The new news 24 thread

[dome]

I can't wait! I really, really need a holiday. I was going to go over to Europe but I've decided to save myself £300 on ferry tickets this time and go check out the rest of this island, I've never been north of Edinburgh.

 

Any Scottish shiter gatherings happening in mid-September?

Where do your perversions lie bicycle wise? Whether mountain or road if you can bring your bike with you you'll not regret it.

[phil_lihp]

Road mainly, I was thinking of just hiring one when the need arose, carrying the bike inside the van's a bit of a pain space-wise and I can't put it on the cycle rack now that the towbar's had to be removed but yes, a ride or two is definitely on the cards!

[phil_lihp]

If you end up on the other side of the country, you are welcome to visit the Shitefest18 venue, accommodation available.

 

Cheers, will keep that in mind!

[gm]

 

Not sure what this involves but might be worth a look

[M'coli]

That's how I remember 1970s flasher units working, especially Leyland ones. I think it's a bimetallic strip so it does indeed need to warm up before it works properly.

 

There must be a modern solid state flasher unit you can use surely?

Ah-ha! That suddenly makes sense - I remember seeing indicators when I was a kid giving one long flash at the start and then flashing evenly. That long flash at the start was the strip heating up!

[dome]

IMG_1645.JPG

 

Not sure what this involves but might be worth a look

Bugger, I've just sat myself down in front of the telly for the F1 or I might've headed over.

[Amishtat]

Some pictures from Clacton before the rain set in

[stonedagain]

Bear with me, this is a long one.

 

It's been a slightly frustrating week, automotively speaking. I came out of the house on Tuesday morning to find both the Focus and Hiace had suffered from some attention by drunken passers-by (they're both parked in the road on a quiet residential street just outside town) and as a result the Focus' driver's side mirror now looks like this:

 

20180825_175233.jpg

 

The glass was no-where to be seen. Both that one and the Hiace's passenger mirror were road-side, the van's had been pushed backwards and popped back into place easily enough, they'd have had to put some considerable force on it though to do that. Alas, a few days later (I cycle to work and haven't driven either vehicle much lately) I realised they've also smashed the glass out of the driver's side mirror on the van as well. Sigh. Fortunately it's £3.50 for a new piece of glass, otherwise I'd have to get a whole mirror secondhand at £65+. The Focus' was cheap enough at £20 for an entire heated electric replacement, it was a bit battered anyway. I do hope they trod in something unpleasant on the way home.

 

To treat the Hiace, seeing as it's got a lot of mileage to do in a couple of weeks when I travel up to Scotland, I decided to finally change the brake master cylinder seals today as the pedal sinks slowly when pressed hard and they are a little mushy. I've had the seal kit for ages so laid out a temporary work bench and got to work. I'd already been to Wilkinsons and splashed out a whole £1 on a turkey baster for slurping out the contents of the reservoir, handy thing to have for the future but I might rinse it out before using it on the Sunday roast.

 

20180825_140520.jpg

 

The old seals were visibly knackered when compared to the new ones, one appeared to have flipped over. I didn't get any 'during' shots as at this point everything I touched got brake fluid on it and frankly my phone has suffered more than enough of this sort of thing.

 

20180825_140504.jpg

 

It all actually went very smoothly in the main, aside from a bit of hassle getting the piston out of the cylinder as it wedged itself quite well. I can say this much - access for this job is superb, there really isn't anything in the way at all, it's even at the perfect height with no need to lean over a long engine bay.

 

20180825_140534.jpg

 

Someone's obviously re-flared the pipes or put a new master cylinder on in the past as it fouls the fuse box a little.

 

20180825_140924.jpg

 

Also, behold the electrical complexity of Toyota's finest:

 

20180825_140544(0).jpg

 

All was reassembled with minimum hassle and a slight worry that this was all a bit too straightforward. Something's not right, there's an ominous feeling of wrongness, a sense of imbalance; this can only mean one thing. Despite this, I remained optimistic, got in the cab and pressed the brake pedal. Zero movement, rock solid pedal, completely 100% inoperative.

 

Ah, there it is. Balance has been restored. Off it comes again.

 

As it turns out, the little screw in the bottom of the master cylinder needs to be wound in with the piston depressed, otherwise if fitted whilst it's in its 'rest' position it prevents the pistons moving down the cylinder; I believe it pre-loads the springs. Initially I had tested the operation of the new pistons on the bench prior to adding this screw, which was a mistake. Nevertheless, I reassembled it once more and had another go.

 

This time, the pedal went straight to the floor. Sigh...oh no, wait, this is OK! I've obviously let a whole load of air into the system, so out comes my trusty Draper brake bleeder, which hasn't seen much use since I had my Nova back in about 2012. It was then that I thought about bleed nipples and felt that same feeling of foreboding again. Sure enough, the success rate was a middling 1 out of 4. I managed to get loads of air bled out of the passenger front caliper and that now works, the driver's side rounded off almost immediately and the ones on the rear drums look hilariously scabby and I can't really reach them without jacking the van up anyway.

 

It was at this point I realised something else wasn't right, the pedal moves freely for about half an inch before it meets the piston on the master cylinder. Sigh...possibly I've pushed the piston too far in now, so that screw presumably needs to be inserted at the right point of compression. I have no idea how you're supposed to identify this. Either that or the kit's wrong and the indent on the end piston is too deep...not sure.

 

At this point, I am calling it a day on this job, I've used up too much of the day on it now and the tinkering mojo can't withstand much hassle these days, it now has some semblance of brakes so I'm going to very gingerly take it over to my tame mechanic, where he can once again clean up my mess. He'll probably smile quietly to himself and be very polite but I die a little inside any time I have the 'please can you finish this, I've run out of talent/enthusiasm/tools' conversation with him.

 

To make myself feel better, as the ST170 has barely been used for the last few weeks I got in it to go for a late afternoon hoon. It's caked in grime from being sat by the roadside for several days so I switched on the wash/wipe. Screeech. Yes...the wiper blade's slipped out of its clip and the metal end has scored a nice arced scratch over the entire wiper sweep. Sighing quietly to myself, I put the wiper blade back together, checked that the wing mirror remains were securely attached with gaffer tape and drove off, noting that it's still hesitating around 2-3,000 RPM and the horrible gearchange is becoming properly recalcitrant. I ended up in a pretty little village, decided to go for a wander and when I parked up, I dapped the bumper on a stone wall.

 

I've now come to the conclusion that cycling is much, much better in every respect.

The seal you thought was flipped over, are sure about that? One of the seals is meant to be the opposite direction to the others.

[captain_70s]

Collection threads by both 320Touring and SquireDawson? Today is a good day.

[BavarianRetro]

Road mainly, I was thinking of just hiring one when the need arose, carrying the bike inside the van's a bit of a pain space-wise and I can't put it on the cycle rack now that the towbar's had to be removed but yes, a ride or two is definitely on the cards!

Millport for you, then.

[MarvinsMom]

today we have been to Ripon in Marvin. last time we went it was wet.

 

today it was sunny when we got up, overcast on the way there, and wet when we arrived.

now Marvin is either a rain-god, or a friggin' Jonah.......

before it got to wet, and worse, too cold (cos it a cold breeze out there at the mo) we did witness these fine machines

this Bedford was mint, and i mean spotless, mint. i remember British Telecom and Busby driving these, and they were pretty fucked i think even when new.....

and i thought we would be the only metro there, this late GS was spotless, and in much better condition  than Marvin, sadly....

 

the '80s called they would like their car back

 

carlos saintz called, he'd like his car back

 

many maestro's and montegos.....

 

 

 

[Lord Sterling]

Fuck! Came very close to crashing the BMW today. Came off a roundabout today by Halesowen (coming from Hagley heading towards Birmingham on the Hagley road carriageway) and as I did I must have caught some oil or diesel as when I entered into the Hagley Road carriageway the back of the BMW stepped out slightly and spun me around. We headed into some shrubbery and eventually came to a stop. I hadn't hit anything thankfully, I checked the car over and there was no damage to my car at all.

 

Phew.

[beko1987]

Fuck! Came very close to crashing the BMW today. Came off a roundabout today by Halesowen (coming from Hagley heading towards Birmingham on the Hagley road carriageway) and as I did I must have caught some oil or diesel as when I entered into the Hagley Road carriageway the back of the BMW stepped out slightly and spun me around. We headed into some shrubbery and eventually came to a stop. I hadn't hit anything thankfully, I checked the car over and there was no damage to my car at all.

 

Phew.

I did similar and gave the gooner a little slide around a roundabout. It was quite cool once the initial 'oh shit' has subsided, and I got a bollocking because amy thought I'd done it on purpose... I took my telling off as otherwise I'd have to admit that I nearly pooed myself but luckily it didn't loose grip fully...

 

Coming home I span the front wheels in 3rd too, this rain is washing no end of shit about!

[Richard]

Fuck! Came very close to crashing the BMW today. Came off a roundabout today by Halesowen (coming from Hagley heading towards Birmingham on the Hagley road carriageway) and as I did I must have caught some oil or diesel as when I entered into the Hagley Road carriageway the back of the BMW stepped out slightly and spun me around. We headed into some shrubbery and eventually came to a stop. I hadn't hit anything thankfully, I checked the car over and there was no damage to my car at all.

 

Phew.

 

 

I did similar and gave the gooner a little slide around a roundabout. It was quite cool once the initial 'oh shit' has subsided, and I got a bollocking because amy thought I'd done it on purpose... I took my telling off as otherwise I'd have to admit that I nearly pooed myself but luckily it didn't loose grip fully...

 

Coming home I span the front wheels in 3rd too, this rain is washing no end of shit about!

 

That'll be Transit vans. They don't have filler caps and for some reason that's considered acceptable.

[Spottedlaurel]

Some pictures from Clacton before the rain set in.............

 

Mazda R100 and unmolested 3dr Starlet?! Very nice.

[Lankytim]

Finally got my arse into gear and bought something for my VW based Manataray beach buggy, namely these rear lights, which i'm sue are from a bus of some description.

 

 

 

 

They should pretty much cover the butchered holes in the arse end and make life a little easier for me.

 

I recon they'll be 24v though so will need some adaptation for 12v bulbs to fit, also do any bus types on here know where I can get a plug to fit the sockets on them?

 

[vulgalour]

Contacted Pilkington to see if they can provide a new windscreen for the Princess and how much that might cost.  They've all sorts of chod listed, including Maxi and Allegro, but no Princess as yet.  I'm expecting it to be in the region of £200-300 just for the screen, plus VAT, plus postage.  I do need one though, got some stonechips on the original and it seems a shame to fit the new seal to an old screen.

[Jim Bell]

At a local festival of bait.

 

Howay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard]

I think these were standard light units available to coachbuilders in the 70s. 

 

Y-Type Rear by Adrian Cains, on Flickr

 

I'm sure I remember seeing them on ambulances too, and on the rare occasions I saw a bus that wasn't a Y Type. 

[tooSavvy]

A few Carina II bobbing about on Glumtree - estate!

 

I always run through the MOT history and some have corrosion/grotty brake pipe/duff damper Advisories.

 

Nice to have a cool, clean one

[richardmorris]

Contacted Pilkington to see if they can provide a new windscreen for the Princess and how much that might cost.  They've all sorts of chod listed, including Maxi and Allegro, but no Princess as yet.  I'm expecting it to be in the region of £200-300 just for the screen, plus VAT, plus postage.  I do need one though, got some stonechips on the original and it seems a shame to fit the new seal to an old screen.

Can’t you get the insurance to pay?

[vulgalour]

Why put it through insurance?  It's not broken, it's just worn out.  That'd be like putting a claim in for worn out balljoints or tyres.

[Guest Hooli]

Fuck! Came very close to crashing the BMW today. Came off a roundabout today by Halesowen (coming from Hagley heading towards Birmingham on the Hagley road carriageway) and as I did I must have caught some oil or diesel as when I entered into the Hagley Road carriageway the back of the BMW stepped out slightly and spun me around. We headed into some shrubbery and eventually came to a stop. I hadn't hit anything thankfully, I checked the car over and there was no damage to my car at all.

 

Phew.

 

The roads were amazingly slippy today, I saw the traction control light in the Saab amost as much as driving in the snow last year. It could barely get moving at a couple of junctions, I was starting to think there was something wrong with it!

[Lankytim]

I think these were standard light units available to coachbuilders in the 70s. 

 

Y-Type Rear by Adrian Cains, on Flickr

 

I'm sure I remember seeing them on ambulances too, and on the rare occasions I saw a bus that wasn't a Y Type. 

 

 

They look like the ones! Ideal period match too if they're from the 70's.

[SiC]

Went down to Somerset today to try and convince the wife that it'd be a nice area to live. A bit far from her friends but we both drive. The positive of living down there is for the same money as Bristol we'd get a bigger house (and double garage) and more land. Also the roads are much more fun to drive on. Naturally both things kinda benefit me more but I have given her the olive branch of her being able to give up her main job, so she can have a go setting up her own business and part time job in the future.

 

Anyway we went down in the TT and for the first time in many months I had a really enjoyable time driving. Usually boring car but on Somerset A and B roads, using the paddle shifters and breezing around corners it was pretty good.

 

As other have just said, it's slippy as hell out and not helped by the Chinese deathrings on the front. Even given that I still had a good, fun time pootle along. Admittedly on some bits while overtaking the traction control was pretty much on permanently as it fought to keep the show on the road...

[Mally]

Why put it through insurance?  It's not broken, it's just worn out.  That'd be like putting a claim in for worn out balljoints or tyres.

 

True.

You, like me are an honest man.

Many would give it a tap* with a rubber mallet.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Drove from Kent to Devon today.  A2, M2, A2, M25, M3, A303, A30.  Rained practically the whole way and as others have said, was very slippy...

[phil_lihp]

The seal you thought was flipped over, are sure about that? One of the seals is meant to be the opposite direction to the others.

 

It was either flattened down or flipped, I had the new one next to it and it was slightly different in profile.  I parked it up by my tame mechanic earlier ready for him to enjoy next week.  The brakes do work, albeit for want of bleeding and it seems that the pedal no longer sinks so assuming he can get the remaining 3 bleed nipples to cooperate, that should sort it.  I'm not sure what the deal is with the new gap in contact between the pedal lever and cylinder but I'm sure he can sort it.  It's rained non-stop all day until about 2 hours ago so I've had no inclination to have another look and I'm full of roast dinner now so...meh.

[phil_lihp]

Drove from Kent to Devon today.  A2, M2, A2, M25, M3, A303, A30.  Rained practically the whole way and as others have said, was very slippy...

 

Welcome!  It did stop raining about 5PM here so you might be OK now, roads are very greasy though, hopefully this will wash them down.  I think we've had all the rain we missed between June and August in about 2 days but it has been needed.

[phil_lihp]

Millport for you, then.

 

Cheers, another one added to the list   Looks wonderful!