The new news 24 thread

[AMC Rebel]

Back from my jaunt around North Donegal at the weekend.  I did spot some great stuff, but never at a time when I could stop and take a pic.  On my drive back to Dublin there was an old car transporter parked up outside a restaurant loaded with old cars - there was a late Marina on the top at the front and a Capri on the back - but it was getting late and the road wasn't really ideal for U turns.

 

I did snap this though on the shore of Loch Finn -

 

 

[dollywobbler]

He will have used an automatic machine I expect . It takes the gas out then vacuum tests the system for 20mins or so .

 

That's what happened with the Rover today, on exactly the same sort of machine.

[HillmanImp]

As you may have seen on the Grump thread, I actually went to pick up the MR2 to try doing some car work today.

 

Despite my day seemingly turning to shit, I decided to press on and see what was wrong with it before its MOT.

 

There was one spot on the sill that definitely needed welding so I decided to crack on with that. 30 seconds into the weld this happened and made me wonder why I didn't take my own advice and not do anything today:

 

 

In a huff, I pulled the wire through the neck without trimming the kink at the end, probably ruining the liner and definitely ruining the tip as the wire got stuck in it. Cue, looking for more tips.

 

Ten minutes later, I thought sod it, lets just go and get some more tips vut then I remembered that I had driven the Jag over to Shipley and swapped it with the MR2 so had no way if getting to the shop to get some.

 

Another ten minutes of frantic rummaging in the mess that is my garage, and I found some. Get in.

 

So I proceeded to weld up the hole. Was a bit of a nightmare as I couldn't get the welder set up right for the thin outer skin on the sill, however after a bit of chasing I finally managed it.

 

 

I then dug out my filler but it had gone off its so long since I last used it so it just got a coat of paint for now.

 

There were a few other bits that were rusty but not rotten so i cleaned them up with a brush and wanged some paint on them.

 

I know this is a long post, just for a goon welding a square of metal on an old car but its the first time I have actually done car work for months so feel like bigging myself up for it.

 

Here is a photo of the car outside the house looking rude.

 

 

In other news, I took the Visa to the garage to get a wheel bearing fitted. I have been saying I am going to remove the hub to take it to the garage to get pressed in for months but its just sat there so I just paid the local garage to do it for too much money.

 

Here were both of them outside the house:

 

 

The brake lights are well dim on the Visa. I reckon its where I broke the o/s light clusters cable. I have been trying on and off for a replacement for ages but the only one I have been able to find was this one which was too much. :

 

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/CITROEN-VISA-REAR-RIGHT-LIGHT-GENUINE-BRAND-NEW-CITROEN-OE-6350C2-/172290911066?nav=SEARCH

 

But I managed to order one from Germany for £50 the other day which I think ticks off everything it failed its test on last time so fingers crossed, when it arrives Meg will get a test too. Just that dodgy clutch to worry about then..

[dollywobbler]

Even a little bit of progress is still progress!

[stripped fred]

I pulled up in a car park yesterday and was asked to look at someone's car. It was a couple with a Saab 9-3 petrol lpt. The woman said it was smoking and the oil light kept coming on. They really didn't have a clue as they were trying to top up the coolant by filling the screen wash reservoir. They'd already topped up the oil about an inch above the max mark on the dipstick. I asked her to rev the engine and it did smoke a bit but not too bad. The smoke looked white. I advised them to take it to the garage. I'm just wondering what the problem was. My best uneducated guesses are a. turbo gone, b. too little oil (before they topped it up) or c. too much oil? What do you seasoned professionals think? It didn't look like it had seen any maintenance for a long while and may be appearing on Gumtree anytime soon.

[tooSavvy]

BBC news feed....

 

Trading standards are stating "selling a Zafira'flamethrower' as a motortrader & not stating/establising if the Dealer mod has been done" is a crim offence!!

 

All Vxulls R dangerous (2sell)

 

 

TS

[BorniteIdentity]

Can't decide what I bloody want in a car.

 

Mercedes needs welding for an MOT. But it needs a gearbox too as bearings are worn. No point spending out on an mot and metalwork when driving it much further will probably kill it. Taking it off the road for the winter.... I've already been stupid throwing £k at it when it should have been cubed.

 

Now bidding on various French for the winter but got outbid on a 205 that I fancied. Sad about that. Any more than about £400 on another purchase and I might as well put it in the Merc fund. So it can disappoint me again with something else.

 

I'd like something a bit different but not another headache.

 

Probably should just step away from the websites and take up yoga or something.

 

Rant over.

[HillmanImp]

How much would it be to mend the Mercedes? If you are only spending about £400 on another car, I would just spend it on the Mercedes as you are potentially buying a car that will also need £500 worth of work in the next couple of months if you are unlucky.

 

Plus putting the money into the Mercedes will make it sellable as its probably worth peanuts with a problem but mended, it can be sold for more money to fund something else.

 

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but thats just my thoughts from an outside perspective.

[dollywobbler]

Different? COLT COLT COLT!

 

Not a headache? Er, can you weld?

[nick]

I pulled up in a car park yesterday and was asked to look at someone's car. It was a couple with a Saab 9-3 petrol lpt. The woman said it was smoking and the oil light kept coming on. They really didn't have a clue as they were trying to top up the coolant by filling the screen wash reservoir. They'd already topped up the oil about an inch above the max mark on the dipstick. I asked her to rev the engine and it did smoke a bit but not too bad. The smoke looked white. I advised them to take it to the garage. I'm just wondering what the problem was. My best uneducated guesses are a. turbo gone, b. too little oil (before they topped it up) or c. too much oil? What do you seasoned professionals think? It didn't look like it had seen any maintenance for a long while and may be appearing on Gumtree anytime soon.

 

I'm not a mechanic but white smoke is usually water getting into places it shouldn't be. Did they top up the oil with coolant too?! If the smoke had a slight blue tint, it could be oil burning but you'd notice the smell. Check if the smoke shows more at certain revs too. If it is oil being burnt, that can help diagnose where the oil is getting through to the cylinders.

[17-Coffees]

Making plans for heading to the NEC Classsic car show in Birmingham, and rantingYoof has thrown down a challenge to me & Supernaut...

 

I'll also buy you both a drink if you do the journey in the 316

 

Sounds like a plan. 

[Supernaut]

You can. I'll just borrow the LS (or buy Mason if he's for sale by then).

[xtriple]

Been out and about today doing errands/deliveries/taking the mutts for a walk/getting petrol (Aaaargh!) and have used the dollop of much greenness. It is boiling hot - cracking the flags sort of heat out today, just the sort of weather the Bentley fucking loathes! It runs hot (always - dodgy new sensors apparently but the actual temp is spot on... still worrying seeing the gauge up a bit especially as HGF is not unknown on these 'Cosworth' built engined ones) and fails to start...

 

Well, that's what it's been in for to have repaired but without a 'definite' solution. But it has behaved impeccably! Must have been stopped/started within 5 minutes at least ten times, and while I was 'fearful' on each occasion, she just started!

 

I could get used to this!

 

Also, the air con has had a proper try out: front windows shut but the rears wide open (little noses require wind blast to keep them happy!) and the inside of the car is still like a fridge! I must have lowered the ambient temperature of the Torbay region by at least 0.00005 of a degree!   Oh, and used up an acre of tropical rain forest as well.

 

Finally, in a fit of altruistic passion for the old girl, I have treated her to a tankful of 'Supreme plus' unleaded fuel. The cost of that was a bit of a shock (10 pence a litre more than straight unleaded) but she does seem to like it, running much more smoothly (these things are subjective - a Rolls Royce or Bentley is always 'smooth' - unlike the scruffy owner) and also, cooler!

 

Touch wood, whistle and cross fingers, she is currently in 'rude' health! It can be done

[Bobthebeard]

My new news... Having decided to have a clear out of cars have now gone from five to two. Not including the daily. Everything now sold. Feels a bit bleak to be honest. The drive is so empty...

[Bear]

Want an MGF? Comes with free dustpan full of structural* parts?

[stripped fred]

I'm not a mechanic but white smoke is usually water getting into places it shouldn't be. Did they top up the oil with coolant too?! If the smoke had a slight blue tint, it could be oil burning but you'd notice the smell. Check if the smoke shows more at certain revs too. If it is oil being burnt, that can help diagnose where the oil is getting through to the cylinders.

That makes sense, perhaps it's headgasket had gone. I get the impression they were the sort of couple who buy cheap and do nothing until it breaks. Wouldn't be surprised if this was the first time they'd lifted the bonnet.

[stuboy]

Pop round my future fil to meet my missus and hes just back from moting his dutton kit car..

[For Fiats Sake]

So the Panda parade whose head gasket went within 30minutes of ownership has the head skimmed and the valves reground(on the advice of my arch panda fixer) was collected this afternoon.

Now I have to fuck around with shims and even more shit I don't know about.  I've tried to clean the block up a bit but it still looks rubbish.  Petrol has been leaking steadily on the drive from the pipes taken off the injector system for two days leaving a lovely pool on the drive, I've stuffed the pipes back on the chamber thing and I think it's stopped.

Oh and the cambelt ordered for next day delivery from Amazon hasn't turned up either.

Ever wish you'd never started something?

 

Anyway, my shit attempt at block cleaning and a skimmed head.

 

 

 

Fuck only knows what will happen tomorrow when reassemblage takes place.

 

[BorniteIdentity]

Different? COLT COLT COLT!

 

Not a headache? Er, can you weld?

Not one bit. And I've absolutely no appetite for learning.

 

Just missed a peachy 205 for £475. 2 owner 1.4 with impeccable history.

 

I've got three in mind now.

 

1. Colt. But the various foibles mean I'll probably be as annoyed with it as I am my own shite.

 

2. Starlet 70. Vendor seems to be a bit reluctant to even give me a slight deal. That's always a bad sign. (There'd be no luck money here I can tell you)

 

3. Mystery car. It's not me but I'd like to try one before time is too late. Deal with fellow AS member pencilled for next month.

[Ghosty]

Mystery car beats KP and Colt IMO. Is it the same size as the other options or bigger?

[For Fiats Sake]

Don't forget the lovely Uno, with MOT and superb rustless* condition is still available!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*(for a Fiat, but I have to say the underneath is tip top).

[BorniteIdentity]

Mystery car beats KP and Colt IMO. Is it the same size as the other options or bigger?

I do love the Jap Tat tho

 

It's a bit bigger the mystery car but, like on those property shows, it's a curve ball. But I liked it enough to call shotgun.

[AMC Rebel]

Another snap from my weekend in Ireland

 

 

There was a note pinned to the door saying "open at 6.30" - it didn't say which day (or year) - and it looked to have been there a while.

[AMC Rebel]

 

Ever wish you'd never started something?

.

About 27 times a day on average.

[Kiltox]

Think I'll need to give in and put a set of tyres on the Rover.... one rear has a slow puncture and they're cracked and perished to buggery

Not sure whether to just sling a set of ditchfinders on it or get something a bit better - it's not exactly a rocket ship 

[BorniteIdentity]

Think I'll need to give in and put a set of tyres on the Rover.... one rear has a slow puncture and they're cracked and perished to buggery

 

Not sure whether to just sling a set of ditchfinders on it or get something a bit better - it's not exactly a rocket ship 

 

Good tyres:  For me the simplest but most effective thing you can do to transform a car.  I never realised until I put proper winter tyres on my WBOD 3 years ago and it was like nothing I'd ever felt... they were tacky almost to the road surface.  

 

If you think what a small percentage of them are on the road at any one given second, I think it deserves to be good stuff.

 

Tyreleader always seem to have tyres on offer at around £35: so if you can get them, i'd not bother messing around with the chinese plastic stuff.

 

Just my 2p

[BorniteIdentity]

Think I'll need to give in and put a set of tyres on the Rover.... one rear has a slow puncture and they're cracked and perished to buggery

 

Not sure whether to just sling a set of ditchfinders on it or get something a bit better - it's not exactly a rocket ship 

 

Ps @JohnK had a nasty incident with old cracked tyres earlier  this year.  If you do any sort of speed/miles I'd have a look at them as a priority.

 

Not lecturing, but  they do expire.

[Kiltox]

Yeah they are shagged and really must go, I just know the weather will change permanently when I shell out for them and I won't drive the sodding thing!

[dugong]

Good tyres:  For me the simplest but most effective thing you can do to transform a car.  I never realised until I put proper winter tyres on my WBOD 3 years ago and it was like nothing I'd ever felt... they were tacky almost to the road surface.  

 

If you think what a small percentage of them are on the road at any one given second, I think it deserves to be good stuff.

 

Tyreleader always seem to have tyres on offer at around £35: so if you can get them, i'd not bother messing around with the chinese plastic stuff.

 

Just my 2p

 

^^this. Half decent tyres for most shites are available cheap from My Tyres or Tyreleader (no bung was received) so why bother with scrapyard tyres, part worns or dog salad ditchfinders? 

[HillmanImp]

MR2 is in for its test. Its not going to pass but at least I will know exactly how much needs doing.