grogee

Ghia X with beige leather 😍
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/156174399447

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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145731581296?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=epbEn_a0Qme&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=MGEGyK8rQdO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

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"They were certainly a desirable dual purpose vehicle favoured by business men who perhaps had a slightly practical aspect to their work. It meant that they could get on site purportedly on the basis of doing a delivery without the formalities of going through the induction process."
 

Went to Asda (about 6 miles away) for a test run in the Maestro with Master Grogee as co-pilot. 
Parked up and thought, "safety first, let's get the crook lock on". As I clicked it on I realised I have the wrong set of keys which don't have the crook lock key... 
So we're waiting for @Cluffyto rescue me, he's popped into our house to get the correct set of keys.
Here's Master Grogee attempting to 'pick' the lock, and a bonus 5c3n3 VW Golf in the Asda car park. 

Went to Asda (about 6 miles away) for a test run in the Maestro with Master Grogee as co-pilot. 
Parked up and thought, "safety first, let's get the crook lock on". As I clicked it on I realised I have the wrong set of keys which don't have the crook lock key... 
So we're waiting for @Cluffyto rescue me, he's popped into our house to get the correct set of keys.
Here's Master Grogee attempting to 'pick' the lock, and a bonus 5c3n3 VW Golf in the Asda car park. 

Went to Asda (about 6 miles away) for a test run in the Maestro with Master Grogee as co-pilot. 
Parked up and thought, "safety first, let's get the crook lock on". As I clicked it on I realised I have the wrong set of keys which don't have the crook lock key... 
So we're waiting for @Cluffyto rescue me, he's popped into our house to get the correct set of keys.
Here's Master Grogee attempting to 'pick' the lock, and a bonus 5c3n3 VW Golf in the Asda car park. 

Went to Asda (about 6 miles away) for a test run in the Maestro with Master Grogee as co-pilot. 
Parked up and thought, "safety first, let's get the crook lock on". As I clicked it on I realised I have the wrong set of keys which don't have the crook lock key... 
So we're waiting for @Cluffyto rescue me, he's popped into our house to get the correct set of keys.
Here's Master Grogee attempting to 'pick' the lock, and a bonus 5c3n3 VW Golf in the Asda car park. 

Sitrep:
Good
Even compression across the board, 120-125psi. That was before it had ran, so everything was 'dry'. 
Ran and idled well
No exhaust blow
Bad
Coolant seeping out from between block and head
White stuff appearing in coolant
Next steps 
K-Seal. 
Then, new (used) engine. 
@High Jetter the Shitely is a good suggestion but an engine is a bastard thing to transport. Pompey is about 2 hours from here on a good run so it's not the worst collection. 

I'm not sure that I'd trust anything from a place that has nine consonants and no vowels in its name.

Sitrep:
Good
Even compression across the board, 120-125psi. That was before it had ran, so everything was 'dry'. 
Ran and idled well
No exhaust blow
Bad
Coolant seeping out from between block and head
White stuff appearing in coolant
Next steps 
K-Seal. 
Then, new (used) engine. 
@High Jetter the Shitely is a good suggestion but an engine is a bastard thing to transport. Pompey is about 2 hours from here on a good run so it's not the worst collection. 

Sitrep:
Good
Even compression across the board, 120-125psi. That was before it had ran, so everything was 'dry'. 
Ran and idled well
No exhaust blow
Bad
Coolant seeping out from between block and head
White stuff appearing in coolant
Next steps 
K-Seal. 
Then, new (used) engine. 
@High Jetter the Shitely is a good suggestion but an engine is a bastard thing to transport. Pompey is about 2 hours from here on a good run so it's not the worst collection. 

I've checked block and there is no apparent banana-ing that I can detect. However there is pitting on areas of the block around the coolant channels, but not near the rings which seal the combustion chambers. There is no way of getting rid of this without a mill and a fly cutter so I'm going to live with it. 
I have been On A Journey as far as O-Series family tree is concerned. I was blithely assuming that all blocks and heads were basically the same, and I've successfully ordered parts for other cars (eg Rover 2000 and Freight Rover manifold gaskets) that fit just fine. 
Delving a little deeper I have found that head gaskets differ, at least between FWD and RWD cars and possibly even between FWD car derivatives. 
Part of my previous HG woes may well have been because I've been trying to fit the wrong gasket. 
The gasket in the plastic film is for a Sherpa/LDV and you can see the oil way and coolant channels don't match up. 
Fortunately I have a gasket listed for MG Maestro and Rover 800 (bASe models of which used O-series) coming. 
Whisper it, but I've also smeared a bit of sealant around the block where the pitting is apparent. This is a big Haynes no-no and must not ever be done under any circumstances. 
I wonder if it'll work? 

Gasket arrived today (thanks, Royal Snail). I've bunged it straight on and have bolted most things back into place but it started drizzling plus Master Grogee needs feeding so I've stopped for now. 
I'll be doing a compression test before anything else because it'll be interesting to see if the compression is improved and maybe it'll change after getting hot/being run. 
It also has the added benefit of getting the oil pressure up before firing it up properly. 
It'll be nice if I can get a healthy running car back but I'm skeptical after all this fucking about. Plan C would be to source an engine. I did find one for £75 but it's in Pompey, plus there's the added faff of needing to get hold of an engine crane. 

Gasket arrived today (thanks, Royal Snail). I've bunged it straight on and have bolted most things back into place but it started drizzling plus Master Grogee needs feeding so I've stopped for now. 
I'll be doing a compression test before anything else because it'll be interesting to see if the compression is improved and maybe it'll change after getting hot/being run. 
It also has the added benefit of getting the oil pressure up before firing it up properly. 
It'll be nice if I can get a healthy running car back but I'm skeptical after all this fucking about. Plan C would be to source an engine. I did find one for £75 but it's in Pompey, plus there's the added faff of needing to get hold of an engine crane. 

I've checked block and there is no apparent banana-ing that I can detect. However there is pitting on areas of the block around the coolant channels, but not near the rings which seal the combustion chambers. There is no way of getting rid of this without a mill and a fly cutter so I'm going to live with it. 
I have been On A Journey as far as O-Series family tree is concerned. I was blithely assuming that all blocks and heads were basically the same, and I've successfully ordered parts for other cars (eg Rover 2000 and Freight Rover manifold gaskets) that fit just fine. 
Delving a little deeper I have found that head gaskets differ, at least between FWD and RWD cars and possibly even between FWD car derivatives. 
Part of my previous HG woes may well have been because I've been trying to fit the wrong gasket. 
The gasket in the plastic film is for a Sherpa/LDV and you can see the oil way and coolant channels don't match up. 
Fortunately I have a gasket listed for MG Maestro and Rover 800 (bASe models of which used O-series) coming. 
Whisper it, but I've also smeared a bit of sealant around the block where the pitting is apparent. This is a big Haynes no-no and must not ever be done under any circumstances. 
I wonder if it'll work? 

Gasket arrived today (thanks, Royal Snail). I've bunged it straight on and have bolted most things back into place but it started drizzling plus Master Grogee needs feeding so I've stopped for now. 
I'll be doing a compression test before anything else because it'll be interesting to see if the compression is improved and maybe it'll change after getting hot/being run. 
It also has the added benefit of getting the oil pressure up before firing it up properly. 
It'll be nice if I can get a healthy running car back but I'm skeptical after all this fucking about. Plan C would be to source an engine. I did find one for £75 but it's in Pompey, plus there's the added faff of needing to get hold of an engine crane. 

I've checked block and there is no apparent banana-ing that I can detect. However there is pitting on areas of the block around the coolant channels, but not near the rings which seal the combustion chambers. There is no way of getting rid of this without a mill and a fly cutter so I'm going to live with it. 
I have been On A Journey as far as O-Series family tree is concerned. I was blithely assuming that all blocks and heads were basically the same, and I've successfully ordered parts for other cars (eg Rover 2000 and Freight Rover manifold gaskets) that fit just fine. 
Delving a little deeper I have found that head gaskets differ, at least between FWD and RWD cars and possibly even between FWD car derivatives. 
Part of my previous HG woes may well have been because I've been trying to fit the wrong gasket. 
The gasket in the plastic film is for a Sherpa/LDV and you can see the oil way and coolant channels don't match up. 
Fortunately I have a gasket listed for MG Maestro and Rover 800 (bASe models of which used O-series) coming. 
Whisper it, but I've also smeared a bit of sealant around the block where the pitting is apparent. This is a big Haynes no-no and must not ever be done under any circumstances. 
I wonder if it'll work? 

Been thinking about this post all day. 
Yes it's useful to have a skilled mate who can rescue jobs and provide advice on tap. 
But... Learning is failing. Failing is learning. He will have learned from his mistakes and you can, too. God knows I have. 
I worked in a garage aged 14-21 in an apprentice type role, weekends and holidays in between studying. My mentor was incredibly patient and a good teacher. 
Then I moved away and for a long time I was paying Other People to fix my cars. Usually it was expensive and afterwards I'd always find stuff wrong or something that I didn't like. 
In the last ten years or so I've increasingly taken on jobs myself. Usually justified by the cost of the required parts and tools being less than the cost of a garage job. 
Sometimes, I get it wrong and break stuff. Sometimes I have to do it twice. Each time this happens, I learn stuff. 
My point being: don't be afraid to fail. You've got work to do on this Excel, maybe it would be easier to learn on an old Escort but this is the path you've chosen. The Excel will bite you I'm sure, it's old and British and that's just what happens. But almost everything can be sourced and replaced if needed.
Strip a thread - drill it and tap a bigger one. Learn how to tap at the same time. Fixed, and now you aren't scared the next time you strip something. 
Also I'm certain the Excel isn't your daily driver. This is important, because failure doesn't jeopardise your ability to get to work or whatever. Failure would mean a setback but not an unrecoverable disaster. 
All of this to say - more power to your elbow. You can do it! Get stuck in and you have the hive mind here to ask if you get stuck. 
(Cautionary note: don't listen to my advice. I'm changing my Maestro head gasket for the fifth time, so I must be completely incompetent).

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.

R5 hovercraft