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Jenson Velcro

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  1. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to vulgalour in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    *incoherent excited yelling and pointing*

    *image stabilisation has no power over my excitement*

    TWELVE YEARS I've been waiting for this to happen!  An Ambassador encountered totally randomly in the wild.  Mike, the owner of the Ambassador, was so surprised to see the Princess as he was leaving and I was arriving that he turned around and came back specifically to say hello.
     
    I am inordinately excited and I refuse to contain myself.
  2. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Joey spud in The new news 24 thread   
    I found this little union jack flag and bunged it on the Minor yesterday. When that black dog is constantly looking over my shoulder little tasks like this brighten my mood.
  3. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to grizz in Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙, VW Caddy Van 🚐 Now a Green Toad 206 CC 🐸   
    Drip feeding. 
     
    Too much of a good thing and all that. 
     
    Sunday was a slow day after all the rummaging around on Saturday. 
     
    But I was onto a bit of woodwork again 
     
    Being creative is a lot nicer than just moving stuff around. 
     
    I wanted to make a cab lifter again so that I could remove the cab from the chassis when I needed to work on the cab, on its roller jig. 
     
    So based on some photos I took years ago, I measured up, then found some lumber in the store. 
     

     
    Cut it all up to size as needed. 
     
    Dealt with a time waster who cost me over 90 minutes. 
    Changing from my garage clothes into jeans, trainers and hoody, before his 11.00 appointment, waiting for him, then getting called to say he had a flat wheel ( I have no doubt he is just a tardy timekeeper) and was running 30 minutes late, which turned into an hour late, ultimately not buying the car after some pretty dumb questions, and going to look at some other cars. 
     
    Wood cut up and ready, then assembled it. 
     
    Mickey popped in to supervise me and of course help while smoking a couple of smelly roll ups. At 78 he is still going strong. 
     

     
     
    VIDEO OF PROCESS. 
     
    https://youtu.be/W7P0pxKO3Eg?si=8jFOl4LZQFLaigjh
     
     
     
    Shut shop by 4.00pm as I had dinner being cooked and needed to spend time with Bonnie. 
     
    I also decided not to paint the lifting tool. 
     
     
    Famous last words. 
     
     
    By Monday afternoon I was on it, having dug out some old paint. One metal tin had rusted through the bottom before and was stood upside down on my paint shelf. And a plastic tub of what was left over of a purple/blue made perfect volunteers for random mixing 
     

     
    And done. 
     
    Pretty stupid but hey……. Makes me happy. 
     

     
     
    In the evening I took a look to see if there were any of the Little Tykes Woody cars for sale online. 
     
    A few popped up. 
     
    Clearly valued by some. 
     
    Me included. 
     
    And then some dreamers. 
     
    But of course if someone paid the price, I would be wrong. 
     

     
    Back to Bonnie. 
     
    Loves a ball. 
     
    Nonstop. 
     
    I try hiding them……
     
    Not a stupid dog. 
     

     
    Wednesday today. 
     
    Hump day. 
  4. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Conrad D. Conelrad in Benzin' (I want to get off Mr Benz Wild Ride)   
    Upthread I complained about my wheel trims and @AndyW201 mentioned that he had a set. Well, now I have a set. And what a difference they make!

    A side by side comparison with one of the old ones... they really were shamefully tatty. 

    I'm loving how it looks now. 

  5. Like
    Jenson Velcro got a reaction from groovylee in Incoming! Smoll green A series thing....   
    That’s a shame, but I’m the same. If I can get around and finish that’s a win in my eyes. Number 306, Launceston start. 
    Hope you have a good run and the weather gods are smiling.
    I’m just off outside to check the spares and sort the boot, and that’s all the prep I can think of  finished…….
     
  6. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to PhilA in 1966 Plymouth Fury 3   
    Just took a bit of a sabbatical from the computer. Life is beginning to return to normal around the house after three years so that's good, at least.
     
    Phil
  7. Haha
    Jenson Velcro reacted to fatharris in FatHarris - tales of a motoring moron ***More engine work***   
    Jesus, brief panic ensued in the work car park - popped out to get something from the Rover, and the fob wasn't working. Totally dead. Unlocked the door with the key and the alarm went off, and wouldn't stop.
     
    Had to run back into the building, prise the fob open, reseat the batteries and try again. Working now, but poo shot out.
  8. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to grizz in Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙, VW Caddy Van 🚐 Now a Green Toad 206 CC 🐸   
    Then Bubb responded to the question. 
     
    Trouble is, the c10 isn’t worth a great deal in a stripped down fashion…..once back together and driving, the price will massively increase….
    So worth putting it back together, and getting it up n running, even if it’s only to then sell it on.

    Or that’s how I see it…I could be wrong though
     
     
    And my reply was. 
     
    100% 

    Problem with this is exactly that. 

    There has been a huge increase in value simce I bought it. 

    Original price was £8000.00
    Today the same truck would be around £13000.00 
    Parts purchased pre-brexit, at a great exchange rate around £1.00 to $1.65 and brought in in ways to save money  means I have probably around £4000.00 already spent and sitting on shelves. 

    As you say @Bubb

    Nobody is going to give me what I have in it. 

    Optimistically £5000.00 would be lucky. 


    BUT……..

    For the sake of others’ understanding…….. 

    If I finished it to s high standard, like the Beetle above, it would probably be an £18000.00 to £24000.00 truck. 

    Depending on the way the wind blows on any given day. 

    It will be a lot of work to realise that money. 

    But the Mojo benefits are massively underrated. 


    And the kettle is always on.   
    PS.

    Of course I could fall in love with that lumpy cam I built into it when rebuilding the engine, the 2.5 inch Flownaster exhausts or running it through 3 inch cutouts.

    Or thr gleaming red paint, knowing that I built it and every nut and bolt went through my hands.
     
     
     
    Not sure any of this helps  
     
    But bite sized chunks, when you are ready  
     
     
  9. Like
    Jenson Velcro got a reaction from Bazfr69 in Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙, VW Caddy Van 🚐 Now a Green Toad 206 CC 🐸   
    I’m really pleased that you are getting on with sorting your garage and restarting the pickup project.
    My own garage has become a proper dumping ground for ‘stuff’. It frustrates me enormously and makes any job 10 times harder, yet I seem totally unable to motivate myself to sort it out.
    I’ve spent the past few months clearing my late mate’s garage and selling off his gear for his widow. It’s been really tough, especially dealing with the ‘special’ types that reply to adverts. I can’t bring myself to sort my own stuff even though in the long term it will improve my life enormously.
  10. Like
    Jenson Velcro got a reaction from grizz in Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙, VW Caddy Van 🚐 Now a Green Toad 206 CC 🐸   
    I’m really pleased that you are getting on with sorting your garage and restarting the pickup project.
    My own garage has become a proper dumping ground for ‘stuff’. It frustrates me enormously and makes any job 10 times harder, yet I seem totally unable to motivate myself to sort it out.
    I’ve spent the past few months clearing my late mate’s garage and selling off his gear for his widow. It’s been really tough, especially dealing with the ‘special’ types that reply to adverts. I can’t bring myself to sort my own stuff even though in the long term it will improve my life enormously.
  11. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to fatharris in FatHarris - tales of a motoring moron ***More engine work***   
    These updates almost feel daily at this point!
    Yesterday, I had a rare day off the tools, and instead had a day spent on the computer, sourcing more parts that have been discovered in poor shape. They'll be here at some point.
    Today, we had an actual break on the miserable weather, and even some sunshine! 

    Decided to crack on with the block again, stripping the last few bits off before it goes away for repair.
    Timing belt tensioner spring is the original! Suppose it's just a spring, the pulley itself is grumbling so that'll be changed.

    All the various mounting brackets etc were removed and I decided against the original plan of leaving the cylinder liners - as I had it pointed out to me, I've gone this far with it, so why stop there?
    Glad I did, as more evidence of mingebaggery by the previous owners became evident - clearly this has been run on water for ages.



    Thankfully it cleaned up pretty nicely.

    The water pump turned out to be the original too!

    I then spent a couple of hours cleaning up, cataloguing and boxing everything up from the block strip job, in order to make room for the head strip. Made decent progress in short order so I popped the head onto the clutter free workbench.

    This ended up being a rather pleasant job and the Haynes manual was pretty helpful in that regard for once.
    The camshaft seal was found to be U/S on removal so a new one will be ordered.


    In no time at all, the camshaft was off, cleaned and stowed in the driver's footwell for safekeeping.
    Tappets were off next - didn't have a fancy magnet on a stick, so I used a board magnet 😅

    Everything was marked with paint dots to keep everything as a matched set and in the right order.

    Which left me with valves, and a problem. The spring compressor wouldn't operate without fouling the edge of the head!
    Ended up improvising with an injector socket, and just screwing it in to get the collets.

    The socket was absolutely the millimetre perfect size required for the job!

    Paint markings evident here.

    Eventually, all the valves were out!


    I had been cleaning the components as they came off so they were all bagged and tagged and ready for reinstall.
    Finally, I knocked it on the head, with a rag draped over it to keep the dust out.

    A productive day, and a productive weekend all round! This week will be focused on dropping off the block and head, working the remaining mechanical jobs on the BX, and prepping the Rover for a road trip - eventually, I'll get a break!
    Cheers!
  12. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Ronkey in Any interest in another Amazonian rescue? The welding continues   
    Whoomph! There it is.
    Inner arch now reconnected to the rest of the car: that feels like a massive milestone achieved. I made the lip continuous on floor repair by putting some copper behind and filling the gaps with mig wire and then grinding back. Gives a neat result. 
    Getting nearer to the oily bits with every hour now  
     
     




     
  13. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Supernaut in Supernaut's Cars - 323i / Astra SXi   
    I'm finished looking at scrap in Aberdeenshire.
    I'm going to enlist the central belt scotoshiters to find something, I reckon.
     
    I set the location on gumtree to Falkirk with a 30 mile radius. It spat out almost 700 cars under £1,500, all of which looked an order of magnitude better than anything up here.
     
     
    I looked at a mk3 Clio 1.4 nearby today. Long MOT and a reasonable-ish price.
    Utterly fucking gutless even with my expectations set to a 1.4, and the clutch felt like it had about 5 minutes left in it.
    When I say gutless, I mean you expect something to happen in most cars if you boot it in first and second. This thing just felt flat as a witch's tit. Basically like the Astra in limp mode...
     
    Talking of which. I moved it around today. It's got the lambda unplugged, no MAF sensor even fitted, and the intake is wide open. The fucker doesn't have a single warning light on and runs like nothing is amiss... Bastard!
    Won't go through an MOT like that though!
    Even the clutch and throttle feel good and healthy. Damn it. I am rather annoyed about its refusal to accept repairs.
     
     
     
     
    Viewing the Clio earlier was certainly an experience.
    The address was a dairy farm in the middle of nowhere. The gentleman who greeted me was not who I was messaging.
    He then shows me round to where the cars were stored. Three sheds' worth of them.
    After making my excuses regarding the Clio he started opening more sheds and showing me more ropey cars. They had a fairly tidy looking 55 reg Fiesta but couldn't find the keys.
    The place was covered in old scrap appliances, while a shotgun was going off very nearby.
    I didn't think I was leaving the place alive.
    Luckily I had parked facing out the gate and just fucked off sharpish. I spent the first few miles homeward bound checking the mirrors for a tail...
  14. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to GlenAnderson in Waaijenberg Canta LX   
    Yes, I need to investigate that. It may be as simple as just being stuck from years of inactivity. We’ll see. It felt pretty slow up the hill, 15-20 probably, but the front brakes are dragging so that wouldn’t have helped. It’s certainly lively enough on the flat, but it definitely doesn’t like the hills. I’m actually pleased about sticking with the smaller tyres now, as it doesn’t feel like it needs any higher gearing. 
     
    I did think that the SUV was coming straight out when we were on the way back, but they did stop just as I was about to take evasive action. 🤣
    There’s a couple of people ahead of you in the queue, but it’s definitely going to be looking for a new home once we’re done with it. Hopefully midsummer. Feel free to make us an offer. 😉
    I am hoping to. If I can clear the decks of all the other side-quests and dead ends, and finish a couple of big domestic DIY projects, then yes, I’ll keep on with it. 
  15. Like
    Jenson Velcro got a reaction from GlenAnderson in Waaijenberg Canta LX   
    Great stuff. Shame the speedo isn’t working, I was trying to guess the speed you were doing up the hill just after you turned to head for home. I also thought a couple of the other road users were thinking of using you for target practice.
  16. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to GlenAnderson in Waaijenberg Canta LX   
    After much prevaricating, a decision was made to not fit the 145/80 radials. This was based on a combination of factors, cost being one, and the extra work making them physically fit being another. We have decided that, once the requirements of my lad’s D of E project have been met, and we’ve got the car up to MoT standard, we’re going to move it on in favour of concentrating on our Austin lorry project. A killer deal from a fellow forum member elsewhere on tyres clinched the decision.  I found these on the doorstep the other day as I was leaving for work, and getting over the “do we do it this way, or that way” paralysis has been good for my mood on the thing .

    Got a couple of hours on it the other afternoon with the lad when he got home from school.
    First job was to pop the 145 off the spare wheel.

    And replace it with one of the new crossplies. Then move the little powerhouse over to the hardstand to get the wheels off one at a time.


    Fitting the tyres was straightforward. The old ones were dated mid 2009, so they’ve been replaced at least once already. One of the original wheels was way mankier than the other three, so that will get cleaned up and painted over the weekend before we put the tyre on. However, it’s now sat on four wheels that hold air and don’t rub on anything, so that’s a step in the right direction. 😃👍
    While the front wheels were off I decided to have a look at the brakes. I was hoping that the lack of brakes, and the empty reservoir, was due to it simply leaking out when the car was tipped on its side. With nothing to lose, we topped up the reservoir and had a go at bleeding it through the front n/s caliper. A bit of pumping saw some highly manky fluid get ejected, and resulted in a firm brake at the lever. Both of the front calipers are dragging, so a bit more investigation is required. Hopefully just a clean and lubricate will see us sorted.

     

     
     

    I had sprayed the switches on the dash liberally with electrolube the other day, which has freed them up nicely. Even the hazard switch which had been frozen solid, is now working properly. We got all the indicators working with just a wiggle of the bulbs, so that’s another job off the list. 👍
    Next, and final, job for the day was to get the transmission selector cable off. Access is not great. There may have been some cursing. 🤬 

     
     
     

    Anyway, it’s off, and I have identified a golf buggy cable that looks like it will be worth a try. Certainly significantly cheaper than anything else I’ve found.

    Oh, and no, with the new development of working indicators to go with the lights that came back to life last time, and brakes that actually work after a fashion, we couldn’t resist the temptation for a quick test drive… 😉
    Video
     
     
  17. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Tommyboy12 in Tommy's A-series Misery - Collection caper!   
    Slow drive down. The M25 was horrendous. However, a collection has occurred. I'm in love already!
     

  18. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to scdan4 in 61 Chang Jiang. Perfect for essential journeys.   
    This fucking thing 😂
    Road it around and although it was shit, it worked, looked cool and everyone was happy.
    One day it refused to start. Absolutely nothing, despite having been fine the week before. Chucked a condenser and points at it which achieved fuck all, chucked a new coil on which also did nowt and then life got in the way.. .. .. we sold a business (where it mainly lived),  moved house ( where it also lived) and during that it went to stay with a mate of a mate who was going to 'fix it' but just left it outside to patina more 200 miles away inaccessible from the new house where there wasn't space for it because builders. Bah. Poor thing.
     
    Some time later.
    It's now had new carbs as the others had no seals left (because ethanol I assume) and the mounting faces were very warped. The old ones put as much fuel into the general atmosphere as the engine, very stinky. An obvious problem so surely that's why it doesn't run. Nope , much kicking later reveled no desire to fire or any sign of life.
    The wiring was suspect with lots of blue crimp terminals and the feed for the absent sidecar having just been sheared through, so a rewire was done with the loom being more appropriately fabric wrapped, and hidden away from sight more and with the nasty hex head stainless bolts replaced with black button heads, so it's looking great. A broken wire was found on the back of the generator as we went so hooray that must be it. New battery, battery clamp and master switch whilst we were there.
    Kick. Kick. Kick. Fiddle with new 'baselined' carbs. Kick kick kick oh fuck off.
    Still no go. Checking over and the spark strength is very poor. The whole distributor unit is wobbly, worn and shit. So more new bits were bought, an electric ignition upgrade unit this time with another new (but matched coil. ) Followed the instructions. Put the tank on, kicked it without much hope and it started 😁. A-mezz-in. Modern tech has it's uses.
    Sat there idling nicely. Generator light firmly and brightly on 😖 so not there yet, but it's closer to done than it has been for some while 
     
     
     
  19. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Bfg in Triumph - That was a year that was..   
    A quick pictorial update . . .
        
    ^  Fibreglassed underside to the frame, where I'd used masking tape to extend the flange.  As you can see the resultant extra width of that was 3 to 4mm and instead of being 1mm thick it is now around 3mm thick.   With the extra thickness the frame was much stiffer than it had been, so I opted to not fit wood, or other means to prevent it from twisting.  Despite my original intent, and Stuart's endorsement of doing so, the lid's T-bar worked well before to prevent twisting, and so I felt little motivation to change things. 
       
    ^ Having something more sturdy to work with, I got on with rebuilding the contours, and primed it.  With so many colours ; black of the moulding, grey of raw fibreglass, primrose yellow of the paintwork, and green of the fibre-filler it was difficult to see the shape.  Coating with primer added yet another colour but when first applied helped highlight flaws.  
       
    ^ I had considered painting the frame red, to match the car, but then because of the extent of rubber seals around all edges decided to go with gloss black.  Unfortunately, the reflections in that show up every wave and wobble in the fibreglass moulding.  I rubbed down and repainted it a couple of times but decided the odds were stacked against me.  If I were to insist on having good reflections - then this fibreglass moulding would need to be replaced with an aluminium backlight frame.   

    ^ If you don't take those reflections too seriously this the backlight looks acceptable for a driver's car.  I need to replace the glazing rubber's 'chrome' infill bead, as the one I have is broken and twisted.  The rubber itself I reused. Again it's far from perfect but usable.  

    ^ work in progress.  The backlight is now mostly refitted but it's glass has not yet 'settled'.  I could do with the heat of a closed car on a still n' sunny day to soften its glazing rubber.  There's no sealant or mastic holding the rubber in place yet, and as you can see the rear interior trim is still to be refitted.   Presently I'm not so keen on it being black, but perhaps it'll grow on me or else fade into the background and not be noticeable.   We'll see.

    ^ Conversely, I liked the backlight being painted primrose yellow.. and it light tone disguised the moulding's numerous defects (not only distortions but clearly its mould was chipped and at the end of its working life). 
    That's all for this week, I bid you have a good weekend.
    Pete
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  20. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Minimad5 in That V6 406 (D9)   
    At this point I was waiting for the injector to turn up, so turned my attention to other things.
    Airbag light was illuminated, thankfully the previous owner @406V6 was spot on with his diagnosis - Drivers seat being the culprit. Didn't grab any pictures of this, as I was kneeling on gravel, and just wanted to get done, but found the offending item:

    With that snipped out, a new plug and socket was fitted

     
    Did it work?
    Did the injector turn up ?
    Will it ever see the road again ?
    *Dramatic music* Stay tuned for updates 
  21. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to grizz in Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙, VW Caddy Van 🚐 Now a Green Toad 206 CC 🐸   
    Spoiling you all.
     
     
    Giving too many reports.
     
     
    Spring is on its way.
     
     
    Cleaning stuff is part of the rhythm.
     
     
    On Friday I swept the driveway and cleared the gutter outside the house.
    Unfortunately I have weeks of flowing water down the street because maintenance is not done as it used to be.
    So ditches, drains and outflows are blocked and water flows down the road.
    Resulting in the road gravel being sprayed onto the sidewalk.
     
    I put a lot of it into the garden bed next to the driveway.
     

     
    Looks better, tidy, clean.
     

    I cleaned cars today.
     
    Cleanliness is next to godliness irc.
     
    Green car being viewed tomorrow.
     
    Rezin Rockit will be more actively pushed for sale.
     
    This should liberate some space.
     
     
     
    Lets hope ehhh.
  22. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to grizz in Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙, VW Caddy Van 🚐 Now a Green Toad 206 CC 🐸   
    Amazed nobody threw a wobbly while waiting for more. 
     
    Maybe a longer hiatus between reports is appropriate. 
     
    Summer or spring must be coming in fast.
     
    Rapeseed canola is flowering already. 
     
    George is over grooming and has been out of sorts the last week, today I found some
    Frothy spit and grass, assuming he is trying to get a hairball out. 
     
    But certainly out of sorts. 
     

     
     
    As I am now actively starting to think about the C10 and what needs doing, I am noticing how much prices have increased. 
     
    My speedo and instrument cluster was broken to hell when I got the truck.
     
    So I bought and imported one that should be able to be combined with mine to make a good one. 
     
    Prices. 
     

     

     
    Anyway
     
    Yesterday was a massive milestone and for the first time in 7 years, the chassis rolled out   
     

     

     
    We also had the Google Earth Camera car in attendance, filming the proceedings. 
     
     

     
    When I had moved all the parts that had been removed from the truck and stored next to it down the side of the wall and truck I moved the chassis back in. 
     

     
    Pretty pleased with that
     
    You all better be as well. 
     
    And
     
    Make some Noise !!!! 
     
     
  23. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to Daniel R25 in The new news 24 thread   
    Wrong question, that is exactly why I asked here 😂
    I have nearly finished the Laguna GT that has stood in the rain for 12 years due to a faulty gearbox. Drives nicely. After a lot of Work, it now has a MOT and there seems nothing wrong with the gearbox. Strange... GT means it has the Megane Sport engine
    I will start driving and see what happens. I have presented the Car on here before. It is a shared project with a good friend who has just recovered from cancer.
    Daniel




  24. Like
    Jenson Velcro reacted to groovylee in Incoming! Smoll green A series thing....   
    annoyingly it'd be a class 8 due to the rear enginedness  but then ive never done the big classic trials to win, more for the fun aspect, so the competitiveness never really comes into it. 
    bike prep for the LE is getting there. need to clean and lube the chain, load the route etc, but nothing too onerous. what number are you running at? i'll keep an eye out for you
  25. Thanks
    Jenson Velcro reacted to EyesWeldedShut in Incoming! Smoll green A series thing....   
    Wife is over in Bude next weekend - I've told her to drag her Dad over to Launceston so they can stroke cars, cuddle motor bikes and maybe wish you luck if they see you at the start.  Have a good one.

     
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