Landy Mann

Coolant pipe swapped for a nice new stainless thing.

And off it goes.

Problems to be overcome : 
It wants the choke out a bit even when warm, otherwise it stalls.
It likes to stall at junctions and won't restart without lots of cranking. 
I'm thinking the carb needs a good service.  Apart from that it drives well apparently. No more scary steering and brakes!

Bought this to replace a perfectly good Mercedes ( force ail in t’other section…)
An car dynamically inferior in every possible respect…..

Spot the Casio Blu tac'd to the dash

Someone knows their Korean chintz. 🇰🇷👌

 

A95…. Honest old barge…. And only marginally younger than me…..

I was suitably in the Shite parking only section at costco

Spot the Casio Blu tac'd to the dash

They're round black and ok on the Astra K, all ditches avoided so far. Although we do get an extra 1.5mpg now I've swapped to ContiEcoContact 6's on the front.
Down to about 4mm in 12000 miles
 
 
 
 

Finally washed this beastie. And to pretty good effect!

 

Spot the Casio Blu tac'd to the dash

Spot the Casio Blu tac'd to the dash

The interior quality in that one you had off me was comically bad compared to the early cars.
I've had five R3s - early 214, 220SDi which I had for years, 200Vi which was a right weapon until the water pump shat itself and took the head gasket with it, MG Express which I bought off of HMC, and the aforementioned Project D(ep)rive 2005 25 GLI with the 1.4.  In many ways the 2005 car drove the best of the lot - brakes were sharp by Rover standards and the handling was fantastic - but they were all fun to drive in their own surprisingly different ways.  I'd have another diesel one if one came up at sensible money but they all seem to have disappeared.

While i'm still looking for a Qubo daily driver, in the back of mind i have had a wish to get an 80's car. Not for work, but to drive into the sunset on the weekend, between 2 rows of palm trees
You gotta be careful with what you wish for - because you might just get it
 
Spotted while looking for a Qubo online. It was somewhere in the center of the country (and very far from here), so i went on a single trip to check out both it and other 2 Qubo's (that's in another thread)
The moment i got in, i was impressed. Figured here is my 80's, well 1995 Fiat Tempra 1.6 i.e.
Driving started with a second of grinding the gear - I came to put it in reverse to get out of the parking, and haven't expected that the clutch goes THAT far down - It's definitely more down than in the instruction car or any Qubo's
The rest of the test drive was great. The car goes well and really does give the feel of "a real car", which is kinda missing in everything modern
 
Mechanically the car appears to be in great condition
The chassis is in great shape and completely rust free. The previous owner have kept it in an enclosed garage. I don't have one, but plan to put a hoodie on it when not in use during winter
Body work does have bends, former repairs and fill-ins. Some panels aren't aligned too well, in particular the engine hood door does have significant gap on one side as the wing is a bit out of place. The front turn signal lenses are smashed. The headlights are intact, but a bit misaligned due to the wing. In short, the car did have some impacts over its life, but none of them impacted the chassis in any way (and i looked very throughly on the underside to check this)
 
That day took me a few rides by train to get through all the cars to check out. After the test drive, some vague check up on the mechanical condition, and inspection of the underside - chassis, I bought it on the spot
(With the Qubos, which are more modern and i'm looking into using one as daily driver, i am much more picky tho)
 
Taking the car home was a problem. The car had been insured by the seller, but the insurance doesn't cover me driving (being a new driver)
The seller, who (as i got to know him on this day) is into vintage cars. He noticed that i showed unusual passion for the car, and agreed to drive it all the way from the center to my house, a journey over 120 km. He arranged with some friend of his, who came with a 2nd car following us, and the two set off for their way back once the Tempra was at the destination
 
The night ride in the Tempra was exactly as i could imagine a night ride in an 80s car. Everything was incredible, all the way to the awesome purr of the engine (the seller was driving)
(The lighting was bad, as the headlights are not aligned, but that's it)
 
I'm very happy to have caught the Tempra. I have the impression that the car is great - It definitely is in rarely good condition for its age
It needs some things, which i will address one at a time. For a start, i'd like a checklist of possible required maintenance (as i dont know when exactly it had been last serviced)
Things currently i think of :
Oil replacement Coolant replacement (does it need some flushing or just drain the old & fill new ?) Any belts ? Any filters ? Spark plugs ? HV (spark) wiring condition ? Brake wear level ? Tire wear level ? Anything else that might be required if the car have been standing unmoved for a few months straight ?

Thread resuscitation:
Spent ages back end of winter / early spring rebuilding my VW T25 engine, which went through my project funds like an oil rig fire.

so the old Daihatsu took a bit of a back seat for a while, but I did continue the grind of cleaning up the whole underside of the shitbox.
Clean machine 
Detailing World territory 
“Been in cleaner swamps”
Drove myself insane and deaf with one of these

Then had an issue with my trigger finger, so was on the go slow (looks like carpal tunnel) for a while.
Did a bit at a time, rust killer as we go 

I love you, Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80
After a very not short while, it was ready for some primer

Under the boot floor

Nearside rear arch and rear chassis
 Gearbox area, looking back
 
Inner arch and crossmembers, it’s the bit where all the suspension and rear axle go

in the bad old days
 inner arch was like this a while ago 
So, yeah I’m still going with the old knacker
and yeah, it needed so much welding it gave me carpal tunnel
Gotta love a Fourtrak 

A quick repair this evening...
2007 Volvo S40 with the boot light not working.
Whe  tested at the boot light, 12v was present so the switching of the earth side was the issue.
These critters have a second microswitch in the boot latch that operates the light.  In this case it doesn't work.  The wiring was proved by applying an earth to the 4th pin on the catch and the light came on.
I did dismantle the catch, but the microswitch is an integral part.  So a new catch required just to get the boot light to come on?  Yeah forget that,  if like me, you've a garage full of parts from cars you had a hundred years ago, then you'll have a solution.
Step in the 1992 Citroën Ax Gt rear wiper mechanism, complete with ball bearing boot light switch.

Arrowed is the ball bearing switch, which when the boot opens, supplies an earth to it's spade terminal.  A short run of wire tapped into the original loom and soldered in position means that we at last have light, and a saving of about £30 for a used catch.
 

Hi all,
 
It's been quite a while since I ventured on here to post anything. Not at all a reflection of this wonderful place, more on the general busy-ness of all things life.
For anybody who follows the mundane mutterings of CrapCarCollective you'll be well accustomed to the array of old shitters I've purchased over the last couple of years. My latest purchase however is considerably shitter than most. It is the 'infamous' Bray Clio. 
This little munter is well known to any Irish old car fanatics, especially those of a Dublin/Wicklow regionality. I first spotted it back in 2017 and immediately wanted it. The lack of wheel trims, the differing shades of blue, the dents, the scratches. Perfection.
I wandered past it again in 2021 and earlier this year which is when I decided to leave a note. I heard nothing back and with its NCT (Irish MOT) having expired in May I naturally feared the worst. That was until my phone rings in early October. It was a pleasant lady offering me the shiters chance of a lifetime. A shonky Renault Clio with more battle scars than Simon Weston? Yes bloody please!
A price was agreed, and I collected it last Sunday. The weather was rather fitting for such a momentously mediocre event, lashing rain and gusty winds. The drive home was exceptionally uneventful. The 1.2 petrol powerplant under the frontally hinged bonnet ushers it along adequately and it seems well able to keep up with modern motorway traffic albeit stunted by the hideous weather conditions.
The interior is relatively clean and almost everything seems to work. The radio head unit has been nicked as has the interior light lens in an apparent attempt to disable the immobiliser. Any old Clio owner will know to run for the hills if theirs is equipped with a sunroof. The ridiculous placement of the immobiliser until directly in front of it means that when they inevitably leak it does so directly into the electronic gizmos. Thankfully this particular example is without a sunroof which should prevent any moist electricals and all the fun* that brings. 
The interior door handles are cracked and so replacements will be needed. It has front electric windows. The time in which it takes to wind them back up can only be measured accurately with a calendar. The oil level dial on the dash works fine with the ignition on but dies once on the move (videos online suggest this is actually normal). The clutch is a little high, but the gear change is smooth. The seats are wonderfully comfortable and hold you securely whilst cornerning.
It failed its NCT on an exhaust leak and the airbag warning light which is constantly on. I also suspect another lighting issue, but the previous owner has misplaced the failure sheet.. It's booked in for a retest, but I may cancel and concentrate on getting it right during the winter. I'd hate to subject it salty roads. It deserves more.
Also, whilst driving home the indicators and hazards failed. There's no ticking noise or lights on the dash so I suspect a possible relay failure? Anybody got any ideas?
I'm a little busy with work at the moment so I'll try and post updates whenever possible. Let me know what you think!!
 

I had planned on updating this through the day, but things did not exactly go to plan! Started off fine, taking my friend Elaine as she speaks much better French than I do. Made good time from La Chatre sur le Loir towards Niort and stopped for a coffee at the last services on the A10 about 40 miles from Niort. It takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours to cover the run.

Weather was great and Waze took me straight to the car park, where I failed to find anywhere to leave the trailer as all carparks were full and I made my first mistake. I decided the car park with the chod looked accessible, even if the height would prevent loading in the car park. Of course, once committed I found the exit was on the floor below and the turning points and the ramp curve were as tight as only the French could design. As a result, at each turn I had to disconnect the trailer, manhandle it around and the ramp had literally a half inch clearance  either side. Elaine could not believe I got it down!
Once I had found the chod I had gone for, I dropped the trailer and had a look at what I had acquired. Two flat tyres and a totally flat battery.

First job was to attach jump leads and see if any life could be coaxed.

After a couple of minutes, lights came on so I added my jump pack and gave it a turn. It was last started in September 21 (indeed it has not been touched since then) but it started first try. Amazing. Left it running and tried to air up the rear tyres. One took air, but the other refused and as locking nuts are fitted, I came to the conclusion it would still drive   Hitched the trailer back on and headed out and as some of the church crowd had gone, I found somewhere to park fairly close. Back to the new* one, another jump and we headed for the exit. I had been sent the pass card for the barrier but no matter what I did, the barrier stayed down.
After a couple of minutes a man appeared who explained he had seen us working on the Rangie, had phoned his boss, who instructed him not to let it out as over a years parking was owed! Eeek. I had been assured the parking was paid (since confirmed as being the case) but French bureacracy confused things and we were informed we would have to return tomorrow when the office was open. We persuaded him to phone his boss who despite not being at work on Sunday was in the area and came down to see us. At this point I was really pleased I had Elaine with me, and after an hour of discussion, showing lots of paperwork, taking photos of my licence etc he agreed to let us take the car as we promised to get in touch with the notaire who had been dealing with it to sort things out. A result, but it cost us 2 hours.
Once out of the car park, on 3 half flat tyres and one completely flat, I decided to push my look and park on a clearway half on the pavement with the flat tyre visible from the road, and left Elaine with it whilst I went for the trailer. Of course, just after I had left, the police stopped but they were apparently just concerned Elaine was OK. By this time I had collected the trailer and RR and was heading back, but of course fell foul of the one way system. As I turned into yet another one way street, I realised I was wrong so pulled over to check where I was. At this point a police car pulled up, told me the quick way back to "ma femme" and then stopped the traffic to let me reverse out of the one way street! Top guys.
Got to the car, drove it onto the trailer, strapped it down and headed out of town. Stopped at the same services for more coffee.

Took three and a half hours to get back due to reduced towing speed, but all was good. Now back at my place, where it was dropped off and I took Elaine out for dinner as a thank you. 
Tomorrow, I will see what I have got.

Just been to have a more in depth look at my potenial new* mercedes benz. Time for some refinement in my life. 
Some locals may know thats theres a big mercedes dealer in MK. So we headed in that direction.  .  .
But to my mates work to look at this old shed  instead. 


Probably should get myself a bell to ring out the window. 
 
*it was new at some point. 

If only there was smellovision
❤️
 

Canberra car boot sale delivered the goods today!

I've still been pretty busy on this, last weekend dad came over and helped me change the valve stem seals, they were absolutely shot, it took most the day using the compressor route with the head on but it worked and now there's no smoke at all. 


I also fitted a new electric aerial which was a faff as a fuse had blown behind the ignition column that I didn't know about, eventually sussed it out and now works, the rear orginial speakers were rotted out too so swapped them out for some new ones. 


Then today it was MOT day! I won't lie, I was proper anxious about this as I hadn't even driven it before! I need not have worried though. 


It was a new garage about 10 miles away down the A12 but they were a great pair of lads who own old Fords and were very understandable with the old cars which is what I like, it flew threw though, just a verbal to sort the welding probably on the strut top.
The only fatality was the rear axle cover sprung a big leak which is apparent common with them, £65 for a new one with a gasket and bolts so not the end of the world. 



So all in all a pretty good result I'd say!