captain_70s

The old taxi has finally come back on the road again after 6 months of winter storage.

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

I have put the original springs back on blue Favorit. Not quite sure how noticeable it is in pictures as they naturally have a large gap between the wheel and front wheel arch anyway.
Lowered.

Standard.

It was okay lowered but it was too stiff. When I did it our other car was a standard Felicia so we had one car that you could drive over speed bumps and potholes without worry. But now I have green Favorit that's even stiffer and that's the one with all the other mods too so I thought I'd put the blue one back to standard. Even the Triumph is a bit boy racered but it has been like it for over 25 years so it's staying like it.
I assumed it was going to be quite a simple job. I'd run it through in my head and decided I could probably do it in one afternoon but of course it took a lot longer. 
On the front I had enough bits to make up a whole strut beforehand so I just had to swap the struts, so two nuts at the top and one nut and bolt at the bottom but I managed to strip the thread on one of the lower bolts and had to go out and buy more.
I'm a bit confused by this.

The red spring is the lowered one and the black the standard. And yet with everything bolted up the red spring is longer, plus it is stiffer so you would think it would compress less with the weight of the car on it but it is definitely lower and stiffer once in place. I'm sure there is some law of physics to explain this but it beats me.
At the back I had the problem of the top mounting nut.

As you can see it's in a deep dished washer. No spanner would go in there and even a socket wouldn't seat properly so I ended up having to 'sharpen' a deep socket with an angle grinder.

I can't remember what I did last time when I put the lowered springs on in the first place but it wasn't this. That was seven years ago and I've completely forgotten.
On the plus side, the thread on the top of the rear shocks is so long that you don't need spring compressors.

By the time you've wound the nut to the end the spring has reached the end of its travel and putting it back together you can just lean on the spring a bit to get the nut on and then just wind it up with the spanner to compress it. Any job that doesn't need spring compressors is a bonus.
The springs make more sense at the back with the black one being longer than the red one.

 
Also the job was made more tricky by doing it in the garage but if I did it outside I'd have to put it at the front of the drive where it is wider but we have residents permit parking and this is the only car with a permit so the other two can't be left out.
It's not a bad sized garage for a single but it still means having to move the car over to do each side and you have to be careful when jacking up that you're not catching the mirrors on anything. 


Also not helped by the fact I've added shelves to every possible surface to try and help store all my spares. I really would like a bigger garage but it's not going to happen so you just have to make do with what you have.
 
But I took it out for a tour of the local speed bumps this morning and it is nice and comfy again. Obviously it rolls on the bends when you push it but not in alarming way.
I do have a rear anti roll bar off a Felicia which I could fit at a later date if I feel like it.

I only have the rear one though, where the Felicia had them at both ends where fitted (all 1.6 and diesels and late 1.3s too). I don't know how much difference the rear one will make on its own but I'm curious to find out. But not yet, I'm just enjoying the floaty ride at the moment.

I've never had my three parked side by side before. They have to park line astern on the drive and even then one of them has to be in the garage. 
Well I was doing a bit of shunting this morning and there is a space at the top of our Close for two cars that was empty, which is a rarity in itself. Plus the sun was shining and the leaves have just started coming out on the trees so I thought why not.

Like I say, parking for two cars, but when they are all quite small and all yours you can squeeze three in. Obviously you have to start from the left. If I'd put the Triumph in last I couldn't have got out of the car.

Also, how to make a Favorit look like a big car. Park them either side of a Triumph 1300.

I’m slowly getting the MAN 6x4 done.
Cab is getting there. I need to keep offering it up to the chassis at the moment though so I’ll wait before painting it.

 
Chassis needed shortening to become a tractor unit, so some sections were removed from the middle then rejoined.


   

Looks about right mocked up with the trailer now.

The original chassis for this was a 6x6 but a 6x4 is more appropriate for a tractor unit. So, I removed the front driven axle and suspension (one plastic moulding) and made a new replacement from plastic section. 
I did do this in a more ‘scale’ appearance but the weight of the cast metal chassis and cab was bending the plastic so I had to beef it up! All works though!

 
Next I needed a 5th wheel coupling. 
I stole one from another IXO truck to use as a template, at least then I know the trailer pin will fit! Then cut out the parts from plastic card. It actually does tilt slightly as it should too once the trailer goes on.


 
Starting to look better now.

Still a bit to do. 
Fuel tank needs making smaller, air tanks need refitting, hoses behind cab making, rear wheel mud gaurds, painting… probably a load of other stuff too!
 

Here is the biography for Anne Sellors on IMDB. 

Sounds like a great woman. 
Wonder what she was in?
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm1856457/
 

Small update. Have now greased all the grease points and checked the oil level in the gearbox and differential both were fine and refilled oil on the diesel pump and steering box.
So then all the maintenance is done.
One small thing I do that I recommend is to take a picture of the manual with maintenance points and print it out and have it with you when working on the car and cross it off while you are working so you don't forget anything.

 
And since I don't have a car lift, things are done the old way by driving the car up onto blocks and crawling under it, which is not exactly good for the body.

 
And now with this done, all that remains is to drive it, something that will hopefully happen soon.

It's a cosmetic replica rather than a genuine car, there is only one genuine turbo car known to survive.
That one was never much of a minter to start with and seems to be in regular use, which in Scotland means a lifespan of 5 years.
Most Acclaim's are made of filler as, being Japanese spec steel thickness with British build quality, rot like there is no tomorrow and there is no panel availability.

It's a cosmetic replica rather than a genuine car, there is only one genuine turbo car known to survive.
That one was never much of a minter to start with and seems to be in regular use, which in Scotland means a lifespan of 5 years.
Most Acclaim's are made of filler as, being Japanese spec steel thickness with British build quality, rot like there is no tomorrow and there is no panel availability.

It's interesting that Ford tax on these is largely a UK thing, for most of Europe boggo spec cars aren't worth much more than their contemporaries.

Gaun like fuck.

It's interesting that Ford tax on these is largely a UK thing, for most of Europe boggo spec cars aren't worth much more than their contemporaries.

It's interesting that Ford tax on these is largely a UK thing, for most of Europe boggo spec cars aren't worth much more than their contemporaries.

It's interesting that Ford tax on these is largely a UK thing, for most of Europe boggo spec cars aren't worth much more than their contemporaries.

No.
 
I'm calling it.
Jake is actually a joke account trying to wind us up.

I have already started to prepare the Autoshite library for this year. 

Highlights of the total randomness so far are a 1934 ‘Autoencylopedia’, an early 1960s Czechoslovakian road atlas, an ex Mid Glamorgan library book on British Trolleybuses, and an owners handbook for a Honda Stream (not the MPV but a bizarre early 80s three wheeled scooter).
Perhaps more logically, there will be many duplicates of 60/70s Motorsport and 90s Car up for grabs.

From a memories page on FB.

One of the most beautiful cars ever made.
1954 Chevrolet 210  14,354 pounds



https://www.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=254663627

From a memories page on FB.

From a memories page on FB.

Today is actually spring and warm, so can now open up the garage for the first time since October.
The first job was to add a diesel additive and then change the fuel tank cap as the old one was leaking.
Old one don't look so good.
 
The only new one I found was this which a Mercedes specialist said would fit and it did.


 
Then it was time to start it for the first time since October and it started quickly this year, faster than last year but as always was a bit grumpy in the first few minutes.

 
My current phone doesn't film as well as the last one so this isn't the best but it's something.
 
Now got the charging tested after I made a completely new charging system this winter and the result is 14.56 at idle without headlights and 13.10 at idle with headlights, so can call this a success. The next thing is to look at the cooling system and change the coolant and maintenance and it is ready for the road again. Hope it happens within 2 weeks waiting for the roads to be clean and safe from salt.