The new news 24 thread

[Angrydicky]

Go for it Rob, I love it but can't justify buying anything else at the moment.

[Tayne]

This morning I have mostly been breaking tyre beads on scrap rims (practice) and the rims which will be refurbed to take my winter tyres. I've done this using a jack and the towbar on a neighbour's Hyundry Santa Clause.

 

This afternoon I shall mostly be swearing and trying to take tyres off rims.

 

Thanks to Mr Testes for the guide on how to do this.

[Cavcraft]

Jesus, someone buy that Montego-it's bloody brilliant!

[vulgalour]

My garage keys might be locked in the garage, along with any tools I possess that are capable of removing a padlock. I'm hoping that my brother has just taken the keys home by accident, I'd quite like to be able to get my car out of the garage for the MoT.

[dollywobbler]

I think I'm going to have to sell the Maverick. Too many cars, not enough cash so it comes down to which vehicle gives most enjoyment - and I'm just not sure I can afford the extravagance of a car that I use just for off-roading every now and then. The last time I went laning in it, I just don't think I got enough satisfaction out of it. Sure, it's fun to prove that a 'pretend' off-roader can go most places that a kitted out Landy can go (though I concede defeat on really muddy stuff or where ground clearance is important) but even the Bluebird delivers more joy just popping to the shops - or it will do once I've got the 'stat changed.

 

The Maverick has only done 2000 miles since January. I'll never get the grand back that it technically owes me (after a full front brake rebuild and a service including new rear LSD oil) but I'd hope I can get closer to that than the £500 I paid for it (with completely knackered brakes!).

 

Might well then be in the market for something small. Since selling the Mini, my wife will only drive my 2CV - which is fine but I was planning on taking it off the road for an overhaul at some point. I reckon a Perodua Nippa would be perfect...

[Micrashed]

BMW X3 drivers - your car is not Jesus and will not walk on water.

[rml2345]

^

 

After the success of the MEGA servicing session on Saturday with CMS206, I have mostly spent the day swearing. The instrument cluster has been dying again with muchos randomness of warning lights and watnot, so an attempt was made to build a decent one from the two I've got.

Which didn't work the first time as the speedo wouldn't function. Worse than that is the fact that the scrap 740 at Newbridge has gone and that 940 instruments are no use whatsoever.

So I've put something back together and shall be sourcing another instrument cluster that probably doesn't work.

I love 740s me...

[trigger]

Had a busy few days with the Cortina, Firstly i won this brand new K&N air filter of ebay for £36 inc postage which is about £10 cheaper then normal, I fitted it Saturday, It sounds fantastic, It has a real roar to it when the second weber opens, this does mean that my fuel economy will go right through the roof now!

 

New K&N air filter fitted by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

Also bought that "2000HC" sticker on the cam cover that arrived to day, they were fitted to the RS2000 but I liked it.

 

But my most exciting news (yes I'm really that sad) was the arrival of my "new" Sanyo stereo.

 

1970's Sanyo Car Radio by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

Yep, It was brand spanking new, been in the sellers loft since the 1970's, even the wrapping was still sealed, mega bargain at £37 inc delivery, It also looks just like the Blaupunkt Hamburg radio that Ford fitted in their cars when new, the best part of the stereo was the 6pin DIN in the rear for a 8 track, I have a lead that plugs in it meaning you can play your MP3 player through, result!.

 

1970's Sanyo Car Radio by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

It seemed a shame to fit it but I'm glad i did, right the MW radio is utter wank, it just doesn't work but the MP3 is excellent, and as my phone has a FM Stereo fitted i can listen to FM through it anyway.

 

I made a little Youtube video if anyone wants to look.

 

[cobblers]

My garage keys might be locked in the garage, along with any tools I possess that are capable of removing a padlock. I'm hoping that my brother has just taken the keys home by accident, I'd quite like to be able to get my car out of the garage for the MoT.

 

Wait til you see one of the scumbags that are dicking round with your stuff and offer to pay him £30 to get into your garage. as soon as he gets started phone the police and say there's a man trying to break into your garage. Two birds, one stone!

[Pete-M]

Fixed the bloody Espace and its intemperance.

 

When it was left with me it was managing a stunningly shit 19.4 mpg around town. Cleared the codes from the ECUs and it went up to 22.8 mpg on the same run. Quick clean of the air mass meter and it went up to 25.4 mpg which according to my local Renault specialist "is about all they do around town. Stunningly shit engine, the 2.2, Renault went too far with it and don't give a toss about fixing 'em when they invariably explode".

 

After three days of interrogation and fiddling, it's now averaging 31 mpg. How long for is anyone's guess.

 

It has brought some amusement though, I hit Googleâ„¢ with "Renault 2.2 dci engine" and just had to laugh. It appears that the 95k this one managed before grenading is possibly the world record for the longest constantly running Espace 2.2, and that the Espace IV 2.2 must be the fastest depreciating car of all time...

[HMC]

I very nearly bought a 740 estate a few weeks back, but the itch for for a practical volvo wouldnt go away, so i have just bought a 1996 850 t5 estate

[Rocket88]

I very nearly bought a 740 estate a few weeks back, but the itch for for a practical volvo wouldnt go away, so i have just bought a 1996 850 t5 estate

 

You know it makes sense.............

[dollywobbler]

Hoorah! Bluebird 'stat has arrived, complete with gaskets (ebay ad didn't make it clear if it did or not). That means I can travel to Uttoxeter this weekend with a warm heater!

 

I'm also going to see if I can tweak up the hot tickover. It's trying to tickover at 500rpm at the moment, which is fine until you turn anything electrical on. Then it grumbles a lot! Presumably just an adjustable throttle stop.

[dollywobbler]

Boo! Thermostat changed, still the same. Also failed utterly to raise the tickover. The thing I thought was the adjuster turned out not to be and was instead related to the thing that stops abrupt throttle closure. What a soggy waste of time that was.

[dollywobbler]

Sorry for three consecutive posts but it's all sorted! I tested the old 'stat in a saucepan and it opened properly. Ok, so a faulty stat was not the issue. I then raided the box the 'stat came in and rooted through the various gaskets and seal. A seal eh? That's got to be worth a go, even though there was no seal when I removed the 'stat. Sure enough, that was the missing link! So, no thanks at all to whoever fitted that thermostat but I now have a joyously warm heater. Great stuff!

[M'coli]

This is from the BBC news website - at a minute in, there's a brief glimpse of som autoshite at 1:00 into this pice on the weather in the Northeast of Scotland. It looks like a Mazda323/Sao Penza or a Sunny on a private plate, but I'm no Japanese car expert.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19717337

[Spiny Norman]

83/84 Mazda 323 I'd say.

 

 

[vulgalour]

My garage keys might be locked in the garage, along with any tools I possess that are capable of removing a padlock. I'm hoping that my brother has just taken the keys home by accident, I'd quite like to be able to get my car out of the garage for the MoT.

 

Wait til you see one of the scumbags that are dicking round with your stuff and offer to pay him £30 to get into your garage. as soon as he gets started phone the police and say there's a man trying to break into your garage. Two birds, one stone!

 

 

I had not thought of that, but unfortunately I cannot leave this to chance as they've not been on a visit for some time, did give me a genuine lol as a suggestion though! The garage keys, it turns out, are impossible to lock in the garage and it is suspected that my housemate used the bunch of keys to get out of the drive (gate keys are on the same bunch) to get to work after I'd used them for the garage. So, the suspicion is that my housemate has the keys. Because of his work hours, and my time constraints, I've employed the parents to get an angle grinder (can't go myself, and my angle grinder is locked in the garage) so we can slice the padlock off or part of the garage to get my car out. What a sodding ballache. The upshot is that I've learned that without tools, my garage is impossible to get into without properly breaking it.

[Pete-M]

Espace broken again.

 

The 2.2 dCi engine has to be the worst ever put into production....

[vulgalour]

Sorry everybody.

 

 

[rml2345]

Bad news VA

What happened? You alright?

[vulgalour]

I'm fine, apart from a tiny amount of back pain and a bent silver finger ring from grabbing the steering wheel too hard. Stop-start traffic and I didn't see it stop, I was concentrating too much on the fact that I might be late for my MoT because the road layout had been altered and I was a tiny bit lost. Had the horrible I'm-going-to-stopI'm-going-to-stopI'm-going-to-stopI'm-going-to-stop-BANG thing, ran into the back of a Ford Connect (the little one, that's like a scaled down Transit) van. Trying not to beat myself up about this, accidents do happen and that's precisely what this was, but it's difficult to feel anything other than guilty for what I've done to her

[rml2345]

Chin up man, could have happened to the best of us. You being alright is the main thing!

I felt guilty after writing the Yaris off but at the end of the day cars are replaceable and mushy organic beings are not.

[M'coli]

Oh dear, I'm so sorry for you, I don't know what else to say.

[holbeck]

Geez, Hard luck mate. Like others have said, aslong as you are OK.

If it's any consolation, I buried my Mini Clubman into the back of a Mk 5 Escort, both me and the Mini lived to tell the tale, but it didn't look pretty at the time.

[worldofceri]

By way of solidarity, VA, have a selection of my previous cock-ups*:

 

 

* © Denis Norden, 1977.

[Volksy]

Glad you're ok VA, I think you've improved it's looks. (I really don't like Princesses BTW)

[Lankytim]

Whatever you do don't let the insurers tow it away and scrap it! Aslong as the chassis is ok im sure it can be fixed. I even have a porta powa you can borrow.

 

Glad to hear there was no injuries anyway.

[vulgalour]

Meeting someone at RR Meadowhall earlier this month was a Good Thing. They told me they knew of a Princess just like mine that was available for parts or as a complete car. Today, I gave him a call and the car is still available complete and runs, and can be delivered to me at a cost of £1 per mile (about £30 total). The car itself is £350 and has had a brand new wing (I don't know which side) put on. So, I'm waiting on a call back when he's found the number of the chap with the car so I can arrange a viewing to see if it's worth a punt and then I'll likely be off to buy another Princess. If I can arrange it, I want to go and view the donor car today.

 

Very, very happy about this turn of events, I just have to hope it's better than mine where it counts and then I just have to decide which car gets to live on based on the condition of the two. I can probably make some money back on spares too.

 

It's getting harder and harder not to be optimistic about this and stay grounded in the real world.

[dollywobbler]

Good stuff Mr Angyl.

 

The other week, I had a dream opportunity to put my Bluebird to the test against a Montego. It was a thoroughly interesting day and I really enjoyed discovering how similar the cars were in some regards, and how completely different they were in others.

 

Full report is in Classic Car Mart, on sale tomorrow (November issue).