Y plate Sierra Ghia. A little prang.

[CortinaDave]

Love this. Was drooling over it on the eBay Tat thread- had an identical one and loved it. I see it has the uber rare ribbed tail lights as well- only fitted to ghia spec Y and A platers, the rest got flat ones

[Bren]

When I was at school in the mid eighties somebody close to my school had a red ghia - I think the reg was FHF 922Y.

 

Where does the FHF prefix originate because I remember a few in cheshire.

[fordperv]

^ iirc hf comes from liverpool

[warren t claim]

^ iirc hf comes from liverpool

Wallasey/Wirral.

[warren t claim]

No rear wash wipe either? Very rare.

[CortinaDave]

My Y Plate ghia had no rear wash wipe either... I think it was an option initially

[laser wheels]

Just been reading that you shouldn't run pre-85 pinto Sierras on unleaded? Is this true? If so what to do? Can you even buy leaded fuel anymore?

 

[trigger]

Get yourself stocked up on this stuff, I add a bit to every other tank full in the Cortina.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Castrol-Valvemaster-Plus-Lead-Subsitute-Fuel-Additive-250ml-/301032962810?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4616f67afa

[laser wheels]

Get yourself stocked up on this stuff, I add a bit to every other tank full in the Cortina.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Castrol-Valvemaster-Plus-Lead-Subsitute-Fuel-Additive-250ml-/301032962810?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4616f67afa

 

Nice. Hoped it would be something like that

 

I'm getting a bit worried now as I'm supposed to collect the car tomorrow and I still don't even know where the guy lives! Gonna call on my lunch break ...

 

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[HillmanImp]

I think the whole 'running on unleaded' thing has been discussed a few times before. The options discussed were:

• Buy leaded fuel and add valve master at about £10 a bottle.
• Replace the valve seats and buy leaded fuel.
• Just buy leaded fuel until you have to replace the valve seats and the car is running like shit.

At the time I think the general consensus was that you may as well just run the bugger as it is and do the work when you need to you will be much better off financially. If it needs doing immediately then you will save the money going forward on additive and if it does not need doing for years, when it finally does need sorting then all the money you saved on additive will hopefully pay for it.

 

There is also no point replacing the valve seats until you need to. Its like buying a new pair of shoes and only wearing them twice and getting them resoled.

 

If you choose to run it without additive and it goes really soon after buying it, then it was already borked and will have needed doing soon anyhow. Therefore I would say fuck it and just wing it.

[Craig the Princess]

That was our approach on running Allegros, we started using the additive. Had the hard seats added to the first Allegro when it needed the head off.

Then we stopped using the additive in the other Allegros/Metro and haven't had any problems so far.

[skattrd]

Most people I've spoken to about the leaded/unleaded thing on older motors generally say that there should be enough build up in the motor by now for it to not need any additive in the fuel.

That said, I still use the valvemaster as pictured on the older of my Lancias, just to be safe.

[RobT]

I also use it in my Metro and the bottle lasts for ages as I don't use the car that much. The additive also stops it pinking like a bastard.  I know I could adjust the timing but I got it setup nicely whilst using the additive so figured I'll just keep as is.

[cort16]

I'd ask the seller what they did as it didn't get to 150k without an additive or having hardened valve seats fitted. My experience if pintos is about 100,000 mile max before needing some top end work.

[plasticvandan]

Reliant had a big con going with their "unleaded head" costing £300,their head would supposedly make your car safe to run on unleaded.The part numbers were the same for both normal and unleaded heads.An ally cylinder head already has hardened valve seats...

[laser wheels]

Thanks for the advise chaps put my mind at rest a bit!

 

I'd ask the seller what they did as it didn't get to 150k without an additive or having hardened valve seats fitted. My experience if pintos is about 100,000 mile max before needing some top end work.

Now that's what I was thinking/hoping as well so hopefully this is the case unless I turn up and it actually does sound like a bag of hammers.Mind you I've still not been able to get in touch with the seller so at this rate it may not even happen.

[laser wheels]

Okay just heard from seller so should be collecting first thing tomorrow morning.

 

 

[Jim Bell]

Saturday=Sierraday.

[DVee8]

I have ran my Daimler on an additive for the last 7 years without any problem. The bloke i got it from ran it the same and gave me the bottle with the car,I then stocked up went i was last at Ripon classic car and auto jumble.

[Alexg]

Best of luck skipper. That's an amazingly cool purchase, I hope it's a good'un.

[laser wheels]

So I've been up since silly o'clock getting insurance sorted. Thought it was done last night, took out the online quote I had with Sureterm Direct only to call them to find out that there was a problem with it being my only car - WHICH I HAD TOLD THEM - and that the premium was now double despite the guy in sales being all 'yeah mate all covered now'. Thank buggery I rang to check or that would be me on Police Interceptors with my jacket over my head. STILL TOOK THE DEPOSIT, THOUGH, DIDN'T YER?

 

Worse still mainstream guys wouldn't touch me on a Y plate Sierra, and the classic guys wanted best part of £1k as only car.

 

So some frantic googling later got sorted for £240-ish through Lancaster inc. breakdown cover.

 

I fucking hate sorting car insurance.

[fordperv]

I'm with Lancaster, they have been really competitive and with having a few policies with them it gives a bit of leverage when renewal time comes around if I don't like the quote and ring them.

[laser wheels]

I'm with Lancaster, they have been really competitive and with having a few policies with them it gives a bit of leverage when renewal time comes around if I don't like the quote and ring them.

 

Nice. Heard good things about them.

 

On train now return ticket booked just in case. Only about 4 hours behind schedule.

 

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[greengartside]

EPIC JOURNEY WRITEUP PLEASE!

 

Anyhoo, to keep you going - have a picture of a Sierra Ghia I used to train on when I was studying mechanics at college. Was a proper beast - shame it had to die at the end of the day. Even the graphic equaliser still worked perfectly! Dammit!

 

[oman5]

My mate who owns this

 

 

 

runs it with actual tetra-ethyl lead additive like it was designed to use. I think its called tetraboost and you have to buy a whole box of it. 

[laser wheels]

Car collected just in morrisons gonna get a sandwich some petrol then hit the a1m:-)

 

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[laser wheels]

Electric mirrors! Its got electric mirrors!

 

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[trigger]

Stop teasing us and upload some photos!

[Marshall]

This looks ace!

 

When I was a kid I remember my Uncle had a Green A reg Ghia which I thought was amazing. I remember the doors/lights on warning diagram on the dash. Memory is hazy but I seem to think he had a loan Sierra Ghia when his was in for repair. Y plate with stripey lights and a 4 speed gearbox (even at the time I remember thinking that a 4 speed on a Ghia was odd).

 

Cant wait to see pics. As said earlier..........Stripey lights ftw! This car looks fantastic!

[warren t claim]

Watch out for cross winds on your way home!