The new news 24 thread

[oldcars]

You would think they would have a bit of come and go considering the situation.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

To be honest, I don't think the "rat look" suits CXs.....

 

[Guest Hooli]

Ask him to check for rot while he's there.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

My first ever FTP! Partner’s car on the way to a party. Fortunately we’d pulled over in the only lay-by to have a spot of lunch and the car won’t start. Won’t even crank. Starter motor probably. AA on the way...

 

06 Focus Studio superbASe. I like this car.

[dean36014]

Tinkering on the xm and eBay cheapo remote locking kit fitted so I now don't have to lean across to open him.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

My first ever FTP! Partner’s car on the way to a party. Fortunately we’d pulled over in the only lay-by to have a spot of lunch and the car won’t start. Won’t even crank. Starter motor probably. AA on the way...

 

06 Focus Studio superbASe. I like this car.

I’m a genius. It is the starter motor. AA were good. Got bumpstarted and going to the garage...

[bramz7]

So collecting something I've always wanted today.

Train out of Reading cancelled at Oxford due to broken down train blocking lines up from Banbury.

Got told to go via London. Run to get Marylebone one. Go on sweaty tube to St Pancras to go to Sheffield. Have to change there to get a Pacer to Barnsley.

Today is not the day for trains.

[ruffgeezer]

Nearly bought a Rover 75 cdt with 190k at the auction this morning, no mot and I baled out when it hit £160+fees+vat.

[BavarianRetro]

Tbh I don’t want to spend 5 hours on a bus 4 hours after I left the house.

They’re getting a price for delivery failing that I might just sack it off as a bad omen.

Where is it?

 

My tame transporter is coming here on Tuesday. I'll ask him if he has room?

[cort16]

It’s in Chorley

Edit . Thanks , if you could find out that would be good.

 

The whole episode has left me feeling a bit weird about the whole thing. It also seems like I’ve been dealing with 2 different people at the car sales place selling it neither of whom have seemingly spoken to each other.

[Simonsays]

After 10 days of rain I have two cars that are no longer fully watertight. The streetkak is leaking around the passenger window seals and my laddos clio is leaking through the sunroof (TADTS)

 

Bother..

[Ghosty]

Found the Prelude's alarm box under the lower A pillar trim on the passenger side. Unplugged and hid the IR sensors to see if it solves the alarm triggering problem.

 

If it does I'll reconnect the siren.

[stuboy]

Fed up with not know the future of the focus.. decided to buy a HBOL for the daddy wagon and add more stickers to the rear window..

[Ghosty]

Front shocks have also been replaced - after 100k the damping force in them is non-existent.

 

Something is knocking at the back and the tracking is still off (albeit not by as much), those are tomorrow's jobs.

[Jim Bell]

I’m a genius. It is the starter motor. AA were good. Got bumpstarted and going to the garage...

Goodest news man. Looks like its catching though. My missus is getting recovered now.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Goodest news man. Looks like its catching though. My missus is getting recovered now.

Rough. Best of luck to her. It’s a pain but life goes on...

[richardmorris]

To be honest, I don't think the "rat look" suits CXs.....

image.jpeg

 

Better out than in!

[richardmorris]

Ask him to check for rot while he's there.

 

This is a Cx. Ignorance is bliss and a hell of a lot cheaper than poking things with a screwdriver.

[dave21478]

Its such a delicate and genteel hobby we have.....

 

[richardmorris]

On the car front I decided to risk life and limb and take the Mercedes out on the shopping trips this morning to see if the added grease has helped the balljoint.

To my amazement it had. Some freaks and groans still to start with as I went over to sandown Park ( crew clothing rummage sale) but nothing on the way back. Then into work and then Laithwaite’s for the monthly top up ( and to say hello to the girl who thinks I’m Kenneth Branagh).

Car was so well behaved I even opened all the windows and sunroof to bask in the sun at sunningdale level crossing. And they worked! Of course the front floor mats are in the boot so the water leaks don’t soak the sponge, but you can’t have it all!

 

Tomorrow I’m off to mini cowley in the 2cv to meet up with the morris minors club and convoy down to the west berks brewery for lunch and a pint. It’s a photo op for practical classics with a newly restored 2cv and minor heading off to Paris. Photos to follow.

 

Oh, and my traction mechanic friend is coordinating a date for us to go and look at a 1956 normale for sale from a long term owner. Off the road since 2009 with a driveshaft problem. Original interior and paint apparently, and well used but reliable with 65,000 km from new. Could well be very cheap too given the work needed. What’s the fly in the ointment? It’s 250 miles away and will need trailering!

 

I have a towbar on the 2cv, but somehow can’t see this being a legal towing capacity.

[bramz7]

So collecting something I've always wanted today.

Train out of Reading cancelled at Oxford due to broken down train blocking lines up from Banbury.

Got told to go via London. Run to get Marylebone one. Go on sweaty tube to St Pancras to go to Sheffield. Have to change there to get a Pacer to Barnsley.

Today is not the day for trains.

Unlucky* me, it's a 153 on the back of a 158.

[Jim Bell]

Its such a delicate and genteel hobby we have.....

 

https://youtu.be/hbPyFDXXFkA

 

 

Youre hurting it!!!

[The Moog]

I’m thinking could I drive down, pay for it then stick in a car park until I can go and get it.

I could potentially collect it and stick it on my drive if that helps?

[wuvvum]

Unlucky* me, it's a 153 on the back of a 158.

In all of my northerly collection missions I've only once managed to get a ride on a Pacer.  It's one of those things that I'm glad I've done for the experience, but I'm in no great rush to do again.

[bramz7]

Hmmm. The new fleet member is nice and all but I think it's running a bit shitty. Hey ho, just got to come down from Nottingham way....

[wuvvum]

So far this weekend I have mostly been failing to get the Perodua ready for its retest.  I took yesterday afternoon off to get it sorted - didn't think it'd be too bad, two droplinks, a track rod end and a brake pipe.  I'd had a quick look at the suspension bits when it originally failed, and they didn't look bad at all - the track rod end wasn't too rusty, and the drop links, whilst grottier, had nice hex sections on the bolts to grab hold of to keep the ball joint from spinning when undoing the nut.

 

Except they weren't hex sections at all, they were lock nuts.  Which promptly stripped their threads as soon as the going got tough.  All four of them.  So out came the hacksaw, which took fucking ages as there's very little space under there.  Eventually got them off, then ran into a similar problem when fitting the new ones - as soon as the nuts reached the Nyloc bit, the ball joint started spinning, and because the lock nut was undoing this time it wasn't helping to keep things in place at all.  I eventually solved the issue by supergluing the lock nuts onto their threads and winding the Nyloc nuts onto the track rod end to put a thread in the nylon bit.

 

The track rod end came undone no problem at all.  But the replacement I'd bought had completely the wrong thread in it so was utterly useless.  Fortunately it was only the ball joint dust cover that failed the MOT, so I nicked the dust cover off the new end, but it was a right fanny to fit (hence why I'd ordered a complete new end for the sake of 9 quid) - those poxy spiral spring clips are a proper pain in the arse, and I didn't dare apply too much welly to them for fear of putting a hole in the rubber, which is never a good thing.

 

The brake pipe also proved to be a pain in the arse, due to the ABS module having short threads and the brake pipe ends which came with the reel of pipe I'd bought having threads which didn't run all the way to the end.  So despite having got up early this morning to try and get it sorted, I then had to wait until the motor factors opened to buy some better ends. then cut off the end of the pipe and reflare it with the new ends fitted.  That allowed me to get the pipe on the car, but I haven't been able to route it properly as it needs clipping in in a couple of places and I couldn't fit the required clips as I appear to have lost my drill.  To my relief the bleed nipple on the drum eventually came undone (although it took a bit of persuasion), so the brakes are now functional again at least. 

 

By this time it was only about 45 minutes until the MOT place closed, so I decided to run it up there anyway to see if plugging the Lambda sensor back in had sorted the emissions - I'd already decided that if it needed a new cat I wasn't going to bother, and I begrudged paying for a full retest if it was going to fail again.  They stuck it on the emissions machine and it blew a 0.02 on the CO (down from 10.97 (!) last time) and the Lambda reading was 1.000.  So that was an easy fix at least.  I've booked it back in for a full retest next Saturday, which means I need to pull my finger out tomorrow and get the brake pipe routing sorted (and either borrow or buy a new drill).

 

I've finally admitted defeat on the 205 track rod end.  I'd taken it off the hub and wedged it in place pointing upwards so the GT85 I've been saturating it with could theoretically run down inside the threads, but it's made bugger all difference - it's been sat like that for two weeks and it still won't budge..  So I'm going to book it in to my friendly garage and get them to do the work - they have oxyacetylene and shit so they should be able to get it off.  I haven't decided yet whether to fork out 50 quid for a new wishbone or whether to be tight and nick the wishbone off the other 205 (which as far as I know is OK now I've replaced the knackered bush).

[AlabamaShrimp]

I have a tow bar sir, please feel free to ruin your bumper on it if you like.

 

 

Xscape this afternoon.

[Noel Tidybeard]

should've left a note saying they have split your towball cover!

[bramz7]

Hmmm. The new fleet member is nice and all but I think it's running a bit shitty. Hey ho, just got to come down from Nottingham way....

Okay got home fine after this. Seemed to clear up whatever issue it had.

First impressions, eBay photos flattered it. But it's fun.

[Guest Hooli]

I've spent the afternoon & evening in my neighbour's workshop. I now have two out of three welding jobs done on my Bonnie & the frame is still there for the other one to get one when he gets the chance. This means I'll have a Triumph that doesn't leak out out of the frame, has all the engine mounts in place & doesn't lean over so far on the side stand it looks like it's falling over.