Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[wuvvum]

I had an Allegro 1100DL 2-door in Blaze with a black vinyl interior.  That was the best driving Allegro I've owned - the 1098 was an order of magnitude better than the 998 A+ that replaced it in the Series 3 cars.

40K miles from new and I paid £45 for it.  Those were the days...

[Six-cylinder]

Yesterday @Slowsilverhelped me get my Visa 17RD out from the back row of our storage which involved moving six cars. Everything started and most without a jump then Slowsilver checked all the tyre pressures and the oil and water on the Visa. I was particularly pleased the Visa that has not been on the road since pre covid and sat at the back of the barn for six months started on the button once the battery was reconnected.  

[Six-cylinder]

For the past few days I have been working on building up new headlights for the Peugeot 404.

Original style replacement LHD lights are available but cost over £400. They look very similar to 7 inch sealed beam units so I bought a halogen conversion kit at a fraction of the price. I wanted to keep the 404 special shaped chrome trim rings so needed the original base plate/bowl and invertabley the lamp unit fixings are different. I had to cut off the adjusting plastic base ring from the new bowl kit and screw it to the original headlight bowl. One of the new adjusters fouled the original bowl fixing so I had to move it by putting in a rivnut in another position in the wing. 

I still have the other side to build up and the car came with a different style baseplate/bowl so will be similar but not identical. Then there is the wiring sort out if anybody facies do that for me FoD weekend.

[hairnet]

33 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

hnnnnng (the chair obvs)

[chaseracer]

I am doing something similar with the Dyane.

The standard headlights are adequate* at best, so I've bought some 3D-printed conversion rings from a bloke in the 2CV club and some Hella H4 lights to go in them.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

For the past few days I have been working on building up new headlights for the Peugeot 404.

Original style replacement LHD lights are available but cost over £400. They look very similar to 7 inch sealed beam units so I bought a halogen conversion kit at a fraction of the price. I wanted to keep the 404 special shaped chrome trim rings so needed the original base plate/bowl and invertabley the lamp unit fixings are different. I had to cut off the adjusting plastic base ring from the new bowl kit and screw it to the original headlight bowl. One of the new adjusters fouled the original bowl fixing so I had to move it by putting in a rivnut in another position in the wing. 

I still have the other side to build up and the car came with a different style baseplate/bowl so will be similar but not identical. Then there is the wiring sort out if anybody facies do that for me FoD weekend.

Are they not the period standard 7000, 7002 or 7004 units?

[Six-cylinder]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Are they not the period standard 7000, 7002 or 7004 units?

I am not familiar with those numbers?

[High Jetter]

50 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I am not familiar with those numbers?

7002 was a 7" RHD sealed beam unit without pilot (side) light. Memory says there were 7000 & 7004 as well, can't find evidence but 7014 does have a window, I think, for sidelight.

[Six-cylinder]

31 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

7002 was a 7" RHD sealed beam unit without pilot (side) light. Memory says there were 7000 & 7004 as well, can't find evidence but 7014 does have a window, I think, for sidelight.

They are both 7 inch round headlights,  Peugeot 404s uses different housing for SEV Marchal, Ducellier or Cibie so I have adapted mine so the adjustment/fixing is now using part of the H4 conversion kit. The H4 conversion kit does not directly fit the 404 housings.

[Six-cylinder]

I am sat in my new MX5 topless waiting for my dental appointment looking at the dashboard and noticed where the pop up headlight switch used to be is now the Hazard switch.

My next thought was I wonder where the pop up headlights switch is now........... Then I remembered! ☹️

[hairnet]

Slap for the old man

🤣😇

[Crackers]

Must feel a bit odd having to do the "MX5 Squeeze" under the normal sized steering wheel, your last one had a wheel the size of a digestive biscuit  

[Six-cylinder]

Just now, Crackers said:

Must feel a bit odd having to do the "MX5 Squeeze" under the normal sized steering wheel, your last one had a wheel the size of a digestive biscuit  

You are spot on, I didn't give it a thought when I agreed to buy the MK2 knowing I fit in the MK1. Yes it is a bit tight and awkward to get in and out of. If somebody wanted to buy this I might let it go. 

[sutty2006]

18 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

I am sat in my new MX5 topless waiting for my dental appointment looking at the dashboard and noticed where the pop up headlight switch used to be is now the Hazard switch.

My next thought was I wonder where the pop up headlights switch is now........... Then I remembered! ☹️

I’m hoping you put something on before someone reported you! 🤣

[Six-cylinder]

Last night I went to a small car gathering of MK Modern Classics in the MG Metro and it was well received.

Going home I knew it was low on fuel so should I go to the first Shell petrol station on my route, go slightly further to Tesco for cheapness or go home and deal with it tomorrow. I did not make it to the first petrol station and ended up on a country road layby with poor phone reception. @Prince_of_darkness91 was at the show with me so I messaged him and nothing so walking away from the car to get reception I called Mrs6C. Prince of Darkness then messaged me and taught me how to drop him a pin so came to keep me company as Mrs6C was on route with petrol.

In my defence the fuel gauge needle drops quite a bit further at rest and I thought that would be at the point it ran out!

[ruffgeezer]

Re-fuelling is a lot like going to the toilet; 'A wise man goes when he can,  a fool goes when he has to'

[hairnet]

How big was the slappu when you got home 🤣

[Six-cylinder]

Like a Mini Shitefest!

 

A reminder it is this coming weekend Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday 26-27-28-29 May we are opening up the FoD to Autoshite members.

Visit for an hour, day or the long weekend.

Camping for FREE is welcome as is entry.

Family’s and Pets are welcome.

Camping with us and going off and doing your own thing is welcome.

What is there to do:

·         Sit around, Drink tea and chat

·         Plenty of space for ball games

·         Great footpaths for a walk and bridle ways if you bring your horse

·         Work on your own car or stuff you bring

·         Fit the engine back in our Saab 95 and make it run

·         Wire the headlights on our Peugeot 404

·         Make a moped or two run again so we have site transport

·         Can we make it run, Vauxhall Royal edition

·         Scalextric  

·         Camp fire

For guidance the nearest large town is Milton Keynes

PM me for joining instructions or questions.

[beko1987]

I'll start charging the vacuums ready for the annual fleet de-mouseificationing

(sleeping at mums as I cba with the tent so probably roll up lunchtime but stay later and be back in the morning) 

[Bear]

I realllly want to be there but I have family plans in Scotland for that weekend.

But next one (as long as it doesn't end up clashing with things prebooked)...

[hairnet]

Beko isn't camping is that cos you're only gonna make him pay

Royale what did I miss

@Skizzer sort him out - oh wait 😛

 

[Ghosty]

It looks like you had a 330mm wheel on your mk1 MX5 - standard wheels are quite a bit bigger, around 360-370mm, and with PAS the size difference wouldn't do loads (without PAS 10mm makes a palpable difference). I can't even run a 370mm wheel comfortably, they're huge. I have a 360mm Nardi Classic instead which is just right. Also, I find mk2 to be a lot more cramped in general - much more than mk1. The leather seats sit notably higher than the fabric ones too - I fitted heated leather SVT seats to replace some cloth MK2 seats and it made a significant difference, I could immediately tell I was higher. Mk1 tombstone seats as you'd have had in a Eunos are much lower.

Put me down as a maybe for this weekend  BTW- I realised I've double booked myself, have a ticket for Capesthorne Hall car show on the Sunday, and I'm intending to fit an LSD to my MX5. I'm also waiting for a message that some Civic parts I badly need will be available - if so I'll have to go on a rather long drive to collect. They're in the west country but these aren't bits that come up often so I'm not passing them up.

[davidfowler2000]

I am quite looking forward to this now.

[chaseracer]

See you on Saturday*.

* (Domestic Management's birthday on Sunday - was in France last year - can't miss it twice - more than my life's wurf guv, etc.)

[richardmorris]

I’m tempted to come up. Parents should be safely off to the south of France and I’m not needed for babysitting for another weekend.

[chaseracer]

Do - it's been far too long!

[richardmorris]

Just now, chaseracer said:

Do - it's been far too long!

I know, I’ve become house-bound!

[richardmorris]

I’m not sure the tent fits in the x1/9 - will check tomorrow.

[richardmorris]

I’ve just ordered a case of beer from Skye in case.

[AnthonyG]

I have some old books/mags to bring, and the latest vacuum find -some Chinese PoS named a ‘Xylonic’ which has remarkably poor suction despite me not finding any blockages anywhere.

Something to Beko to investigate (and then launch into a skip, I imagine)! 

Does anyone want a couple of carpentry books? 

Bang up to date* as they are the metric versions!