Saabnut

ooh if there is a chance it will live on I will do what I can to help. Managed to avoid the bus and walked between Glasgow Queens St and Glasgow Central. First time I have had to do this and the app said bus when it is a 2 minute walk! So now on the final train I hope

Marvellous 🤩 when do you want to collect it? 😎 I is an idiot - just checking the next stage and it turns out train number 2 is actually a bus 😞

In a Lidle announcement voice Train number one please

Made it to the station and no rain as a bonus. Battery disconnected not as an anti theft measure but to give it a hope of starting when I get back to it!

Transport stage 1 to the station. Fortunately it is not raining here yet....

Morning All It is that time again where collections need to be made. The Xantia has signed its own death warrant so reliable and practical replacement is required. The journey to collect it involves three trains with little time between them, so the risk is high. If all goes to plan I will be there mid afternoon. If not, as I am a cheapskate and bought cheap fixed train tickets....... Important stuff to start the day. PC = 1 Breakfast was just a cupof coffee, might pick up something on the way Full breakdown kit packed Soon be time to go.....

Pity you are so far away, I could have lent you my Tech-II. Will have it at Prescott.

Well, I tried, really I did. For only the second time in my motoring history, I am going to scrap a running, MOTed car. I have had the Xantia back for about a month and have been using it as a daily in the hope I would get to like it. The electrical drain meaning the battery has to be disconnected when left has been a pain, but manageable. The problem is the electrical problems, which come and go at random. The heater blower speed varies constantly between slow an silent and full on hurricane, entirely at random and several times a minute. The radio never worked, and now will not even accept a code. The front windows never worked, now the rears have done the same. One of the interior lights decided to come on. It would occasionally go off, but only for 30 seconds or so. I removed the bulb! The footwell lights are now on permanently, but may well be off next time I go to it. I have done the fuse check/clean and the earths that I could find, but nothing made any difference and patience was running thin. The only saving grace was after reconnecting the battery, it would always start and drive well, despite the rear spheres making a bouncy ride. I did not want to do the spheres until I could solve the electrical problems. Last night on my way home, dual carriageway, 11pm and biblical rain and spray, the drivers windscreen wiper decided, with no warning, to shear off so the wind blew it round until it rested on the door mirror. So I am calling time on it. Tomorrow I will drive it to the station whilst I collect its replacement, at the weekend I will take the trailer and fetch it home. Once here I will remove the battery and any other useful parts and rather than take it off the trailer, next week it will go to the bridge. Anyone want any easily removed bits for a Xantia 2 litre petrol Executive, speak up!

FOTU is the Saturday I believe, Prescott is a weekend event with the main day being the Sunday. You can do both or have a drunken weekend at Prescott with us! Decisions.......

Good choice! Bringing them both to Prescott this year?

Grind the broken stud off flush with the manifold. Centre punch and drill through the stud. Grind a small flat on the back of the manifold where the hole emerges and just use a standard nut and bolt. If it ever seizes again an easy grind off and a new nut and bolt.

Kingpins delivered to Dunc and I have arranged to visit mid week to discuss grease nipples (oooh errr missus)

After the madness of the NEC I had a couple of days R&R at my friends near Sheffield and then back home. The old Saab behaved perfectly and on the way back clocked up 150k miles. Once home I had to do some PR work for the local motor club (something I do every year) for a night time navigational rally. This year I used the Xantia which behaved perfectly and was more economical than expected being used as a postie van! Many and varied warning lights came and went throughout and it has made up my mind what to do with it. The options were to use it to go south to collect a car and get CTB to collect it, sell it, or scrap it. It needs rear spheres, about 150 quid then a tow bar to be useful to me, about the same cost and then the electrical faults chasing down, especially the drain that will flatten the battery overnight. Even if I did all the work I would end up with a scruffy car I don't like. So, what to do if fix and keep is not an option. It is still too good a car to scrap so that also rules out the CTB option. I doubt it would sell as no one wants a faulty scruffy car even if it is cheap and usable (if anyone wants to prove me wrong, get in touch). So, I have decided to keep it as a local runabout, up and down the muddy track, leave at the station for collections etc as no one would steal it and I wouldn't care if they did. I am not going to spend a penny on it apart from tax and will scrap it when the MOT runs out or something breaks that would mean it is not road legal. This of course means a replacement is required so Thursday will see the Xantia left at the station and multiple trains to fetch it, with a night out at my favourite hotel. A live collection fred is a possibility. Whilst at the NEC I agreed to buy one of my dream cars as a retirement present to myself. Of course, it is in Wales and Worldofceri is out of the game so I will probably fetch it myself if I cannot get a reasonable quote. Still, it would give me another night in my favourite hotel

Yep. Stabilisers. New kingpins will be delivered tomorrow as I only got back from the NEC today. There is no way to apply lubrication to the kingpin as original so options to fit grease nipples are being considered.

Sorry I missed you, Shaw told me you had been but typically that was the only time I was away from the stand all weekend

Do come and say hello

Train from H in A is a good shout. We are staying in Coventry and commuting by train

After last week’s terrible trip down to Worcester with the closure of the M6 I was not particularly looking forward to the trip south for the NEC show. Left roughly a half hour before I planned and had one of the easiest and best journeys south for many years Arrived at my hotel near Preston before 3pm and now on my second beer 🍺

A couple of days graft on the c900 has been succesful. First job was to change the brake light switch. I stupidly ordered the one specified for the 900 which turned out to be wrong. The next day one for a 9000 arrived which or course was the correct one, which came from a reputable supplier and was marked Italy. As it was made of super light plastic and broke on being fitted, I suspect it came from the remote Italian island with the capital called Beijing! A few minutes with a file on the mounting bracket saw the 900 one fit, which is of much higher quality. Next the rear calliper had the handbrake adjusted and also the cable saw full function return. The other biggie was the blowing exhaust and a close look showed the bellmouth and the retaining flange on the cat had corroded away. The cat is the original but expected more than 149k miles and 34 years! A phone call to BM catalysts had a new one the next day for 65 quid. I don't expect it to last long, but have kept the original to weld a new bellmouth to when I have more time. A new battery clamp and starter lead were found and fitted, along with a new bulb in the repeater and a pair of new wiper blades had it ready and it passed the MOT for another year. Whilst fixing the Saab I had no time to investigate/repair the AX as I hit a pothole and blew a tyre and bent a rim, and the Xantia of many shiters had been returned by my friend, so I have used that for the last few days. It still drives well if bouncy, starts every time but the electrical gemlins are getting worse. Sometimes on starting, the wipers start on high speed, and stay on until you switch the engine off, after which they are usually fine for the rest of the day. The side airbag warning light (I think) comes on and off as it feels like it. Trouble is, I still do not like it so am not prepared to spend money on a scruffy example that needs rear spheres, despite a long MOT, good tyres etc. I soon have to go to Wigan to collect a replacement, and cartakeback down there have offered £270. But the train ticket can be had for 50 quid. I have never scrapped a viable car before, but it is tempting to save the hassle of public transport. Unless someone wants it for 300 quid and can collect from Wigan I will have to make a decision when I get back from the NEC.

Almost every thread comes up with the error message for me, but a single hit on the refresh button and all is fine. Edge on a laptop if you need that info

Glorious warm spring day so where better to spend it than the local hospital oncology waiting room 😞

Unless something unforeseen arises I will try to make this.

North of me in an area I rarely venture to (due to a fear of dragons) but will have to take a run up when the better weather arrives. Kettle is on if you want a brew on the way back!

I shall be there all weekend as UKSaabs has a stand again, stand 4-658 - come and say hello, I will be wearing my TFatC name badge. I have a discount code that will give you a discount of £3.50 on a single day ticket. Just ask if you want it

They may look like wheelbarrow wheels, but they are very different. Every law that applies to a car applies to a trailer and faults are punished as if it were a car (in law, a trailer is a vehicle). Police are much keener on checking trailers these days, after all the motorist is an easy target.