Mr Laurence

£2400
What a total crock of festering old dogshit begging to be put out of it’s misery 
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2843041455961941

Peugeot 205 2 door barn find gti rally’ spares or repairs | eBay
 
Sad as I am, I can tell you exactly where that photo was taken, it's in Forden, near Welshpool. There is, or was, a recovery firm at the bottom of the hill in a little yard.

Car love stories are always welcome in my world, @Unlucky Alf. This is where I think most Youtubers and Journalists go wrong; for millions of us - these cars aren’t about the move away from pushrod engines or the leap to FWD. They’re about first jobs, lost nights, lost underwear, road trips, gigs, camping, working, smooching and all sorts. 
My folks bought me home from hospital, 2 weeks before Christmas 1982, in a MK3 Escort. My father was only 24, and I reckon he was as proud of his first born as he was his first company car. 

That’s my Uncle’s Fiesta beyond on the day of my Christening. He kept it so long that I remember it at the age of 17.
Thanks for all the positivity, and keep the stories coming. Gives us all something to read whilst I start collating bits for the Estate!

Work has been progressing on this,the biggest elephant in the room was the roofliner. 

Or lack thereof. 

This is the original one,a typical example of the Mk2 Golf headliner,the material has long since parted company, and the roofliner itself has the structural integrity of a packet of cream crackers. 
A look online suggested to repair the cracks on the roofliner with tape from the rear,and coat the other side with newspaper and PVA glue!
So that's what I did.

It actually made quite a difference,so I let it dry out for a few days before attempting to attach the original material back onto it,as it was still in good condition. 
Well,that didn't really work,the impact adhesive caused the original material to pickle up and wrinkle,and just not stick on very well.
So,in a fit of temper the whole lot got binned!
What the fuck to do now!!
They are not to be had anywhere,none really available second hand, and even then it will probably be a load of crap anyway.
A chance look on the web found a company selling reproduction ones made from fiberglass, one of those will do nicely thank you. 

A large and battered box finally arrived,(a week late)thankfully the roofliner was ok,bar one small crack that wasn't really and issue.

Came with enough spare material to cover the sun visors, sunroof panel and console.
I just covered the sunroof,the visors and console were in good shape,and the colour is almost identical so I left well enough alone.

Finally in,was a bit fiddly around the sunroof and fitting the grab handles,but otherwise it was an excellent fit.
This actually worked out much better than trying to fuck about with the original so that burst of temper probably actually improved things.
A happy accident.
The delivery cost as much as the liner itself,but it's done now.
 
 

All my old favourite quiet campsites that were deserted 350 days a year and run by grumpy old women who wouldn't usually even bother to answer the phone now have been taken over by knobheads with Facebook pages showing off their new "shabby chic" signage, bell tents to hire for £60 a night and online booking for "family plots" at £40 a pop.
Why does everything nice have to be ruined by the general public? Where can I go to get away from all these wankers? FFS man, I just want to spend as much time as possible as far away from any other people as I can and I had a pretty good setup going until for some reason a fucking disease made everywhere turn totally wank.
I'm really going to have to try and rent or buy my own field or some woodland somewhere, even if it totally bankrupts me.

No progress on the BMW, couldn't get an alignment booked in for Saturday so it'll have to wait until Thursday or so. I did however use the time to give the Mercedes a bit of tlc as it needs an MOT as well.
First thing I noticed was that the doors on the passenger side decided to not open anymore. Great! The front passenger door could be opened from the inside, the rear passenger door wouldn't open at all, no matter what. Which meant that I had to remove the door card with the door closed, something thats possible but certainly not easy. Fortunately I found some decent photos of the inner door mechanism online and was able to pry away the door panel enough to have a peek inside, not that it helped as it didn't really make much of a difference however hard I pulled on the rods leading to the latch. In the end I just sprayed everything in there with dry lube which fortunately was the solution to end this misery. I did the same with the latch mechanism of the front door which hopefully solves the problem long term. Probably not.

When pulling off the door panel I noticed that it was soaking wet at the bottom, in fact the cardboard was so soaked that all mounting points basically came off of it. I've ordered some two component epoxy glue that hopefully will fix this once everything is dry again, no clue how it got this wet in the first place but I'll make sure the plastic membrane thing thats supposed to keep the moisture out will be properly glued shut...
The next thing was the parking brake, the pedal more or less goes straight to the floor which made me think that something wasn't hooked up or adjusted correctly. A look underneath the car didn't reveal much aside from the fact that the adjustment mechanism was putting as much tension on the cable as it could (which apparently wasnt much), and that this mechanism was literally centimeters away from the drive shaft and exhaust, making it nearly impossible to reach and adjust. Thanks Mercedes! I'll call a local Mercedes specialist tomorrow, they can deal with that and replace the snapped rear springs while they are at it.
I've also had a look at the ignition distributor since I do have an odd misfire once in a while that comes as suddenly as it goes, generally after a short drive. Apparently condensation can build up inside the distributor cap which obviously messes with the rotors ability to deliver spark where it needs to go. I've properly cleaned it all up but couldn't really find much wrong with it, maybe the seals just aren't sealing properly anymore and moisture gets in?🤷‍♂️ It runs pretty smoothly when its not causing trouble.

Last but not least I cleaned the car for the first time in a long time and finally gave it a quick cut and polish. The car was covered in scratches caused by people furiously knocking doors into the car and what looks to be a bush scratching up the entirety of the passenger side. 5 hours later and the cars looks properly transformed, despite this hardly being the most thorough job. I can't polish rust and missing paint either. Im happy though!

I'm on track to get my second kit completion done this month:
Body and chassis have since been put togther for the last time, so the only jobs left to do are attach the rear bumper/lights and side trims, and carefully drill 10 holes in the roof for the rack. I did similar on the deck inside:
Turns out a strtched '59 Cadillac is quite a bit bigger than a Honda Today:
After it'd sat in brake fluid for a few weeks to get rid of the original brush paint by a former owner, that one seems to have ended up as a current project:
Got some coats of Citroen Mediterranean Blue on the Celica last night:
It's a funny colour which flips to pale green/turquoise/gold, will be interesting to see once clearcoated and in sunlight.
Also made a bit of unphotographed progress on the '67 Impala.
I seem to be on a run of Japanese and American (and particularly GM) subjects at present. Once the Cadillac's done I think I need to start something European, will have a rummage and see what takes my fancy......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1980-Ford-Cortina-GL-Estate-2-0-Pinto-5dr-Red-Retro-Classic-Car-NR/254875812142?hash=item3b57c8412e:g:eGkAAOSw0PNgMsA5

Travelled up to Paul Townsend Honda Spares yesterday to collect some bits,  would recommend him if you've got a 5th/6th gen civic or a 3rd gen teggy.
Came away with some panels and brackets, JDM DC2 motor and the OEM Sport body kit for the civic, properly chuffed to get the body kit since it seems next to no one optioned them for the hatchback at the time.

Quality* photo of the kit, bottom lip is  for a different car.

And here's how it looks on the car in the Honda Accessory (note the leather seats, a UK exclusive AFAIK) brochure at the time.

The amount of optional extras you could get for the 5th gen civic is mind boggling, I think the German market offered something ridiculous like 10 optional types of steering wheel!

Couldn't quite stretch to that well tasty Yamaha TDR125 that appeared on eBay, so idly browsed social media to see what was happening. Listed a few hours before, not a million miles away and at a price that was fair (very fair, taking into consideration what he said he'd spent on it) and looked GR8. A few messages later, a word with my new local courier and job jobbed.
 




 
A few boxes of bits (more than shown in above photographs) came with it, too. It's a (Vespa) PK50 with a Polini kit, I think he said 65cc. Should be a good (slow) laugh when it's done! 

Put some riggers on, turn up in a track suit and a Smiley Transit beavertail and bang on the door with pounding fists repeatedly. 

Test fit to make sure they are 4 x 95.25.. 

Basically a new car.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Corolla-mint-condition-19k-miles/393161804079?hash=item5b8a45092f:g:3TAAAOSwtW1gOn5c
Cheap too considering how reliable these are in the first place.

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/249233730191834/

Well the moment finally came where I could go out for a test drive.  I chucked some basic tools in the boot and set off onto tarmac for the first time in 26 years.

On the first drive I found a few niggles but nothing serious.  Made some timing and tuning adjustments along the way.  Returned to the workshop and fixed the niggles over the course of an afternoon.

I've since completed a second drive and covered about 50 miles or so without issue.  Very pleased with the car and will be sorting out some proper video footage now I know it works.
Engine is really smooth and quiet, pulls well and happily does 70 and over without issue Gearbox was the right call, put it in 5th and its so much better at higher speeds, think its about 3k rpm or less at 70mph  Suspension is very soft and smooth, no clunks or noises so far No serious rattles or fitment issues from the interior  Can't feel any driveline vibration which was a relief as the prop and gearbox are not original Diff seems happy, there is a slight whine as you use the engine to slow down in 3rd Possible slight rattle from the exhaust over some bumps   Electrics seem fine Temp is a quite low, I have a feeling the thermostat has stuck open, will investigate in future Even the speedo is accurate despite having a different gearbox  Not used a drop of oil or coolant and so far there are no leaks Overall its not really put a foot wrong and has run a treat.  Very very happy.  There's a lot that can go wrong when all these bits have to start working.  Other restorations have had me back in the workshop for days fixing issues.  Pleased and relieved that my own car just worked! 
Here's some engine running stuff from the workshop after I'd finished some timing adjustments.

20210222_181255.mp4

Amazing work guys!  I’m a long term lurker - but I had to post on this thread.  
My first ever company car was an escort estate, it was a B reg, but not poverty spec, I got a hand me down from the boss  who went for an Astra, I got his 1.4GL estate.   As you can see in the images, it was sign written. Unlike your photocopier mate, I loved this car... well I would wouldn’t I

I sold my T reg 1.6 Escort Mk2, pocketed the cash and started a long series of Ford company cars.  I loved it! Free petrol, I was earning 8k a year and was given a car and a petrol card... awesome!


When this one went back I got an E Reg two door estate 1.4L replacement  -  which was later replaced with a GReg 1.6GL 4 Door (estate again).


Well played, an amazing purchase.   I’m gonna follow this thread with interest!
 

He should think himself lucky that it wasn't a blue diesel Maestro.

Hey,  advertised the 'custom' 125 the other night, sold in minutes. The lad had it collected the next day, and within 24 hours he sent me this...
 

 
He got it going by using some spray, cleaned the contacts up for the battery then tore the bike down and stripped/painted all the rusty metal work and cleaned the rust off. Hats off to him, very impressed.

Today I rescued some of the model shite that has been living up at Ma's house in the loft.
Firstly the 1.24 section. I actually have more than this but couldn't be bothered to photo the others as memory on my phone is running out. Phone is long overdue a clean out.




I've had all of these cars for absolutley yonks. Probably over 15 years.
The Black 1.24 7-series was nabbed off eBay whilst I was looking for a reasonably-priced James Bond 1.24 scale 7-series and happened upon the Black one. Its a tad damaged in places sadly and the BMW badges have long since disappeared but it is very rare. I've not seen another one like it.
The 1.24 Plymouth/Chrysler Voyager was possibly an eBay purchase (?) I used to have a white one many years ago bought from a Brussels toy shop but I broke the axles by mistake and it got lost with a load of other things of mine over the mists of time so had to buy a replacement.  Looking on eBay these days, its rare to impossible to find, there is one right now but for stupid money.
1.18 stuff. Again, I've got a few more cars than this, but these two are pretty special:








Made by Minichamps. These again were bought many years ago. I can't remember which I bought first, but the Black e34 535i was bought quite cheaply due to lack of bids. The 7-series made up for the cheapness of the 5-series costing something like £80 including postage.
They are absolutely excellent models. Highly detailed. I gave the 5-series a polish as the 7-series was already gleaming and clean. They both still have thier original boxes. 
I also have 1.43 Vitesse models of the Mitsubishi Carisma, Mk1 Renault Megane saloon, Renault Kangoo and a Mitsubishi Pajero.

WTF.

Made £255, somehow, but ok

Then almost immediately relisted. 700 Buy it Now. WHAT!!!1!!

Initial impressions time... 
As hoped it’sa very honest little car. Not immaculate, but far from ropey. In fact the engines and handling seem better than the old one!

Hard top is a nice bonus... but easy to remove... 
Interior is superb! They’ve had it retrimmed... 

It comes with lots of history too... and this is where it gets interesting.... 
It was supplied new Fromm Mazda dealership in Chester... to a man who loves round the corner from my last house (about 3 1/2 miles from where I live now!) It has spent its entire life owned in North Wales, has had two different personalised plates on it. It’s never had an advisory on an mot, and it feels like it’s been cared for. In short... it’s far too good for me!!
Good little blast today on essential duties to buy Beer for the Wales vs England rugby game...
 

Apparently the seller had more enquiries on the hard top than the rest of the car! 
MoT history was the swinging decision for me... it’s excellent!
Im the fourth... it genuinely feels a looked after car. 
Surprisingly little difference is the initial impression. But I’ll find out more as I go along...