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It's grim up north....tales from the Primate House


NorthernMonkey

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  • 6 months later...

Well, where do we start? Last week was a bit of a shit one so, come Saturday night, the pub beckoned. Idly browsing the forum with a pint, I spotted something which could potentially be useful for a bit and after another couple agreed to buy it.

Fast forward to this morning and a WhatsApp message informing me that aforementioned potentially useful vehicle is now substantially further north and hence far closer to me than it was previously.

Rail ticket purchased, first train missed (different story….basically, I’m a dickhead) and we are now on route across country to collect something which I’ve never owned before and could quite easily end up a family keeper or on a container ship to Africa in the next few months.

Either way, it’ll all be alright in the end.

Hopefully.

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Managed to miss the final connection by 30 seconds…why are the bloody things always on time when you don’t want them to be?

Luckily, the conductor on the next one let me get on with the wrong ticket, even though it was for a different train company, so apart from running 30 minutes behind schedule, it hasn’t cost me anymore.

Hopefully the journey home will be a bit more uneventful.

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Well, this is better than expected…

3A5EB27B-B93B-4431-B545-F9DCE01F2117.jpeg
 

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Comfy velour seats, a huge sunroof, cup holders, cruise control and a decent radio not to mention the general air of something that would pull down an average semi…it’s like a Japanese Range Rover that actually works.

Subject to their being actual metal underneath which at first glance there seems to be, I actually really like the thing, far more than I thought I would.

Verdict…definitely would 🙂

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  • 2 months later...

Fleet update time…

The Shogun disgraced itself by ftp in the other half’s works car park by catching fire and emitting lots of smoke from the fuel pump wiring harness. It was dragged back to work courtesy of the AA, where it’s currently residing in the naughty corner. Oh, and it needs quite a bit of welding too around the front inner wings and crossmember. Joy.

The C70 departed Lancashire to head over the border for a new life in Yorkshire.

The XC90 currently works and is the daily steed of choice for Mrs NM, at least until it’s warm enough to press the Z3 back into service anyway.

The grey X350 V8 does a lovely job of converting unleaded into glorious noise and speed now the suspension is all sorted thanks to various bits donated by the green V6 but to be honest, I’m getting a bit bored of cleaning the cream leather constantly so I’m probably going to get the rear arch painted professionally and look at offering it up as with the mileage and history, it seems to be worth actual money!

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That leaves me without a ‘daily’ of my own so as to speak, so I decided to be sensible and buy something that’s cheap tax and ULEZ zone friendly…the collection thread will commence in the morning but luckily it’s not too far away so no need for ridiculously early starts in the middle of the night. Quite looking forward to it, actually 🙂

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  • NorthernMonkey changed the title to It's grim up north....tales from the Primate House. One out, one in…
  • NorthernMonkey changed the title to It's grim up north....tales from the Primate House. Latest arrival to the menagerie

Ok, collective…thoughts please.

What I thought was paint peel around the edge of the roof on the photos is actually the remains of the old vinyl.

85E65847-EA3C-4CC6-B17D-572314F21EF6.jpeg

Do we cut the bits off and leave the roof body coloured, paint the roof with black raptor type paint, or replace the entire thing with new vinyl?

I like the vinyl roof look on these but I’m concerned it’ll just look too new and wrong with the rest of the paintwork…wonder if you can buy pre-faded vinyl?! 😂

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23 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

Ok, collective…thoughts please.

What I thought was paint peel around the edge of the roof on the photos is actually the remains of the old vinyl.

85E65847-EA3C-4CC6-B17D-572314F21EF6.jpeg

Do we cut the bits off and leave the roof body coloured, paint the roof with black raptor type paint, or replace the entire thing with new vinyl?

I like the vinyl roof look on these but I’m concerned it’ll just look too new and wrong with the rest of the paintwork…wonder if you can buy pre-faded vinyl?! 😂

I'd remove it. You never know what might be hiding underneath.

Ask me how I know😳

Ace purchase by the way, I can haz a jelos

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29 minutes ago, dome said:

I'd remove it. You never know what might be hiding underneath.

Ask me how I know😳

Ace purchase by the way, I can haz a jelos

There’s literally a few little patches left around the edge…that’s all.

There’s a few surface rust spots in the centre of the roof but a good rub down and liberal application of vactan should see that right.

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Just driven this for the first time, from work where @Inspector Morosedropped it this morning, up home.

I bloody love it!! It can normally take a few minutes to get a gap in the traffic leaving my industrial estate. Not tonight…I was let straight out by a young kid in a mildly barried Corsa!!

@HMCwas insistent it would have driven up here under its own steam and I’m inclined to agree with him…it might have taken a while though so it made more sense financially to pay @worldofcerito provide his usual excellent service so I could get on with work around here to pay for it!!

I’ve had plenty of 80s and 90s stuff but this really does put a massive grin on your face whilst pottering along. Looking forward to going out for a play after dinner when the Mrs gets in 🙂

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Really glad you like it, ive always wanted one  and loved driving it too. Difficult to prove but i felt the mileage was genuine as it drove so nicely, and the doors closed really solidly with finger pressure.  I think one family owned it until the last decade and it was on a disabled tax class for most of that time.

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I think it’s almost certainly genuine. Like you say, it’s just ‘aged’ tatty rather than ‘worn out’ tatty.

It’s really hard to know how far to go with it, cosmetically. As it stands, I’m thinking new vinyl for the roof, probably respray the bonnet as there’s currently more metal than paint and just a bit of careful t cut down the flanks whilst leaving the bits where the paint has worn thin or been touched in. May replace the little black bits on the nearside rear arch with red oxide, just for that 80s giffer look.

Oh, and stuck the spare on the boot lid so that’ll cover a few more scratches!!

Already attended to the bit of floor pan welding required by careful application of a structural rubber mat so as not to unduly alarm any passengers…..

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Mechanically, it seems pretty much there. Tickover is a bit low and lumpy with the choke in even when warmed up so there maybe a vac leak somewhere.

Also probably going to fit electronic ignition as I’m wanting a reliable and usable classic rather than an original show queen with polished dome nuts.

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