Uncle Jimmy

Almost 2.5 months into ownership
i believe this is the most boring XM thread ever
nothing to really report, boost gauge isn't working correctly
passenger side electric window needs some lubricant
I suppose the main thing to keep an eye on I suspect is the battery, it cranks slower than I'd like but has never failed to start, could be the starter motor but I can't see that being overly expensive and they're not hard to change on this engine
doesn't like cold starts, it fires up quick enough but it misfires and smokes like a goodun for a bit, it will cut out unless you hold the throttle at 1,200 rpm
spheres are quite flat, getting that done in the coming weeks, ride has been improved however by reducing the tyre pressures from 3.2 bar to the correct 2.2 for the front and 1.9 for the rear
otherwise it's being a cracking car, had a lot of use this week but I've done 500 miles since I refuelled and I've still apparently got 1/4 tank left

I thought about this car today, wife was complaining that kids leaving the boot open was making the car cold and it was on the tip of my tongue to say 'we should have got an XM with the internal rear glass not this Chinese shit'.

Mine was leaking like a sieve when I bought it. Easy enough to silicone around the pollen filter box. The blower motor was also not working, got my arm in there with some WD40 and pushed the motor spindle to and fro. Got it going and then greased it. Its lasted over a year since then. 
GM era Saabs ain't a patch on the real deal but they're cheap enough rammel so I'm not complaining. 

Or just write them off the books and give them to Gaydon. They're unlikely to have any financial value or use to  SAIC and are just liabilities so a donation would surely be easier than trying to value them and put the sale through their accounts.

Fuck me that's ripe. It's the U boat that sunk the Luisutania? 

Personally I'd say keep it standard.  There are a billion modified Minis out there, the ones which always catch my eye are those which are standard to be honest.  
They weigh about as much as a paper bag anyway, the 998 if in good order is plenty sufficient to make good progress and put a silly grin on your face.

That's a Gregoire. Served as an ambulance during the Great War!

I have no idea what the three wheeler is, but the small floppytop is a Panhard Dyna Junior.

And here's another (x2).

It's the Garnier Opera House in Paris. But what is the miniture sports car and the motorised trike?

I think it's a rather beaten up  Mean Sonora, from 1967, designed by Jacques d'Heur and made in Belgium.

Some info here - in Spanish, google translate can help - http://www.pilotos-muertos.com/2023/DHeurJacques.html

Then LET'S DO IIIIIIT!
First step with old Minis - get the fuckin thing to more like a normal person's working height:

it came with the bonnet loose, so no need to bugger about with that.
Next, remove the front grille with all its daft little screws:

Done. Screws look original, which is weird and a bonus. I'll de-rust and save them for when it all goes back together.
Airbox screws are well-seized, but a bit of gentle tapping and some remonstrating fluid and they're off. A finger down the SU intake shows the piston's seized, so we'd better take the dashpot off and sort that out. Mmmm, dandruff:

Piston's a bit fluffy too, so we'll get those cleaned off and put back together and move on to the float bowl:

Is that the fashionable central steering option there or do you pop rivet a couple of bits of fridge door over the holes at the end of the project? 

Yep - even though the silver 25 was one owner from new, and only had MoT work by the local garage there was still plenty of bodgery and filler to get through, making the rust 10x worse.
The black one is going to get completely stripped and then mounted on something like this:

I've got a long scaffold pole. If only I knew someone who was good at making stuff out of wood, eh @Uncle Jimmy?

Keeping each other company:

Fuck me that's ripe. It's the U boat that sunk the Luisutania? 

Volvo

Fuck me that's ripe. It's the U boat that sunk the Luisutania? 

Fuck me that's ripe. It's the U boat that sunk the Luisutania? 

The Lusitania?

I know,  I keep posting Error 404 photos but its my thread! In spite of everything slowing me down returning it to the road I still like it very much!
Today I have been test driving 404 and completed 18.6 miles including stopping for petrol without any problems.

Due to essential background updates required to keep the site running smoothly and securely Autoshite will be down tomorrow (17th August) from 7PM for approximately 2 hours.
Hopefully no one has any exciting collection capers planned to reach their climax at that time… 
Thanks for your understanding! 

I'm getting BarryBoys deja-vu.

An unregistered electric bike that can do 30mph by electric power alone is also illegal, you ignorant cunt.

The John o'Groats to Lands End run in less than 10 hours that that fella posted about about on Pistonheads was a pretty interesting case
https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2020-12-04/man-who-boasted-of-record-breaking-journey-from-john-ogroats-to-lands-end-is-cleared-of-dangerous-driving
 

The boy is fine. He cant drive his while its still in having work done. You, on the other hand, think you are above the law. If you cant see how this causes annoyance then you must be as thick as pigs shit. Only takes a toddler to run out in front of that death trap, and the helmet in a helmet cant see them....and theres you without insurance. Engage yer brain, if ye have one