Amishtat

Yes, it's Huggy.  Yes I have a heavy heart, and will for some time I suspect, but the contents of my new thread will soften the blow somewhat.  I managed not to cry, at least.
 

One for @LightBulbFun and someone else who mentioned it.
Dad's Land Rover currently wears a set of fairly minging cheap pressed numberplates, which have the wrong spacing and font and just look a bit crap. While I love the black plates on my P6 because they match the front end trim, I don't think they suit a blue Land Rover.
Luckily, the previous owner has just dug these out of his shed!

These are believed to be its original plates, in matching condition to the rest of the car. They'll suit it perfectly.

I have spent a good half hour on that Zodiac toys website and it’s a GOLDMINE of 80’s toy tat, not just got the lads, wives and girlfriends will love this too!
https://zodiactoys.wordpress.com/instore-displays/


Any way check out these fabulous photos, better than any Easter egg this Sunday 👍

Batman Corgi gift sets?

Batteries not included….

MC Toys? Yatming? This display must resemble @bunglebus spare room 😉

Superkings anyone?

Post meltdown Corgis

 
Britains display would be worth a bomb today.

Finally the MOTHERLODE 😳 Inagine being stood in awe for half hour before carefully squandering your birthday money 🤣

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/borgward-isabella-combi-1960-oldtimer-/2080691961-216-1150
Ich spreche Deutsch, Niederländisch und Englisch.
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125228064636?hash=item1d282c9f7c:g:p5wAAOSwUtpiQfPg

Not been happy with the 240.
The wheel balancing was off thanks to the mobile fitter's van not being calibrated. The tracking was out a bit - although it was hard to tell since the wheel was wobbling so much.  I really really hate tracking being out. The sunroof had magically jammed itself into a slightly open position meaning it was constantly draughty. On top of that I was nervous driving it because of a very loud main fuel pump that made me think it's about to die at any second.
I decided to replace the pump.



Result? The new pump is quiet, but the car wouldn't start. I tried to tune the pressures from scratch as they didn't look right, but I'd come back 5 minutes later and the settings had shifted. Wtf? That's not right at all.
Verdict:it's DOA. With the new pump in, the pressures are all over the place and the gauge swings around like a faulty compass. It also won't hold rest pressure, dropping to zero almost instantly. Basically the car starts 1 try out of 10 and runs like a bag of shite when it does go.
While the car was tilted for me to access the pump, I noticed a very small drop of petrol leaking from the filler neck where it meets the tank.

That o-ring is not seated properly but a good smack with a hammer down onto the filler sorted that out.
That may be the cause of the noisy pump after all, since the tank is meant to be airtight. Could this be one step closer?
I put the old pump back on. I had to spend bloody ages tuning the car from scratch again as I'd messed it up earlier.
And wouldn't you know it the old pump is now silent!
What's more the car runs a lot better. One flick of the key and it starts. Furthermore it feels like I've gained about 50bhp. Previously 80mph on the motorway was something you'd have to circle on a calendar, but now it's a mere blip of the throttle away.  I'm not sure yet but I think the economy is a little better as well.
Gave the roof liner a clean as it was utterly howling and the car smelled like a derelict shed.

 
Shiny and nice smelling!

The sunroof turned out to be a very simple fix of taking the handle off and adjusting the small gearbox it goes into.
I took the wheels off and left them at national tyres, £6 a side for balancing. That'll do. The guy tried to offer me a welding job and buy the 205 off me..
Stuck the wheels back on and redid the fishing line wheel alignment.
A lot of small jobs done, but what a massive difference it is to have a car that smells nice, starts easily, drives straight and quiet and goes like stink when you want it to!
I liked this car even when it drove like shit. Now I'm absolutely hooked on it. 

One day I will fix the ride height, but that may be a date with a cutting disc.

Couple of late afternoon snaps
 

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/opel-diplomat-v8-kombi-einzigartig-einmalig-von-vogt-gerda-/2078948812-216-4843
 

A few recent diecast additions:

Of course, as soon as @bunglebussent me a couple of LS400s I start finding plenty of them in the local shops. Thought I'd better get an extra one, just in case....
I may well already have one or two of the Integra in different colours, but I think they look really good.
1:24 plastic keeps turning up too:

This is a really nice kit, might start it quite soon.

Couldn't resist this oddball. I can imagine they'd be a great thing to have at 1:1, a good alternative to a Berlingo etc.

Platz is a Yaris/Vitz with a boot. Sadly I missed out on getting a Vitz kit recently. Wire wheels and lowrider parts will be handy for the parts box. Great to see the Matchbox logo on the Hilux kit, I've already made a start on that one:

No plans to do the boat at present, it may come in useful for a future build. Limited parts count and it's snap-fit, but it goes together nicely and looks to be well-proportioned.

As it is at present, hopefully will be getting some red topcoat on it over the Easter weekend. I want to to build it as close as possible to a stock UK/Euro-spec example, as a loose replica of an immaculate example owned by a local, wealthy businessman who has a collection of 4wd Hilux single-cabs. Found some appropriate steel wheels in a Land Cruiser kit and I'm making some other mod's to bring it back to stock.

Way back in darkest Covid times (8/8/20) I bought this Dinky Beach Buggy with a view to doing something about the missing roll hoop and improving the paint scheme

Well I think this is an improvement. Made a filler panel for the area behind the seats, this also forms the attachment for the rear of the base via a tube with a screw into it. Roll hoop made out of a bit of steel wire I had laying around, windscreen was cut from a larger one out of a lorry or some such, and paint is the stuff intended for painting your nan's old sideboard to make it look modern...
Wheel rims got a polish and the engine and seats got a black wash to make them look more realistic. 
Pleased with this one.

Yvonne DeCarlo from The Munsters.  Note the coffin handles and spider web graphics 

I now have vibration white finger.

It looks solid but I have found some more STRUCTURAL TIN FOIL and various other crimes against motoring. 

The SE is a funny old thing. A run out special but the grey interior and veneer on the dash is unique to that model.
I was lucky enough to see the sole surviving 1300SE prototype at a car show in Dumfries many years ago.

1500SE spec but with the 1300 engine, finished in Denim metallic blue and with a vinyl roof and bumper underriders. 
 

2 coats of primer slapped on.

Couple of small bits needing tweaked that I'd missed but nothing major.
 

Today I took my radio controlled 1/10th GMC crawler out for some slow speed thrills, its a bit of a home brew on a steel chassis and is too heavy really, but it has phenomenal torque and hill climbing ability - it is however bloody slow 🤣 Locked diffs and coil over shocks on each corner, 540 motor and transmission in the middle and battery and steering servo both over the front axle for weight distribution. It still cocks a front wheel in the air regardless! You can happily go up to about 60 degrees before it wants to cartwheel backwards. 


The truck is a GMC K10 replica, it has a lexan (clear plastic vacuum formed) Jconcepts shell, which is supplied clear and you spray from the inside. It will scuff, but it’s pretty flexible when you crash it. This means the white stripe and chrome were masking inside out and right pain, before the green was sprayed over the top - but from the inside! I then weathered the outside of the lexan and sealed with a flat top coat. It’s a scale 10 footer 😉 
These tyres are just for trailing and not great for hill climbing as the gentle tread pattern isn’t ideal - the 8 spokes are proper split rim beadlock stop the tyres spinning in the rims to keep the traction coming. They also rub the arches as the diameter is too large really.

Up fairly early to enjoy the smell of cheap burgers and Vicks Vap-o-rub at the boot sale. As ever, you can buy everything but the...

...oh OK.
A suprising number of people selling toilets and parts of too.
First, bigger sale didn't turn up much of interest, I saw a plastic Buddy L for too much the other week but found this one for 30p, not quite the same one as this has working lights

I'll give that a clean up and test this afternoon. 
Bought these two for £1 each, shame about the cracked screen on the Merc but I do have donor cars. I can't see how it's happened either, almost looks like it happened at the factory


Moving on to the 10am start sale, found a couple of sellers with lots of cars all at 50p or less. Don't often pick up moden Hot Wheels as I have so many but these either caught my eye or will be engine/wheel donors

I have a handful of these Happy Meal ones with lights to get working again

Blackwall color changer

a few Matchbox, Corgi and Majorettes

Bigger stuff, scored all these for 50p each. Especially Happy with the SD1

I was collected

I now own this beauty

Now to drive 4 hours home!

Sup chod-lovers?
This nice 205 GT was the only thing of interest I photographed whilst in France (for the first time in years!) last month

A pleasingly ropey left-hooker Merc in Gary Cox's neck of the woods

Terrible picture alert, but this might be the best car I've ever seen on the road. a 510 coupé (!) in beige. Absolutely stonking.

A pair of commercial Austins (actually, that's a Morris isn't it?)

This crappy old L300 inexplicably has the lyrics to Jesse Winchester's 'Black Dog' (as made famous by Babe Ruth) on the rear door. Mental. That's one of my favourite songs of all time and I've never met anyone else who has heard it (the original) so I sort of want to meet this guy but also sort of definitely don't

A very tidy GS break was a most welcome sight

As was thism which I'm sure you'll agree is 'proper'

The Marina and the next three were all within a few yards of each other, although unconnected



You'll have to use your imagination, but this is three Citroen BXs buried 'Cadillac Ranch' style in the ground in somebody's garden

And this is a Volvo with the sun behind it

Cheers!

One of the very last of the 200 series, an L reg 240.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125248937205?hash=item1d296b1cf5:g:FCMAAOSw~eViUFy8

 

Not a car but you absolutely need to read this when you have a spare half hour 😆
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154933141682?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=jWZXRwBMT6W&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=kZ4qvE-gTnu&var&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY&fbclid=IwAR2_OtB0WzAs9BXTm28joUy5C94x6dz7li2cj3Zej-2mS-hTDKD8CpEAC1k