dozeydustman

I’m having a lovely long weekend away. I’m in Mittenwald, Bavaria, almost on the border with Austria. Colin is also here making his usual demands. „Gib mir Vögel und Kastanien, Frau.“

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404884335515?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=uqYl52nwTxq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=4f_9xL4xSym&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I have driven a Mini, but when I was 18 and a bit more flexible than I currently am. It’s wasn’t comfortable but the position of the controls made it easier than the Golf. Size 15s on the tiny pedals was the hardest thing. Different bodies fit in different cars.

There’s a tiny bit of play in the axle supports on the bottom of the bin. Only a millimetre or so. Any rattles and the body of the bin acts as a huge echo chamber/sound box. Sounds like a barrier seal has failed or not been cleaned. Green waste bin juice is a great compost activator/tomato food.

I’m with you on this one. I can’t get behind the wheel of a Mk1 or Mk2 Golf without being forced into a foetal position with my knees around my ears. Mk3 was so much more spacious inside, if a little flabby on the road.

The Pug 504 started with 5-digit odo but at some point in the 70s it gained a 6th. I can’t find a precise date and could also be dependent on gauge manufacturers- Jaeger seem to be 5 digit and unbranded & Veglia 6 from pictures I’ve seen. Certainly by the time they used the instrument panel as also fitted to the early 1980s 104, Visa, C15 and first dash Samba it was on 6 digits. The early 505 Break Familial my grandad bought new and passed on to mum and dad after a few years was certainly 6 digits.

It’s very much in use. Was smoking around Selsey & Sidlesham at lunchtime today.

Shonky conversion of an ice cream van into some kind of camper spotted near Goodwood.

After uncovering a gas pipe buried less than 3” deep in the front garden in November, and the subsequent faff getting SGN to drop it to the correct depth, I finally have off road parking. The other side of the concrete path will be done once the weather remains fine and the grass isn’t like a marsh. Will be comfortable parking for 2 cars then, and not the crush we currently have. Citroen is in the garage.

Welcome! A 309 or 2 will often pique the interest of a fair number of regulars on here. One of my favourite 80s cars and a better steer than many of its class rivals - driven a few of them but never actually owned one. Looking forward to seeing more.

That’s a good plan, Sam!

Spent most of yeaterday trying to find the water ingress on the black Saab. The recent inclement weather certainly hasn’t been helping, and CaptainBoom thinks it was coming in from the real light clusters but I didn’t see any sign of old water ingress here. I also put a new aerial in but still no radio reception. Cannot locate the water ingress anywhere, but judging by the passenger side of the boot is wetter and has more surface rust I would say it’s either the hole the aerial pokes through in the rear wing, or the rearmost window in the C-pillar leaks somewhere. After reinstalling the aerial I squirted water all over the car with the hose and saw no ingress, and as the aerial retaining nut on the outside was barely finger tight I’m hoping that is problem solved. The boot carpets and fabric lining is out of the car so it can dry out. Meanwhile the last tonne of substrate for my driveway should be arriving today, hopefully by the end of the week it will be laid.

I’ll put myself in the ‘Maybe’ pile for this one.

Didn’t GL trim Mk2s have halogen (square) headlamps as well? It does boggle me somewhat how trim levels used to be worked out, especially when base models has a trim level which would normally indicate an amount of grandiose. ’Super’ was also often used to denote the ultimate misery spec,

Isuzu Bighorn. Austin Allegro SS. Apparently it meant ‘super sports’. Allegros weren’t bad cars but certainly not sporty. Many 1970s de Luxe trims normally meant base model. Fine if well specced but often meant rubber flooring and one external mirror.

My dad and his workmates loved hooning their HA around Trafalgar Square making it backfire to scare the pigeons. Being employees of GPO Telephones/Tittish Bellycom your phone bill money was wisely spent.

I would like to nominate this as Feb 2025 calendar shot

Congratulations. Amélie is gorgeous.

Up to 1989/90. I drove an ‘88 Hiace when I worked at Brands Hatch which was a 5-speed column shift. It was like this one but snot green. I think the column shift carried on in Asian market Hiaces for a few years after. Bedford/Vauxhall Midi was certainly column shift until very late in production. Column shifters had a better action than floor.

Where did you get yours? I could do with one

Did a swim this morning (600m) then set about sorting the absolute mess that is my shed. Picked up 3 4ft x 2ft 12mm ply sheets last week to make tool boards. Some crappy Amazon terry clips arrived over the weekend so I set about sorting things after lunch. 2 are in the shed holding up my racking and the hand tools I can find, I’m missing a set of 3 G-cramps, a panel saw and a shitload of screwdrivers. They’re probably in the garage, the shelves in which are equally messy, the third sheet of ply will become a tool board in the garage, but for that I shall need more clips and hooks. I’ll get some better terry clips this time though.

Magnette ZA(?) and Morris Traveller going mouldy in Selsey

Fairly productive morning. I helped @Scrap find the water ingress on the black Saab. All seals are good so at first this was confusing. I messaged @CaptainBoom if he knew of anywhere he’d noticed damp getting in and he noticed it was near the CD changer in the boot. Carpet is out and drying in the garage, and cause of leak identified- it’s the radio aerial of all places. Not the grommet around the mounting hole but the telescopic bit itself. Gonna order a new one as it’s £15 or thereabouts. Motor still works but aerial is not attached. Had a look at restoring the SID as well. The unit is easy enough to pull out the dash but involves soldering a plastic ribbon to the circuitboard and the display. I can’t find my ultra-fine soldering iron so that’s another back burner job. The it started raining so i tidied the shed and took yet another load of old crap to the dump. Tomorrow I’ll be making a toolboard each for the garage and the shed.

A run up to my folks and back had shown better fuel economy after the mini service and brake pad replacement and also the repair (albeit temporary) to the vacuum pipe for the wastegate actuator. I was averaging 47-49mpg indicated for the overall run, on return yesterday I had averaged an indicated 52.3mpg. I still need to change the vacuum lines between the vac pump and the wastegate actuator. What is annoying is the barbs on both take a 3mm internal diameter rubber hose. The metal and plastic pipes they connect to have 4mm and 5mm barbs so the official rubber hoses are 3mm ID at one end and 5mm ID at the other. I did order some supposedly 3mm ID silicone heatproof pipe but it’s a loose fit on the 3mm barbs and a tight, almost impossible fit on the 5mm barbed swan neck. I don’t want to tear the ends of the hose, so I’m thinking of replacing the plastic lines with 3mm OD metal pipe, putting a barb or bead at each end with a flaring tool and joining the ends to the actuator and vac pump with heatproof hose. Or I could internet search for the correct parts….

King of Queens is equal in terms of absolute dross. About as funny as receiving a kick to the one string banjo.