Amishtat

The keen eyed amongst you may note that the second of these posts dates from after the weekend...
The weekend was a pain in the hole, with the car increasingly uninterested in continuing it's survival and repeatedly obnoxiously trying to set itself on fire.

So, crucially, the oil and coolant are currently staying in their correct locations with the new head gasket fitted. This is good.
However the car would not run off it's reinstalled fuel tank, having been gravity fed since the engine was installed. Largely as no fuel was getting to the engine bay. So a brand new mechanical fuel pump was fitted. Still nothing. So an electric one was fitted, nothing.
Blew out the line with the air gun. Now we had fuel (brownish) but loads of air. Too much for it to run. Then we had no fuel again. Blew out the lines again. Now we had fuel all over the floor.

I had it in my head the line under the car was one single piece, but apparently it was two or three. I forget which. The pressure of the air gun blew out the rubber hose joining the sections together.
So the whole line was ripped out and replaced with a single piece copper one.
Now we had fuel, and water. Turns out sitting the car outside with the petrol cap off was silly. Obviously remembered this after having put 10L of fresh fuel in it...
Syphoned it all out with the electric pump powered by a battery and left it for the water to settle to the bottom for re-syphoning. Then rinsed the tank out with acid.

With the whole system reinstalled we had fuel. All the fuel. Way too much fuel.
As soon as the float bowl was full it'd spill petrol out of the inlet hose on the carb. At 2,000rpm it was blasting it all over the place uncontrollably. Extra uncontrollably as I'd accidentally wired the ignition switch into the permeant live side of the fuse box so it'd not shut off on the key. Pulling the battery also did nothing as it was now running off the alternator. Choked it to death with my hand over the air intake...
Much umming and aaahing was done. The pumps are supposed to be 3 psi and are limited by being so weak they can't overcome the seated needle in the float bowl. However the new pumps are utter shite and could have been assembled with any spec of spring so who knows. A functioning situation was developed by using the electric pump again, which seems to be suitably pathetic. The on/off switch definitely isn't two wires twisted together under the dash either.
The window wiper spindle I broke was also replaced. This was shit as I had to take the dash out, again.

The arm was fubar though so the car now has a single wiper on the driver's side. #racespec
All of the electrical systems were also rigged up and checked. It all works with the exception of one headlight, which briefly worked on dipped and is now dead and the indicators which illuminate but don't flash.
The tyres were even blacked a hubcap fitted and the windscreen washed, so it's essentially ready for Pebble Beach.

Quick run over with the buff.




Gasket will be on tomorrow so fingers crossed it should be ready to go this weekend.

Same story slightly further south. Hadn't looked for a couple of weeks but it was worth the trip today. Wasn't too bothered about the Golf or Civic very much but they happened to be there too. 

 

Same story slightly further south. Hadn't looked for a couple of weeks but it was worth the trip today. Wasn't too bothered about the Golf or Civic very much but they happened to be there too. 

 

Went into Tesco and had a browse at the matchbox in there, surprisingly there actually was some, but nothing I really wanted- so I had a quick look at the premiums and:

It's only a bloody Capri! Didn't think I'd ever see one, really happy with it.

Same story slightly further south. Hadn't looked for a couple of weeks but it was worth the trip today. Wasn't too bothered about the Golf or Civic very much but they happened to be there too. 

 

Easier than expected, as in they weren't where I thought they'd be so didn't waste an hour bungling round in the loft to no avail.  First two are from the day it arrived (I don't think I've been as excited about anything from that day to this) and the other two from a few days later once it was washed but before its collection of mechanical woes had taken the wind out of my sails. Don't buy them without driving them first, kids... Hard to believe that was nineteen years ago but there we are. 
 

I received a reply while idly picking my nose, which is one of those details that I probably shouldn't have mentioned. 
"Good evening. Yes the car is still available. There has been no interest because nobody likes them."
This was very unexpected. 
After wiping my current haul of nose gold onto a piece of kitchen roll, which was then thrown into the bin which was almost sixteen feet away ON MY FIRST TRY, I sent a prompt and polite response. 
"Well fuck everyone else in the world that isn't me and you mate, I think it's lovely. If you can get an MOT on it, I'd be happy to buy it."
And so to today. 

 
 
Had a terrible dream where the pope was watching me have a poo. Can only get better from here. 

Boring update.
I've had the W210 now for eleven months, which I think is a personal best. It's been the best car I've ever had so I would be a fool to go and purchase anything else. 
Good morning. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a fool. 
 

 
It all started way back the day before last friday. I was using facebook for its intended purpose, reading up on obscure motor vehicles in a closed group for owners of an specific obscure motor vehicle that nobody likes and that I did not own. 
There was one for sale. It was sort of green. The advert was one year old. I thought to myself "well that's definitely sold. You can't even buy a kilogramme of cheese with the money he's asking for that obscure car that nobody likes. I'd better check though. Just to make sure."
So I drafted a polite and friendly message to the seller in the time honoured fashion:
IS THIS STILL AVAILABLE? (send)

Same story slightly further south. Hadn't looked for a couple of weeks but it was worth the trip today. Wasn't too bothered about the Golf or Civic very much but they happened to be there too. 

 

Same story slightly further south. Hadn't looked for a couple of weeks but it was worth the trip today. Wasn't too bothered about the Golf or Civic very much but they happened to be there too. 

 

Easier than expected, as in they weren't where I thought they'd be so didn't waste an hour bungling round in the loft to no avail.  First two are from the day it arrived (I don't think I've been as excited about anything from that day to this) and the other two from a few days later once it was washed but before its collection of mechanical woes had taken the wind out of my sails. Don't buy them without driving them first, kids... Hard to believe that was nineteen years ago but there we are. 
 

Same story slightly further south. Hadn't looked for a couple of weeks but it was worth the trip today. Wasn't too bothered about the Golf or Civic very much but they happened to be there too. 

 

Where did you do this, and was he singing "Little Arows" as you went round?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275288043837?hash=item401872313d:g:qXQAAOSwAWRiZbzW

... and another cheap Volvo 145:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224956658563?hash=item3460763383:g:jV0AAOSw~FJiZvcT

Cheap Volvo 145...


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294952195460?hash=item44ac855584:g:5mIAAOSwjJViaVJU