Daves Metro - Your CT result is.....[dramatic pause]....[music intensifies]....[camera zooms in]...its a PASS

[dave21478]

WAKEY WAKEY TIME!

 

 

Breakfast of champions fat people on a diet.

 

ASSEMBLE! Old person phone - check. Worthless Euro pennies - check. Electric map - check. Sale forms - check. Good to go.

 

As Status Quo famously sang, "I get all the news I need from the weather report...."

Scorchio.

 

The seller suggested it was loosing coolant from some split hoses and hadnt seen the road for 6 months. Best not risk driving it, then.

Dave chooses "remorque" - it is super effective.

 

Despite the weather forecast, it was booming thunder in the distance so I decided not to risk getting wet and refitted the shitlanders hard top.

 

 

ASSEMBLE! Straps - check. Jump leads - check. 1/4 drive fix anything socket set - check. Lets roll.

 

 

[dave21478]

Are you FUCKING SHITTING ME?????

 

Blew it up and it was making a slight hissing noise. Spare? no, I dont have a spare.

Fine I will take the compressor with me, shall I?

 

Just over an hours drive, according to Tom.

 

Buyage went smoothly, but the guy was a little funny about me taking picks chez him, so you will have to imagine that part.

After a few miles I stopped to re-check the straps.

Can you guess what it is yet?

 

A bigger clue....Rare to see these lumps in their natural habitat....

[stillOrange]

France, sport and hard to see in a natural habitat?

 

You bought yourself a LeMans race car

[dave21478]

Let me splooge this money shot right across your screen, baby.....

 

Its only a fugging MG Metro Metro Sport!!!

I dont think they sold MG here, I have never seen one and it wouldnt have been a popular choice at the time, I reckon. I have seen a couple of Metro Sports here, which is similar spec to the MG, and like UK they tend to get engine raped to make Minis go a little faster. (Cant grumble too much, I have done that a couple of times myself years back)

Leboncoin currently lists ZERO others for sale in the whole of France.

 

One owner from new, matching dealer sticker and numberplates

Sadly the plates will have to change for the new style rubbish when I register it.

 

Some giffer dings. The worst of the dents on the wing and door should pop out with a little effort.

 

Totally, and I mean TOTALLY rust-free...

 

 

[dave21478]

Original wheel trims all round, but stupid metric wheels - will need some research to see if I can bin them and still pass a Control Technique with a different size.

 

Interior is dirty, but not stained or torn and generally super-tidy. I reckon an afternoon with the hoover and some trim cleaner will have it like new.

 

Minimal bolster wear.

 

 

Cassette deck, or a "K7" as they call them here.

 

In the glovebox, the original blanking plate for the stereo hole, an Austin Rover breakdown booklet and a random cassette. No history, no service book.

 

 

Its showing 59,000 kilometers, so about 36k miles, and seems genuine.

 

 

 

Happy.

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

[Guest Breadvan72]

I have to go and lie down now.  Just when you think that Autoshite cannot possibly get any better, it does.

[Bucketeer]

[autofive]

I might have a rear light, if you need one

[omegod]

I got a little bit of movement going on here, quality workage there monsieur

[dollywobbler]

YES!

 

Sport was a late Metro model, same as the GTa. And the MGs. All a bit baffling.

[dave21478]

Yeah, I was doing some wikipedia-ing last night but the UK and Continental model range dates dont quite match up. This is a 1990, despite the dude advertising it as a 1985. Whatevs....

Apparently its the same big-valve head as the MG and VandenPlas Auto, so should be good for 72bhp. Apparently the only potential differences are whether or not it might have a rear anti-roll bar and how the suspension is plumbed together.

 

Speaking of which, does anyone have an idiots guide to hydro suspension? It seems to be running way too low, so probably in need of some pumping.

[Rusty_Rocket]

That's lovely!!!! I reckon these late Metros had turned into a bloody good little car.

[dollywobbler]

IIRC, these aren't interlinked front to rear (which is why they don't go all dragster stance like the K-Series ones). I'm trying to remember if they are interlinked side to side at the front or rear. It's one of the two, and the other end is entirely independent. Wonder where you can get a pump up en Francais.

[Jon]

That's a great find, I bet you must be over the moon! It's a shame that you can't keep the plates but I'm assuming this is more to do with moving it to another region, or do they change with each new owner, as in some other countries (Austria?). I guess the new ones will look like those on your Freelander - have the French only recently gone to plastic plates? Is there a frog version of DM automotive that can supply you with a set of pressed black ones or are the numbering sequences different now?

 

Shame too about the metric tyres but surely a CT inspector wouldn't notice this on inch rims instead? That sounds like hyper-anal legislation that either France would shun massively since it requires effort, or embrace wholeheartedly since it doesn't really achieve anything but has the advantage of causing the victim a whole lot of stress and money spending. 

[purplebargeken]

Luvvverly

[dave21478]

That's a great find, I bet you must be over the moon! It's a shame that you can't keep the plates but I'm assuming this is more to do with moving it to another region, or do they change with each new owner, as in some other countries (Austria?). I guess the new ones will look like those on your Freelander - have the French only recently gone to plastic plates? Is there a frog version of DM automotive that can supply you with a set of pressed black ones or are the numbering sequences different now?

 

Shame too about the metric tyres but surely a CT inspector wouldn't notice this on inch rims instead? That sounds like hyper-anal legislation that either France would shun massively since it requires effort, or embrace wholeheartedly since it doesn't really achieve anything but has the advantage of causing the victim a whole lot of stress and money spending. 

 

You used to always change the number when a car changed hands, but about 5 years ago they moved to their new system where the number now stays with the car for life. Plates are still available in pressed metal, but white backgrounds only or the same plastic shart that UK use. As far as I know "show plates, not for road use" are available with the new number system printed on black n white plates like these. I reckon I will look into that.

 

 

As for the tyres, its entirely the latter, sadly. When the car is presented for test, the dude enters its details and the computer spits out what tyres it should have. If you have a size that is not homologated, you dont pass. The Shitlander failed because I was originally running 205's instead of 195's or something like that. No clearance or rubbing problems, just "computer says no" so I had to bin 5 good tyres and buy new ones the right size.

I now have two sets of rims, one the size I use every day with whatever size of tyre I fancy and an old set of steels which I refit just for the day of the test.

I could do the same with the Metro but I hope the metric tyres are fit to pass.....they arent fantastic.

[dave21478]

IIRC, these aren't interlinked front to rear (which is why they don't go all dragster stance like the K-Series ones). I'm trying to remember if they are interlinked side to side at the front or rear. It's one of the two, and the other end is entirely independent. Wonder where you can get a pump up en Francais.

 

There is a valve on each unit under the bonnet, so I assume the rear is the linked pair?

 

I know of a British car specialist not too far away who might have a pump, but if not it can be bodged with a grease gun and some fittings from a hydraulic supplies place.

[Asimo]

Metros were originally linked left to right at the rear only. This was a BL bodge for something (I forget what) but it appalled Alex Moulton who had designed the Metro suspension to work like all of his other cars, linked front to rear.

 

Eventually the front-rear interconnection was introduced to the Metro but I am not sure when.

[Jon]

On the basis of needles bureaucracy, I guess there's a supply in France still of metric tyres? Albeit in tiny quantities at eye watering prices. I'm sure finding suitable ones for a Metro won't be easy (did anything else wear that size?) but I'm thinking about CXs, 505s and BMWs, which must surely be owned by people interested in keeping them on the road.

 

Maybe there's a small business to be made, posting out a set of 'village bike' metric wheels and tyres to afflicted 1980's car owners for their CTs. 

[phil_lihp]

Lovely, good to see one so honest and unrestored but also rust-free.

[UltraWomble]

i HAVE TO ASK...

CUCUMBER & LUBE - WTF?????

[2MB]

At least the cucumber is practising safe sex

[dave21478]

I dont know what you are talking about.

[dave21478]

Gave it a wash, clay bar and polish.

 

Since its metallic grey, it looks pretty much exactly the same in the pictures as it did before I started, but it has actually come up a lot better. The interior is lovely. I got rid of the cheapo mis-matched floor mats and the carpets are minty. There is still a fair bit of sand in the pile of the carpet that my hoover wont shift.....I might take the carpets out one day and jetwash them.

 

 

 

 

So, the shopping list - 5x proper sized wheels and tyres. These tyres look ok to pass the CT, but I wouldnt want to be driving far on them.

2x tail light clusters.

1x passenger door handle, this is buggered.

1x left wing if I can find one the right colour.

1x rear bumper...its kinda screwed...maybe repairable...we will see.

some touchup paint.

 

Its running a lot better now too. Some fresh pez will have helped, plus the air filter was properly manky so I binned that for now. The dashpot was empty so I put some oil in, but it still wasnt keen to idle. Turns out most of the vac hoses for dizzy advance etc are perished to hell and leaking air badly, so I will need to get that sorted out. I will have a look inside the dizzy cap at a later date, with the hot radiator in front of it, access isnt exactly easy. Im not sure if it will have points and condensor at this age, but I think I have an electronic ignition kit lying somewhere for one of these if I need it.

[Alexg]

Super job. That looks mint bar the hopefully reversible dingage. Have you got a suspension pump?

[Ghosty]

Very nice - like that a lot.

All that wheel and plate nonsense is a load of toss - hope it's all plain sailing.

[cort16]

Oof, like a lot gr8 trimz

[UltraWomble]

Right, now I can see all the pictures in glorious technicolour ( still WTF about the cucumber) can I just say that

I love you and I want to have your babies if it means being able to buy this when you are fed up of it.

 

Mini 12" rims will fit apparently with a bit of tweaking. Dunno, all my BL Metros had metric wheels so Im not sure what else can go on there really. Its a late one as it has the K series rear quarter panel. [/boring phact]

[fred]

Bang Tidy so it is