Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

A just arrived Mini respray kit!

 

[AnthonyG]

OMFG.

Still, on the bright side, it makes the Royale/Saab 95/Error 404/other random project look more or less mint. 

Re the Royale, a recent purchase of several 70s Autocar mags included one with a road test of the first Senator, and from this I discovered they had different engines!  Another ‘I never knew that’ factoid. The Royale had a 2.5 whilst the Senator had a 3.0.  Even this road test, whilst it loved the Senator, did wonder if the extra cost (£1544, a significant amount of money in 1978) over the Vauxhall was really worth it. 

[Six-cylinder]

This afternoon Colin came round and we stripped the interior of my Mini. Yes it needs some repairs but is not quite as bad as I expected.

The seats are very good under those seat covers. Yes that is a welly boot stuck to the seat cover.

The bad news is the engine is stuck. We put WD40 into the plug holes and see if that helps.

[grogee]

Wow. I wouldn't know where to start. It looks very crispy

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, AnthonyG said:

and from this I discovered they had different engines!  Another ‘I never knew that’ factoid. The Royale had a 2.5 whilst the Senator had a 3.0. 

club badge needs to be returned

even peeps with basic knowledge know this

@Skizzer told me

*runs

[hairnet]

34 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

This afternoon Colin came round and we stripped the interior of my Mini. Yes it needs some repairs but is not quite as bad as I expected.

 

 

even @GingerNuttz would hide?

[Skizzer]

2 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

 

Re the Royale, a recent purchase of several 70s Autocar mags included one with a road test of the first Senator, and from this I discovered they had different engines!  Another ‘I never knew that’ factoid. The Royale had a 2.5 whilst the Senator had a 3.0.  

 

54 minutes ago, hairnet said:

club badge needs to be returned

even peeps with basic knowledge know this

@Skizzer told me

*runs

The Royale had a 2.8 — the facelift ones had a choice of 2.5 or 3.0, by which time they were all Vauxhall Senators and the Royale badge was reserved for a burger with cheese.

The 3.0E Opel probably was worth the extra, tbh, but to me the Royale was better looking with its chunky bumper overriders and neater rear end treatment (fnarr).  The facelift ones are even more handsome of course.

Have a couple of bonus pics of my Royale.

[grogee]

So where does the Monza fit into this? 

We take the piss out of BL product overlap but late 70s Vauxhall/Opel was bonkers. 

[Skizzer]

Monza was the coupé, Senator the saloon. Royale was both shapes.

[Six-cylinder]

On 12/04/2024 at 09:35, beko1987 said:

Oooh that's good then, would it be worth removing it all, cleaning and putting it in the container? 

Would the bolts even need undoing it would Charlie just be able to lift the seats out runners and all😂

 

On 12/04/2024 at 08:06, beko1987 said:

Oh it looks lovely*. Forgive me if I pass on sitting in it when we clean it out and assess it/you have a little cry 

Charlie would have had to get out his tool kit to get the seats out!

The interior is now out so you won't have to sit on it!

The interior is in the container now.

If you ever have any time I could open the FoD for interior cleaning.

[beko1987]

Those carpets might be better done at the house with the pressure washer and vax like we did the rolls carpets on a sunny weekend! 

 

If you could mount a length of wood in the outside of the garage or the house we could use that to hang them up and wash them vertically! Or use the bonnet of the range rover

[Zelandeth]

Happy to bring the petrol pressure washer along to a future FoD gathering (or on request) if it's useful.  

[Tommyboy12]

I am not ashamed to admit I have put Mini carpets in the washing machine before. On a delicate wash no spin. They came out lovely

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, Tommyboy12 said:

I am not ashamed to admit I have put Mini carpets in the washing machine before. On a delicate wash no spin. They came out lovely

Have done the same with 2cv seat covers too. They’re already awful, so what’s the worse that can happen?

[beko1987]

14 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Happy to bring the petrol pressure washer along to a future FoD gathering (or on request) if it's useful.  

I'd say it could be. We could go round blowing the winter off the cars that would take such treatment and clearing drain holes/runs etc! Be easier than kicking my little nilfisk around with power and the generator 

[Six-cylinder]

Sad day, my 480ES has been collected, but the number of £325 tax cars we have is excessive so some have to go.

It is staying on the forum, but I will let the new owner reveal himself.

Update:

@robinmasters has now revealed he was the buyer of the 480.

[hairnet]

Thought @Peter C had bought a shopping car already

[Peter C]

2 hours ago, hairnet said:

Thought @Peter C had bought a shopping car already

Shopping car? Not me guv.

My latest car was the envy of every rep that attended the 1988 National Double Glazing Sales & Installation Federation roadshow, which took place in a Crossroads style hotel somewhere in the east Midlands on a rainy Wednesday afternoon.

[AnthonyG]

On 13/04/2024 at 19:20, Six-cylinder said:

This afternoon Colin came round and we stripped the interior of my Mini. 

Looks like the passenger door might about 10 years older than the rest of the car! I think the colour is Limeflower, a popular early/mid 1970s choice. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

5 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

Looks like the passenger door might about 10 years older than the rest of the car! I think the colour is Limeflower, a popular early/mid 1970s choice. 

I would have said it was Applejack, which came in with the Metro (I think).

[Six-cylinder]

This Place!

I asked for some axle stands off "Trash for nothing" and was told they were gone. I have now had a message that said they were not collected and I can take them. Trouble was I am not planning to go back to Milton Keynes until Thursday so I asked for help.

15mins later they were safely collected.

Thank you @Zelandeth

[Six-cylinder]

Last night was a local Triumph Club meeting, 20 people but not one Triumph showed up. We did get a 1936 Frazernash and a Volvo 940!

[Snake Charmer]

20 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

15mins later they were safely collected.

Thank you @Zelandeth

In style too. 😎

[richardmorris]

Something to aim for with the mini...

1990 Mini Margrave by Wood & Pickett | Cliveden House | RM Sotheby's (rmsothebys.com)

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

37 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Something to aim for with the mini...

1990 Mini Margrave by Wood & Pickett | Cliveden House | RM Sotheby's (rmsothebys.com)

 

 

Not as nice as mine but ok for the money!

[Six-cylinder]

Having consulted with my chief engineer, in an effort to free the Mini engine without dismantling it I added an Acetone and ATF oil mix to each cylinder. I was recommended 50/50 but as I could only get relative weak nail varnish remover I upped the Acetone to 66%. I will see what a few days does for it.

[Tommyboy12]

Id cut that aux belt when you attempt a start. Its almost a guarantee that the water pump is seized.

[Six-cylinder]

Last night was MK Modern meeting so it started to rain just in time for the start!

Plan "a" was to get the MG TF out for a sunshine evening  but the need to take the newly painted Manta wheels to the car meant I was using the Volvo 940 anyway. Hard to believe this young 940 is 28 years old, it felt a bit of a cheat driving it when others had turned out in shiny cars like Minis,  Mercedes 190E, Vauxhall Firenza fitted with a V8 engine and my favourite of the night a MK1 Astra estate.

[Snake Charmer]

Rare beast that Astra estate. 

[Surface Rust]

Maybe something wrong with me, but out of that line up the 940 is the one I'd most like to drive away in!