The new news 24 thread

[davehedgehog31]

 

Ex bramz7 605 serr dert has turned out to be something of a gem.

 

Ah, New Lanark. I grew up just up the hill in (old?) Lanark.

 

Scotoshite happening tomorrow Circa half 7pm ish at the Marstons pub in Armadale if you're still in the area!

[alcyonecorporation]

Ah, New Lanark. I grew up just up the hill in (old?) Lanark.

 

Scotoshite happening tomorrow Circa half 7pm ish at the Marstons pub in Armadale if you're still in the area!

It is indeed New Lanark. A friend lives nearby and I went to see him.

I met Lacquer Peel at Abington services and, because he did a WTF when he saw under the bonnet, I ended up working out what the weird schrader valved pipes did on the suspension towers (they're aids to the engine mounts; if the going gets really rough, pressurised antifreeze reacts against the strain and they stiffen up).

 

Alas, the car is back down South with me in the Fens now.

[vulgalour]

That concrete structure is pretty amazing.  What was it for?

[BavarianRetro]

Ah, New Lanark. I grew up just up the hill in (old?) Lanark.

 

 

When?

[anonymous user]

That concrete structure is pretty amazing. What was it for?

It's been on here a few times, it's the Buzluhdza the former celebratory communist party headquarters/monument in Bulgaria, which I thought was now closed off to the public, although probably ok for the locals

[Guest Hooli]

Last time I looked on google it's getting restored & opened as a proper tourist thing. So if ya going I'd go now before it's ruined.

[drum]

Ex bramz7 605 serr dert has turned out to be something of a gem.

Is that the one Tam won the raffle?

[xtriple]

Bought a new multi-meter today. Good old Halfords, £8. Then 'trade card' happened and it was a fiver! I don't suppose it is brilliant but I can't find my good one because garage full of other peoples shit, but as my electrical expertise goes as far as checking volts are where they should be and around the correct quantity of same, oh and continuity, I can check that as well, then it's good enough for me.

 

There was a documentary on that building posted above on TV recently, looks interesting and very cool

[SiC]

Have you tried giving it a good charge off the car? If there is a smart* alternator fitted it may not want to charge a flat battery..

It must be charging it a bit as the car works as a daily and hasn't gone completely flat. Pretty sure that the battery is original to the car, so ten years old. £76 for a new one from ECP. I do struggle to justify spending that on this car. But I probably won't if it conks out and looses a cell at a really inconvenient time.

[alcyonecorporation]

Is that the one Tam won the raffle?

Tam won it but didn't want it because of a fuel leak. Fixed the fuel and am replacing the ickle battery soon.

[Tam]

Tam won it but didn't want it because of a fuel leak. Fixed the fuel and am replacing the ickle battery soon.

Didn't want it is a bit strong but glad too see its living on

[Bobthebeard]

Work commences replacing the hissy brake servo on the Saab 9-3.

 

The manky cabin filter unearthed during the process hasn't been changed in a while! Replacement ordered.

[tooSavvy]

xtriple

 

"..I am beginning to look a little like a starvation case - well under 11 stone now and my 32" belt, which already had an extra hole punched thru, is too loose again.."

 

I have elusive dreams that one day I might dwell upon my profile similarly..... I say 'dream' [sigh]

[xtriple]

I tried really hard yesterday to nosh a bit more than usual, couldn't. So at about 11:00 p.m. I started eating chocolate (Gold bars are lush !     ) and drinking tea with 4 sugars! It may not be good for me but at least it's calories, right?

 

My lack of appetite may have had something to do with the simple fact I felt like death. A couple of days working on that bloody car (love it really) reminded me why I pay for work on cars nowadays. Back, legs and most painful, left arm and shoulder. Utter agony and so wearing. I know I don't 'feel' most of the pain (which is a worry) because of Fentanyl but when it really hurts, I start to feel sick and dizzy. By 3:30 yesterday afternoon I just wanted to curl up and sleep (or die, whichever) but couldn't because of life and other shit. When I did get the opportunity for a bit of a snooze, it lasted about ten minutes as every time I moved, I woke myself up!

 

But, I did do the work myself so regardless of success or otherwise, I know it was done and possibly, done right! I need to get the headlining out to sort out the droop but, even though the weather is playing ball, I am going to give it a miss and try and have a quiet day. I have ordered the glue though so something achieved at least  

[tooSavvy]

That concrete structure is pretty amazing.  What was it for?

https://youtu.be/6bE62TOa9BY

[vulgalour]

That's an astonishing structure, really didn't expect it to be much more than a concrete shell inside.

[egg]

I got this

 

 

I applied it incorrectly to this

 

 

We now have a tired fat man and shiny car

 

[davehedgehog31]

When?

I'm 27, so 90's/2000's

[oldcars]

I got this

 

IMG_20180926_150756.jpg

 

I applied it incorrectly to this

 

IMG_20180926_150807.jpg

 

We now have a tired fat man and shiny car

 

IMG_20180926_150935.jpg

That wax is said to be really good. Be interesting to hear how durable it is.

[egg]

I have to say, even without a completely clean car, and using wash and wax first which you're not meant to do, it was mega easy to apply and buff. First time I've used it so let's see. 

[RobT]

^^Double-wax rong 'un!

 

Edit: that rear window setup is Gr9.

[skattrd]

The Maxima failed it's MOT today, nothing major though, just a little bit of brake pipe. Well, 4 little bits of brake pipe, basically the last 5mm of pipe at each corner which isn't covered or coated is a little rusty.

Fingers crossed this should be fixed in a couple of days and then I really need to sell it. I might even advertise it in places like Autotrader or ebay, instead of  my usual half-arsed attempt to sell via a forum.

[RobT]

Massive migraine yesterday (no, I don't mean Megane) so a bit of car therapy needed today.

 

Specifically, new front tyres for the 19. Toyos for £38 each fitted which'll do.

 

 

Non-PAS steering is now just heavy, as opposed to arm wrenchingly awful.

 

Placca trimz went here

 

 

 

I'll probably paint the wheels with some old Hammershite, just to tidy them up. I imagine GTS-X trims will be hard to find, so I'll either leave it like this or buy some less shit placcas.

 

In other news, Xantia drive belt part deux will be attempted at the weekend. I need to buy some hex bits (I think, pic below) to move the tensioner. Why not a bolt and spanner job? Access isn't great either. Lovely though they are (I really do like the Xantia), I've found it and the ZX a slight pain in the arse to work on.

 

[holbeck]

^^ loving the frisby/bin shot Rob.

[320touring]

^^ loving the frisby/bin shot Rob.

The boy's an artist! (And a piss artiste when out in Lunnon:)

[RobT]

^^ I'm a piss artiste, or as Floyd would say an educated alcoholic, most days of the week!

 

[wuvvum]

Got a few more bits done over the last couple of days, although as always not as much as I'd've liked.  The Rover 75 now has a properly* fitted sat nav after I attacked the extraneous mounting lugs with a hacksaw and file.  The remaining two lugs were slightly larger than the Rover originals but I was able to persuade the unit into the dash with a little help from a large screwdriver.  It looks pretty good actually.  I also properly fitted the BMW nav unit into the boot mounting bracket - it'd just been sat on the boot floor hitherto.  I've been driving around with the nav on and from the roads it shows and the speed cameras it knows about I reckon the maps I have are from about 2012 - so a lot more recent than anything Rover would have produced.

 

The Rover 45 is as done as I can get it - the CV boot is fitted and I also cable tied the front flexis which were fouling the wheels at certain angles, and tidied up a couple of brake pipes which looked dodgy but turned out not to be too bad.  It's in for a test first thing Friday so we shall see what we shall see.

 

The Audi is going in to the tyre place tomorrow morning to have a pair of part worn tyres fitted on the back - they're a shite make but they were cheap and it's not a car one drives enthusiastically anyway.  I still need to get the wishbone bushes done on the nearside - I got the wishbone off today, which was another of those 30-minute jobs that ended up taking two hours, this time because the poxy ball joint pin wouldn't come out of the hub - it wasn't completely seized as it would move in and out by about 2mm, but it wouldn't move any further no matter how hard I twatted it with a lump hammer or levered it with a crowbar.  So I ended up removing the ball joint from the wishbone, which was an arse of a job itself as the nuts on the three bolts which hold it all together were fairly well seized, and the bolts didn't have any kind of hex head or anything helpful like that, they were perfectly circular, which meant I had to try and grip them with mole grips - which would have been easy if there weren't so many bloody suspension bits in the way.  Got there in the end though.  I was going to try and be clever and use the old offside wishbone turned upside down to hold everything together temporarily, but then I remembered that that wouldn't work as the ball joint won't come off on that one as the bolts have been welded in place.  So the nearside wishbone is going to have to go back on temporarily - although I've bought some new nuts and bolts so it should be easier to remove again afterwards.

 

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon trying to find the problem with the LDV's blower motor.  It wasn't until I'd had the dashboard to bits and chased various wires with the multimeter that I found the cause of the problem - the blower motor is missing.    So I'm going to order one on eBay and hope that the rest of the wiring is in order - if not I'll just wire up a separate switch to an ignition live and have done with it.  Tomorrow I'm going to attack the rear door catch and see if I can do anything with that.  Sometimes I wish I were normal and could just spend my week off pottering about enjoying the sunshine...

[The Moog]

That trim shot should be calendar front page material at least ! 

[bub2006]

Just been told I've got to collect a Mercedes Benz gla automatic this morning when the qashqai goes in. Unsure if from or grump?

[Honey Badger]

Just been told I've got to collect a Mercedes Benz gla automatic this morning when the qashqai goes in. Unsure if from or grump?

 

Bet it breaks down before you get the Nissan back!

 

We had 4 E class mercs in 4 months while the Volvo S90 was in the garage for crash damage, they just kept breaking down with electrical niggles.