HMC Quattroporte assaulted

[SiC]

13 minutes ago, HMC said:

Any guesses?

It's not but it should be an ADO16!

[somewhatfoolish]

Humber Hawk.

[Six-cylinder]

Jowett Javelin

[Tigerfox]

Citroen Light 15

[somewhatfoolish]

Boringly a Morris 1000?

[HMC]

All good guesses.... in fact none of the above!

[bramz7]

Mid 90s Jeep Cherokee. Pretty sure that was the first monocoque Jeep product. 

(Random stab in the dark as I don't think you've bought something else ancient) 

 

Edit- I wasn't that far off!!

[hairnet]

and you thought the mercs were a problem

 

[wuvvum]

Sounds like I dodged a bullet there!  Nice Freeloader - shame it's not an L-series, but the Reliable BMW Engine isn't bad really.  Bonus is it has a towbar so the next spur-of-the-moment purchase you'll be able to pick up yourself!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Has the rear prop been removed for economy reasons?

[HMC]

So as mentioned on the new24, the allegro VDP has been rehomed with @anonymous user 

I decided to sell either that or the a30 and as the a30 had no brakes and a dead fuel pump and was not in a sellable state, it stayed.

I got to work today finishing off the su fuel pump fitting and also replaced the brake master cylinder. I bled the system on my own using a block of wood to wedge the pedal down as I went.

Went on a test run and the hydro mechanical brakes are better than ever (but still not amazing) and the car starts nicely and pulls surprisingly well (it’s got it original gear box and final drive with a 1098- so quite under geared)

[wuvvum]

I love the spoilers on the passenger wiper blade - obviously an attempt to improve the absolutely hopeless A30 wipers.

[RobT]

Ditto, I was about to post the same.  Wiper Aids.  Never knew they were called that. 

Great that you've got this running again.  Those SU pumps aren't cheap are they.

[LightBulbFun]

yay happy to see its running again  

any plans to move the number plate to bellow/under the front bumper? Routemaster Style  

[Tickman]

I adore your A30 but am sensible enough to not have called dibs when it arrived.

[HMC]

1 hour ago, RobT said:

Ditto, I was about to post the same.  Wiper Aids.  Never knew they were called that. 

Great that you've got this running again.  Those SU pumps aren't cheap are they.

No, they are not! I was hoping the block had the hole for a mechanical fuel pump, unfortunately not. I went  for one specified for a 1098 minor so should we well matched to the fuelling needs of this.

[HMC]

Longbridge 1956/ 1994

[Tickman]

A family sized car and a modern Rover

[anonymous user]

Families tended to be smaller, possibly more children, but in physically smaller frames.

Children can be cruel, I have just remembered the two older ladies in our village, where I grew up, who had their A35 for many years. As children we used to refer to them as the ugly sisters.

They were a bit foreboding, but actually quite decent people once you knew them. (In a sort of Norah Batty way) I think the A35 was eventually replaced by an Allegro until they stopped driving.

[HMC]

3 hours ago, Tickman said:

A family sized car and a modern Rover

It makes the rover (compact by modern standards) look like a limo!

[HMC]

Well the a30 has settled into being a reliable and fun runabout around Tavistock. It has daft gearing as the original gearbox and final drive are mated to a 1.1 a series from a 62 on a40 farina mkII.

Essentially first is unnnecessary which gives me an all synchro 3 speed box for local pottering. Why anyone would find a dual carriageway or motorway fun in one is beyond me but that’s the joy or a few cars- like a set of golf clubs you can choose the right one for each situation.

So I hardly needed another but a little car smiled at me. It’s a top drawer ghia, from the height of Ford wierd wood period. I’ve never really been a big fan of the front end treatment on these to be honest but time seems to have mellowed them and they look a bit less offensive as cars have got more sad/angry  faced in general.
 

It’s the 1.25 which I think is a tremendous little engine. Hardly a ball of fire but feels quicker and more eager than I was expecting. Great fun to Chuck about. 
 

Obviously there has been rust and welded sills,  and by far the worst paint job I’ve seen in a long while on the bonnet. The laquer is shot on the roof and I recon a former keeper felt he/she could improve* the aesthetics of the similarly affected bonnet.    Good for them for having a go! Thankfully their DIY skills extended no further than this. I think it may have the “wrong” wheel trims?

[Marm Toastsmith]

nice...thought for a minute it was this one which has similarly been smiling at me...

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/214493/1999-ford-fiesta-zetec-ticket

[HMC]

That looks like the “Zetec” trim level- confusing as the engine over other trim levels shares that name- I think the “Zetec” got you semi sporty snazzy dials and those little 4 spoke alloys and a small tailgate spoiler. Good old ford with their trim levels.

[bramz7]

The grille on these always fascinated me, why did Ford put clear plastic akin to a headlight on the Ghia's? Is that posher? A grille that looks like a broken headlight? 

 

[wuvvum]

I remember picking up a brochure for these from Earls Court in 1997 and thinking the Ghia looked a rather nice place to be.  The car in the brochure did have a beige interior mind, which always helps. 

[holbeck]

3 hours ago, bramz7 said:

The grille on these always fascinated me, why did Ford put clear plastic akin to a headlight on the Ghia's? Is that posher? A grille that looks like a broken headlight? 

 

@bramz7 ISTR it's a watered down version of what they had planned.  Back in the day working at Ford Engineering I saw a prototype Fiesta that had a glazed front all the way across. ala Citroen SM. 

The Ford engineer I was working with was totally dismissive of it and told the suits that it'd look better when they put the fish in 

 

[bangernomics]

That looks like the “Zetec” trim level- confusing as the engine over other trim levels shares that name- I think the “Zetec” got you semi sporty snazzy dials and those little 4 spoke alloys and a small tailgate spoiler. Good old ford with their trim levels.

That’s the ghia trim just gone baggy. The trims are wrong and rare without the 4 spoke alloys.

[bangernomics]

[mention=20043]bramz7[/mention] ISTR it's a watered down version of what they had planned.  Back in the day working at Ford Engineering I saw a prototype Fiesta that had a glazed front all the way across. ala Citroen SM. 
The Ford engineer I was working with was totally dismissive of it and told the suits that it'd look better when they put the fish in 
 

Yep I heard the same during my ford days, and remember the magazine mockup photos too

[bramz7]

All I can think of is the Mercury Sable. 

That would have looked better. Shame. At least they don't seem to go yellow. 

[sierraman]

We had one in the same colour as that but a 1.25 Zetec. Loved that car, it was absolutely fucked but it kept going with no maintenance. Felt like quite a nippy car as well. Liked it, would have another.