What you leave behind

[Bren]

At the beginning of April my wife's mother passed away after a short battle with cancer. Only now can we actually go into her house and start to get things sorted. Among the things that need sorting was what to do with her car.

 

 

Bought by my late father in law in June 1991, F379 SLT is a 2.4 i ghia auto. Registered on 04/05/89, supplied by Perry's of Finchley to PHH in Swindon. Colour is flint grey with raven cloth. The only extras were mudflaps, mats and adjustment for unleaded fuel.

 

 

The car had around 66k when it was purchased. Sadly my father in law only enjoyed the car for 18 months before his untimely death at 58.

 

 

After his death my mother in law took the car on - 2000 miles a year, kept in a garage meant it didn't deteriorate too much. The only issues the car had during this time was a faulty throttle potentiometer and a leaking seal on the autobox. Even the OE exhaust lasted 15 years before it needed replacing.

 

 

 

 

The car still has it's original radio but is currently locked hence I enquired on here for the code.

 

 

The car has only just done 100k - last year it covered 200 miles.

 

 

One wheel arch needs attention (read replacement).

 

 

 

I have had to repair the rear of both sills to pass the MOT - this has been previously dine by the garage, but the repair rusted from the inside out - the sills have no ventilation.

 

 

Engine is healthy, 130 hp and 142ft/lb torque, coupled with a slushbox, mean that it is'nt exactly a ball of fire. I previously owned a 2.9 auto and there is a big difference in performance - the 2.4 was considered a bit of a lemon as it had similar fuel consumption to a 2.9 but performance of a 2.0. Fair to say some of the horses have now gone to the glue factory.

 

Sadly both bumpers are cracked and need replacing. Both sills and one arch really need replacing necessitating a paint job. We have had the "just get rid of it" comments from people who view the car as just transport. My late father in law's mother gave him an inheritance which he used to buy the car - the car is now at the crossroads where either somebody takes it on and spends on it or runs around in it until the MOT runs out and then scraps it.

 

I am taking the car for its MOT later today - the old one expired in May. I would like to think we will keep the car and do the necessary work once my SD1 is finished.

 

Watch this space.

[fred]

Sorry to hear this Bren, life is shite, and the chore of sorting out the loved ones things is not a good thing  

My best wishes are with you

[Split_Pin]

That's sad news about your mum in law. Mine passed away in September 14 and it was a difficult time for my wife. I'm dreading when my own parents become ill and pass.

 

The Granada deserves to live on though and you could easily be taking that to car shows for the rest of its days. It looks well cared for.

[purplebargeken]

Parent cars are very important! Mum's car went to my nephew, I doubt it survived very long. That still niggles me to this day.

 

I see the car as part of them, part of the memories and so on. It's a connection to them and that is the important part.

 

I am sure you will love the car and put it to good use

[BorniteIdentity]

Hey Bren. I remember how this knocked you for 6 earlier in the year. I hope starting the car up helps, rather than picks at the scab.

 

If you need any bits for the car, you know everyone will chip in. You only have to see the Sierra bASe thread to see that.

 

Pecker up. Can't wait to see it all cleaned up.

[Bren]

Just dropped it off at the testing station.

 

Fingers crossed.

[sierraman]

It looks essentially sound, the MOT will tell whether it's viable. I'd get an arch panel and get it welded in.

[r.welfare]

2.4s were always a rare bird, I suppose made superfluous by the injected Pinto (the step change from carb'd Pinto to carb'd 2.3 in the mk2 being more pronounced) so this is worth saving in my view, as well as for sentimental reasons. Good luck with the MOT.

[fordperv]

Blimey Bren that looks a really nice motor, sad circumstances that it's become available to you though, I am just imagining it now with the arch done parked at a local show, I reckon people would make a bee line for it, please tell me your going to keep it, i think it would be a fitting memory for your mil

[oldcars]

Sad new Bren. I do hope you keep it and do the work when you can. I have my late Grandfathers Kia, and am doing a bit of work to keep it on the road. Love looking car the Granada.

PS i think if you park it outside trigger's house he will have the arch fixed for you over night 

[Bren]

Car passed it's MOT but with the same advisories as previous years.

Before I put it back in the garage I will have another look at the radio. Also, the rev counter has a mind of it's own and the rear n/s window is stuck - I will investigate further.

 

So the shopping list is two bumpers, two sills and a wheel arch panel.

However, I am not touching it until the SD1 is done, nor will I start cutting until I invest in a plasma cutter - gone are the days when I lie on my back with an angle grinder.

[Guest Hooli]

I had a similar age Sierra and the instruments in that went mental due to the circuit board behind the panel going rotten, I got told it was quite common. Could be a starting point for you.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Nice car, the 2.4 was a result of company car hierarchy in the UK, initially Granny's came with 1.8, 2.0 carb, 2.0i Pinto and 2.8 V6 . Ford made a rare mistake by having too big a gap between the 2.0i Ghia and the 2.8, so when after a couple of years the 2.8 became the 2.9 they slotted the 2.4 in the gap.

As for performance, I've driven a few , both when they were new and as shitters and they aren't that much different to 2.8/2.9's, which lest we forget were never balls of fire.

I picked up proper pov spec( keep fit Windows) 2.4 GL in 1999 for £50 , Fatha N had it for a couple of years and on a family trip to Zandvoort it kept up with ( even rushing for ferry at 120) and used less fuel than my ,then, 3 year old 2.0 16v Omega.

Remember , that a 2.5 Senator or 12v 525 was the opposition , both bought for 6 cylinder smoothness rather than speed.

[danthecapriman]

Sad news about the situation.

But, that's a very nice car to take on out of the situation. Even better is the MOT success.

Personally I don't mind the 2.4, sure it's not that fast but it's perfectly fine for just cruising around. It's an auto too which is a big win in my opinion.

It'll be well worth doing a bit of body/paint work on this too, they are becoming rarer and rarer now.

[taxi paul]

Lovely car with memories attached.Good luck with it over the coming year.

[steveo3002]

how bad are the bumpers ?   worth looking at a decent repair glue and some mesh inside ?

[Bren]

Because they are the grey textured type I would imagine they would be difficult to repair invisibly.

[Felly Magic]

Have you tried any local car audio specialist re the stereo code? 

[Bren]

 

I did'nt notice the emissions print out - I think they are very good for a 27 year old V6 with no cat.

 

 

I also found all the handbooks and wallet - only thing missing is the card with the radio code.

[egg]

I lost my father in law in Nov 14 to the prostate cancer. We have an R8 Rover in my mum in law's garage and another parts vehicle out back. She can't bear to sell it and so it sits rotting. Bloody sad all round, so l can sympathise. Mum in law has basically said deal with it when l'm gone

[steveo3002]

Because they are the grey textured type I would imagine they would be difficult to repair invisibly.

i worked at a ford dealers around then and alot of them believe it or not came smooth for the colour coded ones and you actualy painted the textured ones to suit...pretty sure it was the grandads that came like that 

 

anyway the texture effect is pretty easy to do now  , you can get rattle cans or tins of the textured paint  

[DSdriver]

Its in much better condition than the four year old 7K miles Prius left in the garage when my Dad buggered off. The only panel that didn't need repair and respray was the roof,

[dieselassist]

Before I put it back in the garage I will have another look at the radio

 

 

if you can remove the radio from the facia; have a look at the radio body for numbers in felt tip; my brother bought my sisters 91 fiesta van years ago with a radio that never worked due to 'lost code' while she had it... he took the radio out n brought it to a Ford dealer to find the code/have it recoded - one of the parts counter lads took a quick look at it, n pointed out the code - scribbled in yellow felt tip on the side of it... might be worth checking out on yours....

 

Best of luck with the Grannie; my uncle had an 85 auto 2.0 years ago - looveley car to drive, even had steering wheel button controlled, er cruise control - on a trip over to Ireland, he let me I drive it from London to Pembroke, as his two kids wouldn't behave, while he was driving... 

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Sad to hear that your wife's mother has died. The car looks to be in very good condition overall. It is a lovely thing to repair and keep  cars such as this, with such a lot of family history. I have my late dad's Jaguar. He died before his time too. It does feel like I still have a connection to him with it.

[Wilko220]

I lost my father in law in Nov 14 to the prostate cancer. We have an R8 Rover in my mum in law's garage and another parts vehicle out back. She can't bear to sell it and so it sits rotting. Bloody sad all round, so l can sympathise. Mum in law has basically said deal with it when l'm gone

If she has an emotional attachment to it, surely she would rather see it fixed up, even if she hangs on to it? Or am I missing the point?

[HillmanImp]

My MIL died just over a year ago. She didn't have a car but did have a garage which proved helpful with my habit of owning too many shit broken cars.

 

The FIL died in February this year but doesn't have a garage at his house.

 

My mates are in constant fear that I die they will have to finish my Imp and race it round Spa or something. After putting my back out today rendering pretty much immobile, its made me realise i need to get it sorted as time is catching up with me.

[For Fiats Sake]

When my dad died mum didn't want to drive anymore and I became the driver, she didn't want to keep his R reg p38 rangie either and in retrospect I wish I'd taken it on.  I had to sell the runabout panda we used after mum died but I do still have the seat and the memory of her trying to get in and out of my now doner car.

[Bren]

We had a trip out in the granada tonight.

 

Five up, it bottomed out over speed ramps.

 

Despite the low emissions myself and my wife noticed how pungent the exhaust was after knocking the engine off.

 

Aren't old cars wonderful?

[egg]

If she has an emotional attachment to it, surely she would rather see it fixed up, even if she hangs on to it? Or am I missing the point?

 

You'd have thought so. She has a bad case of hoarding. In that case it is important just to have it, its usefulness or state of repair isn't a concern.

 

Me or my brother-in-law would keep the Rover roadworthy and running if we were 'allowed' to!

[EssDeeWon]

Nice car - hard to imagine these are nearly 30 years old now.

 

That looks a really genuine example, keep it and make sure you add some kind of steering lock / device as these are easy peasy pickings.