The new news 24 thread

[vulgalour]

Well, the Old Car that bf and I were off to view has sold, which is a bit of a shame.  Sensible head on, there's things we should definitely spend the money on instead, like carpets and cookers and boring stuff like that.

What we're actually looking at acquiring is most likely an Austin Somerset.  After much hunting and browsing and comparing, it's the one model we both keep coming back to so is probably the best option for the almost-pre-war motoring experience.  They're also pretty cheap and plentiful, comparatively speaking.  We've considered a lot of different models and the Somerset is the one we come back to the most, Lanchester LD10, and Austin Sixteen being close seconds, and Morris Ten coming in third.  We'd love something big and swish, like an Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, but realistically we haven't the space to look after something like that properly yet, and it's probably better to cut our teeth on something more humdrum like the Somerset to really figure out if old fashioned motoring is actually for us.

[Fraz]

7 hours ago, dome said:

Dear god, what kind of idiot do you take me for?

No, that one has got @Fraz written all over it

£2000!!!!

 

jesus Christ .... not at that price. Half that and I’d consider it. 

[holbeck]

C15 MOT fail.

Merde!

Quite a long list, but mostly do-able.

The worst of it is corrosion to seat belt mounting and rear subframe mount. The garage are  getting me an estimate from their sub-contract welder.

Ho hum.

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, vulgalour said:

Well, the Old Car that bf and I were off to view has sold, which is a bit of a shame.  Sensible head on, there's things we should definitely spend the money on instead, like carpets and cookers and boring stuff like that.

What we're actually looking at acquiring is most likely an Austin Somerset.  After much hunting and browsing and comparing, it's the one model we both keep coming back to so is probably the best option for the almost-pre-war motoring experience.  They're also pretty cheap and plentiful, comparatively speaking.  We've considered a lot of different models and the Somerset is the one we come back to the most, Lanchester LD10, and Austin Sixteen being close seconds, and Morris Ten coming in third.  We'd love something big and swish, like an Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, but realistically we haven't the space to look after something like that properly yet, and it's probably better to cut our teeth on something more humdrum like the Somerset to really figure out if old fashioned motoring is actually for us.

I've driven two Somersets.  The one I had as a courtesy car years ago was bloody horrible.  Angrydicky's was lovely - although the 1489cc engine upgrade helps there, the original 1200 is a little underpowered for modern traffic.

[vulgalour]

I was wondering about the performance* of the 1200, it seems like a very small engine for such a heavy car.  Am I right in assuming you can use the usual B series performance upgrades that you'd use on the MG B, Marina, etc. or are they a bit more specific?  I'm led to believe you can drop the bigger B series straight in, and that the gearbox and axle are robust enough to deal with it.  I'm also lead to believe you can fairly easily convert to disc brakes up front.

[Dannyk]

3 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

If you're on Facebook - check out the page "Angry People In Local Newspapers".  

I know several snappers for the papers, and I constantly ridicule them for this sort of shit.  "Yes - can you look disappointed please chaps.  Bit more?  No come on - you're fed up with having to live next to this pl... THAT'S THE LOOK".

 

Ill have a good look through it all later but looks pretty funny so far

[HillmanImp]

3 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

If you're on Facebook - check out the page "Angry People In Local Newspapers".  

I know several snappers for the papers, and I constantly ridicule them for this sort of shit.  "Yes - can you look disappointed please chaps.  Bit more?  No come on - you're fed up with having to live next to this pl... THAT'S THE LOOK".

Funnily enough I saw my mate made the comment below on a L.A. Gazette article about potholes today. 

[anonymous user]

Vulgalour, the first car I drove was a Somerset, it was given to us by a friend of my father, I remember that my father had replaced the half shafts in the rear axle several times for the previous owner so not sure how robust they are, particularly some 45 years on. I have had a few Devon/Dorset which is the same running gear and found them fine for pottering about, the Somerset is a good choice.

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, vulgalour said:

I was wondering about the performance* of the 1200, it seems like a very small engine for such a heavy car.  Am I right in assuming you can use the usual B series performance upgrades that you'd use on the MG B, Marina, etc. or are they a bit more specific?  I'm led to believe you can drop the bigger B series straight in, and that the gearbox and axle are robust enough to deal with it.  I'm also lead to believe you can fairly easily convert to disc brakes up front.

I'm not sure I'd want to drop in a 1798 twin carb from an MGB - the gearbox and rear axle probably wouldn't thank you for that - but a 1489 gives adequate power to be usable without completely overwhelming the brakes.  Brakes can be adequate if properly maintained, but being hydro-mechanical they do need proper setting up.

The 1200 engine is a sort of proto-B-series so not sure how upgradeable they are without finding contemporary '50s tuning bits, which might be expensive.

[egg]

Let's go for a drive with @Angrydicky

 

 

[richardmorris]

I hit a deer last night on the way home. Or more accurately it hit me- square amidships right into the driver’s door. I could see it running off again so didn’t get out. Made a Big Bang though. Huge dent in the driver’s door panel though ( about a 2” indent from the Sacco panel) so I spent twenty minutes in the dark removing the inner panel and gave the back a thump or two and it ( mostly ) boinged out again.  No scratches, hard creases or gore though, just a couple of bristled hairs.

 Managed to clip the plastic panel back on ok although it looks like at least one plastic clip disintegrated.

There’s a bit of a deflection around the door handle but I’ll see what it looks like in daylight tomorrow.

I went on the bike today as fed up with the car yesterday, on the way in some mad woman in a Volvo people tank thing decided she couldn’t wait for oncoming traffic to pass the parked cars and just pulled out in front of me. Good news is the abs worked! I had a queue of cars behind and she was then gesturing for me to reverse. Not going to happen, so she got out and came to have a word- said I had to give way to her as she is coming uphill and she’d already waited for six cars.  Honestly I don’t know what the world is coming to at the moment.  

[Tayne]

5 hours ago, Dannyk said:

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18184040.abandoned-house-leads-safety-fears-rodbourne-cheney/?fbclid=IwAR2n5qrB_4yjYkvMkqEF_fTCxVGFLv2xppaVUYFZXCu-xPrTDo8Fi8BEyBA#gallery2

 

D701SWL?

[Angrydicky]

3 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Well, the Old Car that bf and I were off to view has sold, which is a bit of a shame.  Sensible head on, there's things we should definitely spend the money on instead, like carpets and cookers and boring stuff like that.

What we're actually looking at acquiring is most likely an Austin Somerset.  After much hunting and browsing and comparing, it's the one model we both keep coming back to so is probably the best option for the almost-pre-war motoring experience.  They're also pretty cheap and plentiful, comparatively speaking.  We've considered a lot of different models and the Somerset is the one we come back to the most, Lanchester LD10, and Austin Sixteen being close seconds, and Morris Ten coming in third.  We'd love something big and swish, like an Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, but realistically we haven't the space to look after something like that properly yet, and it's probably better to cut our teeth on something more humdrum like the Somerset to really figure out if old fashioned motoring is actually for us.

I’ve had my Somerset for six years now. Thoroughly recommended, and I know most Counties era Austins inside out, so if I can help with your potential purchase, let me know!

 Edit: I’ve still got that fantastic shirt, sadly I can’t get into it anymore...

[Angrydicky]

There’s a Royale saloon like mine on the drive of that house in Swindon! Can anyone make out the plate?

[Angrydicky]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

I'm not sure I'd want to drop in a 1798 twin carb from an MGB - the gearbox and rear axle probably wouldn't thank you for that - but a 1489 gives adequate power to be usable without completely overwhelming the brakes.  Brakes can be adequate if properly maintained, but being hydro-mechanical they do need proper setting up.

The 1200 engine is a sort of proto-B-series so not sure how upgradeable they are without finding contemporary '50s tuning bits, which might be expensive.

Brakes are fully hydraulic on the Somerset. Early A70s and A90s had mechanical rear brakes but the hydro-mechanical rear brake setup was unique to the A30/35 and Mk1 A40 Farina (in BMC terms at least)

[mrbenn]

18 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

There’s a Royale saloon like mine on the drive of that house in Swindon! Can anyone make out the plate?

Reckon its LSC 484.

DVLA says blue Vauxhall, untaxed since Feb 2014, no MOT since April 2015.

[vulgalour]

@Angrydicky

If you wouldn't mind, having a poke around your Somerset would help us avoid any potential pitfalls with a new purchase when we get to that point.  I'd like to say we'll be buying this year, but you know what happens whenever you set a deadline on these things, so we're not doing that for now.  I've only ever sat in a Somerset, I've never driven one, so I've no idea what the driving position is actually like beyond 'upright'.

[wuvvum]

45 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

Brakes are fully hydraulic on the Somerset. Early A70s and A90s had mechanical rear brakes but the hydro-mechanical rear brake setup was unique to the A30/35 and Mk1 A40 Farina (in BMC terms at least)

I stand corrected - for some reason I thought the Devon and Somerset had them too.  (I've never actually looked underneath a Somerset if I'm honest...)

[Split_Pin]

I put my Clio 172 up for sale today. I've been told it's getting rusty. Gutted is too small a word.

[BorniteIdentity]

Out and about. I need to bodge some repairs over the next few days because the water ingress has increased, and the mould has become rampant. 

Gonna stick it inside for a while with a heater and a dehumidifier to begin with, and add some sealant around leaky seals.

 

[adw1977]

Just back from a 2 week holiday, so of course one (boring modern) car has a flat battery.  Would have been much more of a nuisance if they were both flat, though!

[Kiltox]

Looks like @beko1987 has some competition https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-merseyside-51244155/meet-the-teenager-who-collects-vacuum-cleaners

[Eyersey1234]

3 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Out and about. I need to bodge some repairs over the next few days because the water ingress has increased, and the mould has become rampant. 

Gonna stick it inside for a while with a heater and a dehumidifier to begin with, and add some sealant around leaky seals.

 

Nice to see the bASe being used @BorniteIdentity

[Volksy]

The Jag has had a slight rumble from the NSF Wheel Bearing for a couple of month. Last Saturday I hit a pothole, which finished it off. 

I booked it into my local Jag Specialist - Tasker and Lacy; who quoted me 'around £200 all in' to replace it. 

It needs special tools, a press and the ABS ring taking off (which are pretty much unobtainium) .

They had it done in a morning, genuine Jag bearing and a final bill of £246.00 inc VAT. 

 

Seems steep for a bearing, but its under warranty and after chatting to the garage owner for half an hour when i picked it up, he said he has just got one like mine in for scrap, which for a few beer tokens I can raid for all the trim parts mine needs. Sadly not the same colour, but should yeald some vital bits.

 

 

 

 

[Sunny Jim]

Am I doing this right? I joined the forum 10 days ago and have enjoyed reading your tales of trials, tribulations and occasional triumphs and resolved to get some shite in my life. So today I paid £300 for an 18 year old Alfa - what could possibly go wrong?

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, Kiltox said:

Looks like @beko1987 has some competition https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-merseyside-51244155/meet-the-teenager-who-collects-vacuum-cleaners

Ha, he's no competition.

He's one of the nasty rude collectors who thinks his vacs are the best, cries when they break and is trying to be a 'social media influencer' which means he'll suck up to anyone who gives him free stuff

I'm quite pally with people high up in Sebo and was told they gave him a Felix Rose just to shut him up last year, Stu who runs Manchestervacs had to tell him to fuck off before as well, after pestering him for a freebie in exchange for 'influencing' Whenever I piss off a company he 'represents' by posting myth busting posts or calling bullshit he is always straight on it. Again Sebo gave him a dressing down last autumn, I made a sarcastic but funny comment on a picture they posted on instantgrams, which got binned and he told me how and why... I don't think he knew that I'm quite good pals with Sebo's head of UK marketing so a few PM's later, and a promise from my pal that he'll tell the social media team to maybe not be such pussies (I set them up for a proper good reply, laughs all round etc) and I took great delight in telling Matt, who then spent 3 days demanding i tell him who i spoke to, which I ignored

 

Of course despite all this im the first person he messages when he gets a new toy or something breaks and he needs fixing. We're all just hoping he grows up one day. I have given him the advice of 'you don't want to go saying how much money you make' without declaring it all, when he turns 18 he's going to be in for a shock unless he keeps it low down like me and just becomes a random saddo who likes vacuums

[Kiltox]

Don’t think he would need to wait til 18 for the taxman to ream him - 16 will do....

People that try to pester for freebies because they’re “influencers” can GTF. 

[beko1987]

I got given a free vacuum last year, and the company havent spoken to me after my first video where I said how amazing it was (it is bloody good) but why x y and z fatal flaw means I cant recommend... It's the main reason i bought my own dyson v11, and got it on launch day before all the free influencer ones made it out. Used to get asked so much if it was free, and people were surprised when I said no im paying for it.

Boosted my channel loads, with people searching for the current new shiny thing

[New POD]

Income tax is required at any age.  NI STARTS AT 16. 

IF HE MAKES 12500 quid profit, he needs to pay tax. 

[New POD]

14 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

Am I doing this right? I joined the forum 10 days ago and have enjoyed reading your tales of trials, tribulations and occasional triumphs and resolved to get some shite in my life. So today I paid £300 for an 18 year old Alfa - what could possibly go wrong?

Lovely. Beige Leather. And a price which is a bargain.