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Memoirs from the Hard Shoulder: bASeman's Spot of the Year award.


BorniteIdentity

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I feel a bit sorry for the Sierra sometimes. It’s been overlooked all year since the Mini arrived and, with changing tastes and faces on the board, I’m not sure there’s much appetite for it any more.

In fact, I’d arrived at a place where I was reasonably comfortable with divesting my investment* and selling up. 

However, I’d not banked on JUST how much my son loves this old heap. He cried like a recently bereaved bride when I told him it was “off to live on a farm”

And so, it will be given another 35 years (hopefully). The cylinder head is being completely rebuilt and has already had the head skimmed and valves recut etc. A brand new FoMoCo camshaft has been sourced from Hungary and a BNIB 34/34 Weber carb is currently tripping up all visitors to my house. 

The total cost will well exceed both the purchase price of the car and the current value put together. Once done it’ll still be a horrible thing. 

The things we do eh? CD1CA855-847F-43B9-954A-6D36BF1BB485.thumb.jpeg.8147b756cfd5d49c56115cd6b645f0c8.jpeg

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I feel a bit sorry for the Sierra sometimes. It’s been overlooked all year since the Mini arrived and, with changing tastes and faces on the board, I’m not sure there’s much appetite for it any more.
In fact, I’d arrived at a place where I was reasonably comfortable with divesting my investment* and selling up. 
However, I’d not banked on JUST how much my son loves this old heap. He cried like a recently bereaved bride when I told him it was “off to live on a farm”
And so, it will be given another 35 years (hopefully). The cylinder head is being completely rebuilt and has already had the head skimmed and valves recut etc. A brand new FoMoCo camshaft has been sourced from Hungary and a BNIB 34/34 Weber carb is currently tripping up all visitors to my house. 
The total cost will well exceed both the purchase price of the car and the current value put together. Once done it’ll still be a horrible thing. 
The things we do eh? CD1CA855-847F-43B9-954A-6D36BF1BB485.thumb.jpeg.8147b756cfd5d49c56115cd6b645f0c8.jpeg
Still much love for a Sierra that's dodged it's fête of being raped for a kit car (guilty as charged 2.0 Efi GLS for a Robin Hood) great to see a MK1..

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

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2 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

I feel a bit sorry for the Sierra sometimes. It’s been overlooked all year since the Mini arrived and, with changing tastes and faces on the board, I’m not sure there’s much appetite for it any more.

In fact, I’d arrived at a place where I was reasonably comfortable with divesting my investment* and selling up. 

However, I’d not banked on JUST how much my son loves this old heap. He cried like a recently bereaved bride when I told him it was “off to live on a farm”

And so, it will be given another 35 years (hopefully). The cylinder head is being completely rebuilt and has already had the head skimmed and valves recut etc. A brand new FoMoCo camshaft has been sourced from Hungary and a BNIB 34/34 Weber carb is currently tripping up all visitors to my house. 

The total cost will well exceed both the purchase price of the car and the current value put together. Once done it’ll still be a horrible thing. 

The things we do eh? CD1CA855-847F-43B9-954A-6D36BF1BB485.thumb.jpeg.8147b756cfd5d49c56115cd6b645f0c8.jpeg

happy to see you sticking with it!

I look forward to future tales of your adventures with it :) 

I consider this one of the staple autoshite cars that must never leave the fold!

like the Ravens at the Tower of London :mrgreen:

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1 hour ago, djim said:

Yeah, reading about this car was what brought me to AS in the first place, where I can live my chod ownership dreams vicariously through you (and many others). Glad to hear you're giving it a good fettle!

Snap, I heard about AS through the Sierra also. Glad to see you've had a change of heart. 

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15 minutes ago, Eyersey1234 said:

Snap, I heard about AS through the Sierra also. Glad to see you've had a change of heart. 

I knew of AS from when the original moderator (Justin?) sponsored Rust in Peace in Practical classics magazine. It wan't until @dollywobbler and his then Classichub channel that I started to really appreciate the everyday motor. First video I watched of his was the Vauxhall Victor FE. I think it was the Shitefest 2017 series with the Horizon, Innocenti and the mighty Beige BX on a trailer that I got drawn to this forum. Still took me a good 6 months to join tho.

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I’m very happy and grateful for the time, cash and parts sourcing effort you’re putting into the Sierra.  I’ll never forget that morning up in Stamford Hill when we bought it but it’s turned out just to be the start of the (very AS) story.

50F20977-3AF6-4B19-86D7-977A32EFA3E3.thumb.jpeg.bef441964e4b39e998ad5a8b9de0b9c0.jpeg

We’d have found a way to keep it in the fold and had formed a back-up plan - but I’m sure it’s already in the right place with you Dan.

325624E6-4E16-47B2-99BC-A66E247AA784.thumb.jpeg.bcea426cd3525dbcb9e5b914d1690602.jpeg

It also makes me happy that it’s appreciated by newer AS members too :-)

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On 8/12/2019 at 7:59 AM, BorniteIdentity said:

Avensis is back from the garage and I’m £400 lighter. Fortunately:

1. I’ve stopped “Bean Counting” now the bangernomics project has been concluded.

2. The garage only ever charge minimum labour. Two calipers, discs, pads, complete overhaul of rear drums and a new washer pump was charged at 90 minutes work. 

It’s now stopping beautifully - certainly better than I can ever remember. 

Now the 190 has gone - the Avensis is back on front line duty and, quite weirdly, I’m enjoying driving it more. It’s not exciting or fun or sexy but it is utterly dependable. 

2BBD63C7-3AF4-4D41-9391-E196D5DFBF7D.thumb.jpeg.a0c0666834df46f4ad98198df2728111.jpeg

252,527 miles (not out)

I've just spent another £450 on this ffs.

The rear shoes were, we believe, original.  That's quite an achievement at the age and mileage.  Certainly the guys who look after the car are Toyota Main Dealer trained (Japex, Kings Langley) and the boys were quite confident they'd never been done.

I've now got such luxuries as two front wipers (linkage broke) handbrake (it's never been great - now 2 clicks) rear brakes, a new coil pack, fresh leads, new plugs and the cam belt actually at the right tension.  Some of it I could have done myself but we're now deep into 'preservation territory' so whilst it was there - I thought it might as well be done properly.

253,421 miles (Not Out)

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4 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

I've just spent another £450 on this ffs.

The rear shoes were, we believe, original.  That's quite an achievement at the age and mileage.  Certainly the guys who look after the car are Toyota Main Dealer trained (Japex, Kings Langley) and the boys were quite confident they'd never been done.

I've now got such luxuries as two front wipers (linkage broke) handbrake (it's never been great - now 2 clicks) rear brakes, a new coil pack, fresh leads, new plugs and the cam belt actually at the right tension.  Some of it I could have done myself but we're now deep into 'preservation territory' so whilst it was there - I thought it might as well be done properly.

253,421 miles (Not Out)

Im doing the same to a 1999 golf gti 20vt and a 03 330ci. Cars arent getting any better so why not spend what at the end of the day is pocket change compared to the average bill these days. Golf has done 180 thou bmw 140 thou. More power to your elbow lad

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On 9/20/2019 at 3:28 PM, BorniteIdentity said:

I feel a bit sorry for the Sierra sometimes. It’s been overlooked all year since the Mini arrived and, with changing tastes and faces on the board, I’m not sure there’s much appetite for it any more.CD1CA855-847F-43B9-954A-6D36BF1BB485.thumb.jpeg.8147b756cfd5d49c56115cd6b645f0c8.jpeg

Oh there’s still plenty of appetite for it here! This story is an excellent example of AS at its best. Despite the more recent tendency towards bangernomics type threads, this sort of thing is the reason I love AS. Loving the unloved motors! 

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On 9/20/2019 at 3:28 PM, BorniteIdentity said:

I feel a bit sorry for the Sierra sometimes. It’s been overlooked all year since the Mini arrived and, with changing tastes and faces on the board, I’m not sure there’s much appetite for it any more.

In fact, I’d arrived at a place where I was reasonably comfortable with divesting my investment* and selling up. 

However, I’d not banked on JUST how much my son loves this old heap. He cried like a recently bereaved bride when I told him it was “off to live on a farm”

And so, it will be given another 35 years (hopefully). The cylinder head is being completely rebuilt and has already had the head skimmed and valves recut etc. A brand new FoMoCo camshaft has been sourced from Hungary and a BNIB 34/34 Weber carb is currently tripping up all visitors to my house. 

The total cost will well exceed both the purchase price of the car and the current value put together. Once done it’ll still be a horrible thing. 

The things we do eh? CD1CA855-847F-43B9-954A-6D36BF1BB485.thumb.jpeg.8147b756cfd5d49c56115cd6b645f0c8.jpeg

Still one of the best cars on here, there will always be a place for cars like this. Just a shame there aren’t more. There seem far more 60s and 70s chod around than 80s and 90s, perhaps it’s all sat in garages or perhaps people just don’t value cars in the way they used (us mad lot excluded obviously).

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I like the Base lots and am proud to say I 'know' someone mad enough to save one :)  When I was young and stupid I sudenly decided I needed a 'proper' job rather than the decidedly dodgy existence I was living and so went to work for a Horrible pay at the door type incurance company. It was an awful job and I lived in mortal fear of some of the places I went with the amount of cash I had on me (theirs, not mine) but the bonus was a 1.6 base in doom blue.

It was a fairly new car but so very unloved it was already pretty beaten up and drove like a sack of shit 'cos it had never been serviced. I didn't think it would have a long life... To be honest though, it was free wheels and while I didn't actually like it enough to spend my own money on it, I did like it enough to give it a wash and brush up which I think was the first in its miserable life. The only thing I didn't like then and still don't is the dull grey front panel! Ghia's and other decent spec ones look good but the base... look utterly appasling and it's all down to that front panel. I know it will neer get changes on this car as it is part of its history and very 'baseness' but still, did Ford have to advertise that you were the poverty spec car driver quite so openly?

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