steve_earwig

You should try it just to see.

Jon, I couldn't equal the stuff you seem to find down there in Kiwi-shire, but I will add any interesting shiz that I see and manage to photograph.
 
This week I went to buy an apple pie - and before noted American hater John F asks, yes, it had cinnamon in it, but as it came from a local region famous for its apples it is still a good pie and I will allow it as passable.
 
The real reason for my 280 mile round trip was to test out my repair to the CNG Crown Vic and also to become a billionaire.
 
Before it all went wrong with my lil ol Crown Vic I used to get about 25 or more mpg on a pure highway run. It all went south with the bad fuel rail pressure sensor and I was getting horrible economy. I hadn't really had much occasion to drive the CV so I didn't know if the repair had put it back to its previous form, so in my quest for billions of dollars I decided to go for a long drive to buy an apple pie and look at a shit old British motor for sale.
 
The powerball lottery reached a jackpot of $1.6 billion last week - that's like totally more than a million an all. Conventional* wisdom* says that the only way you can win is to buy a ticket from an obscure location, at least my wife's conventional wisdom says that, so even though I know there was 300 times more chances of being hit by lightening I decided to trek off to the wilds. Plus I could go and look at the terrible Humber Scepter I found for sale on Craigslist.
 
(I tried posting a screen shot of my journey, but was told I was naughty for trying)
 
My mate found this old dog online and thought we should buy it together - it makes perfect sense when we both have unfinished projects on our respective driveways. He was out of town working, so it was my job to go and look.
 

 
I called the seller, and he was less than effusive on the phone, in fact talking to him was like pulling teeth. Nonetheless, I got the address and agreed to meet him the next day at around 11:30 with the proviso I would text him when I was about an hour away.
 
I set off on my 100 + mile journey and as agreed I texted when I was about an hour away - no response, no problem I thought, he knows I am on the way. I arrive and see the car on the drive, no sign of "Scot"... still, it gives me a chance to take a look around the Humber. Let's just say, it's seen better days - now by UK standards it would probably be a real find as I am sure that whatever rust there may be in this car would pale into insignificance when compared to its British counterpart. Still, the guy wants $1500, it hasn't run in a dog's age, the inside is well thrashed and it would need trailering home, and I am sure that there are a bunch of hidden nasties. I phoned the seller as no one had come to see what i was doing on the driveway - no answer. At this point, I thought "fuck it, ahm oot" and left. 25 minutes later the knob calls me and says it would have been nice if I had rung the door bell, I agree and mention that it might have been nice if he had responded to my text, or answered my phone call, or even been around at the agreed time given that I was the idiot driving over 100 miles - I think we hit it off!
 
Anyhoo, I emailed my china and told him I would be in at $500 otherwise no dice. I am going to meet up with him this week and see what he thinks.
 
I bought a lottery ticket assured that the same time the next day I would be bathing in cocaine covered twenty dollar bills. Then I drove up the mountain and bought an apple pie and another lottery ticket just to assure myself of the win. Finally, I stopped at a liquor store on the drive home and bought another lottery ticket, thus assuring myself of untold riches.
 
The rest of the journey was uneventful and I made it home, filling up after 283.1 miles and taking on 11.098 GGE for a nice and healthy 25.51 mpg.
 
And no, I didn't win the lottery thank you very fucking much for asking...
 
Here's a gratuitous picture of a Ford Gran Torino

Lidl here are giving out cook books by some Croat chefs, t'wife was quite pleased with the first one but now she has 3. I told her she only needs 7 more and she won't need me to take stuff off the top shelves in the kitchen...

I did a small scale version of this with some mates, must have been 30 years ago (my god!), just the usual couple of weeks though. We hired a big old Chrysler (can't remember what but it had Avenger/180 styling, we called it The Blue Whore) from a company called "Rent A Heap Cheap". Drove it from Santa Cruz California out to Yosemite via Big Sur. The car was fine, apart from half the dials were static and the brake lights didn't work. 

Doors down.

 
Doors up!

 

 
Lovely clean, freshly painted engine.

 

 
Even the exhaust manifolds are clean and shiny!

 

It's a tragedy, no pictures, no video, nothing. I R dissapoint

Wow! And some people don't seem to be able to cope with just 3 pedals..

After a 2 year break from the roads, fixed HGF, cam belt and much, much electrical tinkering into the wee small hours of the morning 6 hours before its test, this bag of bolts passed its WoF (MOT) yesterday:
 
 

 
I drove it home 20 miles on fumes, ignoring the two petrol stations passed as the one closest to home has marginally cheaper fuel. Getting stuck in unexpected road works (single lane, tailbacks of hundreds of metres), philibusmo and I were concerned with running out of petrol and overheating, with the temp gauge not working. As we passed through, the STOP/GO man turned his lollypop to stop straight afterwards and we both let out a massive collective cheer!
 
Just goes to prove that life is better with a little bit of needless, self inflicted tension every once in a while. 

All done

So if we post anything it will cease to exist? Reminds me of

It used to be about horse-drawn carriages but then some bugger invented a car and made it out of something that quickly disintegrates and it's gone down hill ever since.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14195092.News_reader_accidentally_says_RIP_David_Cameron_while_reporting_death_of_David_Bowie/
 
Shame...

And just in case anyone still thinks that a (proper) organ is just a piano with pipes, and it wouldn't need much practise to play:
 

Ah, that's maybe one for Dave* then . I think he'll see it faster if you ask here http://autoshite.com/topic/16530-autoshite-helpinformationposting-hints-etc/page-12

Just had a 'funny' occurrence... went to the co-op and parked outside, got to the counter and was talking to the lady serving. This is not uncommon as I sort of know them all in there and they always chat away. What was funny was she was taking the piss out of this car parked outside: it was too long and you'd need to 'berth' it rather than park it, and nobody needs a car that big...
 
So I joined in and said I agreed with her and look at those two dogs sat in the back of it, scruffy mutts not posh at all...
She said, 'I can''t make them out' so I handed her the keys and said: 'press that, the window will come down and you can see them better!'
 
There has never, in living memory, been such a rapid backtrack!
 
Apparently she much prefers Bentleys to Rolls Royce and what a lovely car.... :)

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14195092.News_reader_accidentally_says_RIP_David_Cameron_while_reporting_death_of_David_Bowie/
 
Shame...

Not really sure where to shove this (hur hur). Was at my mate's garage earlier having the yoyo lubed up. on the other lift was one of thse. There are loada about here but this is the first time I've got up close and personal with one.

 

 

 

 

 
"Why are you taking pictures of this car?" "Because there's this forum on the Internet where they love old cars." "But this car was built 2005." Eyes rust around windows and door handles "They'll love it."
 
I assumed the feet out front seating position wouldn't suit my back but I had to try it on for size - not only is it hideously uncomfortable but I even had trouble getting my (not actually that big) feet in between the a-post and the seat.
 
Verdict: Trousers.

Umm, not sure, if it has a BSI then you he'd have to swap, umm, everything, but I can't remember if Xantias were ever mux, I suspect not (can't find a BSI in the parts diagrams) so it might just* be plug and play.

And I bet you looked lovely in them too.