Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

15 minutes ago, GeorgeB said:

Where's your blue badge?

Unfortunately, it is there on the dash top with time clock and I NEED IT.

[Six-cylinder]

Tonight was a meeting of the Milton Keynes Classic car group so a run out for the Mini.

The heater in the Mini now gives some warmth.

The new headlights seem to work well without blinding on coming traffic.

[Snake Charmer]

On 18/03/2026 at 23:44, Wibble said:

Rear wiper, must be an L?

Bidet, plush.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Tonight was a meeting of the Milton Keynes Classic car group so a run out for the Mini.

Is the silver one a 25? I went to that launch event in Derby

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

Is the silver one a 25? I went to that launch event in Derby

Yes, a well know local car in long term ownership and puts mine to shame.

[LightBulbFun]

52 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Yes, a well know local car in long term ownership and puts mine to shame.

given the state your Mini was in when you got it, I think yours looks fucking spectacular! (also its still on 10 inch wheels so its automatically cooler ) 

[grogee]

That Mini makes my heart melt every time I see it. Fabulous. So glad it's getting used. 

@beko1987 might contact you for some tips with my Maestro paint. I bought a DA (I think?) from Lidl... 

[beko1987]

4 hours ago, grogee said:

That Mini makes my heart melt every time I see it. Fabulous. So glad it's getting used. 

@beko1987 might contact you for some tips with my Maestro paint. I bought a DA (I think?) from Lidl... 

Alot is in the prep. The rolls was a bit different but the Mazda, the bulk of the work was washing, scrubbing , washing, claying, washing again then drying well (I have a blower thing that I use although I've found having a rolly a d coffee if the sun's out and packing up the water stuff works too!

With a DA it's not too bad vs a rotary. There:s not much fling. 5 good blobs of polish on a clean pad and start on a slow speed and spread a 15/20cm square area. Then up the speed and do slow passes back and forth then up and down. Usually 4x of that for each 'square' works. 

Then a  nice buff, clean pad and a finer polish/poorboys black hole for a nice glaze, then buff again and wax/seal!

I use Chris's machine polisher, it is a nice meguiars one but the pads and backing plate are fairly expensive for it. I keep seeing the cheap £50 da kits on ebay, might try one myself this year.

With a da you don't remove much damage as you can with a rotary, but it glosses the paint up a treat and is really easy to work with. I've had my rotary polisher for years now but haven't done a car with it for years now. Removing some damage from the xsara where I caught the exit barrier of the work car park was the last time but I use it a ton with small pads to polish vacuum cleaners 😂 

[GeorgeB]

21 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Tonight was a meeting of the Milton Keynes Classic car group so a run out for the Mini.

The heater in the Mini now gives some warmth.

The new headlights seem to work well without blinding on coming traffic.

Nice Equipe

[Six-cylinder]

On 04/04/2026 at 18:28, GeorgeB said:

Nice Equipe

Belongs to one of the Milton Keynes Classic Car Club leaders and he also has an Equipe 2.0 Convertible like I used to have.

[Six-cylinder]

Mini Mayfair lasted 211.4 miles this weekend without breakdown!

Today I took it to the monthly Moo meeting at the Cow Shed. Another car meet and my friend Bob, who I had to give a lift to because all the tickets were sold out, he suggested I parked near the toilet so it could be flushed away easily!

Bob and I went to a pub afterwards and they were doing a kids easter egg hunt, it was very temping but I did not take it, even given there were no witnesses!

[hairnet]

nice moos

 

[beko1987]

Perfect fod toy!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FaKchfZra/

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

2 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Perfect fod toy!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FaKchfZra/

 

 

Get behind me Satan!

[beko1987]

Or we get the milk float running?

[Six-cylinder]

9 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Or we get the milk float running?

That would be better.

[Six-cylinder]

The first 3 days of Easter were spent taking my Mini Mayfair to various car gatherings.

Yes my Mini was faced off by a giant Citroen Visa Twin pot!

Today was a fix it day. 

First the Citroen DS has play in the n-s front wheel and we needed to jack it to find our what was worn. We found the bad joint and now I have to order one so Phil can come back and fit it.

The next problem is our Lancia Gamma started running very badly, back firing. Phil found a vacuum pipe off which improved things but did not cure them. It is very low on fuel over 2 years old so Phil wanted me to add fuel before he did any more to it.

I took the opportunity of bringing the Opel Manta back to the house now the danger of salt is about over. My only concern is it has hardly been driven for the last 15 years and I don't want it to dump me on the side of the road.

[Six-cylinder]

Today I collected my Fiat Seicento from my favourite garage.

It went in after I hit a pot hole and got a rubbing noise turning left. Turns out I bent a wheel. I decided while it was in there I would get it MOTed 2 months early to save me taking it back which meant the windscreen washers had to be made to work again. While in there Mark noticed a noise and that turned out to be the idler pully on the cam belt. Then he noticed the cam belt was well past its best so it got a cam belt kit including water pump and full service.

It feels lovely to drive, but I plan to take it off the road at the end of the month to drive older cars now salt season is over.

[Floatylight]

Lucky catch with that cambelt!

[Sigmund Fraud]

3 hours ago, Floatylight said:

Lucky catch with that cambelt!

Those FIRE engines are non-interference, so losing on cambelt roulette will only result in inconvenience rather than disaster !

[Six-cylinder]

9 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

Those FIRE engines are non-interference, so losing on cambelt roulette will only result in inconvenience rather than disaster !

I think I got every minute of use out of that one! 

[beko1987]

54 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

Those FIRE engines are non-interference, so losing on cambelt roulette will only result in incontinence rather than disaster !

Depends where and when it snaps I suppose 😂 

[Six-cylinder]

Today I got a wash while seated in my car!

The Opel Manta was used today for the first time just as a car to do daily tasks, ok it took me to the pub at lunchtime as well.

On the way home I took it to the hand car wash and found with the pressure washer they could find the gaps in the windows and sunroof and I ended up quite wet, I suppose better than the seats getting wet!

 

[Six-cylinder]

Can anybody read the date codes on these tyres please?

[Jazoli]

5 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Can anybody read the date codes on these tyres please?

Looks like 148 which is a pre 2000 date code

[Six-cylinder]

31 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

Looks like 148 which is a pre 2000 date code

These 20+ year old ones look in good condition without cracks or feeling overly hard.

Before I got up this morning the new ones I ordered yesterday were on the door step.

B rated for wet, but only D for economy. I wonder how long before they are cracked. 

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Today I got a wash while seated in my car!

The Opel Manta was used today for the first time just as a car to do daily tasks, ok it took me to the pub at lunchtime as well.

On the way home I took it to the hand car wash and found with the pressure washer they could find the gaps in the windows and sunroof and I ended up quite wet, I suppose better than the seats getting wet!

 

Should have taken some cloths, could have cleaned the inside as he went round the outside 😂 

Annoyingly I don't have the kids next weekend but was going to go up to Rustival... If my direct managers husband doesn't die within the next few days and she comes back to work I could book a day off...

[Andyrew]

Little triangle means 90s, week then year number.

So they would have been made on the 14th week of 1998 

[beko1987]

I was 10 in 1998 😂 

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, beko1987 said:

Should have taken some cloths, could have cleaned the inside as he went round the outside 😂 

Annoyingly I don't have the kids next weekend but was going to go up to Rustival... If my direct managers husband doesn't die within the next few days and she comes back to work I could book a day off...

I have bought two new backing plates one Maguire's the other a much cheaper Chinese one.