STUNO

Headline news on TV.....English tourist deported. Apparently totally dangerous on his rented bike and thought a hairnet was protection enough.                                                                                       Police said they had issued him with 25 speed tickets and 35 for being on the wrong side, also 60 for the hairnet, they said that was  just because it was fun. Sergent Moronish said that was the best day he has ever had at work. 

19 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

Maybe when anyone tries them they wine “these are crap biscuits”.

22 hours ago, hairnet said:

Trade descriptions???

 

YES ......they used to be a very popular biscuit. But someone improved them recently. Now just a thin sugary pieceof crap.

Missed you by 2 weeks in Kaikoura, we sat by the beach and had lunch an didn't see any of its famous Whales go by.

2 hours ago, hairnet said:

There was more much squiggly

 

Also thus

That was once the Triumph and Rover assembly plant. I remenber seeing the cars on stands being pushed by hand from place to place on the line. I always referred to my SD1 being hand built because of that.

The little Nissan was put through its test on Friday . Only a couple of minor 2 second repairs needed.such as 1 windscreen washer not squirting and two larger. Front shock absorbers bad and a couple of suspension bushes and also the headlights a wee bit white. All easy fixes and not too expensive. The tester had a look for the bad rust noted on the last test and said it doesn't exist and there is only a bit of surface rust and not worth worrying about. So it is a keeper.

I see the Britten is still there !

Aahh well it was a lot of fun in a very good way. Nigel initially asked me if I could help find a rental car at a reasonable price. No problem said I , but this is total peak time for tourists. We managed to find cars at about $2400 for the duration, with prices up to several thousands more. Then the killer, nobody wanted a car collected at Auckland Airport and left at Christchurch. They ALL said no. Next option was to buy a car for that money, but what to get at short notice that will last a few weeks,(cars are EXPENSIVE in NZ). So I looked at what was available near me and luckily a 2002 JDM Nissan March had just been advertised a few hours earlier. So a phone call and I was away to look, I had already made an offer of her full asking if It became mine. After s very short drive it did become mine for $1500 and had 2 months test remaining and about 10 months registration, so if it survived it would be legal. the plan was to do the trip and sell to a wrecker when Nigel left, giving him a cheaper than rent trip. The last test paperwork was with it which detailed underbody rust and all the tyres had to be replaced because of cracking, so lots to spend.

The next bit was to get it to them, so I masterminded a plan, drive to Auckland Airport, meet and greet at 9.30 am or thereabouts, deliver them to their hotel, walk a coupe of hundred yards and get on a bus at 12.30 for the 4 hour ride home. That worked well and the day was great.

The Bickles then proceeded to give the poor thing the thrashing of it's life. Nigel also climbed underneath to check the rusty bits and declared it to be completely rust-free, the tyres had no cracking and the completely white plastic  headlights that should have in my opinion failed the test meant that the test may have been a bit odd. I chose my words carefully there!!

The whole trip went well and the poor little 1400cc with a four speed auto that had covered 300,000 plus KM,s was returned to me at Christchurch airport on Friday morning as it had performed it's duties perfectly , not even using any oil . the trip covered the whole of NZ from Auckland to the very far south town of Bluff and back to Christchurch.  For some reason we had decided that I should keep this little gem and take it home ! 

So yesterday morning (sat.) I left Christchurch and drove north to Picton to catch the ferry to Wellington. Once  at Wellington at 10.30 PM  I was still feeling fresh so turned right off the ferry and headed north, instead of south to a comfy hotel, The Nissan just purredthrough the night and I arrived home at 5.00 am this morning and got some sleep. 

Some pics of the little darling taken a couple of hours agm.

Don't ask about the NISMO bits, I know NOTHING.........

How to upset an Englishman !!!  I bought a 2002 Nissan March (Micra to you) recently. I decided to only insure for 3rd Party. If I write off your Lambo and take out the city's power network I am covered for $20,000,000. The cost $nz12.00 per month, But as I also have a full policy on my Cadillac they said you now recieve a multi policy discount on that of $6.00 a month.  3 pounds a month for insurance of any kind sounds like a bargain to me ! It was also a very easy transaction and took only a few minutes by phone, the only detail the ins. co. needed was the reg. plate.      The joys of non-compulsory insurance !!!

I had a taxi many moons ago.....

Fare gets in, asked where to, answer..... "none of your business" ! 

Fare stopped to get cash out of a machine, did a runner and left his receipt behind. The plod got me the cash.

Another runner jumped out, took a leap over the fence about 5 teet tall into a park, unfortunately he caught his shoe on the top rail and hit the ground hard.     I was still laughing 5 mins later. Should I have tried to help him up ?

And yes, I was offered alternative methods of payment by both women and men.

There were some delightful people too !

1961 Plymouth, probably a Fury as it seems to have a chrome strip on the trunk lid

A strangely titled super 8 film about leaving your 12 year old in the city for the day , from I guess early 70's .

Definitely worth a watch.

The newest vehicle found is a Morris 1300 GN7481 reg new on Sept 6 1973 died 1 Oct 1996 (3m59 sec in)

On 6/2/2023 at 11:26 PM, Schaefft said:

Always buy from rockauto/ebay US, "specialists" and importers often have horrendous mark ups.

I bought 3 oil filters from Rock auto for about $10.50nz for the lot plus freight. The local places have them at $72.00 each. 

Just a small non-update on this. NOTHING AT ALL HAS BEEN DONE ! The new radiator is still in its box and has been joined by radiator hoses. The problem is that it starts instantly every time and has still only been leaking about 1/4 of a pint a week. The roof being sealed up has meant that all is dry and warm inside. Even the brakes are working well.  Everything works except cruise control which is on its second time off working, so it may start again any day ! I rarely use it so not very worried about this.  Another discovery was an almost unreadable service sticker under the bonnet which announced that it has had a cam belt change and is not quite ready for another yet. Still needs to be done but now not desperately.

Apologies for not having to spend hours and $$$$$$'s fixing bits to keep you all amused. I just enjoy the drive!! 

I thought my problems were over for a while, but of course the car fought back.

It started to leave a pool of green liquid on the ground every time it was left alone, so I made some enquiries with radiator repairers. their reply was simple and uniform,  GO  AWAY ! (or something suggesting similar). They don't repair these days without large amounts of cash handed to them, and anyway the plastic top and bottom tanks are unobtainable. So a new radiator is currently on its way from Indianapolis for a reasonable price, It was listed as "last in stock" by the manufacturer and was  less than others listed by quite a bit. It should be here early next week. 

3 hours ago, hairnet said:

Never rains in southern California Waikato surely

Stop that or I will have a hissy fit.

An update..... at last.  We decided to fit new pads to the rear brakes, bad move, the calipers reacted badly and decided to seize up. The only solution was to fit new ones or send them for rebuilding. So  rebuilt ones were ordered from Rock Auto. Ordered at midday on Friday and delivered on Tuesday at midday.

So round to the mechanic, oh dear, closed up and off sick for at least a week. I waited a week and when I spoke he said it would be another week before he caught up with work so bring it in next Saturday. That was yesterday and I left it there with the new calipers and more pads. got it back today at midday all fitted and the discs skimmed too . It made a huge difference to drive, I had only been able to get it from home to work with the brakes holding it back (a 5 min + journey) for 2 weeks. A 1 hour drive today was a pleasure, so now there is only a small radiator leak to be fixed. And speaking of leaks the weather has been very wet and water got in round the sunroof and through the mechanism into the headlining ( see various owners v GM for the lawsuits) so a bead of sealant has been applied round the roof and it is now dry inside in heavy rain. I don't miss the sunroof so quite happy.  I will probably get a set of front calipers as they may be bad too with a change of pads ! Interestingly there was a surcharge of US$21 per caliper which I would love, but it will cost more than that to return them so will put them in the spares pile.

Is this for real? Possibly South African. Lack of a tailgate makes me think homemade.

1976 Ford Other GRANADA | Trade Me Motors

Finally found a photo, and also a for sale ad. $nz17000.00 - just for laughs ?

1969 Sunbeam Imp | Trade Me Motors

And as the result of the above, have you any suggestions as to the best way to remove oil stain patches from the concrete garage floor ???

Correct Jon. However today I got the car back from my friendly mechanic after suffering from an oil leak round the filter and low oil pressure. He found that the person who did the last change very nearly destroyed the engine. The wrong oil filter had been put in and was not doing anything. It was just sitting in the housing unattached and also causing low pressure warnings  and engine fault light warnings. The oil was also leaking badly  from the filter housing which had been improperly replaced without the O ring. He has recommended I get a new filter cap as it is a bit damaged. He also did the rear brakes which had been failed at the test when I bought it. He found nothing wrong with them or the axle bearing they failed it on, but checked everything and fitted new pads. He is also a WOF (MOT) tester so passed the car.  There is now only a small cooling water leak to find and all will be done. I also found a sticker under the bonnet which announced that the cam belt had been changed and is not quite due for the next, so that can be put off for a while.  I shall sleep well tonight !

Have you got used to the house bouncing around yet???

4 hours ago, Jon said:

Just had a visit from @STUNO and I can now say I've driven a Cadillac. Due to cam belt roulette (new one yet to be fitted), the emphasis was more on waft than pedal mashing progress but it all seems very acceptable for what is shockingly a 20 year old(!!) niche car.

We also got to work on the sunroof drain tubes, after a YouTube tutorial to help us gain access at the exit end. All the trim came apart and was put back together without any lost bits or breakages and 3 of the 4 drain tubes were cleared, where previously they were all blocked.

 

That was the state of the NSF tube - mega blocked. Cleared easily enough and gushing resulted.

 

Apologies for upside down image but the 4th drain tube (NSF) had a bit of tape covering it. Thinking it was a great idea to remove and test, the A pillar cover then got soaked - so we dried it off and put a fresh new bit of tape on - 3 out of 4 will do for now.

A huge thanks  to @Jon and excellent coffee too! The sunroof problem is consigned to history.  3 drains working will be quite enough to do the job. I was pleasantly suprised how easy it was to get at the drain tubes and poke about to clear them. the roof itself worked as it should and closed properly so I assume someone had been playing with it while it was just sitting about for many months.It goes in to have brakes and wheel bearings done  by a real mechanic on Monday as there was a noisey bearing and one brake was binding, it seems ok now but checking is best.

2 hours ago, Jon said:

For all the mention of the 3.6 versions on here, I'm happy to say that this is the 3.2 version (in 2003 launch year) - a relief, as I forwarded a Rock Auto link for the 3.2 cam belt kit!

But in double checking this detail on Carjam, I found out it was imported from Japan in 2011 and in 2014 received the much coveted and highly respected number plate BIGJEF.

Said large Geoffrey is obviously a connoisseur of highly regarded All American sedans (with German underpinnings), as he transferred the plate in 2016 and has been wafting round since, in a 2007 diesel 300c.

Class in a glass.

I had initially thought that it was ex Singapore, but found later it was Japan new. I had assumed that as I could not find any Handbook that the Jap. language one had been tossed. But  I found a something odd HIDDEN in the glovebox and pulled it out. It turned out to be a leather pouch with the handbook and another book on the details of how to use everything  and all in english. So very happy about that ! Also discovered that it appears to have every option fitted and they all work--so far.

Mr Hairnet, as you should very well know I live in the SOUTHERN Waikato where it rains every day at present. 

And in other news the Cam belt kit I ordered on Good Friday from Rock Auto in the USA was delivered today Wednesday. Very very good service !

1 hour ago, Dave_Q said:

 

I presume the 1,2,3,4 buttons are in case you need to declare a Thumb War on the steering wheel as a sort of In-Car Entertainment?

They are programmable buttons , I don't yet know what they do other than you prog. them each to carry out some specific function like turn the radio on. They seem to be just a gimmick but will investigate soon. The big round R H one is for the very Good Bose sound system volume.