trigger Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I've spent a long and sweaty day today cleaning up the Vectra, I'm immensely pleased with how well the cars come up, the flame red is nice and bright again and the interior looks pretty good too, I'm thinking of selling it as it is, needing two tyres and a shock, for £550 as I've spied another car which is winking heavily at me... 2002 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i LS by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 2002 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i LS by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 2002 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i LS by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 2002 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i LS by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Oh God. What's the tax/test situation Trigger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shep Shepherd Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 That looks far better than a lot of cars half its age now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 MOT & Tax is August but it looks like It's just sold, unsurprisingly, to a mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 So you've effectively doubled your money by applying a bit of polish and a vacuum cleaner... why don't more people do this again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Well you've got to find the raw materials haven't you, there's not exactly millions of serviceable 52-plate vectras knocking about for 250 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Didn't Cortina Dave say you need to clear the crap out of the sump immediately or its in danger of lunching the engine with no warning? They do nomnomnom the engines but I've read that the turbos are more prone to it and this is an na. It's also got fsh not that means much. I'll do it anyway as for the sake of taking the sump off and some oil it's worth doing. Red really does come up well the vectra looks very smart. There are loads of cheap cars at the auction that look like you could polish money into but they're usually there because of some crippling fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 The Vectras just gone, £550 cash, no hassle to a mechanic friend who has a customer urgently needing a car as their Zafira has dropped a valve and burned a ring. Jobs a good one! My friend was quoted by a local garage nearly £600 to have the knock repaired which was just a shock absorber, no wonder he sold it cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 That looks very nice Wuv - are the 147's Tipo based? I know the earlier 145/146 are and do find the handling of Tipo based motors rather good.I think the 147 was Bravo based rather than Tipo - not that that's a bad thing, the Bravo and its derivatives are pretty good handlers too. The 147 does have some tweaks over the Bravo though - steering is a lot quicker, for one thing, which makes it feel extremely agile - it's actually pretty light on its feet in general for a modern-ish car. I haven't managed to make it understeer yet either, although I'm sure that'll come once I get more confident in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Princess decided to be ungrateful and try and run me over while I was vacuuming the interior today. Maybe I didn't put the handbrake on all the clicks, maybe it's because I've not yet done the brakes, but it came as a bit of a shock and I was quite relieved neighbours were on hand to stop the car rolling all the way down the drive. I'm holding off doing the brakes until after Monday's RR meet because I'm expecting at least one bleed nipple to break off when I make the attempt, or a handbrake cable to snap or something and I'd rather that happen after I've done the event that I really want to make than just before. So if the weather's good, I'll make the attempt on Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Just read about a Princess HLS down in Cambridge for £100. It's beige, has no tax or MoT and is in need of two front wings and a rear door... no pictures. http://leylandprincess.co.uk/forum/view ... p=890#p890 I'm happy to help with cross-forum communication if needed, it could very well yield some good parts if it turns out to be a complete basket case, especially considering the price of even halfway decent panels due to scarcity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sporty-shite Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Picked up the 106 from retro80sboy last night, and made the journey home safely and with a big grin. It's small, hard, bouncy and a bag full of fun. I'm not sure how long it'll stay around, like, as I really can see myself getting into trouble in it However, just to piss on my chips, the battery light has just started to come on at low revs, so I'm off outside now to have a look around, in the hope (not likely) that it's just a loose belt. Pics later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sporty-shite Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 GOOD NEWS UPDATE!!!11!1!1 The battery light was a blown wiper fuse. Also found a better stereo under my bed, which I've fitted, and double bonus, it had a CD in it that I thought I'd lost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Quick, buy a lottery ticket or have some sort of fast horse related flutter before this run of good fortune expires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedvan Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Just read about a Princess HLS down in Cambridge for £100. It's beige, has no tax or MoT and is in need of two front wings and a rear door... no pictures. http://leylandprincess.co.uk/forum/view ... p=890#p890 I'm happy to help with cross-forum communication if needed, it could very well yield some good parts if it turns out to be a complete basket case, especially considering the price of even halfway decent panels due to scarcity. Why not try to buy the interior trim VA off the fella? HLS have those cool arm-rest chairs don't they? Would make an awesome and do-able mini-roadtrip from north Notts to Cambridgeshire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Princess decided to be ungrateful and try and run me over while I was vacuuming the interior today. Maybe I didn't put the handbrake on all the clicks, maybe it's because I've not yet done the brakes, but it came as a bit of a shock and I was quite relieved neighbours were on hand to stop the car rolling all the way down the drive. I'm holding off doing the brakes until after Monday's RR meet because I'm expecting at least one bleed nipple to break off when I make the attempt, or a handbrake cable to snap or something and I'd rather that happen after I've done the event that I really want to make than just before. So if the weather's good, I'll make the attempt on Tuesday. Surely one of the first rules of driving shite is never trust a handbrake? I ALWAYS leave cars in gear. I'm a bit wiped out after the weekend (which started Thursday and ended just after lunchtime today) but did manage to get as far as lifting the bonnet on the Discovery. I've decided to farm out the timing belt job, to a chap I know who's a former Landy technician. While changing it is within my abilities I reckon, I can also see that it'll be a great way of covering our gravel driveway in a slick of rusty old coolant and oil. I have started to improve the interior though. The seats were minging but the front passenger seat is now vaguely clean, as are the door cards and centre console. Bit sad that the furthest I've driven it since collection is backwards down my driveway a bit - hopefully next week will see it ready for use. Already planning a little laning trip with our neighbours and their Disco 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Well the Astra swap went through and this is what I came out the other side with. What you can't see is the big dent in the drivers side and the fact part of the roof mechanism doesn't work but it got me home without going in fire or splitting in half so I'm chuffed. To do is fix the dent on the door, sort that shit wheel colour, possibly replace a slightly lazy starter out and try to get the roof working then I can drive it around with the roof up while it pisses down in a traditional Scottish summer. saab by cort16, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew e Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Aye that looks like a fair trade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayne Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I like the dark wheels, provided they're not chipped or dented I'd leave them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rml2345 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 More than likely a biff connection or joint on the fusebox or something, I'd personally give the whole thing a prodding with the engine running to try and pinpoint the dodgy joint when you're in the dry on your drive, rather than have it fail in the middle of the night, in the rain, in hull. Actually got a chance to try and find the loose connection at the weekend and failed completely to replicate the fault. I'll keep searching though as there must be something amiss. In other news, I found a perished vacuum hose to the ignition control box which may explain the rough idling I get sometimes. A temporary fix has led to much improvement so that'll be mended properly ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I like the dark wheels, provided they're not chipped or dented I'd leave them. They're are and what's not chipped is flaking off. I'm not keen so I'm going to do them a gun metal grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Just pulled the soggy boot floor undermat out of the Disco, in attempt to get rid of some of the straw that seems to be plaguing it (ex horsie owner). Boot floor is in remarkable condition - a fair bit of surface rust, some solid patches but no holes! I'm letting it all dry out and I may give it a rub down and a coat of rustoleum. Tempted not to put the mat/carpet back in to be honest as it'll only continue to hold moisture against the floor. Given the lack of sunroofs, it can only be the alpine lights. The nearside one DEFINITELY leaks. Once the heat of the day calms down a bit, I'll investigate the front brakes to see if I can find why it's pulling to one side. Timing belt kit and other stuff ordered, along with some Dexron III gearbox oil. There are many, many theories about which gearbox oil is best for these, but automatic fluid is the original recommendation and I've gone for fancy synthetic stuff. If I'm lucky, I'll get second gear synchromesh back. In a bid to make the Disco more wife friendly, I might also investigate the bias plate on the gearbox, to see if I can make third gear easier to find. This latter reason is because I'm considering selling the BX. I'm not 100% sure that's a good idea though. Yes, I'm getting fed up with spending so much on its upkeep (£500 purchase, £500 spent so far and still more to do) but if I sell it - probably for about £500 - then someone else gets the benefit of all of my expenditure. As for the Merc, it isn't going to cost me much to keep sitting on the driveway over the summer, so that's exactly what it'll do if the sodding thing won't sell. I'm unlikely to get very much for it as it stands (given the almost total lack of interest in it) so selling it doesn't seem worth the hassle. It's road legal until the end of October. My driveway situation will improve once the 2CV and spare chassis get collected later this month. Merc is currently blocked in so hasn't moved for the best part of two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 The rear brakes are binding on my Smart. I thought I'd fixed it but it's return (probably because of lack of use). Anyway I've not got time to fix it and I want to get it sold. The guy I rent my lockup off has a garage right next to mine so I left the smart outside, put the keys under the door then phoned him about 10 o'clock to ask him to look at the brakes. He thought I'd done this as it needed an mot so ran it up to the mot station . The mot's not out until January next year. It's really my daft fault for not writing on an envelope what I wanted to him to look at. If it passed then a year mot not going to harm the sale anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayne Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I like the dark wheels, provided they're not chipped or dented I'd leave them. They're are and what's not chipped is flaking off. I'm not keen so I'm going to do them a gun metal grey. Fair enough.I've never gone for black, but then I've never had something as light as that yellow Saab.I get mine refurbed in a colour described as identical to Rover steel grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shep Shepherd Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 The sun came out today, which made TV2's windscreen decide to crack, right in my line of vision: At about the same time that I noticed said crack, I noticed that the N/S/R tyre had a slow puncture: Luckily, my insurance will cover the windscreen and the tyre seems to be letting out air at a very slow rate, so it will most likely be all right with periodic re-inflation until I can find the time to get it fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 The rear brakes are binding on my Smart. I thought I'd fixed it but it's return (probably because of lack of use). Anyway I've not got time to fix it and I want to get it sold. The guy I rent my lockup off has a garage right next to mine so I left the smart outside, put the keys under the door then phoned him about 10 o'clock to ask him to look at the brakes. He thought I'd done this as it needed an mot so ran it up to the mot station . The mot's not out until January next year. It's really my daft fault for not writing on an envelope what I wanted to him to look at. If it passed then a year mot not going to harm the sale anyway. It passed. Ah well at least its now got a years mot. I also found the saabs roof issues are down to a burst pin on a UJ that makes the cover go up. Its quite common according to the interwebz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skattrd Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 A couple of times recently the boring (VW vora tdi) has seemed to stutter on boost. Today on the way back from Newcastle the turbo didn't appear to be boosting at all. I gave it a good bootful a few times, the engine revved fine, but no oomf and no cloud of black smoke* After a quick correspondence with Cavette of this parish I think it may be the N75 valve. I am currently doing interweb research to see if I can bypass this for now or if there is some way to check it is the N75 valve before splashing out on a new one, hopefully it is that valve, as everything else is more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 That reminds me. Baffling logistics saw the 2CV left at the festival site after I'd finished bus duty. Headed over in the BX so my good lady could pilot the 2CV home. My wife mad no attempt to keep up with me due to a combination of gravity (steep hill straight out of the site) and the BX's tendency to create a James Bond-esque smoke screen. We have at least concluded that the smoke is black, so it's a fuelling issue rather than anything wear or turbo related. That pleases me. I can also conclude that Valeo windscreen wipers are bloody useless. I should know this as I seem to need a pair a year for the 2CV (doing 3000 miles or less). Bought some aero blades - they quite suit a BX and work well in my experience. Sadly the wiper arm doesn't allow them to be fitted. I have an arm they WILL fit somewhere in the garage but when I set out to find it this morning, I accidentally ended up working on the Discovery instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 A couple of times recently the boring (VW vora tdi) has seemed to stutter on boost. Today on the way back from Newcastle the turbo didn't appear to be boosting at all. I gave it a good bootful a few times, the engine revved fine, but no oomf and no cloud of black smoke* After a quick correspondence with Cavette of this parish I think it may be the N75 valve. I am currently doing interweb research to see if I can bypass this for now or if there is some way to check it is the N75 valve before splashing out on a new one, hopefully it is that valve, as everything else is more expensive. I wouldn't worry too much* about blanking it off. I did a few hundred miles one week without the bastard turbo working at all. What a really enjoyable holiday that was. *If I'm wrong feel free to try and sue me. You can have half of f*ck all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messerschmitt owner Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 My M reg XM passed its MoT yesterday - been trying out my new local garage too. Had new pads fitted front and back plus mot for £149, and they swapped the spare onto the front as the front n/s tyre had a cut in the sidewall on the inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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