The new news 24 thread

[stillOrange]

I'm on a weekend away in Wirral....

I like some residents around here.

 

[egg]

Bought some new wiper arms for my Favorit, not thinking, and they are for a LHD model. Only solution I can think of is to buy a LHD Favorit.

[stuboy]

Decided the missus car was just not female enough so added a sunstrip and some vinyl on door bump strips..

[richardmorris]

Brooklands.

Failed to meet mr meshking and I forgot the phone so couldn't ring!

Oh well. Left in the lull of the hill climbing and sneaked out the back way.

Lots of lovely things as well as modern flash stuff driven by people with no taste.

[richardmorris]

This was for sale at £5500.

[fordperv]

Decided the missus car was just not female enough so added a sunstrip and some vinyl on door bump strips..

Where's the pink ford badges?

[Six-cylinder]

This was for sale at £5500.

I keep looking at this!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALFA-ROMEO-164-i-3-0-v6-12v-Black-1991-/132169533634?hash=item1ec5eb08c2:g:9bsAAOSw53NY~ibK

[HMC]

^ yes is the answer!

[HMC]

Meanwhile beer in the garden looking out over a Rover....

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Soz Stuboy, I've got no alternative but to submit a formal complaint about the Focus, it's atrocious

[egg]

Master brew HMC?

[Guest Hooli]

Meanwhile beer in the garden looking out over a Rover....IMG_0820.JPG

 

Bishop's finger?

[HMC]

Hooli is right, bishops finger!

[Guest Hooli]

My time as a choir boy wasn't wasted....

 

 

T'is a nice brew that.

[richardmorris]

I keep looking at this!http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALFA-ROMEO-164-i-3-0-v6-12v-Black-1991-/132169533634?hash=item1ec5eb08c2:g:9bsAAOSw53NY~ibK

Stop looking and start buying! The red one looked very good, but quite high miles I seem remember.

[richardmorris]

More Italian automobili.

[tooSavvy]

.... exited house to jump in car. Person of oriental shade is standing at the corner of our terrace, looking.. errm.. shall we say 'focussed' on the near horizon/agitated about being made to wait.

 

I'm in the car now, watching him in the door mirror, and - boom - a DarkBloo A4/tints and even more oriental/bearded guy pulls up [back to front baseball hat* winning!]

 

'My' guy heaves in through the open window & retreats back across the pavement and - boof - into the flat.

 

A4 is gone*.......

 

A: Was this his brother bringing him the spare front door key, as he was desperate for the dunny...

 

B: I should keep my eyes down... ?

 

 

*no photo of Audi, for lazy spotters thread/police5 sozz

 

 

TS

[richardmorris]

Since the last time I went the stratospheric test hanger is open. This was brilliant- I walked in just after I arrived and no one else was around so had a personal guided tour by the friendly guide.

The Wellington hanger has now gone from the start/finish straight and the Loch Ness Wellington is now here.

[richardmorris]

First time I've been in the London bus museum too. More information than I could take in, but for the bus enthusiasts this was my favourite...

[320touring]

This made I laugh..

 

Its on the car park payment machines in Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow..

 

[Guest Hooli]

I need to go back to Brooklands, not been for about 15 years.

[richardmorris]

I need to go back to Brooklands, not been for about 15 years.

It's changed a lot in the last few years. I was impressed with the stratosphere test chamber and frank whittle time line. I'm a sucker for a sectioned engine with moving parts too!

[twosmoke300]

This made I laugh..

 

Its on the car park payment machines in Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow..

 

IMG_20170429_162456.jpg

Was it broken or leaning to one side - if not - imposter!

[Six-cylinder]

We had a great evening drive with the Sovereign S2.

[cobblers]

Someone is "Definitely coming tomorrow with £6k" to buy my T25 Camper.

 

I'll believe it when I see it, but it would be nice I suppose.

[320touring]

Was it broken or leaning to one side - if not - imposter!

More the "help" button

[For Fiats Sake]

Yesterday had a trip to pick up and deliver replacement rear axle as the spring holder had parted company from the original.

 

 

Slammed look for the Alessi Panda.

 

 

 

 

 

Bit of a nuisance that I'm in Halifax, axle was in Wakefield and the Panda in Cleethorpes!

 

Mum was quoted £1100 using new parts - axle is £780!  Found a suitable axle (I hope) from a 500 for £100, slight difference in the offset but as the Alessi is on steelies shouldn't matter.

 

[For Fiats Sake]

Today I learned how they make fresh filter coffee on the refreshments cart in a train.

 

The grounds are in the cup, hot water added and are strained through the mesh as you drink.

 

 

Quite fascinating!

 

 

 

 

Can you tell what it is yet?

 

[puddlethumper]

A camp site?

[RayMK]

Yesterday I started my 1961 Reliant Regal and reversed out of the garage in order to check everything prior to an MOT.  I could not detect any play in the kingpin or wheel bearings, tyres have stacks of tread, sidewalls were not cracked (elderly crossplies) and the chassis and suspension looked fine underneath.  The chassis is painted, not undersealed, so it's easy to spot problem areas. I removed each rear brake drum in turn to inspect for weeping cylinders.  They were also fine.  I deglazed the linings and thoroughly cleaned the drum inner surfaces.  All lights, indicators, horn, wipers and washer (manual plunge button) worked satisfactorily.  The handbrake and footbrake seemed ok in a brief test over 50 metres, repeated a few times. I therefore booked an MOT for Wednesday 3rd May.  I put the car back in the garage and, as I got out, noticed the driver's seat was a bit wobbly.  Reliant seats of this vintage are ultra lightweight aluminium framed things of extremely basic design and cannot be described as sturdy.  The wobbles however were found to originate from the rear of the tubular frame which runs along the floor then curves upwards to the pivoting backrest.  The tube had completely fractured.  I had piled all the junk and my mobility scooter behind the Reliant, blocking it in, when I put it back in the garage.  Rather than removing said junk etc and reversing the car on to the drive again to work comfortably, I struggled in the restricted space between car and my moped to remove the seat.  Fortunately, once the seat was dismantled I could repair the fractured tube by internally sleeving it with suitable length of steel tube which I happened to find in my hoard of potentially useful bits which rarely get used.  With a couple of 2mm holes and self tappers to peg  the repair, the seat was strong* again.  It only wobbled as much as Reliant intended once back in the car.

 

Today, my son's Tipo needed a replacement alternator fitted.  Fiat, in their wisdom, decided that putting the alternator behind the engine where there is little room to swing a spanner, was a brilliant idea as it would force customers to take the car to a garage or main dealer.  With the front of the car on ramps, I stared at this wonderfully sited component for 10 minutes and groped around to find the fixings and brackets because they were difficult to identify from the very limited visual access above or below the car.  The anti-roll bar and driveshaft provided further obstacles to access.  I decided that DIY was possible but expected a long, fiddly job.  I was right on both counts.  Starting at 11am, the plastic wheelarch shield was removed.  That bit was surprisingly easy.  Battery disconnected, then electrical connection to the alternator disconnected (one retained by a small nut, the other just a spade connector.  Not too bad so far.   The main pivot bolt undid without a fight and tapped out - it's about 6 inches long - also releasing the belt guide roller which shares the same bolt.  Then the fun started.  The top part of the alternator is fastened to the belt adjustment bracketry, the fixings for which were out of sight and require a spanner at one end and a socket or ring spanner at the other when undoing them.  The steering pump V belt gets in the way at one end and the heater plumbing makes life difficult at the other, further restricting the ratchet driver swing room which is already limited by the aforementioned roll bar and driveshaft.  After an hour, the old alternator was extricated.  I then had to swap the ribbed pulley from this to the new unit.  Using the old belt to assist with clamping grip, the pulley nut was removed and pulley slid off (I have not got a rattle gun to make jobs like this easier).  Getting the retaining nut off the new alternator was even more difficult as there was only the freely rotating shaft to grip. Why did they need to bang the nut on tight!!!!  With judicious use of bits of metal and a vice, plus some very powerful expletives, the bloody nut released.  The pulley was then transferred to the new alternator and retained using the nut.  This 'simple' task absorbed another hour.  Under the car again, the new unit was coaxed into position and the long pivot bolt and guide roller re-installed (loosely at this stage).  I could not get the top brackets to align sufficiently to get the bolts in.  Try number two involved removing the long pivot bolt and trying to hang the unit from the adjuster bracket.  That went tolerably well and the long pivot bolt slid in again.  Then I noticed a missing nut from a bracket just above the alternator adjustment bracket.  I could not remember removing it and could not find a nut looking for a home.  I could not ignore it because I was able to push the bolt though far enough to contact the steering pump belt.  A search amongst my ample selection of nuts gave a handful of possible recruits.  Another hour passed as I tried and failed to find anything that would fit.  Bollocks.  The only way to solve this problem was to remove the effing F**k** alternator, remove the effing bolt and find a nut from my 40 years collection in the comfort of my garage.  This was achieved in a few minutes, the bolt put where it came from and tightened up. The effing alternator was then refitted from the top bracket and the long bolt reinserted and electrical connections re-secured.  I then spent another delightful hour trying to hang on the alternator whilst wedging between the engine block with a bit of wood and simultaneously tightening the adjustment bolt  which I could not see.  Despite many attempts, the new ribbed belt would not tension as much as I would like.  I did the best I could and hoped the belt would not squeal like the old one.  Wheel arch cover reinstalled, battery reconnected, started, charging light went out (it had been glowing dimly most of the time, hence the replacement alternator - CBA with just changing the regulator) and the belt only squealed slightly with everything turned on.  On a wet day, the squealing may get worse.  In due course, I'll probably have to make a screw type tensioner to jack the alternator to the required position.   5 bloody hours  .