The new news 24 thread

[vulgalour]

Contacted Adecco today and found out they have PCT related NHS work in Chesterfield. Happy times, that's just the sort of work I'm after! It'll be a massive workload for a moderate pay with people that have a decent work ethic, or at least I hope it will based on past experiences. I'm seriously looking forward to doing some temping work again.

[Shep Shepherd]

Good luck with that, Angyl. I quite enjoyed the short time I worked on behalf of the NHS in the mid-2000s

 

Volvo News: I replaced The Volvo's rear brake pads in less than an hour this morning, with the minimum of doom, woe and argleblargle. Quite a straightforward job, but I last did it in 2006, so the old bits were a little taxing to remove, but I prevailed in the end, without having to resort to special tools or big hammers.

 

Hopefully, the car's imminent coolant change will be as straightforward, albeit a little bit more aqueous

[trigger]

Quite a productive day so far, This morning after a trip to the local breakers, I managed to source the reminding parts to finish the van off, and got them bolted on, I even stopped the door rubbing the wing after a few hits with a club hammer and a piece of 4x2, I hadn't noticed that the door edge had creased back in the accident so I straightened that which stopped it hitting the wing.

 

 

Then after polishing the Golf in readiness to dropping it off to the buyer this evening I popped out to Sainsbury's in the Alto and couldn't resist the chance of taking a photo of it parked next to a slightly newer model.

 

My 1985 Suzuki Alto FX & a 1999 Suzuki Alto GL by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

Also check out the Autoshite sticker in the rear window.

 

My 1985 Suzuki Alto FX & a 1999 Suzuki Alto GL by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[greengartside]

This are my new wheels, not shite but shitely modified...

 

 

Bought for £340 and had to fix the thermostat and housing after it disintegrated on the drive home from Laahndon Taahn. Taxed and M.o.T'd until July and very chavved up, which was this bad...

 

 

So all the chav crap was taken off and then I was left with this...

 

 

Much better. Just need to chuck in some antifreeze and source a later front bumper and grille.

[dollywobbler]

Excellent. I do like a bit of de-barrying.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Quite a productive day so far, This morning after a trip to the local breakers, I managed to source the reminding parts to finish the van off, and got them bolted on, I even stopped the door rubbing the wing after a few hits with a club hammer and a piece of 4x2, I hadn't noticed that the door edge had creased back in the accident so I straightened that which stopped it hitting the wing.

 

That blue wing looks like it could be part of the livery. You need to get another one for the other side now!

[trigger]

Funny enough someone else said that!.

 

Well my evening has been more interesting then normal, The chap who was buying my Golf asked if I minded delivering the car to his house which is about 40 minutes away, which I was happy with, once I got there he asked If i minded following him to his barn where he stores his car, no problem I said.

 

So after driving though some pretty remote Essex countryside I arrive at this lock up, I was in awe at his collection, Basically if he See's a old car he likes he just buys it, money no object.

 

 

The Cortina is the car I helped him buy last year, he also has the Merc SL, another Merc SEL which he's just bought, a really pretty purple Jaguar XJ8, another M reg XJ, A low mileage BMW 728i and the Daimler Sovereign 2.9 Series 1.

 

 

This is my favorite, also in his collection is this Moskvich 412 Estate which has been untaxed since 1984 and is from the same place Sam Glovers Van, he's currently restoring this and is waiting for a shit load of parts to arrive from Germany at the moment.

 

 

 

He then ran me back to the local train station in his 62 plate Volkswagen Touareg V6 which frankly was massive, I could hardly see over the dash and i'm 5ft 11.

 

All in all it was one of my more interesting car sales.

[cort16]

That Daimler looks awesome. Living the dream.

[Cavcraft]

+1, S1 models are the tits.

[dollywobbler]

The silver BX has been 'configured' for its new owner today (I took the wiring out for the rear speakers and fitted a non-butchered parcel shelf) and I've pulled all of my junk out of it. I know it seems silly, but I think I'll miss this one, even though I've only owned it since September. It's been a great motor. The red one has quite a level to live up to. I might have to take it out for one last drive.

 

Changed the batteries in the plip for the red BX, but the remote central locking still doesn't work. Wondering if it needs pairing or something. Also discovered that the noisy turbo it has was mentioned in a forum post on BX Club back in 2009, so it's clearly not duff bearings or it would have gone pop by now. Suspect there's a minor air leak. Will try and investigate that when it's on a ramp on Thursday. Access is a nightmare. If I feel up to it, I might try and adjust the clutch later. After jumping from the red one to the silver one, I stalled the silver one! The clutch bit is rather stronger a much lower down.

[skattrd]

I may be going to look at another Lancia beta in Edinburgh tomorrow ... That is providing the snow doesn't stop me from getting there, I'm currently in Hampshire.

 

If I do go for it, does anyone want a road legal beta spider in good mechanical (dubious cosmetic) fettle, T&T is June I think. Shiter price price will be about £1k.

[vulgalour]

Perambulate No More blog has updated, woo yay. Contains epic quantities of BMC and BL chod. Prime cuts of rust and wob for your delectation. Incorrect model identification for you to amend. Essentially, this is the Brooklands Austin-Morris Day event report that I've put together for other people to hopefully enjoy.

 

Coming up: car park spots and auction chod. A rather special little MG. Boring car updates.

[SambaS]

Errrrrrrrrr

 

 

[Lacquer Peel]

Halewood, shurely?

[Negative Creep]

Serviced the car but gave up on the spark plugs after I couldn't loosen them off. Might work with enough force, but I have horrible visions of them snapping so won't take the risk. Any danger in using penetrant spray?

 

Also, only just noticed my radiator is like this. How on earth is it not pissing out coolant?

 

[alf892]

That rad will be OK a while yet! Thems just a few missing fins which will reduce the cooling capacity a bit. As long as running temp is OK leave it just splodge a bit of paint or oil on the fins to slow any corrosion down.

 

RE the plugs.................have you tried undoing them when the engine is hot?

[vulgalour]

Might as well mention it, someone is going to aren't they? I find it difficult to trust any policy that's due to be enacted on the first of April, because I always expect it to be a joke*.

 

To quote someone on the internet: There's good news for classic car owners in the 2013 budget. From 2014, the exemption from VED (road tax) will be extended to 1974. And that means all cars manufactured in 1973 - previously liable for the annual tax - will now qualify for the exemption. Also, SORNs will no longer be annual, but indefinite.

 

Doesn't affect me with either of my cars because they're far too modern to be exempt from anything, but hints of a 40 year rolling cut off being introduced and the suggestion of SORN declarations returning to indefinite from the absurd annual renewal are tantalising.

[Negative Creep]

That rad will be OK a while yet! Thems just a few missing fins which will reduce the cooling capacity a bit. As long as running temp is OK leave it just splodge a bit of paint or oil on the fins to slow any corrosion down.

 

RE the plugs.................have you tried undoing them when the engine is hot?

 

 

Oh well that's ok then, no problems with the temperature. Haven't tried it with the engine hot, although annoyingly they're right next to the exhaust manifold

[Shep Shepherd]

Took TV2 to my local garage for a new cambelt, serpentine belt and water pump. It won't be ready until midday tomorrow, as the motor factor which supplies the garage won't have the correct belt kit in stock until the morning

 

Also, The Volvo didn't need its coolant changed after all, due to the existing (OAT) stuff being clean and up to strength, despite it being in the cooling system for five years

 

Rare profile shot of The Volvo, made possible due to TV2's absence:

 

 

Also, the garage has this 1998 V70 Cross Country in a very fetching hue on sale at £1200:

 

 

Very tempting, but I can foresee major Ingmar Bergman-style existential woe if/when the transmission system fails

[meshking]

Don't worry, the transmission won't fail - it's probably already running in 2wd. Go for it, I'd love a nice xc.

[Pete-M]

No real news lately.

 

Some inconsiderate wanker near my work grazed the rear bumper on the Yakuza Happy Death Express last week. Bloody annoying, so I rang a friendly bodyshop and booked it in. Got it back today, lovely job. They fixed the little chip on one of the arch trims as well, bonus.

 

Also, Sound system bodge. In the boot there's a small 6" powered sub, which sounded shit because the speaker rattled badly. Opened it up, disconnected the inbuilt speaker and spliced the speaker output to a flying lead connected to my trusty Alpine 12" sub. Sounds quite good and saved a load of rewiring until I fit my proper stereo stuff. Don't think the little amp will last a long time running the big sub, but as long as I don't cane the arse off the stereo it should be ok for a while.

 

Happy.

[Shep Shepherd]

Don't worry, the transmission won't fail - it's probably already running in 2wd. Go for it, I'd love a nice xc.

 

I recall seeing it being worked on by the garage last year when I took The Volvo for its MOT; when I saw it, it was on a four-post lift with its front subframe dropped and its gearbox out, so it's quite likely that it isn't AWD any more.

 

I wouldn't mind owning it (I'm sure £1000 would buy it), but I'm quite attached to TV2 and don't particularly want to get rid of it at present.

[vulgalour]

I thought Volvo estates were stackable, like Tetris pieces.

[Shep Shepherd]

Sort of:

 

 

I'd love to re-enact that scene one day, possibly using all the 740s owned by members of this forum

[Ben_L]

Is it just me or is the boot lid of that Volvo estate bowing out under the pressure?

[Shep Shepherd]

Judging by the gap between the tailgate and the righthand rear light, I think you're right

[dollywobbler]

I like laziness. Wheel bearing bought on Ebay for around a tenner, fitted by my local(ish) garage for £50. Car utterly transformed as a result. That was a pretty worn bearing. So nice to drive the new BX now it's much quieter at speed, and has a working heater.

 

On the To Do List are change the accumulator sphere (tick time is too low), have a play with the newly fitted exhaust (it's thumping somewhere), get the rear screenwash working (probably pump), consider what to do about the noisy fifth gear (you can swap some gearbox internals without having to remove the gearbox) and adjust the door strikers. If they aren't spot on, the doors really clang when you shut them.

[RobT]

I like laziness. Wheel bearing bought on Ebay for around a tenner, fitted by my local(ish) garage for £50. Car utterly transformed as a result. That was a pretty worn bearing. So nice to drive the new BX now it's much quieter at speed, and has a working heater.

 

 

Same here. I've booked the Sierra in with my trusted Czech mechanic to fix or replace the starter motor, as it's got to the point where I'm not using it for fear of getting stuck in a car park! I'm even more lazy though as I'm leaving him to source the part too.

 

I'm also pondering the idea of getting rid of all my shite and buying just one car, something dull like a Rover 25/45, as I'd normally have a crack at fixing a starter motor but just can't be arsed these days.

[Shep Shepherd]

Got TV2 back with a new cambelt, serpentine belt, water pump and coolant this afternoon. The cost of the work done was far more than some people here would pay for a whole car, but it should see the car fit for many more miles yet

 

Next job is to clean/replace various clogged-up bits and pieces in the PCV system, which should be a right laugh, as the fuel rail, throttle body and inlet manifold need to come off in order to get to them. A job for when the weather is a bit nicer, I think.

[skattrd]

This is not really news, but I wasn't sure where to post it, and I didnt think it deserved a new thread

 

I went to view a Lancia HPE last night and didn't buy it ... I'm still thinking about it though.

 

I'm in fleet reduction mode and am only supposed to buy cars that are keepers. An HPE is on the list, but the one I really want is the model below the one I saw, and a different colour (although I can ignore colour). The car I saw was very very nice, too nice for me if I'm honest. I don't really do immaculate cars, as in my ownership their condition will likely deteriorate, which I feel guilty about ... I prefer to buy cars similar in condition to my current beta, sound mechanically/structurally, but rough around the edges, so me using/abusing it won't make it any worse.

 

 

I think the car is quite cheap for what it is, and at present it's the only HPE I can see for sale ... I may still go for it