Square Is Fair - 1987 Isuzu Piazza Turbo

[vulgalour]

Just going to pop a little post in here to put you back to the top of page one for a bit.

[Jim Bell]

[dugong]

DOES NOT HAVE HBL

 

(explodes with rage)

[Junkman]

You mean HGF, surely?

[dugong]

Went through the service history tonight - and realised the business the car was registered to is still trading.

The original owner clearly liked the car; having bought it new in 1987, he kept it until late 2002 (there's a service bill listing the mileage as 131k).

 

The dreaded test of doom is looming, and I've no idea where I'm going to get a suitable boss from to connect the horn back up. The original wheel may be making a brief reappearance.

 

[dugong]

Would you like some actual content?

 

A recurring problem with GYP is its farting alloys. I suspect a couple of the wheels are porous - despite grinding and re-seating, the tyres just aren't holding air. I keep a compressor with me to blow them up for day to day changes.

 

 

Although my NOS Goodyear Eagle Venturas have been excellent, I'm now on the hunt for a new set of boots. FATHA_DUGONG's tyre fitter friend opened up on Bank Holiday Monday to seal them back up for me.

 

Pre-Lotus Piazzas are notorious for killing their electric window packs; GYP's decided to fail on a hot day when I needed the glass down. Luckily, I'd taken the switch block out of my silver donor car, HUL. Swapping them over worked well enough to pull the windows up for the Retro Rides Gathering:

 

 

Shortly after that, HUL's pack clarted itself, meaning no windows.

 

 

These are the last working pre-Lotus set the IPTOC had. You can't swap over to the more durable HBL sets because the looms are different.

 

 

 

GYP went back to the IPTOC for a service and various other jobs; we sorted out the incredibly vague steering thanks to a new rack retaining rubbers, drop link bushes and link rods:

 

 

 

 

Pre-Lotus link rods are hard to get - most people use MkII Astra tubes (left) and turn them down. The IPTOC managed to get several bags from the US (which sounds wrong).

 

 

 

Did a track day at Cadwell Park and ran GYP out of fuel. The sender is still buggered and it's a tank out job to replace one. And they're £200 and guaranteed to fail again.

 

 

A framing by RatDat is the only way to go.

[dugong]

'Transport d'Enfants' is an oblique reference to my intellect.

[chaseracer]

'Transport d'Enfants' is an oblique reference to my intellect.

 

We'd understood that, Jon...

 

[dollywobbler]

Grand stuff. Less mithering, more excellent content. How are the door shuts?

[dugong]

Dirty.

[garbaldy]

/\ There's a great thread on cleaning them you know.

[dugong]

/\ There's a great thread on cleaning them you know.

Too many pages.

[scruff]

Dunno what people are on about, I think that's a great looking car.

[garycox]

Great work Jon! that steering wheel looks much nicer to use than the old one.

[outlaw118]

Proper old thing, that. 

 

Showing my age = and level of anorakyness - I remember when they came out, and I managed to convince a local dealer to let me have a sit in one... no test drive as I was deemed too young and foolish.

[EssDeeWon]

Good work. These are proper rare, cannot remember the last time I saw one.

[dugong]

At the moment the car's waiting for a boss from Japan that'll allow me to use the horn push; at the moment, the current boss hasn't got the wiring and sits slightly proud from the steering column because it's a pre Lotus. 

 

[dugong]

GYP is off the road while the boss shows up. We're getting a ramp at the unit soon which will help me inspect the underside. Hirst posted his thoughts on it recently; read those, they're better than this thread.

 

 

 

 

(pictures by Chris Frosin Photography. Check his stuff out, it's amazing.)

 

Here are some shots of it taking the hairpin at Cadwell Park, easily the best track I've driven on in the UK, which resembles a Gran Turismo replay in photos It rolled, it understeered, the watching marshalls took the piss. Luckily, it was soft enough to cover up most of my hamfistedness. Unsurprisingly, the brakes are now terrible.

 

 

Can I submit this as a calendar shot? RatDat is the true legend here.

[chaseracer]

That's the calendar COVER, Jon...

[Skizzer]

I heart this car.  And those photos.

[Hertz]

I love these as well. I just found this and I don't know how old it is but looks like at least 2 got torched. Old news to you on the Piazza front Dugong though?

 

[Hertz]

Edit - Found it! A tyre fitting place in Oxford.

 

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/13648254.Update__Pub_landlord_praised_for_opening_up_for_residents_evacuated_after_tyre_firm_blaze_off_Cowley_Road/?ref=ar

[dugong]

There were three, two HBLs and a pre Lotus.

[Station]

 

No you didn't you fucking liar!

 

Jon there is an Isuzu specialist in Eastham (near Eastham Ferry). It's an old school type looking place.

[dugong]

MHAYT NOT SEEN WANNA DEEZ FOR TIME LAD (SOUND).

[alcyonecorporation]

As Dugong's esteemed* successor, I thought it might be canny to continue this thread. 

I decided to take the Piazza on a wee drive from Peterborough to The Lakes because the Fens were doing my head in with their bollock shattering flatness. 



First fuel stop. It runs better (and more economically) on high octane; this filling station had some. 



Here it is with the other cars on the tour, stretching for about 60 miles. Despite its approximately located axle, the Piazza is narrow and torquey - so well suited to Lakeland roads. 



It's still running with difficulty following its lay up over the back end of 2016. I think a full tank flush is on the cards. 

 

Route planning continued in earnest. 



Crank end float meant the dashboard is ablaze most of the time with spurious warnings. It's on the to do list. Besides, the scenery was incredible. 

 

Second stop. The bloke at the coffee stand was so made up with it that he took a break specifically to photograph it. 



The backdrops got better...



...and better. 



At the base of the hill climb the Yugo got extra time to cover. There was talk of a Shitefest Lakeland with a hill climbing element. The Piazza would be in with a chance given that it's tuned for low and mid range torque. 



With John F's similarly aged CBX 750. 



Final stop. Hooli had left us earlier in the day. 



Ghosty followed me to Tebay at very legal speeds. 



Got back to Peterborough around 1am. The Piazza had covered 496 miles between partial fill ups; calculations revealed it had managed 33mpg despite lots of fast road and hill climbs. 

[Tayne]

Would it be rude of me to ask if I can post your Tebay photo on an EV site?

[Ghosty]

Note all the swallows on the phone lines in the background...

 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Murmuration.

[Lacquer Peel]

Those wheels. Swoon.