The new news 24 thread

[Ghosty]

Whenver I see someone towing/trailering/whatever a car behind a motorhome, it's always a Smart...

[17-Coffees]

Spent the weekend up at Shieldaig (Applecross) for camping and a spot of driving with the parents.

 

The Parents had been there since Friday, with me joining on Saturday. Fantastic other than the fact I'm sure my arm has stuff written in braille thanks to the bloody midges as per normal, but was't enough to dampen the spirit, a few beers did help to stop the feeling as well. 

 

 

 

Some of you may have seen this car before, because it is Supernaut's old 'Stupidly Ultra green' A4, which is currently owned by my dad! (And completely by chance!). Great car for the road he says!

 

Typical Stock photo from top of Applecross pass...

 

The laugh of it is, I was there roughly a year ago in the Lexus, and also with the A4 as well.

For the size of the car, handles it all no problem despit the car being as wide as the road in most places...

[M'coli]

Spent the weekend up at Shieldaig (Applecross) for camping and a spot of driving with the parents.

 

The Parents had been there since Friday, with me joining on Saturday. Fantastic other than the fact I'm sure my arm has stuff written in braille thanks to the bloody midges as per normal, but was't enough to dampen the spirit, a few beers did help to stop the feeling as well. 

 

 

 

Some of you may have seen this car before, because it is Supernaut's old 'Stupidly Ultra green' A4, which is currently owned by my dad! (And completely by chance!). Great car for the road he says!

 

Typical Stock photo from top of Applecross pass...

 

The laugh of it is, I was there roughly a year ago in the Lexus, and also with the A4 as well.

For the size of the car, handles it all no problem despit the car being as wide as the road in most places...

How are you finding the driving manners of the NC500 followers?

[17-Coffees]

Thankfully, it just seemed to be mostly the 'normal' groups I cam across, Tourist's and locals, as well as bikers & cyclists so could't say. Did See an Aston V12 Vantage & DBS in the morning when packing the tent up, and in Locharron had a group of new 911's & Boxtsers, all German registered go by, as well as a small group of TVR S-series as well. 

But all acted with the same respect as everyone else.

 

Been worried that there would be an influx of Barrys and such would descend up there thanks to everyone now going raving about the road, but alot seem to be put off by the fact premium fuel is next to non-existent up there and they can't be bothered with the distance. Meaning It still seems to be the respectable groups going up who don't act like wannabe Evo test Drivers. 

[cros]

Just come back from the local scrapper, where there was the dismal sight of an immaculate RX8 on the lift having its fluids removed prior to being fondled by the grab. 71,000 miles from new, needed new seals but at over 2 grand no guarantee that they would fix it.

I was informed that you can get a kit to substitute a V8 but the despondent owner tried one and it said that the lump wrecks the balance of the car. As I write this the claws will be squeezing through the side windows and it will soon be swinging airborne on its way to having its balance tested, on the roof of another car.

[Rocket88]

Just because you can doesnt mean you should.

 

Towing that with a Fiat Panda is going to be alarming at best and lethal at worst.

 

Ok, its technically within the weight limit of the car, but the relative mass and surface area to catch the wind will mean the van will be pulling the car all over the road.

Fit a good stabiliser bar, you'll be fine. Towed bigger than that with a '56 Ford Pop [admittedly fitted withe a 455 big block Buick lump............]

[Kiltox]

Just come back from the local scrapper, where there was the dismal sight of an immaculate RX8 on the lift having its fluids removed prior to being fondled by the grab. 71,000 miles from new, needed new seals but at over 2 grand no guarantee that they would fix it.

I was informed that you can get a kit to substitute a V8 but the despondent owner tried one and it said that the lump wrecks the balance of the car. As I write this the claws will be squeezing through the side windows and it will soon be swinging airborne on its way to having its balance tested, on the roof of another car.

 

It's a shame they're fucking worthless even working else there would be a very good earner in buying them up at scrap money and learning how to rebuild them properly

[fatharris]

My last week of work has begun at the department I work in, I've been there for three years and the difference is chalk and cheese, a workforce of a couple of hundred is now into single figures as the department prepares to close down. Fortunately, I've been selected for promotion, which means my next department has changed from an utterly miserable unit to a place I've never worked in.

To top it off, the help to buy scheme run by work have finally approved my application after four solid weeks of dicking me about and throwing the whole house deal into jeopardy. So fingers crossed, by the summer holidays, we'll be in a home with a decent driveway and a garage I can work in!

[BorniteIdentity]

Swapped incorrect gear knobout of Sierra today.

 

 

Can't get the knob to stay with gaiter. Is this also incorrect or do I need another part or what ?!

[stephen01]

The other thing with caravan ownership is that you may end up driving a bigger more expensive to run car all year just to pull the caravan twice a year

 

yep, we had our Honda for our caravan, no caravan for 18 months now but the Honda is a good steed so it stays

[scaryoldcortina]

Swapped incorrect gear knobout of Sierra today.

 

IMG_20160620_153317.jpg

 

Can't get the knob to stay with gaiter. Is this also incorrect or do I need another part or what ?!

There is supposed to be a little top hat shaped grommet at the top of the gaiter to hold it neatly, it looks like someone removed it when they fitted the focus (i think) one which has a longer tail.

[BorniteIdentity]

There is supposed to be a little top hat shaped grommet at the top of the gaiter to hold it neatly, it looks like someone removed it when they fitted the focus (i think) one which has a longer tail.

Fucksticks.

 

I've asked the guy who sold me.thr knob to see if he has the gaiter. Failing that it'll be some glue.

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[fordperv]

Swapped incorrect gear knobout of Sierra today.

 

IMG_20160620_153317.jpg

 

Can't get the knob to stay with gaiter. Is this also incorrect or do I need another part or what ?!

Looks to me like someone has made the hole in the top of the gaiter bigger, it's supposed to be tight on the gearstick

 

Here's one that's off a car I've just took a picture of

 

[BorniteIdentity]

Bum.  And double bum.

 

I shall have to come up with a fudge, unless I can get hold of a nice replacement gaiter somewhere.

[MarvinsMom]

gaffie tape around the shaft of the gear stick, and then ease the gater thing up over it.

 

it not a pretty fix, but it is a hidden bodge.

[cort16]

gaffa tape

[BorniteIdentity]

Brilliant. Thanks guys.

[twosmoke300]

With the rx8's , if someone made an off the shelf kit to fit something more mainstream rather than v8's and Saab turbos they would fly off the shelf .

What about an mx5 motor ? Or mondeo /6 2.0 ?

Loads about and cheap to buy . Would save these nice handling and looking cars from the scrappy because " dropping a v8 in " is bound to be a twat of a job in reality .

[richardmorris]

Bum.  And double bum.

 

I shall have to come up with a fudge, unless I can get hold of a nice replacement gaiter somewhere.

Could a cable-tie around the stick help keep the gaitor up?

[stuboy]

Gf is need of a new car...well her brother does so we went to look at this 2 owner 1.8 tdci focus saloon... got 50 notes off and collecting saturday..

[andy18s]

The rally boys are starting to use the Rx8 gearbox as it's a nicely packaged unit,and with there being so many donor cars they're dirt cheap

Various bellhousing adapter plates being sold now

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/rx8-conversion-plate-to-fit-zetec-rwd/182166511302?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3D168f0cd17c5b4fefb90e3218dcc900bc%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dlo%26sd%3D291789775170

[Ghosty]

With the rx8's , if someone made an off the shelf kit to fit something more mainstream rather than v8's and Saab turbos they would fly off the shelf .

What about an mx5 motor ? Or mondeo /6 2.0 ?

Loads about and cheap to buy . Would save these nice handling and looking cars from the scrappy because " dropping a v8 in " is bound to be a twat of a job in reality .

 

How about an Essex? hahaha.

 

In all seriousness though, I've heard 2 litre VTEC swaps (Civic Type R, S2000) are possible.

[HH-R]

Is the wankel now dead?

 

Shame they're getting scrapped as they're a modern that's remotely interesting, they're pretty shite though.

[wuvvum]

The shonky Alfa 156 I bought on Saturday morning has been pressed into daily duty for a while.  Annoyingly, although it's an absolute heap with over 200K on the clock, it actually drives better than the Saab.  It's the older 8 valve version of the 1.9 JTD engine - while it doesn't quite have the ultimate grunt of the Saab (although it's not far off), the power band is wider and it actually feels more responsive.  Seems better on juice too - the computer (which admittedly is Italian) reckoned I'd done 59mpg on the run to work and back today - I struggle to do 50 in the Saab.

 

Expenditure so far has been £3.99 on a stick-on interior mirror (the original one has broken and, whilst it came with the car, it's a bit big and heavy for me to be confident gluing it back on), and £2.99 for a can of tyre foam to cure a slowly deflating nearside front tyre.  Plus a packet of dashboard wipes and a bottle of upholstery cleaner - the previous owner was a builder who'd used it as his work car for the last nine years, so you can imagine what sort of state the interior was in.  It's still far from perfect, but I now no longer worry about sitting in it in my office attire.  Only other thing it needs in the immediate future is a rear wiper blade, which annoyingly is one of those car-specific ones so I can't just buy a £2 Wilko blade.

 

I'm quite pleased with it - it's quick, economical, comfortable, handles nicely and has working aircon and stereo, which is all a man needs really.  Only drawbacks over the Saab are it doesn't have cruise control (useful for the average speed cameras on the way to work) and the turning circle is shit.  ABS and ASC lights are on (but I won't start worrying about them until nearer to MOT time) and the centering spring for the gear lever has gone so it has to be moved manually across the gate (which I soon got used to), but other than that all seems OK.  Whilst it wasn't quite as bargainous as theshadow's Fiesta, I reckon it was well worth 100 quid.

 

With the Kings Lynn auction and Alfa fettling, I didn't get to do much else over the weekend, other than finding yet more rust in the Volvo.

[dollywobbler]

Not had much to do with these car-specific blades, but can you not still just replace the flexible bit with a refill? There must be an Autoshite solution.

[Kiltox]

Try eBay for car specific blades - ones for my Scenic are about £12 there versus £42,000

[hairnet]

did that with the panda as it had one of those

 

just ripped a standard one to bits and slid the rubber and the chrome bits in to keep it flat

 

jobbed for 3 quid vs omg how much from fiat and a trip into manc (fook dat)

[wuvvum]

The blade that's on the car at the moment is quite comprehensively broken, so unfortunately a refill isn't an option.  Found a complete blade on the Bay for a fiver though, so not the end of the world.

[vulgalour]

This weekend has been quite a pleasant one for me, an opportunity to recharge and spend some time with perhaps my longest standing friend.  One big reason for going was so we could enjoy the Bourne classic car and bike festival (I utterly failed to find where the bikes were displayed) and I managed to be the furthest driven car, my nearest competitor having come from Birstall.  No trophy, just a nice sense of smugness really.

 

Amazingly, there was another R8 there.

 

People were taking an interest in my R8 and even passed compliments, which was a very strange sensation.  At one point I opened the bonnet so people could marvel at the 1.4 K series splendour, none of which I'd bothered to clean or prep.

 

The annoying bit, however, was that they'd issued me with the WRONG ticket.

 

 

Still, it was a cracking show.  There was even a Kia Pride on display a couple of cars away from me which had been lavished with far more love and polish than my old heap.  Oh, and someone tried to sell me a low mileage R8 cabriolet too, so it looks like that's starting to happen.

 

Before I forget, I met someone ELSE that knows Mr Seabrook.  I forget the chap's name but he was there with his unbelievably clean MG Metro and a Triumph Herald.  Cars really are a small world.

[Jazoli]

Some interesting cars at work today