Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

I need help Twice!

My favourite garage has agreed to take our Opel Manta after Easter for welding and making it a safe, running legal car. The deal is that it is a running car so it can be driven in and out of their workshop which should not be a problem as we had it running around the FoD last year. I need to move it to our yard so Windmill transport don’t have to drive on the grass in their truck in case it is soft. I would also like to tidy it best we can so it looks like a car worth saving. Is anybody free to help over Easter?

My friend Andrew from the Triumph Sports Six Club has volunteered to help put the engine back in the Saab 95 but we need some more man power. Is anybody free to help Tue 11^th April, Wed 12^th April or Thurs 13^th April?

[hairnet]

saab ❤️

 

[mat_the_cat]

I'm not certain at this stage, but I like the sound of a meet!

[Six-cylinder]

ANYBODY ABLE TO HELP ME?

Manta preparation list, the Manta is now booked for transport to be welded. I am hoping over the Easter period we can drive it around our field and get to looking spick and span so my favourite garage will see what a great car it will make. Slowsilver has been helping but it is too much for him so we need help.

 

Clear boot

Clean to make it look like a car worth saving

Glue down vinyl roof on rear pillar which is lifting

Clear our interior of loose stored stuff

Add petrol

Find missing rear seats and door cards at FoD

Check condition of tyres on original wheels

 

[Six-cylinder]

Manta prep stage 1 tomorrow Friday 1pm at the FoD if you want to see it.

Just pm me so I can let you in as we have new gates.

[richardmorris]

Good luck. Can’t help I’m afraid. Off to wales in the morning.

[Six-cylinder]

@Slowsilver and I started the Manta for the first time this year on Tuesday, but it would not move because the front brakes were locked and we run out of time so Friday we went back to it. 

Friday we got the front wheels turning and @Slowsilverdrove the Manta to the yard. We emptied out the car ready for the floors to be welded. I drove it back too slowly and got stuck because the front brakes are binding and the car was doing a one wheel peel on wet grass! Again we run out of time.

We got the Manta unstuck this morning with @Mrs6C , my son and daughter-in-law pushing!

I wished my son lived in the UK as it is useful to have somebody handy who can lift and move a Manta Auto gearbox, then hold it to pose for a picture!

I have booked Transport for the Manta 19th April so if anybody is available before then to take the brake pads out and work the piston calipers that would be very useful.

 

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

10am Tuesday 11th April is Saab 95 day, yes it has come to the top of the list again and we are going to attempt to refit the engine.

Anybody who wants to witness the event or join in is welcome.

[chaseracer]

Has the 404 moved since November...? 😉

[Six-cylinder]

First grass cut of the season at FoD, I left it high so I guess it will need doing again in 3 weeks.

Minor problem I lost a cutter deck guide wheel which has come of with a section of the sidewall of the cutter deck.

[Six-cylinder]

2 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

Has the 404 moved since November...? 😉

No

Has there been a FoD- no

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Has the 404 moved since November...? 😉

404 not found!

[Crackers]

3 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Has there been a FoD- no

Does this need to be corrected? - yes! 😁

[Six-cylinder]

8 hours ago, Crackers said:

Does this need to be corrected? - yes! 😁

Just tell me when we are getting a dry weekend and I will gladly open the FoD!

[Mrs6C]

17 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Just tell me when we are getting a dry weekend after a week of dry weather and I will gladly open the FoD!

FTFY... 

[Six-cylinder]

14 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Has the 404 moved since November...? 😉

I have taken the hint and painted the front number plate mounting plate this morning ready to fit the black and silver plates after the USA style plates were stolen off it. A light rub down revealed a hand painted number plate. It reads 6450 VT 49, under the VT are the letters HU. We believe it is French and department 49 is Maine-et-Loire  in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. 

Is the mounting plate simply off another car or has it been in France at some time???

@LightBulbFun is there anything you can find out about it?

[LightBulbFun]

10 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

I have taken the hint and painted the front number plate mounting plate this morning ready to fit the black and silver plates after the USA style plates were stolen off it. A light rub down revealed a hand painted number plate. It reads 6450 VT 49, under the VT are the letters HU. We believe it is French and department 49 is Maine-et-Loire  in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. 

Is the mounting plate simply off another car or has it been in France at some time???

@LightBulbFun is there anything you can find out about it?

Eh Do I look french to you?!

 

interesting find! I did do a bit of digging but could not pull up much, none of the french Number plate lookup services could cough anything up on either combinations

although I find it interesting that the middle 2 letters where overpainted while the 6450 was not? that seems a bit odd

since some quick research I can find "6450XX" all of that is the vehicles serial number-letter and 49 is the departmental code, so if things where re-issued, id expect a different serial number since the chances of getting 6450 again I imagine would be slim! so I do wonder if theres another set of numbers hiding under 6450 (and possibly another departmental code under 49, since research shows the number plate of a vehicle always changed back then according to the department the owner/keeper resided in

 

however does get me thinking "6450VT49" tells us that its the 6450th registration mark of the VT letter series issued by department 49, so the question then becomes is there a way of finding out when that was issued? or at least when it was first issued from 1VT and then when it was issued to completion at 9999VT? using those 2 dates you could probably figure out where 6450 lies! that would tell you at least the  roughage of the mark and if it lines up at all with anything we know about the 404

so that might be an avenue worth exploring

 

[chaseracer]

16 hours ago, High Jetter said:

404 not found!

It's where Chris left it!

[brownnova]

6 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Eh Do I look french to you?

Not all French people have striped jumpers, selling garlic from their 2CV van you know…

[LightBulbFun]

6 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Not all French people have striped jumpers, selling garlic from their 2CV van you know…

no your right, some of them have Renault 4's and are selling baguettes instead

[High Jetter]

6 hours ago, chaseracer said:

It's where Chris left it!

Can he remember where tho? 

[Six-cylinder]

11 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Can he remember where tho? 

What I need is 20 fine people with their dogs if they have one to help me look for it!

[Six-cylinder]

Today @Andyrew and I have a competition to see who had the most shonkey van!

[Dyslexic Viking]

So who won?

[Six-cylinder]

3 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

So who won?

We are waiting for the Autoshite masses to pronounce a verdict! 

[High Jetter]

I wish I were geographically  closer to be able to assist. What are the comp criteria?

[Six-cylinder]

Today my Vitesse returned home with a working gearbox. The problem is that the main shaft and input are still worn items. We can't find any new shafts to buy, but we do now have spare worn shafts that can be reengineered. The firm we know can do it has a waiting list so I am going to look for an alternative machine shop to do the work. 

Today we set out to refit the Saab engine but found the clutch bearing is very noisy so stopped the project until the clutch bearing I have ordered arrives.

We then turned our attention to the 1976 Manta 1.9 Auto coupe. We made a list of parts initially needed they include a service kit , water pump, water hoses, brake caliper seals, flexible brake pipes and brake pads. We also spent some time trying to free the binding front brakes, we got them to clear but every time you apply the brakes you have to manually prize them free. We started the car to run it up and down the yard and the bottom hose sprung a leak spraying a jet.

A day of mixed fortunes curtailed early by rain. Thanks the Triumph Sports Six members who came to help today.

[Six-cylinder]

My Seicento stopped flashing today!

Today in the rain the offside front indicator stopped working. Investigation revealed the bulb holder was wet and corroded. I dried it and cleaned the contacts and I am flashing again. 

[hairnet]

get the dent man out - scruffy bassa

[Six-cylinder]

9 minutes ago, hairnet said:

get the dent man out - scruffy bassa

I have a replacement wing in the correct colour.