Marina Shite (Fleet changes- beige-r than ever)

[chaseracer]

Hooray I can now post without restriction, time to get some really dirty photos up on here...

 

Yes, I've been approving your posts as quickly as possible for that very reason! 

 

#filth  #MOARFILTH

 

[MarinaJosh]

Haha, thankyou!

 

If you want real filth here's some of me and a couple of mates...

 

[trigger]

I have no words....

[MarinaJosh]

I know, jealousy is a terrible thing. Get that van and join the Marina dreamers!!

[oldcars]

I have no words....

Quick, go and pick up your Ital van 

[theorganist]

What a wonderful selection of cars you have there. Great to see some love for the Marina.

 

I nearly purchased one for £300 four years ago from Bromsgrove but prevaricated for too long and it was gone, it even had an MOT! I certainly must scratch my Marina itch one day.

 

My neighbour had a J reg 1.8 one back in the mid 80's then he went all posh and bought a Princess!

[richardthestag]

awesome stuff

 

Fatha thastag had two Marinas. the first was a 1972 (TMJ ###K) 4 door 1.3 manual bought nearly new, that was traded into LEX in Gloucester for a 1973 teal blue 4 door 1.3 auto OPK 984L IIRC

 

I stacked OPK just weeks after passing my test in 84 when I turned right across Ruxley Lane, West Ewell and got t-boned big time by a spanking new Montego Vanden Plas. Both cars were complete write offs but OPK did drive home

 

The sparse Mk1 interior with the two pod dash brings back happy memories of shite holidays in the late 70s

 

Keep it bloody up

[MarinaJosh]

Even back then that was cheap!

 

 

Here's some others I have been involved with

 

A very late MK1 TC saloon. This was sitting in a garage in Norwich, the garage owner used it years ago before parking it up. This was the garage the previous owner of my DL saloon used and she tipped me off he was looking to move it on. A mate of mine secured it and I got a nice haul of spares. Sadly underneath it was quite rotten despite having good outer panels. He sold it on to another club member who has about 30 cars (including the only J reg Limeflower coupe, but sadly he won't sell it...). I doubt he'll do anything with it, he would sell it but wants a grand for it...

 

I nearly bought this Ital estate a few years ago. It wasn't that bad really. Given my recent exploits with XUD engines I have harboured impure thoughts about seeing if it's still there and sticking an XUD and LT77 five speed box in it

He has a great collection, mainly of older Jags and a nice Jowett but also a Lada Samara, Volvo 265GLE and this with 25k from new saved from a local scrappy

 

This van was bought by a mate of mine. It was totally rotten but it yielded two usable wings for me. I'll be cutting the sections I need from these to repair the ones on the beige saloon

 

This one is reasonably local to me, owner won't sell. Has numerous 80s and 90s Rovers in the garden

He also has an early Limeflower TC Coupe with collapsed suspension... I would actually pay genuine real life money for this...

 

This one came from the Surrey collection to a mate in Norfolk who has a few more Marinas than I do as well as a couple of Ford Prefects. Most of the welding is now done

 

And the one we went down to Surrey to get, the earliest known survivor. It's totally stripped now and having a full nut and bolt resto (although will be finished to look original rather than over restored, so steel fasteners etc rather than stainless steel shiny stuff). Some bits are now in primer. As much as I love early Marinas I knew I wouldn't be able to give it the time and attention it deserved so I told my mate about it who has far more skill than I do...

[garbaldy]

Quick, go and pick up your Ital van

I will definitely enter that raffle.

[michael1703]

this thread should read:

 

"Hi my name is josh, my mot tester is a sexy handsome love god"

[trigger]

...and goes by the name of Stevie Wonder?

[MarinaJosh]

Oh god.... Well I guess I won't be posting pics of all my bodges now?! My new prop for the coupe arrived today so I do listen to what you say Seller has split it in two without marking it though which could be interesting...

[michael1703]

Slidey bit goes at the gearbox end

[MarinaJosh]

I know that bit, just wondering how much it's going to vibrate! Done more miles since you MOT'd it than the whole of last year. Done about 500 miles in the last few weeks, used about 2 litres of oil...

[michael1703]

Scholar balance them

[richardthestag]

 

I do recall that these ^^ wheeltrims used to rattle like fuck. Drove dad up the wall

 

Even more so if my little bro of I had put a small stone behind one of them

[RobT]

What a cracking thread, welcome along Josh. Hopefully all this Marina loveliness will further encourage Trigger to get that van bought!

[MarinaJosh]

Scholar balance them

 

Bought this complete prop to avoid having to pay Scholar to fit the bearing to the original one! Sliding section on this one is seized so might take the front of the new one and the back of the original and get it balanced if I can't free it off.

[sierraman]

Question. Were any diesel marinas sold in U.K. And are there any here now?

[michael1703]

I'd have fit the bearing for you, fire and hammers gr9

[MarinaJosh]

Will get the old one off after Christmas and see what state it's in. Would be easier to stick the new bearing on that than piss around getting the new one balanced and unseized (assuming the original isn't seized, bet it is...)

 

I haven't seen any ones sold here with a diesel engine but I have seen ones with a B series diesel fitted later in life, and there is a near mint one which was imported from Malta around somewhere.

[richardmorris]

Wow, you wonder where all the marinas went, and then find out one guy has all of them!

[JeeExEll]

[richardthestag]

Just to address the Elephant in the room and in no way intended to offend.

 

Did TG shenanigans with Marinas and Pianos do more good than damage to public awareness of the Marina? *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* In no way whatsoever do I condone senseless destruction of anything, regardless of where it is owned by the abuser or not.

 

** except when it comes to the Prius

[richardthestag]

anyone else think before opening this thread that it was about

 

 

and something deeply unpleasant?

[Squire_Dawson]

Good collection, welcome. I'm still looking for a Mk.1 1800 or beige Ital with the larger engines.

[MarinaJosh]

Just to address the Elephant in the room and in no way intended to offend.

 

Did TG shenanigans with Marinas and Pianos do more good than damage to public awareness of the Marina? *

Interesting question. On one hand prices have risen in the last few years, but so have many other 70s cars so I'm not sure if that's from TG or not. I think it did make more people aware of Marinas but not necessarily in a good way. For example it's difficult to post a picture on any Facebook group of a Marina without getting at least one 'Piano ROFL' or similar comment usually from somebody who hasn't ever set foot in one. Certainly the immediate impact was very bad with Marina Club committee members receiving personal threats from people (despite the Club never actually contacting or making any comment about TG, it was some members of an independant online web forum). There was also a spate of Marina vandalism afterwards, but it could have just been a coincidence as we all know old cars can attract vandals at any time. I think a lot of the bad publicity was only fuelled by some Marina folks, if there had been no reaction then we wouldn't have lost other cars, although it was hard to see that near mint low mileage car set on fire but likewise it was on eBay for anybody to buy...

 

I just wish they would sell off the cars. I have seen pics of them sitting in a compound at Dunsfold with plenty of usable spares on them.

 

One of them, destroyed in a trailer for a DVD, has now been fitted with a new roof. That was a really mint car.

 

So overall- yes I think more public awareness. But I'm not sure of an increase in positive awareness. Driving around day to day I don't hear many TG comments, and didn't at the time either which is strange.

[junkyarddog]

Hi Josh,glad to see you're still alive and well,

fab collection.

 

Here's one I saw earlier in the year,have a fap over this

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I would own a Marina, an early 1300 Coupe. Antelope with the tobacco coloured trim - perfect. 

 

With telescopics up front they drive absolutely fine. With a bit more tweaking from BL they would have been fine. But BL sold hundreds of thousands and the Marina earned them a lot of money so..........

[MarinaJosh]

I've never had any issues driving them. The 1.8s don't handle so well but with telescopic shocks and poly tie bar bushes they are fine. The 1.3s are really well balanced from the factory. The 309s are well known for having excellent handling, yet I can tackle bends at similar speeds in the Marinas.

 

Only two are roadworthy at the moment and afraid neither are for sale! When my mate buys my Blaze coupe he might be selling his white saloon though and that is a good car.