My journey through shite in Norn Iron - *Now in Cumbria*

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I've sort of neglected this a bit, but there have been a few shite developments since I last posted...

 

I buggered off to live in Cumbria in September, started a new job in October over here. Went home to Norn Ireland for Christmas and brought this back over with me, post MOT...

 

It's looking a bit more complete now but a few teething problems were inevitable driving it after 2 years off the road, 250 miles across flooded Scotland and down Cumbria on New Years Day. Turns out the heater isn't up to what I remembered, and I forgot to drill drain holes in the floors. 2" or so of water around my feet wouldn't be an exaggeration... The collapse of a wiper blade only 10 mins this side of the ferry meant that I now need to replace the windscreen too, no hardship as it needs new seals front and back...

 

Going from one motor over here to two just wasn't enough. Having not driven anything properly old for 18 months or so, no sooner had I dropped the 1100 off in Ulverston than I was on a train to Glasgow the next morning to pick up another 2.3l LPGd sturdy brick. Got to Glasgow, stayed with a friend (who bought a Rover 827 that same weekend) and then we went up to Keith in Moray to collect my new toy, bought on the strength of some photos over a few Christmas beers...

 

Another somewhat chilly drive through Scotland, yep, 1961 Land Rover, I think early 2a but to be honest the only original bit I've found is the bulkhead. It's on a galv chassis, parabolic springs, good (but awful) wheels and tyres, 5 bearing engine on LPG, winch, overdrive, freewheel hubs and MOT'd for £1600. I've taken a lot of the spacky stuff off and sold it already, it's getting proper wheels and tyres next!

 

Journey home wasn't totally trouble free, the wiring is an absolute mess so I'm going to do a total re-wire sooner rather than later...

 

Managed to track down the guy who built it onto a new chassis about 10 years back and he sent me a few pics from then...

 

 

Bringing it back to being a proper Landy, any suggestions on colour schemes to paint it that'll be funny?

 

So between flatmate and me we have... (We only actually own 2 of those spaces, and none of them are under cover )

 

Oh, and last week this happened in the C70. Even treated it to an oil change!

 

[eddyramrod]

Definitely time we had bacon butties......

[vulgalour]

I wouldn't worry about a comedy paint scheme for the Landy, I'd keep it shocking yellow with the white roof, looks pretty good to me.

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I've been leaning towards bronze green! Something inoffensive to pootle around the lakes in. I have a set of LWB series wheels which will be fitted once I get the Avon Ranger A/Ts fitted. Dashboard is a mix of series 3 parts and chequerplate at the moment too so the correct s2 clocks are on my shopping list, along with wings and front panel.

[Squire_Dawson]

Good stuff, keep up the work on the 1100, nice job.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Old Land Rovers in light green are for winnahs!

For series 2/2a it was called Pastel Green, for 3's just Light Green and for the Defender special editions was just Heritage Green.

 

[warninglight]

That does look smart actually!

 

I'm not overly fussed on where the headlights are, but if I can get hold of the bits for not much cash I'll change em. Just prefer the older looks.

[Angrydicky]

Hello Stephen! (Richard from YGC)

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Hello Richard!

 

No real shitely developments over the last few weeks. Volvo is now on 202k and still loving life, but I suspect the urge to run a(nother) burbly shitey Landy may become too much over summer and it'll be sold on. We'll see! A Disco 2 V8 ES manual on LPG is something which I just need to get my hands on as a daily, once I manage to reduce my daily mileage a bit anyway...

 

My other half is moving over here in a few weeks as well, and she's wanting rid of her Pug 206 2.0HDi GLX (if anyone wants one?) so I'm going to go see this at the weekend, top spec connie CDTi manual with 150k, TV, Webasto heater, Cowley leather (embossed headrests ftw) and the last 3 owners have been 75 oc members and avid detailers. It's done 30k in the last 12 months up and down the length of England once a week so should be pretty good!

 

 

And it's the same colour scheme as the 1100, more or less...

[Jim Bergerac]

That 75 looks cracking in that colour with serpent alloys. Being a DIY gearbox you'll need to watch out for the clutches.

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Help...

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/volvo-v90-estate-30-lpg-auto-reluctant-sale/1052409818#photo-content

 

Someone come and give me a bag for the C70 T5 this weekend and I'll do right by that gorgeous V90...

 

I haven't even been to see that 75 yet. Silly.

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Developments (if you can call them that) in the shite fleet!

 

Picked up that 75 for the other half, she loves it! Has a few niggles but I'll get all that sorted over summer when she moves over here.

 

Nice motor though, and quite gentle on diesel.

 

Then Bank Holiday Monday I said goodbye to this, it had started using coolant a bit and one of the outer CV joints started making rude noises so I stuck it for sale and it went very quickly at £950.

 

 

So I ran about in this for a week - including a run down to Runcorn from here, going under cover of night to avoid M6 traffic and the associated cutting out of Landy... On a tip run with a mate it jammed itself in reverse with the gear lever floating round, pulled the tunnel up out the way and 30 seconds with a long flat blade screwdriver had everything hunky dory...

 

Went to look at a V90 in the North East, which turned out to be a massive disappointment - probably much better when they're not terminally shagged.

 

Then went to look at this S70 TDi - grim as expected, didn't even bother driving it as it was manky and the seller had no idea about timing belt and more importantly with these, water pump and tensioners...

 

But then the red Volvo/LPG needs got too much and so I jumped on the train to Abergavenny and picked up this beaut. Alas it was all a bit spur of the moment yesterday morning so I never even thought to get the obligatory photos for you all

 

 

Anyone recommend any dents away sort of guys around south cumbria or warrington ish? Got a fairly large dent on the rear offside door which wants pulled out!

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Well the new Volvo has been pretty uninspiring so far (why am I surprised?) 140bhp and some lpg issues when flooring it don't make for an exciting drive, but it's comfy and has a great stereo. Already on the look for its replacement as I clean it up though! Any interest from this way? 115k on it and drives like new! Just too slow for me to enjoy...

 

The 1100 has been dragged out a few times in recent weeks for thrashes around the countryside when the mood takes me. It's such a laugh, I actually feel guilty for not finishing it off to make it presentable. So this week I've been to Doncaster and picked up a good bonnet, and windscreen, along with a remote gear linkage to strip down and see if I can build one which isn't ridiculously sloppy.

 

Land Rover has come in for a bit of attention too, I've taken off the Fairey front hubs as one wasn't engaging in 4wd properly, and replaced them with original drive flanges, which came from a friend, who got them off a chap who bought a brand new series in the 70s, drove it home and immediately fitted free wheeling hubs, before putting the immaculate flanges, hub caps etc. in a biscuit tin in his loft! Today I've ripped off the shit old exhaust, which seems to be a poorly modified standard petrol exhaust, changed to exit through the PTO hole. Took it out with little more than a junior hacksaw and my bare hands, all without even jacking the bugger up. Series Landies are gr9. Once Friday comes round and I'm back in Cumbria I'll fit the new Shitpart one I have, and see how many winters it lasts for. Have also fitted an engine driven fan as the tiny Kenlowe thing is really dire. Halfords luminous yellow was cheaper than machine yellow, so I have a glow in the dark fan now! Have also bought some of Craftmaster's dark green coach enamel to get painting onto the bodywork in the next few weeks!

 

So here's a pic of the exhaust, as removed...

 

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I've been Volvo-less for about a fortnight now. It's hard. Sold the V70 Bi Fuel and bought a very late Discovery TD5 that's in very good shape, dunno if anyone on here is interested enough to see it!

 

Problem is, last night I stumbled across a Saffron R-reg V70R AWD Manual, owned by the guy since it was a few years old, he's only the second owner. It's still well off 100k, but is parked up due to fuel costs, he reckons his Disco TD5 is cheaper to run.

 

It's covered in moss and could be hiding a multitude of issues, but he reckons it's not even worth selling, so I intend to work on him a bit, as he said he wants to just leave it on the grass til it rots away. What should I offer?

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Thought I'd show you it regardless!

 

 

the current fleet, just missing the 1100 which is in its garage elsewhere...

 

Leaky sunroofs, sorted.

 

The series is now (mostly) green as well!

 

Even been using it to kill Rover 75s!

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Well last night I picked this up... Been off the road for a year or so but its a one owner car, CDT Connie SE with green leather, manual, tourer. Will be cleaning it up and sorting everything for MOT and then see if its a keeper or a seller... The 75 CDT Connie SE saloon is lovely and all (I'm using it today) but the other half can see the appeal of a tourer for moving back to uni next year...

 

[Skizzer]

Green leather sounds like a winning feature.  Plenty of love for Rover 75s on here

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It's quite nice! Though the saloon has leather from an earlier Cowley built car, seems to be a softer grain, but also has the Rover emblem embossed into the headrests.

 

Proper winning feature there!

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80% of the fleet!

 

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Have my recent pics all disappeared?

 

So I was looking after an SE5a Scimitar for a friend, and the drive space here was at capacity, when I was out in the 88" at the weekend locally, laning with some friends. On a steep icy hill we came across my favourite car of EVER, halfway up, stuck, and with a Freelander trying and failing to get anywhere, towing it up with some baling twine.

 

So naturally we stepped in and made a job of it, getting him to the top.

 

Turned out, he'd been trying to power his way up the hill, and had lost drive as a result. I told him he may have boiled the ATF and to let it cool at the top of the hill before trying to drive it anywhere. He duly did, and passing later on, I noticed the car had made it all of a mile and was abandoned in a layby. Sunday morning I was coming past and it was still there, so I left a note, and, well. It's now mine!

 

 

It drove onto the trailer just about, before running out of drive, but since then, on the driveway, the gearbox errors have stopped lighting up the dash, and it seems to have sorted itself! Will be changing the ATF as a matter of course.

 

As I've always wanted a Saffron R, this will be a keeper. Full service coming up, including a cambelt. It's on 185k but that's about the right mileage to buy these at in my experience. Needs another original Comet alloy, a set of tyres, both bumpers painted, a few niggly fixes and then it's good to go! I'll likely get an LPG kit into it, as my last T5 ran merrily on it, and it can eat up the miles on longer runs much more cheaply than the Disco, justifying its existence!

 

It also has an aftermarket stainless exhaust on it, which just sounds rude...

 

 

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Did a lot of work to the R, changed the PCV system, full service, new radiator, ATF gentle change (these don't like flushes) and it was faultless for about 50 miles.

 

 

But then the gearbox started slipping and losing drive, so I've picked up a replacement and am currently fighting with it!

[Angrydicky]

The exhaust sounds shit m8

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I really ought to keep this up to date (and I'm now starting to use photobucket instead of facebook to host so the pics don't disappear)

 

The V70R I had ended up scrapped, but I got every useable part off it first. The other V70R mentioned earlier in this thread was still on my mind, and I remembered it having a scabby driver's door, so I kept that off the dead one especially...

 

Paid £Not very much for that, and after spending loads on the last one just to have it die, I took it straight for MOT, after a blast with the pressure washer. Took it to a local Quattro specialist so they can see what a real AWD 5 pot turbo'd car looks like...

And it passed with a pair of new wiper blades and no advisories!

 

The Disco had issues piling up and a trip to France looming so I took it off the road to sort, and put the Volvo into daily use. Clocked up 2500 miles in it with no real issues, but it needs a set of tyres, cambelt, driver's door swap, and the usual PCV system issues, as well as a thorough service. And it was pulling slightly under braking. Insurance renewal and being unable to mirror NCB onto the Volvo made me take it off the road, and I told myself I'd sort all those issues before putting it back on the road, so 4 months on I've started cracking on, 3 weeks til my 25th birthday and hoping insurance will be a bit easier.

It has the most offensive possible colour/interior combo too!

 

 

It even made a friend at work!

 

This is my fleet as it stands!

 

I'm also currently custodian of my girlfriend's A35, and my friend bought this LWB XJ on gas as a winter runabout. Shitey driveway (mostly parked on next door's.)

 

Somebody buy this!

 

[mouseflakes]

Sorry about this, terrible habit of mine. Did you park here?

 

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Absolutely correct, well spotted! You must be familiar with Wasdale?

[mouseflakes]

I'm very sad in that I like to try and recognise Lake District fells from photos where they appear in the background.

 

I try to do it with Scottish mountains too, but I don't know them very well so rarely score a hit.

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That's a good effort from the limited background in the pic!

 

So quiet up there, well off the beaten tourist trails, it's only every busy really with minibuses full of 3 peakers around Wasdale, as it's a dead end.

[mouseflakes]

Lovely round there.

 

And I like your 1100. If I ever become unexpectedly rich I'll get an ADO16 of some sort. Wish I'd kept the 1300GT I had when I was 18.

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The series Landy has sold, and I'll be towing it up to deepest darkest Aberdeen over Easter weekend. Given I have an empty trailer coming back and Scotland is full of Volvos, I might have found a special beast to bring back as a souvenir...

 

I think you lot will like it!

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A bit more conventional than that!