The new news 24 thread

[PhilA]

I also think they missed a trick with the air vents- surely the Mercedes emblem shape would be better?

 

That's a strange direction they've taken with the vents. All classic Mercs I've seen have horizontally louvered vents. Given MB's current fetish for "re-living the glory days", it is an interesting design statement.

 

They remind me of rather more gaudy Mini vents.

 

Phil

[tommotech]

I may be about to call time on Mrs T's Renault Scenic, the alternator became noisy and showed a charging fault. The shaft is walking in and out of the front bearing, but this is not its only issue.

 

Clutch is on its way which will also mean a flywheel, rear dampers are required for next MOT, AirBag rotary contact is required for next MOT, steering rack has too much play and new tyres are required. In doing the maths I'm not sure its worth it when I could get something useable for the cost of these parts alone. The engine is its only redeeming feature, would be a good donor.

 

This is the first time I've had to think about binning a car that has performed daily duties. It has done well during its tenure with us but sometimes you just have to make a decision.

[Supernaut]

I may be about to call time on Mrs T's Renault Scenic, the alternator became noisy and showed a charging fault. The shaft is walking in and out of the front bearing, but this is not its only issue.

 

Clutch is on its way which will also mean a flywheel, rear dampers are required for next MOT, AirBag rotary contact is required for next MOT, steering rack has too much play and new tyres are required. In doing the maths I'm not sure its worth it when I could get something useable for the cost of these parts alone. The engine is its only redeeming feature, would be a good donor.

 

This is the first time I've had to think about binning a car that has performed daily duties. It has done well during its tenure with us but sometimes you just have to make a decision.

 

You'll probably be able to get the Ronnie Pickering from WilsonX2 soon.

[panhard65]

I may be about to call time on Mrs T's Renault Scenic, the alternator became noisy and showed a charging fault. The shaft is walking in and out of the front bearing, but this is not its only issue.

 

Clutch is on its way which will also mean a flywheel, rear dampers are required for next MOT, AirBag rotary contact is required for next MOT, steering rack has too much play and new tyres are required. In doing the maths I'm not sure its worth it when I could get something useable for the cost of these parts alone. The engine is its only redeeming feature, would be a good donor.

 

This is the first time I've had to think about binning a car that has performed daily duties. It has done well during its tenure with us but sometimes you just have to make a decision.

Good move to bin the Scenic. I had a similar conversation with one of my customers last week about his Landcruiser. It is turning into a right liability and he spends a couple of grand every year keeping it going. The latest fail was the ABS unit he was seriously considering spending 2k on a new Toyota unit until I managed to get his repaired for 500 by BBA Reman. When he picked it up last night his mrs asked what I thought about it and hopefully she will persuade him to replace it rather than keep spending on it. Doesn't do me much good but I really hate watching people pour money into hopeless cases.

[Bobthebeard]

Back home again and time to button up the Saab 9-3 sump drop, clean and breather pipe upgrade. The sump plug had been tightened up to StupidFt/lbs and had to be removed by 'hammering the smaller socket over it ' method but came out eventually. New plug and washer fitted. One of the sump bolts was stripped, but as the genuine sealant has been applied I don't anticipate that it will matter greatly. Hopefully.

Realised that I had routed one of the breather pipes in the upgrade kit wrongly so that will be addressed. It needs to be insulated and run alongside the throttle body heater pipes apparently. Not sure why.

Am planning to re fill the sump with the correct fully synthetic oil and then drain it out again before re filling and running the engine. This may flush out any particles of carbon sludge or flakes that were missed. Or not.

The amount of the stuff clinging everywhere was incredibly hard to remove, especially in the timing chain tunnel.

75% job done now. Another hour or so to do on Thursday if the weather holds.

[tommotech]

Having had the MG Midget MOT'd a couple of weeks ago I renewed the insurance today. Didn't go with Lancaster as Adrian Flux were £35 cheaper, with better cover.

 

I'm not a fan of the 40 year exemption and will choose to have mine tested as normal.

 

[dollywobbler]

The best age of Midget. I love the black-sill type.

[SiC]

I dunno, I really like the goofy rubber bumpers on the later midgets. But then I also like rubber bumper MGBs, so maybe I should be ignored.

[richardmorris]

Well I’ve still got the courtesy car. New bolts ordered yesterday were too short according to the service manager. New ones should be here tomorrow. Place your bets!

[tooSavvy]

... Prace your bets!, m8

 

You new at this... ? lol

[madrat]

I dunno, I really like the goofy rubber bumpers on the later midgets. But then I also like rubber bumper MGBs, so maybe I should be ignored.

I prefer the rubber bumpers

[JeeExEll]

Having had the MG Midget MOT'd a couple of weeks ago I renewed the insurance today. Didn't go with Lancaster as Adrian Flux were £35 cheaper, with better cover.

 

I'm not a fan of the 40 year exemption and will choose to have mine tested as normal.

 

MGMOT.JPG

Nice colour! Krome bumperz

What's the story with those period alloys? Used to see a few Midgets on these. BL option-list? Minilites, Dunlops?

[richardmorris]

... Prace your bets!, m8

You new at this... ? lol

?

[Jams]

Sold the mrs Leon to some guys of gumtree so for the past two weeks I’ve been car hunting normally I would be excited! But I think I’ve lost my mojo:( just can’t be bothered

[BavarianRetro]

I prefer the rubber bumpers

I prefer the round arch.

[stuboy]

Grabbed 5 mins to try and fix the rusty backbox back on the companys sharan 7 seater.. welded pipe in to sleeve over the rusty bit, just waiting on a new clamp

 

On different news decided to take missus car home as she stuck in hospital with stepson with broken leg, funny looks from dudes expecting a female driver

[MarvinsMom]

after bigging up the black mini on sunday evening, our journey home on monday turned into a complete 'mare.... it seems i really iinxed it! 

 

so, we left Gravesend about 8.30, car both running really well.

 

up to cambridge services about 10am, and on to just pass stamford for 12.30-ish, so far, so good....

 

then on towards homeworld. get to the Newark junction, the balck mini started to miss-fire. decinding that it was wiser to get off the motorway we dived down the sliproad where the car finally died. now, as we knew the petrol gauge told lies, we thought that i musta ran it out of fuel. indeed dropping the contents of the petrol can into the car, all seemed well, so, we made our way into the town centre and filled them both back up.

£6 later, it seems that the tank wasnt as empty as we thought.

 

ah well, not to worry. so back to getting home, only maybe a mile outta town this happened.

 

yes, FTP.... the black car had lost power and if it did start, it wouldn't rev, like no power whatso ever. shit.

still not the end of the world, as there is recovery included in the insurance., so, at 14.30, we called the breakdown, we couldn't fix it.

 

an hour or so later, a chap arrived. he too found that while the car had a healthy spark, there wasn't any fuel. examining the petrol pump revealed this

 

that pump is shagged. the end of the operating lever is missing as is the return spring. and there is no sign of them either. not under the car, anywhere obvious. we assume that they are missing, presumed somewhere in the block or gearbox (we think, fuck!!!!!)

 

thats it, our jouney is done, and the car needs recovering., so once it has been booked (at around 4.30-ish) we wait.

and wait

and wait some more

and wait some more again

 

eventually (at around midnight) a very pleasant young man arrived and we get loaded up. but he can only take u up to Blyth Services on the A1M (about 30 miles away) cos his truck is registered as a wrecker and has no tacho fitted, so he cannot travel more than 60 miles from base, plus his firm is only contracted to cover Lincolnshire

arriving there at 1am. now thing get really peachy, see its the RAC, and they cannot get us on for forward recovery until 6am at the ealiest. 

 

so, a night at the Travelodge it is. at least well have a bed to sleep in, and i can get a shower. i stink. my hair is a state and the sticky sweaty ness of the day is clinging to me like a second skin. and the RAC are paying. what a carry on....

 

a new day, and a new trial to get home. a shit. shower and some sleep, lets see what today brings. check this out, the new jeep thing, now that is one of BL's finest greens i believe

 

1130 and this very nice chap arrives, again we load up, and head off on the 78 miles back to Pickering

 

arriving about 1.30 to unload

 

yes... back where we started nearly 6 months ago.  to the very same spot (almost)

 

so, what are we going to do, do we have a plan? yes, we do. we are going to lift the engine out of the min, and split it from the gearbox. all in the hope of finding the missing pieces of metal. alrernativly, if we don't find anything, at least them we know (hope?) that we are not going to have these bits turn up in either of the engine or box when they are actually running. it is such a sweet running motor, i don't want to ruin it or the gearbox. and its the only way to be sure. kerry has borrowed a long magnetic grabber thing so she is going to use that firs to see if there are any errent pieces actually in the engine block. but, there is hope. the car rolls smoothly so there isn't anything in the gearset/differential that shouldn't be there, and the engine turns freely by hand, so it seems there isn't anything stuck in that also. 

 

monday afternoon, i was gutted/devistated/heartbroken and pretty much utterly beside myself over it. like, have i just destroyed a really sweet running (and oil tight) A-series engine and/or is gearbox? well it seems maybe not, but we will only know once we have had a look inside.

 

so, a proper shitty end to what had been a top weekend, and i've ended up needing to take another days holiday as it has taken us nearly 24 hours to travel from Newark to Pickering. i could bloody well have walked, or pushed the damn car back, quicker. and the RAC are a useless shower of wankers. well the indian call centre staff are. for the most part the english staff did at least try and sort us out. but when i worked for Barclay's, this was true too. the indians will tell out right fuckin' lies, and leave the english contact centre to pick up the pieces...... and if i had known it was the RAC when i took out the recovery thing on the cars insurance, then i wouldn't have bothered!

 

plus i saw this beauty in the yard at Golden Square this afternoon. isnt she lovely?

[worldofceri]

Liked for the Foden at the end! Class.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

.....the RAC are a useless shower of wankers. well the indian call centre staff are. for the most part the english staff did at least try and sort us out. but when i worked for Barclay's, this was true too. the indians will tell out right fuckin' lies, and leave the english contact centre to pick up the pieces......

Having worked for an Indian-run firm in Harrow which was an early adopter of outsourcing to, er, India, I regret to say that at least some of this rings true. It's a pity, given the Indian reputation for being dynamic in business and successful as a result of their efforts.

 

Then you look at things like the electric G-swiz and realise they can be just as shite as us.

[xtriple]

That's shit is that ! I can't recall Mini engine/boxes well enough to recall if they have a deep sump which would be good news as those bits of errant pump could sit in that for decades without bother. I think I would be tempted to get a new pump and carry on and smile while whistling bravely!

 

I just had an interesting conversation with Paul of Specialist cars (who was good enough to get ALL my stuff out of the heap of shit and deliver it back to me) about Bentleys... I guess now he no longer has a vested interest in keeping me in the fold, the truth can be told. Bentleys are crap! Apparently they see countless cars like mine that are always going wrong in expensive and unusual ways, it seems to be the later cars that are the most bother! Arnarge (the one after mine) is even worse and is one to avoid... like the plague as not only are they unreliable, parts availability is terrible as some are BMW and some Bentley and some VW! They have one in at the moment that is totally off the road because the oil pressure sendor/sensor has failed. Part is not available and there is no date when it will be available! This is on the cars that ran to 2012 with the old RR V8 and nothing else will fit.

[Guest Hooli]

Arse, BAD mini!

[nigel bickle]

Why didn't you just put it on a tow rope? Am I missing something - like it's an auto? Even then, towed gently...

[MarvinsMom]

we didn't tow it cos well, we didn't have a tow rope!

 

the car is a manual car, but even when its been pushed around free wheeling with the engine switched off then the differential and the gears inside the gearbox are all spinning away to themselves as the wheels turn. all the clutch does is split the engine from the transmission, it doesn't stop the gearts inside from turning.

 

as we have lost a pice of metal about 1/4 inch square, we were worried (and still are a bit) that it had fallen through the engine and got caught up in the gears and that underneath, and wreck the gearbox.

[trigger]

Tonight was the first East Coast Retros meet that I organise with my mate at its new venue near Ipswich, we managed to get 142 cars on show in the end and no complaints or problems at all! I was too busy either parking cars or chatting to get many photos though so here's a few pinched from Facebook.

 

 

 

This was my car of the night, very rare Toyota Cressida Estate!

 

 

 

Your probably bored of this by now!

 

 

 

Rover 105 custom V8 beast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ghosty]

What is/was the green pickup? The back makes me think Rover P4.

[Eddie Honda]

What is/was the green pickup? The back makes me think Rover P4.

Rover 105 custom V8 beast.

 

 

Er, a Rover 105 IS a P4.

[Ghosty]

I missed the text

[vulgalour]

Nice to see Davenger's Avenger outside of his thread, that's one much loved car.  http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/43579/1971-hillman-avenger-stuff

 

What's the varicose vein blue Alfa?  I don't recognise the model at all.

[Ghosty]

 

What's the varicose vein blue Alfa?  I don't recognise the model at all.

 

Alfetta!

[paulplom]

we didn't tow it cos well, we didn't have a tow rope!

 

the car is a manual car, but even when its been pushed around free wheeling with the engine switched off then the differential and the gears inside the gearbox are all spinning away to themselves as the wheels turn. all the clutch does is split the engine from the transmission, it doesn't stop the gearts inside from turning.

 

as we have lost a pice of metal about 1/4 inch square, we were worried (and still are a bit) that it had fallen through the engine and got caught up in the gears and that underneath, and wreck the gearbox.

99% sure these have a magnetic sump plug. When I used to change the oil on my metro the sump plug would look like a shiny porcupine with all the shards stuck to it.  Whip it out and have a look. With a bit of luck the missing bit will be there. It's a massive ball ache separating the gearbox from the engine on these. Fingers crossed!