The new news 24 thread

[Kiltox]

Might need to roffle the Colt to pay for impending van doom - not sure if there's enough interest in it so soon after the last sale though!

[richardmorris]

Just speaking to my (step) grandfather on the phone. He's found a box of paper gaskets dating from before he married my grandmother in 1976. He also has no idea what they're for, although he was interested in bikes in the 1950s and had a few ford v8s (back in the day!). How do I go about identifying them and is anyone interested in them? Photos after the weekend.

[rml2345]

 

Had the Xantia up today to lubricate the rear height adjusting bits which are unsurprisingly covered in old crud, so will need a proper clean before the winter.

Having replaced the LHM flush in the system with lovely clean stuff it's also started keeping the EML on for 10 seconds after start up.

Bloody thing.

[egg]

I was online this morning looking at Ford parts, seems like that's my hobby now (what a sad fecker), and one of the Ford dealers (Rates) suddenly reduced all their prices by almost half - I nabbed a couple of filters at good money for OEM Ford, but then an hour later order was restored and prices went back to normal.

 

I'm a bit pissed as could have got track rod ends for £15 instead of £30! Bit odd. Anyone else seen something like that?

[Bobthebeard]

Spent a week at our static caravan in Scotland, and having time on my hands started to do the cambelt(s) change on the MG ZT KV6. Got as far as needing to remove the crankshaft pulley with the car on axle stands and RHS engine mounting removed. Engine supported on trolley jack etc. As per the Haynes book of vagueness. Thing is, the engine now wobbles about and the crank pulley bolt is as tight as F. With no access to an air impact wrench ( because caravan site) how can I undo the bolt? Locking the engine somehow would help.. But how? Please... Haynes book is "not much help"

[Ghosty]

£1200 insurance quote for a P6 2000SC.

 

Oh.

[beko1987]

20160920_173304.jpg

 

Had the Xantia up today to lubricate the rear height adjusting bits which are unsurprisingly covered in old crud, so will need a proper clean before the winter.

Having replaced the LHM flush in the system with lovely clean stuff it's also started keeping the EML on for 10 seconds after start up.

Bloody thing.

My job hopefully this weekend is to fully strip my rear one down, and reposition the rod properly. at present, if I leave it in normal the arse sinks down, which it never used to do so I'm hoping it's just pushing ever so slightly on the bracket and letting the pressure out. It's fun to be underneath and manipulate the car up and down though isn't it!

[DodgeRover]

Spent a week at our static caravan in Scotland, and having time on my hands started to do the cambelt(s) change on the MG ZT KV6. Got as far as needing to remove the crankshaft pulley with the car on axle stands and RHS engine mounting removed. Engine supported on trolley jack etc. As per the Haynes book of vagueness. Thing is, the engine now wobbles about and the crank pulley bolt is as tight as F. With no access to an air impact wrench ( because caravan site) how can I undo the bolt? Locking the engine somehow would help.. But how? Please... Haynes book is "not much help"

Socket and bar on bolt, wedge bar against something immobile, flick key to start position, job done.

[richardmorris]

That carmargue used to live in Glasgow. I often used to see it biffing around here.

Just the thing for popping to the shops. Last time I saw one was in the car park at waitrose in Sunningdale. I parked the 2cv next to it. From the sublime to the ridiculous- and I'm not sure which is which!

 

I love the idea of the camargue, but they're just not quite right in their proportions. The fiat 130 is more elegant - but allegedly the same design brief.

 

Also Bernard manning had one- reg. 1LAF

[Bobthebeard]

Socket and bar on bolt, wedge bar against something immobile, flick key to start position, job done.

Will give it a try..... Thanks. Will the fact that the engine mount is removed and engine is loose and on a jack be a problem?

[DodgeRover]

Erm you'll have to make the judgement call on that, as long as the engine can't rotate and fall out it should be ok, you literally do just flick the key and turn it straight off so the starter just starts to turn the engine.

[drum]

When one only has two barns full of shite, a third barn is a priority. Went to scope one out this afternoon on a local estate with the estate owner and found something already in there.

[omegod]

My word that's gorgeous, frankly i'd have had an accident being confronted by that. What's the story ?? 

 

 

Fuck me only 44k miles !!!!

 

Fuck me again only 4k in the last ten years !!!!!!

[drum]

The owner is known to me and I was surprised to find he has this stashed away. Tam on here probably knows the story as he is a Rover botherer of grand wizard status.

 

Last mot was 2014 so not even a proper barn find. Is lovely though and in size 2.6.

[Ghosty]

It seems the difference in insurance between smaller cars and early '90s executive saloons is £200. 

 

I'm now looking at 2.0 Granada Scorpios etc with interest...

[r.welfare]

When do you expect to be in a position to buy something?

[Ghosty]

It should be imminent, but unfortunately I'm waiting on bureaucracy. Depends if I turn out to be full or part time at uni (decision has been made but not relayed to me)- if it's part time I'll have to change priorities and find work first. I need to know bloody soon as I'm supposed to be starting next week.

[r.welfare]

It's not just Eddie Honda that feels old tonight. I'm sure when I went to University (two decades ago) it was full time and didn't change partway through.

 

Anyway, I'm enjoying your listing of random motors and insurance prices, it's like an alternative NASDAQ

[Ghosty]

Exceptional factors at play is why (got diagnosed Asperger's/mildly autistic 11 months ago). Wasn't the easiest of years and I'm not sure if I'm resitting a module or getting a default passing grade on it. I'm just happy to have got this far! 

[wuvvum]

You should've done what I did - get knocked off your motorbike by a builder's van 3 weeks before the end of the academic year and be in hospital over the exam period.  They just passed me on everything.

 

Actually, scratch that - it f***ed me up right royally, I still get pains in my joints when it's damp and I still have no grip in my left thumb 18 years later.  I reckon a lot of my back problems can be traced back to that too.

 

 

Anyway.  The Rover of Doom failed its MOT today.  It needs a brake pipe, the rear silencer is blowing (split along the seam so might be awkward to patch up), and the offside rear brake is binding - it appears that it's the handbrake that is sticking on, and it's the mechanism inside the drum which is at fault as twatting the drum with a mallet frees it straight off.  I might have to whip the drum off to investigate. 

 

I took the back wheel off to investigate the brake pipe, and both the offside rear pipes looked a bit rusty - the main one to the flexi and the little short one from the flexi to the drum.  I toddled back up to the MOT place to ask them which one was the failure, and of course they said the main one - which surprised me as the little one actually looked worse (and annoyed me as I found a copper pipe already made up and exactly the same length as the little pipe - in fact I might replace it anyway as it's going to need doing sooner or later.

 

It's only the last three inches or so of the main pipe that need replacing, but I'm not sure how much success a normal DIY brake pipe kit would have in flaring a steel pipe - especially whilst it's on the car.  As luck would have it - and for reasons unknown - the pipe that runs to the offside rear has a join about 1/3 of the way down the car (all the other pipes are direct from brake to master cylinder), so worst case scenario I only need a pipe about 5' long - although the original goes over the fuel tank, and I'm not sure I can be arsed to drop the tank so I might have to find a different route for it.  I'm going to have a bash at bandaging / Gun Gumming the silencer, but if that fails a new one is 35 quid including delivery, so not too bad really.

[trigger]

Is it possible to request more Friday night gatherings? Working on London and living in St Neots doesn't make Ipswich very easy midweek!

 

I imagine the whole club doesn't revolve around my suggestions... Just a thought!

It's difficult to please everyone sadly but keep Saturday 22nd October free, we are having a all day meet at Shotley, starting from 10am till the afternoon. Hopefully that might be enough to get a few more people to come down.

 

Not my photo sadly SL but here's the Manta.

 

[vulgalour]

Since Scary's visit when he sorted the Princess out and I've been able to drive it around I've noticed that the car has gone from 'marking its territory' to 'incontinent'.  At the same time, the clutch has started slipping and being horrendously noisy.  Could a failed crankshaft seal cause this?  There's quite a bit of oil coming out from the bottom of the bellhousing and I'm wondering if the clutch plate is oil contaminated.  Pretty sure I've got a new seal to go in which I bought when I got the new clutch kit, I'm just after a second opinion first.  It's actually embarrassing how much oil is being left on the floor whenever the Princess is parked up after being moved now.

[catsinthewelder]

Is the clutch on these hydraulic or cable?

[dollywobbler]

Yes. Crank seal could definitely cause slip by contamination.

[egg]

bit of a result on car insurance for the Fusion today, Direct Line came in at £176 (inc. protected NCB but no breakdown or legal) which is pretty good as they include business cover as standard. They also don't charge an admin fee for in year changes to policy, which is good.

 

Interestingly they don't seem to ask the std questions about where the car is stored (road, garage etc)

[jon928se]

Erm you'll have to make the judgement call on that, as long as the engine can't rotate and fall out it should be ok, you literally do just flick the key and turn it straight off so the starter just starts to turn the engine.

 

Also try and secure the socket and bar or ring spanner at both ends so it can't fly off when it all goes horribly wrong Tie it to the axle stand or something. Doing this many years ago socket and bar flew off cunningly avoiding the gap between bonnet and front wing but broke next door but ones neighbours car headlight and narrowly missed mates head in the process.

[vulgalour]

cats: I'm going to say hydraulic because I remember having to bleed the red one to make its clutch work but I don't remember having to sort out a clutch cable.

[wuvvum]

The Spacy passed its MOT first time this morning.  The Rover of Doom, however, is continuing to resist my attempts to return it to the road.  I thought I'd whip the brake drum off to have a look and see if I could see exactly what was sticking.  One of the retaning screws came out with little difficulty, but the other wouldn't budge, and I eventually ended up gouging it out (it's Philips and brass so not the strongest thing).  I'm going to run it up to a mate's with a better selection of screwdrivers than mine to see if he can do owt with it - otherwise it's going to have to be drilled out, which is less than ideal as it'll mean the drum is only held on by one screw (and the wheel studs, obvs).  I'm honestly finding it easier and easier to see the attraction of a new car on a PCP.  In fact it's my birthday tomorrow so I might treat myself to a trip to the Suzuki dealer and have a snuffle round a Celerio, see if I could live with one as a daily.

[oldcars]

When one only has two barns full of shite, a third barn is a priority. Went to scope one out this afternoon on a local estate with the estate owner and found something already in there.DSC_0763.JPG

DSC_0764.JPG

 Now that's a sight you don't see often, a clean wheelbarrow in a barn 

[vulgalour]

fun fact:  If you put 'celeriac car' into Google to try and find an amusing picture to ask why someone (Wuvvum) is considering buying a vegetable to drive around in, Google automatically corrects it to 'celerio car'.  I could find no examples of cars made from celeriac, sadly.