Split_Pin

This collapsing Volvo has been in Broughty Ferry beach car park for at least a year. Gaffer taped hole in windscreen and full of the owners unwanted junk.  

 

 

Some spots from the last few months:
Isle of Wight:

Bromsgrove:

Kidderminster:


Worcester (?) I don't think it was even abandoned, just a little unloved, but it stood out to me:

Tamworth but only on Google Maps (during a seasion of boredom at work). I intend to pop up there for a bimble in one of my rare occasions of having spare money, time and fuel in my car:

They were receptive to that idea but unfortunately  the side light is dead, I think years of flickering has killed the bulb.
I'm going to sort the airbag properly, get it passed and then it will be up for sale. In a remarkable and unexpected  turn of events, Mrs_Pin is smitten with the 75 and now wants a larger automatic car.
I am quite relieved that the Mini adventure* might be coming to to close.

If you've got the time head down south of Stranraer. Portpatrick and the Mull of Galloway are worth a visit. Luce Sands is a decent beach down that way from memory

I started a job in Irvine in 1999 and every year since we've went to Arran in June to play golf (get pissed). The last 2 years are the only two years we've missed and I'm jonesing for a return visit.
 

I'm going to Arran in a couple of weeks for 4 days with my family. The ferries are running at half capacity or thereabouts and they're limiting folk on the island. I booked the car months ago but some of my family who aren't taking cars had real trouble getting booked on. Unfortunately  you can't just turn up like you used to be able to. 
This will be my 21st year going there.

I finally found where the blow was coming from on the Audi.
You can make out the very fine hairline crack around the bottom of the downpipe in the video.

20210705_162135.mp4 It looks like it has enough life left in it to buff up to let me stabilise it with some weld (providing I can fix my wire feed issue) and then seal it (because my welding isn't that good) with paste.
The car is also quite low so I'm going to need to find a way of safely raising it so I can get under it enough with the MIG torch.
Oh and if the rain ever pisses off.

Ah, interesting - a few years ago I received a parcel from an eBay seller which was also sent using about half a dozen old commemorative stamps (19½p etc).
They were quite nice, and I think I kept them - even though the very last thing I need is more shit to make into a collection...

My mate got this in the post today, with 70's/80's stamps. Strange
 

All stamps back to 1971 are still valid and many can be bought below face value on Ebay etc.

Thanks for the prod! Cracking looking thing @Barry Cade, well worth the £500 you probably paid for it 😉
Not much to report. As expected the sump doesn't quite clear the crossmember so the next plan is to mock up some engine mounts and for the crossmember to the engine first, then I can start removing the heater box and anything else that gets in the way. 

I suppose I could wait until Tat Wednesday but I had some arrivals. I'm not especially a Lancia fan but this 1:43 Politoys Beta was tidy and cheap. Am I right thinking this was sold as a Trevi too or is that a different model? One was abandoned outside my work years ago and I remember the dash being fascinating 

Beta Berlina was two-box 'fastback' 4-door saloon like this one I used to own

Trevi was a two-box saloon, same car from D-post forward.   That's my old Trevi too

In fact I had two 3rd series Berlinas and a Trevi, all on driveway at the same time.  I'm better now, though.

I just went to dig out the spare dashboard in the garage, and Doris turned up in her Beta unannounced, and drove all over it !

In and out the instruments she was, like a hamster in a wheel.  Ken just looked-on, as usual

I found another glass front CD tower, so a few alterations, Poundland silver paint and some lights and I have another display case. Fits nicely under the old one too
 

Wheel bearing works today (kept getting interrupted by rain... it's July, WTF?!)...
Bit of effort and thinking got me thus far;

The hub had corroded into the strut, and had a pretty good hold.  I spent about an hour trying to separate them, damaging the mounting face a wee bit in the process.  I was concerned about clouting the bearing mount near the lugs as I thought they'd be easily deformed.  Realised (after watching a Youtube vid) that the new bearings come with that bit anyway.  Should have looked in the bloody box beforehand.  
Took a bar and hammer to it then, sort of spun it out by hitting the lugs... much better, and quite therapeutic!

So now I have this...

The old bearing will need to be pressed off the hub, and the new one pressed on.  The plan is to use the workshop at work tomorrow, once I've got the the other side off.  Should be quicker now I know the method.  Old one feels very loose compared to the new, but they always do, we'll see what difference it makes when fitted.  I always feel like I'm beating this car up when I'm working on it, every job seems to involve the hammer and a big stick at some point!  As a bonus, I found that the clip had come loose on the CV joint gaiter, so it was worth a look just for that!  
Glad I've had a go at this job, but tbh it's just on the edge of 'one for the garage' I think, a few special tools needed, and I'd be annoyed at it if I was needing the car back on the road desperately.  I'm off work though, so fairly happy.
 
In other news, we took the wee Mazda to a local car meet, where it garnered it's fair share of attention.  A very relaxed affair, with every thing from a Subaru 22B, an A30 van, and a beautifully original giffer-spec Sunny.  Lovely.

 

 

 
The Fiesta below belongs to my assistant at work, and somehow generates 275 horses from it's 1.5 litres?!!  The BMW is more my style, however, phwoarred a bit over this one...

 
Cheers chaps.
 
 

Remember this? 
My roffle win Saab 900. Courtesy of @Minimad5
It's not perfect, but I bloomin' love it. 
In the last month I've done about a thousand miles with no real issues.   
I've reinstated the rear wiper as the motor and wiper itself were MIA.
@simon8201 has helped me out sourcing a leather steering wheel from a 9-3 to replace the rather worn original. Fingers crossed that'll be swapped tomorrow!
 

In sunny Scotland @sri05 I'm in Troon, anywhere near you? 

Excellent work all round, heartwarming to see shiters assemble

Excellent work all round, heartwarming to see shiters assemble

Excellent work all round, heartwarming to see shiters assemble

Looks like new, not bad for a 15 year old Ford Connect. Amazing compared with the vile mountains of stinky sludge inside V4 Transit engines…

That’s more like it, oil leaks!

The cam cover gasket is only a few years old. Completely compressed at the belt-end

hardly squashed at all at the flywheel end.

No clues as to where it is leaking, there is oil everywhere (except into the sparking plug well). A straight edge along the cover shows no distortion anywhere.
Reassamble with a little bead of silicone on the gasket. Cross fingers.
 

Was nice to meet @Mr_Bo11ox to grab the glass, twice 😃
Snowplough is certainly a beast, it was interesting to talk about their upcoming plough-endeavour too. Decent guys. 
Kind of @loseroneto arrange it all and help out the service!
 
 
 
 

Here's a bonus action shot or two

Civic was in for the MOT today. Failed. Nothing major, Headlamp beam pattern and a duff self levelling sensor.
but i'm just going to say that's me totally done with Japanese cars.
Been stung on every one i've had. Although admittedly, the Ignis, probably the rarest one was probably the least difficult.
Sick to death of their near unrivalled ability to throw up total unobtanium issues. Doesn't seem to matter how common they are, or what they need, there's always at least 1 bit you can't get, need to spend hours cross referencing part numbers, only to find it's mega specific, dealer only and north of £300 for something that should cost about £20.