The new news 24 thread

[danthecapriman]

8 hours ago, wuvvum said:

White Renault 4s are used as official transport for heads of state too.

My grandad had a white Renault 4 in Cyprus when he was over there working at RAF Akrotiri. He bought a brand new Morris Marina while he was there and intended to ship it home after his period in Cyprus was over, but it unfortunately got written off before that happened. 
As a stop gap he bought the Renault 4.

This was the early 70’s, and was also the same time the Turkish army invaded the island. 
There was a lot of fighting and it was decided to evacuate British personnel and their families so the Renault was loaded up with whatever it could carry, my grandad, grandma, mum, auntie and uncle and they joined a British evacuation convoy from where they lived off base towards Akrotiri for evacuation by air. 
The little 4 didn’t put a foot wrong despite, literally a war going on around it! 

Here it is with the Union Jack in the window shortly before the evacuation.

No idea what happened to it after they left. Although knowing the Cypriots it’s probably parked up on some wasteland somewhere!

[richardmorris]

11 hours ago, Ghosty said:

That would be an absolute how the fuck moment, as they didn't even make a thousand 8Cs.



Are you thinking of 4Cs?


 

Auto Italia at brooklands yesterday.

[w00dy]

Test fitted the new wheels to the van. Very happy.

 

5 wheels with a 5 different budget tyres on though, so I'll have to sort that.

[artdjones]

Washed the 205 prior to getting it running again, testing it and selling it. 

Actually my wife did it while I got the strimmer running properly and strimmed all the garden edges.

[JJ0063]

Went to Homebase and bought a shed as they’re on offer this weekend.

Now all the gardening type shit can go in there and the garage can be my man cave.

[Weird Car]

On 4/28/2023 at 11:26 AM, Weird Car said:

My daily driver until Sunday, it’s like a childhood dream come true, it’s really quite nippy for a 1.3 though I guess it’s the stickers that make it feel faster than it is 

So I just handed the Beetle back to my dad with 350 extra miles on it, considering he usually adds 70 miles a year to it it handled it perfectly fine, always started without drama, I spent Friday just using it as an car by taking it shopping.

I had to get a new UVB lamp for my Tortoise. so being in Chichester and having a ‘Racecar’ I thought it wise to head to Goodwood, snapped a couple pics

then I thought I’d tackle some of the beautiful southdowns roads surrounding Goodwood, didn’t get many pics as I was really concentrating on driving but here’s a few from a lake I stopped at

so that ended that lovely day

come Saturday and I ventured into work where I met @calebaaront who greeted me with his Trabant and we had a kind of East Vs West thing going on.

Sunday ‘today’ marked the day I had to return Herbie but not before taking him to a local car meet at Port Solent where it was crazy busy but we got in and parked

All in all a brilliant weekend, it’s a really surreal experience driving a movie car, the whole weekend reminded me of this Peugeot 205 advert lol

https://youtu.be/Aw68Smqzfq8

I do generally want a Beetle now, they just have a strange charm about them.

[eddyramrod]

I went to Port Solent with my Cadillac some years ago.  It's a great meet, very well attended.

And, kudos for using Herbie as "An car."  That's something else I often did with the Cadillac, they need to be out-and-about getting used!

[Cheggers]

I live in Port Solent and noticed the Beetle while.walking the dogs earlier - I used to have a '67 1200 back in the day.

The car meet is going from strength to strength, usually with a good selection of "our type" of cars

[sdkrc]

9 hours ago, w00dy said:

 

That is far better looking on those wheels than it has any right to be. Damn

[meshking]

19 hours ago, wuvvum said:

That's the one.

As @richardmorrisnoted, it was Italian car day at Brooklands. I followed this 8C on my way home.  I figured you were collecting from somewhere nearish to me having seen the old SW train interior.

 

[wuvvum]

Yes, R4 was about 6 miles from Brooklands and the sat nav spat me out onto the M25 one junction north of where the Brooklands traffic would have been joining - that'd explain the amount of Italian exotica I saw.

[dollywobbler]

On 4/29/2023 at 7:40 PM, wuvvum said:

And home.

Fuck me, what a drive!  What a heap!  I need a drink and some Paracetamol...

It actually made it back fine, although it needs some looking at.  It's an absolute twat to drive in traffic because it isn't idling properly, and very few of the dashlights work.  Also the speedo is comically optimistic - 85 on the speedo corresponds to 62 on the sat nav...  It has a few other issues that I'll try and look into tomorrow, including a couple of interesting noises that it developed on the way home, but hey, it was a cheap (by today's standards...) Renault 4 so I expect it to need some loving.  It's MOT'd until June and after then it'll be exempt anyway.  The seller spent a lot of money having structural welding done so it should be rather more solid than the 6 even if it is cosmetically (even) rougher.

Plenty of interesting stuff on the roads too - unsurprisingly seeing as it's a sunny Bank Holiday weekend.  The R4 got plenty of looks as you'd expect, and I got a thumbs up (which I returned) off a bloke in a floppytop E30 on the A1M (M11 was closed so got diverted) - that was one of two convertible E30s I saw on the journey.  I also saw two Alfa 8Cs, which was impressive as I've never seen any until now.  And at one point on the M25 I had a black Ferrari either side of me - a 430 Spider on the right and a 400i on the left.

Dinner now, then bike ride to collect the 107 from the station.  Then sleep.

Odd. Someone messaged me yesterday to say they'd seen me driving a white Renault 4...

[Ghosty]

Great spots, the 8Cs.

[wuvvum]

58 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Odd. Someone messaged me yesterday to say they'd seen me driving a white Renault 4...

You sure they hadn't just watched the YouTube video?

[wuvvum]

Been having a bit of a poke around the R4 today.  First order of business was to tighten the alternator belt, as it was looser than a whore's drawers and on the drive home yesterday it'd squeal for several seconds every time I started the engine, so I didn't fancy its chances with the lights on.  Then I stuck the car up on the ramps for a look underneath.  The good news is that it is indeed remarkably solid - a bit of surface rust which I'm going to treat and seal over, but the welding that's been done appears to be to a decent standard.

Mechanically it needs some fettling.  It's in dire need of a carb tweak, but I'm not sure if that's something I'll be able to sort myself - I hate Solex carbs.  Under power it runs fine (and it's actually bloody nippy up to 40ish, definitely quicker than my last 4) but on a light throttle it kangaroos a bit and the idle is all over the shop.  I also noticed it had an oil drip on the bottom of the gearbox, so I removed the fill plug from the side of the 'box and nothing came out.  I went looking for my bottle of gear oil, which for some reason I was convinced was red.  Couldn't find it (and from memory I'd used most of it anyway) so got in the 206 and drove into Norwich to buy another bottle.  It transpired that I'd misremembered and the bottle is in fact grey - when I got home and looked in the shed for a grey 1l bottle I found it almost immediately, and it was still 3/4 full.  The 4's gearbox took a good 1/2 litre before it started dribbling out the fill hole, so it must have been very low.  Engine oil was on the minimum mark as well so I topped that up.

The engine actually sounds pretty healthy, but there's a bit of an exhaust blow from the manifold.  It looks like the manifold isn't quite tight against the head at the front end, but I'm not sure I'd be able to tighten it any further as the studs and nuts look quite rusty.  I'll give it a go at some point but I'm not going to risk snapping them off.  There's a bit of play somewhere in the transmission as there's a bit of a clunk when engaging the clutch, and also when coming off the throttle in gear.  That noise wasn't there when I picked the car up (or at least I don't remember it) so that'll be something to keep an eye on.  Under power it's fine and there's no whining or anything like that.

Speaking of snapping things off, I managed to snap the end off the door key whilst using it to clear moss out of the passenger door window channel (said window doesn't currently want to open, which could be an issue if it's hot this summer).  The key still works in the passenger door but not in the driver's door so I now can't lock that - not that that's a major issue around here but it's still annoying.  I'm going to have to take the bits to a key cutting place and see if they can make me a new one.

I then had a bit of a shift around of cars as I'm starting to take the piss again with the number of parking spaces I'm taking up.  The advantage of having several small / narrow cars is that I can fit three of them into two spaces, thus freeing up an extra space for the neighbours.

As mentioned earlier I took the 206 in to Norwich this afternoon.  As it was a nice day I put the roof down - the first time I've done so since I bought the car.

It's actually pretty decent to drive topless - definitely a lot more refined and less buffety than the MG, although there is noticeably more scuttle shake than with the roof up.

The other task for this afternoon was to rearrange the garage so that I can fit in some of the boxes of crap which have been in the van all winter, and also so I can get the Mobylette nearer the door so it's a bit more accessible.  I gave the Mobylette a few cursory kicks over just to make sure everything was still free and moving, and to my surprise on the third kick it coughed and on the fourth it fired up and ran.  Not bad for an elderly 2-stroke moped that hadn't been touched in six months.  So I pumped up the tyres, grabbed my helmet and took it for a spin round the block.  It ran fine and buzzed along happily - it got a little bit spluttery in the last few hundred yards but I think it's running low on pez and what is in there is pretty ancient so I'll treat it to a litre of fresh stuff and see if that improves matters.  I might have to give the carb a clean, but I need to take that off anyway as I don't think the throttle is opening fully.  It's nice to have had a ride on it though, and the electrics I wired up last year seem to still be working which is reassuring...

[ruffgeezer]

In a feat of sleep deprivation/ bravery,  I taxed the V50 today with the mind to start using it locally and see if it behaves itself.

 

I've got another CEM lined up to clone mine to should it still act the arse, and I'll mot it again at the end of the month.

[Ghosty]

Wondered about MX5 seat upgrades: mk2 seats drop straight into mk1s. The standard cloth mk1 seats in my car had been replaced with early low spec mk2 seats. Both are completely undesirable and worthless, but the mk2 seats are slightly more hard wearing and comfortable.
Anyway a quick foray into Marketplace reveals that seats for MX5s are extremely easy to get hold of, much like every other part. They're also cheap... the basic UK cloth seats with adjustable headrests are worth under 100 quid and for sale everywhere for £40-80. mk1 tombstone seats (the ones with headrest speakers) start at around £80, a bit more for leather, and then £150 can get you a set of heated leather mk2 Sport seats, albeit at that price the driver's bolster will be fucked. However, there was a tidy set for sale in Derby for £180, messaged the seller and he replied instantly, so I went down and picked them up last night.
Gave them a quick clean with an old bottle of Liquid Leather that was lying around, bolted them in, they make a phenomenal difference to both the look and driving experience, and the cabin has a nice smell to it too. The mk2 seats have heating elements, I'm not utilsing these but making them work could be an interesting project.
Next, interior wise, I think I'd like to source  some nicer door cards, the replica teardrop speaker trims are just screwed straight on to the standard cards.

[hairnet]

ive got one of those steering wheels

how much can i get for it by not giving it to @Conan 

 

[Ghosty]

10 minutes ago, hairnet said:

ive got one of those steering wheels

how much can i get for it by not giving it to @Conan 

 

a genuine Nardi Classic would get you £100-150 easily I reckon.

[ruffgeezer]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

ive got one of those steering wheels

how much can i get for it by not giving it to @Conan 

 

 

What sort of size is it?  I'm wondering if some trinkets for the Ax might restart my mojo.

[hairnet]

same as max pic 14? i think not mercedes

 

[Ghosty]

Mine's 360mm.

[stuboy]

still not resolved the banging on the rear floor of the mondeo,  the exhaust is really close to the floor in one place, check engine and gear box mounts

[ruffgeezer]

1 hour ago, Ghosty said:

Mine's 360mm.

Well someone will be happy, but how big is the steering wheel?  😆

[Markeh]

The only good Turkish chod I've managed to catch so far.

Didn't appear to be a straight panel on it. Bonus Chamade in the background. They do love a hatchloon over here

This looked delightfully shonky in person. 

Other highlights* include a battered Scudo still performing duty as a taxi (most have moved onto Doblos, Lodgys or Tourneo Connects by now), a smiley Transit Luton, and a Tempra I couldn't get a pic of.

Was hoping the hotels shuttle bus to the beach would be interesting (last year's was a Defender 110!) but sadly it's just a Crafter.

[Split_Pin]

Im going to Turkey in June, I hope I see some chod!

[calebaaront]

The Trabis turn for a tip run this week, I just about managed to fit 4 bags in. However that is with the spare tyre still in 

[cort1977]

Started Mustang last night, been sitting for a while hiding from salt and rain.  Stupid aftermarket immobiliser had flattened the battery but soon had it going.  Started right up, sounds good.  Quick test drive showed rear brake binding, tyres a little flat and LH indicators doing something funny probably related to conversion relays.

Recently got a set of Koni springs and dampers to replace the fairly nasty Maxspeedingrods(TM) stuff.  Plan this week is to get that fitted in time for the summer*

[calebaaront]

Took the Trabant to a little car meet this evening, I doubt a 58 Plymouth and a Trabant have ever been pictured together. I do love the Trabant but I do know what I would rather have

[richardmorris]

3 minutes ago, calebaaront said:

Took the Trabant to a little car meet this evening, I doubt a 58 Plymouth and a Trabant have ever been pictured together. I do love the Trabant but I do know what I would rather have

A Christine fan.