The new news 24 thread

[captain_70s]

Could well be, the 1850's used to leak until I replaced it, you could see the water getting in on the inside on a rainy day! I'd also question the massive puddle under the front which looks a bit... Not watery?

 

The one thing is that they have a deserved reputation for being a bit arsey, the OHC motor can run hot and be a pain to keep cool (my 1850 was...), alloy wheels go porous and leak (used to have to pump mine up weekly), studs get stuck in the alloy cylinder head and snap when you try and removed them, water pumps are a pain in the arse to replace and requires the removal of the carbs/intake manifold for maximum banter.

I do fear with your slight perfectionist streak you may struggle to get out and enjoy the car while in pursuit of it being in satisfactory condition. It looks fine as a weekend toy to blat about in and see if you can restore the paint a bit but it being a proper project could end up a bit like painting the Forth Bridge...

 

Sprints are very cool though, 124bhp on a good day when new so not going to set any roads on fire in this day and age but is enough to have fun with. There was a chap local to me who had a Sprint auto and had it everywhere sideways all the time and ended up in a few verges/ditches... I've always wanted to try one! I found the 1850 fairly nippy, on paper it's the same sort of specs as my current Civic but felt faster due to the noise and vibration, taking it over 3.5k was always good fun with a good soundtrack, I imagine a Sprint would be an amplified version of that.

[busmansholiday]

Pictures can lie a bit. But yeah I guess it's not too bad a thing. Chap reckoned it could be the windscreen seal. It was very perished.

 

I have to look over the fact it's a Sprint. I mean man, it's a Sprint ... A SPRINT.

 

Not quite as quick as I'd imagined it would be though. But then I'm used to modern powerful cars...

 

Hmm. I'm thinking on it. Just worried it could be a project too big for me to chew.

Does the oil pressure gauge work ?

[SiC]

Does the oil pressure gauge work ?

After market fitted but yes it does. Very sluggish responding!

 

Temperature gauge doesn't though. Possibly the more important thing on a slant-4 triumph.

[captain_70s]

Does the oil pressure gauge work ?

You don't get one, temp, volts, fuel. The first you know about low oil pressure is when the nice green oil warning engine rebuild light comes on. As any British car should be.

[Kiltox]

Get your MG in regular use first FFS

[captain_70s]

After market fitted but yes it does. Very sluggish responding!

 

Temperature gauge doesn't though. Possibly the more important thing on a slant-4 triumph.

Oil pressure gauge?! CAR RUINED.

 

Agreed on the temp gauge though, my 1850 had TWO and I still managed to cook it...

[SiC]

Oil pressure gauge?! CAR RUINED.

 

Agreed on the temp gauge though, my 1850 had TWO and I still managed to cook it...

Yeah. It also had an aftermarket vacuum gauge too.

 

Apart from the headgasket, does cooking them do much further damage? Or head off, reskim and new gasket fix it? Access is much tighter than the OHVs, but still fair amount around the engine.

 

Really can't make my mind up about it. Would love a sprint but worry it'll be biting off more than I chew. My intention originally was to get a 1300/1500 to learn the fobles with. Then get a sprint once I was familiar with Dolly's (then maybe sell the MGB).

This one has thrown a spanner in the works!

 

 

Get your MG in regular use first FFS

Oh shush!

[busmansholiday]

I really don't want four MG's but I'll have number 37 please....

[captain_70s]

Yeah. Apart from the headgasket, does cooking them do much further damage? Or head off, reskim and new gasket fix it? Access is much tighter than the OHVs, but still fair amount around the engine.

Heads can warp, because alloy. I got fairly lucky, didn't damage mine, didn't even need to take the head off! It never did run as cool as it used to though and the exhaust used to be very smokey, I suspect the HG was weeping every so slightly but I chose to ignore it... I know that 1850s and TR7s have major problems with cylinder head studs getting stuck and snapping inside the engine/head (hence my ignoring my possible HGF and buying a whole spare engine!), not sure if the Sprint suffers similar as it is a different head.

 

I never really did much engine work on my 1850, the idea of playing with the more complex OHC lump was a bit scary and I'd retreat to the safety of my OHV with its single carb and pushrod goodness...

[Tayne]

Captain_70s, you just need a mate like Tayne, who buys you raffle tickets for cars on here.

Wow, that sounds like you might have forgiven me?

[Eddie Honda]

Get your MG in regular use first FFS

^^^^ WHS!

[tooSavvy]

.... How many pages [bets ON] will a Dolly/SiC run to?

 

TS

[drum]

My old A4

 

Had to have a double take when this appeared for sale on FB.

 

[SiC]

.... How many pages [bets ON] will a Dolly/SiC run to?

 

TS

Well the buy thread is currently 18 pages long. You can't see it though as its poor purplebargeken is who is taking the beating through PMs. 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

My old A4

IMG_1099.JPG

 

Had to have a double take when this appeared for sale on FB.

 

IMG_1098.JPG

What are the odds of coming across the next plate in the sequence?

[DodgeRover]

Not that unfeasible in this age of digital information, I have a bike registered xxx 2w, the owner of xxx 1w was on the same forum as me asking for info.

Obviously xxx isn't xxx it's actually quite a nice combination.

[richardmorris]

Damp and miserable today, and I’ve just had to evict a mouse from the boot of the 2cv! It had chewed through my 1990’s yellow ecas bag and started on the Haynes manual! Luckily it doesn’t seem to have liked the seats. I’d have thought the smell of oil, petrol and waxoyl would have kept it away!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Damp and miserable today, and I’ve just had to evict a mouse from the boot of the 2cv!.... I’d have thought the smell of oil, petrol and waxoyl would have kept it away!

That's probably what's attracting it.

[DeeJay]

Something in the Volvo's rear suspension is knocking.

 

FFS, why does everything have to break at once?

Have a look at the exhaust hangers (start with cheapest/easiest).

[drum]

What are the odds of coming across the next plate in the sequence?

Registered 500 miles away in Maidstone 18 years ago so quite long odds, I would say.

[egg]

Just realized that Wobbler's Nippa is Maidstone registered, are the dealer stickers intact?

 

Maybe from here?

 

[PhilA]

I parked next to another Cinquecento that was either the next number before or after mine in Bristol, which was rather strange because the cars were both registered in Chester...

 

N83 HCA and N82 HCA, I think it was 82, it was black. Way back before phone cameras but it was strange to see.

 

Phil

[Ghosty]

What are the odds of coming across the next plate in the sequence?

2003-2008 my dad had J568PCK, a 190E 1.8 auto.

Two streets away on the main road someone had J566PCK, a Mitsubishi Pajero SWB.

This was east Manchester, and CK is a Preston/possibly towards Bolton registration (but one of the less common ones, they mostly seem to be HG).

[fordperv]

I remember in 2000 my dad had red sierra 1.6L G607WFB and I was out and about local and saw an exact red 1.6L sierra G608WFB saw it quite a bit after that, they were registered in bristol iirc

[Hendry]

My old A4

IMG_1099.JPG

 

Had to have a double take when this appeared for sale on FB.

 

IMG_1098.JPG

Will have been both registered very close to me, coming from either Lomond Audi in Glasgow or Ingram Audi in Paisley. I think that’s all that was in this area at the time after the mass cull of Audi dealers after they split the dual VW/Audi showrooms.

[cort16]

Cortina failed it’s mot but not by much. A bunch of electrical things not working which I’ve now fixed . Fog light not working, which is odd as it doesn’t have one a track rod end and 2 ball joints . Not bad really the last mot was 2015!

I’m getting my friendly garage to the hard stuff as it’s be another month the way I fanny around.

[Ghosty]

ARB link pin sheared twice trying to replace the bushes, and the knocking noise is starting to look like a failed damper.

 

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

[dollywobbler]

Just realized that Wobbler's Nippa is Maidstone registered, are the dealer stickers intact?

 

Maybe from here?

 

garage.jpg

Oh yes. The rear dealer sticker fills most of the rear window.

[Bobthebeard]

Finally managed to fix the terrible noise emanating from the front driveline on Elmo, the Saab 9-3 convertible. Suspected diff bearings but turned out to be a failed near side wheel bearing. Playing parts darts sorted it. Replaced the offside wheel bearing and the offside driveshaft support bearing as the racket appeared to be on the offside, but no. It was the other one. Sigh. Still, good news as the transmission is in good health.

Bad news is that the oil pressure light now comes on after a few minutes of driving/running the engine. Looks like time to drop the sump and check for the infamous sludge issue. Thankfully the car hasn't been driven more than a few hundred yards (metres?) in this condition so hopefully engine damage has been avoided. The upgraded breather and oil pickup kit has been ordered from Neo Brothers. Caught in time I hope!

[Fat_Pirate]

/\ that's quite a result, it had both front bearings replaced while it was at Pirate HQ but I suppose cheap rubbish was probably used. I will be sure to update the garage who condemned the gearbox... Very sorry to hear about the oil pressure though, certainly had no issues with the motor itself - sure the level is OK?  I found the windbreak for it at the back of the garage, I'll see about using the Autoshite pony express to get it to you.

 

My Jaaag is fucked, sounds like the starter is mashing itself into the flywheel.  Removing it means jacking it up and dropping the transmission slightly, and of course it's parked on gravel so I'll need to recruit my neighours to help push the 2 ton bastard onto concrete, all of whom will helpfully inform me that "you can get a Kia for £100 pm and it does 50mpg" throughout.