37th time lucky: Palladium goes for a drive

[vulgalour]

Definitely a thread focusing on quality rather than quantity.  You can't really tell anything has been done to the unpainted bodywork at all in the photographs, always a sign of a very good job.

[barrett]

Just drove home in this! Put a rebuilt starter on last night and it now starts first pull. Definitely a few bugs to iron out before I'm totally happy with how it drives, but nothing fell off or exploded over 40 miles or whatever so I'm pretty happy

[barrett]

Amazing what a lick of paint on the chassis and a quick polish of the radiator does for the look of this thing. It's almost looking like a car, now

 

The tinwork is now all completed and the body has been properly attached to the chassis for the first time in decades. All being well, it's never going to come apart again

 

Both front wings are now done. The nearside has had its spare wheel well reconstructed and the offside has had a flat section welded in place as we only want to carry one spare.

 

Luckily the well fits the wheel! We now have a set of tyres (Blockley 760 x 90 beaded edge; look that up if you want a shock) so next step is to paint one of the wheels, fit a tyre and use this as a guide to make the new rear wings. Other jobs on the 'before Christmas' list hopefully include running boards and new floorboards throughout.

Mechanically things aren't progressing so quickly, but we hope there will be far less work on that side of things. The March deadline is creeping scarily closer every day, though...

 

(Sorry for shitty third gen pics, I should have some better ones soon)

[barrett]

Had a telephone call out of the blue the other day from Jeremy Bacon, who discovered the Palladium in 1952 on a farm in Meopham. He got it back on the road, drove it straight to France and then used it regularly for several years. Nobody seemed to know if he was still around (he's at least in his mid-80s) so it was very nice to hear from him. He's looking forward to having a ride in the car in spring. Here it is not long after he started using it - it's thanks mainly to Jeremy that this car survives at all.

[mercrocker]

Wonderful!

[D Spares & Tyres]

Great thread!

[barrett]

Today: floors, rear footwell, new front wing... last update of the year I expect

[stonedagain]

Looking gooooood!

[barrett]

I think everyone has had one by now, so I can show you our Christmas card this year.

 

Drawn by the lovely Stefan Marjoram

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StefanMarjoram

[richardthestag]

outstanding thread, loving the fusion of shonky* French chod and the Palladium.

 

 * to someone who only ever buys new German cars on bubble finance

[barrett]

So, I managed to drive around in the R16 for a bit today. It's really flippin' great, actually, and I reckon with some very minor fettling it'll be properly brilliant. I am converted. I'll do a proper update if I make it to Paris and back when there's something to really talk about.

 

In less interesting news, the rear brakes on my 406 are totally shot and pricing up parts it's gonna be £350 before any spannering occurs!! Almost enough go make me have a go at doing it myself, but not quite. Anyway, until I can afford that I'm falling back on the only other functioning member of the fleet. The recent cold snap has made me wonder if anyone else in the world drives their 404 cabriolet in the snow?

[RobT]

Having done the rear brakes on the 11 I feel like a pro, so I'm happy to help with the 406 if it means you save £££. What needs doing exactly?

[Lacquer Peel]

£350 in parts; discs, pads and calipers?

 

Barrett is winning at life because he gets to drive a beautiful convertible when his boring modern is broken.

[barrett]

Discs and pads are cheap, but needs the handbrake doing as well so that's shoes and cables. There's lots of 'little bits' on the 406 brakes and I don't know what will need replacing until it comes apart, so I might not end up needing all the parts so they can be sent back. Actually the calipers are a refurbished exchange thing so I'll get £60 for my old ones. I'm just being dramatic, it'll all be fine

[barrett]

How not to buy a car, a cautionary tale by S Barrett, aged 33

 

Step 1: see example of a car you like advertised by a trusted member of this forum. Read about the huge amount of work recently undertaken and its many trouble free miles driven. Consider buying it but realise you are in enough debt as it is. Forget about it.

 

Step 2: see near-identical example of same car will be offered at auction. Obsess over the car. Pore over the photographs and limited description for weeks. Call auction house trying to glean every scrap of information about it. Realise you're in enough debt already and try to forget about it.

 

Step 3: fail to forget about it. Coincidentally buy a haul of potentially incredibly valuable car parts for buttons, with which you plan to make your fortune

 

Step 4: call enabling friend. Ask 'how flush are you at the moment?' The answer: 'how much do you need, and what car is it?' Arrange bank transfer.

 

Step 5: travel to Kings Lynn. Examine car. Decide that travelling to Kings Lynn and not returning with said car would be a terrible mistake.

 

Step 6: bid on car. Bid much higher than you had previously decided to bid. Win car. Realise you have £2000 less than is required in your bank account. Feel legs turn to jelly.

 

Step 7: bump into another friend at the auction. 'How flush are you feeling?' etc. Friend kindly makes up the difference on his credit card without ever asking how or when he might be paid back. Buy car.

 

Step 8: realise car has a flat tyre. Discover spare is also flat. Rope in multiple Autoshiters to help. Dick about for ages

 

Step 9: drive car

 

Step 10: break car (one mile later)

 

Step 11: endure 24 hour recovery time. Diagnose problem. Find parts. Fix problem. Use the down time to test the structural rigidity of the jacking points. Put some new tyres on at the same time

 

Step 12: prepare* car for 600 mile continental drive. Attempt to top up oil. Break oil filler cap. Realise bits of oil filler car are now lurking under the rockers. Remove rocker cover at 8pm the night before setting off. Remove bits. Refit, and hope the gasket will hold up.

 

Step 13: discover gasket is not holding up. Wipe contents of sump from inner wings. Top up with oil. Drive to Paris.

 

Step 14: develop severe case of deja vu

 

Step 15: drive home, marvelling in the light controls, balanced steering, lack of any wind noise, comfortable seats, superb ride amd general brilliance of the design. Consider changing allegiance from the double chevron to the golden diamond.

 

The end

[loserone]

Hero.

 

Also, I still think the Talisman looks fit.

 

But not as fit as this.

[dollywobbler]

Well, this really isn't helping with my massive desire to own a Renault 16.

[Jon]

Worth all the hassle for the number plates alone, IMO. 

[garethj]

That seems like an excellent way to buy a car.  You don't appreciate the highs until you've experienced the lows therefore you've scored incredibly well

 

Nice car too

[Jim Bell]

Doing things others wouldn't do is to be commended. That car is absolutely beautiful.

 

5 good stars.

[loserone]

Looks at it the other way; lots of people would buy a new Vauxhall on tick. You owe less, will be able to pay back quicker, and have a better car for it.

[egg]

Now that is genuinely epic. Well done. Envious and happy that I'm decidedly more financially risk averse. 

[vulgalour]

That Junkman fellow is an influence.

[Ghosty]

That's one way of putting it.

[loserone]

That Junkman fellow is an influence.

Is that what you call it.

[HillmanImp]

Doing things others wouldn't do is to be commended.

I don't know, it really depends on what it is they're doing. Remember how much trouble Stuart Hall got into.

[The Moog]

Is there a better way to buy a car?

[Junkman]

That Junkman fellow is an influence.

 

Hell, I hope not!

[bangernomics]

I don't know, it really depends on what it is they're doing. Remember how much trouble Stuart Hall got into.

Had a new guy start last week, called Stuart Hall. Thankful that he isn’t an elderly pervert.

 

Also amazes me how well those old renners have aged.

[anonymous user]

Hell, I hope not!

He didn't say whether it was a good or bad influence though, so just take it as a compliment