Dobloseven

Motorist Discount Centres,bloody hell, there's a blast from the past!Remember Emergency Spares as well.

But changing them was a Saturday morning job and the Asian run motor spares shops in the shopping parades kept them on the shelf!

Anyone who cuts the roof off an original VW Beetle and replaces it with a pop up tent should have something similar done to themselves by way of punishment.A proper factory convertible is a lovely, properly engineered thing though.

One of my son's a Special Needs teacher.A few years back,one of his pupils was obsessed with the early Galaxies, particularly the one driven into the river by Richard Hillman in Coronation Street.He wrote a eulogy to one as part of a lesson, describing it as a "real man's car".They don't seem to have survived very well compared to the equivalent Sharans and Alambramhas.There was a very late one on our road until fairly recently but guess it rusted away.Does the 2 litre use a Ford engine or a VW unit?Think the 2.3 was a Ford one though.

Vauxhall Astra?

Genuinely hope everything works out for you.I always enjoy your postings.As I've mentioned before,your Lanchester is responsible for my discovering the delights of Autoshite,and the rest is history,as they say.Good luck, fella.

Well, that's a surprise! Really looking forward to further developments.

What's the best newspaper these days for filling rust holes in sills?

Has the kingpin repair kit turned up yet? Interested to see how it works out.

Were they the ones that claimed to be designed by Porsche?

Would have thought a column change would make a bench seat and three abreast seating possible.With seatbelt regulations, it'd become redundant.Be harder too,to engineer forLHD and RHD. Remember right hand gear levers as well?And hand brakes.

Son had a G reg 1.6 Belmont in that red,back around the turn of the century.That got stolen from outside his girlfriends house.Soon found it though.Old boy had owned it from new.Low miles.Massive pile of service history.He was going to New Zealand to be near his son.Had asked at Vauxhall dealer how much they'd give him for it.Huge figure quoted.Day he's leaving,takes it down to cash it in.Tell him that price is only if he buys a new one and that they don't really want it!.Takes it home,sticks it back in the garage, leaving the solicitor he'd charged with selling the house to deal with it,which was where we came in.Despite all the history the timing belt broke which was an easy fix.

They'd probably be the best ones to try to keep running!Assuming any still exist.

Is Claire your friend from near Leicester?

That's rather what I thought.Just realised they did an 8v O series engined 800,with a single carburettor.

How do banger racers and the like go on with getting and keeping stuff running? Several on here talk of sending newer cars than this,"round the oval",and Mally, for example,actually does it.Or do they just start with running vehicles and hope they keep going?And folk who put completely different engines in cars.The lad who did some house rewiring for us is building a Skoda Octavia with a 3.2 VR6 engine.He spent 1500 quid on a manifold for a turbo,so must be pretty confident of getting it running.Problem might be that the 800 was a technical dead end so knowledge could be restricted and with low values and interest nobody's that bothered,just find a better one and hope it keeps going.

Probably a silly question,but if a wire was run from the starter solenoid to the live battery terminal,would it spin over?Or even start if the ignition was switched on.In Park, obviously!

Son in China sent me this.Thinks it's electric.Good colour though!

A sad story,showing how in just a few years something can go from NEC Show to property value reducing garden ornament.Often wonder about all the old cars stuck on folks fronts,slowly(or quickly) deteriorating.Sure they all started with "just needs"and "it'll be worth a lot of money one day". You've done all you can to help it survive, perhaps give it best.Just hope the CTB guy doesn't get it started and drive it onto his truck!Now the CTB money could buy a nice Rover 45 that just needs..........

Saw a 620 the other day with some stickers on it, and the boot lid held shut with 2 galvanised gate bolts! Thought of this project!

I reckon 2.But what do I know?

Come on Bfg,surely a man of your many talents can design and produce a modified cover!

Sorry, couldn't help but smile when a link came up to another thread where the previous owner referred to it as "his mistress"!

If weirdness is the criteria,is any Peugeot weirder than the 1007? Apparently they made a mock up to show the public,who said it was just what they wanted and would definitely buy them.........! Haven't seen one for ages.There was one abandoned in a front garden on a dog walk,but disappeared a long while back.

What about the first gen 3008?