kit, which was very kind of him. Fat bloke with the worst wollard selfie ever. I've ordered some bits. Rubber boot mat to keep the boot clean, new wing mirror indicator, as the drivers side is a bit grotty. A replacement rear view mirror, as the auto dim liquid has leaked, leaving the mirror with a dark bottom half. And I've ordered a book pack, so I can find out what all the buttons do. She will be used for the upcoming family visit to Hexham and Kirkcaldy and nephews wedding in Corbridge. That should put a thousand miles on her. When we get back at end of May, I will tackle the replacement of the rear air bags, engine mounts and service the box.

hi there, thanks for having me. This is my exploit yellow Punto 75elx that I have owned for 10 years, and have restored. I love this car, enjoy the photos. simon

All home market Saabs (production started post WW2) were LHD. I think it was 1968 they switched sides, but most cars sold in Sweden were LHD, probably to assist in neighbouring countries, although I have heard it said that LHD was popular outside of cities where there was often unmetalled roars and steep drop offs with no barrier as it made moving close to the edge easier. Today was the Alford autojumble and a few local shiters had arranged to meet up there but unfortunately I had visitors so could not make it. My visitors left after lunch so decided to see if Delilah (named by a friends grand daughter due to the registration) would start as the last time it was run was September last year. Took my jump pack out but surprisingly did not need it as oce fuel was pulled through she started well. A quick pressure wash and off for a run. Filled up with fresh fuel and enjoyed the sun. I had been planning on selling this one as I have had it close to 15 years when I discovered a small* amount of rot which @GingerNuttz made a fantastic job of fixing. Now it is solid and running well, thoughts again turned to possibly selling, so I stopped to take a few photos. Carried on for about 50 miles then headed home. Once on my track it started to play up, lacking power, back firing and cutting out. I think the points have closed up but as I got home it started raining. All thoughts of selling are again on the back burner until I investigate further.

Plan for today was to dismantle the exhaust manifold and downpipe, replace all gaskets and fixings and reassemble the same. On this occasion there was no need to lift the car. The hydraulic jack supports the exhaust pipe at the right height. The downpipe to exhaust fixings are easy to reach and came apart easily. With the air filter housing and a couple of hoses shifted to one side, access to the exhaust manifold couldn't be better. Last time I removed the exhaust manifold, all eight studs came out with the bolts. On this occasion, one stud didn't fancy coming out, however I managed to persuade it by tightening two nuts together and ongoing the inner one. The exhaust ports on the cylinder head were a little coked up but there was no evidence of any significant problems. The new fixings and cylinder head to manifold gaskets came in 7 different plastic bags. Ridiculous. I hate excessive packaging. I cleaned up the cylinder head and fitted the new studs and gaskets. The new studs screw in with an allen key, nice. The mating surfaces on the exhaust manifold looked ok, just a bit of cast iron associated pitting and surface corrosion. I clamped the downpipe and exhaust manifold in the vice. These two nuts didn't look original. I thought I'd have a go at undoing them with a couple of 17mm spanners. No chance! Completely seized solid. It took me about 45 minutes to carefully grind and file down these two nuts and remove them. Unfortunately, the single nut on the other bolt, which looked original, was a nightmare to remove. It took me over an hour to grind and file it along two sides before the bloody thing finally budged. Good news is that I manged to get the old nuts off without causing too much damage to the studs. These are definitely not going into my old spare nuts and bolts container. First time in 37 years, the exhaust manifold and downpipe are apart. The gasket was corroded but intact. I cleaned the mating surfaces of the exhaust manifold and downpipe. There is some pitting but both look ok for re-use. The replacement gasket was due to arrive today. Disappointment promptly followed joy when I saw the postman and found out that he delivered vitamins for my schnauzer and not the new gasket. Bugger. I can do no more until the new gasket arrives. In other news, I removed the spark plugs to check their condition. All look good. Next update soon.

Another Year. FFS.

Small update. Have now greased all the grease points and checked the oil level in the gearbox and differential both were fine and refilled oil on the diesel pump and steering box. So then all the maintenance is done. One small thing I do that I recommend is to take a picture of the manual with maintenance points and print it out and have it with you when working on the car and cross it off while you are working so you don't forget anything. And since I don't have a car lift, things are done the old way by driving the car up onto blocks and crawling under it, which is not exactly good for the body. And now with this done, all that remains is to drive it, something that will hopefully happen soon.

So, now I've got some actual time to myself, I went here: Pêle-Mêle is a kind of bohemian/hipster second-hand bookstore. They also do other stuff like games consoles, model cars and trains, music etc... EDL! (No, not those twats 🤣) It's also a great place to get model cars. Of course, I had to do a buyage (prices still on the cars/boxes) Also, bought these the other day: I've yet to go to the store where there is a load of 1/18s. I doubt I'll be buying anything though (or at least l, I hope not, I've got fuel and food to buy.

Spotted this today. Probably one for the didnt know they existed thread...avon tuning triumph acclaim...it looked absolutely hanging, no doubt it doesnt need an MOT now....

Collected it last night, stuck 3 hours insurance on it for £11 and made it the 30 min drive back from Norwich. First impressions? Decent. Auto box is smooth, it runs/idles lovely, cabin is very basic but I look at this shape and see it as a brand new car still. £550 seems mental.

I turned it round on the trailer for weight distribution but it caused another issue that I thought might happen. The wind got under the pop up roof and lifted the rear end of it. I had to stop on the hard shoulder and lower it again and even though I thought I’d locked it down it came up again within a couple of miles. I managed to get a couple of small camloc straps tied round the inside roof mechanism and through seatbelt buckle which kept it in place the rest of the way back. Will have a good look round it next week and decide on my next move. if I keep it then I’ve some better seats to replace what I think are Rover SD1 ones. There are many more jobs that need doing first but it’s always nice to change something to make you feel a bit better,

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:

Sad day, my 480ES has been collected, but the number of £325 tax cars we have is excessive so some have to go. It is staying on the forum, but I will let the new owner reveal himself. Update: @robinmasters has now revealed he was the buyer of the 480.

Never seen a 75 with this colour interior before, I quite like it https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166711131187

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256479020691?itmmeta=01HVEJJN5YERTQTAB2D6205BWN&hash=item3bb7574693:g:s0QAAOSwWx9mFvv6

I started working for WS Transportation a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been allocated this Scania 18 tonner on pallet network and general haulage work. Interestingly, it was originally a 4x2 tractor unit running in Eddie Stobart livery. In common with several sister trucks, it was stretched and converted to a curtainsider in 2021 (judging by the body builders plate on the door shut). At a guess, acquiring new trucks was difficult post-Covid, so the existing fleet was adapted to suit changing operational needs. Being a 410, it goes pretty well for a four wheeler! Here is a pic of it from the Eddie days, borrowed from ‘eastleighbusman’ via Flickr.

Rural Romania, as seen from the train:

Lovely to meet you Ken. Hope the Lupo serves you well.

Mrs ODM phoned today with a screw in her tyre on the way home. Compressor managed to get it home and is booked for a new one and mot tomorrow. Espace needs a service and wheel bearing and it also gave me this today after too many short tip runs. if anybody needs me I’ll be out having a regenerative fap.

As promised, the old Corgi A60 is painted! I still couldn’t decide on colours. I very nearly painted it maroon with white stripe, but having tested the paint colour first I wasn’t convinced. But, to be honest the colour scheme corgi used was nice. It was just the L plates and roof wheel thingy that bothered me so I decided in the end, if it ain’t broke… or whatever! So, Lada Adriatic blue with a gloss white stripe. The blue will tone down a bit once it dries. The stripe was a bastard to mask up well. A combination of fairly rough casting edges along what would be bright trims on the real car and this particular car has some pretty heavy chips and dings in the same place so the tape was hard to cut where they were. But, it’s a toy that’s been played with over the past half century plus so what do you expect! The good thing is though I can disguise the wavy edges between blue & white by painting in the bright trim which Corgi didn’t do. That’ll have to wait a few days though as the blue needs to harden off. There is a bit of a ding/damage to the boot lid too which I didn’t fix, and a slight - very slight! - bend to the roof… but it’s an old toy! Not sure if I’ll find a replacement front solid axle for this or just glue the original steering wheels in the straight position. Obviously the steering mechanism won’t be getting refitted so the steering wheels will just flop around independently of each other if I don’t glue them. I still think Corgi missed a trick not releasing this model later, maybe by altering the tooling to remove the L plates and fill the hole in the roof, and punt it out in various colour combo’s but what’s done is done I guess! We’ll never know!

Once again, we are long overdue an update. The good news is, I'm happy. The Pontiac is on daily duties at present. I am duly embracing the American commuter spirit by using the mug holders correctly and coating everything in scalding hot coffee. I've decided not to start work on the MOT welding before the ticket is due, because the work looks to be so extensive that I wouldn't get it done in time and I'd miss out on my last opportunities to enjoy driving it. The work will instead be done once the ticket expires as it is looking like it will require cutting a length of the bonded plastic bodywork away to access the sills properly. The battery adapters worked, although the only battery I had with the terminals the correct way round was the one in the Proton, so I've nicked the battery from that for now. Of course, this battery was too big for the factory tie down to work, and was also so tall that I was worried about shorting out the positive terminal on the cross brace. Copper brake line and the dust boot from a Lexus air strut to the rescue: I came up with a better/more secure routing for the copper pipe, and put everything back together. I definitely* will put the right battery in at some point. There's no fix more permanent than a temporary one etc... At any rate, it meant I now had a car that started each morning, which meant it was daily driver time! The first proper run in it was to the Flower Farm meet where it was mainly used to entertain my son. It's also done a few family days out, where it easily copes with 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 large dogs, the pram and all the assorted crap which we drag around with us. The dogs like it if the unused seats are removed, as they can then sit between the front seats or stretch out in the boot. I need to get some seatbelt extenders so that the kids can both ride in the middle row - I've never known a car with such short seatbelts! Whilst procrastinating over the larger jobs, I started sorting the small ones. One thing that jarred me was my rusty nuts. I could see them from the driver's seat, and so this had* to be sorted. I designed and printed these at work: Sorted: No idea how long the PLA will last, but I can just make more if needed. It looks much better from in the cab and outside. The modular seats are a great feature, it's been handy to have a car with a flat load space which I can use as a van. My mum needed 400 kilos of wood pellets brought up to the stables, and the Pontiac pissed it. Kind of... Once I get it through a ticket, I'm definitely sorting the boot struts out. In the meantime, I just use the nearest pole to hold it up. I then got my Mitsubishi stuck. It's stuck in 2wd mode, I thought it would cope with the mud but it just slid into the fence post and wedged itself in place. This meant I had to use the Pontiac to move the car trailer (this was what I was getting the Mitsubishi out for). It looks cool, but even though it's not that heavy a trailer you do notice it behind you. I wouldn't be mad keen on pulling it on the road. The mirrors are absolutely wank for reversing also. Speaking of which, this was winding me up something chronic: It's possibly not very clear, but the mirror adjuster stalk was pushed in flush with the trim around it preventing it being used. In this pic I've discovered and wound out the retaining grub screw. I then prised out the trim, pushed the switch back into place and tightened up the grub screw. Sorted, we now have working wing mirror adjustment. Next up was the non-working wash/wipe function. It used to work, but now it wasn't spraying out any windscreen wash. Turns out some fucking idiot (me) had connected the front hose to the rear pump, and left the rear hose dangling into The Void. Plugging things back into the right pumps sorted that out nicely. The last major niggle was the headlight aim. It was like the car was cross-eyed and constantly staring at its shoes. The headlights are easy to remove, one of the adjusters had been moved too far and needed taking apart and winding back on manually: I then roughly dialled them in on the side of a beach hut. It's not perfect but it lights the road up much better now. At some point, I'll need to obscure the LHD kick up for reasons of MOT obtaining. Bonus dashboard at night content: That's pretty much all the Pontiac fun from the last few weeks. Next up: Citroen fun*.

Just back from a little pub social, and had a great time. I even remembered to hand out some business cards for once. Tonight was made even better by one person mentioning their dad has two Princesses he's "getting around to one day", so I'll have to find out more about that. Couple of other folks were facing a bit of a trek on foot in the cold to the taxi rank, so I gave them a lift and that seemed to be quite exciting for all concerned since I so rarely have passengers. Princess is behaving suspiciously well, going to have to give it some attention this weekend to keep it sweet I think. Just generally having a nice time, it's good to have a break from the stress and actually be making connections with new people. Got to remember days like this when I'm feeling a bit stressed on other days, it's what'll see me through the bullshit.

I did my own version of a hidden treasure Allegro quite a few years ago. It was for a mate and was a cruel reminder of his own car, languishing at the bottom of his garden! And the real thing: I actually did it from memory as I didn't have the pic, and I wish I'd spent more time getting the green slime right!

Being Essex boys, me and my mates have had dozens of these and the other RWD Ford favourites. At one point three of us were running around in silver 4 door Ghias, two of which were mine at one point. My main one was a 1.6 auto (on the left), the other two were 1300s, one very tidy one that my mate bought back from the guy who bought it from his mum when we were kids, and a shabbier midnight blue one - thanks to a 4th Ghia bought as a donor, all the panels were swapped over and the rest of the car rattle canned to match (the one on the right) Several times we took all three out for a cruise and a slide around the lanes, the old bill didn't seem as impressed as we were. All these cars were cheap, my auto was £150, not sure on the midnight blue one but probably similar. Donor Ghia was £50 and didn't deserve to be parted out but I didn't do it. The then-silver one became mine then got sold on to a knob who didn't have a license and killed it ragging it around in the woods

Ordered a replacement gas pedal for the BMW for 18 quid. It's probably the throttle body that's the actual issue but its worth a shot. In Celsior news, the car finally received fresh brake fluid, pads, hoses and wear sensors this weekend. I've also done a few other minor jobs while in there and unfortunately revealed a little more carelessness by the bodyshop. Let the wrenching commence! Front brakes first. I actually didnt end up using the caliper piston rebuild kits on the left, the pistons were still sliding back in nice and smoothly. Well, I think we can say I got my money's worth out of those pads. I don't know when these got changed the last time but it certainly been a while considering the car didn't do that many miles in the last 15 years. The loose wire in the left photo is the wear indicator sensor btw, for some reason whoever replaced the pads didn't know how to or didn't bother installing it again. This is also what I originally expected to be a cut ABS sensor wire a few years back btw, the sensor plugs into the wiring loom of the ABS sensor, bit of an odd design on early Celsiors. Can't say these are the worst pads I've seen but we haven't had a look at the rear ones yet. Quick look underneath to see where the minor exhaust leak is coming from. Like the exhaust shop said, one of the exhaust temp sensors is blowing, they tried to goop it up but no luck. Unfortunately impossible to buy now, not sure if it could get welded? I've also had a look at the O2 sensors and tried to measure their resistance. Well, it seems like there is infinite resistance which of course isn't right, it should be somewhere between 5.1-6.3 ohms at around room temperature. I unplugged them to see if it would make any difference to the way the car runs. It doesn't so new sensors it is! The 135 quid Maxpeedingrods which I only bought to get the car through the MOT are holding up surprisingly well. I've greased them up before installing them so everything is still moving nicely. Unfortunately I just remembered while writing this that I should have put some fresh grease on them... I also found the source for my very noticeable front suspension clunking. I originally blamed the coilovers but its actually the front swaybar bushes that are so worn out that the swaybar can freely move from left to right. So new swaybar bushes are added to the shopping list. I've also fixed the messed up passenger side bumper corner I accidently caught on a wall. No photos yet but some hot air, a tactical ziptie and reinstalling a bumper bracket did wonders. The rear is next. Working on an incline lifting a rear weel driven car is always fun. If you are wondering why Im using different brands for pads and hoses compared to the front, so do I. I think they just ended up reducing the combined shipping costs when I ordered them from Rockauto like 2 years ago. Motul RBF600 is probably some of the best brake fluid you can get if pedal feel matters to you. Yeah, I think its about time to replace those pads... The disc is getting very thin as well so rear discs are added to the shopping list... Certainly cutting it thin with these. The rears actually had the wear sensors properly in place, replacing this one finally got rid of the last (permanent) dash warning light. Unfortunately the passenger side rear caliper piston was really struggling getting pushed back in so I might need a new caliper there. I'm not sure how much extra I paid for the Bosch pads compared to the Beck/Arnley ones but they were certainly much more neatly packed and actually came with a sachet of brake grease. I used copper grease on the sliders for the front calipers instead. About the bodyshop's carelessness mentioned further above: The rear trailing arm bolt is completely loose, the nut was never tightened after the sill got welded there. Mistakes can happen but I'm really starting to get the feeling that things were just slapped together in the end to rush the car out the door. Something like this is pretty dangerous. I had to replace the nut (with a Mercedes one no less) as it wouldn't properly tighten anymore, I'll have to have another look the next time its on a lift though. While having the wheels off I finally had a chance to raise the rear coilovers by 20mm to level out the car a bit better. I don't think its perfect yet but lowering the front should result in a nicely balanced stance. Let me know what you think! The rear discs, swaybar bushes and O2 sensors will hopefully be the last few bits to make it mechanically solid. Being 32 years old now it'll probably always need something but any MOT relevant work should near with these 3 things soon. Some bonus content, the Cadillac is finally moving again and received a wash. That immediately revealed the various paint defects it has, the photos are hiding them remarkably well fortunately! Another big blue landyacht that will receive some more attention this summer.

The Royale had a 2.8 — the facelift ones had a choice of 2.5 or 3.0, by which time they were all Vauxhall Senators and the Royale badge was reserved for a burger with cheese. The 3.0E Opel probably was worth the extra, tbh, but to me the Royale was better looking with its chunky bumper overriders and neater rear end treatment (fnarr). The facelift ones are even more handsome of course. Have a couple of bonus pics of my Royale.

I can never find this thread when I need it. This was my spot last week. Like all my spots, it was at newhaven sainsburys whilst I bought a meal deal. There must be a serial DAF licker locally.

I had some time to look at the cooling system today. And the old coolant that came out it didn't look too bad, but it's old so it's time to change it. The hoses are also very old and soft and not in good condition, so they were also replaced with the exception of the hoses for the heater they will be replaced later. Old hoses The 4 bolts for the thermostat housing came out without breaking which was nice and the thermostat housing has no gasket but an o ring which is great thank you Mercedes. The cooling system looks very clean inside which is a nice surprise. The old thermostat works but is old so I don't trust it so changed to a new one. I bought a new 79 degree thermostat which was luck as the old one was 80 degrees. And the new thermostat's box is marked with Behr, which is the same brand that made the radiator in this one. And will keep the old thermostat as a spare. With a new thermostat fitted together with a new o-ring, I put on the new hoses. The new hose I marked with a red arrow was a struggle to get on, but after much struggle I got it on. And I had 2 of these hoses, one from Febi bilstein and one from Gates, and the one from Gates was much thicker and seemed better quality, so this one was used. So with the new hoses and thermostat installed, I wanted to pressure test the system but had no adapter that fit so just had to do it the old way and fill up with new coolant and check for leaks and luckily there were no leaks. Then it was time to start it and let the engine run for a while and the new thermostat opened when it was supposed to and everything worked and there were no leaks so the cooling system is now done.

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.

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.“

Have we had this yet? Coming this year to a Matchbox retailer near you soon.

I have been looking out for one of these large Livarno Cabinets that were sold from Lidl a few years ago for a while. Ideal to house my 1:18 large scale models and it was only £10 from marketplace.

Progress is slow, but we have some progress

After the LS400 got a fresh MoT last week I called into the garage to swap the Laurel for it: They kept the Datsun all week, giving it a service and working towards this at the end of Friday afternoon: Yay! I know it doesn't 'need' one, but having not had a test since 2020 I felt it would do no harm to go through a good checkover and get one if at all possible. Needed a washer pump (sorted by a similar-sized universal replacement), foglamps reinstated (loose wire) and a total of five gaiters on the front suspension and steering. No corrosion! It had another Lexus friend when I picked it up on Friday: With another one lurking outside: No coincidence - they belong to Miss SL's BF and some parts swapping is on the agenda to get the R-reg one back on the road. S-reg DHP model is the nicer one of the two and is his long-term proposition. In another bay they had a '90s JDM Toyota Estima which they're resurrected for a customer after it'd been off the road for a few years. Was hoping to celebrate my LS400 returning to the road by taking it for a trip to Norwich yesterday, but Mrs SL wanted us to buy a tree so the Carina E was used instead. We briefly had a '90s Toyota convoy when this tidy Starlet followed us: And we found a shiny Accent: Don't think there'll be much car action to report today - got six bulk bags of gravel and one of bark mulch to shift.....

1.3 GL is a nice spec - a mate had one about 20 years ago, in navy blue with a red interior. My last Mk2 was a red R-reg 1.6 Ghia - lovely car until I melted a piston cruising at 100mph on a private section of the A47. I swapped it for a Vanden Plas Allegro - with hindsight not one of my smartest financial moves.

No worries - I've had rather a busy morning in terms of diecasts! Where to start? Let's have a look at some loose bits. Removed the VW and Passin' Gasser from the three pack A job lot of mostly hot rods arrived, in part as I couldn't work out what this was - it's a Johnny Lightning Zylmex Mazda GT is quite a difficult casting to track down I got some more Lone Stars too, Merc has definitely been doing some off roading in the mud going by the gunk I've clean off it Zodiac in police guise with unlikely green interior. I really admire these, it's a real shame Lone Star weren't more successful. A range the size of Lesney's with all opening bits would have been phenomenal