Dollywobbler's Dreadful Dyane - Back on the road

[dollywobbler]

I do like the look of that, are you bored of it yet?

 

Not really. Haven't driven it since October. Maybe that's why!

[dean36014]

Is that a narrow guage railway in the picture? 

[dollywobbler]

It is. Vale of Rheidol Railway. And to think, this wasn't mentioned in the publicity material when we bought the house. 

 

[Asimo]

ChooChoo proximity envy!

[dollywobbler]

Huzzah! The Dyane is back on the road. First test run revealed pinking, so I swore at the bodywork and knocked it back a touch. Handily, the new points-assisted ignition box has a timing light on it. Sorted. 

 

Test run two was a long-distance affair. Well, to Aberystwyth 12 miles away and back. It ran very sweetly too. Managed to bag a parking space right opposite the shop I needed. Bonus.

 

Came out of the shop, having purchased electrical connectors, and there was a crowd around it! I waited for them to scarper before getting that shot as they looked a bit Weatherspoons. 

 

As I drove around though, everyone was staring! I'd kind've forgotten that people do that. 

 

A short while later, I lost power in a 'complete ignition failure' kind of a way. Just before a lay-by. Handy!

 

I knew the wiring for the new points assisted box was well bodge, because I did it. Having run out of connectors, there was one joint which was literally just bare wires shoved into a socket. Surprisingly, this wasn't the failure! It was another bullet, where the connector was just a bit loose. Sorted.

 

Tomorrow, I'm off on a 2CV run, which should be a good 175-mile shakedown. I need to sort the wiring out and block off the fresh air vents - the foam in them has broken up, so you can't actually shut them off fully. Chilly! I've made a grille muff out of gaffer tape.

[dollywobbler]

Having broken down on a short test drive, I started today's 175-mile trip with some trepidation. I even packed tools and a few spares. I needn't have worried.

 

This was about half eight this morning in Rhayader, where I liberated some cash monies for impending cake purchase

 

And this is the Dyane with some scruffy friends.

 

The beige 2CV is an exceedingly rare 1975 Belgium-built, UK model and was featured on For The Love of Cars. The yellow one lives in Cornwall and does a LOT of miles. It's dreadful state is made worse by anti-corrosion wax which has been slapped all over it. Stuff cosmetics, it does seem to keep it from rotting!

 

The black beast is the BMW-powered ex-film star.

 

Another old favourite was there too.

 

On the way there, my grille muff looked like this.

 

Then a chap gave me a muff!

 

Much better. This was the chap who found this car languishing in a field, and finally rescued it from years of neglect. He then passed it on to the chap I bought it from having decided it was too much of a project. Given what a mess the engine was, he wasn't wrong!

 

But, having had absolutely no problems at all today, it's another reason to feel good. I dismantled an engine, overhauled it and now the car is much better as a result. Still feels a bit restricted, which I think is probably because it needs rejetting for modern fuels. Still some head-leak aroma too, which I'm hoping will disappear when the heads are re-torqued. Might do that soon.

[Eddie Honda]

Huzzah! The Dyane is back on the road.

 

...Tomorrow, I'm off on a 2CV run, which should be a good 175-mile shakedown.

I R DIZZAPOINTED. (back-taxing from 1st Feb)

 

Gideon on the other hand is now laughing:

 

 

Just look... JUST LOOK AT THE SMARMY CUNT.

 

 

 

(/faux outrage )

[Eddie Honda]

I don't care much for dooble 'orses either...however my first car was a Dyane 6. I'll have to ask around mates, because I don't have any photos to hand of it, but I'm sure someone somewhere does.