Conan

As a huge fan of low cost big liability thread this makes me sad.

Yesterday this happened. Shock absorber isn't blown anymore. Now it now needs the steering rack rubber mount, an alignment and the brake distributor valve. You know when this started, sometime it wouldn't go, it wouldn't stay cool, it wouldn't stop, it wouldn't steer when you want, it would steer when you not want, it bounces around, there's no tunes, and it looks kind of shit. I haven't fixed all of that yet but completion seems very near. Still 100% shite though.

Cold? It's a 30c day so it's a lukewarm start. At first it died because no choke and I didn't pump the accelerator to put fuel down the bowl like a fool. I won't do a Chris Goffey though. I'll Woollarding.

It should be clear that I am not hubnut.

Welding and painting here can cost between £600-£2,000 depending on how good you want it. Indeed it'd be cheaper to do it here. Another £1,500-£2,500 and the running gear/engine can be fully sorted as well. But the philosophy of it from the start has been to use it as a banger and nothing more. The reason hairnet bought this is because even selling at a loss it is cheaper than rental, which we've found last year was actually quite tricky as well. The car is charming and all in it's imperfect glory but if the plan was gonna export something back I'm pretty sure he would have bought something else.

Nah, those are easy stuff. Don't forget that in the end this really is a sub-£1,000 banger being driven and maintain in the third world. It probably will need welding at few places. I would not know if any of the corrosion would fail the more strict MOT, it is in okay shape and would not bother me or MOT here. The suspension probably will need ball joints and bushings stuff. There are also many visible and audible leaks from various components and there's no rear seatbelt. It also doesn't help that there's still quite a few 626 of this shape around in the UK (despite what's happened in Scotland). Sure, all of this could be fix, but at what cost? Like hairnet said, it is not special or nice enough for exporting to be worth it. After hairnet is done I'll make sure it goes to a good home. But sadly (or fortunately, as it is probably one of the few handful left here) it likely won't be emigrating. p.s. If you guys keep nagging hairnet to do it he might reconsider it. Of course I've told him he could export it and he called me insane. 😆

The most likely scenario is I'll buy it off hairnet after he's done. Bringing it back to the UK would be an awesome adventure but we'd be talking about spending what? £2-3,000 to bring at best an £800 car home. Shipping cost and taxes is one thing, but to make it pass UK MOT would be a huge hassle as well.

I've done nothing, move along.

This new stereo will not play anything post-1992. Not under my watch.

This radio is period correct and all, but the on/off button is missing and the cassette doesn't work. So, I went on the internet and ordered a cheap new stereo that doesn't look completely shit last week and it arrived today. Mad colour matching and wire soldering and boom now the car has SD Card/USB/Bluetooth/3.5mm Aux support. It might not be completely period correct but it works great and looks kind of correct. It even sounds a bit what I'd imagine the 1980's sounds like. VID_20200520_145012_2.mp4

The bastard thing died on me yesterday. First FTP. I was driving down the motorway going to Department of Transport to get logbook update. It suddenly loses power going slowly, or going quickly for that matter. I nursed it to a safe location and called motorway service breakdown mechanic. The ignition system seems alright, as I've pretty much changed everything in that regard. It only dies when it's really hot. They found that the carb is dirty and fuel filter is old. Seems fuel is not getting in. I nursed the car off the motorway with much difficulty. 10km where the car would run only for few hundred meters at time before losing all power. I got off the motorway and removed the fuel filter making the hose going through directly. It still wouldn't go properly although it was driving better. I nursed the car a few km more and decided maybe I should get it towed. But then a shabby looking garage was spotted and so I let them diagnose the car. I have to say the garage might looks incredibly shabby and outdated, proper old school no health and safety stuff. But the carb was cleaned and reassembled in less than an hour . It was also found that the electric fuel pump which some mechanic* in the past mounted to the engine cylinder head and receiving all the heat from it was dying. New used fuel pump was sourced, along with new fuel filter and fuel hoses. It runs great now but the throttle cable seems a bit loose so I'll have to go back again. Also today I vacuum the interior which makes all the difference. Now the car runs better than it has ever been. Hopefully the running issue won't come back. The air-con is staying cold also I guess that is a win.

Done: Replaced headlight bulb just because I got some for free. Test the stereo, radio works but cassette doesn't. Ordered new stereo system which will take a while. Aircon regas. It's blows cold, iceberg cold. The system's already been converted to r134a. Wait and see how long it gonna last. Not Done: Getting the logbook updated. Blown Rear Shock Absorber. Vacuum the interior. Maybe some paint touch ups on bumpers. The list is getting smaller!

Yes, it's not easily seen in picture because of the tint (which is coming off as soon as the air-con is fixed). Maybe I should do something about third stop light lens too which lose it's redness.

I was brought home in a car incredibly similar to this one in the pic. 1985 Toyota Corolla 4-door.

This went quiet innit. Been quite busy. Done: Replaced driver side seatbelt. Replaced parking lamp bulb. Change PCV valve. Change engine oil. Change brake fluid. Painted rear badges. More Italian Tune Up. Dash Cam. Not Done: Getting the logbook updated. Blown Rear Shock Absorber. Air Conditioning Regas. Distributor Cap. Vacuum the interior. Maybe some paint touch ups on bumpers. Test Stereo. Charging ports. A lot of the works done aren't even in the original plan. And the list ain't getting smaller for some reason. 😆