HMC- Return of the Cheeky 500

[HMC]

Arches great, sills good, rear sill/ inner arch bit crusty Where they join and a couple of its on the floor. I’ve had a w210 that was worse. (Is that not saying much?)

Verdict- quite well preserved. Looks like Maybe a Faded communist version of a dinitrol sticker on a door glass which may have helped matters. I was hoping for some comedy eastern block tyre names but they all look fair recent and bought from a uk supplier.

[dave j]

9 hours ago, HMC said:

Because corona tier changes The delivery guy rang up about tomorrow’s proposed delivery. I said I was happy to leave things for the mo - and let it happen sometime in January or whenever. Instead he announced he was making a dash for it this afternoon/ tonight. Dash being a relative term.......
 

So it’s here. And was delivered in style.....

That photo could have been taken anytime in the last 30 years! What time did it arrive? 

[HMC]

Well most items that the driver uses in the taxi are worn smooth. The ignition switch was so worn there was no real demarcation from all accessories on (including glow plugs) and the starter engaging. I got a second hand replacement .....

but the funny little box of electrics (something to do with the immobiliser?) had a different connection on my car and wouldn’t plug in. I then switched over the old one and the starter wouldn’t engage. So I switched it back thinking there may be a chip in the key like on fiats - and so tried with the old  key stuck beside the little box of electrics. That didn’t work. I’d hacked up the old ignition lock (because of the tamper proof rivets) to get it off so had to cannibalise the old lock, old electrics, and new electrical connections to the loom in the hope the fault lay with the main wiring loom to the ignition lock. 
 

After all that I was simply glad to have the car starting  again. But the issue remains that the taxi immediately starts when you turn all the accessories on- meaning the glow plugs barely have time to get going before the starter engages. So I’m no better off. It’s dependable but frustrating that it does it especially if it’s a cold start. Maybe it’s how these are?

So in summary it’s the old lock, old black box but the electrical switch and loom to the main loom is the replacement one (I was hoping the fault may have been with that) but it’s doing what it’s always done. Grrr.

[HMC]

 Cars of the people:

The VAZ is currently beached at work out of fuel and electricity before I decide a plan of action on bringing it back to the road. This morning it’s got a local garage’s courtesy  car for company as someone’s having work done on their usual transport. 

 

Driver of the starlet thought the lada was “cute” which is probably not how it’s soviet paymasters thought things would pan out.

[Rocket88]

Wonder if you can retro fit the good Fiat bits [rear springs and steering arrangement] to these.......

[Rocket88]

On the subject of the taxi.is it a TX2 with the original Duratorq, or has it been retro fitted with a Nissan lump [quite a few were]

[HMC]

1 hour ago, colc said:

On the subject of the taxi.is it a TX2 with the original Duratorq, or has it been retro fitted with a Nissan lump [quite a few were]

This one still has the duratorq and it’s service history scrawled in the engine bay 

 

[HMC]

As an update to the key/ immobiliser thing  I figured out there was a little coded chip in the key.

 

So I swapped the chips over to allow me the new lock but old immobiliser, as the new immobiliser had different wiring connections and wouldn’t fit the plug in the existing loom.

And it’s sorted but also more broken. I’ve got a working steering lock (good) but the car still churns the starter in position 3 rather than the spring loaded twist further (no better) Hence I suspect the wiring has been fiddled with elsewhere .
 

Also now none of the clocks work (worse) although all the dash warning light etc still do. I’ve been back and double checked no pulled out plugs. Maybe I’ve disturbed a bad connection somewhere?

So I’ve made the taxi more broken.  Thank god it’s just a hobby.

[xtriple]

I've always thought writing the history under the bonnet to be a great idea, can't lose it then can you?  

[beko1987]

37 minutes ago, xtriple said:

I've always thought writing the history under the bonnet to be a great idea, can't lose it then can you?  

One of the best cars I've bought was a zx with all the service history in dymo labels under the hood! Oil filter, cambelt, coolant, oil, spark plugs, all over the place with dates! 

I tend to use my threads on here, it'll either get sold into the fold or scrapped afterwards so I've never bothered to do it properly! 

[HMC]

I’ve sort of got a work around for the starting/ glow plug thing. If I turn the ignition on with it in R, the inhibitor doesn’t allow the starter to engage but does allow the glow plugs to cycle. When the glow plug light goes out if I put the selector into P the starter then engages.
 

Not exactly a fix but a work around at least on cold starts.

[SiC]

I presume it's the same with it in Drive too? Most cars allow starting in neutral too. 

Such quirks I would imagine are usual for a vehicle used by "professionals" and those that get familiar with a machine they use constantly daily. 

[HMC]

Final bit of tinkering for the year was to replace the instrument cluster. It never worked (ie no instruments operational) when cold and used to gradually wake up intermittently when warm, with the odometer showing only very occasionally. 15 years of use and abuse/ being hurled over speed humps 24/7 I guess. I’m certain people who are cleverer than I would do something something multimeter something something dry joint but I’m a bit clueless about all that. A good known secondhand replacement was cheap and has sorted it. Although it’s displaying a different mileage. Meh. I’ve recorded the changeover miles anyway (cos of lim mile policy)

 

[HMC]

We went out for a walk yesterday on Dartmoor but the car park was very very slidey. Dreadful rock hard Taxi tyres and fear of pranging someone else’s car (I hate paperwork) meant we left it there and walked back home.  
 

 

They’re still of the age where a zoom liveried old taxi isn’t an embarrassment innit. I cycled back up today to collect and all the compacted snow and ice had melted. Also as far as I can tell nobody slid into it whilst it was parked. 15 years of London means it’s got a few battle scars- so hard to tell.

I also replaced a fuse which restored the central locking and fiddled with a relay so the wipers now always stop when you turn them off. Previously I kept a piece of garden cane in the cab to reach over and prod the fuse box with.

[Zelandeth]

Given the standards of driving I keep seeing round here I really do find something like this appealing for general day to day use.

Especially at the prices these seem to fetch just now!

[Kringle]

What news of the Alfa chief is it still serving you well?

[HMC]

1 hour ago, Kringle said:

What news of the Alfa chief is it still serving you well?

I did a deal with the ford crown vic seller and he took it in px basically. From 2.0 to 5.0 for the same power output.

[HMC]

@worldofceri has just passed by and ceremonially relieved the works car park of an eastern bloc shaped piece of goodness.....

[HMC]

So it turns out my steady and sensible Volvo S60 was a little bit too sensible, resulting in a swappage happening with a fellow shiter.........

[dome]

8 minutes ago, HMC said:

So it turns out my steady and sensible Volvo S60 was a little bit too sensible, resulting in a swappage happening with a fellow shiter.........

My old one? Good to see it still on here!

[HMC]

4 minutes ago, dome said:

My old one? Good to see it still on here!

Yes...

 

[HMC]

Plus let’s not forget the motah 

[HMC]

Edinburgh registered FTW
 

 

[Supernaut]

That's the second straight 6 RWD automatic car you've sourced from a Scotch shiter!

[wuvvum]

Must be one of the last XJ6s that.

[Split_Pin]

Nice!

My parents neighbour across the road got her miniMetro from Appleyard in the 1980s. Quite a few cars round where I lived in Linlithgow came from there at that time.

Enjoy it!

[TrabbieRonnie]

Really lovely looking thing that, love to see a proper colour on a car... well done.

[Marm Toastsmith]

glad the big cat's stayed in the county, it's an itch I really need to scratch...

[HMC]

Fleet news.

@worldofceri collected the London taxi this morning off to its next shiter owner. The Jag went to a supermarket, where it was crapped on by a seagul.

Apparently Bill Lyons often used to insist on viewing a styling exercise away from the factory, in the grounds of his house (wappenbury hall IIRC) to test it out in natural light.

I recon the bird crap test is also valid. If a car still looks good with bird shit on the bonnet then the stylist done good.

[HMC]

I have done a buyage; similar to the jag in that it has a swept volume of 3.2 litres and is a straight 6. Not a jag. Any guesses?