500tops

After I fired up the engine via the battery charger on Monday evening, I left the battery to charge overnight. In the morning, the charger battery level light was still only on amber, which I assumed meant that the battery was refusing to receive / hold charge. Time for a new battery. 
Getting hold of the correct replacement battery should have been easy but Euro Car Parts, specifically their website, made the process very complicated and it took me two days to source the correct battery.
I have been advised that the battery that was in the Sierra was not right for the car. Apparently, the battery was more suited to a diesel engine or a much larger capacity pez motor.

I measured the battery.

I also measured the battery tray, which has three holes for the clamp bolt, which means that the battery tray can accommodate different sized batteries. Clever.

Replacement battery purchased and fitted.

The weather forecast for today was dry and sunny so I decided to take the Sierra to work.
I got my surveying kit in the boot.

I drove from home along the M40 and M25 to Old Windsor, then into Windsor, then along the M4 and A404 to Marlow, then to High Wycombe, then back home, approx 65 miles, I think.




The exhaust fumes smell has been fixed. Evidently, exhaust fumes have been getting past the old gaskets / loose manifold and downpipe fixings and replacing the lot has fixed the problem.
On route home I popped into Wickes to buy a fence post.

Which fitted easily inside the cabin.

I have a few more jobs in mind for the Sierra but you will hear about them next week as I have non car related plans for this weekend.

Second pass after spraying the seats with  liquid, drill brush attachment scrub then wet vac’d out. 
 
That’s just the base of the rear seat! Can’t wait to do the front seats at the weekend..

Not ebay but Rods n Sods Forum.
Looks very smart.

I had a new front pipe fitted @ATS Wallsend, to my ToMM© Carina II.
It thrubbed and blew, so it went back....
Canny lads, reckoned the clamping studs were karrkedd and set about remedial actions.....
Gas 'to cherry' got the old studs out, new studs in & reclamp + gasket/washers...
About an hour and a half = no charge 👍
To be quite fair, all round, they agreed they shouldn't have attempted the fit... with the studs as raggy... Fair Doos 2 them 😎
🚙💨

13.5 metres floaty thing
https://www.troostwijkauctions.com/l/larc-xv-6-amphibi-voertuig-A1-17881-9?utm_source=marktplaats&utm_medium=referral


Cars can drive on and off, clearly it's the ideal collection/recovery vehicle:

£1495
https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1714509

Gets the approval of Cyril Sneer

Prairie with MOT and an ALL CAPS DESCRIPTION.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/357649156728887

This has had quite an interesting life
https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1714595

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/791638569514869/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks

Yeah, I could sing a song about GM's half arsed export model homologation attempts, my euro-spec Caprice is similar, even the C5 Corvette got messed up with poorly integrated extra lights. Agree that it does look good though but pretty rough around the edges the closer you look.
Another obscure practical workhorse that already has a forum counterpart. I'd still love to try a Sigma but it would have to be a sedan for me. This one looks great but has been off the road for 17 years which usually means everything needs replacing. Probably could get it for much less than the already discounted 1k.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1461056707806946/

I always thought these pre-facelift LeBarons looked very sleek with their hidden headlights. It might not have any structural rigidity in convertible form but would you care while surrounded by this level of opulence?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/917118929752829/

One Dustbuster van on Autoshite isn't enough so here's one with less color and less power:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/917118929752829/

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235522924774?itmmeta=01HVMBSQ198991W8ARWFV9GE4Z&hash=item36d642a0e6:g:fxwAAOSwqEdmHTtN

Those carpets might be better done at the house with the pressure washer and vax like we did the rolls carpets on a sunny weekend! 
 
If you could mount a length of wood in the outside of the garage or the house we could use that to hang them up and wash them vertically! Or use the bonnet of the range rover

beast

Popped to Liege, Belgium today to tick off some bucket list items for the family.


You can definitely tell when you go over the border from NL to Belgium, because the road surfaces deteriorate almost instantly.
Rover appears to be behaving again for now.
Anyway, Waffles achieved. Youngest had chocolate and marshmallows with hers and was 90% Nutella by the time she finished.


Had a few spots:




Dunno if I posted this one from Germany earlier in the week, but I loved it 😅

Being Essex boys, me and my mates have had dozens of these and the other RWD Ford favourites.
At one point three of us were running around in silver 4 door Ghias, two of which were mine at one point. My main one was a 1.6 auto (on the left), the other two were 1300s, one very tidy one that my mate bought back from the guy who bought it from his mum when we were kids, and a shabbier midnight blue one - thanks to a 4th Ghia bought as a donor, all the panels were swapped over and the rest of the car rattle canned to match (the one on the right)

Several times we took all three out for a cruise and a slide around the lanes, the old bill didn't seem as impressed as we were.
All these cars were cheap, my auto was £150, not sure on the midnight blue one but probably similar. Donor Ghia was £50 and didn't deserve to be parted out but I didn't do it.
The then-silver one became mine then got sold on to a knob who didn't have a license and killed it ragging it around in the woods

not a UK car but phwaaaar 
did we get that Sporty Malaga over here too
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186392875740?itmmeta=01HVH8SP6WGFW2XFFXNSFS0AEY&hash=item2b65e192dc:g:~eYAAOSwEUpmHB3m

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276425081434?itmmeta=01HVH8SP6W2NV8BKQJ0H06Y4ME&hash=item405c38025a:g:65MAAOSwEmNmG8MA

This little gem really needs saving..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335348688928?itmmeta=01HVH8SP6VBX3WXNYEKED3RJ0G&hash=item4e1456e820:g:RWAAAOSw9Q1mHDB2

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1088775955532382/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks