The new news 24 thread

[Craig the Princess]

I have a train driver assessment day today, wish me luck. One section is mechanical competence so I'm hoping experience of nursing Allegros will hold me in good stead.

[Pillock]

What, for real trains? Good luck! I'd love that job but every time I look they want a qualified driver, like you can just pop down to the TVLA and get your licence.

[gm]

Kames! Love it, did a few autotests there back in the day. Great fun.

Well spotted, Kames in Muirkirk run by the East Ayrshire Car Club. What a great little circuit and a nice friendly club. There were only 12 folk taking part in the test in Sunday so there was a really good atmosphere, I will be booking up for the next autotest on sun 15th March, I'll need to somehow magic up a day off work but I can't wait

 

I'm also tempted by an event the week before run by the Scottish Sporting Car Club down in Ardeer, the former Nobel chemical works near Ayr. It's a big open car park type test which looks like a whole load of fun from the vidos on youtube.

 

In the meantime, Ive got a trackday up at knockhill on sat 28th feb and test day at Kames on sun 1st March so I'd better get the car sorted - new pads and a new set of tyres to put on when I've finished are both in the shopping list.

 

The one I'm really building up to is a track night on the Forrestburn hillclimb course, it's not until the start of May but I think it will be an experience to remember. I should have done this years ago

[DS20]

Air suspension and hydropneumatic suspension - not a steel spring between them

 

Yesterday, the DS went to Someone Who Knows About Them (i.e. not me and my spanners) for a bit of work and an MOT.  Fingers x-ed.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: 

Tried to post this photograph yesterday evening, along with the other useless one, but it wouldn't take.  Happy that it's working now.  

[Ghosty]

Civic now has a fresh MOT - only advisory was headlamp adjustment (sorted). Ancient rear Dunlops have been replaced too. New fronts will be done at some point too - next month I'd guess.

[Craig the Princess]

What, for real trains? Good luck! I'd love that job but every time I look they want a qualified driver, like you can just pop down to the TVLA and get your licence.

LOLZ at TVLA

 

I found it on their website, keep checking the different websites of the passenger franchises and freight operators and trainee roles do come up every so often. Get in quick though as they full quickly.

 

Them the company does the tests and training.

 

Currently at lunch, find out of I passed the morning after lunch

[tooSavvy]

Further to my Window Winder shinnannigans....

 

our local didn't have a Micra.....

 

Oh well >>

 

Now MINUS OSR winder.

 

 

I only want the bloody MiniCog anyway 

 

Let The Games Begin.....

 

TS

[Tayne]

Air suspension and hydropneumatic suspension - not a steel spring between them

 

IMG_1838.JPG 

 

Edit: 

Tried to post this photograph yesterday evening, along with the other useless one, but it wouldn't take.  Happy that it's working now.

 

Montpelier soft-dash LSE.

 

Nice.

[wuvvum]

Been using the Mondeo for all of my running around over the last few days.  Using the highly scientific* method of waiting till the fuel light goes on, resetting the trip meter and then filling up and waiting until the light comes on again, it appears to be doing 110 miles to a tenner, which at current prices equals 56 mpg.  Which is fucking brilliant for a car of its size.  Of course further testing will be required to get a more accurate figure, but it does appear to be at least the equal of the Rover of Doom in the fuel economy stakes, if not in overtaking prowess.  Hopefully the injectors and the DMF will hold together for a bit longer as I rather like the old heap.

[stuboy]

been asked to take this for mot, then if pass to margate... one days insurane £24

[Angrydicky]

Aborted shite collection from before Christmas, is back on for tomorrow. Apparently the misfire "has fixed itself". Should be interesting!

[catsinthewelder]

I have transport again

 

Changed the oil, filter and stat on the Cherry on Saturday but one of the stat housing bolts snapped. Spent most of the day today removing the housing, Dizzy and a few other bits. Drilling + tapping the housing and putting it all back together again. No leaks and it gets up to temperature now which it didn't before.

 

 

Cornflake packet gaskets FTW

[The Moog]

The civic has disgraced itself again. I tried fixing the blow at the rear yesterday with bean tin plus exhaust paste. In this weather it hadn't set even though it had been left for 18 hours.

 

When I started the engine it blew straight through, as I tried to see the problem the middle section dropped on the floor. ATS have quoted me £77 fitted versus ECP £50 for just part

[trigger]

If you do sell it, I reckon you'll spend many years hence bitterly regretting it. Not least because you'll never find another one that nice for less than £stupid.

 

I think that is the problem, I keep saying that I'm going to sell it as i hardly use it but it's such a nice little car that I'm going to struggle to find a replacement, The trouble is that I've got a real itch for a change, I fancy something a little newer for up to £2000 which is capable of doing longer distances, I have the Retro Rides Gathering this years and maybe Shitefest as well as a few other shows. I keep looking at Mk2 Granadas, Sierras, Mk3 Escorts, Rover SD1's, Dolomites, christ loads of stuff!.

[alf892]

Capable of longer trip?

 

I can't see why the car is not capable.....used with mechanical sympathy. People did do longer journeys in the 70s you know!

 

I would agree that driving on some roads can be a chore in old stuff though. Get a decent map and plan a route that is more suitable. In all lot of cases journey times are not vastly different.

[dollywobbler]

I know where he's coming from. I can cope with a 2CV long distance, doing ridiculous rpm, but some cars just really don't like blatting along. My old 845cc Renault 5 springs to mind, which felt as smooth at 60mph as concrete milkshake. The car might be capable, but the sheer noise can be an issue for the driver, and older cars don't always appreciate the hardships of motorway life after many years of gentle use.

 

I may well eat those words next week as I take the 2CV on a 500-mile, long-weekend roadtrip. The trip will be all the more exciting because of this.

 

Yes, it has been a bit damp today since you ask...

[catsinthewelder]

If you arn't too fussed about it then you might as well get rid.  I like our classic small cars because they're pretty good on fuel so get plenty of use around town.  If you don't feel comfortable driving it long distances or like using it to nip round town then theres not much point in keeping it.

 

I really fancy a big saloon like a Triumph 2500 or a Rover but I know that  at 25mpg it'll only get used for the odd meet or when everything else is broken.

[barrett]

Have found an amazing car for sale which I really need in my life. Might be the only chance I'll ever have of getting one. And obviously I am totally broke. Any bright ideas for very quick ways to pull a few grand out of the air?

[Tayne]

Any bright ideas for very quick ways to pull a few grand out of the air?

Yes but it'll cost you "a few grand" for me to tell you.

[gm]

I took a walk round the 'interesting corner' of the local scrappies

 

Makes a change from the lines of knackered Vauxhall and Peugeots (and there's plenty of them)

[cort16]

I've finally finished welding up that fucking van . There's grot under the front sub frame i can't get to so I've dine my best* to fill in what I can and slavered plenty seam sealer overt shitty looking welds.

What a rusty pos it's an 05 too. I got a cheap outer sill for it but I can't be arsed fitting it now the patch I put in last time will have to do. It'll look fine one my painter mate fires a metric ton of wob on it.

[mat_the_cat]

 

Low mileage 2CV for sale next week?

 

Are those warning lights and switch original? Gloriously random positioning!

[dollywobbler]

Yup. That's what I'll do. Get it to a few hundred miles and stash it in a barn, then reap my financial reward on Ebay. I'll be rich, RICH I tells ya!

 

The fog light switch and warning light to the left are original. The indicator warning is a later fitment by me - I took the lamp from a German-spec 2CV, which had to have them from new. Oddly, UK 2CVs never had an indicator warning or main beam (the lower blanking plug) warning. I've lost my blue light - I did have one, also from that German 2CV (along with the cranked wiper arms) but removed it when I fitted relays, as I still haven't got around to threading a wire through the bulkhead from the relay.

[Richard]

I've seen five Rialtos in Shetland this week, four of them in the same garden. The one I saw in a garage forecourt had a Shetland "PS" registration, which makes me wonder if there was once a dealer here.

[HMC]

Noticed a few days back some bulges on the front tyre side wall on the bluebird, presumably a combination of age and damage from scuffing up against the kerb a few too many times. Not used it since then but to my suprise I noticed an advert for some " nissan alloys with tyres" from a supermarket ad it was quite detailed including the 114.3 pcd that is common to bluebirds and a few others cars, so may give them A call.

[Alan_Green]

I've seen five Rialtos in Shetland this week, four of them in the same garden. The one I saw in a garage forecourt had a Shetland "PS" registration, which makes me wonder if there was once a dealer here.

Yup, there was indeed a Reliant dealer on Shetland. In the '80's the islands were full of dem 3 wheelers. Cheap road tax. Rust resistant. Quite sensible transport really if there is nowhere to go.

[Richard]

Excellent, it's all Kia and Citroën now. Do you know where the dealer was? I might try to pap it if it isn't too far north.

[cms206]

"Andy, we're off to collect a new bus" - and with that the boss's 180k mile Rover 75 diesel whisked us to an industrial estate...

 

 

MOT til November, six good Bridgestone tyres, most of a tank of diesel and it pulls like a train - not bad for £500...

[oldcars]

I took a walk round the 'interesting corner' of the local scrappies

 

Makes a change from the lines of knackered Vauxhall and Peugeots (and there's plenty of them)

Cool, where is this please? Could do with a couple of bits off the Reliants.

[gm]

You may be familiar with the place already, the good* stuff is tucked away in the bottom far corner - I'd been loads of times before I discovered it.

 

http://www.scbvehicledismantlers.co.uk

 

SCB at newbridge, so near the airport the planes fly right over your head and scare the crap out of you when you have your head buried in an engine bay

 

 

The reliant a were in a bad way but you may find some useful bits. I suspect the owner is a sentimental old sod who is reluctant to cube these cars, he's never going to make any money off them