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Camry update. Garage reported that the code suggested LH front ABS sensor is at fault, but they can't get hold of one at sensible cost.

Spent much of this evening removing one off the spares car. Not easy when it's the side that is against the hedge, and the car is on gravel. Eventually get car jacked-up and wheel off.

Everything was undoing OK, even the arch liner fixings. Unfortunately I failed at the final hurdle, when the sensor snapped-off in the housing.

Having done a search, which I wish I'd done when they first told me, it looks like I might be able to get a new one from a UK supplier for £30. Just need to check it's correct for my car, then fingers crossed it is that one that's at fault.....

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As far as I know things are go, well the money is on its way anyway (this is rather protracted). My 'new' car is in the middle of nowhere, in a county that you should generally avoid (but has nothing to do with Junkman). From there it will be moved an hour the wrong way, to an apologist of the model in question who I understand is going to MOT it for me. When it is ready and my 306 sells, a collection mission shall ensue. I might have a friend coming with me on the collection, but he is expecting a baby so details of the collection mission are very much up in the air. 

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9 hours ago, jamiechod said:

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

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

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34 minutes ago, Dannyk 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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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. 

IMG_20200124_174206.thumb.jpg.ec82f7394048db047065c3a8a11997a1.jpg

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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...

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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)

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@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'.

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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...)

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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.

 385A4006-BD47-4F0C-B5AF-12E1A70C3B4E.thumb.jpeg.dd1d411f7bde047531c58578ca9f9eab.jpeg

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