Lankytim

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

Panic over… all sorted, car seems fine.
 

Today while an eclipse occurred, I took my driveline apart.

I replaced the diff pinion oil seal.

Now, dirty but dry. It has a pending date with the pressure washer.

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

This bus came straight out of service in 1998 and other than attending shows from time to time,  has not been touched since. It now lives at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust.

I have been photographing it since just after that time as it was numerically the last Leyland Atlantean for Glasgow, but I have never noticed the advert for the 'new' Daewoo cars on the back until this afternoon:

Dents, wood screws and all, I really hope this one just gets left alone and not restored, erasing its story. 
 

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

I finally got around to checking the front springs on the Laguna to see if they were behind the issue with pulling on acceleration/deceleration. I bought this Laguna from Wuvvum and during his ownership he replaced the entire drivers side strut with a used example from a breakers as the top mount failed. I found that the passenger side spring had a blue and white paint dots and the drivers side had white and blue. Different spring rates then? The Laguna came with the old strut in the boot which had ended up in the garage. I had an idea of swapping the top mounts around and refitting the original strut so I had a matching pair but on dismantling it I discovered that the top mounting nut had worked loose and had worn the top of the shock absorber away rendering the strut scrap. No problem, just swap the springs around. 
 
I dug my  dangerous old spring compressors out and got to work. I eat danger for breakfast and negligence for tea and soon both springs were removed, however the  £10 eBay specials bought in approx 2005 completely died a death when I tried to refit the spring, seizing up and stripping the thread. Fecking hell! Fortunately Mrs LT was out and about was able to get me a pair of Laser spring compressors from Euro Car Parts. These worked a treat and the spring was soon refitted and the strut then reinstalled to the Laguna.
On an initial test drive the problem seems to have gone but I’ll need to go on a longer test drive to confirm. It certainly feels much nicer to drive and much less like a shopping trolley. Pretty pleased overall! 

Is it true that a massive VAT bill would need to be paid if these prototypes escaped into the wild? It’s something I heard a while back and is apparently one of the reasons so many manufacturers crush test and development cars. 

1 houe 4 minutes all in, FFS

Yeah ok. It’ll be the end of the week before I can do anything though.
 

Got to absolutely love a Mini that hasn’t been buggered about with and is still standard. They’re almost extinct nowadays! 

There's a low millage one that lives near me.  Photo from January 2021 and the MoT ran out 9 months later.  Still there albeit with pogged paint.  ULEZ is irrelevant seeing how he doesn't use it.

That's how I got my Corsair 2000E in 1982: it had been traded-in at a Lada dealership under such a scheme, and then dumped in the back yard to be knocked out to anyone who fancied it, cheap as possible.  I got it for £85.

Apparently the guy got a free pizza too!

Got to absolutely love a Mini that hasn’t been buggered about with and is still standard. They’re almost extinct nowadays! 

Got to absolutely love a Mini that hasn’t been buggered about with and is still standard. They’re almost extinct nowadays! 

Bunch of travel today. Went had lunch in Jean Lafitte with friends.

Restaurant was nice, this the view from the table. Look closely, there's an alligator.

After lunch went out for a bit more of a drive, plenty more scenery.

Split off from the group and went into the city to grab some shopping. Quickest way home made today a hallmark day- first time on the Interstate. 

Car did good, surprised that the other drivers were so well behaved. I was doing the speed limit which helps (though that means the rest of the traffic is doing 5-35mph faster).
 
12mpg average which isn't bad considering how fast I was going.
 
Phil

Looks a little more cared for now.
Phil

Had a little time after work free, so broke out the polish.

Got the roof and back end done before running out of time. Need to finish the rest tomorrow.
Phil

So yesterday was a busy day, I drove the Getz from Chichester to chesterfield where it now awaits collection from its new owner and picked up our new family wagon from @RichardK my partner has been hinting at getting a bigger car for a holiday abroad next year and with 2 teenagers and 7 small dogs a Hyundai Getz or Rover 75 Saloon wouldn’t cut it, so here we are! 
 
What a beast! 
plenty of room for everything we need, and LHD for continental holiday! We still have the Rover 75 for daily duties thankfully 
I’ve got to tickle the arches with my welder before the next mot so keep an eye out for updates on that but for the money I absolutely love it! 

I was friends with a car dealer who had one in stock for months that he just couldn't shift.
He eventually started lending it to customers whose cars were in for warranty work, where it had the advantage of making them super keen to come and get their own car back.
We used to call it the 'discourtesy car'.

No rose tinted specs here, I just like godawful cars and refuse to learn any better.