Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - If your car collection kept breaking down would it be prudent to buy another hard to maintain additional car!

[Noel Tidybeard]

would polytrol work on the manta roof?

seems to work better than back to black for bumper

[Six-cylinder]

7 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

would polytrol work on the manta roof?

seems to work better than back to black for bumper

I have never heard of Polytrol so I don't know.

Add * seems a lot more expensive.

[Noel Tidybeard]

it goes a long way!

the sample pot did 3 sets of civic 8 arch/bumper trims & a renner 19 before i gave the last 1/8 tin to workmate

[GeorgeB]

6 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Yes it looked wonderful and he knew it as a child and has owned it since 1988.

Reminds me I really need do something with mine. 

Sell it to me, you mean?

[Six-cylinder]

48 minutes ago, GeorgeB said:

Sell it to me, you mean?

I need to reduce the collection, but I have had it 17 years and need to use it for a while first.

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, GeorgeB said:

Sell it to me, you mean?

That was my first thought. Well to me, not you!

[Six-cylinder]

The Opel Manta has taken a lot of cranking to cold start since I got it back, but today 2 prods of the throttle and it started straight up.  It aways seems to run fine and gives comfortable performance for todays busy roads. Trouble is, I am worried it will dump me and been reluctant to use it. Today I took the Manta out to Bletchley and back just 20 miles and all was well. This is still only 86 miles since we have had it.

I think what I need is to drive it in convoy with somebody or on tour so I am not left on the side of the road on my own. I guess the more I use it the more I will trust it.

[GeorgeB]

23 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

I need to reduce the collection, but I have had it 17 years and need to use it for a while first.

How long?

 

[Six-cylinder]

4 hours ago, GeorgeB said:

How long?

 

It won't be soon, I have to fix it yet.

[Six-cylinder]

Brackley Classic Car Club meeting this evening, the weather forecast was drizzle, possibly rain so I picked my 1984 Mini Mayfair!

The member with the 2CV said he was not using it tonight with the risk of rain as it leaks badly. It rained a bit but when we came out it was just a light drizzle.

 

[hairnet]

8 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

Cooler than a freezer full if penguins 

[Six-cylinder]

Mrs6C phoned to say she had broken down with a snapped fan belt on the Opel Manta.

Panic or just call the AA, having no confidence that she would be home before dawn I put a shout out to Milton Keynes car groups. Barry from the Milton Keynes Classic Car group said he had an emergency belt I could use so I drove so I drove the 14 miles in my Mini Mayfair to collect it. I then drove the 9 miles to where Mrs6C had broken down. When I got there, I found my Mini had broken it fan belt as well. @Andyrew had come out to help her but did not have a belt of a suitable length so had waited for me to arrive with the emergency belt. Emergency belt on the Manta and it drove home where they took it off and brought it back to the stricken Mini so that could drive home.

I had never seen that design before with snap in segments to set the length. The alternator light glowed on both cars so it needed more adjustment, but ran the water pumps so both cars made it 8 miles home.

A big thanks to Andrew from the Citroen Car Club who had brought out all his spare belts in case one fitted and  @Andyrew who fitted the emergency belt to both cars.

 

[Wibble]

Liked for the brilliant response and help, not the breakdown.

[Six-cylinder]

47 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Liked for the brilliant response and help, not the breakdown.

Breakdowns as in the plural!

[beko1987]

Time to buy 3x belts for each car then keep 1 in each car (with the tools to change it), 2 on the shelf at home then give 2 to your friend ready for next time? 😂 

[Stinkwheel]

13 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Time to buy 3x belts for each car then keep 1 in each car (with the tools to change it), 2 on the shelf at home then give 2 to your friend ready for next time? 😂 

AT first read sounds like a good joke response, but probably is actually a good practical solution 

[Six-cylinder]

@Slowsilver is not trying to burn down my Morris 1300!

Monday I had another breakdown, as I pulled up to a junction my Morris cut out with no ignition. I took off all the spades on the fuse box and reconnected them along with the fuses. I still had no ignition so I inspected other wires to see if I could find the problem. The wires that were joined together when the car was converted from dynamo to alternator looked in poor condition and moving them about and the car came back to life.

I called for reinforcements from slowsilver, he cut off the old crimped connectors where the wires were joined and soldered the wires together. The reason he has lighters under my bonnet was to heat shrink the insulation repair sleeves.

The car now runs again, but I still have to test it to see if it cuts out again.

[DSdriver]

On 16/04/2026 at 23:11, Six-cylinder said:

Mrs6C phoned to say she had broken down with a snapped fan belt on the Opel Manta.

Panic or just call the AA, having no confidence that she would be home before dawn I put a shout out to Milton Keynes car groups. Barry from the Milton Keynes Classic Car group said he had an emergency belt I could use so I drove so I drove the 14 miles in my Mini Mayfair to collect it. I then drove the 9 miles to where Mrs6C had broken down. When I got there, I found my Mini had broken it fan belt as well. @Andyrew had come out to help her but did not have a belt of a suitable length so had waited for me to arrive with the emergency belt. Emergency belt on the Manta and it drove home where they took it off and brought it back to the stricken Mini so that could drive home.

I had never seen that design before with snap in segments to set the length. The alternator light glowed on both cars so it needed more adjustment, but ran the water pumps so both cars made it 8 miles home.

A big thanks to Andrew from the Citroen Car Club who had brought out all his spare belts in case one fitted and  @Andyrew who fitted the emergency belt to both cars.

 

A useful resource is a pair of tights, got my boat engine out of a possibly tricky situation when becalmed of Start Point.

[hairnet]

morris

pheh

concentrate on manta

@Mrs6C tell beat him

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, DSdriver said:

A useful resource is a pair of tights, got my boat engine out of a possibly tricky situation when becalmed of Start Point.

@Slowsilver tells me that actually worked for him and a decent distance from Oxford to Northampton. 

I wonder how long the slap marks across his face took to fade after he asked his wife to remove her tights!

[Six-cylinder]

This evening we took the Morris 1300 to a Triumph Club meeting and got 33 miles there and back without an issue.

[Tommyboy12]

You almost couldn't tell the year from that picture with such a picturesque pub 

[EyesWeldedShut]

8 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Morris 1300 to a Triumph Club meeting a

That was brave

[Six-cylinder]

26 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

That was brave

I did go armed with a length of wire to connect the coil directly to the battery if needed, like an old fashion car thieve! 

[Six-cylinder]

Today was more car stuff!

First was another test drive for the Morris 1300 and it never cut out!

Today Phil came over and fitted a new battery to our 2016 Range Rover TDV6 after it dumped Mrs6C.

The Mini Mayfair has had its new fan belt fitted and seems good.

The Morris 1300 has a bomping noise over broken road surfaces. Phil jacked it up and found there is some play in the driver’s side rear wheel. Not enough to stop me taking to ADO16 Drive it Day on Sunday.

Finally for the day was to fit the carb kit to the MG Metro that @Zelandeth ordered. I am glad to report it now runs with without dripping petrol onto the exhaust manifold.

The only disappointment is we are still waiting for the delivery of a new fan belt for the Opel Manta.

[vtec-e]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

The Morris 1300 has a bomping noise over broken road surfaces. Phil jacked it up and found there is some play in the driver’s side rear wheel. Not enough to stop me taking to ADO16 Drive it Day on Sunday.

Which ADO16 event are you taking the 1300 to? I will be in Stokenchuch with my club in the morning, and then I was thinking of checking out another Drive It Day event if there is time. 

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Today was more car stuff!

First was another test drive for the Morris 1300 and it never cut out!

Today Phil came over and fitted a new battery to our 2016 Range Rover TDV6 after it dumped Mrs6C.

The Mini Mayfair has had its new fan belt fitted and seems good.

The Morris 1300 has a bomping noise over broken road surfaces. Phil jacked it up and found there is some play in the driver’s side rear wheel. Not enough to stop me taking to ADO16 Drive it Day on Sunday.

Finally for the day was to fit the carb kit to the MG Metro that @Zelandeth ordered. I am glad to report it now runs with without dripping petrol onto the exhaust manifold.

The only disappointment is we are still waiting for the delivery of a new fan belt for the Opel Manta.

Glad to hear that sorted the Metro.  I'm pretty sure it was just the bowl gasket given how it's set up.  At least you know that should be ethanol proofed now.

[Six-cylinder]

10 minutes ago, vtec-e said:

Which ADO16 event are you taking the 1300 to? I will be in Stokenchuch with my club in the morning, and then I was thinking of checking out another Drive It Day event if there is time. 

It is 1100 club Spring show.

@LightBulbFun is bringing his VP 1300 and my friend Colin is joining us with his VP1300.

[Six-cylinder]

More car stuff Thursday

The Manta fan belt came today and has been fitted so tomorrow I plan to use the car.

Unfortunately the replacement steering arm rod I was sent for the Citroen DS is wrong so that job is on hold.

Next we tackled the Lancia Gamma Misfire. Today we cleaned the spark plugs and it started easily enough and fiddling around we got it going well enough to drive it outside, but it is still misfiring. Phil has taken off the carburettor and has taken it home to clean it out.

[GeorgeB]

23 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

More car stuff Thursday

The Manta fan belt came today and has been fitted so tomorrow I plan to use the car.

Unfortunately the replacement steering arm rod I was sent for the Citroen DS is wrong so that job is on hold.

Next we tackled the Lancia Gamma Misfire. Today we cleaned the spark plugs and it started easily enough and fiddling around we got it going well enough to drive it outside, but it is still misfiring. Phil has taken off the carburettor and has taken it home to clean it out.

 

 

Hover car! 

Even looks good without wheels.