The new news 24 thread

[peter9000uk]

Best bit was making myself a clutch aligning tool

 

 

Socket t-bar and insulating tape I sincerely hope? If not as shite go stand in the corner with a pointed hat with a D on.

[Minimad5]

Best bit was making myself a clutch aligning tool

 

 

Socket t-bar and insulating tape I sincerely hope? If not as shite go stand in the corner with a pointed hat with a D on.

 

Nearly, instead i got some un-used stainless steel bar from work .. and used two winds of electrical tape to 'beef' it up

Needless to say it worked perfectly

[Pete-M]

I use my finger. Never failed.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I found a chunky marker pen was a perfect fit.

[Wilko220]

 

Before doing anything else with your 75, check the drain plenums for the shelf between bulkhead and engine, and check out the 75&ZT forum for details of how to modify your bonnet catch to stop it failing! These were some of the first things I did to mine. If the plenums block up, the shelf overflows all over the ECU. Nice! I expect they're ok if the previous owner is a passionate type, but you never know... I used an old curtain wire to check the plenums on mine.

 

Thanks for the tip, DW - I'll take a look.

[Craig the Princess]

Mrs the Princess and I are heading to Reading to get some bits from an Ambassador that is being scrapped. My first proper scrapyard trip in about 6 years

 

Metro welding is complete so next weekend is reassembly time, MoT by the end of the yer (fingers crossed).

[andrew e]

Probaly the wrong place but notice the similarity between the Gestapo and the Monster raving loony logo?

 

 

I'm sure the 75 and ZT club are not tossers* in case you think I think they are

[Shep Shepherd]

The Volvo's overdrive relay has been located and removed and is ready for a bit of soldering during a slack period at work (read all day) tomorrow

[brammy777]

Mrs the Princess and I are heading to Reading to get some bits from an Ambassador that is being scrapped. My first proper scrapyard trip in about 6 years

 

Metro welding is complete so next weekend is reassembly time, MoT by the end of the yer (fingers crossed).

Knowing the area pretty well, I bet it's either a red one..or this one:

1984 Austin Ambassador 2.0 HL Hatchback. by bramm77, on Flickr

[Craig the Princess]

 

http://www.autoshite.com/phpbb3/search.php?keywords=Ambassador&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

[brammy777]

Oh, didn't see that thread! I know that yard very well, been there multiple times, pretty helpful bunch too. They issue the CoD mega quick though, literally as soon as the car lands, a tightnit run operation I think. They generally spray a tick on the windscreen though....

They always have some form of shite there, so you might spot some other stuff too. Ideal basis for a thread if you take a camera too

[cort16]

Gonna give the SD1 my full attention today. Been pissing about with that Alfa and generally doing everything but working on the Rover as I want to get it back on it's wheels before Christmas.

[ashmicro]

Epic OMG Tyre fail on my mate's Audi A6.

 

 

 

We were heading for the barrier on the motorway out of Belfast on Wednesday, but his great car control saw us merely shaken. I don't know how he did it.

[garycox]

Looks nasty, the OSR tyre on my old Carlton estate did that at 70+mph in the fast lane of the motorway when my friend was driving. Very scary but he managed to get it scross 2 busy lanes and onto the hard shoulder very smoothly, not sure whether that was down to the car or the driving though!

[Cavcraft]

Not the greatest of mechanical skills but:

 

Flushed the cooling system on the Audi and lobbed some anti-freeze in.

 

Replaced flat battery on Cavalier with big eff off heavy duty one and it started first turn and still sounds MEGA.

 

'Mended' the Picasso dents a bit more by the simple use of a plastic kid's skittle and a hammer. Rear door dent looks slightly better now I've added a Union flag sticker and some blue-tak I shit you not

Flushed the coolant/added new anti-freeze on that too: bollocks to 'modern' cars, it was about 800 times harder to piss about getting the hoses off than it was on the Audi. Refitted the rear door trim and now could ideally do with getting a door rubbing strip thing to make it look about 47.2% better than it does without it

[autofive]

beemers gone

 

5 engines arrived

[cort16]

I've put my 166 up for sale.v6 Super Lusso Manual 750 quid.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=FSW&action=display&thread=118331

IMG_1744 by cort16, on Flickr

 

IMG_1747 by cort16, on Flickr

[Shep Shepherd]

My attempt to repair The Volvo's overdrive relay by re-soldering it was a resounding failure. Better order a new one, then

 

At least I managed to confirm that the kick-down still works

[Craig the Princess]

Currently waiting for the Kill Rust treatment to dry, one more coat them some red oxide on both Metro and new Ambassador fuel tanks.

 

Pictures of the Reading scrapyard will appear later.

[RobT]

Changed the thermostat on a mate's mk1 1.8 Avensis today, I wish all car jobs were that easy. His heater is all hot and toasty now as the old 'stat was stuck open. He let me take it for a spin afterwards and I must say, although it's a tad dull, it's got nice comfy seats and not a single squeak or rattle from the dash. Rear visibility is appalling though.

 

In contrast, the sum total of my own car achievements today were fitting a new front wiper to the BX.

[dieselnutjob]

Last week changed the antifreeze and diff oil on the 604. It now has no fluids left that aren't new. Only the air filter to go.

[M'coli]

Spent 2 hours sorting stuff out in the garage so I can move the Imp inside and begin sorting it out.

[Shep Shepherd]

I've owned The Volvo for exactly eight years today. It has been the only constant in my life since 2003, and even though it now looks a bit shabby and has suffered from a few fairly minor problems (including the ongoing overdrive relay fault) since I've owned it, it's proof positive that given a modicum of care and maintenance, rear wheel drive Volvos can be excellent long-term ownership prospects; 215,000 miles and counting

[Lankytim]

Talking of RWD Volvos I installed a genuine VOLVO rear load blind in mine today. I removed it from my scrapper 240, it needed a bit of repair to the mechanism but it works great now. BOW DOWN TO MY RARE 240 LOAD BLIND, VOLVO COMMUNITY.

[Shep Shepherd]

That is a rare thing. I've only ever seen one, which was fitted to a 240 Polar (Italian in origin, but on UK plates) I used to see in Deal quite often in the mid-2000s

 

700/900s are fare more likely to have load covers, some of which - including the one fitted to The Volvo - have a very useful integral parcel shelf

[dollywobbler]

The BX has an extended parcel shelf, based on that of the hatchback (or saloon as Citroen called them). I'm not aware of any other estates with a parcel shelf (though feel free to let me know of any!). I much prefer it actually as you just drop it to the boot floor or leave it at home to carry big stuff, and it feels more secure than a roller-type load cover, which surely just says "I've got something hidden beneath me" as it's normally left in the rolled up position. Isn't it?

[autofive]

beemers gone

 

5 engines arrived

 

plus another 2 today, i now have 10 engines sitting around waiting for fitment

[Shep Shepherd]

The BX has an extended parcel shelf, based on that of the hatchback (or saloon as Citroen called them). I'm not aware of any other estates with a parcel shelf (though feel free to let me know of any!). I much prefer it actually as you just drop it to the boot floor or leave it at home to carry big stuff, and it feels more secure than a roller-type load cover, which surely just says "I've got something hidden beneath me" as it's normally left in the rolled up position. Isn't it?

 

The Volvo's rear load cover is always kept in its extended state, unless I have big stuff to carry, as I prefer it that way

 

TV2 came with a load cover from new, but I removed it when I bought the car as it had stopped retracting years before and looked rubbish. I'm still trying to find an easy/cheap way of getting it to work properly again...

[The Moog]

Micra has finally sold with guy coming to get it tomorrow.

 

 

Put about 300 miles on the Insignia and it is hateful. Is a CDTI SRI and manages to find bumps on perfectly flat tarmac. Why do modern cars need rock hard suspension? It ruins what otherwise would be a good car. Engine is nice and it is lovely to have the toys but the ride that makes you sick is not worth it.

[Pete-M]

Micra has finally sold with guy coming to get it tomorrow.

 

 

Put about 300 miles on the Insignia and it is hateful. Is a CDTI SRI and manages to find bumps on perfectly flat tarmac. Why do modern cars need rock hard suspension? It ruins what otherwise would be a good car. Engine is nice and it is lovely to have the toys but the ride that makes you sick is not worth it.

 

This is why I enjoy using Skodas. They don't have rock hard suspension, yet the Superb handles