Schaefft

Ah a local. Staithes Garage has worked on my W140 and recommended me to just get another one because of the work needed lol. I guess my and their standards are quite different, the guy I spoke to knows his stuff though.

Seems like it has already sold?

Ordered the parts on Autodoc now. 83 quid incl. delivery. Toyota wanted 47 quid for the belt alone lol. Lets see how long it'll take to arrive, glad Im in no hurry...

Some news! Not much has happened recently. I've replaced the faulty ABS sensor on the Lincoln which fixed all the related issues, was fairly straight forward aside from having to heat the bolt for 5mins before it came out. I'm also currently investigating some fuel supply issues on the Merc. The control module controlling the fuel pump shutoff relay is known to have failing capacitors, hopefully having them replaced sorts out my hard starting issues which are only getting worse, independently from what the battery is doing. I have also started taking the Corona's engine apart to get the timing belt driven waterpump out. The belt and pulleys are all looking excellent despite being original most likely. So is the waterpump, the bearing is completely shot however. Its so bad that it must have leaked through there actually. I'll call the dealer tomorrow to find out how much they want for the belt, otherwise I'll buy it all on Autodoc which has very reasonable prices for OEM supplier brand parts, about 90 quid all in incl. pulley/tensioner. Naturally, getting there was an absolute pita, with the situation not being improved with this being a RHD car that has it's brake master cylinder right next to the damn timing cover. Engine mount, alternator and braket had to come out, power steering reservoir and all kinds of hoses and wires moved out of the way. Without removing the master cylinder I just about got the cover out, which was probably the hardest part of this whole ordeal. I actually had to use my Dremel to grind some of the plastic next to the bolt away to even get a spanner on there. Wtf was Toyota thinking?? This photo shows how much space there is. Jacking up the engine helps a lot getting a few extra mm of clearance here and there. Ah, the infamous Toyota waterpump gaskets... So the sludge I've suddenly seen appearing (and originally letting me assume the worst) really must be just old gunk that suddenly reappeared in the system. You can see how bad the thermostat got caked in it. The solution was pretty straight forward. Take pressure washer, aim at radiator fill neck, ziptie the trigger and let her rip. That should have done the trick, I got clear water out of it in the end. The thermostat is almost identical to the new original Toyota one (so probably still the original one), both open at the same temps. Yet the new one is longer. It fits without issues so I doubt theres anything wrong with it, just odd. And thats it for now. Hopefully I can install the new parts in about 2 weeks or so, and my markings on the cam gear are accurate enough to not cause any timing issues. At least its a non-interference engine...

The thing is, it did struggle occasionally with this before, however I was able to use all 4 gears without issues when I owned it, no slipping, no hard shifts. I highly doubt there would be a mechanical issue, the gearbox just detects "something" is wrong, which probably is a pressure fault, and just plays safe. And no, I doubt the fluid was changed for a very long time.

That's very unusual, does it only shift between the two?

Excellent progress, its almost at the state I've sold it in again😂 My dad is still in search of a box that can hold the calipers without one suddenly disappearing during shipping. Hopefully that'll be another puzzle piece to the return of this fine machine.

R129 only had a little over 50k miles, it was absolutely pristine. Also the Lancia Flavia is probably one of the more obscure FCA products. The Towncar has the same Ivory Pearlescent as my Mark VIII but despite being clean the owner clearly is struggling to keep it that way. Also a red 146 which is always a great sight.

Trip to northern Italy has resulted in some great spots. What's the chance of seeing an Alfa 155 right next to it's sibling, a Fiat Tempra? The Merc was in pretty rough condition despite possibly being a genuine V12. Fiat Coupe was just a 16V but great color.

A few spots from around Milan and lake Garda.

I've been saving up over the last few months to finally get an E39 M5. Them mostly being around 20+ grand now (making saving for them not easy) and the fact that I haven't seen one in a spec I liked (Avus Blue with Caramel interior, or at least not grey or blue) means it might take a little while. Long term I want a V8 Lexus LC500. It's the only new car Im genuinely interested in and probably the last in a long line of NA V8 grandtourers. 50k is still a lot of money, prices are currently pretty stable, too. Until then it's not unlikely that I will finally find a decent 2nd gen Legend Coupe or maybe even a 1st gen Infiniti Q45. Way into the future: The Lucid Air and Rivian R1T really seem to live up to their promises. Maybe eventually... Plus all the other random cars that will pop up until then...

Tempted. Wcpgw?

Making progress! Great to see that it didn't take much, we need more updates!

And apparently google maps now has fresh images from around my area...

My Aurora at the previous owner's house: And some of my cars at my old flat: You can even see them from space: