Bramz fleet. The ever changing procession of mediocrity. Disaster time....

[Wingz123]

I don't blame him, Audi seats are torture racks. I wonder if Passat SE seats fit, they seem fine.

No they don’t. Distance between the rails is different from memory.

[bramz7]

 

As aluded to elsewhere, I collected this last night.

As my first 21 I was wondering how these compare to 405s, BXs et al and they have that same/similar assured handling through bends and over padded comfy seats which look and feel like you're hovering. Bit bumpy on the rear end though, and boy do these rot. However these older Renaults seem more wear proof inside, all the switch gear works, the fuel gauge works, the locks, windows etc.

 

However it's a bit holey. I had tentatively booked it in for welding but this month has made me brassic, and I really should spend any spare wedge on the Alfa.

I've been attempting to arrange to view the other 21 I've been offered to judge it's under bonnet condition, as the inner wings and suspension turrets need work on the red one, as well as a box section near the front jacking point. It's also the more sprightly 2.0, which supposedly has 130hp...intergalactic mileage aside.

 

The 1.7 in this one is alright. Goes through the gears well and gathers pace eventually.

 

The banger A4 still works, and works fine. Obvs.

[BorniteIdentity]

That 21 looks beautiful.  Getting it welded up shouldn't be too dear, but if you've not got the dollar then maybe park it up until you have.  I doubt you can lose on it.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Well I've canned the CX swap. Just not worth it.

So the Alfa continues to drive pretty well but it's now making a slight creaky noise from the near. All looks okay underneath, so I'm not sure what it is. There is a very distinctive rattle from the rear when it's idling so I suspect something is working itself loose.

Probably should book it in at AlfaAid for an assessment.

don't want to alarm you but I think I remember that either the rear axle or subframe used to rot badly on these. Worth a check

[Wingz123]

If you do end up needing welding and need a top notch tidy welder that is reasonably priced get in touch

[bramz7]

don't want to alarm you but I think I remember that either the rear axle or subframe used to rot badly on these. Worth a check

Yep. I am hopeful its just a bush.

 

In other news, the 21 is already being useful:

[barrett]

Lol! What's that in the background then? Sneaky... is it any good?

[bramz7]

Lol! What's that in the background then? Sneaky... is it any good?

 

When I picked it up it was basically devoid of LHM. So the drive back was crap. And one of the tyres was flat. 

 

Put 2 litres in it today and finally managed to get the tyre to take air. It drives better but it really is ropey and now is not the time for a ropey BX. 

 

Bit sad how much it deteriorated in the time I viewed it and last weekend. Dean is having it though, so it will be saved. 

[bramz7]

Okay. Alfa has been a right prickly pear, so I'm getting rid.

 

I'll post a more detailed advert later but £800 to a shiter, and I'm open to swaps for something FJ will cover.

[Kringle]

Oh dear, don't let a bad day put you off it. They're prima donna's at the best of times and its best chance of a good future is in capable hands like yours.

 

Two randoms please.

[bramz7]

So this happened:

 

20180724_104610 by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

Probably the most impulsive buy I have had in the past few months. It popped up on eBay whilst I was passing on a train home (railway slang for being a passenger whilst still on shift) and it looked honest enough. I sent a reasonably low offer for it and it was accepted. First time I've won a car in that there London for some time too.

 

I didn't start work until 1730 yesterday so got a train in the morning to bring it back. First off, Finsbury Park is a dive, and I had to go into the Andover Estate to get this. It had a horrible aura to it, and the sellers neighbour was telling me of various murders on nearby street corners. Great!

 

The old boy selling it had had it since 1994, and had covered less than 1000 miles since 2014. He had also just lost his wife so I wasn't going to be a dick and pick out the little faults the car had, it drove and stopped and that did it for me. The front windows and sunroof don't work though, and until I remembered about the blower fan, I nearly melted. 

 

It kicked out a ton of smoke on the drive back, almost a dirty protest against leaving London. Happily that's now all gone, so it must have just needed a blat down the motorway to get the cobwebs out. I also had (and hated every second) the insane fear that the cooling fans weren't going to work when stuck in traffic on the North Circular, but happily, they kicked in when needed. 

 

Its got plenty of faults and i suspect someone or someones have attempted to steal it in the past, but the XUD7T (yep, its not a XUD9) has quite a bit of kick to it compared to others I have had, but it's barely run in at 87k.

 

Not sure why I bought it. I really wanted Dave Qs 147 but my insurers played silly buggers with it, whereas putting this on my 'spare' policy cost me a couple of quid. I suspect I'll get it through a test and pass it on end of September when the policy runs out. I have already had a serial Peugeot botherer ask for dibs, but if that falls through, you will see an advert here soon.

 

 

P.S. the early dashboards are a bit more bonkers, albeit much more cheaply made.

 

 

In other fleet news, the Alfa is still at the local garage, not sure whats going on with it. I also haven't heard from the buyer for a while.

The R21 is going on Thursday.

 

The 605 is coming in on Saturday, and it will probably be the longer journey car as the 405 has been used so lightly recently I don't want it to implode with heavy use.

R11 incoming date is August 5th, but if the 164 doesn't go by then it will have to wait.

[bramz7]

For those not in the know, this is the early dashboard:

 

20180723_161815 by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

The old dashboard gives it an incredibly old car feeling vibe. Egg shell quality too.

And here's some hot brown velour action:

 

20180723_161830 by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

The seats feel like they've never been sat in, still firm as anything. Good though, far better than the overly soft leathers my Exec had and the slightly better later GL seats.

 

I've had a peek underneath and the London grime has kept it oddly solid. All the normal 405 bad points (subframe mount points) are literally fine. I think a front strut is a bit loose though as you can feel it when turning, not anything like the old 205 (now Wuvvum) I had.

[Lacquer Peel]

That pre-facelift 405 is sweet. Not that it's an issue for you but some of these were fitted with Bosch pumps, not many. Engine bay shot pls!

[bramz7]

Sadly it's a Lucas.

[Steve79]

Last of the mk1 interiors before they facelifted

[lanciamatt]

Bramz7 you must be on first name terms with your insurance company, do they invite you to there Christmas party. Nice 405 though

[bramz7]

I have made dozens of amendments but they've never once called me and said 'Yo Sam, wtf?' so clearly their online portal doesn't have a flagging system built in.

 

I just drove this back from work and wound it up a little. It shifts well! I think it's probably the healthiest XUD I have ever had. 

 

Also, why on earth do all my XUDs of this age smell the same inside the car? I have had 4-5 Xantas, 405s, 205s, ZXs etc and they all have a sweet smell. Is this normal?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

...., why on earth do all my XUDs of this age smell the same inside the car? I have had 4-5 Xantas, 405s, 205s, ZXs etc and they all have a sweet smell. Is this normal?

It's probably a form of decomposition.

[bramz7]

Put some fresh diesel in it today and there was cobwebs in the filler. Gross.

 

 

Been hit with some heavy bills recently, so the purchase of this one is becoming tougher to justify. Especially with a fully working 605 coming in, which is already going to cost me £200 extra to insure. 

 

I appreciate this place is swamped with roffles/sales at the moment, but if someone wants an old school TD 405 with an iffy strut....its £500. Or swap. And I'll probably sell what you swap.

[holbeck]

How open to an offer are you? 

[bramz7]

Pm'd

[bramz7]

Well the 405 has gone. I actually didn't have time to fully warm to it but it scrubbed up well inside, no more (or far less) cobwebs, and the topped up coolant with some fresh stuff helped it out too. 

 

Anyway, drove it down to Holbeck today (good to meet you) as I had already arranged to go down that way to get this:

 

20180728_164938 by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

20180728_164924 by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

20180728_164952 by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

And it came with a sizeable history file. And just under half a tank of diesel, which was more than enough for the drive home. There is some issues, as it's an old car. The handbrake is doing a Peugeot and doing nothing, the mid section of the exhaust is rattling, and the starter motor is sloooow and lazy, so I bet it needs replacing. Otherwise, it drives fine. No wheel wobble, it tracks spot on, the engine pulls well and it slows decently enough. All the toys work too.

The XUD11T is fine in it with a manual box attached, it's far quicker than the automatic I had. 

 

I keep forgetting I own that Alfa still, the V5 arrived today and I had no idea what it was for until I looked at it. Radio silence from the garage it's at too, but I trust them. 

 

R11 collection coming up soon. Woo.

[holbeck]

 

Didn't want to post this earlier so as not to steal your thunder!

[Kringle]

That's a fine looking steed, pleased for you Bramz, and extra pleased to see it in the AS fleet.

[RobT]

That interior and dashboard in particular are a sight to behold.

[ProgRocker]

I can't keep up with this... So you have 2 605s now and an R11 to join shortly?

[bramz7]

No just the one 605. The T reg Automatic is with another forum member, but he's yet to post about it. I do believe it's working well though.

I have an R11 to collect in 7 days. This is assuming the Alfa doesn't become an even bigger spanner in the works than it already is. 

[Lacquer Peel]

The 605 is bonny. We have virtually the same taste in cars but I'm too feart to buy 25 year old executive saloons.

[bramz7]

Bosch pump too!

 

It definitely needs a new starter though. Its really cranking lazily. Don't suppose anyone here has one? Despite the insane difficulty to source parts for, there is a few on ebay but obviously I trust people here more...

[Jim Bell]

Have you checked the battery voltage man?