Joey spud

So glad it passed the MOT without issue, it’s an excellent wee thing.

Well, what can I say;
 
Don't know why (I'm likely getting bored) but I think I'll be getting rid of the Civic and my life will be bereft of double wishbone and multi-link goodness for a while. Just completed a 750-mile road trip in her and she was fine...well, ok, she was a bit hesitant but at no point did I ever feel she was going to break down on me. That said, I do have breakdown cover, I'm not that brave!
 
Called Phoebe by the previous owners because of the number plate. I think a more appropriate name is The Red Wreck. Plus I love a good Coronation Street pun.
 
 
 
She's only been back on the road since September 2018 after being off the road for five years due to an MoT fail on corrosion and brakes. After much fettling she was back on the road. It's at this point I think I should stop referring to an inanimate object as "she" as I'm starting to sound like Martin Bryce from Ever Decreasing Circles.
 
 
 
Good points:
Starts in the cold instantly, no matter how long IT'S been left.
It has MoT until Sep 19th 2019.
Very nippy indeed even with the hesitancy issue.
All the electronics work, even the leccy sunroof and the much-coveted one-touch driver's side window. This includes also the fantastic heater.
Has a genuine 49k from new (the old lady I bought it from chucked the invoices and receipts away in the time between me paying for it and collecting it. Feel free to check MoT history on Vehicle Smart or similar).
The log book states I'm the fourth owner but the first owner was the dealer the the first two "real" owners were husband and wife, the man's widow taking it on after his death. (Sorry for the dealer spiel)
The body, though shabby, is solid. The strut tops, inner wings and boot floor look spotless to my untrained eyes. 
Doesn't seem to use any oil or water and maintains a constant temperature just below the halfway mark, even on very long trips.
Still has the original wheel trims (is this a plus?)
Had £1500 spent on it to get it roadworthy again, the majority of that money going on welding, brake lines and rebuilding the right-hand carb. Has had a light service with new oil and plugs and blah blah. Assuming people know service items.
Interior is in fantastic nick bar the issue I'll mention below.
No weird noises, knocks or bangs to speak of. The door seals seem to be in great condition and the wind noise is about what you'd expect for one of these (really loud cos it's an '80s supermini).
Has the original stereo which works. There is a tape in the car which contains Christian pop. I have listened to it for testing purposes only. Signal seems a bit weak for the radio but assuming this is easily sorted.
Cambelt has just been done 800 miles ago as it was so old I was frightened to even start it up.
Still has the original "Les Allen of Sunderland" dealer plates and they still look great. Dealer sticker is also still on the rear window.
 
Bad points:
The welding, as you may be able to see from the pics, looks shit. It's solid but I think it's just been painted in red oxide and there already seems to be very light surface corrosion. The sills were welded and then painted in black Hammerite by the looks of it - their condition seems to be ok but who knows? They look and feel very solid.
Car needs a ton of choke to idle when cold and even when warm, you can't really knock the choke off.
It's a bit hesitant when you're trying to accelerate or pull away. It can catch you out sometimes, especially if the ambient temperature drops without you knowing.
Hole in the passenger side front seat, seems to be sun damage. It's only small (I'll get a pic)
Passenger-side door doesn't unlock from the outside and if this car ever had central locking, it is non-functional. Opens fine from the inside, though and I'll try and fix it.
It's had a rear-end shunt at some point and the fog light is loose but still works. The bumper has been reseated but this does mean that if you look very, very closely the bumper doesn't quite look flush. Man on a galloping horse and all that.
VERY slight noise from the o/s outer CV joint but at this stage I wouldn't even bother thinking about it. I only noticed because I'm a car pedant / hypochondriac. The boot is intact.
Crease / dent / scrape on the o/s front wing. 
All the paint is faded and patchy with peeling lacquer.
 
So that's about it really. Looking through the paperwork, the garage seem to have only messed with the right side carb as it had a stuck float, presumably from aged petrol lacquer. Before it's sold, I'll take the spring and piston out of the left carb - if my hunch is right I'm expecting gunk on the intake side. HOPEFULLY this is the cause of the running issue but be aware there are no rebuild kits available for these Keihin carbs so if it's not the fault, it may need a carb switch. I think Webers are a popular conversion but I don't know how that would work in terms of air filtration as the Keihins are side-draught. You'd also certainly need a filter for the PCV gases.
 
I've probably made this car sound much worse than it is but I value honesty over conning people. I made that sound like a virtue, when in fact it just means I'm not a monster. Oh well...Certainly rather have a slower sale or sell it for a bit less than sell it in two days for the asking price, only for the car to disappoint someone because I was scant in my description. It's really a clean car, though.
 
No idea how much it's worth and I'm certainly not averse to swappage but I just thought I'd stick this up here and see in which direction the wind blows. If I don't sell it, I don't sell it. I'll try and get some better / interior pictures over the weekend. I'll start with £800  roffle and go from there - people can tell me if I'm crazy for either overpricing or underpricing.
 
I've decided I'll likely not take a swap because the chances of somebody having something I can insure cheaply in combination with something I like are probably minimal but I'm still SLIGHTLY open to something I can get classic insurance for. Sooner have cash, though.
 
It's great fun to drive, with quick and direct, if light, steering, taut handling, nice snicky gearbox, punchy performance if you keep up the revs and a nice, jarring ride (ahem). The brakes are actually pretty good, not too much of a shock after driving my dad's 2006 Xsara Picasso. Very progressive compared to all-or-nothing Citroen brakes.
 
There may be possibilities such as delivery or meeting halfway but only after a price were agreed. Don't want to firmly state I will do it at this stage because I hate to let people down. If I did deliver though I'd make it free within a 50-mile or so radius - hopefully there are a few shiters in the North East or willing to meet. Beyond that I'd just be covering my costs. I'm quite new to the group so I'm relying on the buyer to be more cognisant of the protocol than me.
 
To sum up, it's a cosmetically compromised, ridiculously solid and reliable old girl with a bit of a cough (OH I DID IT AGAIN!). Oh, and it's got a new tyre. Don't rush all at once now....
 
Kind Shiter Regards,
 
Dave

The little Daihatsu has done a tank of fuel now at around 38mpg i am happy with that and continues to scare me,not with its acceleration but with its brakes and wayward cornering antics.
I do seem to be creating an impressive amount of brake dust though.

The auto box so I'm told is useless because it's made of chocolate and wont last till Easter so i thought it best i gave it its first fluid change.

It holds over 5 litre of dexron 3 but you can only get half of it out so i did one change today and will go again after 50 miles or so.





On the stick this stuff looked clean honest..





That's better.

I gave it a good tonking around the new Amazon / Ikea warehouses that have popped up on the peninsula and it don't seem any slicker but maybe it is a bit quieter.

This won't help in any way,but might give you some enthusiasm
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tt3rkWKWWW0

The little Daihatsu has done a tank of fuel now at around 38mpg i am happy with that and continues to scare me,not with its acceleration but with its brakes and wayward cornering antics.
I do seem to be creating an impressive amount of brake dust though.

The auto box so I'm told is useless because it's made of chocolate and wont last till Easter so i thought it best i gave it its first fluid change.

It holds over 5 litre of dexron 3 but you can only get half of it out so i did one change today and will go again after 50 miles or so.





On the stick this stuff looked clean honest..





That's better.

I gave it a good tonking around the new Amazon / Ikea warehouses that have popped up on the peninsula and it don't seem any slicker but maybe it is a bit quieter.

The little Daihatsu has done a tank of fuel now at around 38mpg i am happy with that and continues to scare me,not with its acceleration but with its brakes and wayward cornering antics.
I do seem to be creating an impressive amount of brake dust though.

The auto box so I'm told is useless because it's made of chocolate and wont last till Easter so i thought it best i gave it its first fluid change.

It holds over 5 litre of dexron 3 but you can only get half of it out so i did one change today and will go again after 50 miles or so.





On the stick this stuff looked clean honest..





That's better.

I gave it a good tonking around the new Amazon / Ikea warehouses that have popped up on the peninsula and it don't seem any slicker but maybe it is a bit quieter.

So a Mot was booked (it has been off the road since last Summer) at the workshop i owned back in 2001.



It only just scrapped through the lambda part of the cat test i think there might be a slight exhaust leak somewhere.
Other than a tweak of the headlamp aim it walked the mot.









It's done about 80 miles today and it's been a right laugh.
All told it owes me just shy of £740 so shock horror i may actually make a small profit if i ever sell it on.

I have tried to do the rear screen twice now but it didn't end well.
I foolishly thought there isn't hardly any curve on the glass so i wont need to heat it up and pre shrink it and i have been proved very wrong.
 
I will wait for the weather to improve,buy a cheap heat gun (the wifes hair dryer just isn't up to the job) then look at more Youtube vids and go again.
 

 
The paint is coming back to a deep shine though.

The little Daihatsu has done a tank of fuel now at around 38mpg i am happy with that and continues to scare me,not with its acceleration but with its brakes and wayward cornering antics.
I do seem to be creating an impressive amount of brake dust though.

The auto box so I'm told is useless because it's made of chocolate and wont last till Easter so i thought it best i gave it its first fluid change.

It holds over 5 litre of dexron 3 but you can only get half of it out so i did one change today and will go again after 50 miles or so.





On the stick this stuff looked clean honest..





That's better.

I gave it a good tonking around the new Amazon / Ikea warehouses that have popped up on the peninsula and it don't seem any slicker but maybe it is a bit quieter.

The little Daihatsu has done a tank of fuel now at around 38mpg i am happy with that and continues to scare me,not with its acceleration but with its brakes and wayward cornering antics.
I do seem to be creating an impressive amount of brake dust though.

The auto box so I'm told is useless because it's made of chocolate and wont last till Easter so i thought it best i gave it its first fluid change.

It holds over 5 litre of dexron 3 but you can only get half of it out so i did one change today and will go again after 50 miles or so.





On the stick this stuff looked clean honest..





That's better.

I gave it a good tonking around the new Amazon / Ikea warehouses that have popped up on the peninsula and it don't seem any slicker but maybe it is a bit quieter.

The little Daihatsu has done a tank of fuel now at around 38mpg i am happy with that and continues to scare me,not with its acceleration but with its brakes and wayward cornering antics.
I do seem to be creating an impressive amount of brake dust though.

The auto box so I'm told is useless because it's made of chocolate and wont last till Easter so i thought it best i gave it its first fluid change.

It holds over 5 litre of dexron 3 but you can only get half of it out so i did one change today and will go again after 50 miles or so.





On the stick this stuff looked clean honest..





That's better.

I gave it a good tonking around the new Amazon / Ikea warehouses that have popped up on the peninsula and it don't seem any slicker but maybe it is a bit quieter.

Thanks! Another kind offer among a few on this thread. Appreciated.
 
Well, one D-day of a sort arrives, in that I sent off the V62 with a covering letter just now to apply for a V5. I spoke to the DVLA as well, but that added nothing I didn't already know, so went straight to the application.
 
LBF's ever diligent sleuthing (thanks, chap) leads me to believe that no more info about this vehicle will be forthcoming. So time for Swansea to do as they will.
 

came across this and figured it might help
 

 
 
a picture of a slightly less faded/worn set of controls in a Mk12, with some of the markings still legible
 (I noticed the cool little courtesy lamp, looks like a Lightbulb in some sort of steam punk suit of armour  ) 

I have spoken to Lesley Cook who looks after the Hammond Microcar collection in Kent (TN12 postcode - between Headcorn and Staplehurst). The original owners founded the RUMcar register/forum.

I have confirmed that up to 20 cars from us (quirkier the better she says!) will turn up on 12th May 1pm for a tour. The 20 car limit is due to only so much hard standing.

Apparently there is a pub down the road for drink/food afterwards.

This is a private collection, so we can only attend at this time and date unless you make your own separate arrangements.

The charge is £3 a head, which I think is very fair. I will happily play banker (yes, banker) on the day.

The limit is 20 cars, but up to 30-40 people. So please put your username below (and any other forum members who will be in the car with you).

https://www.hammondmicrocars.com/

1. egg
2. GrumpiusMaximus + better half
3. SierraMikeHotel
4. JoeySpud
5. Parky (maybe)
6. Lightbulbfun (maybe with Parky)
7. Christine
8. Inconsistant
9. Nigel Bickle
10. Bramz7
11. Six-Cylinder + Hairnet
12. Adw1977
13. Skoda_Fan
14. Amishtat + friend
15. RobT
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I will share this thread with the owner to show our genuine intent.

I would like to attend too as this sounds most agreeable.

You're going to do your bloody back in lifting engines into low engine bays/ onto gearboxes. Buy or hire a crane to make life easier (avoid broken fingers/ slipped discs)!

Freedom!
This makes me happy to be alive.
 
This morning I had to pick up a lady from Heathrow T5 at 9 O'clock , beforehand I took a guy down at 5, so made sense to park up and have a kip/ watch I-player( how has no one on Shetland noticed Perez has gone from a £300 52 reg V70 to a brand new V90 ?)
Anyway woke up went into the carpark, parked in my usual spot on the deserted 2nd floor, the relevance of which will become apparent.
Obviously this was about time for my morning poo, especially after an hours kip in the car.
Went into the nice clean toilet, in the quiet bit of the carpark remember.
Phone buzzes, " I'm through, just getting coffee do you want one?" Timing perfect.
Go about my business, turn handle to unlock door, and...
Nothing! It just spins not attached to anything.
Trapped in the bog, I give the door a shove, it's massive and VERY solid, I kick it , nothing.
I notice a red rubber strip around the wall- it's an emergency call button- I push it, a siren starts up, quite deafening inside the toilet.
Nothing happens.
I start yelling and shouting- nothing.
I start kicking fuck out of the door, bits of frame fall down, the handle comes off- the door doesn't budge.
Phone rings, it's my passenger, " Where are you"
I explain.
She laughs, a lot .
I then explain where exactly I am.
10 minutes later , the door opens.
It's her, she rescued me!
To make matters worse, the first thing she says is" That must have been awful, it stinks in there "
I said " Yes it was like that when I went in there" !?!
"Mmmmm" says she...

The Microcar collection in Maidstone have replied to my email, and although initially put off by our forum name have agreed that our hearts are in the right place .
 
I now need to call and discuss the potential visit, I'm thinking about weekends in May (not bank holiday ones).
 
Will do an Event thread in due course if all goes well.

Has anyone here been to the Hammond micro car collection in Maidstone? Visits by arrangement - surely we need to arrange a 'club' visit?
 
https://www.hammondmicrocars.com/
 

Does it make toast?
 

A sparkomatic sounds like a Wallace and gromit radio.

Its here!

With old pugs and brakes I've always found the best course of action is to take the part off and dump it on the counter of your fave motor factors and say, I'll have one of those please. There's no rhyme or reason to what type gets fitted to what model, it just must have depended on what day of the week it was.

Never had a single failed fuel pump on any of the 37 Reliants I owned.didnt like the idea of an electric pump at possibly the wrong psi pumping fuel in the event of an accident. The Borg and beck is a strong clutch,but a bit in or out.but you get used to it.make sure you have the clutch return Spring fitted,this will smooth out the clutch action a bit and stop the thrust bearing wearing out.i used to use a gearbox input shaft to align the clutch,after all,it's what goes in it,but no good unless you have a scrap box to rob.

Great save i will always cheer for the underdog.
 
When they're gone they're gone,what's the underside rust situation like ?
 
I was welding these vans up when they were only six years old.