Rave

Sorry if this is a dim question, but why's it LHD if Sweden drove on the left until 1967?

Spot on! 1959 93b 

https://www.beforward.jp/daihatsu/mira/bp643619/id/6077008/?mfg_year_from=1960
 

Mighty Boy  Did we officially get these in UK? I seem to remember seeing one or two.
https://www.beforward.jp/suzuki/migty-boy/bn959945/id/5420046/?mfg_year_from=1960
 
 

Ive recently adopted this orphan…

After a colourful life including three engines, and at least 1 new gearbox, its spent the last few years dragging its older, more glamourous relatives about for spares and restorations. (photos by St Austell Bay classics)
 

 

 

 

 

 
Anyway, its been replaced by a discovery 3- and there was a possibility the next step would be for it to be sold off in parts through their e bay account.
I was interested in it as its an unusual colour for a p38 and its a very low spec one. 
No extra wood, more basic heating system, no sunroof, no leather etc
 



Its also has had the rear seats removed and the load bay extended. easy enough to reverse.

So its the poverty model of the least appealing range rover. But its had everything its needed mechanically as its been in front line use. 
 

It wafts along nicely on air, whilst not particulary quick (its the 2.5 bmw 6 diesel) and although the interior needs a clear and a few (cheap) replacement bits, it still feels special to drive.

I think it looks quite funky in white.
 

Ive got the nasal hair

This old relic of silver shadow has suffered various indignities. Perhaps most noticable to the ear was sometimes but not often running on 8.
A quick look and the HT leads showed a variety of various ages, all of which had corrosion and damage. Plus im not even sure that the firing  order was right. Hard to tell from a quick look as the leads are routed though little tracks screwed to the cam covers.
Anyway, for your rolls owner driver, things can soon get pricey…


Thats all well and good for people wishing to preserve originality; but what about something that dodged being bangered and is wedding white? The owner is more of a driver than a polisher.
Well a bit of googling showed that the lucas 35d8 distributor was shared with a few other vehicles- including assorted Land Rover products….
 

And i set to over lunch 


Yes they are very blue! I suppose they match the interior 👍 . And I need to properly plumb in the leads down the little tracks on the cam covers and get rid of the cable tied old lead remnants etc.
But for less than 10% of the price ive got it now running on 8. Its so silky smooth now its unbelievable the difference. i can only imagine its was a combination of messed up order and knackered components.

Morning!
The forum is due it's winter servicing which will happen tonight. Just a small maintenance update to be applied so 7-8pm is the window, the forum will go offline, hopefully not for long.

Thermostat definitely done the trick, sits at 90 and gets there relatively quickly. Has improved fuel consumption slightly but only from 18-20mpg to 20-22. Looking at Fuelly this is within the normal range, 30+ would be achievable on longer runs I think.
I started trying to fit a reversing camera, it was meant to replace the number plate light but the light bit didn't work so it's going back. 
I also decided to replace the number plates and went for these shorter pressed chav plates (that's what my wife called them at least)

Nice


Check out the headlining

 
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/717771686954158

Looks like they've got another flash sale going on.. 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303139536604?
^ that stuff is what I'd be using in most modern N/A petrols that aren't fussy about oil (e.g no wet belt or timing chain) - £45.49, with a 20% coupon "FIXUP20" which works out at £36.39 delivered for 20 litres!! 
 
They also have VW longlife 504/507 5w-30 if you have a fussy modern: 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303124417772?
Which is £55.49, working out at £44.39 delivered, again for 20 litres! 
They also seem to have various specs of 0w-20, 5w-20, 0w-30 which seem less bargainous but still very cheap. 
I'll be putting an order through for the workshop tomorrow. Bear in mind trade prices we usually pay between £59.99-69.99 + VAT for 20L on the 5w-30 stock, so it's pretty much half the price. 
Other oils are ordered as required so I'll have to do some sussing to see if there's much saving to be made putting a bulk order through with this offer...

On the plus side I daresay the boot floor won't be too onerous a job:

When I broke my old Puma for spares some lad came and had the leather interior from it for his. He drove down with his stripped out and just the drivers seat, and we fitted it all in my mums drive.
Id sold nearly all I was going to by then and he was the last call before the scrap man, and when I said go to town getting anything small and interesting off and he didn't believe me at first. Said he's been round a few places and people before me who charged him for every clip and trim bit and etc. 
We picked it clean and transfered alot straight to his which was a bit tatty but not rusty and he was over the moon! Asm didn't give a shit either 🤣

Its the start of the month, and you know what that means for a skinflint motorist... Yep, time to tax it!
So its taxed & insured back on the road
No breakdown cover yet, but what better thing to do other than take it on a 40 mile journey anyway!?
Well, it didn't skip a beat. I cant believe how well this old beast both cleans up and drives for a 17 year old Ford, I've driven cars that are 5 years old that feel more tired than this, seriously!
Air con has held gas and still operates perfectly so there are clearly no major leaks if any at all. There isnt a single record in its extensive history file that would suggest the air con was ever regassed so maybe it literally did just need a regas m9!
What more can I say? You seriously cannot get better value for money "an car" for that sort of money.
Resealed the bead leak but its going to want a couple of tyres in the next few months, and that patch welding on the sill so after a little fettling come MOT time it'll be right as rain.
That's all for now folks!

I haven't forgotten this, but sometimes work does get in the way.
The online parts supplier chucked a spanner in the works today by only sending a pair of discs, and no pads.
I've 2 new tyres waiting to be fitted and have had the damaged alloy straightened.
Also today I had a bit of a go with a Holts headlamp restoration kit,  to improve the cataracts. These are Xenon lamps so I hope I can get some sort of pattern out of it!

This evening the monticule d'oignon is doing a rather spiffy Saab impression:

I’ve had a chat with HMC to clear a couple of issues up and he’s agreed to his thread being reinstated.
Welcome back @HMC

Sober millennial executive vibe

 

 

 

 

I feel sorry for her, hopefully its just a dead battery. Although @Rave sadly it may not be!

Asda supermarket ones are actually really good, and between £4 and £5 each. My local Asda tends to have a decent range from 14" up to about 30". They are supple rubber, come with all the fixings and last a good 2 years on the car.
I've spent £15 on single wipers before and they've been utter dogshite so I just get them from Asda now.

I scored some DuPont recently.... Gr9 + no squeaks or streaks!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203095492063?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=15ZTOnWsT02&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=0j0mh1UTRLi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
*Edit .... WERE £4 😕
👍

Last year I bought three for £4.40,from GSF for my Renault 25. They've been on well over 12 months and seem fine. In fact I've just used them this morning. 

As someone with far too many cars, wiper blades are a constant niggle for me, as I go back to a car I've abandoned for a year or so to find that the wiper blades I put on for the last MOT have perished through lack of use and need replacing despite never having been used in anger.
Anyway I was having a desultory look online yesterday to see if I could find a cheaper option than just spluffing a fiver a blade on whatever crap B&M had in stock and found that GSF's current "65% off" sale applied to wiper blades! Their own brand Drivetec ones are mostly less than 2 quid each with the discount applied At that price I thought it would be foolish not to treat each of the cars I was buying for to a whole new set. Check them out if you need some, not sure how long the offer will last, seems they do free delivery on orders over 20 quid- though my 6 blades only came to 11!
In the longer term does anyone know of a reliably cheap source of wiper blades as although I'm planning on thinning my fleet this is likely to be an ongoing prob for me?

triumph tr6 150bhp | eBay
'A rusting shit hole, trying to cling on to it's one single day of former glory in 1974. There's more life in a tramp's vest there now, save perhaps a handful of creatures who only come out and night and defecate in it. But that's enough about Rhyl, here is my Triumph TR6...

Oof, I like that very much. If I ever manage to buy my dream car storage barn then some unsuspecting supermini is getting set about with an angle grinder, welder and pipe bender  .
http://www.opel-corsa-a.com/index_e.php?seite=Modelle/Umbauten/Gilbert_David/Tropica_e.htm