The new news 24 thread

[davehedgehog31]

Spent a couple of hours cleaning the focus up. It's come up really well, I don't really want to sell it now. 

[Asimo]

This has moved for the first time since end of October, a few 1/4 mile trips for firewood.

Started instantly, brakes still free, bone dry inside, all working perfectly.  Moderns are amazing!

I now have rear gingercators! Thanks to @vulgalour for suggesting the Tamiya paint. It has worked perfectly. 

Reversing lights are also orange with LED (Gu10 lamps) driven via diodes in parallel with the indicators for extra visibility.

[Yoss]

22 hours ago, davehedgehog31 said:

A fine scene;

 

 

 

19 hours ago, HMC said:

Blimey, I’m pretty sure the high top extension on those LDV 400s is fibreglass. 

They are indeed. That was the first thing I thought when I saw that. It's holding up well isn't it.

In the very old days we (postmen) used to travel in the back of those with no windows or interior trim of any description, just a tip up bench seat running down each side and lots of nice sharp spot welded seams. You really could see how they were made. The top of the fibreglass top was opaque to let a bit of light in, in fact I thing it was all opaque but the rest was painted red. There would be six or seven of us perched on these seats, being dropped out to our deliveries along with the drivers packets on the floor in between us (obviously not as many as we get now, it was more letter based). That was probably over twenty years ago though. I don't know if anybody actually died in the back of them but it is strictly forbidden now unless it has the extra row of forward facing seats with seat belts. So of course I have never* travelled in the back of an unseated van since. 

[richardmorris]

6 hours ago, richardmorris said:

I’m very taken with that E430 on the eBay thread. Anyone fancy a w124 coupe? 

[richardmorris]

Hmm, just looked at the mot history. Not particularly loved! Cords exposed on the tyres after several years of  advisories, ball joints, floor rusting, brake pipes. 

[hairnet]

2 hours ago, richardmorris said:

I’m very taken with that E430 on the eBay thread. Anyone fancy a w124 coupe? 

@Conan

[wuvvum]

Took the diesel C2 into Norwich earlier to go to the big Tesco.  On the way home I reset the trip computer to see what mpg it'd get on that run (which I'd be doing every day under normal circumstances). 

That'll do. 

[Cord Fourteener]

1 minute ago, wuvvum said:

Took the diesel C2 into Norwich earlier to go to the big Tesco.  On the way home I reset the trip computer to see what mpg it'd get on that run (which I'd be doing every day under normal circumstances). 

That'll do. 

Not bad!

[PhilA]

6 hours ago, Yoss said:

In the very old days we (postmen) used to travel in the back of those 

It's still legal to ride in the back of a pickup truck here, sat in the cargo bed- so long as you are sat on the floor and not the wheel arch or side of the bed.

It is not a requirement to have a tailgate either when carrying pax in the back, only recommended.

Sitting on a flatbed is disallowed, however.

Phil

[wuvvum]

When I had a summer job in North Carolina back in 1999, I was the only one who was allowed to drive the boss's Dodge Ram pickup (because I'd lived in France and was therefore used to driving on the wrong side of the road).  On 4th July I drove the whole house (about 12 of us if memory serves) into town to see the fireworks - three in the cab and 9 in the bed - I thought I was bound to get moaned at by the local constabulary but they didn't bat an eyelid.

[ruffgeezer]

Whilst the Fiesta got it's Mot after work on Thursday, I spent a bit of time making this little lady watertight;

The elderly owner lived close to the garage and had an 'incident' last year whereby the RH mirror got hit against a passing tractor and as a result smashed the side window. 

We ordered the parts in but by the time they arrived from Hyundai, she had decided to stop driving. 

 

 

This weekend the boss will be having a look underneath to see if it will pass another mot, and then it will be up for sale/ roffle to find it a new home. 

[Yoss]

^^ Okay, I can't quite top that but in an even earlier life I was working at a meat factory in Chandlers Ford. I'd been there a while doing various jobs when I got a transfer to nights which was cleaning out all the machines with a pressure washer. Started at 8pm which was fine as I could get the bus in, Hampshire Bus VR or ex London DMS, but we finished about 2 AM. A fellow night worker had a VW T2 pick up. This was pre VW scene tax or contrived rat look, it was just an old van. He already gave somebody a lift home so the front was full but I was welcome to hop in the back. I was only doing it for a few months before I went back on days but the novelty never wore off. Sitting in the back of a pick up at 2 AM was always fun. The option was an hours walk (it was before I had passed my test) which might have helped. 

[catsinthewelder]

19 hours ago, Asimo said:

I now have rear gingercators! Thanks to @vulgalour for suggesting the Tamiya paint. It has worked perfectly. 

 

Well done on getting it going, please could you pass on the paint tip as I was at the point of taping Quality Street wrappers to the back of the Sherpa as it's Chinesium LED rear lights have faded to clear on the indicators.

[wuvvum]

How's the Sherpa coming along Rich?  Looking forward to it being back on the road so I can race you round the FOD in the Iveco.

[beko1987]

18 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

How's the Sherpa coming along Rich?  Looking forward to it being back on the road so I can race you round the FOD in the Iveco.

You'd be lapped by the invacar... 

[wuvvum]

We'd be lapped by the fugging dumper Sam.

[Royale80]

Took the Royale around the block to warm everything up. Brakes very good now. Will swap the door maybe in the summer! (have had a spare for 5 years) and put the wheel centres on. Only got Opel centers - but can only see if you really look!

 

[Asimo]

2 hours ago, catsinthewelder said:

Well done on getting it going, please could you pass on the paint tip as I was at the point of taping Quality Street wrappers to the back of the Sherpa as it's Chinesium LED rear lights have faded to clear on the indicators.

This is the stuff, from model shops or eBay. It adheres really well to the polycarbonate lenses.  I sprayed the lenses inside and outside until they looked right, about 4 coats in all.

[egg]

Saw this Mondeo with gingercators, as we're on the topic. I actually like it. 

[dean36014]

Tinted the ones on my bx, much prefer it.

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, dean36014 said:

Tinted the ones on my bx, much prefer it.

The original series 1 BXs had the smaller indicators which were orange. I’ve not seen someone do what you have but it looks good.

[Cavcraft]

A couple of attempts at checking too see the gearbox etc of the Wartburg proved fruitless.

However, the lad who bought it messaged me before and he’d ‘got the bonnet open’

 

 

[wuvvum]

Good to see he's cracking on.  It does look like a solid old thing from that photo I have to say.

[brownnova]

If I’d bought it I’d still be looking blankly at it... and it might have got started in 2023.... 

[Cord Fourteener]

On 1/21/2021 at 7:42 PM, davehedgehog31 said:

 

 

But does it make yer tea taste better?

[Cord Fourteener]

12 hours ago, wuvvum said:

How's the Sherpa coming along Rich?  Looking forward to it being back on the road so I can race you round the FOD in the Iveco.

Sounds like a race I could bring my 740 to and win... There aren't many of those.

[Cord Fourteener]

9 hours ago, egg said:

Saw this Mondeo with gingercators, as we're on the topic. I actually like it. 

It turns out I either need to do this at the rear of my MK3 or buy new bulbs. MOT man told me.

[auntiemaryscanary]

Puts waiting for a V5 into perspective.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/23/minister-faces-fury-over-mass-covid-outbreak-at-top-government-agency

[richardmorris]

[N19]

Much less fun sideways in this week's snow. I left to pick up a few bits from screwfix when it was sleeting, by the time I was there it was coming thick and fast. 

Temperature gauge going quite high on the way back, I think my efforts to stop leaks have been successful, I've been in the habit of topping the coolant up to just above max, when I got home and loosened the cap it puked quite a bit up. Hopefully normality restored...

Oh, and I'm off out at 5 to go to work...