The new news 24 thread

[barefoot]

 

 

...Whilst Brad tried to get the wheel off,

I changed the fag lighter for an original one ....

 

Hammer a smaller Sterling over the Lord...

 

It's great to be back.

[Mr Lobster]

Boring fleet update.

 

Renault 4 F6 - plodding along quite happily, need to find some better front seats and going to need a few minor jobs doing. Shall be ordering parts from France shortly ready for a bit of winter jiggery pokery.

 

Seat Toledo - Reliable apart from the turbo coming a bit loose. Easy enough sorted though. Still does 34mpg everywhere.

 

Kangoo dci - SOLD! List of mechanical failures added to by breaking a torsion bar. Handily this happened in Cornwall which is only 360 miles from home resulting in a long trip home courtesy of the RAC (who I have to say were brilliant). Secondhand back axle purchased and fitted and found itself on eBay. Replaced by -

 

[Futureshite] Mazda 5 2.0 - Many doubt the wisdom of buying a newish, large, petrol engined car. But it was about £2k cheaper than the equvalent diesel. Thirsty though. Tried an economy run to the NEC and back but still wasn't much better and anyway economy runs are boring so I just got on with going fast and as a bonus I'll get a few more Shell points so everyone's a winner.

[cort16]

I've finished the wheel arch on the Puma. I'm pretty happy with it and have stone chipped it and seam sealered it all inside, which Ford didn't bother to do.

There was a bit of rust on the bottom of the passenger wing, which actually turned out to be some serious grot thanks to a massive dirt trap behind wing (nice one ford).

I cut it out and welded in the bottom of that KIA Cee'd wing I used to make the rear wheel arch and it was a great match. That friggin KIA wing's been a god send I've seriously picked the bones of it.

 

I've also maybe found someone to take the TR7 on. My mates quite handy with the welder and likes BL Tat (he's got an SD1 and P6) so is having a think about taking it on.

I hope he does as I'd rather not break it.

[skattrd]

RVR sold - sorry ruffgeezer.

The Maestro passed it's MOT earlier this week, needing only minimal tinkering and should be the next of the fleet to go. That will just leave the Saab as the remaining car of fleet reduction phase 1.

Phase 2 will likely see the Alfa going, after getting the lpg sorted and another MOT.

[vulgalour]

@skattrd: Did you get my message from Dan/Gimble/Trotters?

[skattrd]

@skattrd: Did you get my message from Dan/Gimble/Trotters?

 

Yes I did thanks Angyl. I sent him a message yesterday and spoke to him today.

[Mike D]

I have had it with the megane, it seems that the ECU has failed, i've got no spark on cylinders 2&3... Anyone need any bits off it before i launch it at the bridge next week?

[Lord Sterling]

Bloody wiper on the Micra

 

A few weeks ago, the wipers started squealing, I changed the wipers for some brand new aero wipers thinking that it would stop the squeeling, it didnt. So today, just having enough time to not be bothered by anyone to do something or go anywhere I whipped out the tools to see what the hell was causing the squeaking, it sounded like the rubber against the screen but I eventually found out it wasnt this. The sound was coming from the where the wiper arm meets the linkage, I squirted loads of WD40 to no avail, so I loosend the arm to try and take the scuttlepanel off, the scuttle proved to be a right bastard to take off and I didnt manage to get it off nor did I take the arm off.

 

After a load of jiggery pokery and WD40 somehow, whilst the squeak was still present when moving the arm around, it wasnt when the wiper, so whilst tightening up the bolt I managed to crack the arm around where its held on with a bolt. Its tight though and wont come off, but a new arm will be sought soon.

[vulgalour]

Having done more research into what wheels will fit the Maestro - and there's not many, due to the weird PCD - it would appear that the Triumph TR7 wheels would fit, with the bonus that they come in 14" flavour and seem to very rarely be uber-pricey. Anyone know any different?

[Lankytim]

Don't nissan wheels fit?

[sporty-shite]

Hopefully, the Scirocco will be going to a new home in the next week or two. A guy off R-R has said he wants it, so I'm just waiting for a paypal dipper to hold it. Now I need to find something a bit more sensible and economical for the winter.

 

Also reluctantly going to have to put Mrs S's Beetle up for sale, as she's tearing her hair out at having a car that only does 30mpg Looks like another sensible purchase may have to occur soon.

 

DAMN YOU POVERTY.

[Lord Sterling]

Also reluctantly going to have to put Mrs S's Beetle up for sale, as she's tearing her hair out at having a car that only does 30mpg Looks like another sensible purchase may have to occur soon.

 

DAMN YOU POVERTY.

 

Buy yourselves a couple of Maestro Clubman Diesels.

[dollywobbler]

T'forum came back up just in time for me to sod off to Kent for the weekend. It's a 250 mile journey on such joyous stretches of road as the M25 and M4. It just gets more and more grim (and considerably busier) the further east you go. Naturally the 2CV got overlooked for this one. The BX was an absolute joy. We got there in six hours, which is pretty impressive considering that included a stop for lunch and a detour to Winchester to collect a pair of 2CV front wings (which sadly didn't quite fit in the boot - had to drop the 40 part of the rear seat).

 

The BX is simply staggering for eating up the miles, and yet again it returned 54mpg. I got out after six hours feeling pretty much as fresh as when I got into it. Two nights later, it was back in the car for the drive home, though I nipped out to see a friend on the south coast before we did so. I'm aching a bit now, but that's mainly from not moving.

 

Downside is a return of the 'BXs have shit wipers' syndrome that plagued my estate a while back. Smeary as hell. Wiper blade is new so I'll have to give the 'screen a scrub. Well, the whole car needs a wash and thoroughly deserves one after almost 1000 miles of trouble-free motoring in two weekends.

 

This weekend saw me making much use of the Volkswagen 99 wiper relay that I pinched from my estate a while back. Not sure what other cars this relay is compatible with, but it gives you variable intermittent wipers, and (importantly on PSA stuff) less wipes when you wash. When the weather is icky (as it was for all of my driving this weekend) it's absolutely superb.

[ruffgeezer]

I made the trip from Spilsby across to Warrington via Bradford/Halifax in the nu-shite Xsara Hdi.

 

The seats are a lot more supportive than the Xantia's but not as comfortable on long journeys, also I need to replace the front arm bushes before pointing it at a motorway again in the future, it is very wandery.

 

On the plus side I secured a better (but not perfect) bonnet for Trev2 so once the Delica stops being a spoilt bitchstick, I'll get it back to work for an overhaul.

[mk1_4dr]

I guess I should keep you all up to date with my current shite.

 

The Whale sold (pretty much covering my costs -- other than fuel which ran to £1300 in 4months), and within 30mins I'd replaced it with a '96 940 Estate 2.3s LPT in manual flavour.

Its not really shite as such but it is gloriously OAP-spec: none metallic paint, keep fit rear windows, steels and wheeltrims, no roofbars, detatchable towbar, the whole package.

 

 

So obviously the first thing I needed to do was 'pep' it up abit, I did some reading on TEH INTERWEBZ and found that for £50ish I could make it quite entertainingly nippy.

 

Cue a night spent on ebay buying the neccesary, and a couple of hours spent fitting and tuning the bleedvalve to dial out any 'pinking' and low and behold I've got the thick end of 200bhp. I can't get over how much power is locked away inside these late redblocks.

Obviously, the whole tuning process requires some brutal acceleration to make sure theres no boost spikes under any load, so I waited until gone midnight and ragged the living out of it up and down the local bypass until I was happy with the result. Which I was, very happy infact. Also, it offered me the opportunity to snap this image:

 

 

I guess that got hot then! The only reason it does that is because the standard exhaust can't flow enough to expell the heat so the next step will be to chop out the exhaust boxes and replace them with straight pipe (I'll not be touching the cat, for now).

 

Also, I replaced the (admittedly fairly decent) stock tapedeck headunit with a JVC tapedeck and 12disc changer I had in stock meaning I can now rock around listening to Drifters and ELO without having CD's rattling around in the doorbins.

 

I think I heard a little whine from the alternator when i jumped into it this morning afterwork, so I'll investigate that tomorrow, but other than that Im bowled over with just how good this car is. Volvo FTW.

 

The only thing I'm a spot nervous about now is what it'll be like in the snow.

[cort16]

I saw that picture of the exhaust on RR. Looks dangerous! it's amazing all that performance is hidden away and can be unlocked for 50 quid and some buggering around.

[R9UKE]

I have had it with the megane, it seems that the ECU has failed, i've got no spark on cylinders 2&3... Anyone need any bits off it before i launch it at the bridge next week?

 

Is this a Mégane II?

 

Update on my shite. Transferred my private plate onto the newly acquired black Mégane II so it's officially the new daily. It was a toss up between this and the 3 litre Vel Satis which is shit in the snow hence why the Meg won. Plus the Meg's heated fabric seats are fucking glorious these mornings.

 

The Avantime has two flat tyres and is looking completely neglected. I know two tyres will cost me about as much as a Kia Magentis so I'm stupidly putting off the job. The 3.5 Vel Satis has decided it doesn't really enjoy life any more. Takes a good 10seconds of cranking then cuts out, the voice synthesizer is barking warnings about anti-pollution systems, faulty parking brakes and tyre pressures while this is happening. It will eventually go and I forgive it all of this as soon as I'm listening the engine at 4000 rpm.

 

The resurrection of the C5 V6 ain't going well. There's something electronic preventing the car from even trying to start. I have a feeling there's a connection missing off the positive terminal, waiting to get a poke under the bonnet of another C5 to compare.

 

The Volvo 240 is patiently anticipating some snow in order to prove it's true worth. There's something so homely about a big moss covered Volvo estate in the fleet. Shep will empathise here, I'm sure.

 

My old Laguna RT Sport is out of MOT in the next few weeks. I bought it back in August with 4 months tax and test for £230. My plan was to use it til then, weigh it and get my money back. But the old girl has proven she deserves another year on the roads. Despite the fact it can't be locked, has a terminal-sounding gearbox whine and a few suspension/steering issues, it's proven to be nothing short of completely excellent. I just can't weigh it in.

 

The Motorhog Mégane Convertible has settled in well. Of course, being an automatic Renault it doesn't like hills or motorway slip roads but the roof works great, the seats are some of the best I've ever sat in and it shouldn't take too much to MOT.

 

Current itches that need scratched include a Rover 45 V6 and a Volvo 960 3 litre. Watch this space.

[ashmicro]

Auto headlamp function on the Jag is U/s, and there's sod all info to be had. Switching on the headlights yourself is no big chore, but I'd like to know what's up with it in case the headlamps stop working altogether. I'll have to fire up the old XP laptop tomorrow, as the Jaguar TIS won't run properly on Windows 8. Arse.

 

Ironically, the sheer amount of pissing about that was involved in turning the Daytime Wanker Lights OFF in the Merc was biblical.

[coalnotdole]

Today i bought the following parts (cash sale outside ebay)

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Rebel ... true&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Rebel ... true&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-rebel ... 7675.l2557

 

Not super cheap but lots of handy parts, Stainless exhaust is destined for the rebel saloon, as will be some of the engine ancillaries, The gearbox is going on the spares pile for a rainy day.

 

The bloke who sold me the bits had just removed them from a tidy 17,000 mile tax exempt rebel estate. It even had a current MOT the owner reckoned he was going to do an engine conversion on it though he wasn't too sure what was going in. He offered me the whole car but I'm at my maxed out on storage and really don't need / cant afford another another!

[Richard]

There's no substitute for having the two cars side by side in these cases but I'll be happy to count wires/take pictures if it will help.

[Mike D]

Is this a Mégane II?

 

It's a facelift? Megane 1 - 1999 1.6 16v RT Sport - Doom is imminent in the next day or so... Owt any good for your cabrio? I've got a good set of coilpacks, the boot lock / button, and the wheel centre caps removed - the rest is bridge bound!

[Mike D]

On a sort of related note, I bought a 2002 Focus estate last night! 74k, recent cambelt, test til may, 1.6 zetec for 500 quid Needs a good hoover out and a wash, but it's mega tidy. It'll be going to my folks to replace the 2.0 focus hatch i've leant them, as i figure an estate with towbar is a more useful spare vehicle.. Being a 2002 it's cheaper to tax by a load as well, bonus! Pics later when I get home from work and get it cleaned up

[R9UKE]

I hadn't thought of that Tayne, Richard just a picture of the battery and the fuse box ahead of it with the covers removed would be a massive help. At least that way I can see what's coming off each terminal and eliminate my suspicion that there's a direct link to the fuses/ECU missing. Just whenever suits, no rush, won't be the weekend til I get looking at it again.

 

Ah Mike great, I'll take the drivers side headlamp and the boot button if possible. Also I need three centre caps for my wheels but I'm not sure they'll be the same? It's the plain looking 15" wheel with exposed wheel nuts even when the centre caps are on? PM me prices please also is the car black?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Today i bought the following parts (cash sale outside ebay)

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Rebel ... true&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-Rebel ... true&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reliant-rebel ... 7675.l2557

 

Not super cheap but lots of handy parts, Stainless exhaust is destined for the rebel saloon, as will be some of the engine ancillaries, The gearbox is going on the spares pile for a rainy day.

 

The bloke who sold me the bits had just removed them from a tidy 17,000 mile tax exempt rebel estate. It even had a current MOT the owner reckoned he was going to do an engine conversion on it though he wasn't too sure what was going in. He offered me the whole car but I'm at my maxed out on storage and really don't need / cant afford another another!

 

Sounds like he was getting into a really well-thought-out conversion that will definitely make it to completion! And certainly not just half-arsedly flogging parts off a rare old car cos he was skint.

[Mike D]

R9UKE, it's a sort of feeble light bluey silver..It's the same as this:

[R9UKE]

Agh, no good for all the panels I need then. The drivers headlight would be much appreciated if it's not too much of a bastard to remove.... if it is, never worry. Boot button and centre caps if your wheels are the same as this:

 

[Mike D]

It's exactly the same as that one R9 so no good centre cap wise i'm afraid. I'll venture out after my tea and have a goosey at the headlight

[coalnotdole]

Sounds like he was getting into a really well-thought-out conversion that will definitely make it to completion! And certainly not just half-arsedly flogging parts off a rare old car cos he was skint.

 

It was at a commercial garage and the owner had picked it up cheap and I got the impression it was a bit of a toy for him and his staff. They weren't passionate about it but did appreciate its rarity. I personally I thought that they should do a Kent Crossflow conversion as that would have been an interesting technical exercise; creating the Rebel that Reliant had originally intended!*

 

The reason for engine and transmission removal was a dead clutch pressure plate and worn carbon release bearing. If I'd had a shade more money I'd have made him an offer for it, spent a day replacing the engine and gearbox and moved it on for a small profit. Ultimately my cashflow is a bit limited at the moment and I've got nowhere for it to live. I've probably got to admit that as much as I'd like to i can't save them all..!

 

Hopefully the garage will not get bored of it before it gets a new heart as. I'd hate to see it become another one listed on ebay as a tax exempt kit car donor chassis.

 

*When the Rebel was developed In 1963/4 Reliant had originally intended to use the same range of Kent engines as planned for the Anadol, but Ford said no to its use in a UK market (Presumably as it would directly compete with their own cars.) Reliant were unwilling to drop their 4 wheeled economy project so as a compromise stuck their own 600cc engine in and slightly tweaked it to give a few extra horse power. Personally I think lack of performance was one of the things that handicapped the initial launch of the Rebel. It took a long time for sales and production to get going. by 1966 when Daves Red Rebel saloon was sold they'd only produced 164! Though its perhaps not surprising when you consider it was competing with the cheaper more established BMC Mini. Certainly the later Rebel versions with more powerful engines sold much better, more than half of all rebels ever made had the 750cc engine and were made in the last year of production. Ultimately the rebel was killed off just as the orders started too come in, but by then Relaint were desperate for production space to build the Robin Mk1 which was a big financial success with long waiting lists...

 

As a final thought of what might have been, there was also supposed to be a high spec Rebel Saloon GT with a 1600cc crossflow in the Tamworth research shed for a while... Which was thought to have been broken up after production ended.

[michael1703]

Been offered a 95 sovereign 4.0 for £400, fail sheet is minor remedial work and I viewed it and interior was nice,good tyres,pretty presentable apart from some chrome trim needing a fettle,all was good apart from the stupidly flat battery which prevented vendor from running it for me, hopefully second viewing and purchase to follow

[ashmicro]

Just seen an uparmoured pre-frogface Scorpio at the High Court in Belfast! That must be quite an age. No pix, obviously, as taking photos of official vehicles would land me right back in the court.