The new news 24 thread

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I went to Istanbul for a few days (not much in the way of shite apart from the odd Regata-like Tofas), and came back to discover the Granada's battery completely flat. RAC will have to be called tomorrow as my battery charger is completely shit.

[phil_lihp]

Nova all gone

 

Seems like its gone to a good home though, he was pleased as punch with it and said he would look after it so hopefully it'll be around a while yet.

 

Just as well I have no storage, there's a distinct temptation to put the funds back into a regrettable ebay purchase now

[wuvvum]

I wired up a reversing light on the van today, as the existing lights don't work and it was a PITA to reverse in the dark. I did think about simply wiring up the van's reversing lights to a separate switch, but LDV reversing lights (like all LDV lights really) are shit even when they are working, so I bought one of those £5.99 separate jobbies. It was actually pretty easy to fit - I didn't even have to drill any holes in the van as the bolt fitted neatly through one of the holes in the rear step, and the light also earths through said step. So it was just one long bit of wire down to a switch in the cab, which gets its live feed from the stereo wiring. It makes a helluva difference, and a lot easier than trying to fight with the rusted switch and dodgy wiring on the gearbox.

 

Unfortunately now one of the brakes has decided to stick on. I think it's one of the rears, but I can't tell which - I took it for a drive but when I got back neither drum felt particularly hot (nor did either of the fronts). This means I'm probably going to have to take it to my friendly local garage to look at, as I don't have a jack that's man enough (or has a high enough lift) to lift the thing safely. It's not sticking particularly badly, but on a vehicle which has fairly marginal performance at the best of times it is noticeable - the thing's struggling to do much more than 60 at the moment.

[Lankytim]

I managed to steal a few hours to work on the Austin 1300 today. First I installed all the internal shite into the drivers door so it now opens and closes, then I stripped down both the rear subframes I have. One is from the white rotter I scrapped recently and is completely borked rust wise but has good displacers and hubs, the other is from a mystery donor and is rot free but every moving component is corroded to shite. I plan to build a good complete subframe from the two.

 

ROTTER.

 

 

 

MINTOLA- ready to be shotblasted and painted.

 

 

The rotten subframe was difficult to strip as corrosion meant many bolts had to be cut off, the good subframe however looks to have been replaced at some point as everything had copper grease on and came apart easily. Its currently in the boot of the disastra and will be dropped off at the blasters tomorrow. It's great to have all that garage space back!

[dollywobbler]

I went to Istanbul for a few days (not much in the way of shite apart from the odd Regata-like Tofas), and came back to discover the Granada's battery completely flat. RAC will have to be called tomorrow as my battery charger is completely shit.

 

Honestly. Do you not have a set of jump leads? I would have thought that'd be an essential Autoshiter's bit of kit. I use mine to help trace electrical faults as well as resurrect shite with lazy batteries.

[mk1_4dr]

To be fair, Im with DW. A decent set of leads is an Autoshite staple (to be fair, I think they should be a set in every boot in the land. Total lifesavers)

I actually asked for a set for Christmas and got some extralong, heavyduty beauties gifted to me by my parents.

[Lankytim]

Just dropped the subframe off to be blasted, primed and painted and waa quoted £80. Does that sound alot? He's using posh epoxy mind.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Sounds alright to me

[cobblers]

yeah, sounds a lot better than spending hours going at it with a wire wheel in a grinder, then wasting £20 on hammerite which would drop off in about a week, and look shit.

[Lankytim]

Thats very true! The whole car is a right shed though, it's going to look odd with a lovely new subframe underneath!

[Pete-M]

Ratlook, BL Scene Stylee!

[Lankytim]

Ok, I've just signed on the dotted line for an 18 month domestic electricians course costing £6500. C U L8r shite old career (fingers crossed)

[Pete-M]

Gave the Impreza it's mid-winter service today. Oil change, sorted out the badly fitted top radiator hose, replaced the dodgy looking rack gaiter, traced the mystery 2300 rpm off throttle rattle to a cracked front pipe heat shield.

 

Didn't particularly fancy trying to shift the bolt that holds the shield on, after 18 years of hot and cold it'll quite probably just snap. Was scratching my head trying to think of how to sort it. Weld the shield? Nah. Wedge it with something? Maybe the bit of silicon that was cut from the hose that needed sorting? Nah. That's bodgy and unlikely to last. Thought the best thing to do would be to leave it until I can get it up on a four poster, so that's what I did.

 

Tonight visited a mechanic mate, just chatting and mentioned it. His solution? "Put a jubilee clip around the bolt head. That'll stop the bastard rattling..."

 

Simplest things sometimes just slap you in the face....

[michael1703]

it's only the juicey and gutless Thames van 1700cc engine in these that put me off them

 

Oi, they are great engines,Ive had up to 30mpg out of mine and managed 30,000 miles in a year,the 3 speed gearbox although being nice to operate needs oil very regularly and the brass components fail, the 4 speed has a better lifespan but isnt as nice to use

[ashmicro]

This Pisshat (pictured in my works carpark) suffered total electrical failure yesterday, and just rolled away! As you can see it just stopped where it sits. Gave our security team a bit of a scare, they thought Knight Rider had gone VW when the saw a driverless car gently reversing across the car park.

 

 

It's almost new, too.

[Mr Lobster]

Bought a new clutch cable for the R4. Forgot that buying one from France would mean it'd be for a LHD van. Stoopid. Still, it was only €8.

[oman5]

Ok, I've just signed on the dotted line for an 18 month domestic electricians course costing £6500. C U L8r shite old career (fingers crossed)

 

 

Let us know how that works out? sounds interesting

[dollywobbler]

Sunshine! BX estate hard at work on tip runs.

[cort16]

DW what's the story with the stripes being on the BX? Did you liberate it from a safari park or something?

[dollywobbler]

Nope. Fitted them myself as we were taking part in a rally driving around the perimeter of France, and I thought plain white looked a bit dull. We chose Green Tiger because my co-driver once had his face painted like a tiger and the car leaked green fluid. Not the strongest of reasons...

 

Even before we'd set off, I'd decided I was keeping it after the event.

 

When I first got it.

[trigger]

Ive had up to 30mpg out of mine and managed 30,000 miles in a year

 

That's hardcore. I went out this morning to buy a new front spring for my Mondeo ST, the motor factors only list one for all the diesel Mondeo's which is wrong so ended up going to Ford, according to the system mine is a special equipment suspension and has just cost me £77 for one spring. Bumhats.

[cort16]

Ah right, I always wondered. I for some reason I'd persuaded myself it was the vehicle used by a safari park to go around knocking monkeys off visitors roof racks.

[Bobthebeard]

Ok, I've just signed on the dotted line for an 18 month domestic electricians course costing £6500. C U L8r shite old career (fingers crossed)

 

 

Cripes! That's a lot of money! Where abouts are you? Am a qualified electrician and may be able to point you in the direction of a much cheaper way. Possibly.

[Angrydicky]

Sunshine! BX estate hard at work on tip runs.

 

Must have missed the bit where you got this back on the road. How did the welding go?

[dollywobbler]

Sunshine! BX estate hard at work on tip runs.

 

Must have missed the bit where you got this back on the road. How did the welding go?

 

Welding still on the To Do list. It passed an MOT in the summer. I've got a few months to get it properly sorted. Still needs cambelt and clutch - hopefully next month.

[Shep Shepherd]

Learned today that my AA membership has been upgraded to Gold Membership, which is nice

[HillmanImp]

Have made a decision that I am going to get the Imp over to my house in the next couple of weeks so I can spend my evenings prepping it for paint instead of reading shizzle in t'interweb. Need to get some brakes on it so I can safely push it up my 45 degree driveway and then trailer it over.

 

Watch this space.

 

Then there is the questions as to what to do with the garage........ Hmmmm, new shite alert.

[Lankytim]

Ok, I've just signed on the dotted line for an 18 month domestic electricians course costing £6500. C U L8r shite old career (fingers crossed)

 

 

Cripes! That's a lot of money! Where abouts are you? Am a qualified electrician and may be able to point you in the direction of a much cheaper way. Possibly.

 

I'm in Stoke on Trent and have already signed on the dotted line! I have seen that there seem to be much cheaper courses about but this one just seems alot more complete and thorough, plus i've read alot of good reviews on the net about it. It's all City and Guilds stuff so sounds pukka. I'm still very nervous about it all though!

[dollywobbler]

Good luck with it Tim. Takes big wotsits to make a career change like that. Hope it works out for you. Can't imagine it'll be easy at times, but surely a background of Electrics by Mr Lucas is a great help.

[Lankytim]

Big balls/total disillusion with my current "career". Fed up of bullshit, flannel, low wages and no prospect of any change. The 6.5 k isn't in one go, it's spread out over 3 years but it's a 12 month course so in in theory I can pay it off when i'm earning £££££'s. we'l see.