Sh'Eds

How about a nice cable group test - how many amps will it take before bursting into flames? EDIT* - Having seen the cost of cables, maybe not!

As I have one this advert is a favourite of mine, 80's overload.

Heading north on the M1 on Friday and the only vehicle of note was a rather splendid Pinzgauer. As driving no live action shot but Google search has found it. This one:

Good news from the man from the ministry.

Anyone want some Weller wheels? Were off a VW beetle baja, been languishing at the back of my garden for many years. Two sets available: - Set with red flashes are 2no. 6x15 and 2.no 7x15 -Plain white are 2no. 7x15 and 2no. 10x15 - One 10x15 has a bent lip, may / may not be salvageable. Collection only from Coventry please.

FFS. Why don't I learn to never let a car sit unused. Just went out to the Tahoe, which was only last used 11 days ago (completing a 420 mile roundtrip with ease) to find the battery completely flat. Was about to take it for a clean before loading up and heading off to the American Auto Club Summer Nationals, bloody looking forward to a weekend of camping and cars. Took an age to find one of the two sodding battery chargers I have too. Anyway charging battery (and a spare from the corvette) and hoping I can make it today still but suspect I will just have to go over tomorrow instead. No doubt whatever I do will result in sitting in a field on Sunday with a flat battery. UPDATE: Less grumpy now. Have fitted half charged corvette battery (smaller than Tahoe but still designed to run a chevy smallblock so should cope). Now have car that will start. Also improved mood from source of battery drain being quickly identified. My delightful* son had left a map light on, he does love to push buttons! At least I don't have the delights of trying to track down a parasitic draw Now to load the filthy car and head off to a show. Will all be good with a beer in my hand later. UPDATE 2 Packed and ready. Camp set up. Now got beer and relaxing. Grumpiness done. Proper battery on charge at home. Wife coming tomorrow and will bring it so all is right with the world.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/465945951143015/?ref=facebook_story_share

Properly bonkers. Love it. Tanks a lot is a fantastic day out too, great fun driving their various APC's around muddy fields. Well worth the cost.

A busy day today. First up was servicing Mrs Sh'eds Pugeot 3008. Ripped all the skin of my arms getting at the pollen filter. Air filter was made easy with my favourite tool of the day. Next victim was my daily C4. Pollen filter is easier on this, and needed doing . Also did fuel and oil filters. Disassembly of the garage then commenced. All so I could get the Tahoe in for the inner track rod ends this time as they refused to be adjustable when I took it for an attempted alignment last week. Hopefully I can now get the alignment done. Of course having spent some time under the Tahoe I have found more that needs doing including a front main crank seal, which requires a new timing cover and as I will have to have the fan, belts, pulleys and tensioners off I may as well do the water pump at the same time - for now I think regular oil level checks and top ups will have to suffice.

Some monies sent along the electron highway.

Stumbled across this woodland Imp A40 (thanks @Asimo) on site this morning.

A little bit! Thankfully. I have been tempted by a suburban more than once but always managed to talk myself out of one based on probable parking issues and having no where to work on something that big off the road. In saying that a GMT400 Suburban is still a 'bucket list' car for me.

Which is all kinds of awesome! Took a trip out to the local country park yesterday. The 'red waffle' as the kids have named it serves the utility aspect of SUV well.

Finally found some time to do a little more work on the Tahoe today. First order of the day was removing Mrs Sh'eds garage door so I could fit it in the garage and not block the alley all day in case any of the neighbours were coming in and out, not that many use their garages regularly. Of course the only person I saw all day was the old boy next door who lives on the exist side of the alley to me so I wouldn't have blocked him anyway. With the door removed adequate headroom for the Tahoe was available. Though it is a little close at the back and I certainly couldn't go further back and still jack the car up. Got it up on jack stands and whipped the wheels off. Had a look under the car. It looks reasonably solid, obviously been undercoated in the past. Can see why it weighs 3 tonnes when you see how big the chassis rails are. First job of the day brake pads - these definitely need replacing. Of course the caliper was held on with allen head bolts, but being American these were in 'freedom units' and I had none. I had naively hoped they would be metric, on the corvette it tends only to be engine stuff that is imperial with ancillaries and brakes / suspension being metric. Had to pop out to the shops and could only get allen keys in imperial sizes rather than a allen socket which would have been preferred. The finest chinesium sold by machine mart. Was doubtful that these would be up to the job. Was even more doubtful when I found how tight the bolts holding the brake calipers on where. Gave myself 6 hernias but they finally came loose. New brake pads promise a lot. I am slightly concerned that most of the £14 that these cost was spent on the carboard box. New versus old: Once I got these installed it was time for new track rod ends. I only had outers but it is clear that I will need to replace inners soon too as these were also fairly worn. Used the grease zert as a measuring point to try and get a reasonable alignment. Old track rod end looks nasty. Most useful tool of the day, which was very much needed to assist in removal of the track rod ends. New track rod ends installed. Didn't find time to change the sway bar links, they aren't broken so can be left for now. Will need to replace control arm bushings and upper and lower ball joints at some point so will most likely do them then. Finished up by putting the new wheels on - these being the original fitment with 245/75 tyres, rather than the aftermarket ones that came on the car which were shod with 275/70 tyres and had a larger centre bore, which had necessitated the use of a spacer ring, which may have been a contributing factor in the death wobble. Hopefully having the correct profile tyres on it now will result in the speedo being at least vaguely accurate. Done.

Just spotted a beautiful 1955 Standard Vangaurd Estate going past my local supermarket.