warch

Never knew Kevin Keegan was into hot rods.

I'm the tall one with the strada/ritmo. Think I've posted b4, but hey ho.

Seat Cordoba...

Also available as a Vario (Estate):

Or the really fetchin SX Coupe:

Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin

 
and on the same theme, but probably not a UK model, the Pajero EVO

Remember the Toyota Picnic?

No, neither do I*.
(*obs I do remember them otherwise how would I be able to write this post?)

That's typical VAG. Beautifully engineered* but somehow needing to be half rebuilt in middle age.

I do, plus fix any niggle that needs fixing, it drives me to distraction, I don't own new cars, but what I have has to be properly serviced and maintained, just this week I've fitted a new clock spring to my daughters i20, a new PAS pump to my E Class and a new door lock mechanism to the wife's RCZ,  none of the items were strictly necessary right now but they needed doing, they have all had their deferred servicing by their previous owners brought up to date (merc excepted as its had everything), I just like it that way, I have had very few breakdowns and i know nothing stupid is going to cause a FTP within reason, yes it costs money but its money well spent.

My old Mini 1275 was dreadful for that. I got round it by connecting a second battery to the coil when starting from cold.

Could it have been as simple as the battery not having enough juice to spin the starter and spark the plugs at the same time?  Glad the car is fixed.  

Actually they were originally intended to allow you to insert four packs of fruit flavoured yoghurt straight into the boot without leaving the car.

For most applications though a driven front axle will just add a lot of weight and driveline drag. MAN has a fancy new technology called hydradrive or something where the front wheels can be driven hydraulically, on demand, at low speeds, which seems a clever compromise.
Those agri tractors look neat though.
The MB Zetros hasn't been a massive sales success for either overlanding or military/government uses, I haven't come across any in RHD flavour or otherwise sold over here. I guess the Unimog is preferred in most of those applications.

Never seen a metallic green Dinky. I'm guessing that it is a factory trial. I have the bronze in jewel light and solid light and various box version. I also have one example of the rare red one. I hve all the Scalextrics.
and here's a few 1275s and Clubmans from my collection










 
 
 
 
 
 

But do have all these, twice-over for my sins

I can never really work out where the market is for some vehicles. A 4x4 tractor unit designed specifically for agricultural use sounds ridiculously niche to me, so the market must be quite small. On the other hand, I mean look at it coolest looking thing ever. I think it has extra hitches for 5th wheel and ag trailers as well as a PTO for actual fieldwork. 
 
Behold!



Btw farmers overseas do often use trucks for off field haulage in favourable (dry) conditions, it was even done in the UK by some operators.

I paid quite a bit more  I think the £20 is just for them to supply and fit the bare bearing races to the new diff, not fit the whole thing in the diff casing and set up the clearances/backlash etc.
But £20 seems like a no-brainer for new bearings. Especially as when I was there I parked next to the skip, and saw the empty packets...all decent branded stuff.

Drop them a line if youre interested, I found them very patient with my questions.
Today's first job was putting in the diff. Easy task, although noticeably heavier than the old one (or I'm getting weaker!) The next thing was the driveshafts. These are apparently a bit of a weak point on Series LRs, and the new ATB only comes in the later 24 spline pattern, not the Series 10 spline type. So new halfshafts needed.

These are a constant diameter rather than necking down after the splined part, plus are made from a pretty high grade of alloy steel (I remember it from my heat treatment days). You can also see a bit of spline wear on the old shafts.
The new shafts also need matching hub flanges, which were pretty cheap...

...and easy to slide into place.

So, what difference has it made? Firstly the rumble on the overrun has gone, as so has a lot of the drivetrain slop. I think that a combination of the pinion and crown wheel clearance, and spline wear was to blame.
And the ATB? Well, a standard 2 and a quarter is going to struggle to leave two black lines on tarmac, so I had to settle for leaving two brown lines on a wet grassy hill!

This is just in 2WD, and I could previously barely get anywhere until engaging 4WD. No adverse effects noticed, it just drives like you're on a much grippier surface.

Here's the info.
https://ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/product/ashcroft-atb/
It's a fair bit cheaper than the similar Truetrak, but I can't find anyone reporting problems with it - all the comments seem positive.  Note that it sounds like you may notice it slightly in the front.

As I keep mentioning, I was worried I'd snap another stud, especially this one:

But in the end it came undone in a bit of an anticlimactic way! I just gave it a testing tap with a spanner, and it cracked loose straight away. So I figured I may as well start the job. A few minutes later it was all off, and new studs in.

Then manifold back on, which took a bit of jiggling.

I could then move on to the exhaust. Quality seems OK, not top notch but better than the old one. That didn't even fit particularly well, as the tailpipe was very close to the rear tyre.

And the PO had to make up an additional bracket to fit it to the chassis mounts!

But it still knocked on the chassis on startup and switching off, as I realised when taking the gearbox out.
The new one went on pretty easily, with more clearance all round...



...and attached to the new manifold.

Awaiting the first startup, but I need to cut out a new carb gasket, and I've come inside to warm up!

Try and find a car wash working out of a derelict petrol station, leave the car looking absolutely filthy, if there’s no stains on the seat remember to piss yourself - buyers look for this, seal it in with spilling some really milky coffee everywhere and chuck a series of Monster tins in the footwells. Take the photo at dusk if at all possible and have some of your mates legs in joggers and Nike Airs stood in the background. Blob out the number plate to stop any would be buyers from discovering you’ve tested it this morning and it’s failed on ‘dense Blue smoke’
Don’t waste time with really long descriptive adverts, nobody likes a wordsmith. Switch the predictive text off and use a few choice phrases buyers like such as ‘pulls like a train in 3rd’ or ‘does 80 in 2nd’. If possible reject the conventions of the exchange of money for objects and offer to swap it for something. 
When they offer to come round to view the car insist on communicating solely in the medium of sms, decline all calls. Be as flexible as possible, willingly cancel any meetings you might have for Job Centre sanctions or running baggies about. Then when they arrive look at the floor as a pack of 6 arrive to emulate Ari Vatanen, each one absolutely whoring the life out of it on a test drive that involves each one repeatedly giving it both bollocks flat out starts followed by some really heavy handed erratic ‘tests’ in a car park. Ideally submit to an offer of 30% of the asking price after you nipped in for a piss and when you got back the expansion tank was full of oil. 

Why do people turn up mob heavy to view a car? Even if it’s not for sale!
 
I just bought a bmw e30 few years ago, following sunday I had 5 burly blokes in football kits stood at the foot of my drive asking me what I’m doing with it and if it’s for sale (it wasn’t and isn’t). 
 
The last car I tried to sell (and never again for  the fear aspect of it) was a mk 1 seat Toledo sxe 8v,  was a nice one tbf . A absolute knuckle dragger of a guy turned up with WAG in tow, goes on test drive screams it up to 95 on a ring road close by told him to calm it down and if breaks you’ve bought it. Gets back to where I’m selling it and complains about the mayo in the oil filler cap (100% condensation no HGF on this as it was stood a while) to the point he is so irate I think I’m going to get smacked, his WAG calls him back and off he goes…. But not before a mouthful of abuse…Miserable dark drizzle filled November evening too… still makes me shudder about it as it was roadside advertised by a main rd and i was on my own.
 Sold it in the end to a baseball cap wearing beaver tail sort of character (still complained about the price) Cash on the hip never got another mot so prob dead or parts car. Shame really, as it looked great decent spec ;air con, half leather, basically a mk2 golf gti in a different body style.

One marque car enthusiasts are a bit peculiar. Mrs warch once insisted we visit a Land Rover show at Shepton Mallet in Mummerset. I was walking around looking at the sorts of people who are really into Landrovers and thinking 'Fucking hell is this really me?'*
*To be fair I might have been experiencing Only Gay in the Village Syndrome whereby I felt my uniqueness was diminished when in the company of fellow Landroverites. 
Regarding selling old cars, I much prefer buying older cars (or inheriting Mrs warchs hand-me-downs) and then using them until the wheels fall off. As previously alluded to, people are completely unrealistic about buying secondhand cars and won't accept that they are buying something that is really at or close to the end of its economic life. 
 

One marque car enthusiasts are a bit peculiar. Mrs warch once insisted we visit a Land Rover show at Shepton Mallet in Mummerset. I was walking around looking at the sorts of people who are really into Landrovers and thinking 'Fucking hell is this really me?'*
*To be fair I might have been experiencing Only Gay in the Village Syndrome whereby I felt my uniqueness was diminished when in the company of fellow Landroverites. 
Regarding selling old cars, I much prefer buying older cars (or inheriting Mrs warchs hand-me-downs) and then using them until the wheels fall off. As previously alluded to, people are completely unrealistic about buying secondhand cars and won't accept that they are buying something that is really at or close to the end of its economic life.