The new news 24 thread

[Skizzer]

That's ace.  London Transport ran an ad campaign featuring a picture of a bus/tube/train combo exactly like that in the 80s when they introduced the Travelcard, because you could use it on all of the above.  Guess they (or someone) must have built a promo vehicle too.

 

Edit: http://london-underground.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/supercar-tube-bus-train-restored.html.

[320touring]

I think i've just managed to book a 7 day Nissan Leaf test drive..hopefully will be in my possession early April

[gm]

that seems logical, I'm surprised at how slim the tube section is compared to the bus. imagine coming round a corner to find the back end of a train in front of you

 

an idle thought : how come buses have a maximum number of passengers but tubes and trains can just keep cramming them in ?

[darkfour]

Rained most of the weekend so didn't get a chance to do much on the Plymouth. I have all the parts for the disc brake conversion but once the rains finally stopped I didn't fancy sitting in the mud while trying to install them. Instead I refitted the grill and bumpers so the car now looks less like an abandoned project.

 

 

 

I've got some work to do with the power steering conversion that's on the car. One of the tie rods is fully extended and the other is as short as it goes. Looking at what's going on it looks like the steering rack has been mounted in an offset position so that the steering column can fit between the exhaust and starter motor. It's a Frankenstein steering conversion  using a power steering rack from an early 90's Chevy Cavalier with tie rod ends from a 70's Datsun 510.

 

Not sure the best way to fix this at present. I may end up moving the rack and then using borgeson joints to go round the exhaust or shorten/lengthen the tie rods.

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Phew. Back home, utterly exhausted, but happy at this milestone, clocked up around lunchtime in Gloucestershire.

 

No dramas on the way back, other than the throttle jamming open on the Elan Valley Mountain Road! It tells you something that my hand was on the ignition key ready to turn the engine off just as the pedal finally did return...

[vulgalour]

Successfully reduced my fleet to three cars!  Mike has now filled the V5 in to take over ownership of the Corsa and I'm encouraging him to get using it because it'll be better for tootling than the Xantia is.

 

Anybody interested in a 90s Pajero?  Going to be inspecting one of those with Mike sometime this week.  All I know is it's a Pajero and for sale due to bereavement, more details when I have them.

[RobT]

The Metro passed it's MoT today, which is always a relief. Even though I only did a shamefully low 300 miles in it last year you never know....and as I'm now storing it at home rather than my lock-up faaar awaaay, I'll crack on with doing some jobs I've been meaning to do for ages just to keep it tip top. But before all that it's next outing will be Austin Morris day at Brooklands next Sunday, can't wait!

 

In other news, the ride in the 75 has gone totally to shit now, being crashy over bumps combined with a stiffening up of the steering at slow speeds. Perished ARB ball joint covers were advisories at the last MoT so maybe they've split now and knackered the joints. I'll take it in next week and get it checked out.

[barefoot]

Scirocco in for service and bits last Friday, I even had the leaking rocker cover gasket fitted and was feeling very smug with myself, so obviously when the fair lady barefoot & I went out in it on Saturday it misfired like a bastard at low revs, ran like a bag of shit & wouldn't pull top gear.

I am diagnosing a fubarred ignition lead and when I pulled them off to check this morning one of them fell to bits. Mackled it back together and it now runs superbly again but ordered a new set because that's the sort of bloke I am.

It will be at Shitefest again - I really ought to clean it at some point between the two gigs!

[cort16]

Mental hail storms today. It went from clear to about 4 inches deep of hail in about 2 minutes. I was heading through irvine and spotted a new Merc A class up on the roundabout and a distressed looking women standing staring at it.  I stopped and the tyre had came clear off the rim and it being a new car there was no spare and a tin of foam wasn't going to do much damage. As I was standing talking to her I heard a swwwwissssssh as a Golf GTi did exactly the same thing and went straight over the roundabout, about 10 feet away. He got out all nonchalant and was like "slippy eh". In the mean time someone on the other side of the roundabout had rear ended a van. I helped her find the number for Mercedes assist and buggered off. When I came back she was gone so I guess they came and hoovered her up.

[cort16]

I've been on the hunt for a set of MX-5 or MGF seats to go in my cortina and as i was off today I headed to the local scrappy who had an MG TF LE 80 in there.

I had to google it when I came home but seems like there was only 500 hundred of them and was unsurprisingly given the name for their 80th anniversary.. It had half leather half alcantara seats with 1924 - 2004 embroidered on them. Nice seats but "MG 1924 - 2004" might look a little out of place on the seats of a 1977 Ford Cortina.

Shame it's toast I bet someone would rub their trousers over it. It'd looked half plundered so no way back now.

[dollywobbler]

Mental hail storms today. It went from clear to about 4 inches deep of hail in about 2 minutes. I was heading through irvine and spotted a new Merc A class up on the roundabout and a distressed looking women standing staring at it.  I stopped and the tyre had came clear off the rim and it being a new car there was no spare and a tin of foam wasn't going to do much damage. As I was standing talking to her I heard a swwwwissssssh as a Golf GTi did exactly the same thing and went straight over the roundabout, about 10 feet away. He got out all nonchalant and was like "slippy eh". In the mean time someone on the other side of the roundabout had rear ended a van. I helped her find the number for Mercedes assist and buggered off. When I came back she was gone so I guess they came and hoovered her up.

 

Is it just me or have we seen hail like never before this winter? And it is slippery as f*ck. Last December, I drove the XM for miles through an enormous hailstorm, with absolutely no idea how much grip I did/didn't have. Terrifying. You don't notice a lack of grip when you're travelling at a consistent speed in a straight line. 2CV took some HAIL TO THE FACE on today's mission, but thankfully it didn't build up too much on the road. 

[cort16]

That was really mental. We had the same going to Glasgow yesterday and sure as shite there was a handfull of cars that had slid off the road.

 

I think it compacts into ice quicker than snow does it also seems to come on really hard and so you can go from blue skys and clear roads to oh shit, it's slippy as fuck in about 10 seconds.

When i got out it was maybe 4 inches deep all over so not insignificant.

[mat_the_cat]

an idle thought : how come buses have a maximum number of passengers but tubes and trains can just keep cramming them in ?

 

Guessing that it's deemed less likely for trains to come to a sudden, unplanned stop...

[dave21478]

Here we get mega-hail every now and then.

 

I have been lucky enough to never experience it myself, but my project Panda bonnet and roof look like that one above.

Scary stuff.

[320touring]

First attempt at making sweet and sour chicken Cantonese style..

 

Looks no bad and tastes ok:)

[EssDeeWon]

^What no stale prawn crackers and a pancake roll?

[Pillock]

 

 

Here we get mega-hail every now and then.

 

I have been lucky enough to never experience it myself, but my project Panda bonnet and roof look like that one above.

Scary stuff.

Our Touran bonnet looks exactly like that - there was a tornado and associated hailstorm in Leicestershire a couple of years back, Mrs_P was sat in the car too scared to get out as she could see the damage being inflicted on sheet metal... Other cars got windows put through. Oddly the roof is fine - larger area means more bouncy?

 

When the car got hit not long after, the insurance assessor wrote "hail damage" all over the paperwork to make sure only the wing and bumper were fixed, apparently they had a mega amount of claims for the hail but a lot of policies excluded weather conditions....

[DVee8]

I thought i was on facebook when i saw photos of someones tea.

[dollywobbler]

I did a bloggage about this weekend's roadtrip. https://classichub.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/the-200k-tin-snail-roadtrip/

[dave21478]

Another car viewed today - another car not bought.

 

Was a 405 again, TDi estate flavour. High miles but cheap price. It also turned out to be thoroughly rotten and running four completely slick tyres.

 

Im getting pretty disheartened by the whole thing - everything within budget is shit. I reckon another trip back to UK to buy something will turn up better cars for less money overall.

[holbeck]

I had a day off work today. I woke up early with the thought to do something - have a day out.

 

After mulling it over I decided to visit Coventry Transport Museum, been meaning to go since forever  - after all it's free!

 

So, quick check can I make the train to Birmingham at 8.23, yes, right get moving. Drove to Exeter in the Poojo, clear run through the traffic so time for coffee and a bacon roll.

Nice seat on the train and at the next station an engaging blonde lady sits opposite me and we have a nice chat for the next hour till she gets off at Cheltenham.

Arrive in Birmingham New St step off one train and straight on to the next, which leaves immediately and swiftly delivers me to Cov.

It's a lovely sunny day and I'm walking through Coventry town centre.

 

Find the museum... FFS it's closed for refurbishment!

 

Note to self.....do not be spontaneous.

[dollywobbler]

Just remembered. Broke another strap on my Casio FW-91 watch. Rubbish!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Here we get mega-hail every now and then.

 

I have been lucky enough to never experience it myself, but my project Panda bonnet and roof look like that one above.

Scary stuff.

August 2012 I decided to go to St Tropez via Millau (sp?) because I wanted to go over the bridge, a couple of hours down the A75 on the edge of the Massif Central. It suddenly went dark and the wind was fetching branches off the trees,then the hail started ! It was like a bombardment , we'd just passed a 1 km to a services sign ,so I went for it. Just got under the petrol canopy with about 50 other cars. The noise was pretty intense and cars in the carpark were getting windows smashed,including the roof panel of a Megane .

After it stopped we kept going for an hour till I could face looking at the damage.

The bonnet and roof were almost as bad as that BMW, all the chrome trim round the side windows was damaged and there was one big chip on the screen.

But the fact it was black and it spent the next 3 weeks in 40 degree sunshine meant a lot of the dents popped out especially in the ally bonnet. When I got home I replaced the chrome trims and ignored the dents that were left, no customers ever noticed and when it was written off a couple of years later the assessor didn't notice either.

[stuboy]

well today i went and collected it to bring it back to be welded....

just wouldnt start....grrr

so hooked up to rover and tugged it..

drove 100m's and grinding noise and pulled over...

oh..

arr

mate wound it back on so can drive it..

back in there garage to weld ans sort spring..

back to retest mot..

then we took it back to mates nephew in margate..( what dive of a seaside town )

[HillmanImp]

Just met Volksy in town and he had these with him:

 

 

He picked them up from a place in Sheffield I ordered them from a couple of weeks ago for £80. Really looking forward to getting the Visa working again...... But the MOT ran out the other day so I will fit these and then have to take it straight for its test.

[messerschmitt owner]

yes, yes! I Know!  They really are called this!

 

the brand new black box for my messerschmutt (it is a bit of a dog, my car!) is working its way across country from Heathrow, havimg cleared customs (and the bomb squad) this evening.

 

Expecting a knock at the door tomorrow, from a man (or woman) demanding I sign a form and get bum raped for customs charges and import duty!

 

Can't wait! Battery is charged, gallon of 2-T mixed and a few wee things to do before we have ignition ...

 

Woo hoo - no MoT either!

[320touring]

^What no stale prawn crackers and a pancake roll?

Nup-just as well as was mighty full after it

[320touring]

I thought i was on facebook when i saw photos of someones tea.

Apologies!I'll no make any for you comin over then:)

[320touring]

Need to use the xj40 tomorrow-so far we have 2 inches of snow:)

 

Brrrrrwaaaappppp!

[Barry Cade]

Taxed the X1/9 as I had decided winter was over. Thoughts of driving roof off in the sunshine I attended to a few wee issues. It started snowing. Now there is about 4 inches of snow on the ground, and the Volvo, along with its heated seats and windscreen is 10 miles away, work tomorrow and the Fiats battery is not the best. The morning may bring hoots of laughter drifting to work,or hospital in an ambulance if I try to bump start it.