The new news 24 thread

[phil_lihp]

Fresh from its MOT success with two new ball joints and minus a rusty tow bar, the Hiace started making some quite alarming knocking noises from the front N/S suspension yesterday.  A brief investigation shows that the evidently OEM-quality* drop links I fitted about 18 months ago have gone quite rusty and one of them has snapped in half where the centre post is welded to the loop holding the rubber bush. 

 

Sigh...two new ones ordered from GSF, fortunately with a generous discount code.  I also need to finally get around to rebuilding the brake master cylinder as the pedal sinks slowly when held down and there's rather too much rear bias causing the occasional lockup again.  I have the parts, I just need the enthusiasm.  Currently trying some very expensive JB Weld glue to reassemble the broken remains of the side door sensor so it will lock on the central locking again, seeing as I keep forgetting to lock it manually and would like to finally get the remote kit I've had for nearly two years installed at some point.

 

On slightly better news, the ST170 now has working air con following my mechanic installing my £30 secondhand compressor - the dealer who regassed it the first time quoted me £400 plus labour for a new one.  £111 later, I have cold air and he fitted the aux belt I bought a while back as well.  That almost conclude the mechanical to-do list on that car.  For now.

[puddlethumper]

Came back this morning from a great week in Hollandshire with the gf. 

Dropped her in Basingstoke, coz she sort of lives there, and continued to Dumpley, where I sort of live. 

Noticed a strange vibration at times and stopped to have a nose about. Couldn't see anything amiss or falling off

so decided to continue as no FTP had occured.

Got as far as the big roundabout, with traffic lights, in Hagley where I was in pole position in the middle of three lanes. 

Dropped the clutch on green and it went about 3/4 feet before the front offside dropped followed by a graunching sound and no forward motion. 

Hazards on and hopped out to tell the car behind that he would have to go round and then had a look. 

Left  wheel pointing forwards, right hand pointing very much right and bits of drive shaft on the floor.

I couldn't get a pic of the damage coz of traffic but here's a pic of where it sat.

 

I'm out of my wagon, but standing  by the signpost to the left in the pic, and the number of drivers that pulled up behind thinking, if at all, that the vehicle in front with the hazards on was waiting for the lights to change. Had to shout, very loudly because a/c and all cocooned, to tell them it was fucked. So got the triangle out, as can be seen, but even then one bloke nearly hit it and another stopped as though it was a roadblock or something. Plenty of room to go round but he missed two greens before some realisation dawned that he could go. I should've just shouted SPECSAVERS.

Only had to wait 25 mins, thank god, before rescue truck arrived.

[Lord Sterling]

Woke up, nice cup of tea and had a quick look on the laptop. Gumtree, why not.

 

Now I'm trying to work out how to get to Dunblane to pick up a fucked old K11 Micra for 150 bucks without my girlfriend noticing.

 

It hasn't been put in for it's test to fail yet, and I know a garage who seem to be "classic friendly". How bad can it be? If it's anything like the K11 I had, bad.

 

https://www.gumtree.com/p/nissan/nissan-micra-k11-the-most-reliable-car-in-the-world-probably-/1308498504

 

 

The life of a shiter.

 

Edit - thankfully its gone.

WINNAH cars lad. Ma_Sterling is currently swanning around in the roffle win K11. She loves it as of course does Sis_Sterling who it is intended for. Although you missed this one, there are plenty of K11s still about.

[AlabamaShrimp]

OMG Coventry ring Road is mental! It's some amazing concrete monster with really wide slip roads that just seem to appear!!

[New POD]

OMG Coventry ring Road is mental! It's some amazing concrete monster with really wide slip roads that just seem to appear!!

I was a student in Coventry. I think the ring road was part of an experiment and didnt have a speed limit at all. So much fun.

[dean36014]

Our ring road is great. Use the right hand lane until your junction approaches then move over to left lane. It works really well when you know it

[panhard65]

Went up to stoke today to buy a replacement for my poor abused 806. Found a nice Citroen C8 with the front bumper knocked off for 300 quid so I had to have it.

Bumper re-fitted with gaffer tape and we set off home. I had to stop at Gloucester services when the sticking brakes got a bit too bad. I called the breakdown company as it had smoke pouring for all 4 wheels. An hour later they rang back to say it would be another 3 hours so I just set off again and tried not to use the brakes. It looks like pads and discs, probably calipers as well.

[Lankytim]

Had a free day today so cracked on with car related jobs. Wired the towbar on the Jag so it’s nowfully A frame ready. I also fired up the Blazer and took it for a spin up and down the drive. After doing a head gasket it’s sat for a couple of

months and I’ve lost interest. Anybody want to buy it from me?? Didn’t think so. It will sit a bit longer before I decide its fate.

[Lankytim]

Hey, Panhard, you were in Stoke? You should’ve popped in for a cuppa!

[stuboy]

Popped along to weald of kent steam show, pictures here...

 

 

stuart Williams shared an album with you from the Flickr app. Check it out:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskFHwRWN

[dollywobbler]

2CV was meant to be the steed for Reliant engine fetching today, but the battery had all of about five volts in it. Hooked up my new jump pack, away she went. Took the pack off, she stopped running after a minute or two. Hmmm. Out with the voltmeter, still 5.5v even when running. Ah. Further experiments later will confirm whether the battery has died (it's just an old one a friend gave me) or whether the alternator is playing up.

 

Didn't take long to find the cause of the 2CV's woes. 

 

Main alternator wire earthing through the alternator body! Annoyingly, I'd spotted this before, and thought bending the connector would fix it. Wrong! Turns out the rubber washer between connector and alternator body was crushed and is now toast. I think I've been quite lucky there really.

 

New connector fitted, new rubber washer fitted, went for a test drive, chased a Lancia Flaminia Coupe. As you do.

 

 

He was properly going for it! Frankly, only a combination of gravity and local knowledge allowed me to keep up. I was braver in the bends, but he could pull away as soon as the gradient changed. Great fun!

[Lord Sterling]

OMG Coventry ring Road is mental! It's some amazing concrete monster with really wide slip roads that just seem to appear!!

Yeah, everytime I happen to find myself on the Cov ring road, I find myself going around it twice as I always miss the slip road I want.

 

Had a free day today so cracked on with car related jobs. Wired the towbar on the Jag so it’s nowfully A frame ready. I also fired up the Blazer and took it for a spin up and down the drive. After doing a head gasket it’s sat for a couple of

months and I’ve lost interest. Anybody want to buy it from me?? Didn’t think so. It will sit a bit longer before I decide its fate.

Wow! Never knew you had a Chevy Blazer. This thing would be great for me here in Turkey. Though everyone seems to drive small saloon versions of small hatchbacks often in diesel flavour, so Chevy Blazer would definitely stand out.

[panhard65]

Hey, Panhard, you were in Stoke? You should’ve popped in for a cuppa!

It was Draycott in the Moors we went to and were on a bit of a tight schedule until it all went wrong sitting in the services for an hour whilst the brakes cooled. It might want a master cylinder as well as the brake just didn't feel right. Looking at the pads though the fronts certainly got very hot and one rear looks like it got rather warm. I will pull the calipers apart tomorrow and see what is what.

[SiC]

Saw an Alfa 164 on a trailer behind what looked like a Japanese 4x4 on the A38 north bound. Anyone from here?

 

By the time I registered it travelling at 70mph I had long past any point on which I could turn round. Not that it's likely I could have helped much.

[ruffgeezer]

That blazer looks the tits!

[DodgeRover]

Had a free day today so cracked on with car related jobs. Wired the towbar on the Jag so it’s nowfully A frame ready. I also fired up the Blazer and took it for a spin up and down the drive. After doing a head gasket it’s sat for a couple of

months and I’ve lost interest. Anybody want to buy it from me?? Didn’t think so. It will sit a bit longer before I decide its fate.

Is the blazer actually a Holden with factory LPG?

[MarvinsMom]

been to pe'bo with marvin today for, bl day.

 

seems i might have burnt myself to a crisp caught the sun......

 

oh dear, never mind......

 

still, its better than last weekend in Ripon!

while there under the burning sun, we also saw these fine machines.

this little yellow bike is a Raliegh Boxer. my first bike without stabilisers was a Raliegh Boxer (my first bike was actually a Raliegh Elf....) 

Derek's GLORIOUS Princess 2200 HL, the sexy beast.....

 

triggers van? fur seals? well with the might blue passion wagon arriving..... still...

i wanted to take this delecious opaline beauty home with me. yes, it IS an Ital SLX, with a matching velour interior...

 

is it Mr SiC who's welding an ADO16 back up? there was almost a full body shell of panels for sale.

 

Sue's Minor

 

MPV (or is it just a RV?) version of the MG B

 

 

onr worrying trend though, it seems numbers of everything were lower this year compared with last. or maybe the blazing sun kept some fols away?

[Slartibartfast]

So, not sure where to put this so I'll put it here. Not sure if it merits its own thread or not, probably not.

 

Well, one of the things I budgeted into the money from the sale of the big ol' Tourneo was some half decent tools and one of these things. It's been on back-order for months but it finally got delivered last week.

 

This video is just up to the first lift point, it goes higher. Commentary provided courtesy of the two smallest offspring, who are fascinated by it.

 

 

I'll add in a photo of it at full height in a minute, it's on my phone and I'm on my laptop.

 

Also, ignore the state of the poor MX5, I gave it a wash afterwards.

 

Before I'd put it all together:

 

 

 

[dollywobbler]

Nice. I'd really like something like that myself. Jacking cars up is always a pain in the arse!

[SiC]

Damn it. Some of those ADO16 look perfect and just what I could do with!

[Noel Tidybeard]

2CV was meant to be the steed for Reliant engine fetching today, but the battery had all of about five volts in it. Hooked up my new jump pack, away she went. Took the pack off, she stopped running after a minute or two. Hmmm. Out with the voltmeter, still 5.5v even when running. Ah. Further experiments later will confirm whether the battery has died (it's just an old one a friend gave me) or whether the alternator is playing up.

 

Elly obvs doesn't a robin reliant engine in her bottom

[Noel Tidybeard]

Yeah, everytime I happen to find myself on the Cov ring road, I find myself going around it twice as I always miss the slip road I want.

 

 

or some local bastid forces you back on

[Ghosty]

 

 

 

I suspect that Rover 400 Tourer in the background might belong to one of the higher profile 2/400 owners' club members, also from Yorkshire way. He was at the Fleur de Lys show in Wakefield too, but I didn't manage to catch him as I was with Squire Dawson and blguy1976 (a fellow 416GSi owner) for most of the time I was there.

[stuboy]

Belated pics from last wednesday 'hazzard' meet..

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmgoENDd

[wuvvum]

For some unfathomable reason, after nearly 7 years of ownership, the Rover of Doom's central locking has decided to start working on the tailgate. 

[artdjones]

It's a Santana - A B2 Passat saloon.I think they just called them Passat Saloons for the last year or two of production.

[The Moog]

So, not sure where to put this so I'll put it here. Not sure if it merits its own thread or not, probably not.

 

Well, one of the things I budgeted into the money from the sale of the big ol' Tourneo was some half decent tools and one of these things. It's been on back-order for months but it finally got delivered last week.

 

This video is just up to the first lift point, it goes higher. Commentary provided courtesy of the two smallest offspring, who are fascinated by it.

 

 

 

You also need to stop doing this. I am so tempted by one of them - but I am still saving up for a roll bar after your last post! 

[beko1987]

For some unfathomable reason, after nearly 7 years of ownership, the Rover of Doom's central locking has decided to start working on the tailgate.

Didn't skizzer have a similar jump for joy moment right up until the point it broke itself again with all his tools in the boot in an sd1?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just had text message saying new CX battery will be delivered today  . Yodel are handling the delivery 

 

Fortunately I don't have a front wall, hedge or railings that they can lob the thing over.

 

 

been to pe'bo with marvin today for, bl day.

 

seems i might have burnt myself to a crisp caught the sun......

DSCN8091.JPG

 

oh dear, never mind...…

 

Wouldn't be summer without this annual phenomenon 

[richardmorris]

My friend Rick has just been over to work and swapped the anti-roll bar bushes and oil pressure switch on the mercedes. The old bushes were very worn and possibly original. Also full 3bar oil pressure is restored thanks to the new switch - which he got to from underneath, despite it being on the top rear of the engine.