Project Memoirs: Bornite’s All Red Fleet

[BorniteIdentity]

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? 

[Floatylight]

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? 

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

[danthecapriman]

Glad your sticking with the Sierra, I think there’s a lot of love for that car and it’d be a shame to see it sold to an uncertain fete!

[dozeydustman]

Povvo spec turns my head more so than a range topper, they weren't as common to start with and most likely to be raped. Glad you've had a change of heart. 

[LightBulbFun]

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? 

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

[djim]

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!

[The Moog]

I don't think it has changed that much . I collected the wing for it from some random guy I think who broke them.

[Eyersey1234]

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. 

[Jim Bell]

If he's not making the bairn cry by selling a car, he's making him cry by not selling a car. 

Great work man. The best way to keep children happy is to fix fords. 

[dozeydustman]

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.

[Skizzer]

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.

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.

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

[timolloyd]

Likewise this is the flagship car/project of Autoshite, for me.

I also get that it’s you having to shoulder all the bills and bad bits. But seemingly it brings a lot of pleasure to lots of people - consider it a public service maybe?

[andy18s]

Good to see it's staying put...

Spookily i was just thinking about this as something popping into my BG watchlist...

[BorniteIdentity]

51 minutes ago, andy18s said:

Good to see it's staying put...

Spookily i was just thinking about this as something popping into my BG watchlist...

Cool.

How much is 300 NBs and where is Tprbha? ??

[Eyersey1234]

18 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Cool.

How much is 300 NBs and where is Tprbha? ??

Shall we have a whip round for it? I've googled 300NBs and Tprbha and drawn a blank. 

[jollysmart]

35 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Cool.

How much is 300 NBs and where is Tprbha? ??

Bulgaria and £135?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

@BorniteIdentity There's no way you could get away with selling the base anyway. 

 

 

 

 

It would mean I'd have to update my mug, which I'd planned on using for at least a decade. 

[andy18s]

2 hours ago, jollysmart said:

Bulgaria and £135?

Yep,here in sunniest Bulgaria

Unfortunately it has no documents which is a Big headache here,hence the cheapness

[ETCHY]

3 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

@BorniteIdentity There's no way you could get away with selling the base anyway. 

 

 

 

 

It would mean I'd have to update my mug, which I'd planned on using for at least a decade. 

There's an autoshite mug  ?? Can these be bought ???

[BorniteIdentity]

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. 

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)

[Dick Cheeseburger]

17 minutes ago, ETCHY said:

There's an autoshite mug  ?? Can these be bought ???

Not any more, no. 

[Matty]

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

[brownnova]

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.

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! 

[HMC]

Agreed- love the Sierra bASe! It’s also the feature car on the icon I click on to get here. To my mind they’re all part of the same cycle- 15-20 years ago it was where they are now. 

[Angrydicky]

Ace of Base! I’m keen to read about it

[New POD]

14 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Not any more, no. 

You just make your own. 

[Tamworthbay]

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? 

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).

[xtriple]

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?

[Split_Pin]

I too *heart* the base, and it is by far and away my favourite AS car.

[Uncle Jimmy]

I like the buttery biscuit BASE, I'd walk past a herd of Ferraris to admire it.