The new news 24 thread

[trigger]

No photos taken other than the first one but today consisted of a road test in my old Mk1 Cortina with my dad for the first time. He's fixed the oil leak which turned out to just be a damaged oil cap.

 

 

We then replaced the front Suspension top mount on my Focus which was knocking, it's much better now and the steering doesn't shake anymore, it was only £24, I wish I fixed it months ago now!

 

Then made a start on the Sierra, my mechanic has took a look at it and decided that it's actually pretty decent, I've been quoted £100 to do the welding and he's offered to sort the rear brake pipe and rear fuel pipes as the metal has corroded, that's a pain but not expected.

 

It still needs new tyres and it keeps cutting out so the first real job will be to get it running better, I'll get some plugs, leads and a coil ordered up for it, I also spent 3 hours cleaning it and it's so much nicer, the interior is really tidy and much nicer to be in now! Most people will think it's pointless doing the work but if every Sierra got scrapped or raced just for a few jobs then there be none left, so as long as I don't spend more than its worth then I'm happy

[NorfolkNWeigh]

These will be prime AS fodder in 10 years.

159 replacement , RWD Guilia.

 

You know that Top Gear bollocks; you can't be real petroldickhead until you've owned an Alfa?

Well a 335 bhp dizzler one of these could be the making of me for £800 in a few years.

[trigger]

That's sexy as FCUK. I really like the Giulietta too, I saw one of them the other day in a real nice blue/purple whilst in a traffic jam and I couldn't help starring at it like a bird with big tits in a boob tube on a hot summers day.

[Negative Creep]

Wow, I hate the wide eyed front of the Mito and Giulietta but that is one seriously good looking car

[crapcarcollector]

I'm definitely putting my name down on the AS waiting list (10 years or more) for that Alfa. Lush.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'd like to put new rear arches and sills on one of those

[RobT]

Today I've been mostly breaking things. First cock up was replacing the cam cover gasket on the Cavalier. Despite being a simple job I managed to shear off one of the bolts whilst tightening it up, but after a test drive it seems to be leak free so will just conveniently forget it ever happened...New wiper blades were put on without drama.

 

Next up was greasing the radius arms on the Metro with my new grease gun and cartridge combo. The job went well and all the new lovely grease pumped in a treat, but I then went and broke the nipple when taking the gun off so only the thread remains in the off side arm nut. I IS HAM-FISTED. I've ordered some new nipples and nuts off ebay so I'll sort that out next weekend. I also changed the spark plugs as they were due for renewal.

 

Also been pondering the fleet situation, as you do. The Cavalier has a few minor issues to sort and is actually quite ropey in terms of the bodywork, but it drives well and was cheap so I'll just run it until the MoT in October and see what that throws up. Lovely though the 75 is, the inevitable boredom and want for other stuff has set in. Can't keep 'em all so I might sell it soon and get another R8, as I still miss the AS bike 220. This time I fancy a 214, preferably in SEi flavour.

[spike60]

My Z3 passed its MOT this morning after adjusting 1 side hand brake and fitting a brake lamp bulb last night.

I've also been lusting after a heavyweight BMW or Merc for some time so I went to see a Merc for sale locally in a fetching shade of purple familiar to this forum. Undecided at the minute, no reflection on the car.

[Ghosty]

Couple of weeks ago, Old Man was considering all sorts of random cars mostly made of unobtainium as I detailed.

Then, Focussesesses.

He refused to look at an 05 Focus 2.0 Titanium on 62k for no reason he'd explain.

 

Now he wants an E46.

Has to be a saloon to satisfy the mother.

On low mileage (strict <70k).

With leather.

With >2 litre engine (basically a 323/325i).

For £2500 (including a shit Civic as a PX, that he's throwing money at just to make it look like a polished turd better for when he sells - WTF?).

 

I don't know what's annoying me more, the fact he won't actually go and look at anything reasoanble we suggest, or the fact he wants to sort the following on the shit Civic:

 

replace 2x tyres worn on inside due to bad tracking, with the cheapest shit tyres he can find

repaint the wheels (????) 

touch up the paint (car is scratched to fuck on drivers door and there's a scratch on every panel, as well as 1/4 of the car being badly resprayed with poor colour match and terrible orange peeling)

sort a mysterious occasionally blowing exhaust.

 

It's also Y reg which means the tax is £225 as opposed to £145 if it was X or older (emissions vs. engine size).

 

It's a £500 POS, why would you tart it up just to fucking PX it...

 

Some people are beyond help - I've been instructed by the mother to 'just leave him to it' - which I will happily as he's being a right arse about it. 

Problem is he'll probably want me to help him with all the above jobs

[Shep Shepherd]

The Saab got new* 'SAAB' and '9-5' tailgate badges yesterday. The originals had been removed by a previous owner for some reason, possibly in a vain attempt to convince others that the car wasn't a Saab:

 

 

A simple job which has made the rear of the car look so much better; in retrospect, the car looked really odd without the badges. I replaced the 'SAAB SCANIA' roundel not long after I bought the car due to the original one being a bit manky.

 

 

 

 

*Read good used items from eBay.

[The Moog]

The Saab got new* 'SAAB' and '9-5' tailgate badges yesterday. The originals had been removed by a previous owner for some reason, possibly in a vain attempt to convince others that the car wasn't a Saab:

 

IMAG0893.jpg

 

A simple job which has made the rear of the car look so much better; in retrospect, the car looked really odd without the badges. I replaced the 'SAAB SCANIA' roundel not long after I bought the car due to the original one being a bit manky.

 

 

 

 

*Read good used items from eBay.

I am tempted to remove mine I find it cleaner without

[doobietoo]

Ha ha, me too the letters look like something out of a Lego* city pack or the individual letters you used to be able to buy at the hardware shop to make up "mon repose" and its more fun watching people who don't know cars trying to work out what 15 year old car just left them for dead.... lol.... sleeper YO !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

other small bricklike toy kits are available

[Six-cylinder]

Home for one night and now we will try again for Scotland in the Volvo V70 XC!

 

[Ghosty]

I've convinced Old Man to go and look at a Lexus IS200 in Sheffield provided it's still there next week.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

^^^^Lets hope its not a 'paki' selling it eh

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Picked up a set of 4 MGB Rostyles today for a quid!!!

[Ghosty]

^^^^Lets hope its not a 'paki' selling it eh

He'd use that to his advantage and play them again I bet, like how he got £200 off his Civic because the tracking was off, blamed it on wishbone bushes...

[dollywobbler]

Went to a small car show in Shropshire this morning with some elderly chums. Some nice variety, though I couldn't work out why a battered 306 estate was deemed worth of the field, nor why there were so many K10 Micras.

 

Here's my pal checking out a Subaru pick-up just after we arrived. He owns a beige one which has just been restored.

 

Here's one of the Micras. For sale at £700, but had some interesting sill and wheelarch repairs.

 

This shows the variety quite nicely.

 

Ring-a-ding-ding Saab was lovely.

 

I think this immaculate 100,000-mile Opel Manta took my virtual trophy though. Lovely.

 

In other news, this just happened in the Nippa.

 

It hit 24k when I collected it, so that's just over 1000 miles since March. It's likely to remain low mileage.

[dollywobbler]

In other, other news, I forgot to post details of yesterday. I decided last-minute to dash up to RAF Cosford on the XM to see the Vulcan.

 

Naturally, I soon found chod to photograph, including this slightly-shabby Astra GTE.

 

I then found this Hyundai Accent and some Jensen thing (an FF no less).

 

Met up with FPB7 and Chaceracer, then things got noisy.

 

Then I found a Skoda with a brown interior. Desirable.

 

Getting a car-park drive of FPB7's Rover 60 was rather pleasant. Thanks!

 

One final shot before heading home.

 

The XM stinks of diesel at the moment. I need to find where that's coming from. It was a lot more pleasant when it was chewing veg! It does now start more sweetly though. Clearly a minor leak somewhere, letting in air and presumably ruining the veg-starting ability.

[wuvvum]

I also saw the Vulcan today.  Only just made it, as it was 5 minutes early and I had to park 400 yards away from the viewing spot as it was absolutely rammed.  Must have been well over 100 cars packed into a residential estate.  Lord knows what it must have been like at the airport itself.  Managed to get a bit of footage on the camera, which I was pleased about.

 

Then I loaded the Cagiva in the van and ran it down to Whysub, who, as seems to be the norm with shiters, is a thorougly bloody nice bloke.  Pleasant run down (including spotting an H van on the A12 and a house with an MG Maestro and tatty Sunbeam Talbot parked outside in Kelvedon), run back took a bit longer as an X-type Jag had hit a horsebox on the A14 and closed the road.  Fortunately I was near the back of the queue, and the fire brigade etc. were already leaving, so didn't sit for too long before we started moving again - the people at the front must have been there for fugging hours.  The roof had been cut off the Jag; the horsebox had come off better, as one would expect, although I have no idea how the horses fared.

 

I also witnessed a Setra coach blatting past a rather slow-moving Synergie-and-caravan on the A140.  I was quite impressed with its overtaking ability for something so large - I'm not sure what engines Setra use these days, but it must be something quite meaty - you wouldn't go from 40-60 that quick with a TL11.  Sounded nice too, for a modern diesel.

[stripped fred]

I saw the Vulcan today too. I was out for a walk with my kids and heard what sounded like thunder. It then flew directly over us. It came as a bit of a surprise as we didnt know it was flying. We were told later that it's the last time it will be flying which is a shame as it looks and sounds pretty awesome.

[hairnet]

jensen is an interceptor - ff if you ever see one are pre 70

 

went to ireland for almost a week and only chod in saw in the north or south was a sherpa van in donegal a merc 210 camper at malin head and a p5b coupe on the a55 coming home this morning and an xk8 german reg there also 66 e type who was in the queue for the boat back to wales

[flat4alfa]

It is an FF - check the pair of front wing vents

 

The plate is H, unless it has late registration madness

[catsinthewelder]

The Cherry has a new clutch, it's taken me all weekend and I can't drive it to see how much better it is as I forgot to buy gearbox oil to replace what I drained out. There's also the small matter of realising that the MOT ran out last week.

[flat4alfa]

I saw the Vulcan today too. ... We were told later that it's the last time it will be flying which is a shame as it looks and sounds pretty awesome.

 

There are a few more displays left in it, before it get mothballed until WWIII

 

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/appearances.html

[LC Torana]

 to see the Vulcan.

 

Getting a car-park drive of FPB7's Rover 60 was rather pleasant. Thanks!

Live Long and prosper.

 

Now, is that reverse-Vulgalour livery, or am I mis-seeing the colours?

[Inspector Morose]

Wedding car black over cream. That cut off for the cream at the rear is really starting to piss me off. It looks shit.

[STUNO]

News...I didn't see a Vulcan at the weekend, in fact I last saw one when I was about 6. I can still picture it vividly as it flew low over the school !

[rml2345]

Wedding car black over cream. That cut off for the cream at the rear is really starting to piss me off. It looks shit.

Now you've mentioned it I can't stop looking at it. It would look excellent* in Walsall blue with yellow coach stripe...

[Jerzy Woking]

Great to meet Wuvvum last night -from our conversation it was clear this place is full of great people selling great shite. The Cagiva will be sorted in a few weeks - just needs a tidy and a bit of paint here and there. A 16 year old tuned Italian two stroke in the hands of a childish 56 year old? WCPGW

 

I know the owner of the two cars in Kelvedon as he is a friend of my ex wife. He also has a barn and some land near me chock full of everything, in various states of age related decay, from mid 30's Sunbeams and Humbers, to 80's Allegros, Discovery's and everything inbetween, as well his daily driver Maestro.

 

He is a nice bloke-I've a few poor photos of the cars on his land, but won't publish them as I respect his privacy. I'd love to properly photograph all he has there, but I doubt I'll ever get the invitation.