Sold Dollywobbler's Bluebird - Buy an award winner! £SOLD

[Supernaut]

Make sure to take photos of the epic failure sheet!

 

I mean, I'm sure it'll be fine*.

[PhilA]

The clutch on the 1.6 is moderately heavy, but mine was never stiff to push.

 

Congrats on getting it going. Hopefully it'll manage to charm you, they are uninspiring but practical cars overall. Comfy, and fairly rapid once you get them set up right. The gearbox has all the ratios in the right places and it's torquey enough to take on Wales. Even north Wales.

 

Phil

[dollywobbler]

MOT booked for 9am next Wednesday. An entire week of anxiety!

[dollywobbler]

Jeepers. How time flies! A month and a half since the Bluebird landed, almost a month since the MOT ran out and finally, we're almost there!

 

MOT is 9am tomorrow, which it will fail, but I thought I'd carry out further improvements anyway. So, the distributor set-up was less than ideal.

 

Garden twine sort-of holding the dizzy in place, because one of the screws had sheared off. New cap arrived, so thought I'd try and sort it out.

 

I was hoping the new cap would have screws, as they looked like the captive kind. No such luck. With a bit of screw still imbeded in the in the screw hole, I just ended up with a new dizzy cap (and HT leads while I was at it) still held in place with only one screw. However, upgrading from twine to speaker wire means it's actually a bit more secure now. I think a new dizzy is going to be a better solution.

 

With the car now running very nicely, albeit a little tappety as I set the gaps on the generous side, I decided to drain out the 30w oil I'd sloshed in after the head change. A friend works at Liqui Moly, so in return for telling you lot about it, I got some fancy super-lube oil. Gawd knows whether it makes any difference, but it's oddly grey, feels very slippery and the engine still sounds like an engine.

 

I've run it up to temperature several times now, so did so again. I reckon there's still some air in the system, as the heater goes cool unless you rev the engine. I'm hoping that'll settle out on a run. BXs were often like this too. 

 

But, I shall have my first drive out on the roads tomorrow as I head to the MOT station. There, it will fail on some known things. I'm hoping it doesn't also fail on unknown things, but I guess we'll see. My strategy for dealing with issues is to plead with them to fix it, as I've rather had enough. I'm hoping its first outing will be the Festival of the Unexceptional. I've booked it in already, because POSITIVE ATTITUDE. 

[danthecapriman]

Best of luck on the mot, I'm sure it won't be too bad...

[Cavcraft]

GL M8

[Parky]

Can you persuade the MOT garage that you are a major social media influencer and a large discount on repairs could be beneficial nudge nudge wink wink?

[dollywobbler]

Can you persuade the MOT garage that you are a major social media influencer and a large discount on repairs could be beneficial nudge nudge wink wink?

 

To be fair, they tend to be a bit 'mates rates' with me anyway, though I think that's just because I've become a regular...

[beko1987]

At the very least it'll be a good chance for a legal drive! Can you go the very long way to the station just incase it's the last drive for a while?

[beko1987]

And will there be a video?

[dollywobbler]

Video will be forthcoming. Let's see what it needs.

 

Almost time to go for a drive!

[oldcars]

Good luck. Will pass because vents in rear quarter 

[bramz7]

Good luck with the MOT.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Fingers crossed dude...

 

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

[spartacus]

Any news?

[richardthestag]

that wasnt too bad! are the tyres directional? sounds like a swap side job?

 

CV gaitor is a faff though

[jonathan_dyane]

Not quite a pass but fine result regardless!

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, not bad. Knew it'd fail on something front-end related, so inner track rod ends aren't a biggy. CV gaiter won't take them long to sort with the right kit.

 

Headlamp is annoying. I think it's been replaced, but is missing a mounting nut and won't adjust. Rear wheel bearing replacement also a lot easier for them than me.

 

I reckon another £300 to get it on the road, so could be worse. MOT tester shared my suspicious about the recent string of non-advisory tests, but it does appear to have had rear brake lines and a full exhaust fairly recently, and is very solid underneath.

 

Arriving for test

 

Inspection begins with horrible contrast.

 

Work due to be carried out on Monday, so we should still be good for Festival of the Unexceptional.

 

It drove pretty well down to the test bar the steering. Not exactly rapid, and it also struggled to get up to temperature, despite the new 'stat. My previous Bluebird was exactly the same on this very journey, which is mostly downhill. It must just be how they are.

[Supernaut]

Cracking!

I was honestly quite pessimistic about this, but that's not bad at all.

[dollywobbler]

I'm just going to refuse to add up the bills. Then it'll still feel like a cheap car.

 

Naturally, a Bluebird with 12 months MOT has just appeared slightly south of here for £250. *smacks own face with a frying pan*

[Six-cylinder]

I'm just going to refuse to add up the bills. Then it'll still feel like a cheap car.

 

Naturally, a Bluebird with 12 months MOT has just appeared slightly south of here for £250. *smacks own face with a frying pan*

 

We all know it is better to take on a running car rather than a project car, but we still keep doing it!

[dollywobbler]

And here's the latest video. Had to chop quite a bit out of this one, because I talk too much...

[uk_senator]

£16 for another housing on ebay mate (for a diesel but looks the same), that filler crap never works! Could have drilled the holes & stuck self tappers though temporarily.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thermostat-Cover-Water-Flange-for-Nissan-Sunny-Bluebird-CD17-Diesel-13048-16A00-/142417073030

[dollywobbler]

£16 for another housing on ebay mate (for a diesel but looks the same), that filler crap never works! Could have drilled the holes & stuck self tappers though temporarily.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thermostat-Cover-Water-Flange-for-Nissan-Sunny-Bluebird-CD17-Diesel-13048-16A00-/142417073030

 

That's got an odd angle on it. I will replace it though. Bodge podge is just for speed and convenience. It is holding though. First attempt just hadn't set properly.

[tooSavvy]

In my misspent yoof (see it - live! - on Private Life of the Ford Cortina) I filled the cretina with a tin of MolySlip 'oil additive' every oil change [anyone remember the ad [pre YooToob!!] in PracticalMotorist about the Mk1 Cortina driven around the track with no oil..??]

 

I had occasion to remove the sump after several years of ownership and a huge...greasy...grey...turd was stuck to the bottom of the sump.

There was definitely something... like exhaust putty... in the tin when you bought it as much shaking of tin was recommended before tipping.....

 

No idea if it did the engine any good.... quite pricey for a little tin!

 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12nq1d_private-life-of-the-ford-cortina_shortfilms

 

FF to 10:32 

 

 

TS

[beko1987]

Nice electrolux your good lady was cleaning the footwell with there!

[KruJoe]

[tooSavvy]

Nice electrolux your good lady was cleaning the footwell with there!

She sucked better than the hoover, so I heard... (divorced)

 

Best life changing event evva

 

 

TS

[dollywobbler]

This morning, a few MOT issues were still being addressed - like the front tyres being fitted inside out by a blind man.

 

At least I got to inspect the brakes. They're pretty healthy.

 

A short time later...

 

Then I had to drive a minibus, so it was some hours before this happened!

 

First legal drive. Just like my previous Bluebird, it seems reluctant to hold temperature on the move, and rides in a floaty yet not entirely comfortable manner. I quite like it though. Next item is a coolant change. I'm putting Evans Waterless in, so we'll see how that goes.

[nacho man]

Wont the coolant be worth more than the car?

 

I had a look at that evans stuff when I had a stag but it was a bleeding fortune.

 

Glad its mot'd now, been watching your vids on youtube, usually when I am in the bath on the I pad. 

 

Missus probably thinks I am watching that fitty from countdown in short dresses, but really I am watching a man with a beard fondle a old Nissan. 

 

That's living.