Roffle GM dizzler Mk3 Astra - £4 a ticket

[Cavcraft]

Good luck!

[Angrydicky]

What's the black car to the left of the Allegro in that picture, Rob? Looks like a Somerset but the windscreen stainless surround has thrown me!

[oldcars]

Looks like its failed,but only a little fail.

[paulscavalier]

hoping it isn't something too bad

[RobT]

Looks like its failed,but only a little fail.

 

 

• Reason(s) for failure
  Offside Front Anti-roll bar attachment bracket/mounting damaged and its strength is seriously reduced (2.4.G.1)
• Advisory notice item(s)
  Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit 175/65/14 bald on edge (4.1.E.1)

  all underside corroded

I can live with that!  Bit miffed about the 'all underside corroded' advisory.  It isn't, albeit the boot floor is frilly (and non-existent in places...).

 

Looks like a re-test next week then.  We'll get there eventually with this old thing!

[RobT]

What's the black car to the left of the Allegro in that picture, Rob? Looks like a Somerset but the windscreen stainless surround has thrown me!

 

It is a Somerset Dicky, well spotted.  Owned by another shiter I believe.

[Cleon-Fonte]

MoT testers do seem to like issuing spurious 'whole car rusted through' type advisories, in my case for tiny patches of surface rust. One would have thought if 'all underside corroded' actually applied it wouldn't just be an advisory item.

 

On another note, nobody's asked the big question yet, so I will:

 

Will it run on veg M8?

[r.welfare]

BL Transverse!

[stripped fred]

Well done Rob. I don't think that's too bad. No mention of corrosion now [edit: sorry, just noticed the 'all corroded comment'].

 

To answer the other question I think it does run on veg but I never tried it. As it sips diesel and I didn't use it much I never found the need.

[stripped fred]

Rob, I assume you'll be making a lowball offer on the Felicia diesel too?

[stripped fred]

When I spoke to its previous owner last week he said he was planning to paint the underside with used engine oil but never got round to it. I didn't get around to it either but maybe you will Rob!

[RobT]

Classic giffer tactic using old engine oil! Reality is I won't do it either. Two years on and I still haven't done the Cavalier, the tins of dinitrol are in the garage gathering dust.

[RobT]

Rob, I assume you'll be making a lowball offer on the Felicia diesel too?

Definitely a no!

[RobT]

BL Transverse!

Indeed, Les is a total legend. He's happy to work on any old shit so there's no need for me to go elsewhere thankfully.

[Rusty_Rocket]

I'm the same. Really want to spend a day preserving my heaps with waxoil et al, but year after year, I don't 

 

We need a sheep dip- kinda setup, with approx £1,000000 of dinitrol in it, then simply drive through slowly, guaranteeing no rust forever!

Perhaps we could start with a disused swimming pool, a mile of plastic sheeting & a joblot of disposable overalls 

[paulscavalier]

Classic giffer tactic using old engine oil! Reality is I won't do it either. Two years on and I still haven't done the Cavalier, the tins of dinitrol are in the garage gathering dust.

Same with me got the stuff haven't got round to it..

[RobT]

Now with full ticket! Les managed to sort the anti-roll bar wotsits in time for a re-test today, so hopefully I'll be off to Bristol in it tomorrow to collect some Renault wheels (assuming the seller gets back to me in time).

[paulscavalier]

Great news. A good run out is just what it needs after all that work.

[stripped fred]

Plenty of room in the back for those wheels Rob. Enjoy your run out, i'm missing her already...

[HMC]

Great result! Earning its keep already too.

[lisbon_road]

Good news nothing like the satisfaction of an MOT pass.

 

Those joints on the end of the anti roll bar can be changed without even taking the front wheel off or lifting the car.   I have known them drive around with them actually broken so I don't think they do a great deal and cost next to nothing. 

 

I like the sheep dip idea.  I think it is worth pressure washing and painting with waxoyl or whatever, but I also don't do it as often as I would like.

[Pillock]

GLS? My mum's GLS Hatch in 1994 was 14" wheels so might want to check before raiding trims out of ditches. It had the trims with triangles around the edge

[RobT]

As of today this is on loan to phil_lihp, who left Devon mega early this morning to come up to the smoke. It's lovely weather for a day trip too, so have a good one Phil!

 

In the last two weeks I've done 600 miles in the GM dizzler, so hopefully it'll prove a reliable stop gap whilst he plans for his next shite purchase.

[stripped fred]

Hope you enjoy using this Phil_lihp. Glad she's staying in the autoshite family and being put to good use.

[paulscavalier]

Glad it's still being loved

[phil_lihp]

Rob is a proper gent, picked me up from the station in a slightly shonky Safrane, made me a cup of tea and then gave me a car to go home in. He even led me to a petrol station.

 

 

I repaid this kindness by being nearly two hours late (thank you National Express) but it all worked out in the end.

 

Fleet services have been achieved.

 

 

The Astra is smooth, quiet and an excellent motorway cruiser, performance is relaxed but adequate and it's sipping diesel.

 

It's been a long day, getting a bit tired now so refueling with food and caffeine before the final 150 miles to home.

[phil_lihp]

Just landed home.

 

 

Big, big thanks to RobT again, proper legend and the car is ace.  Tatty, yes, feels tired, yes but it's 25 years old and has done nearly 178,000 miles so it's allowed to look and feel much, much more worn than it does.  It managed the trip home easily, the lack of performance was only really noticeable in a couple of places on the A303 and the bigger hills on the North Devon Link Road - other than that, it cruised at motorway speeds easily.

 

I stopped for a quick comfort break near Yeovil and had to take a quick photo, seemed somehow appropriate.

 

 

The car thinks it's 1992.  I haven't the heart to correct it.

 

 

Plans are to run it, keep it tidy and probably treat it to an oil change, plus I may replace the headlining as I have lots of spare high-temp glue from doing the van and quite enjoy doing that sort of work.  I've bunged in a spare stereo but it won't turn on so I suspect I need an adaptor.  Certainly need one for the aerial anyway so I'll have a quick look on eBay later.

[Lacquer Peel]

These Astras are grim to drive but I can't help but like this one for compounding the grimness with an ancient NA diesel.

[stripped fred]

I wouldn't bother with an oil change as it was done at 175508 miles along with a filter, air filter, fuel filter, radiator fan switch and a new thermostat.

[phil_lihp]

Excellent news, in that case, I won't!  It's clearly been well looked after.

 

I don't suppose you have the original stereo knocking about?  I got mine powered on (a spare Pioneer one, one of the power wires had come loose) but there's no sound.  There's 3 plugs on the Astra's loom and the stereo only uses two of them so I'm assuming the third one has the speaker connections.