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[Split_Pin]

75 .

Bastards

[SiC]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

75 .

Bastards

How are the welding classes going?

[crad]

new washer jets on the mighty 'rolla. just need to find some rust remover & a rubber puck for me jack so i can de-rust the arches and change the oil... oh and a decent spark plug remover because mine's shite...

still, it is running well (besides the mental idle from cold, but i'm ignoring that bc i lack skillz)

[Split_Pin]

19 minutes ago, SiC said:

How are the welding classes going?

I finished 2 weeks ago. My welder behaved impeccably there but as soon as I cracked it out on the drive the MIG wire unravelled itself for no reason! It had been sticking for a while and it finally let go.

I'll get a new spool tomorrow, plus a new regulator as the one I've got is an old hospital one and is quite beat up.

The sill looks bad but thankfully 75s aren't known for galloping rot, what you see is hopefully what you get.

[Lord Sterling]

Right, well I'm back in the UK now. Shit me I am dog tired and my head hurts. However, despite being tired old and leaky, the Vauxhall of tiredness has done an absolutely tremendous job of taking me there and back. It's an absolute beast of a car and needs to spend more time in this world. 

It needed nothing but a top of oil which it hasn't needed for a month. However, it did need a constant top up of coolant every few days. It want to get it liquid tight now, that's a priority. Next will be tyres but also the insurance will need to be renewed in the next month. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

SORN'd the Freeloader in the evening of 31st March.
Transferred ownership to Sprog #2 on 1st April.
Refund cheque from DVLA arrived today via Royal Mail.

That's service.

[Popsicle]

Right this is boring, I do apologise.

Went to pop the newly painted Carlos Fandango wheels on the Caddy earlier in the week and one had a puncture ☹️. Dropped it round the tyre place on Tuesday with two other punctured tyres that needed fixing, got them back Thursday and fitted them on the van.

They had a first run out today, I took a dash pic on the original wheels on Tuesday at a GPS 60 mph set on cruise control.

2200 revs and speedo showing 64mph.

Today with the bigger wheels fitted at GPS 60 mph.

2000 rpm and 59mph at GPS 60, whoops I've probably slightly overdone it!

The odometer reckoned I covered 355 miles today, google maps and my tracker reckon 388, so I'm losing a few miles.

I'm sure its all alterable with VCDS. Very happy with the bigger wheels and tyres though, vans a bit smoother over the broken pot holed roads and they oddly seem a bit quieter, might be because the standard wheels had all season tyres on, while these Falkens are summers? I think I'm at the limit size wise, it only just clears the suspension and arch liners.

[Lord Sterling]

OK, since I got back, I've not managed to sleep. Fatha_Sterling had quite the cough a few days before I left and I think I've picked it up. Great. On top of that, I had an absolutely annoying headache, so I took some paracetamol, cough med and my inhaler and I feel a bit better, particularly after having something to eat and drink.

As I was lazing about just now watching TV, a local neighbour of mine called me, he owns a Golf GT TDi or something, automatic with leather which is a nice thing, a f*cking fast to boot. Anyhow, he'd parked up locally to pick up some food and found he couldn't get the key back into the ignition barrel. I walked down and had a look. Inside the barrel is a spring-loaded door that appears to have got stuck. I stuck my front door key and levered it out the way. I then drove it with him around the corner, the wheel bearings are definitely on their way out. I told him to get it done ASAP as I could hear them whirring. 

His Golf looks looks a bit like this:

[Spottedlaurel]

Had five days on the trot of using the Carina E for work, such a useful thing.

Yesterday I dropped the Laurel off at the garage so they could investigate a misfire and coolant leak, and collected the LS400 with fresh MoT. Will get a full set of new tyres on it soon, and discussions are being had with regard to finally changing its cam belt.

In extended family fleet news, this Land Cruiser Colorado has appeared:

 

The idea is that it will replace the ex @BorniteIdentity Avensis SR as Miss SL's daily driver, and will be of use for towing her BF's BMW drift car around when needed, general carting duties (future house doing-up, etc) and roomy transport for holidays - already planned that it will be taking a 3-4 weeks trip to France this year, the last long one they can do before finishing student life and starting work. Has good local history from new, seemingly starting its life down at Coronation Garage in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex and gradually making its way into Suffolk. The seller didn't think it had much paperwork, hence it being sold for a surprisingly low price, but a big pack was found under the seat Has done 194k miles and no previous mentions of corrosion although there are some bits on the chassis which will require attention soon. Drives nicely but has an issue which may require a replacement set of injectors. BF's family run a garage so it shouldn't be too difficult to address any problems, and the interior is surprisingly clean and tidy so fingers crossed they've got themselves a goodun. They had been after an Amazon, but in reality it would have cost them significantly more to buy and run and the tax would be £700-odd instead of £400-ish on this one.

The Avensis will then sadly need to find a new home.

Mrs SL is finally saying the same about her Auris since she unfortunately had to stop driving for health reasons - anyone after a decent family car with MoT, relatively low mileage and two owners from new?.....

[Asimo]

Oil-change day for Ma'am's Duster. Up on the "ramps" (planks and blocks) and remove 11 off M6 screws to get the undertray off.

What was wrong with spin-off filters?  This (1.3 turbo petrol) has a separate element inside a plastic screw-in cup (full of oil) which has to be emptied and then cleaned out somehow. Messy.

Then out with the drain plug

What a mess! And I was doing so well - until the  catch-can burped the funnel out and about two litres of hot oil dropped into the big plastic tray I was lying in...

A whole roll of blue-paper, 6 bin bags, 2 beers, 1 washing-machine load and a shower later: I think I have a new reason to "go electric".

[Zelandeth]

22 minutes ago, Asimo said:

Oil-change day for Ma'am's Duster. Up on the "ramps" (planks and blocks) and remove 11 off M6 screws to get the undertray off.

What was wrong with spin-off filters?  This (1.3 turbo petrol) has a separate element inside a plastic screw-in cup (full of oil) which has to be emptied and then cleaned out somehow. Messy.

Then out with the drain plug

What a mess! And I was doing so well - until the  catch-can burped the funnel out and about two litres of hot oil dropped into the big plastic tray I was lying in...

A whole roll of blue-paper, 6 bin bags, 2 beers, 1 washing-machine load and a shower later: I think I have a new reason to "go electric".

Vacuum oil drainers are the future.

This similarly needs about a thousand undertray screws removing to get to the drain plug - and there's no way I could get a big enough tray to catch the 7.5 litres of oil without having it on ramps as well.

I've done the whole removing the sump plug afterwards on other cars to see if there was any oil left - barely anything was always the answer.

Agree with you on the move away from spin on filters though.  The cap over the one on this was stuck STUPID tight, to the extent I seriously thought I was going to just shatter it trying to remove it.

[richardmorris]

Neighbours have visitors. Noisy thing!

[Rustybullethole]

After getting crashed into by a lane changing Nissan nob head which has hiked my renewal price twice due to still being an ongoing claim I decided to fix the damage to my Berlingo which was written off in the process. 

It sustained some light scratches on the wheel arch which are lost in a plethora of patina, a missing in action side repeater lense and a snapped off mirror. 

The mirror is manual adjust which is great as it stayed attached dangling around rather than spread all over the North Circular road in many pieces so has been taped on since. The broken bulb in the side repeater was replaced with a clear one i coloured in orange and its been like that until the other day.

 

Plenty of tape added over the years when it wobbled loose/came back to it to find it clattered the other way round.

Got it off without breaking any trim though found it to have a cable disappearing into the door. Whilst the @ruffgeezer had removed the replacement intact I went for a tactical grip and rip slicing the cable against the metal work of the door bin side of the plug. It was late and removal of door cards is a job I like to avoid at best of times. I figured if i ever worked out what the electric was for and felt it required I could plug it in though a week in have felt no need. 

Pic today of fancy new mirror and side repeater in all their glory.

Pic later today of how i found it on return to the carpark after picking up some snacks.

Arse. Back out with the tape. 

[Rustybullethole]

In other news I have replaced the shot wheel bearings on the himi. 

Need to fix the exhaust again it took a whack playing in the woods. Gasket is toast, shall make a new one with a tin can and gun gum. 

[SiC]

Cleaned this ready to be put away. Going to use the Spitty for a bit as the weather is so sunny and I don't have to put the roof back up ever. Also it's easier if I don't have to move so many cars to get it out. Finally a tad bored and fancy a change driving something else for a bit (fwp).

The last few weeks and the longest time in its life that it's been left outside. Usually it always gets garaged at night when my mum was using it. 

[Mally]

22 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I finished 2 weeks ago. My welder behaved impeccably there but as soon as I cracked it out on the drive the MIG wire unravelled itself for no reason! It had been sticking for a while and it finally let go.

I'll get a new spool tomorrow, plus a new regulator as the one I've got is an old hospital one and is quite beat up.

The sill looks bad but thankfully 75s aren't known for galloping rot, what you see is hopefully what you get.

Whizz a flap disc over it lightly and hope. There's always a bigger hole than you expect.

I had it on my old  one, but this one seem fine.

I never use them for jacking or support as I have the fear.