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Father Ted

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The garage I'd used for a bit were quite reluctant to work on the Bluebird as "it's an old car" and "probably not worth the money" although they didn't outright refuse. I went to another place that someone suggested and walked into the workshop where an SD1, some form of 80s Merc and a modern were parked, and interrupted one of the mechanics trying to order parts for a mk2 golf. Talked to the proprietor about the cars I had and the jobs I needed doing, his eyes lit up... mentioned the mk2 mondeo and his first question was "how much gaffer tape on the bumper?".

So I think I'd be relatively comfortable in giving them the job!

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Driving home past the shops near us about an hour ago and this was parked up with the bonnet open. I have a bag of tools in the boot so it would seem rude not to stop. 

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He'd bought it locally and had stopped because he could smell burning, possibly electrical. We stood and watched it for a while and nothing caught fire. The car had been standing quite some time so I think it was just burning off random detritus that had collected over the years. He was accompanied by a disgruntled (l assume, they usually are, I never actually spoke to her but she never got out of the Vectra so she can't have been that keen) wife/girlfriend in the Vectra two cars down and heading for Waterlooville which is about 30 miles away.

Sounds like a classic Autoshite collection thread. I thought about mentioning this place but am reluctant to talk about it to people I've never met (Fight Club and all that) as you're kind've implying the car they've just bought is crap and some people get a bit funny about that and don't wear it as a badge of honour like we do. I think if you're meant to be here you will find it on your own eventually.  But he would certainly fit in. We checked levels and I noticed the front tires were rather elderly and suggested not using the motorway which he said he wasn't going to anyway. 

I also noticed as I walked away it had a bit of a crap private plate on it. 

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I'd get rid of that, but it's not my car. Looking on DVLA it's actually a 1971 car so can legitimately have black plates but they looked rubbish, they looked brand new and just didn't go with the rest of the car. 

EDIT: Now I think of it if it's a 71 it shouldn't be allowed to carry an M reg but that's not my problem to worry about. 

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Hmm.  It's showing as a 1974 Combi, which it definitely isn't.  Could be just a DVLA cockup mind.  Not sure it's a '71 though - I don't think they got rubber bumpers until a bit later than that did they?  My J-plater was chrome bumper, with the 1854cc Triumph engine.

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22 minutes ago, Yoss said:

EDIT: Now I think of it if it's a 71 it shouldn't be allowed to carry an M reg but that's not my problem to worry about. 

Up until 1983 it was no problem to re-register a car with a newer plate and was the norm for ex MOD cars, write offs, kit cars etc. I remember a local Y reg Cortina Ghia in black which was clearly a 1980 model and always looked odd, possibly ex. MOD. In   late 1983 when the new A registration was introduced the Q plate was also introduced for kit cars, write offs etc. and the practice of registering cars on newer plates stopped.

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Now I think of it, a friend of mine once had a Landcrab on a V plate. But the difference is that one had been exported, as above by military persons taking their car abroad with them then reimporting it when they moved back here. I assume the one on the Saab was put on simply because it ended in 99. But yes the DVLA could well be wrong. 

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55 minutes ago, Shite Ron said:

Up until 1983 it was no problem to re-register a car with a newer plate and was the norm for ex MOD cars, write offs, kit cars etc. I remember a local Y reg Cortina Ghia in black which was clearly a 1980 model and always looked odd, possibly ex. MOD. In   late 1983 when the new A registration was introduced the Q plate was also introduced for kit cars, write offs etc. and the practice of registering cars on newer plates stopped.

This.

When I was a lad (Cue Hovis music) there was a place in town that sold Minis and Metros on an new plate that had been liberated from Jersey and Guernsey, usually 18months to 2 years old with low miles, ex-hire stuff. Did a roaring trade until the DVLA pissed on his frites.

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Right, time to get to work on the Bluebird. In the hope of feeling positive progress, I decided to start with the easy jobs. Anti roll bar mount cracked... 

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I mean... That's some degree of cracked... 

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NOS one was the best part of 20 quid, but there we go. Bushes in good nick so on it goes and that's it. 

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I always like the juxtaposition of a brand new part surrounded by the sea of 30 years' rust, road dirt etc.The brake lines need re doing and possibly the rear suspension. I'll probably stick it in the garage for that plus the MoT next week, and do the pads/discs (low, but not a fail yet) after. 

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2 minutes ago, Mally said:

20 quid ! I could have welded that for 20p.

For some reason, even with OMGoldskoolford price inflation, parts for old Nissans are silly prices...

It's simply a U-shaped bit of metal with two holes, not even tapped, to hold the anti roll bar in position!

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3 hours ago, Shite Ron said:

Up until 1983 it was no problem to re-register a car with a newer plate and was the norm for ex MOD cars, write offs, kit cars etc. I remember a local Y reg Cortina Ghia in black which was clearly a 1980 model and always looked odd, possibly ex. MOD. In   late 1983 when the new A registration was introduced the Q plate was also introduced for kit cars, write offs etc. and the practice of registering cars on newer plates stopped.

what you describe something a bit different :) in that before 1983/the introduction of prefix plates, new vehicle registrations where given a plate according to the date of first registration with the DVLA/DVLC not according to the age of the vehicle 

so if you bought say a 1965 ex MOD Landy in 1980 and your registering it for the first time  you would get a then 1980 plate

(if 40 years later you end up with that vehicle you could request today an age related plate to replace the 1980 plate, but I personally would keep the vehicle on its "too new" plate as its a fun artefact of times gone by)

just figured id mention this because while I sadly dont know the exact policy of how personal plate transfers worked back then before 1983, I just figured its worth clarifying, because what your talking about is not about personal plate transfers but about new registrations with the DVLA :) (or well DVLC as it was known then) and not about plate transfers which is another kettle of fish!

 

looking at the date of first registration of that saab shows it would of had an M plate from new, and does not actually show any personal plate history on my tool, but it may be simply the personal plate was applied before/during the early 80s where records are much spottier, or was specifically picked out by the cars first owner when new from the dealers allotment of plates? (certainly looks like and is spaced like a personal plate to me)

but no DVLA shenanigans are going on here with regards to the M plate and the DVLA records, (ignoring if said records are correct for the vehicle itself or not!)

 

(as a side note looking at that plate im surprised no ones made a Wallace and Gromit joke LOL)

 

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3 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Yep, that's done its time I think...

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Still irked that the mid section looks absolutely fine aside from the last 1 1/2" - on the plus side buying a full system was cheaper than just the back box, so could have been worse I guess.

Bloody hell I thought that was the exhaust from TPA for a moment! 

I have like 5 people already wanting/asking me about an exhaust for their Model 70 and I dont even know the exact state of my own exhaust yet LOL

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I'm guessing there are different DVLA databases. I was using the MOT history checker as I was curious to see that anyway... 

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And it definitely says date registered 1 July 1971 (I went back and checked as I thought I might have mis read it after the above replies). That would put it on a J. Then again they also say it's yellow and it certainly isn't. Maybe DVLA don't consider beige a colour. 

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I've just looked up the reg number before and after mine, 1988, coz I'm a sad git. 

On one side, a Scooters India Ltd, yep, that's the make, 123cc, erm, scooter and it's Purple.

Sorn, MoT expired April 2019. First registered May 2011.

On the other a Bedford, 8198cc diesel, 2 axle rigid, 17 ton truck and it's greeeen.

Sorn, no MoT details held.

Well, that was vaguely interesting.

Anybody got more interesting ones ?

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26 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I'm guessing there are different DVLA databases. I was using the MOT history checker as I was curious to see that anyway... 

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And it definitely says date registered 1 July 1971 (I went back and checked as I thought I might have mis read it after the above replies). That would put it on a J. Then again they also say it's yellow and it certainly isn't. Maybe DVLA don't consider beige a colour. 

Ah thats because for that vehicle, the vehicle data in the MOT checker is from the DVSA not the DVLA

(if it has no MOT history then its from the DVLA normally)

I think at one point in time maybe they still can, but MOT checkers could enter their own info and it would display such MOT checker website

 

a good example is TJN352R, details are correct on the DVLA page

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but are all messed up on the MOT page LOL (interesting thing to note tho is it was already messed up even before its last MOT but it does not show any MOT history before the 2019 one...)

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I would ignore the data from the MOT checker in this case

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Dragged my cortina out of its eight year hibernation today. Looks all right but the shed may not have had enough ventilation and the once perfect chrome is a little rusty.20200707_073826.thumb.jpg.a4d09e25550dd8431f26515d49862a51.jpg

Not bad on the whole though so a quick wash and 10l of fuel put in and had a go at starting. No fuel getting up but also no spark so nothing doing today.

Will test the coil tomorrow, and also look at the condenser as the most likely spark issues. Wondering how to check the fuel line without dropping the tank?

 

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1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

(if 40 years later you end up with that vehicle you could request today an age related plate to replace the 1980 plate, but I personally would keep the vehicle on its "too new" plate as its a fun artefact of times gone by)

How exactly does one go about this?  I've probably mentioned this before but I'm thinking of getting an age-related plate for the Renault 6 (1972 car but currently on a V suffix).  I rang DVLA to enquire about it maybe 10 years ago but the girl I spoke to just said that that was the plate the car had been allocated and it wouldn't be changed unless I bought a private plate.

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On 7/5/2020 at 12:01 PM, Split_Pin said:

Waxed the 75 again yesterday and got some nice beading this morning during the showers.

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The Audi's fuel and temp gauges have always been correspondingly erratic and it's only taken me over a year after buying the new voltage regulator to get around to fixing it.

Instrument cluster out.

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Here is the voltage regulator which controls the temp and fuel gauges and has gone a bit senile with age.

 

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The one on the left of the picture is the standard one and the one on the right is rated at a much higher level of mA. Input and output are reversed but this was apparently the one I needed. I sound like I know what am talking about.

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Some delicate bending of the pins was required but otherwise an easy fit in.

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Back together and went for a drive. Now I have a working temperature guage and a hopefully realistic fuel guage!

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If the input and output pins are reversed, why did you not fit it upside down? Won't be working properly otherwise and likely just letting the battery voltage straight through. 

I guess the I/G/O markings on the PCB refer to Input/Ground/Output. 

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33 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

How exactly does one go about this?  I've probably mentioned this before but I'm thinking of getting an age-related plate for the Renault 6 (1972 car but currently on a V suffix).  I rang DVLA to enquire about it maybe 10 years ago but the girl I spoke to just said that that was the plate the car had been allocated and it wouldn't be changed unless I bought a private plate.

im not sure on the exact procedure sadly, a lot of the times this sort of thing just depend on the person you get on the other end of the phone, (but a lot of owners of Pre 1963 vehicles on A suffix replacement plates have done this for example so if you know anyone with such a vehicle it may be worth asking them)

 

thinking about it if the plate is not marked as non transferable then in theory you could just stick the V suffix plate on retention and the DVLA SHOULD in theory issue you a new age related plate according to the year of mfg  (what special notes are on your R6's V5?)

 

before doing that tho I would call the DVLA again and see what they say with regards to requesting an age related plate :) 

 

one thing not to get confused by is, AFAIK your Renault 6 is already correctly declared manufactured 1972 (it shows 1972 as year of manufacture on the DVLA Checker IIRC)

so make sure the DVLA person is not thinking your trying to change the year of manufacture listed on the V5

as thats a whole other ball game and PITA that requires a load of evidence to do etc

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The key lesson I learnt earlier in the year is : don't assume that the person on the phone at DVLC knows anything more than you do about anything vaguely complex. (in fairness, I assume that 99% of their calls are bog standard, but it's a shame that they couldn't transfer difficult or obscure enquiries to a special department) 

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1 hour ago, tommotech said:

I purchased and restored my Midget 26 years ago, taking 6 years to do a complete restoration. It was initially registered on 6th July 1970, 50 years ago today. 
I continue to cherish this little gem and it’s my proudest achievement. 
 

Happy 50th!
 

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Absolutely lovely. Midget is definitely on my list of cars I have to own. 

What are the wheels?

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