Jump to content

Datsuncog

Full Members
  • Posts

    10,423
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    69

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to AndyW201 in Shite in Miniature II   
    Slightly raised eyebrows from the Mrs when I got home, two packages landed today.
    First was a mini-haul from @danthecapriman. I'm secretly pleased with my self-restraint this time. Not being pissed this time round possibly helped as well...

    These Husky Commer walkthroughs are cute little things, Ive seen a few on here and wanted one for a while. I loved the real vans as a kid as well, there were a few working the streets in our area back in the day as mobile shops (ex mobile libraries), and fish & chip vans.

    The Corgi VW hot rod was one of my favourite toys when I was a kid, but for years I never even knew there was a standard Beetle by them too. This one is a nice clean example.

    As is this Datsun 260Z, same colour as the one I had.

    Another one I was completely unaware of  until fairly recently. As a kid I had the Superkings A series U-Haul Luton van, but never came across this in the toy shops. I should be able to form a couple of tow hooks from some of the flexible wire we use to bundle up bandsaw blades at work. Replace the hooks and re-silver the wheels, and it should be reet.

    This Golf is almost box fresh save for a couple of small chips.

    My original one had barely a scrap of paint on, and no roof rack by the time I finally parted with it. I shall most likely treat this one to some repro surfboards.

    Always wanted one of these big Corgi Capris. This one's pretty good, it's all there, glazing is good and the tip up seat backs and steering wheel are still present. Not sure what to do with it yet, as my resto/modding skills are practically non-existent, but I do fancy this in LeMans green or Purple Velvet or something. 

    This one is the highlight for me. Ice cream vans are a bit of a secret obsession of mine, and at the price Dan was asking for this, I had to grab it. 

    It's far better than I was expecting. Tyres are all present and are in great condition, and it sits well on its suspension. Glazing is decent and should clean up well, I think there's a sliding window missing from this side, but it's the serving side anyway, so I'm not too fussed there. The server even still twirls away inside,

    This one will get a repaint soon, I'm looking forward to getting on with it.  My intentions are to not restore it to shiny original Mr Softee spec, but as a 2nd or 3rd owner independently operated vehicle, like the slightly down at heel vans that were around in the '70s.
    Thanks again to Dan for more bargains and another cracking sale.
  2. Like
    Datsuncog got a reaction from morrisoxide in Shite in Miniature II   
    👍👍👍👍
  3. Like
    Datsuncog got a reaction from MiniMinorMk3 in Shite in Miniature II   
    👍👍👍👍
  4. Like
    Datsuncog got a reaction from AndyW201 in Shite in Miniature II   
    👍👍👍👍
  5. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to bunglebus in Shite in Miniature II   
    Last little project for today, this 64 Nova gasser has been at the back of my bench for months as I thought it needed a wheel swap and detail
     
    So I did. Wheels are from the Jay Leno Tank Car




  6. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to andrew e in Shite in Miniature II   
    A bit late to the stockcar party! Ive had these stockers since I was a kid, the Volvo is a recent purchase and its mint!


  7. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to bunglebus in Shite in Miniature II   
    Corgi Targa is also now complete for the first time in years.

    I've got the remains of the donor plus a mostly complete but stripped police one with red interior spare if anyone needs it? Has the teledial wheels!
  8. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to bunglebus in Shite in Miniature II   
    Graffic Traffic is back together. Annoyingly the base cracked again where I'd fixed it before but it's not especially noticeable

    Still looks better than it did
     
  9. Thanks
    Datsuncog reacted to bunglebus in Shite in Miniature II   
    Blimey there's a good deal on in Tesco - £5.00 for Matchbox and Hot Wheels 5 packs and monster trucks for £2.75 

     


  10. Agree
    Datsuncog reacted to Talbot in 1964 Volvo 122S - Amazonian rustforest. Electroshite.   
    Bcoz Sprotscar.
    I think this is fast becoming the car with the most difference between "how it looks" and "how it is mechanically"
  11. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to juular in 1964 Volvo 122S - Amazonian rustforest. Electroshite.   
    Some more stuff tackled. Trying to keep in my head all of the things I thought about fixing while on the Rustival trip. Writing notes? How quaint! Just stay awake at night trying to sift through jumbled thoughts until 3AM.
    It would probably be good to sort out the broken headlights.  Brief recap. A few weeks ago I fitted a latching relay which allowed me to control the full beam entirely through the flasher stalk instead of the antiquated floor switch. This worked brilliantly until it didn't.  Turns out that £3 of Chinese "INDUSTRIAL CONTROL" electronics aren't suited for, you know,  anything.  So the PCB basically melted (it wasn't even carrying notable current).  Before the Rustival trip I simply reinstated the floor dip switch to get us on the road.
    Turns out I wasn't wrong to try and get rid of the floor switch because as soon as it got dark, I went to switch between main and dip on a dual carriageway and lost all headlights. We pulled into a layby, consulted the wiring diagram, and crimped a couple of wires together so that we had headlights (but no mains).
    Time to fix that permanently.  
    The solution here is to use a 'proper' relay, in this case one designed for an old VW bus / beetle. The relay number is DNI 0127. There are also Meyle and Durite equivalents, so they are easily come by.
    Step 1, remove floor switch and hurl it into the depths of the garden.
    Step 2, crimp spades on the end of the wires to the floor switch.  Also tee-solder the smaller red wire into the bigger one, as that's more structurally sound than crimping two wires into one spade.

    Step 3, RELAY

    Here is the pinout.

    And here is what that looks like in real life.

    Step 4 : Replace the fuse you blew because you forgot to disconnect the battery, and touched the permanent +12V against the metal dash. Oh wait, there's no continental fuses left..  

    So it turns out this lighting setup is even better than the one I set up previously with the INDUSTRIAL CONTROL relay.  
    - When the dipped headlights are off, the flasher stalk operates as a main beam flasher.
    - When the dipped headlights are on, the flasher stalk toggles the main beam on and off like a modern car.
    - The relay also serves the purpose of being a relay for both the mains, flasher and dipped.  So it takes away the load from the light switch, provides full current to the headlights (brighter!)  plus it means I can remove the flasher relay and wiring in the engine bay as it is no longer required.
    So far this seems a far more robust and efficient setup, time will tell.
    Engine and gearbox mounts replaced.  The gearbox one was particularly hanging and the propshaft was bouncing off the bottom of the transmission tunnel.

    A set of high performance air filters attached.  The purpose being twofold. The generic SU HS6 pancakes I had on would sometimes smack against the clutch master cylinder reservoir on hard cornering or acceleration.  I also felt they were strangling the engine as they were so thin and miserable looking.  These by comparison are offset specifically to fit the Amazon, and are significantly more chunky.

     
    Y THO   |  Y THO

     
    Test drove this and was quite impressed.  The wishbone poly bushes have sharpened up the steering a fair bit. The engine and gearbox mounts have changed the gearshifts significantly, and overdrive seems to snick on in a much more dignified fashion. 
    A little bit of the induction roar from the pancakes has actually disappeared, but it still sounds great when opened up. I'll take it.
    Next up, I'll be fitting the sports exhaust, more polybushes, and doing a number of electrical upgrades to make it more reliable.
  12. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to juular in 1964 Volvo 122S - Amazonian rustforest. Electroshite.   
    Homeward journey in the Amazon went well. It absolutely tanned the M6 north. Without the pressure to get to a destination intact, we both opened it right up and enjoyed it. @Ronkey wanted inspiration to get his finished. Get stuck in, because it'll be worth it!


    A couple of stops for coffee, but mainly to tip jerry cans into the frustratingly small fuel tank. That fuel tank seemed increasingly small on the way back as with the car being pushed hard, let's just say the earlier 34mpg was a distant fantasy. But who cares!

    Stopped off at @warninglights place for a cup of tea, and to poke round his collection of really interesting Volvo projects. The Laplander is something to behold and is already looking like a completely different beast to when he got it. I won't give away anything, but this is going to be brilliant.
    Lolvo meets Volvo.

    And home.

    I enjoyed every minute of driving this.
    It was comfortable, surprisingly rapid, and with very few modern touches, totally capable. With the longer diff installed the speedo no longer over-reads like most cars, and a 70 on the needle is a true GPS 70.
    As such it felt like we were flying past the traffic.  It was keen for more, and without trying you'd notice you'd drifted up to GPS 80 and it had plenty left without being remotely loud. And that's before you flick the overdrive off, where you get a surprising burst of power available. 
    The K cam and overdrive puts this right in the sweet spot for motorway driving as it's at the foot of the powerband. Having that at the flick of a stalk means you can really piss off middle lane drivers who don't want to move, but don't like being overtaken by a 60 year old shack.  Tough!
    I am surprised Volvo never offered the M41+OD+1.41 axle combo in production cars, because it's just so right. It does rob a fair bit of your 0-60 and standing starts aren't as lively, but the K cam more than makes up for that, you just hold the gears a little longer.
    Rustival was fun and I would do it again. The very best part of it was seeing people, @Talbot, @chaseracer, @mat_the_cat, @Puglet @Sunny Jim, @Six-cylinder, @Mrs6C, @Andyrew.  Thank you all for such a brilliant weekend. What a great bunch of lads.
    Enjoyed the autojumbles, perhaps a little too much as we came home with a set of four Lucas driving lights.
     
    The enjoyment of the trip spurred me into getting some more things sorted on the car, so I have now spaffed the best part of a grand on a branched manifold, sports exhaust, a better intake, and a full set of polybushes, plus a load of electrical parts to try and fix niggles and improve the (still bodged) lighting.
    To round things off, when I got home I had a nice surprise waiting in the form of a Professional Prat.

  13. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to Tenmil Socket in Shite in Miniature II   
    An engineer visited my place of work last week to service a piece of equipment. I saved these o-rings from going in the bin as they’re a perfect fit as tyres for these Dinky models!

  14. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to djim in Audi Allroad - the Dad Wagon.   
    I had a bit of time last weekend so it was time to get the height sensor fixed to stop the car complaining and to get the headlight height adjustment working again. The car has height sensors on all 4 corners and they work together to let it adjust to the selected ride height and trim the height as required. This one was working kind of OK when driving locally, presumably because the pot holed roads around here are bouncy enough that the sensor is always working up and down and giving plenty of signals.  The error comes up when I'm cruising on the motorway so I'm guessing the sensor had developed a worn/dead spot at its most common height so when the car is relatively stable for a while the lack of signal from the one sensor compared to the others causes the error. That is my complete guess anyway, the sensors themselves are completely sealed so there is no way to diagnose or repair, just throw a new one on. 
    A VCDS scan showed it was the front left sensor giving spurious readings and some googling revealed the part numbers (4Z7941285 for LH and 4Z7941286 for RH fact fans) which includes the linkage. You can get the sensor by itself as it is shared across a bunch of VAG and other models but worth getting the linkage too as it will be inevitably seized. I rolled the dice and went with one from Ali-Express as they are less than half the price of getting even an eBay one here and I'm 99% sure in this case it is exactly the same thing and the quality was fine. 
    Ease of replacement is largely down to how corroded the old fittings are. Set the height adjustment into service mode by holding both up and down buttons together and then once the wheel is off you can get easy access. It is pretty obvious that they have a hard life exposed in the wheel well. 

    Here it is. I was fully expecting the bolts holding the sensor to snap or round but they came out after bit of a clean and were good enough to re-use. I'm surprised that the wiring for the connector is so exposed but the connector itself was clean and dry inside so I guess it is fine. 
    Old Vs New

    The old sensor was very stiff compared to the new and the bottom joint was frozen solid which can't have been helping. Of course the bolts holding the fixing plate to the sensor were completely goosed. they needed a 5mm allen key which I managed to get into the head after a bit of cleaning but of course it rounded out right away. 
    To the vice. 
    Some saw and file action got them off. 

    I found a couple of new bolts, cut them to length and cleaned up the bracket and then it all went together OK.
    I didn't take a picture of the finished article but I'm sure you get the idea, it all went together smoothly and connected up.
    I also expected to need to adjust the ride height with the new sensor in place but the car is perfectly happy with it as-is and no adjustment was needed. 
    I'm quite tempted to do the other side too as it is only another £30 for a new ali-express sensor but knowing me I'd break something taking it apart so I think I'll leave it for now. 
    I didn't mention previously but the car passed its MOT in January too with a few advisories for rear subframe rust (3rd year running) and it needs front drop links so that is now on the list too. I'll probably have the garage service it and do the droplinks at the same time as it is coming up for a fluids service and I want them to check the levels in the transmission and diff etc. The subframe rust will have to wait for better weather and a big dose of motivation from me but I'll get there. 
     
  15. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to djim in Audi Allroad - the Dad Wagon.   
    Righto, quick update on the latest trials and tribulations. 
    First up, the passenger carpet was getting damp again, like really damp. I have already cleaned out the scuttle drains and I suspect that some small amount of water is getting in through the cabin air intake but while poking around i found the real culprit

    this is up above the footwell behind the glove box and the little bit of sponge visible is wet and was visibly dripping. turns out this is a very sensible* place to put the drain spout for the air con. 
    Yet another common-ish problem apparently in these is that the bottom of the drain comes out under the car and if it gets blocked at the bottom it fills up and drips into the cabin instead. 
    Taking the glove box off gets better access

     
    the spout thing on the right is the drain, conveniently running past some kind of delicate electronics in the silver box. 

     
    Yep, that'll be blocked then. 

    Good jab with various implements and all back together, hopefully the weather will warm up and dry the carpet and 2" of sponge underlay before it starts to smell too bad. 
    The next job was the drivers window. This failed with various nasty grinding clunking noises a week or two ago and stopped going up and down, diagnosis: window regulator, another common failure on these apparently. 
    I opted for the cheaper repair kit of cables and fittings rather than the full kit which includes sliders and is assembled, partly due to cost (£8 vs £20 or so) and partly because the full replacement needs rivets to be drilled out and replaced but I don't have a rivet gun. 
    How hard can it be? 
    Turns out not too bad of a job but it took me a few hours and naturally it was raining. 
    First up the door needs to be stripped down and the the windows, runners and frame can be unbolted and removed as a whole unit. Quite a clever solution actually, once the door card is removed (2 screws and some wires) then mark up the position of the bolts and shims to make it easier to put back and it is just 4 torx bolts and a couple of minor trim bits to be separated. 


    There are a couple of these shims, this one does the L/R angle and another the front back. 
    Removed

    On the workbench/dining table with the glass already removed. 

    The cable had snapped and bound up in the mechanism so I just cut it loose. I couldn't find any instructions on how to repair rather than replace this mechanism so I was a bit worried that I would mess it up but it mostly went together easily. 

    The real bugger was the cable winding spindle thing. I didn't take any pictures of this part but the cable is wound around a drum and the motor turns it to wind it up and down. the repair kit came with a new drum and housing but to keep the cable tight it is spring loaded at both ends and you need 7 hands to hold it all together and a special trick to do the last wind of the cable otherwise it is not tight enough. 
    Here it is after i wiped my actual blood off it. note the 2 springs are fully compressed, there is literally no extra slack in the system. 

    After many false starts I found this video of a different window regulator cable being wound and it gave me the secret. 
    the key bit is from 2 mins and the trick is to mostly wind the drum but leave enough slack to get it all together then twist the drum (2.25 in the vid) to put the last wind it and it juuuuuuuust about pops into place. I lubricated the system, replaced the glass and then it was back on to the car. 

    No pictures because i was losing the will at that point but it went back together OK and now the window works again. Hopefully I can stay out of that front door for a while now. 
    Next I'm getting it serviced and I need to fix the tailgate inner trim/cover and then it is rustproofing the rear subframe so that will be a fun one. 
     
     
     
  16. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to Spottedlaurel in Shite in Miniature II   
    Managed to get some quality time in on the small stuff this weekend......

    Had a major sort-out and putting away session on the 1/64-ish stuff following numerous recent purchases. They live in a variety of boxes on top of the 'display' case in the garage. Had a worrying moment when I couldn't find the Moving Parts Land Cruiser recently sent to me by @Datsuncog then I found it in the box with other stuff he'd found for me. Also had to go for a much bigger box for Toyota/Lexus when I found another box full. HW Premiums and modern Majorettes take up a lot of space....
    Then I managed a decent session on the Fujimi Nissan 240ZG build:

     

     

     

    Took a lot of masking to paint the arch flares and front valance.....
  17. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to flat4alfa in Shite in Miniature II   
    I had no idea the Derek Fiske has opening bonnet

    For some reason, I expected to see a Ford engine in there, the 1700 from a Zephyr 4 or a Kent.  But no, that’s a BMC B-series wearing a pair of SU carbs

  18. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to 155V6 in Shite in Miniature II   
    Someone on a Facebook group built a bigger version of the Rockets Jag
  19. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to 155V6 in Shite in Miniature II   
  20. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to stuboy in Shite in Miniature II   
    Couple opposites...
     
    Porsche... then the ram all modded up



























  21. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to vulgalour in The Wedgister - Princess and Ambassador Records   
    Hello and welcome to this weird little nook of the forum.  Great to see someone else enjoying a wedge in their own way.  I've just moved house so I've not had chance to get back into updating the info on the website yet, I'm planning to get working on it over the next couple of weeks.  Any data is free to use, I've just been collating what I can find that's out there really and trying to put it into one spot.  Eventually, everything I have will be here: https://www.angyl.co.uk/work/wedgister as a hub for all the info collected.  My survivors list is probably out of date as things stand, I know a couple have surfaced recently and are back on the road, and a couple have died.
    Mine is now my daily and only transport and I've got plans to do some improvements on her once the dust has settled here.  Definitely not one for the purists and I've no plans to return it to stock, I love what its become over the years and I'm looking forward to where it goes in the future.  I just use mine exactly as BL intended, as a car.  Here we were today at the tip earlier today, proving they are practical even if they don't have the Ambassador's hatch.

    Did you take over from Kev?  Or am I thinking of the other Princess/Ambassador club?  It got very People's Front of Judea when I was trying to figure out which club to join and now I'm not a member of any.
  22. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to FakeConcern in Shite in Miniature II   
    We didn't get to the toy fair today as something else came up, but as we passed the junk shop that I got a big pile of er junk in last week we popped in again.
    I had half rememberd seeing a digger thing in the big cardboard box I had picked all the stuff including the Corgi Heavy Machinery transporter so had a look and found it still in the box. I also rummaged about the bottom of the box and found the locating plate and capstan thing also for the transporter and the bonus was the door to the MGC!

    I need to make a rear window for the MG and work out how to thread the cotton on the digger, but I'm pretty happy with that and I'm sure there'll be another toy fair soon!

  23. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to Hertz in Shite in Miniature II   
    Also I have managed to find the snow storm Beetle I had as a kid. Really chuffed with this one, forgot how good a model it was. 
     




  24. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to stevek in A pair of decrepit 309’s   
    Yesterday’s update…
     
    The blue one - Tried really hard to remove the right hand drum, as this is the hand brake cable I have, the other hasn’t arrived yet. It spins freely so the shoes are off, and I have got it about 10mm pulled which has unseated the outer bearing but the inner bearing must have stuck on the stub hard. Remember this bearing stub was open to the elements for years so was rusted up, I did clean and sand it back before fitting but perhaps not quite enough. I tried using the wheel as a slide hammer, tried chocking the drum agains the back plate and hammering the opposite side, tried packing out the centre and crowbarring  against a wheel bolt. No joy at all, it didn’t even feel that close so I have ordered a hub puller. This setback kinda knocked the wind out of my sails yesterday morning as it is the car I wanted focus on but it just wasn’t to be.
     
    The gold one - Started by trying to drop the coolant/water but the most obvious bottom hose was held using single use bands rather than jubilee clips. Ended up choosing a water pump hose which was harder to get to but did the job. It was the most brown and silty coolant I’ve ever seen. Warmed it up and did 3 water changes.
    STOP!

    Got it properly hot today but the radiator fan definitely doesn’t work. Stuck a screwdriver thought the grill and and tried turning it but it feels seized. Oh well not too big a deal. 
     
    Next I decided to see if it could move under its own steam. Pumped up the tyres but one wouldn’t hold air so I swapped it for the spare before dropping it back on its wheels. Started it up, put it in gear and it went forward! It didn’t even drag the back wheels, they actually turned! Shunted it back and forth 3 or 4 times and now I can push it by hand, could do with some brakes though. No pedal at all, handbrake applies and releases but only with low effort.
     
    -Steve-
  25. Like
    Datsuncog reacted to bunglebus in Shite in Miniature II   
    A rather large box was handed over to me recently containing the things I'd managed to dibs from @danthecapriman. I'm not going to post them all but here are a few of the more unusual or interesting ones
    I do really like the various Dinky Transits, this MK2 is similar to one I already have, but has the grille etc painted black rather than silver, and has a rather unlikely red interior rather than the sensible grey of its twin

    Earlier, smaller MK is yet another version I'd not previously got my mits on. There are so many!

    This one is definitely not a toy I've laid eyes on in person until now. Dinky Impala is a hefty beast. There's a hole in the boot floor as if a spare tyre or some luggage was once inside

    Another Dinky that's never come my way before is this lovely Opel Commodore, even the quarterlights atop the doors have survived. Don't think the Whizzwheels really suit it though

    I was keen to get the smaller Corgi Fiat 1800 after acquiring the larger 2100 a while back

    Spot on Zephyr was below market value and came with new shiny bits

    Matchbox Case Tractor has definitely been enjoyed, having plenty of mud embedded in its gubbins. However it's somehow retained its roof and Taylor Woodrow stickers

    Much as the rear arch treatment on the Speed Kings Cougar bugs me, I'm very impressed with how well this one has survived

    Fantastic Vantastic

    Laser Wheels Lambo

    Glo Racer Burnin 280...

    ....passed the glow test...

    ...and is now apart and having a bath in hydrogen peroxide to see if the yellowing can be removed

    90s era Matchbox can be a bit hit and miss, but I like the GTO

    Husky skip lorry somehow managed to retain its skip for all these years

    Variation of the Corgi 740 I'd not previously found

    Corgi must have modelled this on a real vehicle surely?

    Not worked out who in Hong Kong made this Chevrolet van

    I thought this bus was a Playart but it's not marked as such

    Finally, Corgi Heinkel has gone in the customise/restore pile - spare pink body that came with it gives me ideas!

×
×
  • Create New...