The new news 24 thread

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Bet she was chuffed to be armed with that solid & decisive bit of information

[cort16]

I'm just watching a tv program with a 1970's stutz in it. Holy crap that is the shitest looking car I've ever seen .

It makes those shitty granada bases wedding cars look restrained and tasteful. It cost 200000+ dollars too.

 

Saying that in 20 years we'll probably be saying the same thing about maybachs.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Bet she was chuffed to be armed with that solid & decisive bit of information

 

Knowledge is power! My sister's taking me to view a Merc A Class this weekend. I don't really know anything useful about cars, so I'll be sure to tell her about how rubbish vacuum operated windscreen wipers were while not noticing an engine fault light on the dash or something.

[philibusmo]

After about a month of unsuccessful car selling I have two people coming to view the Orion this weekend. This is good news.

 

One is from Kent, so feckin miles away but seems like a really sound chap. This is good.

 

The other sounds like a cock rocket, probably shops at John Lewis and I expect will be after his money back within the week because the speedo is reading under or something equally insignificant. He shall be bringing a friend 'who really knows about cars' so I expect tyre kicking and general insufferability before I tell them to fuck right off. I really hope he doesn't buy it, but beggars can't be choosers.

[Cavcraft]

Oh, you're getting an 'expert'. That'll be fun, I hope he's one of those that says the bit of dirt under the back bumper is actually serious corrosion and will cost £11,000 to repair, just so you can tell him to GTFO and sell it to someone else.

 

The distance buyer sound best (obviously) because if they do turn up he must be pretty serious to travel all that way.

[MrDuke]

I've decided to punt the Cherry on, mainly because I need something with lots of space that can drink oil and tow stuff. Actually, that's the only reason. I'm slightly sad because I had some fun 'plans' for the wee beastie, but unfortunately life has rendered it impractical. Anyone who fancies a nice bit of Jap in their life should prepare their 'and for imminent sticking 'aaht.

[mk1_4dr]

Today I participated in something ridiculous.

 

 

to

 

 

This is going to be all kinds of fun.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

whats happening with that, weighage?

[Cavcraft]

It looks like he's bought it off that Jesse's Diet bloke from the fast show and moved it to his own backyard.

 

 

 

As elsewhere, my 306 estate ate it's own clutch yesterday. It's been rough feeling forever so it's no real surprise and for what I paid for the car I cannot complain. Local scrappy says £175 for a 1.9TD engine, so that's a maybe. I think though we'll probably just buy an engine crane, hoik the current lump out, then set to work replacing clutch, cam belt, tensioners, possibly the water pump and the rocker cover gasket seems to be leaking.

[cort16]

I've found a local place (well 30 miles away) that'll test the Smart's injectors off the car so that's the job for tonight so I can take them up there tomorrow morning,

[dollywobbler]

I've been worrying that the temp sender I ordered for the Merc might not be the right one. Certainly, what arrived in the post from Carparts4less this morning is in no way the right unit. In fact, it's a hazard warning switch for a later Mercedes. Cheers for that! Some idiot has just stuffed another label onto the box - lift the label away and you can clearly see that it says Hazard Light Switch. Not impressed. When mail order goes wrong, it takes DAYS to sort out.

[skattrd]

It's that time again, once more someone appears to be interested in my Saab, slightly odd this one tough. No real questions asked (all details are in the advert anyway) and the guy says he'll be here by train around mid-day tomorrow. Except I haven't given him my address or told him where my nearest station is ... I shall not be amending my plans for tomorrow and would be surprised if he turns up

[mk1_4dr]

whats happening with that, weighage?

 

No weighage here. Just abit of a fun summer project for a couple of us. Get it low, stick an Iveco diesel in it and and enjoy a full size, 4door pillarless yank that does 35+ to the gallon.

[vulgalour]

Replacement Princess bonnet arrived, it's comically large, the courier couldn't work out what it was. Update when I've got an extra pair of hands to help me fit it. I think it's white, I've not unwrapped it yet so I don't know. This is easily the biggest thing I've ever received through the post.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

The largest thing I ever had delivered - the heaviest, anyway - was an engine crane. It was a massive box full of shifting weight, which the two couriers attempted to carry over loose gravel, slipping all over the place. It was a bit like a very short version of The Plank, except with a much higher likelihood of a personal injury claim.

[Cavcraft]

It's been an expensive afternoon: One new engine crane, one new Peugeot 306 clutch...

 

engine stuff by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

More of which later.

[trigger]

I've had a productive afternoon too, I took my little Alto to the garage to get the 28 year old tyres changed.

 

 

The jack in the corner managed to lift 3 wheels of the ground in one go, the garage seemed shocked it was still running on it's original tyres and I was shocked at the £40 fitment bill. Still it's a £20 saving on buying them from a garage.

 

 

My road tax also arrived today for the Cortina so after not having driven it for 2 months I celebrated by having a road trip to Sainsburys... Exciting hey!, I did take a couple of photos of it next to the Alto though.

 

My Ford Cortina and Suzuki Alto together by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

My Ford Cortina and Suzuki Alto together by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Ten quid a corner's not bad is it? Did that include tyre disposal?

 

Cheapest I've paid is a fiver, and that was for one wheel off the car, no disposal and collect next day!

[trigger]

Ten quid a corner's not bad is it? Did that include tyre disposal?

 

Yeah that was balanced, weights and disposal, I just had it in my head it would be £20 all in, the garage said it costs them just over £3 a wheel to do now.

[M'coli]

It does beg the question though Trig - does it handle any differently to how it was on the old tyres?

[dollywobbler]

It does beg the question though Trig - does it handle any differently to how it was on the old tyres?

 

I'm waiting for him to confirm that it no longer suffers from power oversteer.

[trigger]

It definetly doesn't suffer from that! I haven't driven it any real distance yet but popping around down earlier it doesn't seem to be as bouncy and doesn't spin it's tyres as easily as it did before so i was well worth doing.

[Cavcraft]

Fair bit of progress today, hampered by not having a 36mm (or something) socket, cold weather, cut hands and good old fashioned British swearing.

 

An airfilter and some engine things

Big dogs c0ck air filter cleaned with rubbish innit by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

A little further on...

big docks c0ck clutch b'stard by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

 

How it sits at the moment. LOW IS GO

big pug dog's c0ck thing b'stard w'nker by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

Some technical bits:

 

O/s drive shaft was a bastard to get out because of some 'golf shoes'? Anyhow they're some sort of device to stop the shaft moving back/forwards I think. Front bumper is being a tosspot, removal of said item? FRO.

 

Tomorrow:

Remove engine mounts (one at the back underneath, I think, and the two side ones), take off stupid, wanky, twatbastardy water pipe things on bulkhead. Swear a lot more, fit new clutch and replace advanced level of tosspottery bottom pulley.

 

All references that might imply I did this on my Jack are purely fictitious, I just sort of stodd there looking ugly, removing some bits and passing tools.

[loserone]

 

Well, there went my last hope of 'no, I hate it, we have to sell it and buy a 309'

[The Moog]

Finally found a car SWMBO approved of, and bought the 306td from the blue forum. Got it transported yesterday (no thanks to my family again!) with the guy being 3 hours late picking it up.

 

Needs new battery, will have to look at doing cambelt as well. She reckons she can drive it and is happy it is veggie compatible...

[skattrd]

The Saab has eventually sold ... hurrah! and even better, I got asking price

 

In other news the Lancia is slightly broken

It appears to be the fuel pump, so a new one is about to be ordered.

[John F]

My Calibra V6 passed its MoT re-test this morning

 

It had failed on yet another fuel leak (I repaired two others earlier in the week) and wiper blades. Not bad for a 19-year old car.

 

Rather than add yet another patch to the fuel system I completely replaced the fuel lines from front to back in 10 mm platic-coated copper... 'twas a bitch to fit as it had to be contoured over the rear subframe, but it's done now & should last for a few years.

 

I got the usual comment from the MoT tester... "You don't see many of these about anymore"

[wuvvum]

I went to the classic car auction in Kings Lynn today. Not as good a selection of chod as last time, and what there was made reasonably strong money (the sweet-looking little 100A smoked like an absolute bastard when it was started up, but still managed to make £1600). A tidy Mk4 Escort Ghia made £680, which was reasonable I suppose but not a bargain, especially once the £75 buyer's premium is added on.

 

On the plus side, I've done 130 miles in the LNA today and it hasn't gone bang. In fact the gearbox noise doesn't seem to have got any worse. The slight vibration under firm acceleration that I noticed when I was driving it home after buying it has got worse though - feels like a driveshaft, but I checked those when it was up on the ramp having the gear linkage fixed and couldn't detect any play in them - could be a worn CV joint I suppose.

 

I had the opportunity to test the handling on the way over - I met up with a mate who lives just south of Norwich and followed him along the back roads to King's Lynn - he was in his mother's 52-plate Corsa B (his car was playing up) and was driving it quite enthusiastically, and the LNA didn't seem to mind at all - it leans like a galleon in a gale, but grips surprisingly well given its cheapo 135-section tyres, and as with most '70s French stuff it gives you plenty of feedback on what it's doing. It's a fun little thing.

[Cavcraft]

Clutch job 99% complete on 306. More of that tomorrow, off to the pub/s to celebrate.

[Cavcraft]

Getting it out yesterday...

clutchb1 by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

clutch b by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

Putting it back in...

clutchb3 by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

 

And the cause of the problem?

clutchb2 by Cavlover1, on Flickr

 

Totally knackered release bearing thing, it had basically blown apart by the look of it!

 

The clutch we first got was the wrong sodding one, of course. There was two different kinds for this year of car with the DW8, an early one (where the release bearing is sort of built into the clutch, and a later one where it was separate) which didn't really help. Some places we 'phoned actually said we'd have to get hold of Peugeot and ask them what month the car was made as the date of registration didn't help because it might have been made months before

 

Anyhow the £45 clutch couldn't be returned on Saturday as the place shut at 1.00pm and their other depot which had the right one (8 miles) away shut at 12.30, it was 12.25 when we rang and they wouldn't stay open for ten minutes. Ended up at Europarts who had one in, it was £80.25 or something like that.

We could have waited until tomorrow but my son starts his new job and it's not fair for me to ask him to piss arse about with my car when he'll have a head full of training etc.

We jibbed the cambelt (looked ok and we were running out of time/money) and the tensioner we think is slowly on the way out, we'll do them another day. The clutch feels brilliant now*, and all that's left is gearbox oil, power steering fluid, coolant and a couple of quick checks.

 

*Only tried it to move the car 20 foot.