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mat_the_cat

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  1. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Partridge in Lord Sterling to reception please, Lord Sterling to reception thank you.   
    I think Mo's started his new job today, so am guessing won't be browsing AS in company time, on his first day at least...
     
    Still, new job = more cash to spend on Rover 800s!
  2. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Vince70 in Tight wad Old giffer style 'expert' maintenance   
    Arguably better than filler in some ways, as it doesn't absorb moisture!
     
    My best/worst was this:
     

     
    after I cracked the sump on our track one morning. I was on the way to my mate's for a party, so I fixed it up as best I could (not 100% successfully) and hoped it would last the 400 mile round trip.
     
    There's actually a little bit more to the story, as my mate had just moved to a reasonably nice suburb, and I hadn't visited his new house before.
    This was before I had a sat nav, so I borrowed one, plugged in the postcode and arrived on his road with the number 16 stuck in my brain. As I drew level with number 16 it told me "You have reached your destination". Great, I thought, spot on with the location, and Matt has left a space on his driveway for me to park. So I pulled onto it and started to unload.
     
    It was only when I got to the door that it struck me there was a distinct lack of other cars and party noises, so I phoned him up to check I'd got the right time. On the other end of the phone was a party in full swing, so with a sense of dread I asked if his number really was 16? Nope. Number 46, down the road apparently... opps. So not only had I started to unpack on someone else's drive, I had deposited an embarrassing amount of black oil all over their block paving. I cleaned it up up as best I could, and buggered off sharpish!
  3. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Tayne in Cars that look the same   
    Hey let's take the biggest example of the new car and compare it with the smallest example of the old car!
     
    Was this in a tabloid by any chance?
  4. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Luckythirteen in Tight wad Old giffer style 'expert' maintenance   
    Arguably better than filler in some ways, as it doesn't absorb moisture!
     
    My best/worst was this:
     

     
    after I cracked the sump on our track one morning. I was on the way to my mate's for a party, so I fixed it up as best I could (not 100% successfully) and hoped it would last the 400 mile round trip.
     
    There's actually a little bit more to the story, as my mate had just moved to a reasonably nice suburb, and I hadn't visited his new house before.
    This was before I had a sat nav, so I borrowed one, plugged in the postcode and arrived on his road with the number 16 stuck in my brain. As I drew level with number 16 it told me "You have reached your destination". Great, I thought, spot on with the location, and Matt has left a space on his driveway for me to park. So I pulled onto it and started to unload.
     
    It was only when I got to the door that it struck me there was a distinct lack of other cars and party noises, so I phoned him up to check I'd got the right time. On the other end of the phone was a party in full swing, so with a sense of dread I asked if his number really was 16? Nope. Number 46, down the road apparently... opps. So not only had I started to unpack on someone else's drive, I had deposited an embarrassing amount of black oil all over their block paving. I cleaned it up up as best I could, and buggered off sharpish!
  5. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from myglaren in The grumpy thread   
    I find it very sad that anything which (usually) started off based on love ends up in this sort of situation. However, the picture did remind me of this poorly positioned advert...
     

  6. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Skizzer in Tight wad Old giffer style 'expert' maintenance   
    Arguably better than filler in some ways, as it doesn't absorb moisture!
     
    My best/worst was this:
     

     
    after I cracked the sump on our track one morning. I was on the way to my mate's for a party, so I fixed it up as best I could (not 100% successfully) and hoped it would last the 400 mile round trip.
     
    There's actually a little bit more to the story, as my mate had just moved to a reasonably nice suburb, and I hadn't visited his new house before.
    This was before I had a sat nav, so I borrowed one, plugged in the postcode and arrived on his road with the number 16 stuck in my brain. As I drew level with number 16 it told me "You have reached your destination". Great, I thought, spot on with the location, and Matt has left a space on his driveway for me to park. So I pulled onto it and started to unload.
     
    It was only when I got to the door that it struck me there was a distinct lack of other cars and party noises, so I phoned him up to check I'd got the right time. On the other end of the phone was a party in full swing, so with a sense of dread I asked if his number really was 16? Nope. Number 46, down the road apparently... opps. So not only had I started to unpack on someone else's drive, I had deposited an embarrassing amount of black oil all over their block paving. I cleaned it up up as best I could, and buggered off sharpish!
  7. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to inconsistant in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    Last week I was teaching pewter casting and one of the students shouted across the room that the sign had fallen onto the bunsen burner.
    How we loled and rofled when we realised what we had done!
     

  8. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Banger Kenny in Tight wad Old giffer style 'expert' maintenance   
    Two narrow Fishing Rod Float centres used as a "bridge" to join some severed rear brake flexy hoses together on an mk3 Escort Van I m.o.t'd once
    - they probably would have got away with it apart from the fact it was gushing brake fluid out 
     
     
    - and they used luminous floats.
  9. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from KruJoe in Tight wad Old giffer style 'expert' maintenance   
    Arguably better than filler in some ways, as it doesn't absorb moisture!
     
    My best/worst was this:
     

     
    after I cracked the sump on our track one morning. I was on the way to my mate's for a party, so I fixed it up as best I could (not 100% successfully) and hoped it would last the 400 mile round trip.
     
    There's actually a little bit more to the story, as my mate had just moved to a reasonably nice suburb, and I hadn't visited his new house before.
    This was before I had a sat nav, so I borrowed one, plugged in the postcode and arrived on his road with the number 16 stuck in my brain. As I drew level with number 16 it told me "You have reached your destination". Great, I thought, spot on with the location, and Matt has left a space on his driveway for me to park. So I pulled onto it and started to unload.
     
    It was only when I got to the door that it struck me there was a distinct lack of other cars and party noises, so I phoned him up to check I'd got the right time. On the other end of the phone was a party in full swing, so with a sense of dread I asked if his number really was 16? Nope. Number 46, down the road apparently... opps. So not only had I started to unpack on someone else's drive, I had deposited an embarrassing amount of black oil all over their block paving. I cleaned it up up as best I could, and buggered off sharpish!
  10. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Lord Sterling in Lord Sterling to reception please, Lord Sterling to reception thank you.   
    I think Mo's started his new job today, so am guessing won't be browsing AS in company time, on his first day at least...
     
    Still, new job = more cash to spend on Rover 800s!
  11. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Semi-C in The grumpy thread   
    I find it very sad that anything which (usually) started off based on love ends up in this sort of situation. However, the picture did remind me of this poorly positioned advert...
     

  12. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from robinmasters in The grumpy thread   
    I find it very sad that anything which (usually) started off based on love ends up in this sort of situation. However, the picture did remind me of this poorly positioned advert...
     

  13. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to saucedoctor in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    I was asked today how to "enable USB debuggering mode"
  14. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Bobthebeard in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    My apprentice of four years has now come out of his time.... What a smashing lad. Four years without a day off sick, never turned up late and attended college with an unblemished record! Grins all round!. Take heed Daily Mail, he is of Iraqi origin. OMG immigrant parents etc. Well done Ben! You did us all proud mate!
  15. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to danthecapriman in Huge yank shite - odd jobs.   
    Ive checked the points and they appear to be ok/possibly fairly recently replaced. Theres no burning or pitting on them and they are clean. Im leaning towards leaving them alone, for now I think. My Capri and Transit both still have points and they never have any trouble, aside from the inevitable re adjusting the gap at every service, so ill leave them and see how it goes once I can get some miles put on it. I always try to keep a spare good set and a condenser in the cars anyway just incase!
     
    The earth straps do look old and a bit ropey, but seem to work ok. I will probably make a couple of new ones from thick copper braid with a couple of lugs, and add them aswell as the old ones. Cant do any harm to have a few more.
    When I changed the Negative battery lead the contact surface where it bolts to the engine block was pretty dirty and surface rust on it. Its cleaned up to bare metal ok and ive used a thin smear of electrical conductive contact grease to keep any damp and corrosion away.
  16. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Jon in Horrible van for a horrible person   
    Nice* van there. It certainly does LACK APPEAL [/pun]. Does look from your first photo as if the front end's partaking in a bit of belming.
     
    It seems like the Spanish built Serenas and Vanettes were a bit of an anomaly from what I can work out, as they seemed to run LD23 engines, which as you say is distantly related to the 240Z. Looks like most of the Japanese ones ran CD series engines and there's plenty of them knocking about over here. Anyway, if Wikipedia is to be believed, all LD series engines ceased production in the mid-80s but there's no mention of an LD23 at all on the L-series page. Either way, I reckon you'd be warmly welcomed at the US-based Nissan Diesel forum, which caters for like-minded diesel foamers:
     
    http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org/
     
     
    Looks like I may be an antipodean version of you, what with using my LD-engined wagon to gather wood. A farmer mate told me of a tree that had fallen down in his paddock which I was welcome to cut up and here's what I found:
     

     
    My piddly 16" bar didn't do it much justice but some of the lesser branches kept us warm for most of the winter. I agree with your comments about acceleration and speed, though I do wish mine was turbocharged, as it's all mouth and no trousers, really. I think the cone air filter is pretty badly placed tbh, so I'll look to re-route it, as it seems to be down on power since fitting but has worked wonders on the brake pedal feel, since it must offer a better vacuum. Anyway, until today, I'd only heard mine running from outside once before, so I made a little video. If you want to hear what a straight six LD28 with a mildly silly exhaust sounds like, click here
     
     
  17. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Lacquer Peel in Horrible van for a horrible person   
    Hey crew! I swapped my Skoda Fabia SDi for a Japanese mid-engined rear-wheel drive two-seater with a 2.3 OHC engine, sounds exciting eh?
     

     
    "Oh."
     

     
    The ICE installation looks factory.
     

     
    It needs a few things for the MOT in a few weeks - left handbrake cable, wheel cylinder and exhaust bodging, but one fix was free and easy.
     

     

    The engine resides under the seats in a thoughtful piece of design, it's a lot more accessible than conventional vans with their engines buried under scuttles and against bulkheads. The valve cover gasket leaks a bit of oil, I don't know when the timing belt was last changed, I am scared to look at it, but it's supposed to be a 1-2 hour job. It is distantly related to the Datsun 240Z engine.
    With a new fuel filter replacing the one that looked original, it loves the veg.
     
    It drives pretty well considering the terrible reputation these things have based on the similar Serena being an unacceptable passenger car. It's no speed machine but like all old diesels it plods along well once it's up to speed. It understeers horribly at "helmsman" speeds, might be down to the teflon 185R14Cs, but at sedate speeds it's a decent drive, seems stable and safe.
     

     
    Even with 1t* of hardwood in the back.
     
    I looked at buying a few vans before this one, including overpriced 'Tw4t' Transporters - the basic engines in them are just as lacklustre as the Vanette's, but they are 2-3 times the money in similar condition. MENTAL.
    Plans? Tidy up, service, use to help renovate house/garden, collect free sofas on gumtree, deliver firewood to mutha_ and granny_Peel.
  18. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Timewaster in Robinmasters Epic* Live* Collectioneering Thread   
    I prefer HP sauce. But each to their own.
  19. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Station in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    I've never seen a fuel tank that hasn't had seized bolts, every bolt is rust free, and those metal pipes still have paint on them, this is like the Holy Grail in the Starion world.
     

     
    These are always black with sludge, and those metal flexible clips spot welded onto the tank usually break off when you touch them:
     

     

     
    The walls inside are pure metal, if you could see my old tank and then this one. Ahhhhh:
     

     
    I've covered the top with that clear waxoyl stuff and will put it in tonight! Sorry for boring post.
  20. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to The Moog in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    Instructions for parking sensors

  21. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to xtriple in The grumpy thread   
    I'm one of the great unwashed/benefit cheats: I get disability living allowance and a pension from my last employer (they sacked me when I broke my back, even though I'd been there years - big mistake for them, they have to pay me for EVER!!!!) and I still feel guilty. In the past I have done some right menial jobs: cleaning loos at a petrol station - lovely! I've been a van driver (really enjoyed that actually) delivering crap and an odd job man for another petrol station.
     
    I hated being unemployed but the way that some employers treat their low paid workers was/is bloody deplorable. But, anything is/was better than 'signing on' and if you look, there are still crappy jobs around in abundance - no bugger wants to do them/they are too thick to even do crap jobs properly, employers would rather have decent, intelligent, diligent  people than chav scum only there because they were made to be.
  22. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to mouseflakes in 1980 Austin Princess   
    I've scaled them to fit - but they look a bit short. If they're bigger than this in reality then they'll be too tall. Anyway, I've phoned Moira and told her she can stop searching for the keys.
     

  23. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Lord Sterling in The grumpy thread   
    Dave, I wouldn't recommend you move back to the UK, you are really going to have a shock when you get back here. Life is so fast-paced and rules have changed so much its unrecognisable and you'll be running for the nearest ferry back to France begging for your job back.
     
    I was out of the UK for nearly 7 months this year and due to my employers being arses I didn't get my job back. Since being back here in the UK, very little has gone right in my life due to this culture of "box ticking" background digging and assumption-making. I really want to leave here but it doesn't look too hopeful. I really dislike being back in the UK.
     
    Money isn't everything, although it does take the sting out of being piss poor and I'm one to talk as I often moan on here about having no money, but now it's even worse than ever, I really do have no money whatsoever, I wouldn't be be able to afford to eat if it wasn't for Ma_Sterling. My new job won't sub me and the DWP have decided that I haven't been in England long enough to be entitled to any kind of job-seekers allowance, you need to be here for a minimum of 3 months before you are entitled to any benefits, even as a British-born British passport holding citizen, a new rule that came in on January to cut down on "benefit tourism" which is understandable.
     
    Have you thought about working for British companies in France like Eurocamp or BRAD Europe? I used to work for Eurocamp and thouroughly enjoyed it hence why I lived in Beziers. BRAD Europe have some work going in France around the Nantes area. I've recently submitted my CV to BRAD Europe but have heard nothing yet. I'm sure there are other companies too. (If you come across any, would you please let me know, I'd like to return to France at the first opportunity if I can)
     
    Also, your CV doesn't have to have a 9-year gap. As you (I assume) you lived in France for those 9 years you can make what you did sound professional if your boss is willing to give you a reference. There is similar type work of what you have done in France over here in the UK too from what I've seen.
     
    Good luck in whatever you decide.
  24. Like
    mat_the_cat got a reaction from Cavcraft in I really am not very good at this...   
    I have absolutely no idea *why* I like this, but I do!
  25. Like
    mat_the_cat reacted to Louise2cv in What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread   
    I met Mat-the-cat today, and ran with him in a 10k race (well, for a couple of minutes then he disappeared as he is much faster than me).
     
    Unfortunately this involved outing myself as a Facebook-stalker in the doorway of some public toilets and then me introducing myself to his missus as someone he'd met on "a dodgy website".
     
     
    Sorry Mat-the-cat, I do not excel at social etiquette. 
     
    Big Sorry.
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