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grogee

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Everything posted by grogee

  1. I genuinely think we'll see a fuel shock that will 'temporarily' change motorway speed limits to 50. And when govt realises less people get squashed it'll turn permanent. I'd be in favour of a 60 limit.
  2. Fuck me that Cavalier must have been like purgatory. 0-60 in 20 seconds. Miserable. I'll have a 305 diesel please. A much better car than an Onion and quite handsome too. The Ford 1.6Ds were cars you were given, they weren't cars you'd choose. I can't think of a decent Ford diesel until they gave in and asked PSA to help. I remember a particularly nasty Escort 1.8D pool car I had the misfortune to drive, I punished it by driving it flat out everywhere and it was still slower than most other traffic. Hateful.
  3. Is there some sort of self-help group for SVP-curious people? Asking for a friend*
  4. 1.6. Rare now. On the plus side you can play with the talking dash when it breaks down. I'm not remotely surprised by the £13k asking
  5. Wow that's bleak. I'm sure the residents of my cul-de-sac are thinking that I'm a waste of space but they've been kind enough to keep it to themselves so far. I'm certainly a waste of parking spaces, there's 2 cars on our drive and another two on the street. But they're taxed and everything so fuck everyone else.
  6. And a lot is familiar from doing the Corsa yesterday which is basically the same supermini layout. Fronts are a bit more involved but not too bad.
  7. Broken spring on the Ibiza. Not terminal, but the front shocks look past their best and the rears are falling apart too. New front springs and shocks all round is going to be £200 in parts (that aren't no name shit). No way am I only going to change the broken one (see above). 17 yo Master Grogee isn't going to like this, being a teenager he's simultaneously perma-skint but also has a weekend job and no outgoings. Plus it'll be my fault for buying a 15 year old car that isn't completely perfect and also immortal. I guess we have time on our side. He passed his theory test yesterday but I know there's a huge backlog of people waiting for the practical test; a Covid hangover. I suppose in transport terms we're doing OK with four cars either working or close to working.
  8. Oh dear. Any idea of root cause or just Old Car Itis?
  9. Sorry to read about the rustiness. My first instinct was to do as you suggest and wait for MoT exemption then sell. Or learn to weld... I managed it and I'm an absolute cretin.
  10. +1 Those stupid inset wheels are straight off a Commer van.
  11. Christ I'm knackered now. Not that two front shocks and lower arms is a big deal in motor trade terms, but I was doing other stuff as well then taking the boy Grogee to and from school etc. Anyway I just went for a drive to check it's all OK. It made a funny squeaking sound at first which I hope is just the top mounts bedding in. Just as I was about to set off Mrs Grogee phoned, she is using Master Grogee Sr's Seat Ibiza while I've been fixing her Corsa. "It's wobbling and I think I've got a flat tyre". Great. So I go and meet her at motorway junction, swap cars and drive the Seat back. It is wobbling a bit, possibly a wheel weight, I'll get it up on stands and see if I can spot anything amiss, if not I'll swap front wheels for rears and go out for another test drive. My fixing mojo is quite depleted now, and I've got work tomorrow anyway so it'll have to wait for the weekend - which was supposed to be for shed building. The fleet is throwing problems at me faster than I can fix them. Grr!
  12. Balls deep in the Corsa. A few minutes faffing with the scuttle covers then I've got access to the strut top nuts. Luckily they whizzed off with the impact no bother. Swapped over the spring and gubbins. I did order a set of top mounts and bearings a week ago but they still haven't arrived - ebay/Yodel bollocks plus lazy seller. The top mount I've reused is OK, spins freely and no wear on rubber so I'll call that OK. Amazingly the drop link came away without needing the grinder - I'd say that happens about 2/10 times in my experience. Getting the bottom ball joint out was a bit of a fight but basically just involved driving a wedge (screwdriver) into the split of the knuckle then bashing the top with a drift. And a squirt of lucky juice (wd40). Onto the other side next, hopefully more of the same.
  13. And for a finale @Cluffy called round on his way to SC Porting - they've been busy sorting out his Corrado short engine, and he's consequently skint. Anyway I brought the original Maestro cylinder head for a skim and they did it there and then! Good lads.
  14. Commenced battle with Mrs Grogee's Corsa today. And I have to say that so far (touch wood) everything has been well behaved. No seized fixings, no rusty crap. It's not without its problems but they are of my own making. I ordered the wrong tailpipe type - apparently on this Corsa you can choose between a downturned exhaust tip or the chromed type. But I think the bumper has to be shaped to suit. Unfortunately I've ended up with the wrong combination. I'm hoping it will just melt itself a new hole. I imagine it'll be a source of noise, but it's not particularly quiet anyway so I'm hoping it'll get drowned out. If all else fails I'll take the hacksaw to the bumper. Interestingly* the silencer wouldn't fit over the rear beam when I came to fit it. Luckily I had to do the rear dampers anyway so I whipped these off and dropped the beam a few inches and that allowed the silencer to fit through the gap.
  15. Yes I've considered that too. Not sure when the next meet is?
  16. Interestingly the car might have decided to do that on its own because the stupid heater valve is failing again. I'm on the third one now, the first two were genuine Ford and then I got pissed off and bought a Chinese one. They're all as shit as each other.
  17. Corsa is up on stands so I commenced works at 5pm at the work whistle. I started off thinking I'll just change the indicator bulbs which aren't orange enough for the tester (he's funny about that). Unfortunately the one I fitted behind the stupid flat tyre pump kit jigsaw isn't orange enough so it's off to Halfords for some not-shit orange bulbs. The exhaust isn't terrible but I can't be bothered peeling off all the skin and I've got a new one anyway. So I attacked the cat to flexi joint with the ugga dugga and to my surprise it came right off. There then followed 20 minutes bashing but the hammer of truth prevailed and it's apart. Surprisingly un-crusty for 13 years old. I need to find some zorst clamps but that particular element should be ticked off soon, onto the shocks tomorrow.
  18. PHWOAR! That's lovely. I wonder if getting bits for the diesel motor is difficult? Is it a V6? It's a very Autoshite spec although far too tidy really.
  19. And we have a fail! My fault for fiddling with the steering column surround and not checking the hazard switch afterwards. The CV gaiter is no great surprise given that I had to change the other side a couple of years back. I've ordered a stretch boot kit and luckily I greased the driveshaft splines last time I was in there so it shouldn't get stuck when I come to get it off. And the headlights... Told you so! I'm not going to argue the toss for the sake of £10, I'd rather just keep him sweet if possible.
  20. The filter is fine but you're right about lack of use, the car has sat unused for six months. It's currently at my friendly* MoT test station awaiting its fate. I have a feeling he might call out the slightly fusty headlamp covers but that's 'just needs a polish m9'. I suspect I'll get charged for headlamp alignment, because when he 'adjusted' it last time he left the beam adjuster on setting 2, so setting 0 is pointing at the sky 🙄 Meanwhile I have the Corsa in levitation mode to start work changing the dampers. There's nothing too unconventional by the looks of things and the threads don't look too fucked so hopefully it won't be a twat. The only slight annoyance is the need to remove wipers and scuttle cover to get to strut tops but that's modern superminis for you. Apparently these tyres are 'worn on inside edge' but it's pretty slight, I wonder if it's just catching on the plastic wheel arch liner? Anyway I've bought lower wishbones as a precaution/'while you're in there' type deal. It does need these tyres changed but they're advisory so it can wait for another month.
  21. Wow. You don't do things by half @DirtyDaily@DirtyDaily. Looking forward to the fixing thread. I wonder if the chocolate block 'mechanic' is the same vandal that was let loose on @Crispian_J_Hotson's S-BYPE R? They do seem to attract butchers unfortunately. Maybe no more than other big thirsty saloons though.
  22. Thanks I'll have to measure my plug threads to get the right kit. I've never used one before. Is the idea that the Gunsons kit still creates a spark but it gives you a viewing window to see the colour of the flame and therefore the mixture - yellow being rich and blue being 'good'?
  23. I haven't either. I'm quite keen to come along. I'm softening up Mrs Grogee to see if I can come. It's an hour and 20 from me, that'll be a nice little jaunt for the Maestro assuming I can fix the misfire. Happy to pick up anyone en route between Southam and Bridgnorth if anyone wants a lift. Is there anywhere to ride a motorised MTB fitted with a Chinese 2 stroke that I've been too scared to ride anywhere else?
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