83C's Shite-esque Fleet: I can see the light!

[Cord Fourteener]

You have a very rare car there ? 

Fun and practical, and no I'm not joking! ?

[holbeck]

Legend!

Ex girlfriend's mother had one in the same colour.  I did a few miles in it when I was between cars.

[Cord Fourteener]

7 minutes ago, holbeck said:

Legend!

Ex girlfriend's mother had one in the same colour.  I did a few miles in it when I was between cars.

She had faded matt blurple? The best colour, obvs

[holbeck]

8 minutes ago, Tim_E said:

She had faded matt blurple? The best colour, obvs

She did, She chose it!

[Cord Fourteener]

22 minutes ago, holbeck said:

She did, She chose it!

Officially it's called midnight blue, I think there is a metallic version.

I can verify this particular example is not metallic.

It's definitely solid, and it has designer* weathering effects too.

[83C]

1 hour ago, holbeck said:

Legend!

Ex girlfriend's mother had one in the same colour.  I did a few miles in it when I was between cars.

I didn’t realise how tight for legroom 440s are for taller drivers. Once I got comfortable it was all good though.

Got home no issues, thank you to @Tim_E for making collection easy. 

It’s going to be another short term car in the fleet, I’m using the excuse of wanting a car for a few jobs but I also wanted to own a 440 at some point! I do have a couple of specific uses for it, but it’s only going to be useful for a few weeks. Therefore, after the 7th of August it will be available, on a super cheap £3 a ticket roffle or exactly what I paid for it - £150. 

But for two weeks I’m going to bask in the glory* of owning this delightful little car, and I’ll even try and rectify a few of the ‘features’ on it!

[83C]

6 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

always been curious about this one, is there some details about it somewhere?  

 

There’s a few posts on previous pages on this very thread. 

Its a 1984 Leyland Tiger with East Lancs EL2000 body - a batch were rebodied for Midland Red North in the early 1990s. 1725 is the sole survivor now.

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, 83C said:

There’s a few posts on previous pages on this very thread. 

Its a 1984 Leyland Tiger with East Lancs EL2000 body - a batch were rebodied for Midland Red North in the early 1990s. 1725 is the sole survivor now.

oh very cool, just read back through the thread just now, made for an good read  

interesting to hear she was reboddied, thats not something you see these days much is it? you mention rebodying to me and I tend to think of the old WW2 utility buses and the such like

but it does also remind me a bit of the London Country Greenways, (tho those where extensive rebuilds rather then full rebodies)

[83C]

I think the market went out of rebodying older chassis when operators went over to low-floor semi-integrals. I think the last ones were a bunch of Tigers (and possibly a B10M) done for Strathtay with East Lanc’s Myllenium body.

[Zelandeth]

If you're ever up this way with the Tiger please feel free to drop by and say hello...shame you're based so far away as I'd gladly lend a hand if I could be useful.  Spending time one and around vehicles like that is probably the thing (second only to actually living in the countryside) I miss the most from before I moved south.

I'd just started to get settled into regularly lending a hand at the Grampian Transport Museum with their heritage fleet before I headed down here - got to drive plenty anyway though as I did a lot of road safety work from the PCV angle, and the guy at First who did a lot of the risk assessments etc along with being their driver training manager realised one day that I was a "bus guy." Within a couple of weeks I had a provisional bus licence and he used to turn up with something different, often from the heritage fleet to go do our site visits in.

With the sole exception of the BMC thing they used for training briefly which truly lacked any redeeming qualities whatsoever, I've never driven a bus I didn't like.  Wasn't a huge fan of the Volvo B9R Plaxton Profile coach as it felt like I was several countries away from anything actually controlling the vehicle, it felt like driving a computer game.  It also had a gearbox adjustment issue which made stopping when going uphill smoothly impossible as it cut drive at about 0.3mph rather than after you stopped.

My favourite though by a country mile:

It would be on the list even if everything else was rubbish just for the soundtrack, Cummins L10 powered this one, through a not particularly effective silencer so has a lovely rumbling exhaust note.  Five speed ZF box too which means that top speed is... adequate.  Not quoting numbers.  She goes well that one!

They did a lovely job on the resto too I reckon.

Really do miss that part of my life.

 

[LightBulbFun]

that reminds me, @83C do you know what happened with the VR in the end that you where helping out with earlier in the thread?

20 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Five speed ZF box too which means that top speed is... adequate.  Not quoting numbers.  She goes well that one!

I know its been brought up before but I do still wonder if anyones ever got a verified 100 out of a double decker  I have to wonder what the aerodynamic forces/pressure on the front windows must be like at those speeds!

[Zelandeth]

I doubt it...coaches maybe... especially some of the stupidly over-engined stuff like the Setras from the early 80s which stuffed a stinking great Merc V8 turbodiesel into a coach the same size as we'd have been happy bumbling along over here with a four pot normally aspirated Bedford lump propelling it. 

Thing you need to remember about drag is that it doesn't increase linearly - it increases by the *squared* value of the speed...so that extra 20mph from 80 is only 20% more speed, but will require four times more power to be available to overcome the drag.

[LightBulbFun]

11 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Thing you need to remember about drag is that it doesn't increase linearly - it increases by the *squared* value of the speed...so that extra 20mph from 80 is only 20% more speed, but will require four times more power to be available to overcome the drag.

yeah thats exactly why I was wondering about the forces exerted on the front windows and such like  (ie if you where able to get double decker up to those speeds would the glass be able to take it etc!)

I guess once/if the windows do blown in from it, you will suddenly have a lot less drag to deal with! 

(reminds me the storm drain motorbike-truck chase scene from terminator 2...)

[paulplom]

13 hours ago, 83C said:

I have achieved Volvo.

To be fair, that's a good number plate.

[83C]

All I can say for speed is that most buses and coaches have a speedo that only goes up to 80. 

I’ve driven a handful of different vehicles that have comfortably exceeded that, but it was back in the days of no trackers etc. A Tiger and B10M will both do so. The surprising one was an Optare Solo with the Cummins ISB6 and a broken speed limiter - the needle was pointing to the ‘A’ in Optare across the bottom of the speedo and still accelerating. The other thing to bear in mind is the gearing - any bus or coach getting towards those sorts of speeds will also be getting pretty much to the limits of the rev range in top, so not only do the aerodynamics come into play, so does the lack of power as the engine is working at revs where it doesn’t really make much.

The VR is still there, it gets fired up and shunted about occasionally. Since I moved away from Devon I’ve not had time to do anything with buses, hence why the Tiger is just sitting awaiting a little bit of time and effort. It’s also awaiting a space up here for storage.

I’ve driven plenty of buses I didn’t like, but sometimes it takes having them for a day, in service, stop/starting all the time to appreciate how monumentally shit they are. With a couple of exceptions, most Optare products are crap, and anything fitted with Volvo’s iShit transmission can take a one way trip to Barnsley straight from the factory. Dennis can produce a reasonable vehicle, but they’ve made some absolute stinkers too - a trio of UVG-bodied Javelins still rate as some of the worst things I’ve ever driven. 

Best modern thing? Got to be this:

Quiet, full auto, bags of power and comfortable. I always liked the Futura (good vehicles, a shame they have a reputation for rust) but the Magiq was another level above.

[83C]

Last week I did an oil change on the SV650. All good, until I went to tip the old oil out of the drain pan and found two tips from a nylon gear.

Balls.

Yesterday the clutch cover came off to reveal:

Hmm. Definitely a broken tooth or two. As this is the oil pump it’s going to get a replacement gear before it decides to lose more teeth, as I’m booked into a trackday in September I really don’t fancy blowing the bollocks out of the engine because of an iffy oil pump gear. 

In other fleet news, the GS passed its MoT and gained a new rear tyre and chain in the process, and the Volvo is now taxed - see upcoming for sale thread for details on this fine lump of Swedish lead.

[83C]

Finally got around to fixing the SV - they really are incredibly simple things to work on. 

Old oil pump gear:

Two teeth missing tips and at least 3 more on their way. Cracks forming around the centre too. 

New steel gear from JHS Racing fitted.

Took it out for a thrash and all is well. 

Volvo now out of fleet, and this is in:

I have previous with Astravans, they’re cracking little machines that work well. This one came from a relative and has been very well looked after, it’s even done trips to Portugal in the last couple of years. Rear arches are a bit grim, and the roof needs sorting where a solar panel was bonded on. It also needs an MoT, which it’s being dropped off for this afternoon.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

On 7/26/2020 at 11:36 AM, 83C said:

All I can say for speed is that most buses and coaches have a speedo that only goes up to 80. 

I’ve driven a handful of different vehicles that have comfortably exceeded that, but it was back in the days of no trackers etc. A Tiger and B10M will both do so. The surprising one was an Optare Solo with the Cummins ISB6 and a broken speed limiter - the needle was pointing to the ‘A’ in Optare across the bottom of the speedo and still accelerating.....

I don't suppose coach racing is a thing...

[83C]

Astravan is now MoT’d, needed a few more things than I thought but I have a decent machine with 12 months test now.

On the to do list is new front brakes (noted but not failed on MoT), staple the headlining (droopy - if I can find an Astra estate full length head lining that would be better), fit a towbar and at some point sort the rear arches out. Collecting it tomorrow from the garage and it’ll get pressed straight into commuting duties.

[mitsisigma01]

Great van the Astravan but best of all was the Astramax, not many around though

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Astravan/Astramax was for a while the fastest diesel on the road, regardless of what official performance figures say, carrying on where the Royal Mail Sherpa left off. Often driven beyond top end, they more or less invented the modern sport* of tailgating.

[83C]

Since the last thrilling* instalment, I sold almost everything apart from the 5, the Tiger and the ZZR, due to being on a training course.

Course finished, so I’ve been really fucking stupid sensible and bought this:

[HMC]

Nice! Which engine?

[Six-cylinder]

Range Rover are great cars.

They do test your patience and wallet though!

 

[Cord Fourteener]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Nice! Which engine?

I'm guessing the V8, I mean, a lad like @83C belongs to a V8 I think. 

Still, no shame with the diesel, they are honourable beasts.

[83C]

3 hours ago, Cord Fourteener said:

I'm guessing the V8, I mean, a lad like @83C belongs to a V8 I think. 

Still, no shame with the diesel, they are honourable beasts.

It’s a TD6. I do like the V8s but not the 15mpg thirst on a run to Cornwall. This does nearly twice that if driven sensibly. 

As with all L322s it needs some money spending, but this is already factored in. I’ve known the car for the last 5-6 years so it isn’t a complete blind purchase, and the previous owner has already pointed out where it’ll need money next. The drive back from collection was lovely, it drives and rides really well with the exception of a bit of vibration around 60mph. I’ll do some more detailed pics in the next few days.

[Cord Fourteener]

7 hours ago, 83C said:

It’s a TD6. I do like the V8s but not the 15mpg thirst on a run to Cornwall. This does nearly twice that if driven sensibly. 

As with all L322s it needs some money spending, but this is already factored in. I’ve known the car for the last 5-6 years so it isn’t a complete blind purchase, and the previous owner has already pointed out where it’ll need money next. The drive back from collection was lovely, it drives and rides really well with the exception of a bit of vibration around 60mph. I’ll do some more detailed pics in the next few days.

15mpg? Ouch! Yes you're much better off without personally financing the Saudi State oil company. 

There's very little the TDV6 can't solve. Enjoy!

[twosmoke300]

How was your track day ?

[83C]

On 10/17/2021 at 8:15 AM, twosmoke300 said:

How was your track day ?

Unfortunately it didn’t happen, partly due to time constraints.

Fingers crossed I’ll book another one when I get time.

[twosmoke300]

Im off to day no6 this year on friday 😀