Micrashed's Cherry Popped - Pro'ly up for sale

[Micrashed]

El-Cherryo.

 

Some of you will know the tale behind the Airfix Kit Honda, for those of you that dont - tough,. I spent ages typing it out and then the buggering computer muffed up and lost it. So Im not typing it all again. Suffice to say that I sold my Honda motorbike to a bloke called Alan who carted it away in the back of a Merc camper van.

 

The money from that was nearly enough to pay for EddyRamrods Nissan Cherry that he was offering for sale about the time I had decided that the Honda wasnt going to be a father/son project and a PM discourse was entered into.

 

A price agreed..

 

A holiday taken..

 

A date finally set..

 

A train ticket bought..

 

Insurance arranged..

 

Breakdown card packed..

 

And so the windiest day of the year arrived and off I set from Preston to Barrow in Furness - not far but because BIF didnt fall into the Irish Sea, a bit of a long winded trip.

 

The owner of this Golf went to extreme measures to achieve the "slammed look".

 

Preston BR have been serving cups of tea  to weary travellers since the first world war, and rumour has it they are going to use a new tea bag very soon.

 

Preston BR are also responsible for it being buggering cold today by switching the heat off

 

Eventually, after telling me it was 10 mins late, 23 mins late, then 35 mins late - my train turned up on time and took me via the north west coast to 

 

Where the wind was so bad i saw a dog blown inside out...

 

Train p0rn for anoraks...

 

 

I bought a brew and texted Mr Ramrod and waited - before not very long THIS arrived winking at me...

(daylight pic robbed from MrDuke)

 

Went back to Eddys and nattered for a while, met Mrs R and Memphis. Bits of paper were shuffled and the key handed over.
 

And then... Time to drive the Cherry home (via the "go-go juice" station). A bit of a shock to drive a car with no PAS after all these years, but not an unpleasant one. The Cherry drives very well and hides its age.

 

There is heaps of room inside, the heater is hotter than the halls of hell and it was the warmest I have been all day, and Eddy needent worry that the four on the floor gear box would be a bit buzzy at motorway speeds, clearly he  has never been in a 998cc K11 - by comparison, the Cherry purred like a contented pussy.

 

The journey home was uneventful. Really. Oh, the petrol cap refused to open with the key, so the lock has been removed until it can be fixotated, but aside from that all is well.

 

Stopped here...

for the longest wee of my life.

 

And phailing phone battery meant only ropey non flash  pic of Cherry

 

77 miles later and Im home -

 

Son given keys to car

 

Son very happy.

 

Thanks Eddy, nice to have met you.

[eddyramrod]

I forgot to ask you about that dog!  How on earth can a dog be blown inside out????  Or am I better off not knowing?

Anyway: great to meet you too.  Glad to hear Son is happy. 

Roomy?  Yes, that's one of the things that struck me too.  It's a ridiculous amount of space for a car so tiny; ridiculous in a good way, like a TARDIS.  You might not want to take four passengers very far, but for one or two people and some luggage, it's huge.  Shows how bloated and padded modern cars are!  It didn't take me long to acclimatise to the steering, but yes, it was a bit of a shock at first.  We are spoiled these days. 

It's had some pretty comprehensive servicing in my hands and MrDuke's, so it should be pretty fit overall.  The little niggly things can be fixed over time, but none of them should put the car off-road for more than a couple of hours.

 

What did Mrs Shed say when she saw it?

[Micrashed]

Mrs Shed has not ventured outside to look at it

 

I shall be taking it to work tomorrow morning, it hardly used any fuel on the way home too

[seacow]

Nice work - like this car a lot!   Great day for it too!!

[Lord Sterling]

Looks like a great car. The shape reminds me of Inspector Gadgets car:

 

[HillmanImp]

Thanks for the earworm LS....

[Lord Sterling]

Thanks for the earworm LS....

I know. The title tune is a little addictive to listen to. Particularly the bit when Gadgets van turns into the car and speeds off.

 

I read somewhere that Gadgets car was based on a Tatra Murena. Similar shape but a Nissan Cherry looks more convincing.

[Micrashed]

 

Took it to work this morning.

 

I rather like it - I think My son may end up fighting me over it.

[vulgalour]

Your headlight isn't working.  I thought I'd tell you because it's not on.  That little Cherry looks ace,  I imagine it's a lot like owning a nicer version of the K10 Micra.

[Micrashed]

Yes, noticed the headlight last night.

 

Will get it sorted out - main beam and sidelight works, so thats enough untill tomorrow. Actually debating sorting the little bits out on it and letting Number 1 son have my car (the MicraShed) and running this one.

[HMC]

Almost an autoshite calender pic with the headlight out- cherry by night.

 

Nice write up, like the golf lowering reference which does take being "hit by the lowering stick" to a whole new level

 

Dunno if it's wrong for the year etc but I recon it would look great with one of those anniversary grille badges that I used to seen on a 2 tone micra "collette" that was in my street when u was a kid. Plus did someone say they had the original

Plates?

 

Lovely car, just looks so right in that colour.

[Micrashed]

I already have one on the Micrashed in black, but have a red one or a blue one ready to go on - it is actuially a bit early - they were 1983 or 1984 I think, but who cares?

It will probably wear the red one, but the son prefers the blue one.

[eddyramrod]

Tell him it'll have to be red to match the coachline...    I'm glad you're finding it so pleasing!

[meggersdog]

Practical classics are so far behind the times.Not only has Eddy sold the Cherry but he doesn't live in Sheffield either.

[Micrashed]

On the hunt for some struts for the tailgate so I can bin the Mk1 broom handle currently employed, they do seem hard to come by so far and Im wondering if there is anything else that will fit, possibly Almera or Primera ones

 However in my search I found this....

 

How red is that N12 interior - I think it would induce a migraine before long.

[eddyramrod]

If it had looked like that, not even a free Volvo could have got me out of it!

[Micrashed]

Well, little jobs have now started.

 

THIS firm claim to be able to refurbish existing tailgate struts for £10 each, or can offer replacement units for £18 each

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/gas-struts/re-gassing-service

 

So with luck the Cherry will soon be self supporting in the boot lid department.

 

A bit of a fight with the headlight bulb ( rear connector was quite stubborn) saw normal illumination restored.

 

And will be getting used for SD&P duties next week. Even Mrs Shed seems quite pleased with the car, which leads me to the conclusion that she has been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with a duplicate.

 

Sadly the petrol filler cap lock has still got me thwarted at the moment, insomuch as its in bits, but the chrome ring refuses to budge allowing me to strip it to the point I can file the wafers.  The alternative plan is to see if I can get the remote release to work, or an alternative is to fabricate a fixing using a lock from a K11 Micra which is  a similar diameter, but a different length.

 

[Squire_Dawson]

A nice car, that. It's a few years since I owned a Micra Shape but I never remember the 'box giving any noise or bother, even at 80+

[Micrashed]

I just got fitted out with new hearing aids today and cant believe how noisy the K11 is. Rattles, squeaks, squeals and anything above 70 makes you think its going to self destruct.

In the end I took one hearing aid out.

 

Im going to swing by the scrappers tomorrow and see if I can pick up a suitable lock for the filler cap.

[eddyramrod]

Cherry IS a nice car.  I was prepared to be unimpressed, as I only bought it for my mini-commute so I didn't have to use the (now-gone) 4.3 litre Blazer.  However, within a couple of days I found myself positively revelling in it.  There's far more space than one might expect, and being a well-looked-after low-mileage example it all drives beautifully.  Yes, there are little niggles, like the tailgate struts, but I found myself forgiving those.  Had Rawy not offered the Volvo around, and then played really dirty by dropping the price , I would have kept this baby a lot longer.

The seven months I had with this were delightful.

[Squire_Dawson]

Duff tailgate struts? Surely the autoshite way is to keep an old broom handle in the back to prop it up with.

[Micrashed]

 Yes, there are little niggles, like the tailgate struts, but I found myself forgiving those. 

If it was an occasional car, I probably would to. But its for my son, so I want to get it right, plus if we do take it to a show or two then its nice to have those bits working.

They are only minor niggles. James wants a "proper!" radio to play his MP3's and things so its likely that Im going to wire one up in the glove box so the dash stays original looking - wiring one from scratch is actually more preferable and easier for me to do than to fault find for the existing one (unless its the fuse). 

Appearance wise it wont look any different - of course if the tape player can be got working then I can use an adaptor thing for he MP3.

Ive tried soaking the original lock in oil but its still reluctant. In itself it isnt a huge issue, and to be honest its fun fettling with it.

I need to find a paint match now for the air box too as thats getting repainted too.

[eddyramrod]

Duff tailgate struts? Surely the autoshite way is to keep an old broom handle in the back to prop it up with.

 Yes, that's the current solution, but it's for a Junior Shiter, who wants it to be "right" so fair enough.  It's one of those things that "should be fixed" but you never quite get round to if you're actually driving it (and enjoying it).

[gary_davidson]

If the radio can be got working then he can just use a wireless FM transmitter for his MP3 player keeping the car that bit more original

[Squire_Dawson]

 Yes, that's the current solution, but it's for a Junior Shiter, who wants it to be "right" so fair enough.  It's one of those things that "should be fixed" but you never quite get round to if you're actually driving it (and enjoying it).

 

Good stuff. On family cars we've had in the past where the struts have gone, the broom handle was resorted to purely because the expense and effort was impossible to justify for a car that was nearing the end of its life anyway.

 

But I can see this is a different kettle of fish and is not merely someone's run-it-into-the-ground banger, but a treasured car. Good luck with finding those struts or adapting some others.

 

I have the completely opposite problem with the Allegro. Sometimes when I close the drivers' door the boot springs open, or it does it randomly whilst driving along, which can be quite embarrassing and, I dare say, highly amusing to the driver behind.

[Micrashed]

If the radio can be got working then he can just use a wireless FM transmitter for his MP3 player keeping the car that bit more original

This is very true. Im pottering about the Datsun UK Forum and apparently the tape player has its own speakers (rear) and the radio has one speaker in the dash - what a weird set up. When all the world was going with a combined DIN-D set up trust Datsun to do something loopy!

If indeed I can get the original set working without dismantling the dash then that will be the way forward.

 

1986 N12 Cherry by Micrashed, on Flickr

 

Oh, and Eddy - I think I have found what that weird key was for - did you ever investigate the little film cannister on the front crossmember?

[Micrashed]

Some of the electrical things were not doing what they should have been doing ( rear wiper, radio tape and fag lighter) it seems at some  point the smoke has been let out of the wires

 

Whilst the HBoL was about as useful as a chocolate tea pot for telling me what fuse went where I decided tonight whilst waiting ouside college for my son to have a faff.

 

10 mins later and I had identified a likely suspect for the non working radio and wiper... Fuse number 4.

Handily spares were kept inside the lid...

 

Very soon...

(Shit blurry photo of working wiper)

 

The radio however remains dead, but the tape player on the other hand has sprung into life... RESULT

 

Fag lighter mysteriously responded to having fuse 5 pulled and replaced upside down. What magic sorcery is this I wonder???

 

Found a MYSTERY switch and am loath to flick it in case the world ends or something...

 

So, two out of three non working electrical items have now had the smoke returned to the wires and are functioning more or less as Nissan intended.

[eddyramrod]

I suspect MrDuke did tell me what that switch was for, but I've forgotten... sorry!  Well done on fuse mapping, btw.  I could have done that... I just didn't.  How useful am I on a scale of 10?  3?

[gary_davidson]

as somebody who was given a n12 cherry for my first car by my dad I think this is gr42, I look forward to seeing on the streets of Preston.

[Micrashed]

as somebody who was given a n12 cherry for my first car by my dad I think this is gr42, I look forward to seeing on the streets of Preston.

Its been to Preston (Tuson) college this evening to pick up my son in it, and just come back from scouts with it and popped it in its little home for now.

 

Its getting used. Sadly the breakers didnt have a K11 in and I didnt fancy faffing about with anything else lock wise, to see if it fit the Cherry.

 

Things left to do:

 

Tidy the sill repairs (probably some isopon, a flap wheel and then blow over)

Flap the front valance, prime and blow over  (father in law will paint for me )

Clean underbonnet and repaint airbox

Fix fuel flap lock

Replace tailgate struts

 

Thats about it. I am debating whether to try and find a period tow bar, but probably wont bother. I could also do with a handbook for it.