The new news 24 thread

[spike60]

Did the final prep on the Le Mans trip jalopy today, a 140k Tdi Polio. It got the outer CV's changed as they sounded like a Gatling gun and a cam belt kit fitted but that still whines like a supercharger....   Not the first choice for a thousand mile trip with it's poor seats but it has good tyres, is insured for both drivers and big boot (seats down) unlike the other fleet options, Bmw Z3 and 530d saloons and estate.

I know it's fashionable to sneer at Vw's on here but I've few complaints with it as a daily plodder despite having spent about £400 on consumables in the last few months, - a set of tyres, pads and discs all round, exhaust back box, service.

[vulgalour]

So I'm back.  I'll reply to the notes I've got waiting and we will draw a line under the whole For Sale thread debacle.  In fact, any references to that particular thread shall be pointedly ignored by me.

 

When it was suggested I 'close the garage door' stepping away from Autoshite - and a host of other car forums I'm on - turned out to be my equivalent of that and it was a very good thing I did it too.  While I've been MIA I decided to focus on anything but cars, knuckled down with work and just did selfish silly little things to make me happy.  It has done me a lot of good.

 

Thank you to those of you that are patient with me and understanding, and for those of you that reached out to check I was okay.  Some of you know what it's like to have noise prattling away in your head and driving you to do irrational things, some of you never will and really should be grateful for that.

 

For now, I'm using the Xantia and working on the Renault and Princess when the mood takes me.  I won't be offering updates on the work I've done until I'm comfortable doing that.  It's just going to take a bit of time for me to get from here to there and I'm not pushing it.

[fordperv]

Hey vulg welcome back, I was chuffed to see your user name pop up.

[cms206]

Welcome back Angyl

[vulgalour]

While I remember, Nugget passed its MoT with no advisories at all.  So it's not been all bad while I've been away.

[richardmorris]

Bit worried about Merc. It seemed quite wondery all over the roads today, I always feel like I'm tryj g to correct it. I drove along a lot of A-roads and some motorways and it seems quite wondery...

Also, under the wheel arch liner is a hole where the washer bottle is suppose to be resting. Some welding is gonna be needed soon.

Perhaps it's tyre pressure? Free fix:-)

 

You looked under a wheel arch liner ? Fool ignorance is bliss!

 

Actually, mine doesn't have much in the way of liners-some plasticy things In places but not much coverage.

[barrett]

Finally can haz yellow lights like wot a proper French car should

[richardmorris]

Used to have those in the cx and 2cv. Couldn't see where I was going mind you

[wuvvum]

The Magentis failed its MOT this morning.  One brake pipe, a number plate light (working but dim) and headlight aim.  The brake pipe is the nearside rear one and it's one long pipe running the entire length of the car, but fortunately I still have enough left on my roll of copper pipe to make up a new one, so the total cost to pass will be two brake pipe unions and a bulb.  Not too bad considering.

 

The Forester now has a full test.  That's going to be sold soon.

 

Just the MG and the Mondeo to go this month.  Oh, and the Spacy.

[ruffgeezer]

How would it seal?

Sounds like a much better bet if jb weld won't work

A smear of silicone or exhaust paste inside the sleeve, cut both sides of the flange off and a couple of clamps to squeeze the original exhaust.

 

I recently did similar to the Ax's cat. It had broken flush with the rear of the cat body so I ground the hole out to the size of a reducer sleeve and welded that to it instead. New cat was £90, this repair cost me about a tenner.

[Lord Sterling]

Perhaps it's tyre pressure? Free fix:-)

You looked under a wheel arch liner ? Fool ignorance is bliss!

Actually, mine doesn't have much in the way of liners-some plasticy things In places but not much coverage.

Cheers. Tyre pressures are checked weekly and pressured to manufacturers recommended psi. Yep, wheel arch liner and rubber lip decided to drop down and make themselves known hence my investigation.

 

It'll all be sorted. It just takes time, money and patience.

[cros]

^^ Was in Kettering yesterday funnily enough. Windmill Avenue I think it was. Mrs Beard was working at Tresham College...

Agree about the standard of the roads! Although the roads in Lytham St Annes are as bad TBH.

My first mechanically propelled vehicle came from Windmill Avenue, a Suzuki 50 Sportsman. Very poorly chosen name, and would have probably been swallowed up by the first pothole if it was today. The shop was called Windmill Motors, imagination knows no bounds in Kettering.

[michael t]

Anyone know anything about Hyundai Getz's? Looking for my 1st car and this one is local to me, got its MOT till January 2016 and looks tidy in the pictures. Anything in particular I should be aware of with these? Thanks in advance...

 

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/hyundai-getz/9566719?offset=1

 

[tooSavvy]

Getz... The 3 door dizzle has a motor (not in the other dizzlers) you can 'chip' to GTe spec...

 

Quote:- Hyundai Getz 1.5 CRDI 85  = orig 82 hp to 112 hp, orig 187 NM to 240 NM

TS

[richardmorris]

Back from Goodwood.

 

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

So I'm back. 

 

 

do we know you?!?

 

[Tetleysmooth]

Cheers. Tyre pressures are checked weekly and pressured to manufacturers recommended psi. Yep, wheel arch liner and rubber lip decided to drop down and make themselves known hence my investigation.

 

It'll all be sorted. It just takes time, money and patience.

 

Are you sure it wasn't just ruts in the road caused by heavy lorries LS?

[Lord Sterling]

Are you sure it wasn't just ruts in the road caused by heavy lorries LS?

Thats what I was thinking. Alot of the A-roads in Shropshire where kind of like that but it does feel a bit wollowy/drifty even on straight motorway, not something I felt when I first got the car so I'm wondering whether its something like the rear camber control arms, bushes, steering box or even a sub frame problem.

 

As I understand it, the Merc is supposed to feel dead solid at any speed so something definitely is amiss.

[Shep Shepherd]

As of today, The Volvo has done 230,000 miles:

 

 

I hope to take it beyond 250,000 miles, but it may take some time, as I'm only driving the car around 2,000 miles per year nowadays.

[richardmorris]

Some one took my photo!

[HMC]

Back from a cracking shitefest-

 

BBQ and a cider on the go, new reading material courtesy of Garycox, a broken escort over in the garage and a new ( to me) granada on the drive. That it made it to shitefest and back after various breakdowns is impressive.

I'm toasting shitefest and a poorly granada that got me back home...

[meggersdog]

Had my first ever fail to proceed today.

The old Discovery has been playing up for a while.Sometimes it would turn over slow but always start and sometimes flashing the lights to let someone in would kill the radio.I had noticed the headlights had a slight flicker to them so checked the voltages.12 volts at the battery when running,hmmm, 14 volts out of the alternator.Changed the battery a month ago and everything seemed fine.

A few days ago it starts turning slow again but I also notice the indicator light on the dash  flickering when on.Checked the battery yesterday and again 12 volts when running but the alternator is pushing out 16 volts this time.A mate has a spare alternator somewhere in his shed so after a bit of running about this morning I went to see my mate,had a chat and a coffee, came out and the car wouldn't even turn over.We jumped it and away we go down to the shed.Found the alternator but now not even dash lights even when we put the jump-leads on.My series is down there so I took the battery off that and fitted it to the Discovery and away it went.

Drove home to fit the replacement alternator and the same again no dash lights.Cleaned up all the connections I could find.Used a jump-lead as an earth.Took the intercooler pipe off to get at the starter and still nothing.I then clipped a wire from the starter to the alternator charge wire and it all came back to life.Must be a break in the loom somewhere.So using some 5mm wire and yellow terminals I've connected the alternator charge direct to the battery and now when running the battery is showing 13.5-14 volts and no flickering of other lights.

What I shall do tomorrow is get some thicker wire and an inline fuse.I'm thinking 8mm should be ok as that's what is there already.Direct to the battery with an inlne fuse should be ok as the regulator is in the back of the alternator.Well that's my thinking anyway.Somebody on here smarter than me might advise otherwise which would be appreciated.Oh, it's a diesel and an old one at that with none of that fancy electrickery and fly by wire nonsense.

[derskine]

Don't need an inline fuse, they don't commonly have them between the alternator and battery output I don't think.

Just some reasonably heavy gauge wire and you'll be fine.

[vulgalour]

Made some holes on the Princess bigger when chasing out bodge and made some new holes I found go away today.  I now hurt in places I didn't know you could hurt but then most of my Sunday has been spent wedged into the footwell under the steering wheel with a grinder in my hand trying not to accidentally trim the pedals or my face.

 

I probably won't do any more until next weekend now, but it's been nice to get some positive progress made.  I just wish repair panels existed to make my life a bit easier, the bottom of the front wing disintegrated and is a really complicated set of curves that I'm hoping is similar enough to the spare rear outer sill section I salvaged from the Orange Slice.

[Bobthebeard]

Made some holes on the Princess bigger when chasing out bodge and made some new holes I found go away today.  I now hurt in places I didn't know you could hurt but then most of my Sunday has been spent wedged into the footwell under the steering wheel with a grinder in my hand trying not to accidentally trim the pedals or my face.

 

I probably won't do any more until next weekend now, but it's been nice to get some positive progress made.  I just wish repair panels existed to make my life a bit easier, the bottom of the front wing disintegrated and is a really complicated set of curves that I'm hoping is similar enough to the spare rear outer sill section I salvaged from the Orange Slice.

Ahh, the joy of shite! But would we have it any other way? I think not. Nice to see the Mojo returning BTW.

[dollywobbler]

Had my first ever fail to proceed today.

The old Discovery has been playing up for a while.Sometimes it would turn over slow but always start and sometimes flashing the lights to let someone in would kill the radio.I had noticed the headlights had a slight flicker to them so checked the voltages.12 volts at the battery when running,hmmm, 14 volts out of the alternator.Changed the battery a month ago and everything seemed fine.

A few days ago it starts turning slow again but I also notice the indicator light on the dash  flickering when on.Checked the battery yesterday and again 12 volts when running but the alternator is pushing out 16 volts this time.A mate has a spare alternator somewhere in his shed so after a bit of running about this morning I went to see my mate,had a chat and a coffee, came out and the car wouldn't even turn over.We jumped it and away we go down to the shed.Found the alternator but now not even dash lights even when we put the jump-leads on.My series is down there so I took the battery off that and fitted it to the Discovery and away it went.

Drove home to fit the replacement alternator and the same again no dash lights.Cleaned up all the connections I could find.Used a jump-lead as an earth.Took the intercooler pipe off to get at the starter and still nothing.I then clipped a wire from the starter to the alternator charge wire and it all came back to life.Must be a break in the loom somewhere.So using some 5mm wire and yellow terminals I've connected the alternator charge direct to the battery and now when running the battery is showing 13.5-14 volts and no flickering of other lights.

What I shall do tomorrow is get some thicker wire and an inline fuse.I'm thinking 8mm should be ok as that's what is there already.Direct to the battery with an inlne fuse should be ok as the regulator is in the back of the alternator.Well that's my thinking anyway.Somebody on here smarter than me might advise otherwise which would be appreciated.Oh, it's a diesel and an old one at that with none of that fancy electrickery and fly by wire nonsense.

 

WARNING. When my Disco failed to proceed, it was because it was trying to use the handbrake cable as an earth. A very common trick if the engine earth wires are knackered. Sounds like it might not be the case here, but worth checking.

 

Vulg - good to see you back, especially with Prinny progress. 

[vulgalour]

The key is to ignore every other bit of welding than the part I'm working on.  That seems to keep me focused and content and the quality of the work itself is better.  None of it is really as bad as it looked when I started and I've made some really good progress, that's what I need to remind myself as I go along.

 

Yesterday I mentioned I'd finished the sill and the rear arch repair.  I've never repaired an arch with a scratch built section before and while it's not perfect it's a lot smarter than what was there.  A light skim of filler and the original chrome arch refitted and you'd probably not even know it had been done.

 

Today I removed the bottom of the front wing and found a hidden little hole that needed attention.  This is probably how water was getting in to the sill and the floor and rotting them out, I've got another section of sill this side to replace yet, though happily I do have a suitable bit of metal for the job.

 

 

The floor got cut out, removing some rivets and fibreglass and filler and bitumen and rust.  I've got a repair panel for most of this area too, liberated from the orange car.  The time here is more in the clean up as everything is difficult to get at.  The actual welding won't take long at all.

 

 

I'm comfortable enough sharing those pics.  I'm after solid and functional rather than pretty.  Pretty can come later.  In fact, the only job I'm thinking about on the car at the moment is that floor pan and I won't concern myself with the next bit until that bit is done.  It helps, and it's been good to just zone out on a job like this, it's like some sort of productive meditation or something.

[panhard65]

Been out with the local car club today on a tour of Somerset nothing particuarly exciting the usual M.G'S and a very nice 2002 BMW. Also found a new rattle driving with the n/s/f window open it sounds like a wheel trim so hopefully a cheap fix. I also found the rattle on the rear door. Bloody Rolls is so quiet with the windows up you notice every little noise.

 

I don't know what was the score with this old DS420. It still had it's engine and box and wasn't totally rotten.

Strange grille on the XJS I think it might be U.S spec ??

[Ghosty]

Why is everyone FTPing today...

[RobT]

I think it was Trigger who pointed me torwards this Hydragas pump in the tat for sale section of the Llangollen Transport museum. I managed to score it for 20 quid which is a barg, so all I need is some juice and I can go pumpin' my miniMetro whenever!

 

So if any southern shiters who are suspended by the Moulton method need a pump up, give me a shout. FOC or maybe just a nominal sum to cover the cost of the fluid.