HMC- Mr Chowdhury’s Mercedes

[hairnet]

too late for that

[Soundwave]

37 minutes ago, hairnet said:

scrolling down i read that as sandpaper ffs

Ah yes, I had a Fiesta Sandpaper once. It was rough.

[sierraman]

On 06/09/2024 at 18:10, wesacosa said:

that's exactly what happened, alongside a few fit and fixture adjustments, body kits, sunroofs, stripes, stereos etc.  Lada place was up in Carnaby near Bridlington. Skoda was in Kings Lynn.. Not sure if Yugo, FSO etc did the same or just had the dealers do it

Yugo were refitted at Filton Aerodrome, presumably brought in at Avonmouth Docks. 

[Lankytim]

If you cut one of the wires on the distributor (I can’t remember which colour) it removes the rev limiter and they go really fast. 

[DVee8]

Martin Riggs: I should have cut the red wire. Roger Murtaugh: You did cut the red wire. Martin Riggs: No, I didn't, I cut the blue wire. Roger Murtaugh: That's what I meant.

[HMC]

The small triumph is great- quite fun to drive and runs like a swiss watch (whatever that means) Do you recognise the location? @grogee

Meanwhile the samara (en route from the mot test) failed on a couple of minor things ill sort this weekend before having the retest slotted in ASAP.

The car spectacularly failed on emissions last time (prior to my ownership) but it was such a bad fail on a low mileage engine i thought that perhaps choke had been out- think it might have been as it passed the emissions component this time with no bother. 

Theres basically some electrical mischief going on with the rear light clusters and the fog lamp tell tale and a set of wiper blades.

[Zelandeth]

37 minutes ago, HMC said:

The small triumph is great- quite fun to drive and runs like a swiss watch (whatever that means) Do you recognise the location? @grogee

Meanwhile the samara (en route from the mot test) failed on a couple of minor things ill sort this weekend before having the retest slotted in ASAP.

The car spectacularly failed on emissions last time (prior to my ownership) but it was such a bad fail on a low mileage engine i thought that perhaps choke had been out- think it might have been as it passed the emissions component this time with no bother. 

Theres basically some electrical mischief going on with the rear light clusters and the fog lamp tell tale and a set of wiper blades.

Tail lights will be the edge connectors oxidising and/or the fingers in the connectors having lost their springiness.  It's a stupid design and was the single most annoying aspect of owning my one.  Clean them up and they'll be fine for a day or two at least.  Indicators that stop flashing when you brake was the usual first sign they were playing up for me.

Okay, second most annoying.  Most annoying was the doors randomly refusing to latch properly if it was far below freezing and randomly popping open while driving.

[grogee]

14 minutes ago, HMC said:

Do you recognise the location? @grogee

Yep. The Pimple, otherwise known as The Nipple. You probably went up Down Road to get there; I once went to see a girl (school art teacher's daughter) who lived there to show off my Acclaim and attempt to woo her. 

It didn't work. 

Nice pic of the Acclaim, glad she's running sweetly. 

The Brown Bonanza looks resplendent, too. 

Is Chung Ying takeaway still good? Used to be excellent but I'm talking 20+ years ago. 

[HMC]

Just now, grogee said:

Yep. The Pimple, otherwise known as The Nipple. You probably went up Down Road to get there; I once went to see a girl (school art teacher's daughter) who lived there to show off my Acclaim and attempt to woo her. 

It didn't work. 

Nice pic of the Acclaim, glad she's running sweetly. 

The Brown Bonanza looks resplendent, too. 

Is Chung Ying takeaway still good? Used to be excellent but I'm talking 20+ years ago. 

Its currently shut (has been for about a year)

[bramz7]

Love the Acclaim. I remember a lot of them looking like that one at the tail end of the 90s, when I was in primary school and loved seeing them (and older cars in general) pootling about. I really was a sick kid. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

2 hours ago, grogee said:

Is Chung Ying takeaway still good? Used to be excellent but I'm talking 20+ years ago. 

We've got a Chung Hing in town. 

[grogee]

1 hour ago, Dick Longbridge said:

We've got a Chung Hing in town. 

I'm still trying to work out if this is a pun or not! 

[adw1977]

On 17/09/2024 at 20:36, RoadworkUK said:

Every time I saw a CD, I'd peer in to see if it had the optional air conditioning. Never found one that did.

You should have been checking the HLS models too, also available with air con.

[brownnova]

5 hours ago, HMC said:

 

The small triumph

 

 the samara 

Not sure which I’m looking forward to you selling more… 

 

[Sham]

7 hours ago, adw1977 said:

You should have been checking the HLS models too, also available with air con.

My HLS had Aircon, that worked. 

I loved that car.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Love the Acclaim. I think it was a BL badge engineering masterstroke to realise that the perfect Triumph was in fact a slightly frumpy (but surprisingly lively) Honda. I always thought it was a shame that they chose the Rover badge for the later collabs as they lost the low-key sporty brand connotations which suited the Acclaim so well.

At the time my primary school headmaster (prick) had one exactly the same as yours, brand new, and he thought he was pretty fancy pants with the CD badge. About ten years later my grandad bought two Acclaims - the first being fabulous but too rusty, the second being very beige but immaculate. He and my grandmother loved them, they were a revelation, despite being considered fairly old at the time.

 

[grogee]

On 20/09/2024 at 06:20, Sham said:

My HLS had Aircon, that worked. 

I loved that car.

Wow! Well jell. Did it slow the car noticeably when switched on? 

[HMC]

Yorkshire autotrader cars under £1000 dealer ads, september 1995….

A reg ACCLAIM E/W  good runner     ………………………………………….…£175

G reg SAMARA 1500cc rad/cass CLEAN…………………………… £895

……….CASH PAID FOR CARS……………

……….REMOULD TYRES AVALIBLE……

……………WARRANTY ECT…………………..

 

[Sham]

2 hours ago, grogee said:

Wow! Well jell. Did it slow the car noticeably when switched on? 

It was a Triomatic, which was essentially a 3 speed and "overdrive" auto, so a 4 speed - and was surprisingly brisk for an 80's 1300. Luxurious for its time too, and very, very comfy for a small car.

I miss it frequently - usually when I get in another, more modern, car that's supposedly comfortable.

[mat777]

Loving the Acclaim! Do you need any floor mats for it by any chance? By a roundabout route I've ended up with a front pair despite never owning one 😅

[HMC]

1 hour ago, mat777 said:

Loving the Acclaim! Do you need any floor mats for it by any chance? By a roundabout route I've ended up with a front pair despite never owning one 😅

Thanks, funnily enough it comes with a set. 

[grogee]

I remember mine well, BL hadn't ironed out all of the Japanese chintz from the interior. 

There's a little flock-lined cubby marked 'COIN' to the right of the steering wheel, and the instruments had a really nasty typeface. 

However the Japanese-ness meant you also got nice features like remote opening boot and fuel flap, and a choke control that didn't disintegrate after 1000 miles like all other BL products. Also the engine started if it was wet and/or cold. 

@HMC the younger me was tempted to aim the headlamp washers sideways to make the car into a mobile water pistol. I never did though. 

[Spottedlaurel]

I liked our Acclaim a lot, we had it from something like 1996-2000. Owned from new by stepdad's father, then we had it to replace the elderly Datsun 1200 used by the future Mrs SL.

 

Took it to France a couple of times:

Depite being fairly low mileage it started getting a bit smoky and oddly the edge of the roof was getting rusty. We sold it cheaply and I think it got banger raced.

This one at Medler's yard intrigued me:

 

Ballade first registered here in 1986. All sorts of subtle differences.

There were loads of Acclaims in the yard in the late '90s. When an HGV hit the back of ours I had no problem going there and finding a decent secondhand bumper (maybe off one of the pair of them in the background).

[HMC]

1 hour ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I liked our Acclaim a lot, we had it from something like 1996-2000. Owned from new by stepdad's father, then we had it to replace the elderly Datsun 1200 used by the future Mrs SL.

 

Took it to France a couple of times:

Depite being fairly low mileage it started getting a bit smoky and oddly the edge of the roof was getting rusty. We sold it cheaply and I think it got banger raced.

This one at Medler's yard intrigued me:

 

Ballade first registered here in 1986. All sorts of subtle differences.

There were loads of Acclaims in the yard in the late '90s. When an HGV hit the back of ours I had no problem going there and finding a decent secondhand bumper (maybe off one of the pair of them in the background).

Brilliant! Love seeing photos from your archive

Meanwhile Mr-H (i usually dislike naming cars but the end of the numberplate is what it is 😂) has been used as a local runabout - its fantastic for that.

It also smokes a little (when hot, on the overrun) and is getting / has got rusty in quite a few places sadly, Although the roof is mint 😂

[Richard_FM]

My  Gran had an Acclaim for many years, which was replaced in 1989 by a Rover 200 in the same shade of metallic blue as Hyacinth Bucket's!

[HMC]

Went to my job 1 day a week at the university- this year im on the plymouth campus. Took the Gfs daughter and a friend to school en route.

The acclaim dropped onto 3 cylinders on the way back. It also got quite hot in traffic, the fan cut in, but it was smoking quite a bit.

Brave soldier needs TLC for sure. It felt like a right banger.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, HMC said:

Went to my job 1 day a week at the university- this year im on the plymouth campus. Took the Gfs daughter and a friend to school en route.

The acclaim dropped onto 3 cylinders on the way back. It also got quite hot in traffic, the fan cut in, but it was smoking quite a bit.

Brave soldier needs TLC for sure. It felt like a right banger.

It still has presence, beside modern shite. Always liked the sharp lines, and the drive.

[lisbon_road]

I remember these well.  They were excellent cars and didn't seem to go especially rusty - unlike the next generation which were spectacular.  Good cars generally, I do wonder if as a 'new initiative' they made a lot of effort with them.

[Hertz]

15 hours ago, HMC said:

Went to my job 1 day a week at the university- this year im on the plymouth campus. Took the Gfs daughter and a friend to school en route.

The acclaim dropped onto 3 cylinders on the way back. It also got quite hot in traffic, the fan cut in, but it was smoking quite a bit.

Brave soldier needs TLC for sure. It felt like a right banger.

"Who have you got for Business Studies?"

"Mr HMC"

"Oooh the one with the shite cars?"

"Yeah that's him"

"He's gone down hill since the Rolls, quite fit though"

 

[grogee]

15 hours ago, HMC said:

Went to my job 1 day a week at the university- this year im on the plymouth campus. Took the Gfs daughter and a friend to school en route.

The acclaim dropped onto 3 cylinders on the way back. It also got quite hot in traffic, the fan cut in, but it was smoking quite a bit.

Brave soldier needs TLC for sure. It felt like a right banger.

IMO the cooling is a bit marginal, I suffered two OMGHGFs with mine. Radiator looks too small to me. Be vigilant with temp gauge. 

I remember many summer trips with the heater on full blast trying to keep the thing away from the red.