I can haz crabz lol...!.?1

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey, remember my 'winning' bid on this?

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120288229094

 

Well yesterday I bunked off work early and drove down to Andover to collect it.

 

This was the first time I had towed anything with the Volvo, and I was worried that going from a 2.3 turbo audi to a 2.0 NA volvo would make the journey a grim experience with a ton of Longbridge Landfill behind me. Heres the route:

 

 

In fact, it turned out great. The Volvo towed it a treat, although it was VERY slow to start with due to sticky brakes on the 'crab! After A while I stopped for juice and noticed smoke coming from the rear wheels. I tipped a thermos of tea on them and gave them a good welly with the hammer which helped enormously. No I will have no more fear of towing with the TORSLANDA. OK now check the 'crab:

 

 

 

 

Generally its pretty decent. There are a few bits needing some TLC from the mig, but its certainly not a brain damage body rebuild (good job or it would be getting weighed in).

 

Interiors not the best, needs some new carpets at the very least.

 

 

Needs a hydro pump-up, but its not completely flat so the suspension should be sound. 54k on the clock and two owners from new, its been in a shed for about 15 years apparently! Even Ms_Bol likes it so we're on to a winner I think. Next weeknd i'll give it a clean up and try to get it going.

[Torsten2001]

That looks superb! Well done! Quite a brave thing you've done there but it looks like it's paid off! Cracking motor!

[michiel]

Nice one!

[bigstraight6]

Blandness personified good work Mr B, looks not too bad from yer pics, and all with the approval of 'er indoors!

[r.welfare]

Gr8 work - looks like you took the A34 route out of "The 'Dover" then, hopefully the traffic was OK for you.

[Split_Pin]

Looks remarkably good for the price!I would guess that starting the reserve at scrap metal value would mean that this car ran a real risk of being bangerised - well done for saving it from that horroble fate.I do like the colour too

[wuvvum]

Wow. That's a long way to A-frame a Crab. Well done for making it. I had something similar happen when I was trailering the Daimler Conquest back behind the Fourtrak - it was only managing 40 and really struggling uphill, and I didn't realise until I stopped at a set of lights and saw the smoke that I'd left the trailer handbrake on. I forget - is your Crab tax exempt? Either way, looks in pretty fair nick for the price, and they're supposed to be a good laff to drive too.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That looks like Haaaaaarvest Gold with Limeflower trim - nice. You can see why the Princess was such a big deal after the Crab.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

In fact, the sellers son was a banger racer and I picked it up from his yard - he had a pile of cortinas and a starlet stock car, plus a couple of Supras including a turbo one, and a Mitsi Sapporo, all of which were destined for the track. The feller was super sound though and even lent me his pressure washer to get some of the crud off before I hit the road.

[nigel bickle]

Nice one. Dragging them home certainly frees the wheels, suspension, steering and bearings up ,doesnt it. Only twice have they 'failed to release' -the later (a Fiat 1500 bought in Brussels) necessitated a hurried 'toilet break' on the Brussels ring road to put the fire out! Made the subsequent dismantling to remove the caliper all the more fun!Looks a good un -is it a keeper?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yeah its a keeper, at least for the time being! My workshop is full of unpainted subaru wagon so its not getting in there too quickly, but I can generally titivate it a bit at a time up in Crewe - get it going, pump up the suspension, sort out the hydraulics etc so its a going concern, then hopefully a fairly quick workshop blitz with the mig should get it on the road.

[RedSparrow]

Great motor- looks like a good buy for £150.Congratulations!

[seth]

Nice work B0110x!

[vicsmith]

Lovely!

[pompei]

Top job A bottle of vinyl restorer should get the interior sweet. For the proper shite look, I'd be tempted to make some home-maid carpets using patterned offcuts.

[mnde]

Mmm I saw a Hillman Imp like that at the car museum in Bourton-on-the-Water. Don't know if anyone else has seen it:

 

 

It had proper "old giffer's lounge" brown and orange patterned carpet in it - lovely, and I wanted a pic but unfortunately the interior didn't photograph very well at all.

 

Great find - it's nice to hear a story of an eBay tat thread car being rescued

 

Mark.

[r.welfare]

I did a doubletake when seeing this picture on the Wikipedia page for the ADO17...

 

 

...not the same car, but the same suffix and area letters. Isn't that Serck, as well?

[garethj]

Top work, Mr B !Weren't they a bit heavy on 4 star? But a great motah, they were all over the place in my childhood, can't believe they've almost all gone

[Richard]

I think this has been on before but I think now is a good time to repost it.

[pogweasel]

B E A UTIFUL.GR8 work, Alf_B0110x, knowing your 1337 skillZ it'll be done and in use in a jiffy.

[Spottedlaurel]

Good save. There’s something about this picture that amuses me:

 

 

It looks like something other-worldly peeping round the corner.

 

I do remember them around in my youth, one old chap replaced his with a Maxi, and some other people we knew had a Wolseley which replaced a Simca 1501 estate (bonus shite points there).

 

DC or Mash might agree with me that the DPO…L reg’n seems familiar from Datsuns from that era, pretty some of their press cars ran that series of numbers.

[andrew e]

I likey Mr B!

[Mr Average]

SEX ON WHEELS Mr B!!!1!Well done for saving a piece of Longbridge heritage, hope to see it on road soon.HYDROLASTIC = GR8 4 SHIRT LIFTING.

[fotorabia]

choice good work..i love the ol crabs..still a few around here in nz....on the drive up from Wellington i saw a pair of Maxis that had been used for Monster Truck practice..get my drift..sad..we d only just been talking about them to!

[mouseflakes]

Very nice Mr_Knackers!My mate had a mark 1 many years back. It was a lovely drive.The rad sprung a leak so it was left idle by the roadside for a few weeks. I kept offering to fix it but he said he wanted to do it. Before he did though, it got dragged off by pikeys. Hmmm - reminds me - there's a mk 1 Morris playing an ornamental role in a front garden near home. P'raps I should knock on the door?

[Ratdat]

I'd love to own one of these some day. I nearly bought an 1800S once but the bloke who owned it gave me some tale about it having some kind of prototype autobox in it which rather than getting me interested totally put me off. Having experienced 1100/1300 autobox reliability, I didn't fancy taking on it's big brother. Your one actually looks pretty decent. Had much of a poke about under it yet?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Not a mega comprehensive one, but today I had a bit of a poke about here and there. It seems to be pretty sound, for instance the sill-floor joins and the footwells themselves are mint, but does have some localised holes which need looking at in odd places. I gave it a wash and tried to take some better pis today but the grey skies soon found the limit of wht my digicam can cope with:

 

 

 

 

I bet this will respond well to a good joust with a screwdriver!

 

 

 

front valance is very flakey - I think you can buy GRP ones though. I'm not a fan of GRP wings but I think I could tolerate a placca front valance.

 

I have been at the clutch hydraulics this week, both master and slave cylinders were seized SOLID and took ages to get opened up, however I have rebuilt the master cyl and got some seals for the slave so with a new battery it should be drivable soon.

 

I love these cars, they have a real happy face.

 

 

I can say, that I am absolutely chuffed to bo11ox with this car for £150.

[andrew e]

Any news Mr_B if it sat around before being registered hence netting a TAX EXEMPT WIN?

[Cavcraft]

That's ace and no mistaking. Certainly seems to have come up ok. You should be able to score some carpets for it somewhere I'd imagine? You could even rust proof the floor before you get them.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Anyone remember this old thing? Its still in my garage and is recently responsible for a very low car-fixing mojo due to seeimgly needing endless welding!!!! I thought it was not too bad, but of course it was loads rustier than forecast.

 

 

The front end was fairly comprehensively rotten, valance, headlamp apertures, the lot.

 

 

 

The drivers side sill was not rotten like the usually are, but the metal was amazingly thin and turned into bog paper when I went near it with the wire brush, so a new one has gone on:

 

 

Anyway l have finished welding the front end and last night bought a big tub of wob to trowel on, hopefully that will rekindle my interest in cracking on with this old tank.